The Council of Nine
"Every horrific act of the Cataclysm Wars can be traced back to the Council of Nine."- Umbrin Nilswan, Aldenian Historian.
The Origins
How the first member of the Council was corrupted by the dark gods is surprisingly well documented. Astrona Emberwild was a talented young Priestess. Gifted in healing magic, she was the youngest human to become a High Priestess. However, tragedy struck one day and her husband was killed after reports of disturbances to the east. Fuelled by grief and anger, she reached out to her gods for a way to bring him back. A god answered but it was too late before she realised it was not the one she was searching out for. Her husband was returned from the dead but a dark seed had been planted within her. As it grew, strengthening the grip of the dark god on her soul, her husband grew more distant until one day he did not come home, but by choice and a letter rather than a return to the grave. She found him, and in a fit of rage, killed him once more. The second round of despair pushed even further into the darkness and a once-promising cleric was reborn as a leading necromancer. The dark gods and demons of the underworld had found a figurehead, one that quickly brought a bloodthirsty Orc clan leader, Elven assassin and Dwarven scholar into the fold. In the months that followed the numbers grew as a Gnomish outcast, a fallen Solaran (Solaxan) sorcerer and a Half-Elf trickster were recruited. The final two pieces in this evil puzzle were a Vampire, turned in a battle that vanquished an existing Vampire lord and the Altaran chieftain of the Circle of the Ancestors who with the corruption of the Ancestral Tree, succumbed to the same corruption. Nine members, each bringing something different to the table, were ready to unleash all kinds of horrors upon this world.Members
- Astrona Emberwild - Human High Priestess turned Necromancer, Leader
- Drakk the Brutal - Orc Warlord, battlefield strategist.
- Grevlin Doomwrench - Gnome inventor, mad
- Krotar Shadowthane - Dwarf scholar, exiled for pursuing forbidden knowledge.
- Lothaire - Vampire (human).
- Nicisa Elnain - Elven assassin, temptress.
- Orsa Algrun - Fallen Solaran (Solaxan) sorceror.
- Syllen Olalynn - Half-elven trickster, mostly unknown.
- Thanoth 'Nightcarver' Gathakanaki - Altaran Druid Elder of The Circle of the Ancestors, succumbed to Vaedrin's corruption of the Ancestral Tree.
Defeat
The Council of Nine were defeated during the Siege of Arkran. A battle that marked the end of the Cataclysm Wars. None of the Council were reported to have survived the assault. The year that followed became 1PC (Post Cataclysm) and heralded a new era. Whilst it has been hundreds of years since the Wars concluded, the effects can still be seen across the land of Aldenia.Dragon Seekers & Dungeon Explorer's Guide
- Altara/n - Goliath
- Solara/n - Aasimar
Type
Secret, Occult
Alternative Names
The Dark Council
Leader
Subsidiary Organizations
Comments