Zalarrna
Description
Zalarrna, the Carrion Warden, is a towering archdevil whose form blends martial grandeur with ghastly decay. His once-handsome half-elven features are stretched over a skull-like visage, his brilliant golden hair now a tangled mass of ash-gray filaments clotted with dried blood. Rusted, jagged armor clings to his withered frame, ever-dripping with the ichor of the devoured. His voice echoes with noble command warped by centuries of hatred. His spiked chain whirls and slashing through the air as if dancing with malice incarnate. Once the death knight Zarryl Galarina, he was a paladin both revered and reviled who lead legions in the name of his old companion's dominion. Bearing the draconic skull of Krivun, the Demon Prince of Undeath upon his shield, he was granted control over death itself. In one of his final assaults during his life, Krivun granted him a grant gift, the creation of a new form of undead, created at only a slight cost to Zarryl. That night, Zarryl personally slew all soldiers, save for fellow half-elves, who followed him in their sleep, and from their corpses rose the first ghoul, ravenous and intelligent undead with claws capable of paralyzing their foes. From Zarryl's greatest commanders rose the first of the ghasts, more powerful forms of ghouls with even sharper minds. Showing his gratitude for Zarryl's grand act in his name, Krivun made him and his own immune to the paralytic effects of the ghouls, and particularly resistant to the effects of their greater brethren.Personality
Zalarrna is furious, commanding, and pitiless to the extreme. He lashes out at perceived insults, especially from those he sees as lesser to himself—which includes almost any that could not take him in an open melee. However, his rage is calculating and he uses his hatred as fuel for conquest. Despite his infernal pride, he remains loyal to Krivun, the only being he views as a true superior outside of the infernal hierarchy. He despises stagnation and idleness, urging his servants to feast, rise, and hunt without end. There is a buried nobility within him, twisted and darkened by betrayal and decay.Abilities
Powers
Zalarrna's dominion over ghouls and ghasts is absolute, only overruled by their original creator, Krivun. These ravenous undead recognize his authority innately, no matter who raised them or what dark magic binds them. In his presence, their hunger intensifies, driven to frenzies of violence that seem choreographed to his will. With amere gesture, he can transmute corpses into new ghouls or ghasts, depending on their strength in life. These transformations are swift, irreversible by mundane means, and can only be undone through the intervention of powerful divine magic or incredibly powerful arcane spells such as Wish. The ghouls' infamous paralytic touch is rendered useless against those chosen by Zalarrna. Elves and humans are particularly resilient, with half-elves entirely immune. However, those who greatly displease Zalarrna find this protection inverted, making them incredibly susceptible to the touch of such creatures, nearly unable to resist it at all. Zalarrna himself is a being of infernal perfection, forged through war, undeath, and hatred. Radiant energy and positive energy has no hold on him, and no divine turning can compel him to retreat. In the thick of battle or when surrounded by the dead, his form rapidly mends itself, healing wounds as if fueled by the carnage. His preferred weapon, a wickedly spiked chain, dances through the air in spinning arcs. His brutal style strikes multiple foes at once, dragging enemies to the ground and flaying flesh with every pass, accompanied by waves of infernal power that rend both body and spirit.Combat
Zalarrna uses his spiked chain similarly to how a mortal uses a scythe, carving large, sweeping lines through his foes. He begins combat by sowing terror, turning any dead into ghouls, and charging into melee. He fights with relentless, spinning motion, using teleportation to reposition and catch enemies off-guard. His spells focus on floods of negative energy, battlefield control, and amplifying his undead forces.Possessions
Chains of the Carrion Reaper
A weapon of infernal make, these barbed chains feed on flesh and agony. They effortlessly cut through the resistances of flesh and steel alike, ripping free the life of a creature to fuel the strength of the weapon and its wielder. Those hit by the weapon bleed profusely, unable to staunch it by anything short of powerful supernatural effects.Helm of the First Death Knight
A helm crafted from the fused skulls of the first ghasts. The wearer of this helmet can see the weaknesses of all living creatures, greatly enhances the senses of the wearer, and allows the command of undead with a single thought, tearing away control from those who thought themselves a master of death.Realm
Relationships
Enemies and Allies
Enemies
- Ismaraun, Prince of Blood — Zalarrna despises Ismaraun's control over vampires, believing that they should rightfully belong to himself or Krivun.
Allies
- Krivun, Demon Prince of Undeath — Despite the divide between Demon and Devil, Zalarrna still reveres Krivun as his patron, lord, and friend.
Worshipers
Symbols
A broken knight's helm on a bone spike, a ghoulish maw dripping black ichor, or the face of a half-elf bearing large horns wrapped in rose thornsNotable Worshipers
- Sir Kathrell the Hollow —A fallen half-elven knight who leads a ghoul cult in the undercity of Corinthar.
- The Feastbound Choir — A coven of banshees who sing the praises of Zalarrna through screams and ululations in the ruins of a chapel destroyed by him in his time as a Death Knight.
History
Zarryl Galarina was a half-elven paladin of a goddess he does not name. In life, he traveled alongside the Dragonborn death priest Krivun, working alongside him as they carved out a life in an unfamiliar world. As Krivun gained strength and prestige, Zarryl supported his rise into demonhood, sending praise and worship to him rather than his goddess. Achieving the title of a demon prince, Krivun supported Zarryl back, renewing his divine power that had been lost due to the lack of prayer to his goddess. Gaining power over undeath, Zarryl took on the title of Death Knight, painting the draconic skull of Krivun on his shields to replace his previous horned half-elf sigil. He began amassing like-minded soldiers, waging a warpath across Cavellas. The night before his final assault against a powerfully fortified city of a royal that Zarryl had thought spited him, Krivun sent an emissary to him, telling him to slay his own soldiers, save for those who share his heritage. With absolute obedience, Zarryl did so, killing his own soldiers in their sleep. When the task was done and dawn began to break, the soldiers rose as ravenous undead beings with paralytic claws—the first of the ghouls—with the commanders and powerful lieutenants rising as ghasts. Charging into the city, the undead horde overtook those before them, their claws completely unprepared for as guards and civilians were paralyzed and feasted upon alive. Zarryl kept a single-minded focus, heading directly to the palace where he sought the head of the royal. Unfortunately, they were prepared for him, and a gout of acid burned the flesh from his bones, melting away half of his face and half-blinding the paladin. Still, he fought on, revitalized by his own divine magic as it struggled in vain to repair his loss of skin and flesh. Even still, the royal guard overwhelmed him, and he fell in combat. Seeing this, Krivun granted one final boon to his champion, and a glowing mote of light awoke in the empty eye socket of Zarryl, his corpse twitching and rising as the first Death Knight, calling forth the flames of The Pit, consuming everything ahead of him in unholy flames, burning the royal guard and their king instantly, leaving twitching, immolated corpses before him. He continued his rampages across the land in his new state, no longer accepting any living followers amongst his ranks, but allowing those already there to remain as loyal warriors. Over the next several years, Zarryl fought against those who would seek to use the dead as soldiers without the permission of Krivun, as well as any who thought themselves beyond the reaches of death. Eventually, he grew tired of the meddlesome work, and sought greater things. With leave from Krivun, he released his soul to seek Baator, proving his strength and service as he clawed through the ranks of the infernal hierarchy, eventually claiming the title of archdevil.This is a rare option
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Lord of the Ravening Host
The Grave-General
He Who Feasts in War
Scourge of the Bloodless
The First Death Knight
The Ghoulmaster
Knight of the Hollow Helm
The Judge of Chains
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