Pharisane
The Stone Dragon (a.k.a. The Mad Ascendant)
One of the three mighty Ascendants.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Pharisane was powerfully built even before he was afflicted with the touch of the Vampire, able to decimate stone foundations the way a lumberjack dismantles a tree.
Body Features
Pharisane still carries the wound from his final moments as a living human, where he was stabbed in the back by a Cultist of Iribus.
Facial Features
Pharisanes face was a grotesque mask of scars and disfigured flesh.
Identifying Characteristics
Pharisane ritualisticly removed his hand in the image of his craven god, to prove his loyalty beyond a doubt.
Physical quirks
Pharisane would often mutter to himself, and be unaware of it. when confronted, he would accuse those in question of tampering with his mind and attack them on impulse.
Special abilities
Pharisane learned ancient methods of channaling the Divine from Iribus, and learned from Jora how best to use his Vampiric gifsts such as shapeshifting into mist, a wolf, or a bat to avoid his opponents.
Apparel & Accessories
Pharisane claimed a number of powerful items from the Tomb of the Firstborn, such as the Thronebreaker and the Kingslayer.
Specialized Equipment
Pharisanes bloody scabard would eventually become a cursed artifact, granting the blade an unnatrually keen edge but slowly driving the wielder insane.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Pharisane's living years, were spent as a brute enforcer for many a disreputable organization. Though Pharisane lacked the skills to apply himself beyond that of the sword, he was no fool and sought power where he could, joining a band of Cultists that he was sent to execute and steal from. Pharisane overpowered their leader and installed himself as the new cult master for a time, learning what secrets he could and devoting himself to the God of Secrets. Never a subtle man, Pharisane made enemies of his own followers, who soon turned on him and banished him to the Abyss where his soul would become a plaything for the mad Demons that infested that realm of Chaos. for over a century Pharisane was hunted, killed, and rebuilt as a plaything for the Demons, slowly driving the Crusader insane. time lost all meaning to Pharisane, and if luck had not smiled upon him during the Long Night he would most likely still be trapped in this cycle. The Planes lost balance, and collided into one another, the Abyss spread like a plague into the other Realms causing Chaos as Demons and the lost souls of the dead poured into the other Planes. it was then that the Ascendants were thrown into one of the infinite layers of the Abyss, and happpened upon Pharisane being hunted by demonic dogmen. they battled together, and Pharisane threw caution to the wind and offered to aid them. convinced this was another elaborate trap from the more cunning of the Demons Pharisane fully planned on killing them all for a time, but never did. They battled ancient Demons who existed during the time of Tharyzdons rule and managed to find the holes into the Material plane from which many demons had invaded. Pharisane felt the cool air of the Material plane upon his ghostly flesh again, and even his shattered mind could not deny that this was no trick. The Mad Ascendant as he would come to be called, joined the others in fighting countless battles over the next few years until they stole into a Khoven facility deep within the earth. it was here that Pharisane would happen upon Jora Kampfrun, who had allied himself with the Khoven to strike at his old enemy Anir. Pharisane would fall to one of the Vampires Jora had sired in the Tomb of the Firstborn, to be reborn with the Crimson Gift. Pharisanes Madness gave him the edge during his battle with Jora later in the Tomb, the Nightlord unable to dominate Pharisanes fractured mind, unintentionally tricking Jora into a posistion where he was finally at a disadvantage. The Ascendants slew Jora, severing his head and using their magic to imprison him for a time until they finished disrupting Amnul's operations within the Tomb. Later Pharisane would bargen with Jora for his aid during the final hours of Long Night, convincing the Vampire Lord to aid them in defense of Highgate from the Demon Hordes, the Voss, and other monstrosites who attempted to stop the ritual.
Here Pharisane parted ways with the remaining Ascendants, seceretly using his connection with Iribus and Jora to establish spy networks and connections within Highgate and the newly formed settlement of Fane. Pharisane and Jora established a council of Vampires to rule over Fane for generations, using the populace as a food source in their bloody rituals, until eventually Pharisane betrayed his longtime companion at the behest of Iribus. Pharisane led subtle clues for the nobles of Fane to discover Jora and the Vampire Counts in the middle of their debase rituals, leading to a mass witch hunt and the temporary death of Jora after a long and bloody struggle. Pharisane would retreat from the Mortal Realm back to the Abyss he'd been banished to for so many years, carving out a small territory within the Abyss and declaring himself the God of Chaos, and even forsaking Iribus, using the knowledge the dark god bestowed upon him to rise an army of undead and vampires to rival even the Demon Hordes of the Abyss.
Education
Pharisane was fed knowledge from Iribus himself during his time as the Gods Champion.
Employment
Pharisane spent his living years as a brute enforcer, then a cult leader. following his death, he would become a powerful member of the Ascendants before they finished their work and went their seperate ways. Pharisane then worked from the shadows, operating as the mastermind of Fanes development and subsequent civil war before departing to the Abyss for unknown reasons.
Accomplishments & Achievements
Pharisane manged to duel Jora to a near standstill, surviving where many others had fallen for thousands of years.
Pharisane would sever the head of the dread dragon Tamalth, during his tenure as an Ascendant, slaying the Red Dragonmaster and using his remains to construct a Stone Golem.
Pharisane orchestrated the fall of Jora after many years as the Vampire Lords ally, so well in fact Jora is unaware of the betrayal.
Failures & Embarrassments
Pharisane was betrayed by his original cult members, banishing him to the abyss where he would suffer for nearly two centuries.
Pharisane, even as an Ascendant and the many blessings he recieved from magic artifacts, his god, and his vampiric gifts, was brash and violant until he finally managed to come to grips with his insanity many centuries later.
Mental Trauma
Pharisanes long years in the Abyss left him deranged and mad for quite some time, while this made psionic abilites nearly worthless against the Crusader it did make it difficult to trust even his own thoughts.
Intellectual Characteristics
Despite his madness Pharisane was a proven warrior, while not a tactitian the Crusader was able to stand toe to toe with Jora going blow for blow with one of the worlds finest swordsmen to a standstill.
Morality & Philosophy
Pharisane's morals have changed moment to moment based on his reflexive needs at the time. While he did save the Planes from chaos and destruction, he had no thought of the people he was saving only that it would save himself and his Dark God.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Pharisane for most of his existence, served the Dark God Iribus, until very recently where he delcared himself to be his own master and started a war on the Abyss.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Pharisane was a natrually gifted fighter, though he lacked any tactical forethought he simply fought on impulse.
Likes & Dislikes
Pharisane held a great pleasure in tormenting those weaker than himself, it gave him power and liberation following his time in the Abyss, and eventually he used this in his method of training his underlings.
Virtues & Personality perks
Pharisane is thought to be one of the most naturally gifted fighters in thousands of years, Jora commented that if the Mad Ascendant could think further than two seconds ahead there would be no foe he could not conquer.
Vices & Personality flaws
Pharisane is short sighted, having little patience for anything he cannot gain from in the immediate future, prompting others to guide and manipulate the Crusader for the betterment of all.
Personality Quirks
Pharisane snorts, and chuckles to himself unable to contain even the most intrusive of thoughts to himself.
Social
Mannerisms
Pharisane was a hulking snarling creature who carried himself like an apex predator more than a man, twitching this way and that always on the look out for some unseen threat.
Alignment
Chaotic Evil
Current Location
Conditions
Life
8896
8938
42 years old
Circumstances of Death
Betrayed by his fellow Iribus Cultists, he was banished to the Abyss where he would return to the world of the living during the Long Night as a Vampire.
Children
Quotes & Catchphrases
"i've seen beyond edge of the map, and its changed me. i don't fear anything anymore, even the wrath of my lord himself."
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