Wylan
Father of a Thousand Hungry Young
a.k.a. The Soul Forger, Father of a Thousand Hungry Young
"I have forged a thousand blades that shall wet their edges with a thousand tragedies."
There is a Greylord who resides on the Isle of Grem, known for forging many powerful and cursed weapons. Among the more involved Greylords, Wylan is considered neutral but more accurate to say he is generally uncaring. He has become apathetic toward most things, as some Greylords become.
The Isle of Grem
The Isle of Grem sits somewhere in the midst of the Black Sea of the Greylands. The source of its name is buried deep in the past of the Greylands and known only by a few Greylords. Generally known among them is that, at some point in its history, two portals to two violently-opposed planes opened. A clash between angelic and infernal forces took place, leaving the isle a war-torn battlefield strewn with the broken bodies and gear of both armies. Before either army could retreat, the portals shut, trapping them in their bitter conflict with no chance to retreat. Neither force lived to claim a hollow victory.
The battle left behind rich metal resources in a concentration almost unheard of in the Greylands. Normally, such materials would have been fought over by any nearby Greylords but due to the location of Grem and the obstacles to reach it, attempting to seize the forging metal from Wylan simply wasn't worth the effort and cost. Thus the hermitical Greylord remains unopposed in his claim of one of the largest metal 'deposits' in the Greylands. How the Greylord ended up on the Isle in the first place is currently unknown.
The Isle sees only a few eidolons spawn there, drawing in primarily those that die in large scale conflicts. Unfortunately for these souls, the isle is not hospitable nor is it any easier to leave than it is to enter. Most souls cannot journey to a new plane and begin the inevitable transformation into hungry ghosts. Due to this isolated environment, Grem has given rise to a unique form of hungry spirit, the dro'gah. These war hulks form from the remnants of arms, armors, and corpses littering the island's ancient battlefield.
The Forge and the Well
Although Wylan creates powerful weapons by his own hands with some regularity, the Greylord has neither purpose nor concern for whom his weapons kill or how they might shift the balance of Existence. Though he does not intentionally curse them, this is often how they are described. It is a side effect of the materials used in their forging and the influence of the Isle. While the ruler of the Isle of Grem is infamous for his weapons, he also crafts various trinkets and armor as the mood strikes him.
Located on Grem is a legendary Well which may touch many planes of Existence at once. Sitting at the bottom is a fluctuating portal, ever shifting in Chaos. Things that fall into the portal may be destroyed as they are twisted apart in the etheric energies and cast out across several dimensions, or they may be flung whole through space and time, ending up in some distant place.
Into this Well, Wylan discards his finished creations, for the Greylord hoards none of his weapons upon the Isle itself. The destination of these items is a mystery even to him, were he to show any interest in one of them after it had been forged.
On Isolation and the Black Seas
Sailing the Black Seas presents a unique challenge. Anyone trying to navigate on the land already knows no compass works, and there are no celestial bodies to track overhead. While on solid ground, at least one has landmarks. There are none for sea travel.
To avoid getting lost, one would be forced to follow the coast, but this also means contesting constantly with Bane Wasp nests. Abandoning the coast would find any ship destroyed by storms or worst, the Lokra'then, massive, serpentine beasts dwelling in the deeper parts of tumultous waters.
In essence, any ship sailing the Black Seas requires the direct intervention of a Greylord, not only to navigate but to survive the journey. Thus, shipcraft is virtually non-existent in the Greylands as the inhabitants have little to gain from it.
Even with Wylan's metal as an eternal temptation and more than one traveler stating how clearly one can make out the distant flame of Wylan's forge as a beacon to the Isle, few have ever been known to take the risk. Many are the archives tracking this beacon, only to show there are just as many countless days when his forge fire is absent and one can never predict when it will go out, or for how long.
Beyond the Nexus
Wylan is not well-known outside the Greylands, though a few dwarves and smiths on the worlds which have housed his creations may give tokens and prayers seeking to ward him off when working on a particularly difficult task.
Artist's Note:
Sometimes inspiration comes from the works of others. Wylan is such a case, including the basic visual design.
You are invited to check out this short film inspired by Old Norse mythology that in many ways encapsulates the character.
Unity 5 - The Blacksmith - GDC 2015
As well as the artist who designed The Forger in the video:
I will note that while Nyx and Wylan show a humanoid form, this is by no means their true nature. They've simply adopted this shape over time for convenience, much as how a certain Dragon keeps trotting around in smaller, mobile forms. ~NecrosisBob, 2016
Something Extra
Patreon exclusive content: Added secret and insight about the Greylord.
