Baron

Moreso than any other deity, the Plaguemother is known for her numerous and varied aspects. Each such aspect has devout followers, those who revere that form above all others.

One such aspect is Lady Death. In this form, the Plaguemother rules the underworld, collecting the souls of the dragons and beasts who have shuffled off the mortal coil.

Some theologians scoff at the notion of aspects, seeing them as delusions, and in many cases this is true. Lady Death, however, is all too real - and Baron is her avatar.

The Nocturne was born the sole heir to an absolute monarchy, and exhibited an interest in necromantic magic from an early age. Extensive training in this dark art hardened his heart and warped his mind, stripping him of the capacity for positive emotion.

When Baron came of age, he murdered his father in cold blood, imprisoned several of his father's loyalists and consorts, and assumed complete control of the clan. Impossibly, the Nocturne managed to worsen the already-oppressive conditions of the clan. He instituted harsh punishments for even the most minor of crimes, passed dozens of arbitrary laws, and formed an order of amoral knights that would police the clan and enforce his will.

In subsequent years, Baron began to experience visions of Lady Death. As these visions grew more frequent, he honed his necromantic magic in order to present her with the most lavish gift that he could imagine - the souls of the entire population of his clan.

With a single spell, Baron killed every last dragon, save for his knights. Those knights, he decided, would accompany him in his travels across Sornieth, aiding him in slaying clan after clan until such point that his gifts finally won him the favor of Lady Death.

Only a single Knight deserted his cause, a Guardian by the name of Kingdom. She had been horrified by his actions. However, her comrades-in-arms were too deeply enthralled by their omnicidal regent to even consider the morality of their given task.

Each clan was chosen for its vulnerable state, the ease with which the wills of its members could be overridden by the Nocturne’s magic.

A clan of Fey who had only recently recaptured their stronghold from Harpies, still in the midst of reestablishing their presence. A clan of Imperials that had been warring for decades with the beastclans along their southern border, sorely lacking in both military and humanitarian resources. A clan of Spirals who had until recently been besieged in their own lair by a rival clan, and had barely begun to conduct repairs or honor the fallen.

As Baron's casualties mounted, reaching well into the tens of thousands, the Plaguemother finally took notice. She found his gifts pleasing, if somewhat desperate. When a second traitor among his Knights slew Baron, murdering the Nocturne in his sleep, Lady Death saw fit to reward this devotion. She resurrected Baron to serve as an extension of her will in the mortal realm – resurrected him as the Avatar of Death.

In exchange, she tasked Baron with exterminating half of all life on Sornieth - a seemingly impossible task. However, Baron is as cunning as he is heartless. To achieve this goal and win his Lady's favor, he has sought out a powerful relic, a diadem which can exponentially amplify the destructive force of his magic.

To function, the diadem requires six gems, each forged through necromancy from the soul of a specific dragon. The only caveat is that these dragons must give their lives willingly.

An elderly witch, tricked into believing that the removal of her soul would grant her eternal undeath. A distraught survivor of a forest fire, seeking to repay a life debt to the dragon who had saved his family. A naive young child, who traded his soul for the promise of his ailing mother’s restored health. And a depressed scholar, grateful that the end of his taxing life would serve a far higher power.

Thus far, Baron has acquired four of the six gems, and has come to the Clan of Second Chances in pursuit of the fifth. Under the pretense of diplomacy with a kingdom that no longer technically exists, the Nocturne is instead making every effort to win the soul that he requires.

That soul belongs to Landslide, a self-indulgent pleasure-seeking dragon who has proved nigh-impossible to deceive, who has no desire to sacrifice his life to any cause or any higher power - to do so would put an end his hedonism. Baron is disgusted by Landslide, and thus far his attempts at persuasion have been largely in vain. However, the Nocturne has no other options, and has come too far to simply abandon his goal.

After all, once Baron obtains the Tundra's soul, only a single gem will remain between him and the extermination of half of Sornieth. Between him and the favor of his one true love - Lady Death.



Art by the talented Fruitbatt!