Leprae took a long look at her life in the Shifting Expanse, and found it wanting. Seeking to be more than a mere cog in an uncaring machine, she left her home to seek her roots in the Scarred Wasteland as a Mirror dragon. There, she learned of the honored Necromancers, the sinister left hand of the Plaguebringer. Determined to join their ranks, she immediately set out to the Wyrmwound to attempt the Necromantic Trials.
She took up vigil near enough to the Wyrmwound that the glow of the cauldron of disease cast everything in a sickly light. After thirteen days of meditation, she remained as healthy as ever. She left a failure, but determined to prove her worthiness.
The next time, Leprae was closer still to the Wyrmwound. The heat of it made her feel feverish, and she could smell nothing for the rot that hung in the air. Thirteen days passed, and she was still hale and healthy. Once again, she had failed the first trial of the Necromancers, and had to leave with that stamp of unworthiness clinging to her hide.
The third and final time, Leprae snuck close to the Wyrmwound, dodging the plague-striped guards, and set up her vigil. This time, she was so close that she was nearly scoured by the bursting bubbles of the Wyrmwound's viscous fluid. Leprae was determined that this time, she would be recognized by the Plaguebringer.
She was.
When Leprae returned from her vigil, her hide now scarred with the deep, bloody stripes of the Necromancer, forever changed, she sought to prove her worth to all who bore witness to her many failures. Infecting another creature proved too easy - after all, even a Necroservus could do that. She sought a greater challenge to prove herself. She sought a dragon on the cusp of failing entirely, a dragon a mere breath away from becoming a Ghoul.
Vastarix was raised by a clan of Wildclaws deep in the heart of the Viridian Labyrinth. His mother led her clan with a brutal, uncompromising determination, and his father backed her every word and deed. He learned the ways of Nature, and believed himself one of Gladekeeper's natural children.
Until the day it all came crashing down, and he learned of his origins, and the origins of his kind. Devastated by betrayal, Vastarix left his clan and home behind to seek his ancestral homeland. The land of rot and plague disgusted him, and frightened him, but he needed to find his roots.
There, he learned of Plague's nobility - or the closest thing one could get in such a ruined wasteland. Perhaps if he joined their esteemed ranks, he could once again feel like he was home? Vastarix made the journey, fighting the strange beasts that wandered the area and navigating the Abiding Boneyard to reach the Wyrmwound.
Though the Plague-scoured nobles scoffed at his intentions, they allowed him to take his place with other hopefuls in their vigil. Vastarix prayed for recognition and acceptance. Pity that no one told him that Plaguebringer demands her children prove their worthiness before she offers either.
Vastarix was on the cusp of either death or some worse fate when she appeared. Not Plaguebringer as he might have hoped, but Her left hand. A newly-christened Necromancer came to him as he gasped his last, and with her power, pulled the plague from his flesh and mastered where he had failed. He rose, forever marked with the scarred stripes of Plague, and swore to repay his savior.
Together, Leprae and Vastarix remain in the Scarred Wasteland. They have travelled the width and breadth of the land, from the edges of the Wandering Contagion the the depths of the Hellwell Undercroft. Their journey is never ending as they follow the deep-seated instincts of all Mirrors to travel long and far. At times, they may take up with other packs of Mirrors or stay with a more stationary clan, following the whims of fate. Or perhaps the whims of Plaguebringer.
Officially, Vastarix serves as Leprae's servant, taking the position that might otherwise be held by a Necroservus. Unofficially, he is her partner and mate, and the two are dedicated to one another. Away from the prying eyes of other Necromancers, Leprae treats Vastarix as an equal, for more than once he has proven himself a strong and capable ally and a vicious combatant.
They instill into their children the lessons of their youth. Determination to succeed, no matter the cost, and the knowledge that they must be sure of their course and themselves, or risk failure. And above all else, to revere the blessed teachings of Plaguebringer.
When their children are of age, Leprae and Vastarix take them to the Wyrmwound so that they, too, may undergo the vigil to join the Necromancer rank. Failure is not an option. They make sure of that.
