Kyrash Vellin

Kyrash Vellin is the last proclaimed scion of a fallen court that once ruled a ruined shore-kingdom called Vaelthur. When the kingdom collapsed under a mysterious cataclysm, Kyrash vanished with the court's ritual blade — a sword forged in rites of hunger and sealed with a phrase lost to most tongues. The blade, passed down through the line as Thanekith, was discovered by Kyrash to possess an appetite: the blade consumes the departing will of the dead and channels it into living strength for its bearer. Over decades Kyrash learned to bind the blade to himself, feeding on battlefield corpses and harvesting souls from the condemned to prolong his authority and stave off death. Scholars argue about Kyrash's goals. Some, like Archivist Mereth of Kalanor, claim he seeks to rebuild a living throne by siphoning the will of entire populations. Others among the Order of Veiled Lantern insist Kyrash is building a ward against some deeper hunger beneath Vaelthur's ruins: the blade must be fed to keep something worse from stirring. Towns that have encountered Kyrash tell of caravans found emptied of spirit and corpses with hollow, peaceful expressions; survivors speak of a soft, coaxing voice that promises revival while the blade eats them. Rumors claim a clandestine cabal, the Pale Ensemble, now aids him — whether in hope of boon or terror of his vengeance is unknown.

Kyrash is a tall, lithe elf, skin like chalk with a faint silver sheen; his hair is long and bone-white, bound in a single black braid threaded with tiny black metal rings. His eyes are a deep red that seems to pulse when he tastes a dying heartbeat. He wears closely fitted black leather layered with plates of hammered moonsteel etched in archaic runes; the armor is tailored to allow graceful motion. Thanekith rests in a scabbard at his hip — a long, narrow sword with an irregular, slightly wavering edge; the blade's fuller runs like a vein and sometimes seems to drink light. When the blade devours a soul, delicate wisps of smoke shaped like broken words climb from its edge and coil toward Kyrash's throat. Scars line his hands and forearms, thin white tracks as if from repeated ritual brandings. Scale: Kyrash stands about as tall as a human noble (roughly 6 ft.), and Thanekith is a one-handed longsword about 3 ft. from guard to tip.