Bystophus

The Cult of K’Leth is a vast, complex machine, stretching across every continent in Teleria. Such a massive network of spies, cultists, necromancers, and slaves is impossible to coordinate under one single hierarchy, and so the Cult does not only answer to its all-but-immortal founder. While Losan K’Leth rules where he can, and his commands are obeyed without question, there is plenty of opportunity for lesser leaders among the elite of the Cult – the Knights Revenant – to rise to near-total independence. While that independence grants flexibility, it also renders the Cult vulnerable to great treachery. Bystophus was a powerful commander in the Knights Revenant. He was the leader of the chapter in the Hallowed Halls, a temple complex that sat among the ruins of a failed ancient Gaellen Pact city near the northern mouth of the Stormwind Wastes. The location is brutally remote. However, that remoteness was strength as much as weakness, for it was one of few regions in all Teleria where the Knights Revenant could operate freely. They used the Hallowed Halls frequently, launching expeditions from it deeper into the Wastes in search of necromantic secrets, lost artifacts, powerful poisons, or other assets that were of great service to K’Leth’s plans. Outposts were scattered through the Wastes to extend the Cult’s reach, and they depended on the supplies that flowed in, and through, the Hallowed Halls. All of those resources were under Bystophus’ direct control. He had been chosen for his loyalty, but Bystophus was not loyal to K’Leth directly – unlike most Knights Revenant, he was loyal to the cause. He believed that the cycle of death and rebirth that the Knights Revenant must face in order to extend their lifespans was sacred. He believed that he – and all Knights Revenant – were better than everyone else down to their souls, and that, in Lumaya’s name, the Knights Revenant would inherit control of all Teleria. It was a level of devotion the Knights Revenant tolerated or ignored, but few shared. Most among their ranks only joined out of greed – immortality is an incredible prize. So, when a mysterious, shadowed figure began lurking in the dreams of many Knights Revenant, their paranoia and cynicism caused them to reject its whispers out of hand. Bystophus was severely lacking in these traits, however. Bystophus listened to the figure with an open mind and, in the months and years that followed, it wrapped him around its fingers. It spoke of the true power and superiority of the Knights Revenant, and how close Bystophus had come to apotheosis. What’s more, the figure also claimed that Lumaya was, in fact, no patron of the Knights Revenant at all, nor even of Teleria. It said that she kept all the Telerians in bondage – in fear of death – when she could have made them all immortal. Only Siroth had their true interests at heart, it said. Only Siroth could protect them. Only Siroth knew the truth. Bystophus ate up these claims and begged for more. And so, it was that Siroth found his first true believer among the Knights Revenant. The grand order that K’Leth had built – an order that once believed in nothing but itself – could finally be held in Siroth’s grip. Bystophus was his first supplicant, but he would not be the last. The Knight Revenant was determined others would find the truth, as he had. It took decades for Bystophus’ influence to spread, and with Siroth’s whispered guidance, it did so in secret. His followers remained a part of the Knights Revenant, but to each other, they called themselves the Sect of Siroth. The Sect grew and grew, eventually infiltrating a large portion of the Cult of K’Leth – not only in the Hallowed Halls and its many satellite laboratories, but even as far away as the catacombs of Narbuk. The Sect grew so large that it drew the attention of K’Leth himself… but only after it had become entrenched enough that K’Leth could not cut the cancer out without threatening his whole organization. So, K’Leth was forced to do nothing, not openly. Behind closed doors was another matter, but it meant that Bystophus – and, by extension, Siroth – still had time. Siroth had elaborate plans for Bystophus and his Sect – not long-term plans, for K’Leth would no doubt act eventually, but the Sect was still a valuable resource. A war between Kaerok and Aravia; the invasion of the Free Cities; the kidnapping of thousands of refugees. The dominoes would begin to fall. Thanks to Bystophus, a great many Knights Revenant would become the obedient soldiers Siroth had always wished them to be. Even if K’Leth ensured they would not remain so for long.