Candraphon

Most Demonic servants of Siroth take on the trappings of mortal existence. Many were once mortals who pledged themselves to the Shadow God, and it seems to amuse some Firstborn Demons to mimic the ways of the so-called civilized peoples of Teleria, especially when it comes to the courts of highborn nobles. But there are some among Demon-kind who do not attempt to gild themselves with the ways of those they seek to conquer. They use no veneer of humanity and make no concessions to civility or reason. They embrace what they are, malicious and wicked beings with cold hungers and fiery tempers. Few are as primal as the Demon known as Candraphon, who only uses a mortal form for the purpose of entering Teleria. A Firstborn, Candraphon has served Siroth since before the creation of mortals. With his great age and the power and stature it affords him amongst his Demonic kin, Candraphon does not act like most other Firstborn who dedicate so much of their existence to attempting to control their fellow Demonspawn. Not for him the politicking and backstabbing of Siroth’s grand court in Anathraad, nor the much-coveted generalship of the Demonspawn armies that seek to conquer and subvert Teleria. Candraphon does not manipulate his kind for his benefit, clash against them over matters of primacy, seek alliances with them, nor even seem to care for the favor of Siroth. He has but one passion, one need which he can never fully satiate – the hunting of mortals. To that end, Candraphon spends most of his time in the mortal plane, rather than in Anathraad where he would disdain the company of his power-hungry Demonspawn brethren. All he wishes to do is find worthy prey, track it, kill it, and claim trophies from its corpse. In this, Candraphon is without equal among his kind, and perhaps among any being, mortal or immortal, across Teleria. With his senses he can detect the slightest movement of his prey from great distances and can follow their scent for many leagues. His reflexes are razor-sharp, his strength a match for the biggest and most brutal fellow-Demonspawn. The only tools he makes use of are the scythe gauntlets known as the Eviscerators, great lengths of Anathraad-warped bone that cleave through anything they touch, be it steel, timber, flesh, or stone. Candraphon has become a dark legend across Teleria, and with good reason. The Demonspawn is a phantom in the dark, a whisper on the wind, an unseen presence haunting the treetops or the moorlands. No lock will keep him barred, no horse will outrun him, and a citadel-worth of guards and soldiers will not keep him at bay. He seems to delight in the tracking as much as the kill, sometimes hounding his prey for weeks or months at a time – even if he could have killed them earlier – until terror and exhaustion renders them unable to go on. Candraphon’s choice of victims has led some to speculate that he often seeks out opponents worthy of his efforts. He has clashed strength and wits with a vast array of skilled and mighty foes throughout the ages, from huntsmen in Yakai, to Elven mages of Aravia, and questing knights of Kaerok. Few have given him pause, let alone beaten him. But Candraphon does not limit himself only to great warriors or sorcerers, for if he did his legend would surely not have spread as it has. The humble farmer who hears a commotion among his livestock as darkness falls is as much in danger as the noble warrior who stops on the road to rest and water his horses, catching the strange clicking from Candraphon’s beak-like mouth on the wind. The latest stories involving the Demonspawn claim that Candraphon has taken to hunting through the dreaded Durham Forest, delighting in the variety and viciousness of the prey there. Others say that the infamous figure Ruel the Huntsmaster, one of the deadliest Dark Elves ever to have lived, has heard of Candraphon, and seeks him out to test his skills. If such stories are true, Candraphon may have found something close to his match – certainly their clash will become legend. One thing is for sure: only one will leave Durham Forest alive.