Mortu-Macaab

Mortu-Macaab is truly ancient – one of the Firstborn, the original servants of Siroth and Lumaya. His age and deeds have granted him a high rank in the Demonic hierarchy of Anathraad, but he is by no means Siroth’s most trusted servant. Even Demonspawn born from mortal flesh have been promoted above him. Siroth’s disfavor was not the product of change or whim, but of intentional punishment – Mortu-Macaab had once been trusted above all other generals, and had been the commander tasked with defeating the arrayed armies of Teleria during the First Great War. He had faced down heroes the likes of which newer generations could only dream of – Basileus Roanas, Ramantu Drakesblood, even the Arbiter herself. Despite all of Mortu-Macaab's victories, however, Siroth never forgave him for his ultimate defeat – the First Great War had ended in disaster, and Siroth declared that he would never give Mortu-Macaab another chance to disappoint him. In the thousand years that followed, Siroth knew nothing but disaster. The Age of Hellfire; the foundation of the Sacred Order; the Second and Third Great Wars; the Shadowkin rebellion; the betrayals of the Knights Revenant and the Dark Elves... a millennium-long litany of disappointments, and even Siroth’s immortal patience was running thin. To Mortu-Macaab, however, it was an opportunity to reclaim his place at Siroth’s right hand. Mortu-Macaab's chief opponent was Siroth’s current favorite: a cunning general named Kivos. Kivos was clever and skilled, but physically weak, and for that appeared to command little respect among other Demonspawn. That disloyalty would be Mortu-Macaab’s opportunity. He sent servants among Kivos’ forces with the order to find any who were not happy with their leader, then bribe them into becoming saboteurs and spies. This plan was more successful than expected – there were, apparently, many under Kivos’ command who disliked their commander. Once he had a whole legion of traitors at his beck and call, Mortu-Macaab shifted to the next stage of his plan: he publicly ridiculed Kivos, saying his armies were disorganized and weak. It was a common sort of challenge, the kind many Demonspawn had used over the centuries to instigate a contest of position. Siroth would suppress any challenge if his plans were near fruition, or if he thought the challenge a waste of time, but he let this one stand. Mortu-Macaab grew bold, and Kivos had no choice but to fight, army to army. Thanks to Mortu-Macaab’s many agents within Kivos’ ranks, he knew Kivos’ plans long before reaching the battlefield. Mortu-Macaab’s spies undermined Kivos’ efforts, fouling equipment, formations, and any semblance of order. Even though his armies appeared to be in disarray, Kivos did not surrender. When the two armies met, Mortu-Macaab gloried in what he was sure was his inevitable victory. This glory was short-lived. The chaos in the enemy formations vanished. They rapidly reorganized, rendering all Mortu-Macaab's advanced knowledge of Kivos' plans worthless. Any advantage his sabotage gained him disappeared within minutes of the battle's beginning, and he suddenly found himself facing a perfectly professional force. That was far better than could be said for his own army, as many of Mortu-Macaab’s servants suddenly broke ranks, abandoned weapons, or turned traitor. Mortu-Macaab's forces were swept aside, defeated by the same subterfuge he himself had planned. Kivos had predicted Mortu-Macaab’s machinations, and had ordered his own armies to take any bribe offered so long as they remained loyal. Kivos was not loved by his armies, but he did not need to be. He delivered them a victory. Mortu-Macaab had lost, again, and in Siroth’s full view, with the whole of Anathraad jeering at the sight. Years later, when Siroth prepared for his fourth assault on the realm of Teleria, Kivos was chosen to lead the armies of Anathraad. It would not be as grand an effort as the First or Second Great Wars had been, but the shame of the Third Great War still lingered among the Demonspawn, and Siroth demanded much greater care and loyalty than ever before. This invasion would be precise, careful, and limited, with just enough force to achieve its strict objectives. It was the sort of war that Kivos was well-suited to, but Mortu-Macaab would still have a part – as a door guard. Siroth commanded Mortu-Macaab to protect the Brimstone Path, with what remained of his battered army. He would witness Kivos’ army march forth, and he would hear every message of every victory that Kivos won. It was the ultimate humiliation. Mortu-Macaab seethed. He would obey Siroth’s direct command, of course, but if Kivos attempted to retreat through the Path, he would never allow the wretch to pass through. Nobody shames Mortu-Macaab without punishment. None but Siroth.