Tribune Herakletes

Before the union of Narses and Ankora and the foundation of Valdemar, Tribune Herakletes – Skinner of Dragons and Breaker of Fleets – served as King Narses' greatest general and admiral. His was the mind behind the storming of Isla Norsca, in which hundreds of Norr pirates in the employ of the Dragonkin Empire were put to the sword. His was the idea to mount their heads on spikes as a warning to Valdemar’s foes. Herakletes was also the destroyer of the Dragonkin’s famous 12th Fleet, the ‘Seafangs’, and slayed their legendary commander, Grand Nautilon Iazon Ga’roh. When Valdemar was established as a satrapy of the Dragonkin Empire, Herakletes no longer fought his old foes. He did so willingly, out of admiration for Narses and Ankora. Herakletes was the most loyal, steadfast, and dedicated of all his monarchs’ servants. He named his firstborn son and daughter after them and his belief in the independence of Valdemar outmatched that of any other. In Herakletes’ eyes, his monarchs made his people and nation stronger than ever before, keeping them secure from total domination by the Dragonkin Empire while securing almost total daily autonomy, and he loved them for it – more than he hated Dragonkin. Besides his king, queen, and his family, Herakletes’ primary passion in life had been the killing of Dragonkin. His blade, Snakebiter, more than earned its name, for with it the tribune slew hundreds. His large residences in Valdemar’s capital were famously ascetic, in keeping with his reputation as the quintessential soldier, something he had fought long and sacrificed much for, and worked hard to maintain. He allowed himself a few decorative indulgences however: hanging the hides of slain Dragonkin and mounting their heads. Herakletes had dozens of varieties – specimens with enormous neck frills, sets of long, sharp horns, or enormous jaws – with a dizzying array of coloring from jungle greens and rose reds to wheatfield yellows and ice blues. They were an unnerving sight for Dragonkin diplomats. Herakletes served faithfully for decades. When Narses and Ankora died and were buried together, he was an aged man, though still strong through relentless training. He decided, however, that his time should end with that of his beloved monarchs. In a grand ceremony, as part of the month-long funerary events for the king and queen, he fell on his sword in front of a crowd of thousands. Before doing so he swore to serve, protect, and fight for Narses and Ankora in death. He was buried nearby in a befittingly plain tomb of Valdemar sandstone. Little did he know what was to come long after his name had been lost to history, least of all the Scourge of Darkness, the bringer of Undeath into Teleria. By the time Mother Cybele uncovered Narses and Ankora, Herakletes’ tomb had been disturbed by the events of the Gaellen War and centuries of erosion. Cybele’s actions, unbeknownst to her, caused Herakletes to wake. The magic of his pre-suicide oath, bound as it was with his sword and body, combined with that of the Scourge of Darkness. He emerged from his weather-broken tomb, Snakebiter in hand glowing with necromantic energies, with one thought in mind: the whereabouts and safety of his wards. He raged to the heavens when he found their tomb empty, and to his shock, a pair of ghosts appeared to him, drawn by his power. Pointing his blade at them, he demanded they tell him what happened. They spoke of all they knew: a Red Mother with a revenant soul, and a floating island fortress in the seas to the south. That is where he headed. Wherever he went, Undead were drawn to him as moths to a flame. On his travels he learned of the Knights Revenant, and of their dark floating bastion of Perdition, and realized that is where his master and mistress must be. And so he marches. Herakletes has been killed several times on his mission by agents of the Sacred Order, and each time he has arisen, stronger than ever, grateful for Undeath. It is as though the power of his oath is keeping him alive, that it might learn what it takes to help Herakletes survive for longer, and therefore be able complete his task of rescuing Narses and Ankora. He now leads an army of ghouls, ghosts, and skeletons that have been drawn to his power, marching implacably along the seafloor, to Perdition. Herakletes has no idea that his king and queen are guests and allies of Losan K’Leth, leader of the Cult that bears his name. He may see the Knights Revenant as an enemy now, but should his monarchs order it, he will align himself – and his army – with them without question. But that army will be Narses’ and Ankora’s to command, not K’Leth’s.