Wuzgar

The Gaellen War was a time of great suffering for many Ogryn. As the conflict played out, it led to the emergence of many factions and belief systems, all seeking to rationalize the bloodshed and secure the survival of the tribes. From the brutal and fatalistic Bone Crushers to the unifying Battle-Summoners, each sought to harness their unique abilities and philosophies. But few matched the levels of arcane channeling achieved by the group known as the Blood Revival. Originally composed of Ogryn shamans drawn from across many different tribes, the Blood Revival's core tenet was simple — violence was not always destructive, and could be used to serve a greater purpose. The Revival's shamans had a unique connection to the Ogryn psyche, able to harness the raw energy unleashed by the prodigious aggression Ogryn were capable of, turning it to other ends. In particular, they could trammel destruction into energies that could be used to heal their fellow Ogryn. The skills necessary to utilize such magic were difficult to master, and the Blood Revival remained few in number, but they swiftly proved their usefulness to the Gaellen Pact. Ogryn warriors could drive with impunity into the midst of the enemy, splintering shields, cracking skulls, and carving open torsos in the knowledge that doing so gave their shamans the ability to heal even the most grievous wounds. The original shamans took on apprentices. Foremost among them was Wuzgar, a young Ogryn who had long yearned to join the Revival. Enamored by the stories and rhythms of the Battle-Summoners and burning with hatred inspired by the brutalities of the Red Crusade, he saw the Blood Revival as the key to victory, and his radicalism only increased when many of his tribe were slain during a Telerian League attack. Wuzgar swiftly became a prominent Revival shaman, attuned like no other to the potential that Ogryn violence carried and the way its energies could be employed to restore and thus continue the bloodshed, creating a vicious cycle of destruction that devastated several Telerian League armies. Yet despite Wuzgar's ferocity and the Blood Revival's efforts, the war continued to turn against the Pact. Wuzgar and his fellow shamans could not be everywhere at once, and as the frequency of losses rose, so the Revival's own numbers began to dwindle, something Wuzgar recognized as the cycle of defeat. After the death of his mentor, he assumed command of the last of the shamans, intending to lead them in one final effort to halt the ongoing Telerian invasion of Pehas. But death amid the storm of battle was not to be Wuzgar's fate, at least not immediately. The Arbiter had been watching the efforts of the Blood Revival. She had become intrigued by their ability to heal through violence, and believed such knowledge could be put to use in future wars against Siroth. As the Pact made its last stand, she appeared before Wuzgar and urged him to accept immortality through one of her Shards. Wuzgar refused, determined to perish with his people, but the Arbiter showed him a vision, one where even the bloodshed of the Gaellen War seemed small and petty. Ogryn were slaughtered and enslaved by Demonspawn hordes, in a conflict that set the whole of Teleria alight. The Arbiter assured Wuzgar he had a part to play in such a war if it occurred and, by doing so, his people and their skills would live on. Wuzgar grudgingly accepted. The Blood Revival would continue, a fact that, with time, even the descendants of the Telerian League peoples might come to be thankful of.