Visionary

Durham Forest is a ruthless place, full of dangers the likes of which few truly understand. Its shadowed bowers hold mysteries which defy even the wisest of Aravian sages. Of all those who choose to make the forest their home, the Dark Elves come the closest to perceiving its true nature, and that is largely due to proximity. The Visionaries are the most knowledgeable of those who have some grasp of the true darkness that lurks within the heart of the forest. Each has learned through painful trial and error how to exert some degree of control over the atavistic elemental forces that haunt the dark boughs and undergrowth. Such entities are not ghosts or Undead, for they were never alive to begin with. Rather, they are esoteric and mystifying spirits born of the Dance of Darkness. They lurk in the deepest recesses of the forest, all but invisible and unnoticed, thirsty for blood. They normally subsist on whatever poor creature has the bad luck to cross their path, be it Human, Elf, or beast. Occasionally, one will become emboldened enough to seek out the nearest settlement or work-camp in order to sate their unnatural hunger. On such occasions, a Visionary is summoned to banish the spirit… or bind it. To do either of these requires a supreme effort of will, and a knowledge of ancient rites handed down from the first Visionaries. When the Dark Elves first came to Durham Forest, a small colony of Elves already inhabited the region. These sages spent their days in not-always peaceful communion with the hidden spirits of the forest, and developed the first rituals of binding and banishment to make their studies easier. A bound spirit is useful for more than study, however. Once a Visionary binds a spirit to themselves, they can use its strength to attack with ectoplasmic talons or unleash its frightful aura to dishearten the enemy. This is dangerous, however, as the spirit will attempt to escape their captor’s control at every available opportunity, and the more souls the spirits consume, the stronger they become. Only a Visionary with a will of tempered steel can maintain dominance over such forces and employ them as tools of war. Resha Casad is one. Descended from a long line of Visionaries, Resha learned the arts of binding and banishment at the feet of her mother and grandmother. Over the years she has dealt with innumerable forest spirits, banishing many but caging others in rune-etched flasks until she can find a use for them. These include the web-haunt known as Tanglemaw and the centipede-spirit called Shadowpincer. But the one she prizes above all others is the spider-spirit she calls Bleakweb. Bleakweb was among the first spirits Resha ever captured, a malign thing resembling one of the giant spiders that inhabit the deep bowers of the forest. It consumed the souls of an entire logging settlement before she successfully bound it, and then only after a battle of wills that took the better part of three days. Resha controls its fury with promises of fresh souls and blood, promises she has thus far made good on. The trapped souls of those it slew swirl about Resha whenever she calls upon Bleakweb’s power in battle. But with every clash, Bleakweb’s hunger grows and Resha’s control grows ever more tenuous. While their relationship has been a relatively amicable one to date, one day soon Resha may well find her soul added to those trapped in Bleakweb’s ethereal gullet.