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[b]Theleden, Warden of Rhanea. Right hand of Eagoth[/b]

[b]Rank:[/b] Revenant Major

[b]Description:[/b] Prince Theleden of Esteline was rather handsome in life. His mane of curly blonde locks and golden beard were once the envy of young men across the land. But when Eagoth finally captured the Lion of Esteline, he was subjected to years of strange and horrific torments. The being that emerged from the Eagoth's dungeon was unrecognizable from the young prince that entered eight years earlier. Theleden's body is now wrinkled and pale as the moon, as if the very life was sucked out of him. His beard has fallen from his chin, exposing gaunt and sunken cheeks. His curls of thick blonde hair are now a thin and pitiful collection of translucent white strands. Theleden's lips are frozen into a perpetual grimace from entire months of agonizing torment, so much such so that his lips are scarred and split open. He is typically clad in a thick black robe and cloak. Ostensibly, the purpose of these vestments is to protect Theleden from the damage caused even by what anemic sunlight that shines on the perpetually-darkened lands of Leria. One must wonder, however, if Theleden yet retains some recollection of his former self, and covers himself out of shame.

[b]Background:[/b] Many years have passed since Eagoth's conquest of Leria. And even after many years, little is known about the Great Necromancer. His ultimate motivations are often an enigma even to his inner circle of advisors and deputies. However, one aspect of Eagoth's personality is very well known: the Necromancer Lord is legendarily vindictive.

Theleden became the object of Eagoth's wrath when the young prince came to lead the living armies of Leria against Eagoth's undead hosts. Theleden was the prince of the small kingdom of Esteline when Eagoth's undead first overran the Kingdom of Rhanea and began marching across the borders into the neighboring lands, including Esteline. The disjointed counter-attacks against the undead legions were as demoralizing as they were disastrous. Panic erupted across Leria as Eagoth's undead inflicted defeat after crushing defeat upon the armies of the living. Small Esteline - a peaceful realm with a small, unseasoned army - seemed especially helpless against the inexorable army of the dead. Theleden's father, overwhelmed with despair, took his own life rather than see his people murdered and risen as Eagoth's minions. It was under such hopelessness that Theleden became the king of Esteline.

Unlike his father, Theleden was decisive in the face of the impending doom. He knew holding Esteline against tens of thousands of ghouls was hopeless, so he didn't attempt it. He instead ordered the populace to abandon the capital and flee. When the undead inevitably overran the city's ramparts, Theleden and his forces set fire to his own capital before escaping, destroying many thousands of undead.

Theleden and his army rode to Comiriom. At Theleden's request, lords from across the continent had gathered to plan a common defense against Eagoth's forces. Theleden proposed abandoning central Leria, destroying the great Bridge of Vardo, and amassing all of Leria's remaining warriors at the marshy chokepoint known as the Neck of Leria to prevent the undead from advancing south. The plan was unpopular with many of the lords - particularly those hailing from central Leria. It was the King of Yzen, powerful and enigmatic, who convinced many of the gathered lords and kings to agree to Theleden's proposal. While Theleden was placed in command of Leria's armies, the southern realms were to prepare every seaworthy vessel in Leria to evacuate refugees across the White Straits if Theleden and his forces should fail.

The undead host encountered the living first at Sour Bridge, where the north-south road through the Neck crossed a shallow, stagnant river through the marshes. Perhaps as many as 300,000 ghouls had been mustered to crush Theleden's army. At the sight of such a vast undead army, the living seemed to quail in fear, emboldening the dead to march through the marshes. It was not until the vast bulk of the undead horde was trudging across the marches to the high ground across the bridge that Eagoth and his revenants noticed a thick, oily sheen under the reeds. A hail of fire arrows arced across the sky and plunged into the oil-slicked marshes, setting the marshes - and the dead wading through them - alight. Eagoth and his forces rushed across the burning marches, immolating or badly burning tens of thousands of ghouls. Those undead that made it to the high ground on the southern bank had little time to prepare for Theleden's army charging back toward them. Too late, Eagoth realized, the rout was a feint.

Eagoth's legion of undead was nearly destroyed before the Great Necromancer ordered a retreat back to the North. A quarter of a million ghouls - almost half of all of Eagoth's undead - were destroyed at Sour Bridge. It was by far the single greatest defeat Eagoth ever experienced.

For a time, it had seemed that Theleden could turn the tide of war against Eagoth. But it was a betrayal by King Callidus that doomed Theleden and his army. The Great Necromancer relished Theleden's capture and tormented him mercilessly for many years. But years of torment were not enough to sate Eagoth's wrath. For not only was Theleden tormented, but he also received extensive brainwashing that erased much of his memory of who he was in life. All of his hatred for Eagoth was erased and in its place was left unwavering loyalty to the Great Necromancer and his mission to spread the Undeath across the world. And by appointing Theleden as his minister in the city of Necron, Eagoth’s revenge over his defeated nemesis is absolute. In undeath, Theleden has been made a commander of the Undeath he devoted his life to stopping.


[b]Wards:[/b]
Rhanea - Rhanea was Eagoth’s homeland when he first raised his undead army. It’s capital city, rechristened as Necron, became the defacto capital of Eagoth’s undead empire. As the epicenter of the Undeath, Rhanea is the most established portion of undead Leria. As a result, many of its resources have been exhausted. Theleden and his minions have been working to extract every last resource from this depleted realm.

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