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The Dread Lord
Overview
Born in the slums of a once mighty empire, The Dread Lord abandoned his mortal form to wreak vengeance upon his oppressors and burned the empire to the ground, losing his own life in the process. the magic however kept him from passing to the next life. he ascended through the maelstrom of souls, a malevolent phantasm fueled by their torment from the ashes, his power unbound. Now, through Q'rek Ash-Maker, he plots to claim his rightful place atop the pantheon, savoring every moment of misery he inflicts upon the living. A maelstrom of suffering and desire, he's manipulated countless civilizations, whispering in the ears of kings, always seeking the release of his bindings.
Early Life and The Path To Power
Born aeons ago in the slums of a now forgotten empire; the boy that would become The Dread Lord never received a name, his sickly body not expected to survive long enough to reach maturity. Unbeknownst to those around him however, an unseen and chaotic force kept him alive long enough to learn how to read, write and understand the world he lived in. He remained hidden for years, cultivating a following of rebels and outcasts that saw in him the potential to lead them to freedom.
As he grew up the boy witnessed more and more of the corruption within the world order, and in his hate swore to find a way to upend and the whole of it. His energies drew the attention of the Sorcerers Council, who tracked and found him with the sole intent of taking him under their wing. In their offer, he saw an opportunity to gain the power to change the status quo. The instructors of the Academy of Sorcerers welcomed him with open arms and even named him Mateus in honor of one of the great maesters, even though he had no noble blood within his veins; much to the chagrin of the aristocratic offspring that normally attended the prestigious establishment. It was here that the young Mateus heard the whispers of the Old Magicks, newly awakened by his ambition and rage.
Many long and lonely nights in the academy libraries finally yielded results, the young Mateus discovering an ancient tome bound in human skin withing the restricted section that contained the incantations he needed to achieve his ambitions.
Capture and Ascension
Two years passed before Mateus felt he was ready to set his plan in motion, but on the night he chose to perform the rituals he was discovered by the guards, captured, his grimoire confiscated, and thrown into a prison cell to await his trial. The young man knew he would be sentenced to a grim fate if things ever went to trial, so he performed the ritual from memory, inscribing the incantations with his own blood onto the stone walls of his cell. He bound his soul to The Abyss, a dark and empty place that not even the gods dared to tread.
The following morning was a blur as he was walked into the courts and found guilty, sentenced to hang by the neck until dead for his heresy. No one questioned his passiveness as he walked willingly to the gallows with a cruel grin etched onto his face, and only when they dropped the platform from under his feet did they question what they had done. As the rope went taught, the sound of Mateus' neck snapping echoed through the silent courtyard and the shadows seemed to shiver at the moment of his death.
Vengeance at Last
In a single moment, the sun went black and the world seemed to fall into endless darkness, but the nervousness of the people only started when the echoing laughter of the now dead sorcerer sounded from what seemed to be everywhere at once. The deepest shadows seemed to envelop the young mans corpse, before the light of day was returned to the world, leaving only an empty noose where his body once was. All seemed calm for several minutes as the gathered citizens muttered amongst themselves as to what had just happened, but all hell broke loose when the black flames of The Abyss exploded outward to reveal the towering form of The Dread Lord.
In the ensuing chaos of his ascension, the man that had once been Mateus was no more, replaced only by the cruelty of The Dread Lord. With every death, The Dread Lord pulled their souls into The Abyss, increasing his power exponentially as the slaughter continued. In a matter of hours, the dark entity had taken every soul in the city; in a matter of days, he had taken every soul in the country; and within a few terrifying weeks, the embodiment of The Abyss had taken every soul on the planet...finally satisfying the requirements to ascend to godhood. But it was not to be, as The Gods banded together to cast The Dread Lord into the abyss for an eternity.
A New Cult and a New City
Countless eons passed before The Dread Lord felt the stirrings of a desperate plea in the newly born realm of Soulkyn: a prayer for power and vengeance so similar to the ones he had once made so long ago. Knowing that The Gods of Light would do nothing to aid them, The Dread Lord heeded the call and answered, finding the battered form of the Ratkin acolyte Q'rek Ash-maker battered and broken in the darkness of a cell. Though her eyes were ripped from her head and her body broken, The Dread Lord could not intervene directly, bound as he was by the chains of divinity. The God of Pain whispered in the Ratkin's ear that he could save her, if she swore her soul and promised to free him from The Abyss...a deal she made readily.
The Dread Lord extended his influence as far as he could reach, pushing the acolytes brother to find her. The enforcer known as T'mir Ash-maker ravaged and brutalized his way to his sister, blessed by the dark god with strength and durability beyond that of his kin. Once she was secured, the rogue god retreated back to The Abyss to regain his power, having extended himself further than he had initially meant to. Months passed before another prayer reached into the endless shadows, perking the attention of the death god once more. It was not a prayer of desperation, but of thanks and adoration...and the promise to build a new faith in his name in the City of Nightskar with the sole intent to release him from his bindings.