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Message: <blockquote data-quote="steeldragons" data-source="post: 5468566" data-attributes="member: 92511">The Inquisitor Zacris was, in fact, the most notorious enforcer of the old Empire. His atrocities against human and non-human communities knew no bounds and he was reviled by mortal races, and praised by Imperial loyalists, across the whole of the world.Zacris was, in fact, a Caprian human from an esteemed noble family. Spurred by his eternal loyalty to the ideals of the divine right and perfection of his emperor he attained massive magical power, provided himself nigh invulnerablility or near immortality. His power ever-increasing as he carried out the emperor's will.In the fading days of his emperor, Zacris' crimes against mortal-kind reached a fevered pitch in his desperation to prevent the Empire's fall to a (multi-racial) rebel/slave uprising.Despite Zacris' best efforts, and tens of thousands of "rebels" slain in and around the capital, the rebellion did occur. Zacris in his desperate power-driven madness was consumed in a maelstrom of mystic energies in his final "defense" of the imperial palace...as was half of the city and most of the rebels.Zacris the Inquisitor was hailed by the remaining loyalists of Capria, as the greatest savior of the Empire...and mourned as a hero with a mandatory holiday declared in his honor...Torrent Day-the day the Empire nearly fell but was saved by the loyalty of a single servant of the Emperor. The holiday is never (willingly) practiced anywhere by any of the oppressed/conquered peoples.The spirit of Zacris faced a different fate. When his soul came before the gates of the dead, the gods refused him admittance. The Immortals, themselves, (of all alignments) feared the Inquisitor's power and ruthlessness, his blind loyalty and cruel sadistic desires. It was feared his spirit, if allowed admittance even unto the lower planes could/would rise up and enslave not only the underworld but eventually the whole of the afterlife.As punishment (and security), the most powerful of the gods "rasa'ed his tabula." They stripped his memories, his mind, his power. The immortals still feared the insightful, scheming, and immensely intelligent Inquisitor known as Zacris could potentially find ways to regain/renew these in time.So, his "blanked" soul was expunged from the outer planes and returned to the mortal coils. They placed it in an artificial shell (what the mortals call "a warforged") in slumber to be hidden and (it was believed) undisturbed deep beneath an unpopulated swamp for eternity.Uncounted ages later a divine thunderclap was heard throughout the planes at a forgotten/fading deity's celestial facepalm. Those damned halflings have a knack for finding the damnedest things! Basically, some bits of what the character may learn to be his past...may not be what actually/historically/completely accurate to how he came to be. Possible other usable stuff:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">As Zacris increases in power, divine (and infernal) agents begin noticing and attempting to stop the formerly great wizard (or corrupt him to their own cause<img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devil.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":devil:" title="Devil    :devil:" data-shortname=":devil:" />).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Obviously, the Emperor was supreme ruler of all the lands, the seas, and the skies above!  Zacris is responsible for the all out destruction of the once great kingdom of gnomes and their legendary Flying City. He ensnared a horde of dragons to his will and in a single afternoon destroyed the entire floating island and scattered the race of gnomes (or <insert one of your world's very rare races here>) throughout the realms and took the great treasures, magics and alchemical knowledge that survived into the thrall of the Empire...increasing Zacris' own power as well as the resources of the empire. (Perhaps there are a dragon or two floating around the world still who aided Zacris-perhaps against their will- in this endeavor? <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Centaurs were once winged...they were an aerial race, pegusi instead of just horses. Again, requiring mastery of all the skies as well as the lands, the emperor set Zacris to bring the "unnatural" race under his thumb. A massive curse was laid upon the flying horse-men and their wings withered and fell from their bodies. The newly crippled creatures were easily subdued and made excellent beasts of burden/laborers for the empire. Unfortunately, these creatures died out fairly quickly (a generation or two). Those that managed to escape, or evade capture in the first place, became the centaurs known today by men and elves. They still tell the stories of their ancestors and the evil wizard of the evil empire who bound them to the ground.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Halfings once had a grand peaceful kingdom of their own centered around the walled city and lush farmlands of Lavenheathe (ruins to explore/discover?). The country-dwelling folk are the scattered remains of a once large populace/civilization brought to the brink of extinction by the Imperial forces led by "the Dark Wizard, Zackerias"..."Zackerias" lives on in halfling folklore as a shadowy spirit of immense evil who stalks the night and takes naughty children, wayward travelers and scoundrels in the dark of night never to be heard from again.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Have you ever encountered one of the ancient wise mystic monk-folk known in dusty records as "the Xerli"? No? Know why? Cuz ther'ain't any. Thanks to Zacris.</li> </ul>--Steel Dragons</blockquote>

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