Vorvadoss

Vorvadoss was the Lord Commander of the Nythyl invasion of Castores. That is to say, he was the one who ruined the world. A being of vast, otherworldly power, he was ultimately betrayed by both his own kind, and his most treasured military asset.

After a prolonged stay in temporal stasis, he was let free by accident by some adventurers. He would eventually end up helping them defeat Unity. His current location and intentions are unknown.

He is quite likely the only living Nythyl left on Castores.

Background
The story of Vorvadoss is the story of his people….

While there are many theories as the origins of the Invaders on Castores, the Invaders, or Nythyl as they call themselves, have a much more mundane origin.

Thousands of years ago, upon the world of Polydeuces, the Nythyl were a race just like any other. Their kingdoms tended to flourish in barren, dry areas rich in metals due to their biology. Not favored by the legendary Nine Heroes who had brought order to the world, the Nythyl relied purely on their ingenuity and strength to compete with their neighbors.

The Nythyl were always considered an ‘outsider’ race. They lacked mouths to converse as other species, instead communicating through spores. One could consider them a sort of ‘plant people’, close to a cactus, ‘eating’ through photosynthesis and able to retain robust supplies of waters. They even were green and had quills to pass as hair.

One day, the most powerful of the Nythyl kingdoms became under attack by Kobolds. Normally, Kobolds were barely considered a threat, but these were of a different sort. Black as night, and wielding alien powers, the mysterious Kobolds were only defeated due to their madness and disorganization.

After the Kobolds were defeated, the kingdom staged an inquiry into the origins of the wretched creatures.

An expeditionary team was sent to track down the origin of the aberrant Kobolds, lead by the kingdom’s sages. What they found would change their face, and their world, and other worlds, forever..

Deep beneath the world the Nine heroes had imprisoned a Cathar, an apocalyptic entity made of the void. Void, unlike other shards of creation, could not be split into other concepts, it merely created multiple, albeit weaker, copies. Dividing nothing just gives you more nothing. Most races would have sealed it back up, or attempted to destroy it, but the Nythyl...studied it.

Over generations, the Sages studied and slowly exposed themselves and their people to the black blood of the Cathar, rapidly advancing their civilization while darkening it. Surrounding Nythly city-states were absorbed into the  dark empire. Over time, their skin greyed, their quills ceased to grow, they begun to converse through telepathy, and their eyes radiated darkness. Their neighbors began to fear the Nythyl and began to more openly war against them, fearing them possessed by demons.

Vorvadoss was a victim of such fears. Living in a border settlement, the community received few benefits of the Sages’ dark progress. All of Vorv’s family and friends were cut down before him, forcing him to flee the village alone.

Filled with a thirst for vengeance, he was easy recruiting for the army. The Sage’s however, saw him as more than just a soldier, but one whose anger and ambition they could wield as their own pawn. It was a rough time for the Sages. For years the rest of the world seemed to have forgotten the Nythyl’s existence, but now they saw what they had become...and with world’s terror at what they were, so too were the Nythyl growing concerned about what they were dealing with, and where they were going. The Sages needed every tool at their disposal to keep their position.

Though his determination, and their manipulation, Vorvadoss ascended quickly through the ranks. However, as he progressed, the Nythyl empire was falling. Conflicted between what they could do, and what they had become, Nythyl morale was shattered, and the emperor seemed to spend more time battling the Sages politically than organizing the war effort.

Though it took considerable time, the nations arrayed against them eventually laid siege to the capitol. The emperor, thinking this was divine punishment for their sins, was considering surrender. This was the turning point.

When the emperor and his entourage left to make peace with the invaders, the Sages struck. The enemy forces, and the emperor, were annihilated in a great tide of darkness. The Nythyl people had one decision, join, or become the dust of history. Just as any cultural upheaval, there were dissidents. They were hunted down and silenced by the new Lord Commander: Vorvadoss.

Vorvadoss would go on to conquer the entirety of Polydeuces, and beyond. During the conquest of Castores, however, he noticed troubling irregularities within Unity, the vast intelligence the Nythyl created to coordinate their war efforts. The sages however, thought him a fool, and eventually had him sealed away and sent off until after their task was complete.

When Unity did rebel against them, Vorvadoss was kept safely in Temporal Stasis, until awoken millennia later. It was only after then he was able to get his revenge on Unity.

Personality
Vorvadoss possesses great ambition, and is able to pursue his goals with great "purity of focus". He is known for his skills in manipulation and cunning. For most of his life, Vorvadoss had unwavering faith in the Sages and his people. Vorvadoss could also be quite vengeful to those who he claimed had wronged him, as he wished to destroy the Sages himself for discarding his warnings and Unity itself for its betrayal.

Vorvadoss does not view the invasion of Castores as anything different than one nation attacking another, it is simply a matter of scale. He possesses no remorse for what his people did to the world.

Vorvadoss as shown to be quite grim outside of battle, normally mocking his allies on their ideals he perceives as weak or misguided and holds the belief of freedom in contempt, saying it is just a lie to guide the weak and makes people soft. In addition, Vorvadoss believes that comfort is a myth given to the young before they experience the cruelty and pain of reality.

In some cases, Vorvadoss possesses a dark, dry sense of humor with a sardonic wit. In battle, he is pragmatic, deadly, deceitful, clever, confident and callous in his methods in achieving victory, caring little about the concept of honor and more about the slaughter of his foes and culling out the weak. He sees no reason to honor those who fall in battle, for in his mind, glory belongs to those who kill. Furthermore, he will use extreme methods to win a battle, no matter what it costs, what it destroyed or who is caught in the crossfire. Nonetheless, despite his lack of scruples, Vorvadoss keeps his word when it comes to a bargain, and does not take kindly to betrayal.

After the defeat and seeming extinction of his people, Vorvadoss has become a bit more of sullen, quietly sorrowful individual, though he tries to hide it behind his trademark persona.

Trivia

 * Vorvadoss first appeared in the "Winter Castores" campaign
 * He was originally intended as an easter egg discovery, though both takes of Winter Castores encountered him.
 * He originally was intended to be a less important Nythyl, but his current position allowed for a more informative role.
 * Vorvadoss is heavily based on Alarak from Starcraft