Post by Magman on Jan 18, 2012 21:15:06 GMT -6
Growing up Vanthus Vanderboren and his sister Lavinia were quite close. With their parents rarely around, the pair got into a fair amount of trouble. After one particularly complex prank involving several elixirs of love emptied into the nearby water tower, both of their childhoods came to a sudden end. Lavinia was sent to a prestigious finishing school in an attempt to teach her decorum and grace, while Vanthus was sent south to work on a plantation owned by his uncle Kallum, a life-long bachelor who subscribed to the notion that strong character was forged in the crucible of hard and honest work.
With each day of unrewarding toil and unfair (from his point of view) punishment, Vanthus's resentment toward his uncle grew. He tried several times to run away, but Kallum's servants were to quick and always caught him. It was on one of these attempts to escape that Vanthus discovered a secret door in the plantation house and blundered into his uncles secret study. As it happened, Kallum was also a retired adventurer and member of the secret society of treasure hunters known as the seekers. Vanthus spent an hour exploring the large study, and became particularly obsessed with a reproduction of a large woodcut depicting a four-armed demon tearing apart an old man. The reproduction was of a page from the Demonomicon of Iggwilv, and had been framed and hung on the wall above a small plaque that read, "General Ghorvash Honors His Prisoner." Yet Kallum's greatest treasure was, without a doubt, a beautiful Book Of Infinite Spells, its white leather cover festooned with gems and its pages edged with gold. Vanthus was drawn to the book as if entranced. He opened it, and as the knowledge of the spell on the front page bloomed in his mind, Vanthus knew true power for the first time. Heedless of his actions, he greedily began flipping pages through the book, marveling at spell after spell until he reached the book's final page and the gate spell inscribed therein. Amazed by the spells power, he immediately set about using the Book Of Infinite Spells to call upon the powerful monster named Ghorvash from the picture on the wall.
The greatest error in Vanthus's life was his foolish assumption that the spell would allow him to control the demon.
As Vanthus cast the spell, the page turned on its own. The demon appeared in a flash of noxious smoke and immediately realized that the one who had called him was ignorant. He menaced the horrified youth for a moment, then adopted a pose of subservience and informed the boy that he would grant him one wish. Vanthus quickly regained his composure and wished for wealth, power, and eternal life in one breath. It was at this point that Uncle Kallum, drawn by the sound of the dmons laughter, entered the study. Ghorvash stunned the shocked man into senselessness, then turned to Vanthus and told him that, in orderfor his wish to be granted, blood had to be spilled. Vanthus didn't hesitate. With sick glee, he slit his uncle's throat and threw the body to the glabrezu for his enjoyment. Ghorvash roared in appreciation and vanished, the seeds of his work sewn.
Yet Vanthus felt betrayed-the demon had not granted the youth's wish. Enraged at the demon and horrified that the murder of his uncle would be discovered, Vanthus set fire to the plantation and watched from the nearby fields as the building burned to the ground.
After the fire, Vanthus returned to live at the family manor in Sasserine, but he told no one of his bargain with Ghorvash. A year later, when he suddenly became rich, he assumed it was because his plan to carry out the murder of his parents and then rob the family vault went off without a hitch. He had no way of knowing that Ghorvash's agents lurked in the shadows to ensure that Vanthus's parents and their crew would fail in their attempts to put out the fire. When Vanthus gained power by becoming a lemorian captain in the Crimson Fleet, he told himself it was his glib tongue and charming personality that won him over. He never guessed that Ghorvash had already arranged for his swift ascencion through the ranks. It wasn't until after Vanthus died at the hands of the Stormcrows his sister's guardians that he realized that Ghorvash had made good on his wish. He had become rich after robbing his dead parents vault, powerful after becoming a lemorian captain in the Crimson Fleet, and now, as Ghorvash dragged Vanthus's squirming soul before his master, the Prince of Demons, Vanthus had eternal life. Of a sort.
With each day of unrewarding toil and unfair (from his point of view) punishment, Vanthus's resentment toward his uncle grew. He tried several times to run away, but Kallum's servants were to quick and always caught him. It was on one of these attempts to escape that Vanthus discovered a secret door in the plantation house and blundered into his uncles secret study. As it happened, Kallum was also a retired adventurer and member of the secret society of treasure hunters known as the seekers. Vanthus spent an hour exploring the large study, and became particularly obsessed with a reproduction of a large woodcut depicting a four-armed demon tearing apart an old man. The reproduction was of a page from the Demonomicon of Iggwilv, and had been framed and hung on the wall above a small plaque that read, "General Ghorvash Honors His Prisoner." Yet Kallum's greatest treasure was, without a doubt, a beautiful Book Of Infinite Spells, its white leather cover festooned with gems and its pages edged with gold. Vanthus was drawn to the book as if entranced. He opened it, and as the knowledge of the spell on the front page bloomed in his mind, Vanthus knew true power for the first time. Heedless of his actions, he greedily began flipping pages through the book, marveling at spell after spell until he reached the book's final page and the gate spell inscribed therein. Amazed by the spells power, he immediately set about using the Book Of Infinite Spells to call upon the powerful monster named Ghorvash from the picture on the wall.
The greatest error in Vanthus's life was his foolish assumption that the spell would allow him to control the demon.
As Vanthus cast the spell, the page turned on its own. The demon appeared in a flash of noxious smoke and immediately realized that the one who had called him was ignorant. He menaced the horrified youth for a moment, then adopted a pose of subservience and informed the boy that he would grant him one wish. Vanthus quickly regained his composure and wished for wealth, power, and eternal life in one breath. It was at this point that Uncle Kallum, drawn by the sound of the dmons laughter, entered the study. Ghorvash stunned the shocked man into senselessness, then turned to Vanthus and told him that, in orderfor his wish to be granted, blood had to be spilled. Vanthus didn't hesitate. With sick glee, he slit his uncle's throat and threw the body to the glabrezu for his enjoyment. Ghorvash roared in appreciation and vanished, the seeds of his work sewn.
Yet Vanthus felt betrayed-the demon had not granted the youth's wish. Enraged at the demon and horrified that the murder of his uncle would be discovered, Vanthus set fire to the plantation and watched from the nearby fields as the building burned to the ground.
After the fire, Vanthus returned to live at the family manor in Sasserine, but he told no one of his bargain with Ghorvash. A year later, when he suddenly became rich, he assumed it was because his plan to carry out the murder of his parents and then rob the family vault went off without a hitch. He had no way of knowing that Ghorvash's agents lurked in the shadows to ensure that Vanthus's parents and their crew would fail in their attempts to put out the fire. When Vanthus gained power by becoming a lemorian captain in the Crimson Fleet, he told himself it was his glib tongue and charming personality that won him over. He never guessed that Ghorvash had already arranged for his swift ascencion through the ranks. It wasn't until after Vanthus died at the hands of the Stormcrows his sister's guardians that he realized that Ghorvash had made good on his wish. He had become rich after robbing his dead parents vault, powerful after becoming a lemorian captain in the Crimson Fleet, and now, as Ghorvash dragged Vanthus's squirming soul before his master, the Prince of Demons, Vanthus had eternal life. Of a sort.