Soulblighter

Overview

The malignant warrior known as Soulblighter first made his presence felt during the Sword Age, arising out of the vast Untamed Lands of the east to become a plague upon humanity. In short order he established himself as a being of unbridled malevolence, leading an army of fiendish creatures and horrid undead on a tireless quest to eradicate all life. It would not be long before his deeds spread fear and revulsion throughout the world of Myth.

As the most brutal and merciless of the vile Fallen Lords, he was second in command only to Balor himself, and the fervor and cruelty with which he pursued the downfall of mankind was matched only by that of his master. He prided himself on the thoroughness with which he exterminated his foes, earning a reputation as a butcher who left no living creature in his wake. Several cities have been erased from existence due to his barbarism, Strand and Stöng among them, and in truth Soulblighter was only known to take prisoners so that he might torture and kill them personally at a later time. While others among the Fallen might have served Balor through compulsion or due to a lust for power, Soulbighter was in a sense a true believer, wanting nothing more than the destruction of the civilized world.

Though his identity was not known for certain, most people, King Alric included, presumed Soulblighter to be Damas, the commander of Emperor Leitrim's armies in the Wind Age and the closest friend of the great hero Connacht, the man responsible for banishing the Myrkridia and defeating the threat of Moagim the Faceless Terror. This might partially explain how he was able to find powerful artifacts such as the Tain without guidance, as it was rumored that in his later years Emperor Connacht tasked Damas with destroying or secreting away a variety of magical items in the hopes that this would prevent future incarnations of The Leveler from using them. This would also justify Balor's implicit trust in Soulbighter, as it is assumed that Balor was once Connacht. Whatever the case may be, there is little trace of the man Soulblighter once was, with any vestiges of humanity having long since been replaced by an unwavering sadism and bloodlust.

The Great War (Myth: The Fallen Lords)

Serving with great distinction as a Fallen Lord and Balor's greatest lieutenant, Soulblighter was responsible for terrorizing the people of The Province throughout The Great War and amassing several notable victories on his master's behalf (such as razing the city of Covenant). In addition to the countless lives he claimed over the extended conflict, Soulblighter also went out of his way to secure other means of subduing Balor's enemies. One of his most noteworthy discoveries was a magical prison called the Tain, which he found buried deep within Forest Heart. He wasted no time in using it, sealing away a large portion of the Legion within its confines. While they eventually secured a means of escape, the act still struck a blow to the Light, as two of The Nine, the Avatara Cu Roi and Murgen, died before making it out of the Tain, significantly weakening the Legion's leadership.

Soulblighter continued to be a constant threat to the nations of the Light thereafter, and toward the end of the war, as Alric and his men staged a final desperate assault against Balor's fortress at Rhi'anon, Soulblighter's army pursued them fiercely as they drew closer to the ruined Trow capital. Much to the relief and bewilderment of the Legion, his forces abruptly turned away after crossing the Gjol, discontinuing their pursuit of Alric's men. While the Light was grateful for the respite, the reason for Soulblighter's disengagement would become apparent later, as he reemerged in order to prevent the Legion from throwing Balor's head into the Great Devoid, an act which would kill the dark lord. Unfortunately for Soulblighter, the Legion was successful in granting Balor his final death, and as the masterless armies of Balor collapsed around him he fled back into the Untamed Lands from whence he came, not to be seen for decades.

Soulblighter's War (Myth II)

The years following Balor's defeat did not see Soulblighter idle, though most assumed him dead. Without the might of his former master to aid him, he buried himself in the study of the dark arts, learning the skills necessary to create and command a vast army of undead and vile creatures. While building his army of living dead, Soulblighter was also able to seduce his old master's minions, the Fetch, to his cause, and recruit new allies such as the Maul, a race of nomadic pig-men from the far north. He was even able to revive Shiver, one of the Fallen Lords who had been defeated by Rabican during The Great War.

Chief among his feats, however, was the resurrection of the horrific Myrkridia. Sixty years after The Great War, as it became apparent to the men of The Province that Soulblighter was not only still alive but active once again, Alric ordered the retrieval of the Total Codex in hopes that it would prevent the villain from finding The Summoner, the very man capable of reviving the Myrkridian race. In spite of Alric's foresight, Soulblighter was able to find The Summoner through his own means, and soon after the nations of the West cowered before the Myrkridia, creatures from a prior age so terrible that few had believed they still existed.

With the Myrkridia fighting at his side, it seemed for a time that Soulblighter was unstoppable. Through a series of timely events, however, his bid to conquer the world would slowly unravel, and his ultimate downfall would be due in no small part to the intervention of his one-time ally: The Deceiver.

Taking a gamble that the former Fallen Lord would be grateful enough to offer assistance if released from his state of half-death, Alric restored the sorcerer and returned his scepter. Though Myrdred was clearly unhinged, recruiting The Deceiver proved to be the right course of action, as he not only won over the mighty Trow to the Legion's cause, but also traveled deep within the shattered remnants of the Tain, cutting off Soulblighter's access to the Myrkridia. With The Deceiver's activities quickly limiting his options, Soulblighter's army is eventually cornered against the Cloudspine, and as a last resort he begins casting a spell which will shatter the mountains themselves, killing himself and taking the rest of the world with him. Fortunately, Alric was able to interrupt the spell before its completion, casting Soulbighter into the magma of Tharsis where he dies.

Abilities

While most of the Fallen Lords were sorcerers of great skill and renown, Soulblighter was unique, having built his notoriety entirely on the back of his incredible martial abilities. His signature weapon was the glaive (which consists of a long polearm with a blade attached to one end), an implement which he used to fell his opponents with incredible speed.

The dark magics which permeated his body protected him from all manner of physical harm, a fact which, when combined with his natural affinity for combat, made him an unstoppable force on the battlefield. In spite of his preference for physical confrontation, Soulblighter also amassed incredible knowledge of the dark arts, with his mutilated face and prominent chest scar (left behind when he removed his own heart) commonly thought to be evidence of rituals he performed to prolong his own life.

He was furthermore a necromancer of some skill, able to create Thrall, Soulless, and even more complicated constructs like Stygian Knights. He could even transform into a murder of crows at will, which was the only known instance of a shapeshifting spell in the Myth universe, though as The Deceiver demonstrated, the death of even one of these crows prevented Soulblighter from using the ability.