The Fallen Lords

Overview

When Balor emerged out of the unknown eastern tracts to wage his unholy war with mankind, he brought with him six men and women whose dark power and malevolence was matched only by his own. Known as The Fallen Lords, or simply The Fallen, these six were the most feared of his agents, acting both as high-ranking generals and leading strategists in Balor's armies, to speak nothing of their status as notable butchers in their own right capable of decimating entire troop formations single-handedly. It was thought that they were magically bound to Balor's will, and it was also believed by many, including Alric, that they drew power directly from their master. While this may have been true to some extent, the fact that Soulblighter and others of The Fallen not only survived but in some cases grew in power after the death of their liege seems to have rendered this theory less probable. The more likely explanation is that The Fallen came under the employ of The Leveler for various reasons, whether it be lust for power, a sympathetic distaste for mankind, or merely a desire to be on the winning side. Whatever the circumstances of their service may have been, to a letter all of The Fallen Lords were obedient to Balor's will (no doubt fear of the repercussions of disobedience played its part), and only a few instances of insubordination within The Fallen were recorded over several decades of warfare. After the death of Balor at the end of The Great War and the collapse of his armies, the terrors visited by The Fallen began to fade into memory even within the same era, though there are members of their dread company who presumably still live to pursue their own agendas.

Known Members

The Deceiver

A man so reviled that even others of The Fallen did not trust him, The Deceiver earned the contempt of his peers through aeons of power-mongering and treachery. It is to his credit that despite the innumerable enemies he has made that he has survived for so long. His epithet serves not only to brand him as a betrayer and opportunist, but is also quite apt in describing his propensities as a mage. The Deceiver is quite adept at concealing his own strength, often preferring to forgo magic altogether if his goals can be accomplished without it. It is sometimes not until they believe they have won that Myrdred chooses to reveal just how gravely his opponent has underestimated him. In terms of personality, The Deceiver is commonly noted to be deranged and entirely self-centered, as one might expect from a man who has dedicated his life to increasing his own personal power. It came as a surprise to many that when Alric sought him out in the Angurvadal Glacier that Myrdred promised his assistance. This is not out of character for Myrdred, however, as he has turned coat in the past when it suited him.

Shiver

Shiver was known as The First Lady of the Fallen, and possessed as many names as she did spells. As a sorceress she was outclassed by few, but she also bore the ignominious distinction of being the first of The Fallen to succumb to armies of the West. Through a ruse devised by The Head, she was struck down by Rabican, one of The Nine, early on in the siege of Madrigal. She left behind her a legacy of destruction and nightmarish magic, and would be given renewed (albeit brief) life by Soulblighter some sixty years after her demise. The most powerful of her hexes was the Whisper Dream, through which she could force her way into the dreamscape of her opponent, bypassing their defenses and destroying them from within. Like many of her ilk, destruction trailed in her wake, and among the many rumors surrounding her was the assertion that her mere presence could poison the very environs through which she tread. Tales of trees and other flora which withered and perished at her passing led to one of her many nicknames, the Mother of Plagues.

Soulblighter

Amongst his contemporaries, Soulblighter's malevolence and hatred for the living was unmatched. Being a monster in the truest sense, he did not believe in taking prisoners, and many a village has simply ceased to exist as a result of the thoroughness with which he slaughtered his enemies. He was perhaps the most attuned of The Fallen to the desires of Balor, and this was never more evident than when he returned sixty years after The Great War to continue fighting against the human kingdoms. Soulblighter was unique among The Fallen in that his reputation was forged primarily on the back of his own physical prowess rather than his arcane knowledge. He was a tireless fighter, and was not afraid to charge personally into the front lines in order to kill dozens of men personally with his vicious glaive. He was not without significant spellpower as well, however, and it was rumored that the signature scars which marked his face and chest were self-inflicted during a ritual designed to prolong his life.

The Watcher

Perhaps the most ancient of all The Fallen, Bahl'al has shown up in the histories as far back to the first era on record, the Age of Reason, and might plausibly date back farther still. He was the only member of The Fallen Lords known to have colluded with The Leveler prior to his incarnation as Balor, and is regarded in arcane circles as the first person to discover the secrets of necromancy. Unfortunately, his prolonged lifespan may have taken a toll on his mind, as he was reportedly quite mad even by the standards of The Fallen. This did not keep him from serving dutifully as Balor's lieutenant, as the one constant throughout his appearances over the years was his desire to see the downfall of mankind. The Watcher was the second of The Fallen to die at the hands of the Legion, after being frozen solid by arrows tipped with pieces of his own bone. Unlike Shiver, the first Fallen casualty, there has been no indication that the spirit of The Watcher survived his corporeal death.

Unconfirmed Members

Though only four of the six Fallen Lords made official appearances in the Myth franchise, references to those unseen can be found in companion materials (such as GURPS Myth). Like much of the Myth fiction, details surrounding them are vague, perhaps intentionally so. It is also worth noting that though there are only two clear vacancies in the Fallen, four different names appear, thus it is unclear what the true names of the final Fallen Lords are, and given the state of the franchise, this may never be resolved.

Bonesplitter

Referred to in pre-release information as a personage "turned from The Light" by Ashfear (aka The Leveler), there is little to no information regarding his (or her) identity.

The Faceless Man

Another champion "turned from The Light" who was mentioned in the lead-up to Myth: TFL, The Faceless Man is likely a reference to a character of the same name in Glen Cook's Black Company series, a work which Myth bears many narrative similarities to.

The Lurker

Also called Bheil and Twice-Born Daughter of Flood and Famine, The Lurker is an entity revealed first in GURPS Myth and said to have had control over the elements and plant-life, whose primary duty was to wear down enemy troops in preparation for a full assault.

The Voiceless One

A shadowy individual whose activities apparently even Balor himself was not fully aware of, The Voiceless One seemed to determine her own missions. In GURPS Myth, it is theorized that The Voiceless One is merely an aspect of Shiver, as both entities have been referred to as Ravanna, thought this has never explicitly been stated to be true.