Character Details
Name: Balfaren, known by his family as "Sylver" and in the underworld as the "Warlock of the Night Parade."Order: Elven
Tribe
Usagi
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In ages past, then, a humble species of Night Hares, simple nocturnal rabbits with fur the color of deep space, stumbled upon the hidden valley during their foraging. Drawn by the Kamaria Lotus's soft light, they began to feed on its petals.
A miraculous change overtook them. Over the generations, they underwent a metamorphosis. Their hind legs strengthened, allowing them to stand bipedal and grow to nearly 6 feet in height. Their paws grew deft and nimble. Their simple, instinctual minds expanded, blossoming into consciousness. And in that new consciousness, they heard it: a hum in their bones, a whisper in their souls. It was the Ishi no Uta.
They were no longer Night Hares. They were the Usagi. The Usagi were born attuned to the stone’s voice. As they explored their land, they found the ruins of the Moon-Forged. When an Usagi touched a fallen crystal, they did not see stone; they saw a memory of a star chart. When they listened to the wind whistling through a broken arch, they heard a bar from the Stone’s Poem.
Being so attuned to the Stone's Poem allowed them to perceive remnants and the Aware. They helped lay the wandering spirits to rest and defended the realm from those who would harm them or others. Usagi retained many of their traits as Night Hares. They are extremely dextrous and have impeccable hearing. Powerful hind legs can clear impossible heights with ease.
A miraculous change overtook them. Over the generations, they underwent a metamorphosis. Their hind legs strengthened, allowing them to stand bipedal and grow to nearly 6 feet in height. Their paws grew deft and nimble. Their simple, instinctual minds expanded, blossoming into consciousness. And in that new consciousness, they heard it: a hum in their bones, a whisper in their souls. It was the Ishi no Uta.
They were no longer Night Hares. They were the Usagi. The Usagi were born attuned to the stone’s voice. As they explored their land, they found the ruins of the Moon-Forged. When an Usagi touched a fallen crystal, they did not see stone; they saw a memory of a star chart. When they listened to the wind whistling through a broken arch, they heard a bar from the Stone’s Poem.
Being so attuned to the Stone's Poem allowed them to perceive remnants and the Aware. They helped lay the wandering spirits to rest and defended the realm from those who would harm them or others. Usagi retained many of their traits as Night Hares. They are extremely dextrous and have impeccable hearing. Powerful hind legs can clear impossible heights with ease.
Appearance:
Balfaren is a striking Usagi, his entire body covered in a coat of shimmering silver fur, a genetic rarity that marks him as one of the last of his kind. This unique fur seems to catch and refract even the dimmest light, giving him an ethereal, almost spectral appearance. His most arresting feature, however, is his eyes. They are like living geodes, deep pools of crystalline violet and blue that swirl with an inner light, hinting at his profound connection to the Ishi no Uta. He is lean and wiry, built for speed and silence, his movements economical and precise.
After the tragedy, his once-bright eyes hold a permanent shadow, and his posture, once relaxed and brimming with restless energy, is now coiled with a predatory stillness. He often wears the dark, practical garb of the Under-Barrow, but always with a hood to conceal his distinctive fur when necessary. Aside from his silver fur and geode eyes, the palms of his hands and forearms bear faint, web-like scars of pale white—a physical reminder of the overwhelming spiritual energy he endured and mastered within the Sorrow-Storm. He typically wears dark, form-fitting leather and a high-collared cloak to obscure his features and blend into the shadows of Lu'Jericho.
Personality:
Balfaren was the epitome of youthful energy—mischievous, clever, and possessed of a boundless, almost reckless optimism. His luck was legendary, getting him out of scrapes that should have ended in disaster. He was deeply loving and fiercely protective of his family, especially his younger siblings, for whom he felt an immense responsibility. His thievery was not born of greed, but of a selfless desire to provide for them. With the Palid Pilferers, he was loyal, witty, and the heart of the group, his confidence infectious.
The massacre shattered the boy he was. The vibrant energy has been replaced by a cold, calculating resolve. He is now patient, observant, and ruthlessly pragmatic. The grief did not break him; it forged him into something harder. He has become a master of masks, projecting an aura of ambitious confidence to the Zolgrundys while hiding the hollowed-out shell filled with cold rage beneath. His connection to the Ishi no Uta, once a source of wonder and occasional strife, is now a weapon and a constant, agonizing reminder of his family's last moments, their emotional Remnants forever etched into his memory.
Anthem
Ishi No Uta
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Every inch of Iah is, in essence, a form of conversation. It is an intricate, unsung language, an ecosystem of various kinds of communication and melodies, constantly in flux. The very stone beneath our feet speaks to the plant roots that cleave to it, sharing nutrients, moisture, and even the subtle vibrations of seismic activity. The mighty mountains hum ancient tales to the winds that sculpt them. Our planet, in its vast entirety, echoes the intentions of the springs and rivers – their pathways, their depths, their very thirst or abundance are not just physical phenomena but expressions of a planetary will.
The Utakatta, or Poet-Seers, are those with the ability to perceive this ubiquitous language. It is not about hearing sounds in the conventional sense, but about feeling the resonance, interpreting the intention, understanding the unspoken dialogue that permeates Iah. It is a profound empathic connection, a sensitivity to the planet’s living symphony. Imagine not just observing a river, but sensing its desire to flow, its memory of past floods, its intention to carve a new path.
The Stone-Speaker of the Shattered Crown. Could sense the ‘thirst’ of the land – the subtle vibrational plea from the parched earth and wilting crops – an Utakata could walk the land and, through their internal resonance, guide underground water veins closer to the surface, causing new springs to emerge. They weren’t creating water; they were listening to the water’s trajectory and gently, almost imperceptibly, persuading it to alter its path, answering the land’s plea. This wasn’t a forceful command, but a harmonious alignment of intention, where the Utakata’s will became a clear echo of the land’s need.”
The ‘Root-Songs’ of the Veiled Woodland guardians. Perceived the ‘memories’ held within the ancient root networks – the subtle electrical impulses and chemical exchanges that encode centuries of growth and decay – an Utakata could communicate directly with the forest itself. They could encourage rapid growth for defensive barriers, or induce a localized calming within a disturbed ecosystem, guiding a diseased patch of flora back to health by understanding the specific ‘ailment’ in its communication. It was akin to a gardener listening to their plants, but on a grand, planetary scale.”
Even the interaction between the living and the dead is part of this. The ‘Remnant-Weavers’ of the Ossuary Isles were said to be able to sift through the lingering energetic imprints of the departed, not to raise them in any corporeal sense, but to discern lost knowledge, forgotten paths, or even the subtle emotional echoes of ancient conflicts. This allowed the living to learn from the past in a uniquely visceral way, making the ancestors not just a memory, but a faint, persistent whisper within the planet’s collective consciousness. This was not necromancy, but rather a form of energetic archaeology, reading the planet’s vast, living memory.”
For Balfaren, he has developed the ability of a Warlock mystics who use the Ishi no Uta to consume and command Remnants by transforming them into Vexed. These spectral conjurations are semi-corporeal creatures with various abilities living instead within a host, possessing it as a sanctuary. Though it grants the Warlock great power, the risk of losing oneself is ever present and a constant struggle to resist. The more complex the emotion that sired the remnant, the more powerful and difficult the resulting Vexed is to control.
The Utakatta, or Poet-Seers, are those with the ability to perceive this ubiquitous language. It is not about hearing sounds in the conventional sense, but about feeling the resonance, interpreting the intention, understanding the unspoken dialogue that permeates Iah. It is a profound empathic connection, a sensitivity to the planet’s living symphony. Imagine not just observing a river, but sensing its desire to flow, its memory of past floods, its intention to carve a new path.
The Stone-Speaker of the Shattered Crown. Could sense the ‘thirst’ of the land – the subtle vibrational plea from the parched earth and wilting crops – an Utakata could walk the land and, through their internal resonance, guide underground water veins closer to the surface, causing new springs to emerge. They weren’t creating water; they were listening to the water’s trajectory and gently, almost imperceptibly, persuading it to alter its path, answering the land’s plea. This wasn’t a forceful command, but a harmonious alignment of intention, where the Utakata’s will became a clear echo of the land’s need.”
The ‘Root-Songs’ of the Veiled Woodland guardians. Perceived the ‘memories’ held within the ancient root networks – the subtle electrical impulses and chemical exchanges that encode centuries of growth and decay – an Utakata could communicate directly with the forest itself. They could encourage rapid growth for defensive barriers, or induce a localized calming within a disturbed ecosystem, guiding a diseased patch of flora back to health by understanding the specific ‘ailment’ in its communication. It was akin to a gardener listening to their plants, but on a grand, planetary scale.”
Even the interaction between the living and the dead is part of this. The ‘Remnant-Weavers’ of the Ossuary Isles were said to be able to sift through the lingering energetic imprints of the departed, not to raise them in any corporeal sense, but to discern lost knowledge, forgotten paths, or even the subtle emotional echoes of ancient conflicts. This allowed the living to learn from the past in a uniquely visceral way, making the ancestors not just a memory, but a faint, persistent whisper within the planet’s collective consciousness. This was not necromancy, but rather a form of energetic archaeology, reading the planet’s vast, living memory.”
For Balfaren, he has developed the ability of a Warlock mystics who use the Ishi no Uta to consume and command Remnants by transforming them into Vexed. These spectral conjurations are semi-corporeal creatures with various abilities living instead within a host, possessing it as a sanctuary. Though it grants the Warlock great power, the risk of losing oneself is ever present and a constant struggle to resist. The more complex the emotion that sired the remnant, the more powerful and difficult the resulting Vexed is to control.
Enhanced perception
Enhanced Hearing
Enhanced Dexterity
Artifact Attunement: His refined senses allow him to hear the "song" of Moon-Forged artifacts, making him an unparalleled treasure hunter.
Master Thief: He retains all the skills from his former life: unparalleled stealth, lockpicking, disguise, misdirection, and a keen intellect for analyzing security and finding unorthodox entry points. He is a ghost long before he calls upon his spirits.
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Arbiters
Name: KikuClass: Ava
Description: The word for "Hear" or"Listen". It is the act of the Uttakata perceiving the unseen through sound. This ritual allows them to awaken the events of the past where the essence of the Duat lingers heavily, typically a place where a remnant resides or a newborn aware lingers.
Name: Miru
Class: Cea
Description: Translate to "See" in common Vescrutian. It is the act of forcing the unseen to reveal itself. Remants/Vexed/Aware are spiritual beings and thus cannot be perceived by the normal eye. However, when beckoned by an Uttakata, they can be forced to materialize/ manifest.
Name: Hanasu
Class: Cea
Description: The word for "Speak" in Iahn tongue. It is the process by which an Uttakata can expel a spirit. This technique, however, relies on the caster's intention to determine its result. If the target is expelled, the soul is destroyed, ensuring the spirit can never harm again. If allowed to pass on in peace, they return to the Duat once more. However, Wallocks have twisted this ability into something contradictory. They use their connection to the Duat to force subservience upon spirits they defeat, binding them for later use.
Name: Night Talismans
Class: Ava
Description: The Night Parade is a collection of Vexed that live within Sylver. To provide them a semi-corporeal form, he uses talismans. A piece of paper inscribed with spells that he infuses with his naten. This allows the being to manifest in the material plane.
Kawaki no Yaiba-The Unslaked Blade
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Class: Ava
Siring Emotion: Vengeful Rage.
Description: Born from the Remnant of a wrongfully executed general, whose final thoughts were a burning promise of retribution against his betrayers.
Abilities: A purely offensive Vexed. It manifests as a spectral samurai wielding blades of condensed rage. These blades can cut physical matter as well as metaphysical matter. It grants Balfaren supernatural speed and an unyielding aggressive drive. He can either summon the samurai or wield the blades himself to conserve energy.
Risks: The Unslaked Blade is a berserker. Its rage is indiscriminate and difficult to direct. When summoned, Balfaren is flooded with its bloodlust. If his focus slips, he will lose control, unable to distinguish friend from foe, attacking everything in sight until he collapses from exhaustion or is subdued. Each use leaves him simmering with anger for days, making him irritable and prone to violence.
Senme no Kage-Thousand-Eyed Shadow
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Class: Bea
Siring Emotion: Deep-seated Paranoia.
Description: This Remnant was born from the collective terror of a community that was stalked for months by an unseen predator, picking them off one by one in the night. Every shadow held a threat, and every sound was a footstep.
Abilities: A Vexed of stealth and information. It does not have a single form, but rather exists as a swarm of disconnected, semi-real shadows that cling to Balfaren. He can perceive through any shadow within his vicinity, granting him near-360-degree awareness. He can also use it to become nearly invisible in dim light and create fleeting, illusory duplicates to misdirect enemies.
Risks: The Vexed’s paranoia is infectious. When active, Balfaren cannot trust his own senses. A rustling leaf sounds like an assassin’s blade; a friendly face appears to have hostile intent. He sees threats that aren’t there and becomes suspicious of his closest allies. Overuse can lead to permanent psychological damage, isolating him in a prison of his own perceived threats.
Siring Emotion: Deep-seated Paranoia.
Description: This Remnant was born from the collective terror of a community that was stalked for months by an unseen predator, picking them off one by one in the night. Every shadow held a threat, and every sound was a footstep.
Abilities: A Vexed of stealth and information. It does not have a single form, but rather exists as a swarm of disconnected, semi-real shadows that cling to Balfaren. He can perceive through any shadow within his vicinity, granting him near-360-degree awareness. He can also use it to become nearly invisible in dim light and create fleeting, illusory duplicates to misdirect enemies.
Risks: The Vexed’s paranoia is infectious. When active, Balfaren cannot trust his own senses. A rustling leaf sounds like an assassin’s blade; a friendly face appears to have hostile intent. He sees threats that aren’t there and becomes suspicious of his closest allies. Overuse can lead to permanent psychological damage, isolating him in a prison of his own perceived threats.
Oshimu Kane-The Mourning Bell
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Class: Ava
Siring Emotion: Sorrow.
Description: Sired by the overwhelming grief of a coastal village that watched its entire fishing fleet—and every able-bodied man—swallowed by a tsunami. It is the sound of a hundred widows weeping at once.
Abilities: A defensive and debilitating Vexed. It manifests not as a creature, but as an oppressive aura of silence and weight centered on Balfaren. Within this field, all "songs" are muted. Hostile spells fizzle, aggressive intent is dampened, and enemies feel the crushing weight of inexplicable sorrow, slowing their movements and draining their will to fight.
Risks: To use the Mourning Bell, Balfaren must fully experience the village's grief. He is flooded with an apathy so profound it borders on catatonia. The desire to lie down and cease to exist is immense. Prolonged use can lead to severe depression. It is a slow poison for the soul.
Shimo no Nageki-The Hoarfrost Lament
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Class: Bea
Siring Emotion: Despair
Description: Born from the collective despair and sorrow of a lakeside community that froze to death during an unnaturally harsh and sudden winter, betrayed by the very spirits of nature they worshipped.
Abilities: Radiates an intense, unnatural cold that can flash-freeze water, create fields of slowing frost, and launch shards of razor-sharp ice. Its most significant power is its ability to inflict its emotional state, smothering aggressive emotions like rage or passion with a wave of utter despair and cold apathy.
Risks: This is one of Balfaren's most dangerous Vexed. Its deep, sorrowful apathy threatens to sever his empathic connection to Iah, the very core of an Utakatta's being. Prolonged use leaves him emotionally numb, unable to feel joy, inspiration, or urgency for days, making him vulnerable and even threatening to silence the world's symphony for him permanently.
Siring Emotion: Despair
Description: Born from the collective despair and sorrow of a lakeside community that froze to death during an unnaturally harsh and sudden winter, betrayed by the very spirits of nature they worshipped.
Abilities: Radiates an intense, unnatural cold that can flash-freeze water, create fields of slowing frost, and launch shards of razor-sharp ice. Its most significant power is its ability to inflict its emotional state, smothering aggressive emotions like rage or passion with a wave of utter despair and cold apathy.
Risks: This is one of Balfaren's most dangerous Vexed. Its deep, sorrowful apathy threatens to sever his empathic connection to Iah, the very core of an Utakatta's being. Prolonged use leaves him emotionally numb, unable to feel joy, inspiration, or urgency for days, making him vulnerable and even threatening to silence the world's symphony for him permanently.
Hai no Kogane-Gilded King of Ash
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Class: Bea
Siring Emotion: Pride
Description: A regal, humanoid figure seated upon a crumbling throne. Both king and throne are made of compacted ash, yet shot through with veins of illusory, glittering gold. It exudes an aura of immense arrogance and hollow majesty. It does not move, but imposes its will upon the space around it.
Remnant Origin: The lingering, potent hubris of a long-dead Warlock-King who, in his arrogance, tried to consume the Remnant of a volcano to achieve godhood. The ritual failed spectacularly, annihilating his city and himself. The Remnant is the echo of his monumental pride and the catastrophic failure it caused.
Abilities:
Decree of Dominion: The King creates a spectral "domain" around Balfaren. Within this domain, Balfaren's will is law; his other Vexed are empowered, and lesser spirits or wills are suppressed by the sheer pressure of the King's arrogance. It is an overbearing presence that demands subservience to his decrees. However, a strong enough will is unaffected.
Hollow Majesty: The Vexed can manifest spectral constructs of power—walls, weapons, armor—that appear grand and golden but are brittle as ash, shattering after their purpose is served. Their primary purpose is intimidation. He can conjure a number of these manifestations as his naten allows.
Risks: This is the most seductive and dangerous Vexed. It doesn't tempt Balfaren with negative emotion, but with positive reinforcement. It whispers of his own greatness, inflates his ego, and encourages him to overreach. It urges him to use more power, to consume stronger Remnants, to believe he is infallible. The ultimate risk is that Balfaren, under the King's influence, will ignore the massive naten drain to satisfy his pride, risking extreme exhaustion or even death.
Pillars
Pillar of Projection
Balfaren’s conflict is razor-focused on Malachi Zolgrundy and his Five Heirs. This is not merely a quest to kill them. It is a war against their entire ideal: their perversion of the Usagi heritage, their twisting of the Ishi no Uta into a tool for greed and fear, and their legacy of suffering built on the bones of families like his. He seeks to dismantle their empire of fear brick by stolen brick until their name is nothing but a cursed whisper.
Pillar of Reflection
His internal struggle is a battle for his soul. His goal is justice, but his methods are dark—deception, manipulation, and the command of tormented spirits. He constantly asks himself: Can I destroy this monster without becoming one myself? He walks a knife's edge between righteous fury and all-consuming hatred. The Vexed spirits of his Night Parade are a constant temptation, their sorrow and rage feeding his own. His challenge is to use this darkness as a tool without letting it become his identity, and to discover who he will be if and when his vengeance is complete.
Pillar of Illumination
Beyond his personal vendetta, Balfaren’s ultimate challenge is to expose the rot at the heart of Usagi society. The Zolgrundy clan represents a corruption that has poisoned the capital city. By bringing them down, he aims to shatter the facade of their power and philanthropy, forcing the people of Lu'Jericho to see the truth. His quest could reawaken the true, communal nature of the Ishi no Uta, breaking the chokehold of a single, greedy family and reminding the Usagi of their shared spiritual heritage.
Bio:
Balfaren The Lucky
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Balfaren hails from the capital city, Lu'Jericho, City Of The Moon, the most established city on the continent of Iah. His home is the slums of the Mudtop Ward, a district in the Under-Barrow. His parents are married, and he is the eldest of six. Who affectionately refer to him as Sylver, as he is one of the last few remaining Silver-furred Usagi with piercing eyes like a living geode. This means he is also one of the very few Usagi still connected to the Ishi no Uta, the Stone’s Poem, a rare bloodline trait that allows one to perceive the “Language Of The Land,” a dialect that enables seamless interaction with nature and the unseen forces. His gift lets him perceive Remnants, not ghosts, precisely, but lingering imprints of emotion and memory left on the landscape: a blessing and a curse to him because of his fur, many other Usagi tended to avoid him and even bully him.
Like most Usagi, Balfaren was filled with energy and had a knack for getting himself in all kinds of compromising situations, but as if blessed with luck, he always made it through. He’s obsessed with the Moon-Forged artifacts and the lore surrounding the secret treasures of this world. His family had it rough, and through his thievery, he helped them stay afloat. Feeling that if he became a thief, he could spare his siblings from needing to follow the same path. He lived this way till he was nine. His mischievous nature, incredulous talent for stealing, and peerless intellect eventually drew the attention of a budding thieves guild, “The Palid Pilferes.” Ran by a black haired Usagi named Xara. Whereas most of his kind rejected him or made a commodity of him for his unique trait, Xara saw to give him a palace ot belong, where his unique talents could do good for the people of the Under-Barrow and his family.
With his talents and special hearing, the guild eventually made quite a name for itself in the city, becoming notorious in its own right. The group built a powerful bond and literally became as thick as thieves. For the first time in his life, Balfaren felt like he had a place to belong, a family, and with them by his side, they could one day rival even the greatest thieves guild. However, this bliss would eventually end, and his luck would finally run out.
Like most Usagi, Balfaren was filled with energy and had a knack for getting himself in all kinds of compromising situations, but as if blessed with luck, he always made it through. He’s obsessed with the Moon-Forged artifacts and the lore surrounding the secret treasures of this world. His family had it rough, and through his thievery, he helped them stay afloat. Feeling that if he became a thief, he could spare his siblings from needing to follow the same path. He lived this way till he was nine. His mischievous nature, incredulous talent for stealing, and peerless intellect eventually drew the attention of a budding thieves guild, “The Palid Pilferes.” Ran by a black haired Usagi named Xara. Whereas most of his kind rejected him or made a commodity of him for his unique trait, Xara saw to give him a palace ot belong, where his unique talents could do good for the people of the Under-Barrow and his family.
With his talents and special hearing, the guild eventually made quite a name for itself in the city, becoming notorious in its own right. The group built a powerful bond and literally became as thick as thieves. For the first time in his life, Balfaren felt like he had a place to belong, a family, and with them by his side, they could one day rival even the greatest thieves guild. However, this bliss would eventually end, and his luck would finally run out.
Warlock of The Night Parade
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Unknown to him, his parents worked for the Zolgrundy clan, the most notorious family in both the Under-Barrow and Lu’ Jericho. The Zolgrundy family sits at the apex of Usagi society, their public face one of old money and philanthropic grace. They still speak of restoring the glory of the Moon-Forged, of their tireless search for the Shard of the Monolith. But it is a lie that curdles in the air. Their syndicate is a web of murder, fear, and extortion that holds the capital in a chokehold. The Silent Paw, a name spoken in hushed and fearful tones. Is the Syndicate by which they operate a veil of a thieves guild.
The Zolgrundys corrode it from within, with greed and paranoia. The noble ambition to recover the song of their ancestors has forged a corrupt dynasty obsessed only with the cacophony of power. And in the silent, gilded halls of the Zolgrundy estate, the only hum to be heard is the low, venomous whisper of betrayal.
His Mother, one of his most famed agents, a master of disguise known only as Anya the Whisper-Thief, had served the guild faithfully for twenty years. She still believed, deep down, in the original mission. Malachi ordered her to assassinate a city elder who was planning to fund a public expedition to a ruin the Zolgrundys wanted to plunder in secret. The elder was a kind, beloved figure, and his only crime was an honest desire to help his people. Anya hesitated.
That hesitation was her undoing. Malachi didn’t just replace her; he made an example of her. He framed her for treason, planting evidence that she was selling secrets to the very rivals she had spent her life undermining. After publicly shaming their family, he sent the Five Heirs, his children, and the generals of his guild to massacre her family, including her husband and children. Balfaren, who was on a job with his own guild, only survived because he was away. Upon his return, he found his entire family slaughtered, along with the symbol of the Silent Paw.
That became the advent of change in him.
In the moment of his grief, he was approached by a stranger, a person who possessed a powerful aura. With fur Sylver like his own, he told him that he wished to bring the Zolgrundy to an end, and it could help him master his special gifts by helping him become a Warlock—mystics who use the Ishi no Uta to consume and command Remnants by transforming them into Vexed.
He agreed. In order to awaken this power, he had to sit within the eye of a Sorrow-Storm, a localized disturbance where the veil rips open, causing the living and the dead to bleed into one another in chaotic, terrifying ways. He nearly lost his mind as he was plagued by the voices of a thousand different dead, but he managed to survive and was forever changed.
After three years of mastering his abilities, he acquired a host of Vexed Spirits that he calls his Night Parade. This technique, coupled with his ability to detect Moon-Forged artifacts, earned him quite a name in the Under-Barrow, and Malachi Zolgrundy himself offered him to become a part of the Zolgrundy Thieves guild. He accepted and so began plotting his vengeance on the family that murdered his.
The Zolgrundys corrode it from within, with greed and paranoia. The noble ambition to recover the song of their ancestors has forged a corrupt dynasty obsessed only with the cacophony of power. And in the silent, gilded halls of the Zolgrundy estate, the only hum to be heard is the low, venomous whisper of betrayal.
His Mother, one of his most famed agents, a master of disguise known only as Anya the Whisper-Thief, had served the guild faithfully for twenty years. She still believed, deep down, in the original mission. Malachi ordered her to assassinate a city elder who was planning to fund a public expedition to a ruin the Zolgrundys wanted to plunder in secret. The elder was a kind, beloved figure, and his only crime was an honest desire to help his people. Anya hesitated.
That hesitation was her undoing. Malachi didn’t just replace her; he made an example of her. He framed her for treason, planting evidence that she was selling secrets to the very rivals she had spent her life undermining. After publicly shaming their family, he sent the Five Heirs, his children, and the generals of his guild to massacre her family, including her husband and children. Balfaren, who was on a job with his own guild, only survived because he was away. Upon his return, he found his entire family slaughtered, along with the symbol of the Silent Paw.
That became the advent of change in him.
In the moment of his grief, he was approached by a stranger, a person who possessed a powerful aura. With fur Sylver like his own, he told him that he wished to bring the Zolgrundy to an end, and it could help him master his special gifts by helping him become a Warlock—mystics who use the Ishi no Uta to consume and command Remnants by transforming them into Vexed.
He agreed. In order to awaken this power, he had to sit within the eye of a Sorrow-Storm, a localized disturbance where the veil rips open, causing the living and the dead to bleed into one another in chaotic, terrifying ways. He nearly lost his mind as he was plagued by the voices of a thousand different dead, but he managed to survive and was forever changed.
After three years of mastering his abilities, he acquired a host of Vexed Spirits that he calls his Night Parade. This technique, coupled with his ability to detect Moon-Forged artifacts, earned him quite a name in the Under-Barrow, and Malachi Zolgrundy himself offered him to become a part of the Zolgrundy Thieves guild. He accepted and so began plotting his vengeance on the family that murdered his.
The team