Cariousus the Slayer I

One of the most infamous creatures of this age, the beginning of the vampire Cariousus, like his end, is a matter shrouded in mystery. Although his actions and history upon his conception as a vampire is well-documented, what came before is a matter of scholarly debate, relying mostly on fragments of ancient records, as well as recorded conversations by him to a few select others of his past.

It seems that as a consciousness, Cariousus existed many centuries ago, as a dark priest of Virigoth. According to his own statements, he was long ago tricked and bound into a special Soul Crystal, along with many other creatures of a fell path, by a holy paladin in a bygone age. The paladin, it seemed, had hopes of purifying their souls, so instead of sending them to their Gods, trapped them in the spectral prison of a crystal, trying to make them repent of their deeds in life. It was a terrible mistake, both for himself and later generations. As more souls were added, straining the crystal, the combined souls, a Hundred in all, managed to corrupt, then shatter, the lattice of the gem, erupting from its broken shards and slaying the paladin immediately, their rage after years (decades, in some cases) of imprisonment being given vent to at last.

(Authors note: Researchers were dispatched to the general vicinity of the area which is believed to be where the death of the paladin occurred. No remains of a gem were found, but buried deep beneath the ground, in the area, were the ancient bones of a long-dead human.)

After their satisfying destruction of the paladin, however, it seems they made a terrible discovery; their souls, having spent so much time compressed together within the magical prison of the soulgem, were fused together; they were not free to go their separate ways, to either their dark Gods at long last, or to roam the world as they pleased. In time, a consensus emerged amongst them that they would work together to possess a human form, so that they might again enjoy, together, the fruits of mortal life.

Centuries passed, by Cariousus own account, before the Hundred managed to accumulate the mana needed for such a spell, and to, indeed, devise such a spell. When they did, they chose as a vessel a young, strong, dark knight. The spell was cast, and they forced their way into his body, expunging his soul in an instant. They would soon find, however, that their existence could not last.

The combined energies of a hundred corrupt souls, in a single body, began to wear and tear at the mortal frame, causing it to corrupt and decay at an impossibly fast speed. In desperation, the Hundred turned to Cariousus, a high priest of Virigoth, to lead them in their prayers for the Gods of darkness to aid them. Unlife heard the plea of Cariousus, one of their favored priests, and imbued their form with unholy power. Thus was rise given to the vampire Cariousus, a name now synonymous with depravity and death, as well as power itself.

The decades after his conception were dark ones indeed. Countless living creatures of all paths; Light, Shadow, and Balance fell to his hunger. His arrogance and bloodlust knew no bounds, as he seemed to respect no sanctity; even the Great Library of the Heralds was raided, its guardians slain, as he, on a whimsy, burned part of it, causing the lost of countless precious tomes, many of which still have been found impossible to replace to date. His ambition knowing as few bounds, perhaps fewer, he entered the ranks of the dark castle of the Nexus, where he quickly ascended to position of Archfiend, carving his way to the position through the corpse of the former leader, an invoker by the name of Infornalicus, leading the Nexus to a dark and fell reign of terror. Such was his power, and the power of his cabal that at that time, nearly every single organization banded together, led by the leader of the Syndicate, an illithid psion by the name of Zelvhaeth, to fight him. Disparate powers united to fight against this new Archfiend, and even then, only a stalemate could be reached.

Ironically, it was not any outside force, but himself which brought

him down from his position. In a fit of anger, he murdered

one of his own Standard-Bearers. Enraged at his arrogance and presumption in slaying even the untouchable and unholiest defenders of the Nexus Standard, the dark god Continued in Tome II