Maldrik Varran

Race: Ghulvorn (The Undying)
Region: The Necropolis of Vhal-Korath, Northern Varethas
Order: The Tenebral Covenant
Titles: The Deathless Oathkeeper, Warden of the Hollow Flame, The Pale Blade

Height: 6'5" (196 cm)
Hair Color: Ash-grey, streaked with silver
Eye Color: Frosted white, faintly glowing when channeling revenant energy
Body Build: Broad and powerful, marked with faint runic scars and bone-like ridges along the arms and chest
Age: Unknown (estimated over 600 years since first death)

From the frozen ruins of Vhal-Korath, where the veil between life and death is thinnest, rises the ancient race of the Ghulvorn, souls who have transcended mortality not through blessing, but through curse. Once proud knights of the old human empire, they were bound to undeath during the Eclipsing War, when the first necromantic flame was kindled in defiance of oblivion. Now, their existence lingers between the heartbeat and the grave.

Maldrik Varran was once a general of Draymar’s First Legion, a man of valor and discipline. When his battalion was annihilated during the Siege of Vhal-Korath, he bargained with the dying god Kareth the Hollow Flame to preserve his soldiers’ souls. The pact succeeded, but at a terrible cost. Bound by The Covenant of Ash, Maldrik and his legion rose again as revenants, neither living nor dead, their essence tied eternally to the Hollow Flame.

Unlike mindless undead, the Ghulvorn retain their will and memory, but every century erodes another fragment of their humanity. They must feed upon the Echo of Life, residual soul energy found in battlefields, relics, and dying dreams, to preserve their form. Maldrik’s body is a patchwork of pale, rune-etched flesh and spectral flame; his voice carries the echo of a thousand vows.

As Warden of the Hollow Flame, Maldrik guards the Crypt Spire, a colossal black obelisk at the heart of Vhal-Korath that anchors the souls of his kin. He has sworn to keep the Covenant intact, even as the flame dims and the whispers of the Hollow God grow silent. Yet fragments of emotion, remorse, pride, and longing, still haunt him, reminding him of what he once was.

When the paths of Sylwen Aelthoris and Kaelen Thornveil cross into the north, they find in Maldrik a reluctant ally. Though he claims his purpose is duty, the truth burns deeper: he seeks to reclaim the spark of mortality buried beneath centuries of ash.

Stoic, burdened, yet unwavering in resolve, Maldrik Varran embodies the tragedy of his people. His creed is carved upon his armor and soul alike:
“Death is not the end, it is the oath we keep when all others are broken.”