| Many millennia ago, nine sorcerers fused their souls to The Pillars of Nosgoth, vowing to use their powers to protect the land. How and why The Pillars were created still remains a mystery. Each Pillar controls a magical power that gives life to Nosgoth, and reflects the mental condition of its guardian. Each guardian was the living embodiment of his/her pillar, and effected the overall health of the entire world. However, the Circle made a series of errors. Although immortal, the guardians were still all human. They felt threatened by the population of vampires in Nosgoth, and thus created the Sarafan to “exterminate” all of the vampires. They called these massacres the “Vampire Purges.” Ariel Guardian of Balance Ariel once controlled the other guardians’ magic to uphold the balance of Nosgoth, before she was slain by Hash’ak’gik. After her death, Ariel became a ghost and haunted The Pillars, awaiting Kain’s arrival. She assisted Kain on his quest to kill the other guardians-- including her lover, Nupraptor. For nothing was of more importance to Ariel than upholding balance. She led Kain to believe that his “curse” of vampirism would end if only he righted the Pillars for her. In actuality, the only reward that Ariel ever intended to give Kain for his success was oblivion. Nupraptor the Mentalist Guardian of the Mind Nupraptor was once renowned for his wisdom, and humans would travel from all over Nosgoth to seek his advice. But Nupraptor became distraught with grief when his beloved Ariel was murdered. He allowed his misery to destroy him, and the rest of the Circle. Suspicious that Ariel’s murderer was a traitor within the Circle, he intentionally infected all of the other guardians’ minds with his madness, ensuring that the Circle could never be salvaged. In his attempt to avenge Ariel, he destroyed the balance that she had stood for. Nupraptor then mutilated himself by sewing his eyes and mouth shut to block out the rest of the world. He slaughtered his servants, and locked himself away in his skull-shaped retreat. It was obvious that Nupraptor no longer had any concern for what his actions did to damage Nosgoth. So Kain decided that Nupraptor “needed to be taught a lesson as to value of blood.” Mortanius the Necromancer Guardian of Death Mortanius was extremely loyal and dedicated to his role of serving the Pillar of Death. However, Hash’ak’gik possessed Mortanius, and used him to kill Ariel, which ultimately destroyed the balance of the Pillars and Nosgoth. The Death guardian reasoned that the only way he could set things right was to have all members of the Circle, (including himself) killed to break all magical ties between the corrupt guardians and the land. To accomplish this task, he hired a band of brigands to murder Ariel’s successor as the next guardian of Balance, a young nobleman named Kain, and then resurrected him as a vampire. Mortanius guided Kain throughout his quest to right the Pillars and save Nosgoth. He died when Kain discovered who was truly behind his murder, just as Mortanius had planned. Dejoule the Energist Guardian of Energy Dejoule allied with Bane and Anacrothe even after the Circle had been dispersed as a result of Nupraptor’s madness. She shared her comrades’ hatred of vampires and their plan for all of Nosgoth. The trio had intended to replace the intellect and emotions of living creatures with greater physical power and strength. Dejoule used her magic to power the wall of energy that expanded the borders of Dark Eden. Her overconfidence led to her demise when she and Bane met Kain in a battle to the death. Bane the Druid Guardian of Nature Bane was a priest of nature who abused his powers to aid in the creation of Dark Eden. All living plants, animals, and humans trapped within Dark Eden were warped into powerful, yet savage beasts. Bane disliked supernatural creatures, who were beyond his control. He feared them, and claimed that they were an “affront to nature.” Anacrothe the Alchemist Guardian of States The area of land that was consumed by Dark Eden appeared to be unsalvageable. Anacrothe abused his power to assist Bane in altering the physical states of the land and its creatures. The soil became cracked as it was sucked dry of all moisture and nutrients. Water was replaced by lava. And living creatures were warped beyond recognition. He had a rather cowardly and conceited personality, and abandoned Bane and Dejoule during their fatal battle with Kain in order to preserve his own life. He later made the mistake of arguing with Mortanius that the Pillars existed only to serve their guardians. Disgusted by Anacrothe’s abuse of his power, it was Mortanius who ended the alchemist’s existence. Malek of the Sarafan Guardian of Conflict Malek was selected by the Circle to lead an army of vampire hunters known as the Sarafan. These religious-fanatic hunters ruthlessly slaughtered thousands of vampires under Malek’s leadership by impaling them on wooden pikes. Humans and vampires alike regarded Malek as a cold-blooded killer. Aside from hunting vampires, Malek’s other assignment was to protect the guardians of the Circle. One day, while Malek was preoccupied with butchering vampires, the vampire champion, Vorador, successfully killed four guardians. Malek was held responsible for having failed to protect them. His punishment was to lose the one thing he held dear: his humanity. Malek’s soul was fused to his armor through the power of Mortanius’ necromancy. He then filled the role of guardian of Combat, and continued to protect the Circle for another 5,000 years until his final defeat at the hands of Vorador. |