The Hierophant conceived The Tethered Triumvirate as the visible face of demonkind, yet the true power he commands is the shadowed host called The Sorathin. This fearsome legion, a mighty host of demons, wields power that rivals the combined strength of mankind and all beasts of earth and air. Upon his dark throne sits The Hierophant, with Vladislav as his chosen viscount, steadfastly overseeing the deeds of the seven mighty lords, known throughout the wide world as The Seven Scions of Sorath.
The Seven Scions of Sorath are seven mighty demons, the most devoted of The Hierophant’s followers, who lead the Sorathin in their diverse crafts, be it war, lore, faith, counsel, learning, the hunt, or the wilds. They are deemed as living tempests, each able to summon ruin born of their own dark magic. Yet among them, only the three highest Scions wield power to rival that of the elves, whose ancient might still lingers across the lands of Aeltharia.
The Seven stand as the mightiest and highest in rank among the Sorathin, yet it is not mere faith in their lord that defines them. Each is sovereign in their own right, their power and sway grown from secret thrones within the halls of mankind. They walk unseen amid mortals, weaving influence as lords of shadow, yet all their craft is pledged to the service of the Sorathin. In fellowship, they praise one another’s strength and share wisdom, that each may overcome failings and grow ever stronger in the long weaving of time. Thus bound, they shape the fate of realms unseen and yet to come.
Each and every one of the Seven Scions of Sorath is ranked by strength and bound by solemn oath never to reveal their true identities, addressing one another only by the secret titles drawn from the Twenty-Two Major Arcana of the Ancient Tarot: The Chariot, The Judgment, The High Priestess, The Tower, The Magician, The Temperance, and finally, The Hermit.
Vladislav (0)
The Viscount of the Sorathin
Viscount Vladislav bears the title of Director of the Sorathin, known among them by his codename, The Fool. He stands as the first to join their ranks and foremost of The Seven Scions of Sorath. Yet with the gathering complete, he has risen above them all, no longer a scion but their master, who guides their deeds in service to his bright lord, the mighty Hierophant.
The Viscount took upon himself the solemn charge to cloak his master’s designs in shadow and to oversee that the diverse workings of the Sorathin, guided by the Seven Scions of Sorath, wrought their destined ends with cunning and resolve. His nature was marked by keen leadership, command rendered with unerring precision and unwavering will. Though The Fool oft showed little emotion and seemed cold as winter’s breath, he bore courtesy and respect to all who crossed his measured path, both friend and foe alike.
Vladislav, the Viscount, oft concealed his heart, appearing cold and distant to those who beheld him. Yet beneath this guise lay a fairness keen and a piercing wisdom that discerned true potential. Pragmatic in sharp counsel, he swiftly marked peril yet tempered judgment with deference to those who served faithfully beneath him. In the quiet hours, he took great care to guide many apprentices of demonkind, nurturing their gifts so that they might fulfill their part in The Hierophant’s grand design and shape the fate of all.
The Director of the Sorathin claims no single vital source among the seven magics, for he is blessed with the power of Destruction, a force older than Aeltharia itself. This dread craft grants Vladislav full dominion over terrors both physical and unseen, weaving ruin of body, mind, and spirit. Yet within this dark gift lies a deeper art, the vile power to undo and reshape all things, granting him strength beyond measure. Thus, in his true form as a demonic vampire bat, he now gains mastery over all Seven Sources of Magic alike.
Saengma (1)
The Commander of the Sorathin
Commander Saengma bears the title Commander-in-Chief of the Sorathin, known among them as The Chariot. He is the foremost and mightiest of The Seven Scions of Sorath, able to face even the elves in open battle. Renowned as the greatest swordsman and master of martial craft in all of Aeltharia, yet his skill still falls short against those who rank above him.
The Commander-in-Chief bore the weighty charge of leading the Sorathin in matters of war, craft of espionage, and forging of arms. He stood as strategist, guiding both his lords and brethren in the art of battle, revealing the tactics best suited to secure long-enduring victory. When defeat befell him, he took it as stern counsel and bade those who served or stood beside him to learn likewise. For no shame clings to failure, so long as wisdom is won and the lesson heeded, strengthening the spirit for battles yet to come.
Beneath all, Saengma is an honorable lord, steadfast to his word, ever truthful and courageous toward both friend and foe. Yet this honor does not bind him from employing cunning craft to outwit his enemies and bring them low. Still, he holds fast to his promises, breaking none save when another first betrays their vow nor does he forsake those who follow his banner; rather, he guards them with the stern care of a seasoned mentor, imparting unto them the virtues and laws by which he must always abide.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Sorathin wields a fierce affinity for the element of lightning, born of keen reason and sharp mind in the art of war. He commands storms dark and vast, shrouding the sky in shadow until no light remains, then rains down endless bolts that reduce his foes to ashes and dust. Saengma’s swiftness is beyond mortal ken, shown most fierce in his true demonic guise as a towering steed and in his hybrid form as a swift centaur, sword in hand, ever ready for battle and the fierce clash of steel.
Shikōmaru (2)
The Doctor of the Sorathin
Doctor Shikōmaru holds the title of Scientific Minister of the Sorathin, known among them as The Judgment. His keen mind and boundless craft forge dread devices that rival the power of the elves. A master of science, artifice, and alchemy, he delves deep into the mysteries of life and death, seeking ancient wisdom to shape and unravel the very fabric of existence.
The Scientific Minister wielded his craft in guiding the Sorathin through realms of science, astronomy, alchemy, and the mystical arts of magitech. Within his shadowed laboratory he toiled, fashioning dark monstrosities and twisted mutations, deeds deemed blasphemy by all, even among demons. Yet Judgment pressed onward, deeming his works a necessary price to secure The Hierophant’s triumph and to see all Aeltharians grow, transform, and ascend toward a strange and terrible new beauty beyond mortal ken.
Despite the dark stain of heresy, Shikōmaru was in truth a patient and wise craftsman, cherishing fair works of art in all their manifold forms. With a painter’s hand he wrought beauty; with a mason’s skill he shaped stone; with a minstrel’s heart he wove melody; and with the lore of the scribe he penned many a tale. Even his forbidden devices he beheld as marvels of strange artistry. Yet beneath this gentle countenance there dwelt a cold and calculating healer, steadfast in purpose and unyielding in his ultimate craft.
The Scientific Minister of the Sorathin moves in harmony with the element of water, his power reaching even to the flow of blood and anomalous chemicals. He feels the pulse of tides and the restless dance of the seas, nurturing new life to do his bidding and unleashing terrible waves, roaring tsunamis, and whirlpools that sweep all before them. Above these terrifying cataclysms, he shapes his true demonic form, each limb and sinew taking the sharp semblance of a monstrous chimera, dread and terrible to behold.
Sussuria (3)
The Saint of the Sorathin
Saint Sussuria bears the sacred title of Supreme Saintess of the Sorathin, known among them as The High Priestess. She is the herald of faith and hope to demons who hold fast to the ancient scriptures and the teachings of The Hierophant. Her voice and heart kindle fire within the souls of many who once walked in shadow, awakening zeal and devotion to the Sorathin.
The Supreme Saintess wields her deep wisdom to guide the Sorathin in the sacred arts of faith, mind, and spirit, converting many to their cause. Her long journeys through Aeltharia revealed the deep power of belief to sway the hearts of both immortal and mortal alike. With this knowledge, she calls forth legions of demons to the Sorathin, steadfast in the conviction that The Hierophant’s righteous crusade shall bring an end to the bitter strife ‘twixt men and demons, forging a lasting peace born of mutual understanding.
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The High Priestess faithfully tended her sacred duties, yet oftentimes she was troubled by the shadow that cloaked her work. In such moments, she turned her heart to The Goddess of Creation, seeking solace and light. It may seem strange that a mighty phantom and demon should place her faith in a deity who cherishes mankind deeply, yet it was not so. The teachings of the Goddess kindled in her a fervent quest to understand the true meaning of love, friendship, kindness, and fellowship, woven through faith and lore.
Yet still the Supreme Saintess of the Sorathin remains a fearsome demon, one who strikes terror with her mastery of the sacred element of holy light. She feels the radiant glow within every living soul, including her own, a light that may be woven and shaped to reveal and command the choices, destinies, and fates of others. She wields such power as a marionettist of souls. With caution as her guide, she cloaks herself in the hidden guise of a spectral snow owl, swift and silent, that she might evade all watchful eyes.
Nehebkau (4)
The Spymaster of the Sorathin
Spymaster Nehebkau bears the sacred title of Supervisor of the Sorathin, known among them as The Tower. She commands the shadowed worms of spies, burrowing deep to uncover secrets most precious, guiding the unseen course of the Sorathin. With such knowledge, she studies how nations rise and fall, seeking secret paths to ensure their lasting strength and success.
The Supervisor wields keen intellect and commands a vast network of spies to steer the Sorathin in the arts of politics, commerce, architecture, and hidden lore. Her agents bring swift and certain knowledge, which she uses to unravel the secret causes of civilizations’ rise and fall throughout the lands. From her deep study, she discerned that a thriving realm must bear strong governance to uphold laws, sound commerce to bind its people, and noble halls and rich culture where its folk may find a true and lasting home.
Such studies and reckonings bred within the Supervisor a stubborn will, a yearning to found a realm of her own, a land fashioned in perfect order, free from flaw or fault. Yet the slow passage of time revealed the folly of such desire, for imperfection holds its own worth, stirring change and kindling the fires of innovation and renewal. This bitter truth led the Spymaster to embrace the shifting winds of change and to see how even the faults and failings of a realm may open the hidden way to everlasting perfection.
Knowledge is but a shadow without true power, the power to shape, to sway, and to rend the very foundations of the world. The Spymaster wields such might through her bond with the element of earth, bending sand and stone to fashion great cities, summoning life in fertile groves, and forging metals and minerals into wondrous artifacts and simple tools alike. In her fearsome guise, she takes the form of a towering sandworm whose fury awakens mighty earthquakes and raging sandstorms to annihilate her foes.
Hecate (5)
The Headmistress of the Sorathin
Headmistress Hecate bears the honored title of Weaver of the Sorathin, known among them as The Magician. She leads as a guiding light, charged with nurturing the growth of the next generation of demons, molding them into steadfast servants of the Sorathin. Yet she honors their freedom, ever encouraging the pursuit of their own secret dreams and their true callings.
The Headmistress holds deep and steadfast bonds that serve the Sorathin, fostering new recruits through learning, trials, and worthy tasks. She guides many halls of learning and orphanages, where demon principals, sages, and tutors serve under her watchful care. These mentors offer wisdom rich and true, while their pupils toil to shape their destinies. Some would choose to join the Sorathin, steadfastly heeding the call to fulfill their dark and ancient purpose as demons, bound by solemn oath and sworn to eternal secrecy.
Hecate honors the freedom of all sentient souls, for each must choose their path and purpose, so long as it bends toward the good. Yet true freedom springs only where the means to choose are granted. Thus the Headmistress, through trusted deputies, guides her charges in many learned arts, preparing them for trials that prove their wisdom ere they pursue their heart’s desire. Though a pacifist deep within, her grace is such that many still elect paths apart from the Sorathin’s shadowed fold, seeking light and peace afar.
Choice holds great weight, as does the freedom to choose. Hecate’s heart burns with fervent passion, a flame that has bound her to the element of fire. Though she serves a grim and martial kin, bent on curbing mankind’s restless and unruly hearts, she champions peace and liberty above all. Yet when war inevitably comes, as it ever must, she rises fierce and unyielding, a great spider matriarch weaving wildfires, fierce as the unrelenting blaze of nature’s wrath and fury unbound, scorching all lands in her dire wake.
Svaranova (6)
The Seeker of the Sorathin
Seeker Svaranova bears the venerated title Huntress of the Sorathin, known among them as The Temperance. She stands as the stern enforcer of their will, leading her demonic werewolves in relentless pursuit of those marked for death or capture. Once the huntress fixes her gaze upon a quarry, two paths remain: to stand and fight or to flee and meet certain destruction.
The Seeker of the Sorathin carefully counsels The Seven Scions of Sorath, her fellows in shadow, in the arts of assassination, capture, and subtle craft. Some foes must be silenced to guard the Sorathin’s secrets; others taken alive for knowledge or darker trials. With patient craft, she weaves cunning snares and long-laid schemes to ensnare her enemies in time. Above all, she revels in the thrill of the chase and the fierce joy of meeting the unexpected in battle, where wit and will are tested against fate’s interwoven designs.
Svaranova delights in the hunt, yet she knows well the need to temper such zeal, placing foremost the flawless success of each mission. Though the ends she serves are dark and grim, the huntress takes no joy in the cruelty her tasks demand. She wastes no sport upon her quarry save when fear must be struck deep. Her greatest strength lies in patience, as she waits long and unyielding through long seasons for her schemes to ripen, striking swift and true only when the hour is ripe and all threads finally converge as entirety.
Violence is born of the ancient strife ‘twixt hunter and hunted. The predator pursues, and the prey must either flee or stand fast, fighting for their very breath. All who fall within Svaranova’s gaze, regardless of birth or strength, are seized by terror, for even knowing she hunts them breeds dread and suspicion of hidden snares. Her coming is foretold by a chill wind or a mighty snowstorm, the mark of her bond with the element of air. Then her true form, a dread white werewolf of might, emerges to end the long chase.
Wisakedjak (7)
The Warchief of the Sorathin
Warchief Wisakedjak bears the venerated title Envoy of the Sorathin, known among them as The Hermit. He serves as emissary in the delicate exchange of messages and treasures between allies old and new, whose bonds run deep with demonkind. Though bound to prepare for war, the Warchief fulfills his charge with measured reluctance and solemn resolve.
The Warchief places foremost his charge to seek allies for the Sorathin, fostering bonds forged in trust through wise compromise, gentle mediation, and prudent negotiation. Wisakedjak retraces the ancient pacts once held by demons with bats, crows, wolves, spiders, and others, yet finds these kin no longer driven by bloodlust or vengeance. The Envoy knows well that people dread the ravages of war and thus he does not compel them to battle where their hearts find no accord or where the cause does not truly stir their souls.
The Envoy of the Sorathin continues to forge bonds and alliances, though many falter and few endure. Wisakedjak felt the sting of failure, yet over the years his travels grew in meaning. At first he saw little worth, but through many conversations across the wide lands, he came to cherish the lives, customs, and cultures of mankind, creations of beauty born despite their restless ambitions. This truth, too, was slowly grasped by nearly all creatures of the wild, who watch and quietly learn in silent reverence.
Journeying alone across the world, free from outside influence, Wisakedjak grew more accepting of mankind. He befriended many humans along his travels and studied their creations and the love that binds them through family and friendship. Yet he remains steadfast in his convictions, casting dreadful death, decay, and decomposition upon his foes. This power springs from his deep bond with the element of shadow and the terrible might of his true demonic form, a deer-shaped wendigo, fearsome and unyielding.
The Seven Scions of Sorath lead their hosts of Sorathin through countless quests, whether bound by duty or driven by personal cause, yet all serve the will of The Hierophant, for their fates and destinies lie within his grasp. Yet The Hierophant wields not his power with cruelty, granting each Scion freedom to seek their own path, so long as it does not stray from the work of the Sorathin. Those who falter in loyalty forfeit the titles they bear. In granting them eternal life, The Hierophant extends their span beyond three centuries, but only those with steadfast mind and iron will endure, lest their flesh and bone decay to dust. Their legacy shall indeed endure beyond time.
The demons who serve beneath each Scion hold great honor in their faithful devotion to their lords, yet strict laws govern the manner of their service. Those who have fully embraced the guise of men may only gather secrets and precious knowledge for the cause, ever guarding their hidden nature. Many take to forming bonds of family, be it with kindred demons or mortal folk, thus weaving deeper into the fabric of human realms and shunning suspicion. For this reason, such shape-shifters are spared from the clash of steel, save when they are without kin, unknown in the world, and veiled by craft and shadow upon their most perilous and dangerous quests of war.
On the other hand, those demons who shun the guise of mortal flesh hold fast to their ancient and terrible nature. They do not walk among men in shadowed forms but strike swift and merciless as relentless hunters bound to seek and destroy. Yet these fiends are not without reason or tongue, for many have bent their will in service to The Hierophant and his lieutenants, the Seven Scions of Sorath. By the year 1619 A.E., demonkind had grown into towering and dread creatures, sleek and grim, forged for the great and utter destruction of mankind. Standing over ten feet tall, clad in gleaming black metal armor that moves with living mechanical grace, their obsidian featureless faces blaze with azure eyes, their scales shifting to confound their foes. They wield elemental might and wear many shapes, werewolves among them, beasts near unstoppable, harbingers of cold and grim doom.
