The Early Years
On a fine summer day on the 14th of Ilmarael, 874 years after the Divine war, a young man by the name of Nightshadow found his way from another world into Avalon. Appearing at Central Park in Thakria, he was quickly offered help in this new, strange world by Vanion the Astrologer. In helping Nightshadow with various tasks he had been assigned, Vanion enlisted the help of Sophacles, the Loremaster and Macros. These three, Macros and Sophacles especially, would provide much help to young Nightshadow in his early days in Avalon. After watching Macros the sorcerer fly up to the sky and summon horrible demons, Nightshadow knew he had found his calling: the life of a sorcerer was too good to pass up!
In those days, Nightshadow was a friendly, almost clown-like person, cheerful and optimistic and not truly wishing harm on anyone. Then, a life-changing event occurred in his life: The Diabolus. Sitting and learning in his guild one day, Nightshadow was amazed to see a great figure, clad in black battlearmour rise up from the Underworld. He knew this could only be a God and fell to his knees in fear. This God was, of course, the mighty Diabolus. After talking with him (and, it should be added, doing a fair bit of cowering), Nightshadow beesched the Diabolus to accept him in his order. The Diabolus agreed, telling Nightshadow that he had high hopes for him.
At the time, the sorcerers guild was languishing, having received no new members in years. The Diabolus apparently felt that Nightshadow would someday be a great sorcerer, but did not like his given name. So, it was changed to Shaitan. Shaitan vowed to reform his ways and began to learn to fight. He lost often, but under the tutelage of the Diabolus as well, strangely enough, of the chief mage of the time, Mage Lord Tragnarion, he began to slay those much more powerful than he. At around this time, Shaitan began to realize that the sorcerers were nothing more than a joke and no one was afraid of them. On commenting upon this to the Diabolus, the great God agreed and asked Shaitan if he thought he could do better as guildmaster. Shaitan replied affirmatively and without so much as an election, summarily replaced the former guildmaster, Macros. Shaitan has reigned as the Sorcerer Lord ever since then, with a brief respite of half an avalon year while he was away on other business in other lands.
At about this time, Shaitan, still relatively small and weak, promised the Diabolus that he would attain three things. First, he would build the sorcerers into a force to be feared. Second, he would someday give the Diabolus patronage of Thakria, and third, that he would increase the power of evil until people were afraid to leave their very houses for fear of violent death descending upon them. All three of these he accomplished eventually.
The Rise to Power
Although already Guildmaster of the Sorcerer, Shaitan had no official role in the government of Thakria. However, he was already often consulted in matters of state and it was assumed he'd be a baron someday. One day, Genesis, God of Time announced, nay, ordered, that the cities expand their city governments beyond simple baronies, to include the various Ministries that exist today. After this announcement, the Barons of Thakria and Shaitan met and discussed who would take what roles in the new goverment. Shaitan was appointed baron by Nostradamus, then patron of Thakria and was given the roles of Minister of State, Minister of War, and Field Marshall (soon to be taken over by Morgan). As Shaitan grew to learn the ins and outs of city politics and economics, he more than doubled the size of the sorcerers guild. Slowly, it was beginning to be feared once again.
By this time, Shaitan was beginning to present a bit of a challenge for Tragnarion to kill (though he still slayed him handily and regularly in those days). Tragnarion and Shaitan had a mutual respect for each others abilities despite being, in general, enemies. Isildur also frightened Shaitan in those days with dire threats of being left, naked and alone on a different continent with the only way out being death.
Shaitan began to truly resent this threat placed upon him by Isildur and sought to harm and humiliate him somehow. One day, after gaining access to the Mercinaen Council chambers, he discovered that Isildur had carelessly left his child (by Blodwyn) there. Shaitan, laughing insanely, ordered his demons to rape the child. After listening to her screams for a bit, he killed her himself, offering the body to his Lord. Isildur threatened Shaitan with endless deaths and eternal pain, but had, by then, realized that these threats had grown pointless. He never even attempted to carry them out, despite being subsequently slain by Shaitan on a number of occasions.
Having accomplished 2 of his 3 goals to his Dread Master, Shaitan now decided it was time to take over Thakria. It angered him that he was laughed at by the other barons when he calmly informed them that he intended for the sorcerers, to rule Thakria and for the Diabolus to be it's patron so he plotted in secret to rig the elections of Crowley and Macros (both sorcerers) to the barony. Having a majority of sorcerers on the barony, Thakria was his, despite not being it's prince. From then on, Shaitan was the undisputed leader of Thakria.
At about this time, one of the rare great quests, enabling the winner to compete for the privilege of being raised to Godhood was held. Shaitan, backed by Chaos, a mercinaen astrologer, and Jharrik, a Thakrian thief, won and receieved the ability to lay curses and blessings upon people. By this time, there was no Prince of Thakria, and although Nostradamus was it's patron, the Diabolus ruled it through Shaitan. The Diabolus decreed that in a year's time, either Macros or Shaitan would be Prince, depending on who had slain more prominent denizens of Avalon. A year later, Shaitan was appointed Prince of Thakria, thus beginning the longest reign in history. Immediately thereafter, he handed over patronage of the city to the Diabolus, fulfilling the last of his three promises.
Shaitan's first major act, and his first major failure, was the invasion of Kristanisti. Long having hated Marie, princess of Kristanisti (population: 2), he decided to invade it. Marie managed to get support from a couple Parrians and Mercinaens and was on the verge of losing the invasion when Genesis, god of Time stepped in and started directing the defence of Kristanisti move by move. At this point, Shaitan's imminent victory was turned to defeat. Still, he persevered. The final blow was when Layla, of Parrius, betrayed him (having previously promised to back Thakria, giving it 80k gold) and led in Parrian troops to defend Kristanisti. The invasion ended with Thakria much weakened and Parrius losing much wealth (though not as much proportionately).
By now, Shaitan had changed from the bouncy, friendly Nightshadow into what he is today: the Antichrist. The Diabolus announced to the land that because of his general dominance over the inhabitants of avalon, Shaitan would be raised to the rank of Priest, something which he had not done since before Shaitan was born. Looking for some new way, beyond mere killing, to hurt his enemies (who number far more than his allies), he heard of a great quest to blot out the very sun. This had not been accomplished since before he entered this land, and he vowed he'd do it. Soon thereafter, he did. After not having been accomplished for literally decades, Shaitan raised the Black Sun 4 times in a few short years, one time holding it up for three times longer than anyone had in history.
One day, as he was tormenting Anikan, the shortlived prince of Parrius, he saw that Cardodius, the chancellor of Parrius had been kicked out of the city. Seeing a chance to make a lot of money for Thakria, he quickly approached Cardodius and asked him if he'd be interested in harming the city that had just spurned him for no good reason. Cardodius, feeling very stung by the Parrians, quickly agreed. He convinced Orthwein, the patron of Parrius, to re-install him as Chancellor. For half an year Cardodius and Shaitan kept up this ruse, known only to them and the Diabolus. Finally, on the agreed upon day, they struck. The Parrians had been warned that Cardodius was not to be trusted, but stubbornly refused to evict him from the city. Just seconds after stealing every last piece of gold in the Parrian treasury and chancellory, they decided to act and kicked him out, but it was already too late. The gold was safe in Thakria's treasury. With one swift move, Shaitan and Cardodius had tripled Thakria's net worth.
It was soon decided that if there was any good time to crush Parrius, now was it. Bereft of strong players, Shaitan believed that Parrius would easily fall before his might. At the appointed hour, under the watchful eyes of the Diabolus and Nostradamus, Shaitan struck, leading his troops to successfully occupy Parrius. But then disaster struck. The only Thakrian that showed up to support Shaitan was Jharrik, and he was forced to leave soon after. Within a few days, Shaitan realized the situation was truly grim. Over 15 of the Mercinaens and Parrians were on hand to try to break the occupation. Backed by Mercinaen and Kristanistian money, the huge groups of defenders easily stopped Shaitan from leading reinforcements into the battlements he had erected in Parrius. Shaitan was saddened at his failure and angered that he had received no support from the Thakrians in general. Nevertheless, he consoled himself with the knowledge that due to his actions, Thakria was still richer than the cities of Parrius, Mercinae, and the village of Kristanisti combined.
Soon after the failed invasion, another disaster struck. A Divine Battle took place between the Diabolus and Apollo, and Genesis, the all-powerful God of Time was forced to end their fight, lest the world be destroyed, by sending away the Diabolus, seemingly forever. Driven mad with despair, pushed to the edge of sanity, Shaitan summoned his demonic forces and conjured up the Lords of Hell. He ventured forth and for one entire Avalon week, killed every single Parrian that entered the game.
The only thing that saved Shaitan from everlasting madness was Nostradamus. In Shaitan's time of weakness, Nostradamus took him in and bolstered him with his divine wisdom and strength. Then, exploring subterreanean Gaurthang one day, he heard the howl of a wolf. Curious, he explored until he found it's source. There, bound by chains so thin as to be invisible, Shaitan discovered Fenrir, Wolf of Armageddon. Bound by the Diabolus to stop the destruction of Avalon in it's early days, Fenrir was larger than a moose and madder than hell. Striking a bargain with Fenrir, (who is the child of the god of mischief and quite intelligent) he freed the wolf who now and forever serves as his trusty and loyal steed. Many are the heretics that have fallen before the might of Fenrir's slavering jaws.
Soon thereafter, Mephisto, God of the Night, long absent from the land, returned and approached Shaitan, asking him to become his follower in order to start his Order again. Shaitan, after agonizing over the decision, left Nostradamus and joined Mephisto. Even the death of the Diabolus had not hurt him more than this, for he knew that he had betrayed Nostradamus unfairly. Shaitan handed patronage of the sorcerers and Thakria to Mephisto. Though this deeply angered Nostradamus, he agreed that it would be better to take his anger out on the worms that populate Avalon. Shaitan rose quickly in Mephisto's order and recently became his High Priest, a position Shaitan had long yearned for.
What motivates Shaitan?
Shaitan is a cold-blooded killer who considers most inhabitants of avalon to be worthless wastes of flesh and blood. He delights in pain and will attack and steal from anyone, young or old, big or small, that he does not count as an ally. Despite his legendary hatred of Mercinaens, Parrians, and cowards in general, he has an equally strong love of his (he thinks of them almost as his beloved children sometimes) Thakrians. He would die a thousand deaths for Thakria, Thakrians, and the cause of evil in general. Attacking a Thakrian means certain revenge. Many is the time that he has been killed by a God for exacting revenge on their followers. For Shaitan, reasons for revenge include anything from an attack upon his person, to daring to enter his presence.
Through much of his time in Avalon, Shaitan has been secretly in love with two women, neither of whom know it. He is afraid to reveal this love for fear of ridicule and for their safety. His enemies would stoop to any level to exact revenge for the many deaths he has visited upon them and he does not want to risk his loves being taken hostage. Perhaps someday he will reveal to them his feelings, but since Shaitan is trying to banish all feeling from his soul (in order to become a more perfect killer) it is also unlikely.
Written by Shaitan
