Venril Sathir  

Venril Sathir of the Kunzar

The greatest lizard to walk upon the land was Venril Sathir of the Kunzar tribe. All that is known of his youth was that he was a member of the ancient Kunzar Tribe. This was during the time of division among the tribes of the Iksar. He was said never to have been a mere broodling. He was forever a master of combat. Venril would soon slay his father and take his rightful place as chief of the Kunzar Tribe. He led the Kunzar on many expeditions into the ruins and wilds of Kunark. He sought knowledge and weapons.^[1]

Feuds and skirmishes between the five tribes of the Iksar tore much of Kunark apart. Some shaman of the Iksar tapped into the powers of their original master, the god Cazic Thule, and their power grew, while others began delving into the darker arts left behind by the Shissar. This was a difficult time in the history of the Iksar and the great empire could have never been formed were it not for Venril Sathir.

Late in his youth, he found the hidden library of the necromancer, Kotiz. Kotiz had been conversing in secret with Zebuxoruk. Zebuxoruk had offered to Kotiz his journal of war, known simply as the Unholy Book of Zebuxoruk or The Unholy Writ of War. Contained within were battle strategies and magic's unknown to the Norrath as any knew it. Kotiz had completed the pact with Zebuxoruk, fifty sacrifices is all he required for the book. Kotiz was moments from grasping the book when Sathir showed his face. He took the book from Kotiz, striking him down and leaving his rotting corpse deep within Kaesora. Venril became the books master, soon showing signs of dark knowledge. He began to wield the forces of the dark circle and his knowledge of combat tactics became supreme. He trained his army in new tactics and even raised the bones of the fallen to fight yet again for their master. His army grew and marched to all the corners of Kunark.^[2]

Venril Sathir's army was now unstoppable. He would soon plot the union of the entire Iksar nation. He no longer wished to be just Chief, but rather, Emperor. Under his direction the four remaining tribe states of Iksar would unite and a new age would dawn for the Iksar

The Unification

Venril began by bringing all of the tribes of the Iksar under his banner, willingly or not. Those that resisted becoming part of his empire were considered nothing more than an enemy and wiped out, those that accepted Venril's conditions became part of the empire and were soon assimilated into the Kunzar.

The Kylong

The Kylong tribe resisted being assimilated into Venril's new empire, When the Kunzar armies marched upon the Kylong, the three greatest Kylong mystics shattered the medallion of Kylong, a holy relic of their tribe, and fled their mountain homes in order to prevent the Kunzar from reassembling it. These three Kylong were Verix Kylox, Dakon Sythrax, and Sirk Vemat. As they fled from their tribe they knew that the chances to form the medallion together would be less if the Kylong split up. Verix attempted to hide in the hills of the Dreadlands. Dakon headed north to the Field of Bone. Sirk Vemat headed to the Burning Woods to hide in the forest.'

Venril Sathir found Verix Kylox the shaman while he was combing the lands for undead. Venril was angered by his lack of devotion. For his punishment he was sacrificed, but resurrected to become a part of Venril's undead army.

Dakon Sythrax the necromancer fled to the Field of Bone. It was here that he raised a small troop of skeletons to build an underwater dungeon where he could hide his treasures. He hid the amulet and some of his more powerful tomes there. One of which was a great book of necromancy. The possessor of the book could have full control over an army of undead. He left the skeletons to do his work and returned to surrender to the Kunzar's forces. He was sent to Veksar to work through his days studying the magical healing effects of the spring the Kylong city of Veksar was built over.^[3]

The First Slaves War

As Venril ascended to the iksar throne, he had many rebellions to crush beneath his heel. One uprising represented the final obssstacle to controlling the entire continent. It was later known as the First Slaves' War. As the forces of Venril marched across the face of the continent, some of the other races willingly submitted before them. Others fled entirely, leaving whole cities to rot. Still fewer joined together in hopes of stopping the iksar horde. The War of the First Slave's would seee froglok and giant ally in desperation.

Froglok and Mountain giants allied to defend against the forces of the dark lord. During the war, however, there was an impasse. The frogloks proved to be skillful tacticians. And of course the mountainous terrain of the battlefield aided the giants' ability to fight. Till Venril had a plan. He sent in a small cadre of iksar shock troops. While the majority of Venril's forces kept the froglok and mountain giant armies busy, the small band of elite soldiers snuck into the giant fort and slew the leaders of the rebellion ending the First Slaves' War.^[4]

Venril's Reign

Venril Sathir's empire grew quickly. Great monuments were built, embedding a great pride in all the Iksar and inspiring fear in all those who would oppose the huge empire. Venril Sathir became the first Emperor of the new Iksar Empire and heralds in an era of magnificent empire building. Sebilis became the new Capitol of the Iksar Nation. Venril Sathir weds the eldest daughter of the Obulus wizards, Drusella, and together they built the greatest empire ever known.

Venril Sathir outlives his wife Drusella and builds a great tomb in the canyons of Charasis in her honor to lay her remains. Drusella, rests within a grand crypt in Charasis' depths. After her funeral and burial, Emperor Sathir cast all citizens from the cliff city. Only the royal guard and servants where allowed to stay, forever. These Iksar were never again to feel the warmth of the sun or bask in the moonlight.

It is written that Emperor Sathir crafted a spell to hide the entrance of Charasis from raiders and those who dared to steal his knowledge and defile his beloved Drusella's crypt. Emperor Sathir would visit the cliff city frequently. What he would do inside is not known.

Upon the death of one of Emperor Sathir's royal guard the secret to gaining entry into Charasis was revealed. Upon a tattered scroll did the guard record the secret. The scroll is now lost to the world. Taken as pure babble by the mortician, it was cast aside and lost to time.

Sathir's troops crush and enslave the hill giants, forest giants and Froglok in a sweeping campaign of carnage. He orders the construction of naval shipyards at Viesar and Danak. Newly acquired giant and Froglok slaves are put to work, erecting powerful monuments and cites in the name of the Sebilisian Empire.

Trade begins with other continents. Sathir's navy is immune to piracy because of its potency. He also uses the same to plunder the hapless vessels of other nations when he pleases. The cities of Charasis, Torsis, and Sebilis grow in might, power, and grandeur. Venril Sathir also gained the enmity of Mayong Mistmoore for the disappearance of Dencarja the rightful guild mistress of the Ebon Masks and the Imperatrix Zhelebati of Caerthiel.

Creation of the Swiftails

It is during the height of the reign of Venril and the glory days of the empire that the first of the Swiftails appeared in the capitol of Sebilis quite suddenly one day and established his caste forever by proving his worth to the Emperor most effectively. This was the great Master Tynn and the beginning of the Swifttail

In the beginning, the pugilists of the great tribes were nothing more than warriors without weapons. Soon they would be forged into weapons. Grandmaster Tynn was the father of the Swiftails. He came to the empire from an unknown tribe. Some say he was a ronin who wandered the worlds of Norrath where he formed the basis of his art. He entered Sebilis to form a caste which did not exist. Tynn was quickly challenged by the warlords. He spoke his words and they did not listen. He knew the only way to make them understand was to challenge their finest in The Gauntlet. He called for four of the finest warlords and allowed them arms. The warlords agreed, thinking his challenge as easy task.

Grandmaster Tynn quickly dispatched of the warlords with nothing more than fist and tail. He fought in a way never displayed. His victory earned him much respect and Emperor Sathir soon commanded him to form the Court of Pain and raise an army of monks. Tynn formed the Swifttail Caste.

Soon the way of fist and tail had hundreds in it's ranks, climbing the rungs. Tynn showed them they were not warriors, but monks. They would don shackles as testament to the Age of Snake when the Iksar were a race enslaved. Inner strength and harmony were taught. The Swifttail were born.^[5]

The Death and Unlife of Venril Sathir

While Venril's power grew by leaps and bounds and Venril managed to become lord over all of Kunark. But even a lord as powerful as he can not prevail against the one true lord of darkness... death. Even though his life had been extended by the knowledge gained from the Unholy Writ of War even Venril had to face the prospect of his own Mortality, though not willingly. And so Venril sought a way to cheat death. He formed a pact with Innoruuk, forsaking his creator Cazic-Thule. The weak, sick and elderly of the Empire are sacrificed many to Innoruuk's Cauldron of Souls to feed that god's unending appetite. In return Venril is granted the knowledge of Lichdom and prepares an amulet to act as his Phylactery and prepares to siphon his soul into it. The Phylactery amulet is placed on his corpse upon his ritual suicide and after his loyal initiates complete the dark rituals Venril plans to rise again as an immortal undead Emperor and continue his rule for all time.

However just as Venril's high priest, Drogoth, was about to perform the unholy ritual when Venril's first son and heir apparent to the throne, Rile, learned of his father's plans from his trusted priest, Avengain. Avengain informed Rile who quickly put together a group of iksar loyal to him and transported them deep into the mountain temple where the ritual was about to take place. Rile has waited many years for his reign to begin but refuses to allow his father to rule eternally, he and his loyal followers interrupt the ritual, rendering it a failure, destroys Venril's body and delivers Venril's Phylactery and the Unholy Book of Zebuxoruk to Avengain. Thus Rile assumes the throne as Emperor Rile Sathir.^[6]

The Cult of the Arisen

Unknown to Rile however that was not the end of his father however. Avengain secretly founded the Cult of the Arisen and worked tirelessly towards his own plans. The Cult wanted to be the ones to raise Venril, for then he would be forever bound to them.

The Cult secreted the Phylactery and Book away to the tomb of Venril's wife Drusella Sathir where they work to someday complete the ceremony and return Venril to the land of the living as a Lich under their control, however this will not come to pass for centuries and not the way the Cult of the Arisen expected.

The Cult had planned to use Rile's body after his death and infuse Venril's soul into it, when Rile died during an attack on his flagship at sea by Trakkanon and his dragon followers however his body was lost and the Arisen would spend centuries trying to find it as only Rile's body would serve as a suitable replacement for Venril's own body Rile himself destroyed. It would be a very long time and at the end of an even longer journey before Rile's body and Venril's soul would finally be joined together.

The Long Journey of Rile's Bones

Centuries after the fall of the Empire a sledge explorer in the Timorous Deep searches the ancient wreckage of the fleet which sank at sea under the leadership of Rile long ago. He discovers the corpse of Rile draped in jewelry and takes it whole as a trophy.

The corpse of Rile is sold to a goblin king, Kaboktok, who places it in his throne room for all to see. He claims it was his goblin ancestor who slew Emperor Rile at sea.

The mountain giant king, Farslik, descendant of Warslik, descends upon a rich goblin city. The mountain giants, with the aid of frost giants, capture the city-mine. Farslik takes the bones of Rile as a souvenir to his keep in the Frontier Mountains, Konikor.

For the first time, the Sarnak venture out into the ruins of the Iksar cities. Few return, but those who do possess priceless scrolls dealing in dark rituals and forbidden magic. The Sarnak begin to explore dark magic themselves, finding they have an uncanny knack for its use.

The goblins mount an all out offensive on Konikor, sacking it for all its worth. Part of the bounty is the bones of Rile, which are sold to an Iksar merchant who then travels east. The mountain giants retake Konikor that same year.

The merchant, whose name is Vlistis, sells the bones of Rile to the descendents of the Cult of the Arisen. They take the bones to Charasis and begin to search for the Amulet of Sathir in the wreckage, hoping that by bringing the soul of the father into the body of the son that they may perhaps bring back the first king of Sebilis and complete their goal.

Fifty years of searching finally reveals the Phylactery Amulet and dark rites are performed upon it and the bones of Rile. Nothing happens however and the cult members believe they have failed utterly. They leave the bones of Rile and the Amulet of Venril on an altar beneath the ruins of Charasis.

The Sarnak, hungry for more dark knowledge, journey into Charasis to loot its ancient tombs. A priest in the group finds the Unholy Book of Zebuxoruk the cult was using and in the presence of the bones of Rile and Phylactery of Venril unwittingly completes the ritual. Venril Sathir is sucked from his place of torment and after 1600 years is joined to the body of his backstabbing son. He rises from his bed-like altar and slays all the Sarnak. One of the Sarnak is spared, one that will loyally do his every bidding, (presumably Korucust).

Freed from his imprisonment within his Phylactery Venril begins building his strength, spending many years travelling the ruins of his former Empire and collecting all the weapons and artifacts he can, establishing Karnor's Castle as his new seat of power. Venril amasses an army of undead and lycanthropes called Drovargs but remains careful not to expose himself to the world at large and especially not to let the Ring of Scale become aware of his return. Venril now plots a return to glory, patiently waiting for the day he can reclaim his lost empire and punish the Ring of Scale for their interference.

1. ^ Venril the Chief- In-game Book
2. ^ Quest Dialog
3. ^ Quest Dialog
4. ^ Monster Mission Dialog
5. ^ Genesis of Fist and Tail-In Game Book
6. ^ Monster Mission Text

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