Alexander

Biography
Alexander of Zerell is a human paladin who resides in the small town of Zerell along the primary river in Thell. He is known as a fearful and intimidating warrior who favors the bastard sword. He wears the mask and armor of a Tiefling. A man of few words, he abhors the undead and seeks to vanquish them at every possible opportunity.

Found abandoned in the desert, Alex was raised by a clan of nomadic Tieflings who originated from the deserts of Nzul. His family and clan moved to Zerell where they were brutally murdered. He knows the man responsible has a hand of death with a freezing touch. Raijin Irumo, known as the “thunder god” in Thell, rescued him and became his mentor. While fighting corruption in Thell, he has been tirelessly investigating his family’s murder and hunting down those responsible.

Tragedy at a Young Age
Alexander's mother shared that he was a blessing from above, found crying in the desert of Nzul, a gift from Avandra. His father and mother loved each other dearly and treated him as if he was one of their very own children. Around the age of 5 they traveled to Zerell where a farming community was being developed. The Tiefling clan desired to purchase land there and settle down within the safety of Thell to become farmers.

On the eve of the first harvest moon, his family was preparing for a large feast. All of the clan was gathered outside the central barn. He was 9 years old. A group of soldiers with death in their eyes and a white sash upon their right shoulders came to the gathering. At first they began talking with the adults as the children played. Soon shouting arose, and one of the clan was slain. Alexander heard his mother yell, “run children!” He immediately ran towards the nearest bushes. He dug deep into the ground and covered himself. Only his eyes could be seen. He watch as the soldiers killed each member of the clan, including his father and mother. Once the adults were disposed of, they gathered the children together. A soldier grabbed at Alexander's shirt and dragged him with the other herded children. The soldiers demanded that they sit still and be quiet. Alex could hear the moans of one of the clan as a soldier thrust his sword into the Tiefling's chest.

Soon two wagons appeared in the distance. They pulled up and a few soldiers filed out. The bodies were collected and thrown into the back of the larger wagon. A young man stepped forward off the smaller wagon. He approached the soldiers standing near the children and spoke in hushed tones. The children were gathered up by the point of sword and filed into the back of the smaller wagon. The young man yelled “hault” and came near Alexander. He reached out his hand and brushed away Alex's hood. Alexander remembers the hand being freezing cold and appearing to be that of a dead man's. The man learned down and said, “A human? You will never do. Even among the misfits you are an outcast. It's too bad, you could have struck terror in all who beheld you.” Standing up, he said, “Koder, get rid of him.” Koder, the soldier standing near him responded, “Yes sir.” Koder turned to two lackeys and told them to take me off in the distance and make it look like a beast attack. They wanted no trail leading back to them. Alexander was led off by the two lackeys. He heard the wagons leaving. The two lackeys grumbled as they knew they had missed their ride and would have to follow on foot. What was the use of killing the boy anyway? Of course, they would never think of disobeying an order lest they follow suit with the Tieflings.

Alexander was commanded to kneel. The one lackey told him he'd make it quick if he didn't squirm. Alexander kneeled and prayed to Avandra for safety. The lackeys laughed at him. He closed his eyes. Then there was the clap of thunder. He awaited the touch of death but instead heard a quiet shuffle and then two thuds. A tender hand reached down and touched his shoulder. A whisper said, “My sweet son, arise. There is no more cause for fear.” With tears in his eyes he turned and saw a warrior unlike any he had ever seen before. The man was clothed in dark armor and a long robe. He had hints of gray hair. “My name is Raijin Irumo. Follow me and I will show you how to serve justice and protect the innocent.”

From that day forward Alexander followed and trained with Raijin as his apprentice. Raijin roamed Thell keeping corrupt nobles in check. Wherever there was oppression, Raijin and Alexander were there. Raijin was known throughout Thell as Urathrae’ank (“Divine Thunder”) and Alexander his Thrae’epesk (“Burst of Lightning”).

First Mission
Alexander was sent by Raijin to be an asset to the Dragonborn in Okarverthicha (Capital of Versviejer). He was tasked to assist Captain Donaar and crew in retrieving their wives and families from Thell. After the great departure of the Dragonborn, the empire of Thell kept them as ransom for the warriors' quick return.

Upon successfully returning the women and children to Versviejer, Alexander traveled home to attend to matters there and continue his search for the man responsible for the death of his parents.

New Information
Alexander's home was found ransacked. He followed the trail and discovered a cave system full of undead creatures. It was here that he met Torin, an ally whose future would be irrevocably connected to Alex in the near future. They fought the undead and discovered Koder. Before passing, Koder revealed the name that Alex sought for: Jao. It was he who was responsible for Alex's parents' death.

Trouble in Versviejer
Upon returning to Okarverthicha, Alexander met with the Dragonborn leaders to address the problem of outlying settlements being attacked during the night. Donaar was charged to investigate and Alexander and Torin accompanied him. As they were surveying one area, quickly they were overwhelmed by hordes of undead. Upon receiving support from another squadron, Alex and company went back to the capital.They returned to Okarverthicha, where the generals promised to send the reinforcements. However, the troops could find no trace of the squadron that had assisted Donaar, Alex, Torin, and company. In shock and fear, the Elders met to discuss the source of these undead. The Versviejer military was spread thin dealing with a great number of attacks deep inside their territory. Some of the Elders began to suspect betrayal, even going so far as to accuse Torin.

In the end, however, cooler heads prevailed. The undead must have been sent from Thell. Somehow, the twelve watchmen—a row of towers protecting the border—must have been compromised.

Despite severe exhaustion, Donaar and his companions set out to find the point of weakness. They did find one compromised, having fallen to a massive wave of undead. During the battle, one strange foe awaited them.

They encountered an abomination of wood and metal in the shape of a man. The odd machine or creature was a formidable foe, but lost the ensuing fight. Before dying, however, it declared,

“Watchmen tower compromised. Mission Success. Malfunction. Tamanya has arrived at tower. Commence phase three. Error. Error. Error. Forgive me father, I have failed you. Error. Error.”

The abomination’s strange red eyes faded to black. None of the soldiers had any idea what this message might mean. Unsure, but suspecting Tamanya to be the old wizard’s tower in the center of Okarverthicha, they hurried back.

The wizard's tower was infested with undead, and with troops from Thell. With the bulk of the Dragonborn army dispatched to deal with undead, the few remaining troops had been quickly overrun. Fighting their way up the tower, the heroes encountered a Shadar-Kai witch by the name of Tamanya. They smote her from the top of the tower, where she had been attempting to activate a large magical device of unknown function.

What was the plan? Why was Tamanya there at the tower? What was this creature of metal and steel? How does Thell have access to such a number of undead creatures?

Alexander surmises that it must be Jao. He excuses himself and returns home to find this evil man and put a stop to him. He promises to return with information on how to stop the undead. Without this information, there may be no way to stop their advancing forces.

Upon returning home, though, Alex was ambushed. He would not be returning.