Zerala the Mad

Zerala

Zerala the Mad was an early warlock who lived during the Emberton Empire and Age of Blood. During the Age of BLood, many warlock followings fled hostile kingdoms for safety in the swamps. Zerala was the leader of one such following, and a botanist with an interest in rare plants. While in the swamps, Zerala discovered a plant he called Death Drape, which is now known as Creeping Madness .

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Zerala was an early warlock who most likely lived in the west Emberton Empire. At the time, it was illegal to practice experimental magic outside of the Court of Mages. However, it was nearly impossible to enforce, so the Empire usually looked the other way as long as there was no collateral. After the fall of the Emberton Empire, however, that region came under control of a strongly anti-warlock kingdom. This led to many of the local warlock followings fleeing to the nearby swamps for refuge. Among these was the following led by Zerala.

As far as our understanding of Zerala goes, there isn't much to work from. Most of his notes and journals are lost to time or madness, and only three of his original following ever returned to tell of what happened in the swamps. What we do know is the he was a botanist, and the rare plants growing within the swamp fascinated him greatly. He took to experimenting with a strange, viney plant, which he dubbed Death Drape due to its devastating effects on the ecosystem. Reasoning that the destructive plant clearly did not originate from the swamps where it was now living, he set out to discover its origin. 

As his experiments progressed, however, he began to experience intense hallucinations. The later surviving writings of Zerala are often erratic and somewhat confused. A surviving member of his following later reported that he seemed to be behaving quite strangely. As this progressed, they elected a new leader, seeing Zerala unfit to continue in that role. Upon hearing the news, Zerala lashed out with his magic, killing all but three of his followers before collapsing into a violent seizure. 

The survivors fled back to the kingdom, which was now part of the new Fae Empire. They told the nearby towns folk of Zerala's madness. The townsfolk sent a group of soldiers into the swamp to deal with the perceived threat. The soldiers found the camp and the dead warlocks, with the body of Zerala lying in the middle of it all. The soldiers returned to town, and no one ventured back into the swamp for several millenium.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Zerala is believed to be the first person to discover Creeping Madness, which he called Death Drape. He is also the first person to suggest that the vine was not natural.

Mental Trauma

Zerala slowly went mad from his experiments with Creeping Madness, cumulating when he murdered his following in a violent outburst.

Species

Fae (General)

Age

~6483 at time of death

Circumstances of Death

killed by the toxins of the Creeping Madness plant

Pronouns

he/him