Cormuth Stormseer (KOR-muhth)

Feel the call of the thunder.

Dragon Overlord Cormuth Stormseer

The youngest of the current generation of Overlords is also one of the most secretive. While he's nowhere near the hermit that Nedra is, his taciturn nature makes any form of clear communication impossible. When he does interact with the Council, he spews inflammatory vitriol from his mouth that ignites the chambers into aggressive debate. I have no idea how he managed to achieve the position he has.

— Ralbas Cinderclaw

For every outspoken member of the Council, there's a member that prefers to remain silent, plotting behind the scenes while the more vocal scream at one another. Nothing truer could be said of Cormuth. His opinions are not highly valued due to his status as the youngest member of the Overlords and as one of the few Overlords that are not of royal descent. The disrespect towards his thoughts is a slight he does not take lightly, especially with how prideful he is underneath his quiet exterior. All of the mockery he's had to endure only fuels his plans, however, as he bides his time, waiting for the Council to weaken themselves enough for him to one day strike.

Childhood

Cormuth was born in 2312 EoD during the height of a massive lightning storm. The storm had decimated Uzambwe for the past three days, flooding the expanses of desert and leveling homes. When the storm concluded, Cormuth's parents proudly displayed the young dragon fresh from his egg. He was the first Blue Dragon of non-royal lineage to be born under the effects of such a powerful storm, an occurrence that was taken as an omen by his family and a majority of Uzambwe's population. The expectation was now that this little wyrmling would one day do great things.

Egg of the Storm by StaticStar1 via Midjourney

His early life was filled similar expectations that his parents hounded him with. He was anticipated to be naturally gifted in any activity that he found engaging. There was no sport, hobby or game that he could enjoy without being hassled by his family. What saddened him was that he was talented at many of these activities, not because he was a natural, but because he pushed himself to get better. When he found out that he was naturally talented at something it actually bored him. There was no challenge in parading skills that you were just good at. The real fun came from working day-in and day-out in order to finally become amazing at something. This mindset prevented him from becoming lackadaisical in his pursuits like other gifted children that receive nothing but praise for their talents and never have those abilities challenged.
Cormuth's parents enrolled him into The Tiamacle at the age of ten. Unlike other children who probably would have dreaded the idea of leaving home at such an early age, Cormuth was enamored with such a thought. It free him from the overbearing expectations that were placed on him and let him progress at his own pace. Plus, it would allow him to meet people who wouldn't be familiar with his background. No longer would he have to listen to other children blindly approach him to be his friends just so they could say they were his friends. This would be the new start he wanted, a way for him just to be normal.

Time at the Tiamacle

Cormuth studied at the Tiamacle for quite some time. During his time there he was intellectually challenged by his teachers and peers. Despite his blue dragon lineage, he decided to enroll himself into one of the lower schools to begin his study, the School of Endurance. All of his talents were related to intellect and magical use rather than physicality, so this was the perfect place for him to receive the stimulation that he sought. His time inside Endurance was filled with strife from stronger students that would bully him for his diminutive stature. Life was hell for the first few years, but it slowly got better as time went on. The curriculum began to have an effect on him, and he got stronger, grew larger. The harassment from bullies ceased as he made an impression on others with his charm and new-found physicality.
His efforts were rewarded by becoming Head Priest of Endurance during his third year. He found joy in the promotion, the feeling of having achieved a goal that he had been thoroughly challenged to reach was one he didn't want to give up so easily. It made him realize he wanted to ascend the totem pole of the Tiamacle. He wanted to reach the top and become the Chromatic Spirit. So, he set about that goal, devoting himself to his studies so that he could work his way through each school until he was at the peak.
The second school he swore into was the School of Brutality. While his time in Endurance had already shaped him into an imposing figure, he still felt odd about being amongst sadists and torturers. But one positive thing to come out of his time in Brutality was his friendship with another dragon named Xerreig. He was a black dragon that had a similar mindset to Cormuth. Their upbringings were near mirror-images on one another, from the overbearing parents down to the desire to be tested at what they weren't good at. Xerreig had what Cormuth didn't when he enrolled in the Tiamacle, a threatening posture, while Cormuth possessed what Xerreig didn't, a cunning and intellectual mind. It was the truest form of opposites attract. Xerreig had also foregone his natural place in Brutality for his first school, instead enrolling in Subterfuge so that he could hopefully become smarter before he put himself in a place he knew he'd be good at.
The two became a well-known pair and would be seen attending nearly every class and sermon together. While they both had their differences, they shared enough similar ideals to avoid any friction between them that would tear their friendship apart. When the time came for Cormuth to swear into the other schools, Xerreig didn't hold it against him. Instead, they both promised that neither would be too far ahead or behind the other.

Hellball Legend

While enrolled in Brutality, Cormuth's interest in Hellball, the national sport of Draconia, was piqued. While the game appeared to be outwardly focused on physical interaction, there was a level of strategy that went into it as well. He quickly learned the game's basic strategy and the mechanics of shield-riding. His quick reflexes and brilliant mind landed him a position as a defender for Brutality, as they knew how well he was able to predict the oppositions next moves if he had researched them enough.
Cormuth continued to play the sport throughout his years at the Tiamacle, up until his graduation from the School of Supremacy, becoming a legend for the revolutions he made to the game. He was responsible for the concept of Stealth Defending, a strategy where a defender would double as an attacker using their speed or other gifts in order to quickly relocate themselves into an attacking or defending position in reaction to the flow of the game. During his final year he set the record for fastest flyer in Tiamacle history, as he was able to cross the playing field in just under three seconds. Spectators who witnessed this happen described it as hearing and feeling lightning strike your body, that blinking would cause you to miss out on what just happened.
When Cormuth became the Chromatic Spirit, he retired from the sport. Despite his talent at the game, he held few records other than the speed record. His reasoning for this was that there wasn't any reason for him to needlessly score or inflate his statistics during matches that were so obviously in favor of his team winning. Which is why one of the few records he does hold is the record for most 1-0 wins.

Saving the School

Cormuth served as Chromatic Spirit for several hundred years from 2500 EoD to 2950 EoD. Over the course of his service he helped repel many threats that had plagued the school. But none were as prominent as the Storm Giant attack in 2873. A massive thunderstorm, much like the one that had happened in unison with his birth hundreds of years earlier, formed over the Tiamacle. As thunder bellowed out and lightning struck, the sounds of massive footsteps rumbling drew near. Xerreig burst into the office-

The Siege by StaticStar1 via Midjourney

Storm Giants, Cormuth! They're already twenty-five meters away from the school! We won't have time to raise the gates!

Is that fear I'm sensing from you? How out of character. You mean to tell me my fierce guardian is suddenly scared of some big men? Send the students to their quarters and ready the defenses. We'll be fine~

The two made their way to the front of the school where a defense force of the faculty had already gathered. While Xerreig rallied them with boisterous praise, Cormuth enchanted the school's various statues into sentience. When the Storm Giants breached the gate, they were met with fierce resistance. The superior numbers did little for the school's defenses. Giants had been thought extinct for centuries, and no one had any experience fighting them. There was no precedent on how to defend or attack against one of them, let alone a battalion of them advancing in the midst of a lightning storm.
The combat was bloody, with many losing their lives in defense of the student body. Cormuth wasn't prepared for such an onslaught, and as the battle neared the living quarters, he called for even the students to rally to their aid. The renewed defenders began to make a push against their foes, with Xerreig leading the front-line, rending flesh from bone and melting anyone who dare approach. They managed to break through back to the front gates of the school, where they saw what lie in wait. Lines of giant forces, reinforced by siege weapons, mysterious animals and trebuchets. They were ready to go to war.

The Bloody Battle Rages On by StaticStar1 via Midjourney

It seemed as if they were doomed, as students began to fall to the attacker's weapons. The screams of the fallen filled the ears of friends, only being drowned out by the steps of the giant's massive feet storming the holy place. Then, the fighting stopped. The assailers ceased their assault, then encircled the remaining students capable of fighting.
A lone giant approached through his regiment, standing above even the other massive humanoid creatures.

I am Caius of the Storm Giants. And I have come to destroy this sacrament to all of Giant kind.

Cormuth knew who this person was. He was the disgraced giant that Tiamat had branded millennia ago as a warning to all of Giant-kind that they were to leave Draconia and never return. The storm clouds above thundered, the powerful blasts of sound shattering the eardrums of the already battered defenders. Fires raged on in the background, a fierce wind the only thing that kept the flag of the Tiamacle flowing high above. Caius then issued a challenge to Xerreig, demanding he face him in single combat. The entire battle he had witness not Cormuth, but Xerreig's combat prowess, as Xerreig had been front and center during the fighting. Xerreig accepted, hoping to best the giant.
Even for all of his skill in fighting, Xerreig was no match for a foe he knew nothing about. Caius outmatched him in every facet of combat: physicality, skill, technique and poise. It quickly became apparent that Caius was dragging out the battle, choosing to play with Xerreig even as he failed to raise his arms in defense. When he was finally finished, he crushed the black dragon's skull in the palm of his hand and tossed his body into the clearing, laughing at the display he had been given. Cormuth approached his fallen friend, tears swelling in his eyes. With the last bits of strength that he could muster, Xerreig whispered to Cormuth, revealing the love he had for him for so many years. Cormuth could only choke up in response, failing to reaffirm the feelings he also felt for Xerreig as he died in his arms.

We were all terrified of the giants during the attack. But... when Cormuth laid Xerreig's corpse to the ground... it was like we all felt relieved. Like we knew something was coming to save us. Then that fear returned when we saw Cormuth approaching Caius. But we weren't afraid of Caius... we were afraid of Cormuth...

Cormuth stood up and began to approach Caius. Anger filled his veins, it was like he could feel every ounce of seething hatred that Tiamat felt towards this same vile sack of flesh two thousand years ago. While Caius laughed at him, mocking him for his smaller stature and how he couldn't possibly be the second-best that the school had to offer, Cormuth's body began to crackle with power. Charges of electricity surged through him, discharging in violent bolts that singed the ground he stepped on. The bolts lashed out like whips, striking at nearby giants with enough force to bypass their natural lightning resistance and kill them. Caius' laughter quickly turned into fearful guffaws, as the bravado he had mustered began to fade. He had felt this approach before... long ago. Visions came into his mind, a voice ringing out in his ears. His eyes went wide as he realized what this was. All he could see was the blue head of Tiamat rising above pillars of flame to strike him down. But this time, he wouldn't receive her mercy.

Caius' End by StaticStar1 via Midjourney

I am Cormuth, the Chromatic Spirit of Tiamat. And you have violated your promise to the Chromatic Empress. And now you will pay the price!

Cormuth's flailing lightning turned a shade of black as he struck out at Caius. The confidence of the giant had faded and he was quickly reminded of his place in relation to the dragons he had hated. Every ounce of pain he had inflicted onto Xerreig was returned ten-fold in the form of furious lightning lashing across his body. Bits of discolored flesh fell from his body, necrotized from the lack of fluid as a result of the fourth degree burns that were inflicted.
Cormuth finally stopped once he made sure that Caius understood the agony that Xerreig had lived through in his final moments. He channeled every bit of malice he could muster, using it to undergo his first full adult transformation. The storm that Caius had conjured dissipated, only for Cormuth to seize control of it. There was a moment of peace, ever so fleeting, where Cormuth considered mercy. But as he gazed upon the giant's siege weapons, a boulder launched from a trebuchet connected with him. It shattered on impact, though Cormuth remained unfazed. A ferocious roar followed, with several chains of black lightning striking from the clouds. The lightning shot through the giants, killing the hundreds that stood outside the Tiamacle. All that was left was Caius. Cormuth hovered closer to his school, his head the only visible part of his body as it parted the storm clouds. The number of burns inflicted on Caius had left his body significantly drained of moisture, something Cormuth knew he could utilize. A single bolt of lightning struck Caius on the head. However, the bolt didn't fade. It continued to channel electricity throughout Caius' body. The lack of moisture left no conductor to hasten the speed of death, and the remaining student body watched as he slowly cooked from the inside out.

Aftermath

Once the battle had ended, Cormuth took on the responsibility of personally repairing the school, partially out of feeling responsible for the damage, but because had fallen into depression following Xerreig's death. He felt like he had lost his only confidant, the only person who understood him. A significant amount of controversy surrounded the incident, drawing ire from the parents of the slain students. The emotional turmoil over everything became too much for Cormuth and hastened his downward spiral. It affected his work, eventually causing him to resign in 2950 EoD. For a time, all he did was toil away in his family's estate back in Uzambwe.
However, he was blessed by a visit from Nedra Toxlaryan in the year 2975 EoD She offered her sympathies over what had happened, as she could understand the pain of losing people you cared about. While she wasn't able to help herself alleviate that pain, she could help Cormuth. If he was willing to part with what wealth his family had accumulated in his years as the Spirit, she would be able to bring back Xerreig and a majority of the student body he had lost in the battle. There was no hesitation in his answer, it was a resounding yes. He gave every ounce of wealth to Nedra; gems, coins, artifacts, anything. It was all consumed as materials for Nedra to cast multiple resurrection spells capable of returning the souls to their bodies or giving them new bodies if their original ones were lost. This came at a higher cost than anticipated, however. The strain on Nedra's body ended up causing irreversible damage to her spellcasting capabilities, and she lost the ability to manipulate divine or natural magic that could heal someone. Cormuth would value this sacrifice, as it gave him another chance to be with his love, who had now returned to the realm of the living.

Becoming Overlord

After getting a second chance at a relationship with Xerreig, the two lovers both decided to keep their relationship a secret. While there was no law stating they couldn't, they both decided it would be better to hide what they had if they were both to become Overlords of their respective regions. They had set their life at the Tiamacle behind them and were ready to forge new opportunities. This decision turned out to be the right one, as they both were spared the pain of having to kill the other when they underwent the ceremony of Ritus Sanguine.
Both of them were inducted as Overlords in 3020 EoD. Even at the point of their induction they knew something was wrong with the Council. They were focused on the self-preservation of dragons, which made sense, but they had little care for the humanoids beneath them. Not to mention Ralbas' incessant efforts at undermining the system that held Draconia in balance. Their time at the Tiamacle had taught both of them that even their humanoid brethren deserved some respect, especially those dedicated to Tiamat. Seeing it in person was enough to shake both of their faiths in the government they had long held to such a high standard. For Cormuth, it only proved to him that he was right to seek challenges as a child. Had he not followed such a path, he might have fallen into the same cycle of self-serving arrogance that the rest of the council displayed.
He and his lover resolved to find some way to change the council for the better. They didn't know how they would go about it, but they knew that something needed to be done. After Nedra joined the council, the three of them formed an alliance amongst themselves to seek change for Draconia and end the pattern that plagued their kind. Xerreig would publicly shame Cormuth and Nedra as a farce, displaying contempt for them and claiming that they were failures for their nations' crumbling ways. Cormuth and Nedra would remain in the shadows, rarely attending meetings so that they could enact their plans. When Cormuth did attend, he would inflame discussions with loaded questions to incite anger between the other members. He had hoped this would make them see the errors of their ways, but it was an oversight. The Council members' heads were too filled with delusions of grandeur; they were beyond saving.
Today, Cormuth mainly resides at his private manor in Uzambwe. Most of his political responsibilities are accomplished via messengers and Scry Cards from the safety of his home. Unlike Nedra, he did not become a hermit to accomplish their goal. He still makes trips throughout Uzamwe and the other regions, though he takes extra precautions to ensure that he isn't easily recognized whenever he does something unbecoming of an Overlord. On occasion he and Xerreig will sneak off together to spend some much-needed time together as well, either discussing the plans for the political future of Draconia, or their own future.

Second Chance at Love by StaticStar1 via Heroforge

Alignment

Lawful Evil

Currently Held Titles

• Dragon Overlord

Date of Birth

7/21/2312 EoD

Year of Birth

2312 EoD 734 Years old

Pronouns

He/Him

Sex

Male

Eyes

Primarily yellow iris with hints of blue. Black sclera, draconic pupils

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

sea blue scales

Height

8'11"

Weight

350 lbs.

Belief/Deity

Tiamat

Aligned Organization

Council of Dragons