Cardaen
An arcane prodigy, raised by giants and taught to love magic above all else. In his early life, he was completely absorbed with study. He had no interest in how the rituals he crafted were used; he simply sought to push the laws of magic to their limits. After Vadallia’s death, he realized that magic was pointless if it didn't have purpose. He dedicated his life to vengeance, hunting down and punishing those who brought suffering to his people.
Cardaen is widely considered to be one of the greatest elf wizards of history, commanding respect from the Aereni and Tairnadal alike. Some Cardaens are cold and dispassionate, while others see beauty in magic, but all are known for their intellectual pursuits. Some Tairnadal say that to be a true revenant of his, an elf must begin with an innocent love of magic and be hardened by a terrible loss. Following his legacy, Cardaen revenants may choose two very different paths—that of zaeltairn or zaelantar, war or peace, as discussed in the “Tairnadal Society” section. Those who choose to be warriors tend to embrace Cardaen’s vengeful nature in defense of their people. But others choose the settled life and focus on arcane research in the few cities of the Tairnadal. While “peaceful” by comparison, such revenants are typically cold-blooded in their use of magic.
Many of Cardaen’s revenants are wizards and sages, as Cardaen’s greatest strength was his towering intellect; a Cardaen might focus on developing spells and arcane weapons to support the warbands. While it would be unusual, an Artillerist artificer could certainly draw inspiration from him. Other Cardaen revenants who wield magic on the battlefield could be Bladesingers, War wizards, or even Hexblade warlocks.
Cardaen died in Xen’drik before the exodus, and his spellbook has never been found; it’s possible it contains spells he never shared with others. His staff was a powerful magical weapon, and it is also lost to time. Over the centuries, explorers and scholars have occasionally found spell scrolls written by this great wizard, and one might surface in Xen’drik or elsewhere.
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