Vath of the Tuskrippers
Head of Din’Lux City Council
After orchestrating a violent coup following the return of the Starless Nights, Vath of the Tuskrippers became the leader of Din'Lux. He now sits at the head of the City Council and also controls the City Guard.
Vath’s leadership in the years following the coup was shaky and not without difficulty, but he managed to maintain control and a relative sense of peace in the city. Before the Darkness returned, Din’Lux and Dwar Fell were engaged in a century-long war. The animosity brought by this dispute did not dissolve overnight, and Vath has proven to be a capable mediator and diplomat.
The Return of the Darkness
The Moonsickle Company
Before the return of the Starless Nights, Vath was a member of the Moonsickle Company a powerful fleet of smuggling ships that supplied weapons to both sides during the Great War. His sister, Naya of the Tuskrippers, was leader of the Company and commander of its fleet.
Most of the orcs among the crew possessed a well-honed weather sense, allowing them to predict minute changes in the weather. They understood that a terrible storm was coming—a force unlike anything they’d ever sensed before.
The Company set sail for Din’Lux to seek refuge. They warned Hierophant Selen and the City Council, but the city did little to prepare. Vath pushed his sister to do more to make them listen. He proposed a coup in order to take control away from the Hierophant, reasoning that they could potentially save hundreds of lives.
But Naya didn’t listen. The leaders of Din’Lux had recently become aware that the Moonsickle Company had sold weapons to their enemy—Dwar Fell. The City Council was threatening to force them out of the city. Naya believed that it was best to stay quiet and keep the peace so that their people could remain safe inside the city walls.
Vath, however, was outraged at this decision. Word began to spread among members of the Company that Naya had grown soft. They no longer wanted to serve under a coward willing to bow to the elven Hierophant.
The Coup
When the Starless Nights finally arrived, the city was unprepared, caught in the midst of a battle with Dwar Fell. After a hasty peace negotiation, the Hierophant ordered the gates opened, allowing in the armies of their enemy so that they might take refuge.
The following days were filled with chaos. With not enough food to go around and not enough shelter to house refugees, unrest rose among the people—and Vath sensed an opportunity.
His sister, Naya, still refused to take control of the city, claiming that this was no time for violence. But Vath was no longer interested in Naya’s orders—and neither were many among the Moonsickle crew. He led them in a quick, but bloody, coup against the Hierophant of Din’Lux.
Though the coup was successful, Naya was killed in the struggle. There were mixed feelings about this among the Company. Grief, anger, satisfaction. There were even whispered suspicions that Vath had ended her life with his own hands.
Vath had to move quickly to prove himself as the new leader of Din’Lux. His first command was to establish a new City Guard—one that was loyal to him. Next, he needed to find a way to secure the kinfire burning in the Great Lighthouse. Only the Flame Keepers—specialized priests within the Temple of Ziva—held the secrets of kinfire. Vath knew that they could easily take the flame hostage, and it was the only thing keeping protected the city from the Starless Nights.
He proposed a compromise. Hierophant Selen would maintain a seat on the City Council and would be allowed to continue as head of the Temple of Ziva and the Flame Keepers. In exchange, the Hierophant guaranteed that the Holy Flame would remain in the Great Lighthouse and she would urge her people to peacefully accept Vath as their new leader.
Though many attempts have been made to regain control of the city, Vath has successfully held on to his position and has even unified Din'Lux in a way that many believed impossible.
Personality
Vath has spent his life overshadowed by his mother—Kirrogora of the Tuskrippers—and sister, Naya of the Tuskrippers. Though the Tuskripper family name has given him currency within his community, he struggled to stand out. While a concern for his people and the other refugees in Din’Lux definitely motivated his decision to go against his sister and orchestrate a coup, his bitterness and jealousy also played a role.
As a leader, Vath has proven to be a skilled reformer. He identified a number of weaknesses in the city’s governmental structure along with major social inequalities exacerbated by its bureaucratic operations. Though he has always been quick-tempered and impulsive in nature, Vath knew that in order to maintain peace and stability within the city, change would have to be gradual.
Vath has grown into himself during his reign as leader of Din'Lux. He has developed patience and a listening ear. He has embraced the diversity of the city and feels an obligation to protect every last resident. Some of the former crew members of the Moonsickle Company resent Vath for this, believing that he should put his own people above all others. They see him as disloyal and some even go so far as to call him "traitor."
Most of the original residents of Din'Lux still don't fully trust Vath and refuse to call him leader. Many of them go on pretending that the Hierophant is truly the one in charge and that Vath is a mere figurehead intended to unify the city. Others, however, have come to see the benefit of separating the Temple from the City Council, diminishing what was once an oppressive theocratic leadership.
Species
Orc
Age
30 years old
Head of
Din'Lux City Council
Din'Lux City Guard
Member of
The Moonsickle Company
The First Expedition
Religion
Great Pantheon
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