Prince Cirran

Prince of Arcreach

Crown prince. Foolish, ambitious prince. Always in the shadows of big brother Leandre and little Cerillian, always working tirelessly to appease your legacy, but never amounting to anything. Not even father would acknowledge your accomplishments, paltry as they were. Then, like a coward, you turned your back to your family - to fight in some distant battles, to decide the fates of some distant peoples. You made friends, found love, and even played hero! But like gravity, it all comes crashing down... when you failed in the fight of your life.
Then the sky darkened, and the very earth cracked. You could've just left it all there - stayed with them to the bitter end, you know? But you didn't. Dutiful son of Arcreach, you could never leave it well enough alone - that which you've failed time and time again. And so you turned tail and ran, like you did before, back to your home...
But you were so far away, gone for so long you couldn't even remember the faces of your people as they were gored, mauled and torn apart by those endless beasts of midnight! Your brother's spirit, broken! Your father's hope, shattered! And your surrogate mother? Dead. And now you return from your sojourn to that obelisk, with what? Your sister's mind, fractured!
Failure after failure, time after time - it's all too much now, isn't it? Now an opportunity presents itself, and still you hesitate. Which brings you here, to me. Oh the once helpless and hapless prince. Is he finally ready to take the crown? Don't let me - us - down

- The Revenant, deep within the mind of the young heir following a disastrous expedition circa 678 MA

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Early Life
Born Cirran Ilvine, Prince Cirran is the second son in the long lineage of House Highwind to the then-King Cain II and a human mother, only known to history with Cirran's inherited name Ilvine. Cirran was regarded initially as a bastard child to King Cain II and never had a claim to the throne, but was nevertheless raised as a son of Cain proper, albeit in a private estate outside of Arcreach. Cirran grew up alongside his mother and a few servants, and had an isolated childhood away from the city. He was privately tutored by tutors from the Arcanery, traveling scholars and the nobility, though his parents had decided to have him live an honest life away from nobility. For some time, his life was simple: beyond tutoring lessons, his daily life mainly consisted of helping his mother in the estate - whether it's cleaning or gardening. A simple life, but one he led without complaints.
At some point, Arcreach's neighboring kingdoms conspired to leverage the kingdom's close relations to Midland nations - and in doing so found out about Cirran, hidden away from the Arcreach political sphere. Little is known about their plans here, but it is known that their scheme involved assaulting the Cirran and Lady Ilvine ransom - and only Cirran survived the attack. In light of the attack, the estate was closed and Cirran was formally inducted into House Highwind as a legitimate heir to the throne, behind older brother and next-in-line heir Leandre IV.

Second Son of House Highwind Life in the royal family was a stark difference to the modest upbringing Cirran had experienced, and it took several years for him to adjust to the role of a scion of House Highwind. In his new role as Prince, Cirran partook in learning statecraft skills to prepare for some involvement in Arcreach politics, likely either in diplomacy or the army. While he showed plenty promise as a statesman and paladin, he was never involved in the higher level politicking nor was he a key leader in the military. His responsibilities never placed him far from the confines of the Citadel. For a while Cirran was content with it, but the longer he served in his station the greater the desire for more involvement grew. His role, while limited, took him to all corners of Arcreach and to various of his subjects; to the eyes of the public, he became known as a respected member of the Highwind family and a friend to his people. But that feeling of dissatisfaction only grew when his brother finally took over as King of Arcreach, with Lord Cain receding to the background.
During this period, the war between the Steelsworn Empire and the Midland nations - dubbed the 'Steelsworn War' - had boiled over the borders of the region, reaching the small villages bordering the Northern Reaches; Cirran, recognizing the threat of war, urged King Leandre to prepare for the worst and support the war effort against the Empire to little success.

Cirran of the Moonsiders
In response, Cirran departed for Zarathar to assist in the war effort as a helping hand. It was there that he met the adventuring group 'Moonsiders', whom he assisted and eventually joined. Over the next decade he would join the group in their escapades, and later the war effort alongside his newfound friends. The Moonsiders played a pivotal role in the Midland's success in repelling the Steelsworn forces; Cirran could often be found in the frontlines, but was also critical in leading intelligence and diplomatic efforts - specifically in interrogations and negotiations. As the war began to wane, the Empire unleashed a secret weapon that had been in development - the Steelsworn Gigant - which brought untold devastation to the eastern territories of the Midlands. The Moonsiders, with help from the various armies of the nations, was able to halt its march towards Stonehall but was unable to prevent its secondary objective - unleashing a mysterious red beam to the skies. 
In the following days, mages and scholars across Muria reported the incoming approach of a large celestial object; heralding its arrival, projectiles pelted the countryside, and with it strange creatures of unknown origin. Cirran and his allies quickly shifted to dealing with this new threat, but when news of the descent of the Midnight Star reached them, the prince decided to return home and prepare Arcreach for its arrival. He was within a few hours march to his home before the star descended and splintered, causing untold chaos across the continent; the Northern Reaches fared the worse as the largest remnants of the star struck the far north, and Arcreach was not spared from destruction and the swarm of otherworldly creatures. Cirran came to Arcreach's defense, and after a grueling few days was able to clear the city of much of the creatures and rubble. The damage, however, had been done; Arcreach lay in ruins, its people at the mercy of the Midnight Horde, and the royal family robbed of their mother.

Prince of Arcreach, Revenant of Faust
Cirran served as Prince of Arcreach from the year 664 MA, tirelessly directing efforts to secure Arcreach's borders against the Midnight Horde in lieu of his brother King Leandre, whose spirit was broken by the calamity. Eventually, the king would attempt to unsuccessfully strike at the remnant Midnight Star at the northernmost point of the reaches and lose his life, leaving the throne of Arcreach empty; while Cirran was next in line to serve as king, Lord Cain - Cirran's father - would return to take the throne as regent as he wished to properly prepare Cirran for the role proper. He accepted the role once again, but felt increasingly concerned and annoyed at his father's dismissal of him. In the year 678 MA, Cirran accompanied his sister Cerillian and a convoy of Arcanery researchers and nobles to a mysterious noble that had emerged north of Arcreach, past the Agrenji Forests. It is unclear what occurred on that day, but it was traumatic enough to influence all surviving members of the research party. Cerillian apparently became reclusive and mute in stark contrast to her typical mannerism. Her butler, Wilkins Vinheim, admitted to having strange whispers and dreams. Prince Cirran was not shielded from this abrupt change, though his was more subtle; though he still remained outwardly professional, his demeanor hardened. Cirran became more prone to violent outbursts when angered, though mostly privately. His dissatisfaction with his role also grew, as he perceived Arcreach to be stagnating, suffering and defenseless due to Lord Cain's stubborn rule.
One day, he was visited by an enemy from his past: the Stalk, the Iron General of the Steelsworn Empire. Stalk offered the prince an opportunity to realize his ambitions - an offer that became increasingly difficult to refuse despite his distrust towards Stalk. His offer was simple: to take over Arcreach not just as its ruler but as its God via a process known as 'Apotheosis', eventually expanding Arcreach's borders beyond the North. Cirran was no fool - the proposition sounded outlandish and unbelievable, not to mention heretical. Nevertheless, the prince assembled a small team consisting of himself, Stalk and an Arcanery researcher called Matthias Corvus to look into the veracity of Apotheosis and applicable concepts for a deity; his investigations resulted in the discovery of an old artifact protected deep within the Arcreach Citadel, and a myth originating from the earliest days of mortalkind - that of Primarch. The artifact is known as Crown Keter, a crown of illustrious make adorned with brilliant gems; according to Stalk, this was Primarch's crown and a World Anchor, responsible for tying the concept of mortalkind to the world. Keter held the potential to give its wearer control over all of mortalkind due to the residual authority left by the ancient god, depowered as it is now. 
Stalk restated his offer - to bring the myth of Primarch to life, and in the process galvanize Arcreach to newer heights. Over the years, Cirran had witnessed the world march forward as Arcreach stagnated. Izera, born in the fires of the Midland kingdoms, brought the region to heel while the Northern Kingdoms fell one by one to the Midnight Horde. Cirran became convinced to unite all of Muria under his banner and give rise to Primarch once more, and in doing so halt the spread of the Midnight Blight. Thus was research group disbanded, and reformed into the insurrectionist group Faust, named after the Trickster God of Deals. 
For the next several years, Cirran would operate under a dual identity: on the surface he is Prince Cirran, dutiful son of Lord Cain, but underneath that exterior he adopts the persona of the Revenant, leader of Faust and the boogeyman of Arcreach. Wielding Tyrfing, another artifact and World Anchor inherited by House Highwind, he would lay the groundwork for the group by cleaning the streets of unsavory parties. As leader, he directly oversaw Faust's operations and recruitment, inducting key members of both the Arcreach government, merchants and Arcanery scholars. Soon, experiments on the application of Nebula Gas - derived from Midnight Shards - began, first with inanimate objects and then with live subjects. Cirran approved the use of animal and humanoid subjects, though the latter is only taken from specific pools of people. For 25 years the group continued unimpeded, making great strides in understanding Nebula Gas and developing new innovations utilizing the new energy source, all the while entrenching their position within Arcreach's political sphere.
The Faustian Crisis
One cold morning late 704 MA, Cirran sent his retainers - close confidants and friends he's made in his outward persona - to Whitecliff Outpost, a research camp north of the city. As Revenant, he had ordered Faust agents to destroy the camp for fear of their progress in uncovering the Nebula Gas contained within Midnight Shards. He did not expect the agents to linger longer than they needed to, resulting in an encounter between his retainers and the Faust agents. This incident brought Faust to the forefront, forcing Cirran to acknowledge their presence and put together a plan to return to the status quo prior by sending his retainers on endless dead-end investigations. He also did not anticipate his retainers to accept a quest to delve into the long-abandoned Fort Ephraim, and eventually enter Ephraim proper despite the city's physical disappearance. Cirran recognizes the value in the vast troves of knowledge contained in the lost city, and personally confronted his retainers on their return journey in his Revenant persona with Stalk. The battle resulted in Cirran and Stalk leaving with one of the retainers - Josh Hallerbos - in tow alongside the few valuable materials he was able to bring with him. 
In the following months, the former retainers would repeatedly attempt to investigate and uproot Faust. The intrusions hampered Cirran's efforts with the organization's ongoing projects, especially the planar gate under construction. Cirran commissioned its creation to help with the final mental block preventing Cirran from using the Keter - his anxiety and hesitance, emanating from the trauma of his many failures coalescing into an adamant dream. Cirran planned to venture into his adamant dream and confront the adamant dream with the intent of eliminating it, thereby removing his mental block. But when the former retainers assaulted the Faust headquarters and encountered the planar gate, Stalk activated the gate with the intent to fling them elsewhere in the plane of dreams thus removing them from the equation, albeit possessing a small fragment of Cirran's consciousness to his dismay. Knowing that there was still the chance for the retainers to flee, Cirran enacted one of his backup plans - a drug capable of allowing the user to undergo lucid dreaming. Arriving in his own adamant dream, Cirran - as the Revenant - confronted his retainers as they traversed his troubled past, revealing his identity and battling them. He was defeated, which caused the adamant dream to crumble as it triggered a change in Cirran's mind. While the mental block disappeared, Cirran harbored serious doubt regarding his chosen course but nonetheless went through with the final plan. 
With Lord Cain out of the picture, Cirran claimed dominion over Arcreach and declared war with Izera. His plans for apotheosis was slated for the coronation day, where large quantities of Midnight Shards would be used to power the Keter to a usable state to resurrect Primarch using the prince as their vessel; with Primarch's authority over all of mortalkind, Cirran would control all of Arcreach and its people and finally begin the war against Izera proper. The retainers caught wind of the plan, and themselves enacted countermeasures to interfere with the ceremony and prevent apotheosis. During the fated day, they were able to pursue Cirran and his retinue back to the Church of the Six, ending in a confrontation at the grand sanctum. In the battle, Cirran completed the ritual which brought forth Primarch's celestial followers from their exile in the outer planes; Cirran was overwhelmed by the process, transforming into the ancient deity and surrendering his consciousness to them. When Primarch was defeated by the party, Cirran was left - charred and barely conscious - before he was finished off by Stalk who cast his body from the Church peak. His remains were never found, but he was nevertheless presumed dead.

Reign

Kingdom of Arcreach, 704 MA

Honorary & Occupational Titles

• Prince of Arcreach
• Moonsiders (Adventuring Group)
• Faust Lead
• King of Arcreach
• Vessel of Primarch, God of Mortalkind

Age

131 Years

Date of Birth

574 MA

Date of Death

704 MA (Unconfirmed)