Zanpha, King of Shadows

Shadow King Zanpha Orternon (a.k.a. Champion of Shadows, Master of)

All knew that when one was chosen by the Black Blade, the Scion's chaos would come with it, yet none would understand the true devastation and dread until the witness first hand by his dark champion. - Phoenix Knight

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Rise of the Shadow

Like all beings, before they fall to the world's evils, they are often brought into events that will forever alter them; this includes the worst of them regarding Zanpha. Much of this wicked being's life revolved around the travesties of war in his homeland of Rhodia on the continent of Cangar; he became a refugee turn soldier as he fought in a bloody civil war against its corrupt government for much of his youth. It wasn't until the Canganar Peacekeepers finally intervened once war crimes were discovered that they finally intervened to end the conflict. Not too long after, he would join them to ensure that war such as this would never happen again, believing that the Peacekeepers were meant to protect all from the horrors of war and the depravity of corruption. He would be sent all over the continent to ensure that the peace was kept against the worst people who sought to destroy it, only to discover over the years that these so-called keepers of the peace only cared about maintaining the status quo rather than fixing the problem. This led to tensions rising between Zanpha and the leadership of the Peacekeepers from time to time, criticizing them for not doing what needed to be done and protecting the people who needed them instead of involving themselves in politics. Even as he rose through the ranks for his leadership and heroism on many occasions, his attempts to make any real difference on the continent were often hindered by his superiors and their political allies, ensuring terrorism and poverty became constant in regions prone to conflict.
Eventually, this would result in a much colder and bitter outlook for Zanpha, who no longer saw a chance for change with the current powers at play on Canagar. It was also apparent that members of the Peacekeepers wanted him gone for his overall behavior and insubordination countless times, despite getting the job done without bureaucratic nonsense getting in the way. It wasn't until an operation at some ancient ruins in the Republic of Korosia that he discovered corruption within the ranks of the Peacekeepers and did the unthinkable by murdering several high-ranking officers, knowing that they would never be tried in court. After that, he deserted and fled deeper into the ruins as he attempted to escape capture by his former comrades, activating an ancient trap that collapsed the entrance and trapped him in darkness, only for that darkness to call to him as he ventured deeper into the ruins and eventually found an ancient shrine holding a greatsword, not just any greatsword, but a Weapon of Legend, the infamous Black Blade. Upon grasping the blade, he would become the champion of the Scion, the terrible god of darkness and through his power, a new age of darkness would arise not seen in forty millennia that would forever change the world.

Encroaching Darkness

Once Zanpha managed to escape his former allies, many presuming him dead, he would lurk in the shadows, growing his powers by manipulating those that feed upon their selfish desires and slowly manipulating the nations of Canagar to his whim. Eventually, he would gain control of the failing Drascan Empire, turning it into his base of operations and turning into a powerful state once more. While everything seemed normal, from the shadows, Zanpha gained the support of the Scion's dark followers and began infiltrating the continent's governments, creating new isolationism and military build-up laws while making it look like nothing was connected. All the while, he gained more and more power from the Black Blade and harnessed its power to further his plans to rid himself of all opposition to him as his influence grew, tainting all that he touched. It wasn't until a decade later that peace began to spread across the continent as leaders and politicians that caused the continent's problems were removed willingly and silently with his agents; even the Peacekeepers would be infiltrated to ensure that no one could put up resistance later on.
With his plans finally in motion, he would initiate his final plans by creating a plan for greater cooperation between nations, a new alliance known as the Canagar Cooperative Union. This alliance would promote peace and security to ensure the states would not fall to the woes of war and the encroaching influences of foreign powers. But the truth was far more sinister than others would realize, for this alliance was a front to seize power from the nations and strip away their power so that Zanpha's rise to power would be much easier. Soon enough, continental isolation was imposed, and travel to Canagar was prohibited by foreigners for any means; trade was also halted along with an orbital blockade to prevent the ships from entering the continent's orbital airspace. Thus began a dark age for Canagar as Zanpha would finally emerge from the shadows, waging a sudden and brutal seizure of power with the nations of the alliance swiftly falling as they were destroyed from within by his agents, wiping out those that did not side with them as his armies emerged to conquer all, with even the Peacekeepers unable to withstand the onslaught of this new military power. All would bow to their new king in the ashes of the fight, one that would only be seen lurking in the shadows as he ruled over wherever they touched.

A Tyrant's Domain

With his power secured, the Shadow King did not pause in his more significant goals now that his grip on power was secure, for he was bound to the will of the Scion, yet their goal was aligned as they sought to control under a domain. For Zanpha, however, it was to create a new order without free will, as it brought nothing pain and suffering. This did not mean he did not do the same thing; all were stripped of a voice and rights as all would serve his vision of the future and exploit all resources he could get. He even attempts immortality when he assaults the World Tree, believing in the stories that its fruit could do such a thing, only to destroy it once he could not after a long, bloody fight with the remnants of the Peacekeepers and build his seat of power upon the remain that would be forever known as the Fortress of Shadows. Not long after that, he began to strip any resource he could get his hands on to create one of the largest armies the world had ever seen as he reformed the Drescan Empire in the Empire of Shadows.
For over three decades, the Shadow King would rule with an iron fist, using any means to gain more power to ensure his world conquest became smoother when the time finally came to strike. Delving into atrocious sciences and forbidden magics to strengthen his armies, as well as rapidly increasing their numbers through the abduction and indoctrination of children to be trained into soldiers to serve him as their parents would be enslaved to build his machines of war. Any form of resistance discovered would be crushed, and its perpetrators would be experimented upon in service of his plans. At that time, he carefully planned the extensions of his campaigns of global domination to ensure that he crushed any significant threats to his plans before they could mobilize and counter-attack him. His plans would seem to be flawless as no one suspected a thing with his dark curtain hid his atrocities well, that was until the eve of his invasion when a single surviving member of the Peacekeeper and old enemy Horthen Rusan and his allies of the Resistance managed to breach the blockade to warn the world the coming of the Scion's new champion, resulting him to speed up his plans and engulf the world into a world that had not been seen since ages past.

Fall of the Dark Lord

The first target in his conquest was vital, for it was one of the only true powers that could defy him: the Phoenixian Dominions, which had stood against his master's plans for ages. He sent a vast fleet of ships to create a foothold in the region to invade the mainland, which he did with several other continents, creating several fronts to divide and conquer his enemies before they could fight back prompting the beginning of the conflict known as the Shadow Wars. All did not go to plan, however, as the Phoenixians were better prepared than anticipated, and his forces were forced to flee, infuriating him as he attempted to cause significant damage to the region for a future attempt of invasion by releasing a Black Fel Gas bomb causing Black Fel Corruption to all in contact in it, but to limited effect. Other fronts across the planet, as the empires sweep across many regions caught unprepared as Zanpha continued to expand his domain with his vast armies, even at times moving to the frontline to devastate his enemies with the dark power in his procession as he attempted to expand his conquered territories and wipe out all opposition. However, he would often need to return to Canagar to regain his strength and maintain his control of all fronts, only to be pushed back by opposition by Coalition forces.
Zanpha would be on the defensive in the following decades as the empire would be pushed back. Canagar faced a full-scale invasion, and his forces suffered heavy losses. In his desperation, he would unleash the full force of his dark knowledge as monstrosities of science and magic were sent to the frontlines and devastated coalition forces in an attempt to push them back. He sometimes fights several battles himself to ensure that he does not face the inevitability of defeat. Yet it would come, and he would be held up in the Fortress of Shadows, waiting for anyone to dare enter to face him in battle; many would, and they would fall to his might. It was not until one would match him in power as the legendary Phoenix Knight alone challenged him to an epic duel that would see the fortress in ruins as they unleashed their full power. Yet it would not be enough save Zanpha as he would be struck down by the Phoenix Knight, bring the end of the tyrant with Black Blade carried off by him with Zanpha’s severed arm still holding onto it as the war finally came to an end with his demise.

Species

Human