Currently
Hazhtur can currently be found leading an expedition in Rondhol on behalf of both the Lamastian Empire, and House Vermillio.
Personality
Hazhtur is an austere Duardin, ill-tempered and taciturn even when among the few people he would call “friends”. He has barely tolerates anyone who is not a Duardin of Zharr-Lamast, but can remain civil as long as he is working towards something. Once he sets his mind on something, the Chaos Gods themselves could not stop him for achieving his goals.
Early Life
Skilled in the various arts of Alchemy, Hazhtur rose swiftly through the ranks of Underforge Garra’s Daemonsmiths. After only a few short decades, he was in charge of the production of roughly half of Zharr-Lamast’s magical weapons and Daemon-engines. He became known as the Duardin to talk to if you needed information on Daemons; from their true names, to which would be best suited for the task at hand.
Catching the eye of the Overseer-Supreme, Hazhtur eventually reached the rank of Arch-Daemonologist, and granted a seat on the Assisting Council of the Lamastian Empire (who are responsible for day-to-day matters regarding the rule of the Empire). He was granted access to anything he desired, though he mostly only used this power to acquire rare books and tomes from across the various client states of the Empire. Hazhtur had reached the highest height possible, short of becoming the Overseer-Supreme himself.
During this time, he even took on two apprentices. The first dropped out after only half a decade, going on to become a Herald and a so-so Sorcerer. The second, Dralt Coalheart, went on to be the closest thing to family in the aging Duardin’s life, as well as an accomplished Sorcerer and Daemonologist in his own right.
The Curse of Stone
“Hashut gives with one hand, and takes with the other. Without this, we would grow spoiled and lazy.” – Part of a sermon on the trials of Hashut, delivered within a temple of Ba’hal.
Just when Hazhtur had reached the pinnacle of his learnings, Hashut sought to humble him. When he awoke, he found his legs would not respond to him. Throwing off his blankets, the greatest fear of any Duardin sorcerer was manifesting – the curse of stone had come to claim him. From his toes to just below his hips, his legs had petrified in place.
Using his knowledge, and magical skill, Hazhtur attempted to disguise his condition. He placed an illusion on himself, wore long robes, and walked with a cane claiming a flair up of gout. Ripping up the stone beneath his feet, he could force his legs to move, though each step caused tremendous amounts of pain. Short on options, Hazhtur locked himself in his library, searching for any options on how to avoid the hand that had been dealt him. He relied on Dralt to keep him fed, or to fetch that had been delivered from his collections in other cities.
Finally, a solution presented itself. Deep in the annals of Zharr-Mortis, Hazhtur found references to an ancient Shyishian ritual that allowed a person to transfer their soul into the body of another. If Hazhtur could find a suitable body to move into, he could trap another within the statue he was to become, and continue his studies for decades to come. Needing further information, Hazhtur left Dralt to research into other areas (deciding to keep his current discoveries from his apprentice, as Dralt would make a suitable sacrifice), and joined an expedition headed into Shyish in search of new potential vassals for the Empire. It was in Shyish that the Dhaozy-Khaozul would learn new, dark abilities that would send him down a different path than his kin.
A new, dark path
The first (non-hostile) group the expedition met were known as the Mandos clans; nomadic Aelves guided and protected by the spirits of their dead. Each clan was led by a Din’an, a mage that specialised in communing with the dead, and temporarily trapping them so they can aid the clan. Their tales told that each Din’an was inhabited by the soul of the original founding members of the Mandos clans, having transferred themselves through the generations into a willing vessel.
Despite much bargaining, Hazhtur was unable to trade for the information the Mandos clans held. Giving in to his frustrations, he ordered the expedition to wipe out the majority of the Aelves, leaving only the Din’an alive. During the battle, the Duardin faced off not only against the Aelven warriors and mages, but also the spirits of long dead Aelves that left their enemies as cold and dead as they were.
With the Aelves finally defeated, Hazhtur attempted to torture the information he wanted from the Din’an. When even that failed, he killed the remaining Aelves one by one till only the oldest was left, following his movements despite appearing to be blind. Promising to send the Aelf’s soul to the Realms of Chaos, Hazhtur called upon his magic – only to be stopped by the Aelf, scrawling words into the dirt with his finger. As Hazhtur read the words and runes, his body was flooded with the magic of Shyish, carried by the spirits of not only the ancient Aelves but also those recently killed. They imbued in Hazhtur all the secrets of the Din’an, the spells and rituals required to perform the soul-transference, as well as the knowledge of summoning the dead.
