Drake Von Marux

Character Description
Drake Von Marux (Dmarux), an ashen of unknown originals, founder, and current leader of Reingard. He is a former nobleman with experience in various trades (Farming/livestock, Blacksmithing/Mining, and Alchemy. Currently, Drake is the High Shaman of the Stahl Riesa faith. While where he comes from is unknown (noble family or peasantry), he managed to rise to the ranks as a nobleman and would later become a religious leader.

Appearance
His appearance is an average Ashen male, 7ft in height, 30 years of age, and is relatively bulky. He's missing his left eye, but no one knows how he lost it, not even himself. Likewise, few people see the dragon tattoo on his right arm (except when in his shaman armor), the one he earned from his rite to manhood years prior. He wears a few different outfits ranging from Ashen armor, Shaman armor, and formal attire.

Personality
Drake's nature is best described as friendly, caring, loyal, and dedicated to his faith. However, when betrayed or attacked, his personality can change drastically, becoming vengeful and actively thinking of ways to "return the favor" to those who harm him, his people, or his faith.

Forge Mark
Drake leaves a mark on the weapons he's forged as a smith. ☬

Titles
Jarl of Reingard

Warden of Leythe

High Shaman of Stahl Riesa

Childhood
Raised in the remote Sparwood village, he was left outside as a baby at a remote village gate on a cold but clear December morning. When the guards found him, he had a missing eye and a letter that read, "Raise him, his name is Drake." He was given to the Jarl of the village. Lightning struck the ground before him upon picking up the child. Shocking the crowd, the Jarl took the lighting as a sign and named the child he held "Drake Von Marux" (Dragon of Lightning). Over the years, he would grow up living among different households, he had already been told that he was abandoned as a baby, but this didn't keep his spirits down. He was generally liked among most people, except a few who saw him as a bad omen for the lighting incident years prior.

Teenage years
Drake began to prioritize learning multiple trades during his teenage years. While he had only one eye, he found that didn't prevent him from improving. Over the years he lived in the village, he began working in Alchemy, Farming/Livestock, and mining skills. But, at 13, he found that he excelled at blacksmithing, which was unusual for his kind at that age. Next, he dabbled in political learning but could only learn so much as the village was relatively remote from the political world.

Chosen Path
By 14, he had joined the village clergy, wanting to rise to the church's ranks; however, he learned that their faith hadn't been organized since "The Plague" 481 years ago. Only a few churches acted as the official organization, with few priests and one shaman. Suddenly Drake had a vision, seeing 8 giant figures, flooded with information retaining to Stahl Riesa, and finally, a Cathedral built into the top of a mountain brought up by Vulkan himself. At that moment, he knew what he was meant to do in life; it was to try and reform the Clergy into an organized church once again, to bring their faith back to flourishing. When he shared his visions with the shaman, the shaman wept, for it was a sign that it was time for their people to return to the world. Drake was set on becoming the next High Shaman, the first one in almost 500 years.

Becoming a man
It wasn't until he turned 17 that he went on his first raid; it was a decent village to the far west. He was told it was a rite of passage, that all village members before turning 18 must perform a raid, regardless of whether it was successful. They managed to get out alive without any casualty for the raiding party or the village, let alone any fighting. While not as exciting as he had heard stories about, he had passed his rite. Upon their return, he was escorted to the village church, where the shaman spoke, "Stand Dragon of Lighting, for you have passed your rite and are now a man," and gave him both a Vambrace with a rud ruby and a dragon tattoo.

Adulthood
After turning 21, He left home to travel and explore the continent of Sparwood. He would spend months out on the road, exploring various cities and landscapes of Sparwood. While traveling, Drake acted as a missionary, speaking to the people he met of his people's faith. Some would hear him, some would ignore him, but a few would attack him for his different beliefs. After traveling far and wild, he found a ruined settlement in northern Sparwood, ending up between the Arxella and Niedea borders. He discovered the remains of a previous settlement of Stahl Riese worshippers. Deciding to settle and return the settlement to its former glory, he began to rebuild what had been long destroyed, naming his new home "Ashbourne."

Ashbourne
As he built up his new home, he would ensure the land's safety by purchasing the land from Arxella, attracting more people to his town, and finding the buried Vulkan Forge while excavating the ground. As his village grew, it soon became a small kingdom, and the land he owned became a nation. Although a small dot on the map, stuck between two giant countries, Drake's new nation of "Reingard" would continue to grow. Drake and his Reingardians began to reach out to other nations for trade and alliances, joined the CSS, and watched the CSS collapse less than a month later. After a while, a former ally from the CSS approached Drake and offered him a deal; Reingard would join them and help form a Sparwood empire. After consulting his people and thinking about it, he signed the agreement and helped create the Frosmyre Empire. Drake decided to take some time off and travel with the new treaty and see if he could spread his faith to others, but he discovered a nightmare upon his return. However, when he returned home, he discovered that Reingard had been robbed in the middle of the night, and the forge was destroyed. After investigating, it was determined that only the castle had been thoroughly looted; the people and their homes were untouched. Although he tried to calm the people, Drake could not stop the spread of fear, with people terrified about whether or not the thief(s) would return to take more. As a result, people fled, leaving a small unprepared population. With no other choices, Drake ultimately chose to take his remaining people and find better lands. After speaking with one of the leaders of the new Frosterium empire, Drake and his people made the journey to a new land down south, a new land where they have since started building a small village named Reingard in honor of their fallen nation. (See the Reingard page for the nation's info, history, ext...)

New beginnings
After settling the population in Leythe, Drake began to work tirelessly to establish his home in the new area. He and his people started to replant trees on the barren landscape, gathering mass sums of resources from the ruins that littered the land and building up a stock of food so they would not starve. He would brave the blood rains (October 2021) to gather resources, wandering the land, searching for essentials, and make diplomatic efforts to ensure his people were treated right with the various changes in Leythe nationality. He led his people through various political changes, from the Frosterium to Paradise and Tovarshiva to Avaria. It took time, but after what felt like years, he managed to secure his town's safety. It took him a while, but as things began to settle, Drake began to rebuild the Stahl Riesa church, working on trying to gather a following in the new lands. He discovered a giant Blackstone Vulkan forge, buried deep into the earth, where he built a church he would call "The Black Forge Church."

Relighting of the Leythe Sword
On (1/9/22), while traveling to Leythe city, Drake discovered that the Sword of Leythe, a giant sword statue that radiated with magic, was desecrated by an unknown individual. He quickly sent word to the Avaria (NAR) government, and the news spread like wildfire. While the structure was repaired rapidly, the magic had left the sword, leaving Leythe with no light. Darkness and plague soon befell the land, livestock began to die, and crops ceased to grow. So, with permission from Higher-ups in the NAR, Drake set out to plea to his gods in hopes of relighting the sword. Finally, on (1/12/22), the ritual began. He and a group of members from the NAR government and the Stahl Riesa church would gather.

Drake would stand before the sword, then he called out. Calling to Vulkan, the Stahl Riesa, the Master of the Forges, in hopes the god would show mercy on the land. At first, it was a silence that felt like an eternity, but then as if on cue, the sword sparked to life. With the Leythe Sword restored to its former glory, Drake returned to Reingard to await in-store what the future had.

Warden of Leythe & Changing tides
On (1/24/22), the High Elder of the NAR (New Avarian Republic) placed Drake in charge of Leythe. This, however, would be short-lived as (2/10/22) when the Elder requested that both he and the previous man in charge of Leythe co-run Leythe. He was made a warden, tasked with helping the smaller villages and settlements of Leythe develop. But this was to change quickly as of 2/18. In the earlier hours of the morning (2/18), it was announced that the High Elder of Avaria had disappeared. With the High Elder's disappearance, the race was one for his replacement, done by voting. The Grand general Afferman, Warden/Jarl Drake, and former royal Vali were Stepping up to the run. Election day came, and Drake lost, only coming in second place. However, this didn't go well as, within a few days, the Regonia state announced they had enough of the harsh treatment and discrimination, declaring independence. Things quickly went downhill as other nations began to eye up the now weakened country.

Joining Borhammar and Religion
After a mountain formed overnight (strange event) in the Reingard bay, and the nation joined a technocracy, the Leythe state was traded to Borhammer. Drake had some interactions with them but wasn't very aware of their ideals or beliefs. But these worries dissipated as he found that they weren't as bad as some made them out to be. With a stable nation in control, Drake decided it was time to focus his efforts on the church. So he began to preach to the people of Leythe, to the people of borhammar. He even started the construction of a cathedral upon the mountain in the bay, believing it to be the mountain from his vision all those years ago.

War of Avaria
on 4/16/22, Tortoga declared war on Avaria, followed by Regonia, Borhammar, and members of other nations. It wasn't until 4/24/22 that Drake joined in the final fight against his former country. The Avaria had become corrupted since the earlier elections and had gone down a dark path. Before the battle, Drake spoke a quick quote to his people "Tsun shall watch over us today, for we will declare victory over Avaria or feast in the hall of Valnir." The battle had begun, the Avaria defenses fell in minutes, and the defenders slew soon after. The war was over as soon as it had started. Some loot was collected, although it was clear they had very little. To honor the War god Tsun for his protection, Drake plans to throw the heads of the slain Avaria into the forge, the armor he managed to collect, and a cow.

Vision of a War Demon
After the war of Avaria, Drake thought it best to meditate and commune with the gods. But, things when south quickly. The moment he had begun to meditate, he felt himself drift from existence, upon which he began to see something. From a distance, he could see what appeared to be a large ashen woman is white, but sometimes was wrong. It began to move towards him, and as she got closer, it became apparent she was something else, something demonic. Eyes of white light and hair, golden bracers and jewelry, carrying a sword dripping with crimson blood. As suddenly as it began, he found himself standing in a burning city, screams coming from all around and bodies lying on the street. So abruptly, as it had started, it ended with him awakening in the meditation chamber, running out, and finding that he had been gone for a couple of weeks. It was then he learned of the arrival of the Demon Segra.

Retirement
After years of hard efforts, Drake decided it was time to take his leave. To leave behind the world he knew to go out and explore the new. Before leaving, he handed Erik Ironblood, a older Ashen who he had saved years prior in the Segra attack on Leythe, the right to rule Reingard in his stead. Leaving his home in good hands, Drake Von Marux sailed off to start a new adventure.