Habbarsnatch the Lesser

Habbarsnatch the Lesser is a vampire currently residing in the town of Mothkeep in the nation Ravakia. Habbarsnatch holds a variety of positions. He is the King and leader of Ravakia, the Guildmaster of the Kylorne Guild of History and Historiography, and a priest of The Witchflame. Habbarsnatch typically wears a copper mask over his face and bandages on his skin to both protect his body from the sun and to conceal his features. Over the years Habbarsnatch has gone by a variety of names, but for as many years as most people can remember he has been calling himself Habbarsnatch.

Seregost
Before he was known as Habbarsnatch the Lesser, Edwin Porovost was the burgomaster of the town of Seregost. Under the oversight of Edwin, the town was well-managed and safe. Bandits stayed far from the towns walls and the townsfolk worked together to make each other lives safer and easier. Generally, the town was known as a backwater, but one that was worthy of visiting if you were nearby.

It was not odd for visitors to pass through the town. In fact, the occasional visitor was typically treated well by the townsfolk. One day a mysterious visitor passed through town. Despite many villagers offering up their homes for this visitor to stay, the visitor insisted on finding his own lodging. He quickly bought a few supplies in the town and then left. By the end of the night, the visitor had sheltered inside a cave in the mountains south of Seregost.

Over the course of the next several weeks it would become clear to the townsfolk that this was no ordinary wanderer. This man was a vampire, and he had come to conquer Seregost. Slowly, residents of Seregost began turning up unconscious and bloodied outside of the town. While many of them had been drained of their blood, the vampire that turned them left just enough so that they too would become vampires. When it became apparent to Edwin that the stranger living in the cave was the vampire responsible for turning so many of his friends he decided to take action. Rounding up several other brave townsfolk, Edwin led a group south into the mountains to hunt the vampire. However, before they even reached the mouth of the cave, they were ambushed by several of the townsfolk that had been turned into vampires. The vampires ripped the hunting party to shreds, Edwin was the only one to survive.

Beaten and bloodied, Edwin crawled out of the mountain and headed for another nearby town that hadn't been effected by the vampire and his new minions. He didn't stay in this town for long. As he healed from his injuries he realized that in the ambush he had been bitten, and now he too was turning into a vampire. Unwilling to become a thrall of the vampire responsible for attacking his neighbors he decided once again to take action. He returned to Seregost and began attacking other vampires during the day when they were the most vulnerable. Rather than drinking the blood of the remaining humans in the town, he drank the blood of his vampiric victims. The blood enhanced his vampiric powers; he became faster and stronger, but much more susceptible to the sun and other vampiric weaknesses.

Edwin became the one that was left behind. The one that the vampires had forgotten about. He gave himself a new name: Dreg. For that's all he was now, a man forgotten by the town he had helped build and the society that had arrived to replaced it. Dreg managed to kill and drink the blood of seven other vampires in Seregost before he was captured and put on trial by the man in the cave. Under the new vampiric laws that governed Seregost, he was found guilty of murder and sacrilege. For each vampire slain, Dreg would spend a single day in a cell specifically designed for him.

His cell was simple. Four plain stone walls with a stone floor. The only thing special about the cell was the ceiling. Rows of iron bars that had been coated in holy water kept Dreg trapped in his cell. The only things beyond the bars were the sky and the sun. For seven days Dreg burned in the sun, barely surviving. Each night, his amplified vampiric powers would heal him just enough so that he wouldn't die the next day. His skin would heal over night before being burned off in the morning. When at last the seven days were over, Dreg was banished from Seregost and sent off to find his own path.

Habbarsnatch's Visit
For several days Dreg wandered beyond the mountains that lay to the south of Seregost. Eventually, he stumbled across a small abandoned farm. He made this farm his home, and for the next several months he farmed and began to make a life for himself. In his solitude, he took up the art of alchemy. By combining the resources available to him near his farm Dreg was able to invent an alchemical substance that he could drink in place of blood, providing him with a peaceful means of gathering food. While he stayed on the farm, Dreg had minimal contact with the outside world.

One day, while tending his fields, Dreg was visited by a mysterious stranger. The stranger introduced himself to be Habbarsnatch the Greater, and he explained that he had brought several gifts with him. For a full day and a night Habbarsnatch the Greater and Dreg discussed the intimacies of life and the personal philosophies they each held. Habbarsnatch the Greater was a pacifist, and the idea of solving future disputes with words rather than with violence appealed to Dreg. Dreg decided that from that day forth he would do everything in his power to prevent conflict. Additionally, Habbarsnatch the Greater presented his religion to Dreg. The two of them discussed The Witchflame for hours and Dreg was converted by the end of the conversation.

After their lengthy discussion, Habbarsnatch the Greater had to set out once again. Before he left, he bestowed three gifts upon Dreg. First he gave Dreg a holy text titled The Gospel of The Witchflame. The book was old and warn yet the pages within were perfectly preserved. Second, he gave Dreg a map pointing to many historical sites around Kylorne. With this gift he encouraged Dreg to explore the world and discover it's history. Third, he gave Dreg a copper mask belonging Reshethruza, a previous hand of The Witchflame. After these three gifts had been given to Dreg, Habbarsnatch the Greater departed. The man he had spoken with inspired Dreg so that decided to take a new name once again. From this day forth Dreg would be known as Habbarsnatch the Lesser, hoping to one day live up to his new name.

The Lesser's Journey
Upon receiving the map of historic locations, Habbarsnatch the Lesser decided to set out to explore one of these sites, settling on the ancient city of Zul on the southernmost edge of the continent. Unfortunately, when he arrived, Habbarsnatch found that the site had been all but destroyed and only a single building remained. He stayed in Zul for several weeks and made a few other small buildings next to the larger ruin to serve as a campsite. After a while, he decided that Zul was not the place for him and he moved north towards more civilized lands.

After a long trek through several forests and over multiple rivers, Habbarsnatch arrived in the nation of Heliolunam. Upon arriving in Heliolunam, Habbarsnatch was greeted by the Lady Von of House Dogwood and was he surprised by how generous she was. Habbarsnatch spent several weeks as a guest of Heliolunam's court before he was offered land and a noble house of his own in the nation. Seeking to repay Lady Dogwood for her kindness, he accepted the offer and formed House Nametaker.

Death of the Celestium
Shortly after founding House Nametaker, Habbarsnatch made the acquaintance of the Lady Willow of House Emberwynn. The two became fast friends and political allies. However, tensions began to swell between Heliolunam and the Reach. At the height of these tensions, the Celestial Lord of Heliolunam mysteriously disappeared, and a new Celestial Lord had to be elected. Three nobles stepped up to fill the previous lord's shoes. Lady Willow Emberwynn, Lady Sarya Grenlivf, and Habbarsnatch himself. In the first round of voting, the three nobles tied. The last noble to vote was Lady Dogwood. Despite predictions saying otherwise, Lady Dogwood cast her vote for Lady Emberwynn, making her the new Celestial Lady.

Celestial Lady Emberwynn's reign was short, and unfortunately accomplished little. She immediately began construction on her house's fortress to the south of Castle Dogwood, leaving her town of Hekseri behind.