| Many
millennia ago, nine sorcerers fused their souls to The Pillars of Nosgoth,
vowing to use their powers to protect the land. How and why The Pillars
were created still remains a mystery. Each Pillar controls a magical
power that gives life to Nosgoth, and reflects the mental condition of
its guardian. Each guardian was the living embodiment of his/her
pillar, and effected the overall health of the entire world. However,
the Circle made a series of errors. Although immortal, the guardians
were still all human. They felt threatened by the population of vampires
in Nosgoth, and thus created the Sarafan to “exterminate” all of the vampires.
They called these massacres the “Vampire Purges.”
Ariel
Guardian
of Balance
Ariel
once controlled
the other guardians’ magic to uphold the balance of Nosgoth, before she
was slain by Hash’ak’gik. After her death, Ariel became a ghost and
haunted The Pillars, awaiting Kain’s arrival. She assisted Kain on
his quest to kill the other guardians-- including her lover, Nupraptor.
For nothing was of more importance to Ariel than upholding balance.
She led Kain to believe that his “curse” of vampirism would end if only
he righted the Pillars for her. In actuality, the only reward that
Ariel ever intended to give Kain for his success was oblivion.
Nupraptor
the Mentalist
Guardian
of the Mind
 Nupraptor
was once renowned
for his wisdom, and humans would travel from all over Nosgoth to seek his
advice. But Nupraptor became distraught with grief when his beloved
Ariel was murdered. He allowed his misery to destroy him, and the
rest of the Circle. Suspicious that Ariel’s murderer was a traitor
within the Circle, he intentionally infected all of the other guardians’
minds with his madness, ensuring that the Circle could never be salvaged.
In his attempt to avenge Ariel, he destroyed the balance that she had stood
for.
Nupraptor
then mutilated himself
by sewing his eyes and mouth shut to block out the rest of the world.
He slaughtered his servants, and locked himself away in his skull-shaped
retreat. It was obvious that Nupraptor no longer had any concern
for what his actions did to damage Nosgoth. So Kain decided that
Nupraptor “needed to be taught a lesson as to value of blood.”
Mortanius
the Necromancer
Guardian
of Death
 Mortanius
was extremely loyal
and dedicated to his role of serving the Pillar of Death. However,
Hash’ak’gik possessed Mortanius, and used him to kill Ariel, which ultimately
destroyed the balance of the Pillars and Nosgoth.
The
Death guardian reasoned
that the only way he could set things right was to have all members of
the Circle, (including himself) killed to break all magical ties between
the corrupt guardians and the land. To accomplish this task, he hired
a band of brigands to murder Ariel’s successor as the next guardian of
Balance, a young nobleman named Kain, and then resurrected him as a vampire.
Mortanius guided Kain throughout his quest to right the Pillars and save
Nosgoth. He died when Kain discovered who was truly behind his murder,
just as Mortanius had planned.
Dejoule the
Energist
Guardian
of Energy
 Dejoule
allied with Bane and Anacrothe even
after the Circle had been dispersed as a result of Nupraptor’s madness.
She shared her comrades’ hatred of vampires and their plan for all of Nosgoth.
The trio had intended to replace the intellect and emotions of living creatures
with greater physical power and strength. Dejoule used her magic
to power the wall of energy that expanded the borders of Dark Eden.
Her overconfidence led to her demise when she and Bane met Kain in a battle
to the death.
Bane the
Druid
Guardian
of Nature
 Bane
was a priest of nature who abused his powers to aid in the creation
of Dark Eden. All living plants, animals, and humans trapped within
Dark Eden were warped into powerful, yet savage beasts. Bane disliked
supernatural creatures, who were beyond his control. He feared them,
and claimed that they were an “affront to nature.”
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Anarcrothe
the Alchemist
Guardian
of States
 The
area of land that was consumed
by Dark Eden appeared to be unsalvageable. Anacrothe abused his power
to assist Bane in altering the physical states of the land and its creatures.
The soil became cracked as it was sucked dry of all moisture and nutrients.
Water was replaced by lava. And living creatures were warped beyond
recognition. He had a rather cowardly and conceited personality,
and abandoned Bane and Dejoule during their fatal battle with Kain in order
to preserve his own life. He later made the mistake of arguing with
Mortanius that the Pillars existed only to serve their guardians.
Disgusted by Anacrothe’s abuse of his power, it was Mortanius who ended
the alchemist’s existence.
Malek the
Sarafan
Guardian
of Conflict
 Malek
was selected by the Circle
to lead an army of vampire hunters known as the Sarafan. These religious-fanatic
hunters ruthlessly slaughtered thousands of vampires under Malek’s leadership
by impaling them on wooden pikes. Humans and vampires alike regarded
Malek as a cold-blooded killer.
Aside
from hunting vampires,
Malek’s other assignment was to protect the guardians of the Circle.
One day, while Malek was preoccupied with butchering vampires, the vampire
champion, Vorador, successfully killed four guardians. Malek was
held responsible for having failed to protect them. His punishment was
to lose the one thing he held dear: his humanity. Malek’s soul was
fused to his armor through the power of Mortanius’ necromancy. He
then filled the role of guardian of Combat, and continued to protect the
Circle for another 5,000 years until his final defeat at the hands of Vorador.
Moebius the
Streamer
Guardian
of Time
Moebius
was a master of deceit and manipulation.
Even the other guardians were reluctant to trust him. He disguised
himself as “the Oracle,” and delighted in challenging humans to make their
way through the hazardous, maze-like tunnels of his caves. If victorious,
he would reward them by telling their fortunes.
He
later used his reputation as
the wise and benevolent Oracle to manipulate Kain and the human townsfolk
of Nosgoth. Moebius kept Kain distracted while he rallied the human
citizens of Stahlberg to create the most dangerous guild of vampire hunters
that had ever existed in Nosgoth. United by hatred, the vampire hunters’
guild succeeded in murdering all other vampires in Nosgoth, leaving Kain
the only survivor. Moebius attempted and failed to have the hunters
kill Kain as well. As Kain stood over Moebius with his sword ready,
Moebius taunted Kain, telling him that he too would die one day.
Kain beheaded him just as he had seen Moebius behead Vorador.
Whether he was telling the truth about Kain's death, or just bluffing remains
unknown...
Azimuth the
Planar
Guardian
of Dimension
 Azimuth
had an arrogant, sadistic nature
that became even more apparent once she was infected by Nupraptor’s madness.
She ruled the religious autocracy of Avernus. And from the safety
of the church, she watched with obvious delight as the demons she summoned
from another dimension ravaged her city and its people. In the end,
she too fell to Kain’s sword.
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