Sejanoz

Sejanoz, titled Autarch Sejanoz (died MS 5085), was the ruler of the Autocracy of Bhanar in Southern Magnamund. He ruled Bhanar for over 3000 years, having become immortal in a pact with Agarash the Damned. He is the main antagonist of Vampirium and The Hunger of Sejanoz.

Sejanoz was once a great warrior of the Vadhuzan Empire, but his ambitions were far greater than that of a soldier. He planned false flag attacks on his own people, then defeated them, gaining their gratitude. He then rebelled against the Vadhuzan Empire, encouraged by his wife Asharah, and successfully became ruler in his own right of the Bhanar. However, his path to power had created many enemies. Asharah, who was secretly an Agarashi shape-changer, advised Sejanoz to make a pact with Agarash the Damned: Agarash would grant Sejanoz immortality, but once he became powerful enough to rival his Children, he would switch places with Agarash, trapped in the Pit of Eternal Pain. Sejanoz accepted this deal, and his power grew immensely, Bhanar becoming an autocracy and an empire.

Several millennia later, Sejanoz attempted to retrieve the Claw of Naar, but was challenged by Grand Master, on a quest to snatch it away from the hands of Evil. After a to-and-fro, including an Bhanarian invasion of Chai to retrieve the Claw, Sejanoz was slain by an Arrow of Atonement fired by Grand Master — a magical arrow crafted by the Elder Magi and able to kill Sejanoz through his immortality. His Empire fell to his last wife, Balerodah (who was actually Asharah in another form), and quickly descended into decline. A counter-invasion by Chai and a subsequent invasion by the Vadhuzan Empire, trying to recover its lost lands, turned Bhanar into a puppet-state.

Despite his death, Sejanoz's spirit lived on inside a Blood Soulsieve in Otavai. Should Grand Master choose to investigate Otavai during the events of The Dusk of Eternal Night, Grand Master will explore the Blood Soulsieve and be attacked by Sejanoz's spirit, but he will be repelled and destroyed by the combine mental powers of Grand Master and Blazer.

Appearance

Sejanoz is an arm's length taller than an average man. His hands are withered and twisted, resembling claws, skin wrinkled and cracked, with long, curved, needle-like claws of steel. He is dressed from head to toe in a black and gold armor and a tiger helm conceals his face.

History

Rise to power

Sejanoz was a great warrior and captain of the Vadhuzan Empire. He possessed great ambition and desired to be admired. To gain power, he encouraged, in secret, raids to take place on colonies and cities of the Bhanarians, upon where he would swoop in and defeat them, gaining their pride and gratitude, and then blame the Vadhuzan Empire and even the Shianti for their woes. Quickly rising to be the hero of the Bhanarians, he then joined a party of secessionist rebels headed by Asharah, who would become his first wife.

This sparked the Great Civil War, a conflict in which Bhanar became independent of the Vadhuzan Empire, with Sejanoz becoming its leader. Despite the circumstances in which he came to power, Sejanoz did attempt to rule his realm well for his people. However, he had created many enemies, and a martial coup was inevitable.

Asharah revealed to him a way to become immortal, and become what he pretended to be. To facilitate this, the forests of the north of Bhanar were torn down to create the city of Bakhasa, and filled with many temples, glorifying Agarash the Damned. Countless sacrifices were performed, eventually enough for Sejanoz to spirit-walk to the Pit of Eternal Pain, where Agarash the Damned was imprisoned. There, Sejanoz made a fateful pact: Agarash would grant Sejanoz immortality, but in exchange, once Sejanoz gained enough power to rival the Children of Agarash, Sejanoz would return to the Pit of Eternal Pain and exchange places with Agarash. Sejanoz would become Master of the Pit of Eternal Pain, and Agarash would return and become Master of Magnamund.

Now-immortal, Sejanoz's power grew, and it is possible at this point that Bhanar became an autocracy, Sejanoz adopting the title of Autarch.

Bound by the pact with Agarash

Unbeknownst to Sejanoz, however, Asharah was actually an Agarashi shape-changer and member of the Naarvakim. Her ultimate goal was to bring back Agarash the Damned to Aon, and Sejanoz was her pawn. For millennia, Asharah took on the forms of all ninety of Sejanoz's wives during his lifetime, each wife slowly guiding him towards the goal of making him powerful enough to be worthy of being exchanged with Agarash (Agarash cannot just cross a Gate of Doom — his place must be taken by another of comparable power — Demigods, Demonlords, or mortals of great power).

Balerodah, Asharah's last form and Sejanoz's last wife, "gave birth" to their daughter, Princess Larikis. However, as an Agarashi shape-changer, this was not possible — Larikis is, in fact, a Vampire.

At the prompting of Balerodah, in MS 5085, prior to the events of Vampirium, Sejanoz sent a squad of his personal guards to the Doomlands of Naaros, the former domain of Agarash, to excavate the Claw of Naar. The Pit of Eternal Pain is a pocket dimension close to Mangamund, and could be opened by means of a powerful explosion close to where the walls of the Material Plane were weakened. Sejanoz had also learnt of one place where that was the case — Agarash's former throne room in the Doomlands of Naaros, where the fabric of reality was weakened due to the cataclysmic final battle with the Elder Magi — and the Claw of Naar had the required power to cause that explosion.

Downfall

During the events of Vampirium, Grand Master attempted to thwart Sejanoz's plans to retrieve the Claw of Naar. With the help of Siyenese Rangers, Grand Master was able to capture the Claw temporarily, only to be captured back and secured in the city of Yua Tzhan. Grand Master then stole it back and fled to the Chai border, but Sejanoz caught up to the group at the border town of Zuda. Sejanoz slew these Rangers (although captain Gildas was captured, killed, resurrected as an Arisen, and brought to Otavai, the capital of Bhanar, as a prisoner). Taking advantage of Sejanoz's fear of fire,, Grand Master successfully escaped with the Claw of Naar, and found refuge in the city of Pensei in Chai.

In response, Sejanoz began a full-fledged invasion of Chai, to recover the Claw of Naar. Fearing that Sejanoz could yet seize the Claw of Naar, Lord Rimoah took the Claw to Dessi shortly before the events of The Hunger of Sejanoz, while tasking Grand Master with escorting the elderly Khea-khan of Chai Xo-lin to Tazhan. During this 17-day trek, Grand Master met Vannar the hermit, who gave him the Arrow of Atonement an arrow crafted by the Elder Magi millennia ago, made of pure Korlinium, with enough power to slay Sejanoz. Elements of Sejanoz's army beat the imperial caravan to Fort Vlau, and in an assault the next day, the Bhanarians blast their way into the underground chamber where the imperial family were sheltering. Sejanoz himself led the attack. He successfully cornered the imperial family in the catacombs, but was slain by Grand Master with the Arrow of Atonement,

Aftermath

The death of Sejanoz caused the collapse of Bhanar. Chai undertook a counterattack deep into Bhanar, looting and massacring the city of Yua Tzhan. Chai installed a political puppet, Overseer Klutan on the throne of Bhanar. This was followed by an invasion by King Kardisa of Vadhuzhan, pressing his claims to the Vadhuzan Empire's former territory of Bhanar. Chai opted not to contest the claims, and Balerodah, now Autarchess of Bhanar, surrendered with minimal resistance, allowing her to retain her title, forces, and governorship of Otavai, the capital of Bhanar.

In MS 5103, during the events of The Dusk of Eternal Night, if Grand Master chooses to investigate Otavai to find more information about the Naarvakim's plans, they will fight and defeat Autarchess Balerodah, whose plan appears to be to turn King Kardisa into the new Candidate to exchange places with Agarash with. After the fight, Grand Master will use Sejanoz's Blood Soulsieve to investigate Sejanoz's memories, but Sejanoz's Spirit will attack and nearly overwhelm Grand Master, but will be saved by Blazer and his prodigious Mindforce. The two Kai Grand Masters then combine forces mentally, destroying Sejanoz's spirit for good.