Dulachan

Dulachan
Dulachan is a secretive and manipulative Lich and Sorcerer, an Undead who gave up his humanity a long time ago in the Exiled Lands, for reasons that few live to remember.

Appearance
Dulachan is seldom seen not wearing armour that covers his whole body. Those that have seen his current form, or some of it, seldom speak of it, for it is a fearsome sight. His body is similar to that of a long dead mummy, with dry, leathery skin pulled taught over bone and sinew. His face is that of a skeleton's, cold and expressionless. His nose and ears have long rotted away, and his mouth is fixed in a permanent skeletal grin. His eyes are also long gone, the sockets in his skull filled instead with glowing, swirling voids. Despite his withered frame, Dulachan carries himself with great strength and utmost surety.

Dulachan exists in a state of undeath. The powerful and evil sorcery which sustains him gives off an aura of unnaturalness, often causing feelings of dread and unease in mortal exiles who are in proximity to him. His armour and body are freezing cold to the touch, enough to cause pain to anyone who makes physical contact with him.

Personality
Due to his nature, or un-nature, Dulachan rarely has the capacity or desire to show more than a passing interest in all but the most grave of concerns. His experiences in the Pictish wilderness where he was born, and in the Exiled Lands, have led him to develop a strong dislike of all mortals. To him they are fickle, quick to fear what they don't understand, and eager to spill unnecessary blood in the name of follies like glory, or entertainment. Thus, he treats any mortals he encounters with distrust, and disregard for their opinions and desires. He will be blunt and honest, cold and calculating, to a point that it often causes issues with those who are hiding things from him, or themselves. Even for those who once knew him when he was alive, Dulachan will show only enough interest in their affairs to allow him to try and influence them tp suit his goals.

Dulachan's personality exists in Duality, between the logical and rational Dulachan, that has no interest in the affairs of the land, merely wishing to focus on his studies and what little remains of his past self, and the other side...born from his past experiences, and the dark magics preserving him, there is a side to Dulachan that verges on insanity, wanting nothing more than to take the Exiled land as his own, and make those who slighted him in the past suffer, whether God or mortal, or somewhere in between, while increasing his power with more dark magic, or by feasting on the souls of the living.

Dulachan, due to his condition, has little care for anyone or anything that isn't directly related to achieving his goals, and so, finds it very difficult to show any emotion whatsoever for irrelevant people or events, with the exception of anger, which has, for some reason, stayed with him through his transformation, and comes to him even easier than when he was alive. Nor does he desire to show emotion for most things, however. After all, most things are futile and worthless, when you have an eternity to dwell on them, in his opinion.

History
Dulachan first came to the Exiled Lands as a mercenary, haunted by his past, and loath to become close to anyone, less they suffer the same fate his family did before his exile. However, the exiled lands turned out to be more civilised than his homeland, and he ended up befriending lots of people, becoming close with many. Eventually he crossed paths with Xoltha, who he saw to be suffering from the effects of corruption. After watching her condition deteriorate, he decided to dedicate his time to helping her. This was made easier by his inheritance of the formidable northern fortress Dragonswatch, which acted as his base of operations until the Storm destroyed it. Here he planned to found a new and mighty mercenary guild, but his vision soon warped, as his and Xoltha's investigations into the magic and the creatures that created the Exiled Land went deeper, and their condition worsened, with Dulachan himself becoming blinded. In order to better protect those he cared about from the malevolent forces in the land, he delved to the depths of exiled lands, scouring the darkest hovels and most ancient ruins, in search of a way to transform himself. Eventually, he figured it out, and with the help of Xoltha, completed the ritual that would create him as he is today. His care for Xoltha is the only aspect of his personality that remains in his current state. Whether it is because she was perhaps the real reason he transformed, or for other reasons, is unknown. But it has been many years since Dulachan became the aberration he is today. What has happened in the meantime, is known only to a rare few. Few who knew Dulachan when he was alive, or even knew him afterward, have survived the storms, and the violence and death that followed.