Geren Horstadt

Overview

Geren Horstadt is an unique haunt and the darklord of Seradan.

Background

Geren spent the first 17 years of his life as a swaggering boaster and bully, although he played the part of somebody righteous. However, a degenerative disease left him unable to use his legs and most of his physical senses heavily impaired. Geren suffered through a decade and a half of bitter existence despite his loved ones' attempts to alleviate his misery.

One day Geren inherited several books on demonology. After pouring over these dark tomes, Geren managed to summon a yugoloth. Geren's poisonous pleas and bitter ranting caused the fiend to stay its wrath long enough for Geren to make a deal with it: Geren would gain the ability to experience the sensations others took for granted. In return, the souls of all his family would be forfeit. To facilitate these murders, Geren bribed Rom with stories of false wealth. Rom systematically killed Geren's family one by one in a series of "accidents". Only Geren's mother was allowed to survive and only to take care of him until a better provider could be found.

Geren found that, rather than directly experience the pleasures he was denied, he cold possess other people. But he experienced everything they did without having any control over them- to him, this existence was still the same. But over time, he found the power to control the actions of other people. Geren used this possession to his advantage, killing and stealing as necessary to make his life a more enjoyable one. But these crimes didn't go without notice, and the trail eventually came back to Geren

Meanwhile, Geren's steps into seeming insanity warded away Rom's demands for payment for a while, but only for a while. He eventually stumbled upon a possessed man in the act of murder, a man that was a bit too much like Geren. Fear of his former employer and greed for the treasures the Hordstadt drove Rom to action against Geren. Through skilled rumormongering, Rom was able to gather a large crowd and to turn it against Geren. The dim memories of possession many people had enabled the rumors to spread like wildfire.

Inspector Wilhelm Braugh brought the investigation of Geren's misdeeds back to Geren's doorstep. While the mob was gathered and the inspector arrived, Geren's possessions were interrupted by his mother. Instinctively, he lashed out and possessed her, causing her to commit suicide. The inspector stumbled upon this and took Geren away. The mob outside grabbed him out of the inspector's hands and tore the criminal apart.

Meanwhile, Rom led a raid on the Horstadt Estate, ultimately resulting in it being burnt tot he ground. The haunt of Geren arose and replied in kind, systematically burning or cutting down everybody in his village through the work of others' hands. By this act of mass murder, Geren became the darklord of Seradan.

Current Sketch

Geren has two primary goals, to claim revenge on Inspector Braugh and to find a new fiend summoner to conjure a yugoloth that might let him know about this weird place that holds him.

Geren can only possess a person for a short time, before they wither away from an accelerated form of the disease that has plagued him for so many years.