Wudr

Wudr is a (so far the only) true Chi-Folken Darklord (as opposed to a demilord, of which there are many) and the dark heart of Madego. He was first mentioned in the article Little Horrors, in Quoth the Raven Issue 31.

Prime Material Plane

Once a champion of his people, when they still lived near larger humanoids and were partially enslaved, Wudr brought the Chi-Folken of the Prime Material Plane great innovations in architecture, engineering, alchemy, the crafting of glass and magic. Regrettably, he let envy of larger creatures and the conviction that they were keeping his people from their rightful destiny as rulers of the world lead him to hatred, and that hatred led him to poison the wells those larger humanoids relied on. He even offered the poison directly to children as candy.

When his own people temporarily imprisoned him so they could cure those humanoids who still could be saved and denounced him as insane, Wudr became enraged. He struck down his own mother when she tried to redeem him, his face and hands becoming permanently stained with her blood.

Shrouded Years

Although Madego took form in 644 BC and is a large realm whose size continues to grow, Wudr would be trapped beneath Arak province in a cave, roughly where Gwydion would have been, until the Night of Music of 740 BC. Here he was forced to subsist on a diet of fungi whose taste sickened him, forced to breathe the foul-smelling air they provided, unable to reach his people except through violent acts of magic. In this prison, Wudr railed against whatever powers were puppeteering his people around, making them act like tiny copies of the larger humanoids they resembled, for ninety-six bitter years.

Current Sketch

Released from his gaol after the appearance of Lupta and the liberation of both his own people and the Pierrobit during the Great Upheaval, Wudr paused only to scorch the fungi that had kept him alive to dust before racing for the surface of Madego. Today he wanders the land, living out of a tent and trying to influence and steer his people. He is frustrated by his Darklord's Curse, and bitter over the fact that he owes his freedom in part to Lupta, whom he emphatically does not worship.

Combat

Wudr is first and foremost a spellcaster, but when spells are unavailable or inadvisible, he is mainly an archer. He prefers to attack from ambush, at a distance, and flees melee as quickly as possible. He will uses poisonous arrows as a matter of course.

Darklord's Curse

Once, Wudr was well-known and admired among his people. During the Shrouded Years of Madego, no one knew he existed. Today, people forget his existence an hour after they've met him. His works and ideas are remembered, but his name, his face, his identity completely slips people's minds. The curse has prevented Wudr from acquiring a permanent home and minions, but he sometimes relies on it when he must flee battle.

Closing the Borders

When Wudr closes the borders of Madego, creatures who try to leave shrink by half their current size with every step, until they become trapped on the subatomic plane. Creatures who retreat into Madego before they reach that point will slowly regain their normal size over a period of days.

Statistics

Neutral Evil male Chi-Folken Occultist 3 / Ranger 2 / Dwimmerlaerer 6