Delhalla

' "The blood must flow."' - A Vryloka proverb coined by Delhalla.

At a Glance


Ruler of the Vryloka and war-hero of the Destruction of the Deva, Delhalla was responsible for her clan's conversion to blood magic. Faced with destruction by the armies of Halruth, Delhalla instructed her clan's shamans to find a means to combat the unstoppable forces of death. In their envocations of ancient blood magics they succeeded, turning Delhalla into the first Vryloka. Leading her people with vigor, she established the ominous Castle Delhalla in the frozen hills northwest of Mace Cross.

History
Born to a Barbarian clan, Delhalla grew up in the halls of Mace Cross where she grew into a fierce young warrior. Attending raiding parties into the Elven town of Cessa'nul and the shifter camp of Berdusk, Delhalla earned the respect of her peers for her high tolerance for pain and berserker-style of combat.

During the emergence of The Shadowfell on the mortal plane, the armies of death sought to claim the Deva of Andea and Dondea and, by proxy, the neighboring races who alligned themselves with them. In the opening salvo of the war, the Deva pressed the Elves of Cessa'nul to come to their aid -- a short-lived offensive that resulted in the Elves being massacred in their own city. Reluctant to engaged the banner of the "Black Talon", the barbarians of Mace Cross prepared for a lengthy seige while Delhalla, on the other hand, sought out magical counters to the threat.

Destruction of the Deva
Eventually swayed into an alliance with the Deva with the promise of protection by The Golden Bulwark, the barbarians of Mace Cross marched into battle, attempting to push back the spectre of death in order to buy the Deva the time they required to complete the Bulwark. Without exception, every skirmish ended with a victory for The Raven Queen, leaving the barbarians at a loss over how to combat the shadow of Halruth.

Still searching for a means to fight back, Delhalla's stubborness proved fruitful when, consumed with rage, she turned to her clan's shamans and proposed a taboo solution to stand against The Shadowfell. Forcing her clansmen to dig up old tomes of blood magic long forgotten and held in ancient Barbarian appendicies, Delhalla commanded the shaman to empower her. Equally desperate for survival, they oblidged, infusing Delhalla with the heretical blood magic that transformed her into the first Vryloka -- a living vampire. With her added strength Delhalla was unconsumed by the hunger typical of life-drinkers and marched vengefully into battle where for the first time the Barbarians met the Raven Queen's soldiers on equal terms.



Tearing apart the Revenants of the Raven Queen with wild abandon, Delhalla became a one-woman force of destruction. Easily able to hold her own, Delhalla toyed with the Revenants who diverted a large number of their soldiers to hold back this strange and tireless warrior. Inspired by her example, several of Delhalla's kinsmen demanded to follower her lead, and while maybe of the elders disagreed the temptation was too great. Soon, the majority of Mace Cross had converted and become turned into Vryloka.

Things appeared to be going in Delhalla's favour until the Deva's construction on the Golden Bulwark ceased. Unable or unwilling to extend it, communciation between the Deva and Vryloka ceased. Infuriated by the betrayal that left Mace Cross "holding the bag" Delhalla cursed the Deva and led her people north into the frozen wastes away from the conflict. Escaping to the north, Delhalla led her people to the frozen cliffs of the far north where her people began construction of Castle Delhalla. Elected as their ruler, Delhalla stepped forth as the Queen of Blood and leader of the Vryloka. Remaining young through her practice of blood magic, Delhalla survived for generations and saw the Vryloka's growth as a primal people of power and boldness.

Make Friends, Not War
Remaining young due to her transformation and copious blood rituals, Delhalla oversaw the survival of her people from her spire within Castle Delhalla (by this point a series of fortresses). Fending off assasination attempts by her niece and nephew Katrina and Feyd, Delhalla ruled with Vryloka with a strong authoritarian grip.

When a group of adventurers arrived at Castle Delhalla brokering peace in the wake of Halruth's scouting parties, Delhalla revealed that the Vryloka had recently captured a former informant of The Raven Queen, Corben. Eager to remain apart from the rest of The Near Reaches, the appearance of Mocdan and the resurgence of The Shadowfell would later sway Delhalla to consider the bargain. Encouraged by her advisor Agatha the Grey, Delhalla agreed that in exchange for killing the Revenant, Delhalla's kingdom would join an uneasy alliance/ceasefire with the way Kathlon City, Berdusk, and Gladethal -- which they did.