Zharen

Zharen
Status	Active
Race	Prydaen
Gender	Male
Guild	Necromancer
Instance	Prime

Wheel Breaker Zharen, Blood Warrior of Elanthia is a Prydaen Necromancer and Philosopher pursuing Transcendence and the freedom of mortals to choose an existence beyond the authority of the Immortals. He aided House Moglin's campaign against Jeihrem, serving as a scout and recruitment contact and directing elementalists during the naval fighting. During the assault on Basalt Isle, Navesi credited his axe with cutting the transformed Sivroch in half.

The Wheel Breaker

Zharen's chosen title expresses his refusal to accept that the fate of a mortal belongs to a higher power. He seeks the freedom to preserve his knowledge, memories and will, and to decide what he becomes. He wants that choice to belong to everyone.

Wheel Breaker is documented as a custom title bestowed by Zipsy during Hollow Eve Festival 432, in 2019. Zharen is recorded wearing it by the scouting expedition of February 2020.

For the Prydaen and Necromantic lore behind this characterization, see lore context (spoilers).

Beliefs and methods

Freedom by choice

Zharen's Great Work seeks a path beyond the shackles of the Immortals, open to anyone who chooses it. He would make allegiance a choice, with a viable future for those who refuse to kneel. His contempt for the Kneelers follows the same conviction: surrendering to a demon gives another master the authority he seeks to escape.

He pursues Transcendence in the hope of understanding that path and making it available beyond himself. His own continued existence would be the beginning of that work. He has yet to achieve Transcendence or establish that the freedom he seeks is attainable.

He also hopes to restore Osven, whose sacrifice empowered the Philosopher's Knot against Maelshyve and left what remained of him trapped within it.

A common enemy

During the campaign against Jeihrem, Zharen offered assistance with the Temple-backed holy weapon, compared it with the Philosopher's Knot, and proposed paying pirates to relieve House Moglin's divided front. When the meeting became embroiled in an argument over Moglin's security measures, he urged those present to keep their attention on Jeihrem: "The target is the Islander. Lets not lose sight of that."

His willingness to work alongside holy practitioners did not erase their differences. Navesi's report acknowledged his assistance in the naval battle while retaining her distrust of him.

Research and conspiracy

In the player-authored Vial Plot stories, Zharen approaches an unfamiliar alchemical weapon as a problem to investigate. He demands his recipes and accounts of Lyras, seeks additional specimens, and recruits collaborators through intermediaries and coded letters. His willingness to risk a failed experiment is expressed in his observation that "Failure still provides data."

Those stories also show the harsher side of his methods: he commands an assistant who addresses him as Master, considers a potential recruit as a weapon to use, and contemplates stealing the Inquisition's rumored supply of vials.

History

Alchemical investigations: player-authored fiction

The Vial Plot narratives portray Zharen watching an alchemical solution strike Ciriasa, a vessel of Maelshyve, before withdrawing to study his recipes and accounts of Lyras. He considers whether the liquid might be adapted against undead creatures and liches, and seeks allies willing to strike against the Kneelers. His letters conceal requests for specimens and collaborators beneath the language of an island holiday.

These scenes establish his intentions within the player's fiction. They do not establish a successful theft or the proposed weapon's effectiveness against Jeihrem.

Scouting Basalt Isle, 433 AV

Zharen took part in the February 7, 2020 meeting with Rekon, Khoheke and the disfigured scholar later known as Zauldin, followed by the reconnaissance of Basalt Isle. He warned the party about Sivroch and the Profane, urged them to keep moving, and examined the island's seawall and approaches.

After the retreat, he pressed the survivors for a useful account of the island's weaknesses. He proposed a smaller scouting force, an unseen ship landing and aerial observation by a Warrior Mage's familiar, then volunteered to return to investigate the manor and departed through a Moongate.

Gathering support, 437 AV

At the February 25, 2021 naval discussion, Zharen pledged his assistance against Jeihrem, questioned Zauldin about the developing holy weapon, and sought ways to strengthen the campaign through recruitment and support from the Crossing's nobility. Zauldin identified Saragos and Zharen as contacts who had been involved from the beginning; the subsequent First Land Herald recruitment notice named Zharen among those prospective volunteers could approach.

Naval battle and preparations, 438-439 AV

The First Land Herald records Zharen fighting on House Moglin's side in the First Naval Battle of Basalt Isle, directing elementalists during the engagement against the pirate fleet and its allies.

At the July 24, 2021 planning meeting, he described the holy weapon as "A bulwark of order...this weapon." He also reported troubling changes in his spell research and suspected that Jeihrem's planar corruption might be affecting others. He subsequently limited his account to his own experiences. Zauldin did not confirm the explanation, but encouraged him to broaden his investigations.

He also attended Miskton's August 14 visions meeting, questioning apparent planar disturbances, the Traders' supernatural bargain and the possibility of memories being imposed upon a blank mind.

The assault on Basalt Isle, 439 AV

Zharen joined the assault of October 2, 2021. After Sivroch emerged from her cocoon as a many-eyed, tentacled monstrosity, he fought among the soldiers confronting her. Navesi credits his Necromantic axe with the final blow that cut her in half. Sivroch rose again and escaped into the sky.

The assault ultimately forced Jeihrem to retreat after the firing of the Sanyu Aes, but cost Zauldin his life. Cadhan's account also records Zharen present as the battle turned toward the exposed lich.

Appearance

The following appearance was recorded on October 19, 2026:

Zharen has a round face, cat-slitted amber eyes and a classical nose. His black mane is short and wavy, and is worn pulled up in a topknot. He has ghostly white fur with a black belly, a thick tail and an athletic build. He is average height for a Prydaen and appears to be a wind-catcher.

He has a tattoo of a nimbus of light encircling a lidless eye on his forehead.

His displayed attire includes a travel-worn nightmare black longcoat with arcane symbols sewn into the collar, a sturdy iron-studded black leather spellbook case, a butcher's bag marred with stains and viscera, and oxblood leather boots with tiny black riftstones along the soles.

Artwork

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  Interpretive character plate, following the player's all-white-fur direction. Click to view the full-size artwork.

Player notes

The Wheel Breaker and freedom-by-choice passages describe the player's intended characterization of Zharen. Event logs document his public statements and actions; those sources do not independently establish his private motives or the attainability of Transcendence.

The Vial Plot scenes and their quotations draw on original fiction supplied by the character's player. They are distinguished here from the contemporary campaign logs and First Land Herald reports.

The appearance section preserves the dated in-game description. The AI-generated artwork follows the player's preferred all-white-fur interpretation. It is an illustration rather than evidence of an in-game appearance or completed story outcome.

References

Stats & Skills
Misc
Circle	200
Stats
Strength		Agility		Intelligence		Wisdom
Stamina		Reflex		Discipline		Charisma
Armor
Shield Usage		Light Armor		Chain Armor		Brigandine
Plate Armor		Defending
Weapon
Parry Ability		Small Edged		Large Edged		Twohanded Edged
Small Blunt		Large Blunt		Twohanded Blunt		Slings
Bows		Crossbows		Staves		Polearms
Light Thrown		Heavy Thrown		Brawling		Offhand Weapon
Melee Mastery		Missile Mastery
Magic
Primary Magic		Attunement		Arcana		Targeted Magic
Augmentation		Debilitation		Utility		Warding
Sorcery
Survival
Evasion		Athletics		Perception		Stealth
Locksmithing		Thievery		First Aid		Outdoorsmanship
Skinning
Lore
Forging		Engineering		Outfitting		Alchemy
Enchanting		Scholarship		Mechanical Lore		Appraisal
Performance		Engineering