The awnsheghlien, an elven term meaning 'blood of darkness', are those blooded scions who have been changed by the blood of Azrai into abominations. In contrast to other scions, the scions of Azrai who grew in power often found their nature twisted to the self-serving nature of the shadow.
Early awnsheghlien included the Diabolyk, a shape-shifting assassin who was one of the greatest awnsheghlien until his death at the hands of the Gorgon, the Gorgon himself, Rhuobhe Manslayer, greatest general of the elves and one of the few to remain allied with Azrai after learning of the Shadow's deception.
The early awnsheghlien also included the great sea-beasts of Azrai, powerful monsters enchanted by Azrai prior to Deismaar to wreck havoc on the Masetian and Basarji fleets. These include the Kraken and the Leviathan, amongst surviving awnsheghlien.
Awnsheghlien of more recent vintage include the Swordhawk, self proclaimed terror of the basin states, the Hag, a noble of Grabentod who schemed her way to power and then kidnapped and murdered her nephew when scorned by those she would rule. Other awnsheghlien include the Manticore, a noble paladin cursed by the Magian, who was just beginning his own conversion into a monster, and the Basilisk, a near mindless brute thought to have once been a Khinasi prince.
The awnsheghlien include several monsters that gained power after slaying a blooded scion of Azrai including the Hydra, the Boar and the Sphinx. The awnsheghlien also include those members of the ancient Lost who have returned to Cerilia, including the Raven and the Magian.
Many awnsheghlien have succumbed to madness including the Spider, once Tal-Quazar, king of the goblins, and the Chimaera, once Danica Kusor, a powerful half-elven necromancer. Some scholars have said that this madness is an inevitable side-effect of the awnshegh transformation, but critics of this view point to Rhuobhe Manslayer and the Gorgon, while both share the furious temper of almost all awnsheghlien, neither is commonly seen as a mindless beast.
Although most awnsheghlien are at least self-serving and destructive, some do not appear to be evil. These few include the Siren, the Wolf and (by day at least) the Banshegh.

[top]Pages in category "Awnsheghlien"


Tags for this Page

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

Posting Permissions
  • You may not create new articles
  • You may not edit articles
  • You may not protect articles
  • You may not post comments
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your comments
BIRTHRIGHT, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, the BIRTHRIGHT logo, and the D&D logo are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and are used by permission. ©2002-2010 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.