Azi Dahaka

Azi Dahaka is the seventh son of Kharza, war-chief of the Black Wolf clan of the Hordratic Tribes. His path to becoming a warrior was unconventional—by all rights, as the seventh son, he should never have been considered for the Trial of Ascension. However, during a raid by what appeared to be Minotaur tribes of Bandalor, Azi made a discovery that changed everything.

In the heat of battle, his axe cleaved through the chest of a massive minotaur warrior, exposing not blood and sinew, but decaying flesh held together by strands of sickly green energy. The minotaur's eyes had flickered with momentary release, as though death had been a mercy long denied. Azi realized these were not living raiders—they were the dead, puppets made to dance on strings of dark magic.

The Blood Oath and Trial of Ascension

This discovery earned him the right to undergo the Trial of Ascension. After three days of the Bloodfast—no food, no water, only sacred crimson tea—Azi chose the Path of the Axe, the path of conquest. He swore to hunt whatever dark power sent corpses to fight their battles, to find the source and destroy it.

During the marking ritual, sacred runes were carved into his flesh by the Bone Shaper, Oryn the Elder. These runes guide his arm and strengthen his spirit against the dark powers he seeks. His father, Kharza, presented him with Soulrender—an ancient axe forged in the blood of the first Hordratic chief during the Time of Darkness, a weapon that has tasted the lifeblood of every enemy who has threatened their people since the Great Cataclysm.

The Hunt Begins

Azi tracked the dead westward, through the southern fringes of the Golden Empire's territory, following the trail of death magic into the Divider Mountains. There, he encountered Mathieu Stonebow and his companions, initially mistaking the sorcerer for the necromancer he hunted. After a brief but intense battle, Azi recognized his error and joined forces with the group, recognizing that they all hunted the same darkness through different shadows.

• Sacred Runes: The runes carved into his flesh during the Trial of Ascension grant him protection against dark magic and enhance his combat abilities
• Master Warrior: Trained in the Path of the Axe, Azi is a formidable combatant with exceptional strength and skill
• Hunter's Instinct: Possesses an uncanny ability to track dark magic and sense the presence of the undead
• Soulrender: His ancient axe is a living weapon that responds to his will and hungers for the blood of dark powers
• Resistance to Corruption: The sacred marks protect him from the taint of necromancy and dark magic

• Discovered that raiders attacking his people were actually animated corpses controlled by dark magic
• Underwent the Trial of Ascension and chose the Path of the Axe to hunt the desecrators of the dead
• Tracked the source of necromancy from the Hordratic Plains through the Golden Empire to the Divider Mountains
• Joined forces with Mathieu Stonebow and his companions after recognizing their shared purpose
• Swore to hunt down the dark power controlling the dead, vowing to return with its head or not return at all