King Friedrick
Friedrick Von Ruthven was the last king of Torslowe. After becoming obsessed with immortality, traveled throughout Panoulis and the Elemental Planes in search of a way to extend his life. The mad king instigated a period of terror and violence in the years after the great Plague, spreading dark magics and monstrous creatures throughout his own kingdom and surrounding regions. He was defeated in the year 72 A.P. by an alliance of heroes and soldiers from bordering lands, and is believed to have been destroyed during the Battle of Crowhaven.
Early life[]
Friedrick was the son of Amyth Ruthven, a benevolent king who was well loved by his people and respected by the bordering Avylonian Empire. Like all his ancestors, he was a great warrior who defended the northerly kingdom from barbarians from the Stormshield Mountains and Windswept Plains in many bloody conflicts. Friedrick showed an early fascination with the mystical and the supernatural, finding great enjoyement in the many stories circulating throughout the superstitious people of Torslowe. When Amyth died in battle against the barbarian warlord Orek the Red, Friedrick was left as the child king of a country at war. The barbarians imposed harsh stipulations on the defeated kingdom, and the people suffered greatly under starvation and oppression. Friedrick eventually led a rebellion against the barbarian overlords, driving them from the realm and restoring Torslowe's sovereign power. By this time Friedrick had greatly changed, becoming a temperamental and violent man. While he had driven the invaders away, the people found little peace under his rule. This was roughly 15 years before the Plague.
Quest for Immortality[]
Despite his harsh nature, Friedrick still retained his childhood fascination with the supernatural. He dabbled in sorceries and alchemy, collecting arcane tomes and legends from numerous lands. He hired sorcerors and witches to council him, and eventually set out on his own to discover a way to attain eternal life. He traveled for many years across Panoulis, even venturing deep within several of the Elemental Planes. He eventually learned of an ancient being who could grant him what he sought, and he finally traveled into the Plane of Death in search of this lead. It was here that he found a twisted creature from an age long forgotten, who shared with the naive king its dark magic. Forever changed, Friedrick returned to Torslowe and reclaimed his throne. However, he was no longer the human monarch who had sought to guide his besieged kingdom through the turmoil of the world. He was now a twisted and depraved monster, filled with a lust for bloodshed and power.
Rule After Death[]
Ruthven spread his influence throughout nearby lands, creating an army of monsters by sharing his own curse and employing various other sorceries. He broke open the ancestral tombs of Arctis Mon and raised long-dead kings and warriors to fight for him. He eventually attempted to spread his rule over the shattered remains of Avylon, taking advantage of the power gap left in the wake of the empire's fall. He was finally defeated and slain by an alliance of several city-states, mages from the Polis Academia, and heroes from across Panoulis. He is believed to be dead, though many of Torslowe's residents seem to believe that he still haunts the lands in a deathless state.