Very few mortal beings have manipulated the world in a way that would shape the histories of Fenwrath. One such mortal was a young man named Draven Ravenblade. Draven started out innocently enough. He was a sailor with aspirations to become captain. When his ship and crew met an untimely end at the behest of a storm, he saw this as an opportunity to rise above his meager station.
After the ship was destroyed, Draven made his way through the western cities of Fenwrath, carving out a name for himself as he went. In his travels he picked up a lot of talents. Most notable of these was his ability to kill with silence and without remorse. He continued to make his way across the land taking odd jobs here or there. Behind the facade however, nothing could compare to his desire for a ship and crew of his own.
His knack for survivability accompanied with his new talents as an assassin caught the attention of an organization known as the Black Network. The Black Network, at its core, was built to stem the tide of political turmoil. The founding members saw themselves above the everyday rabble and found themselves with the ability to shape their own goals through manipulation, blackmail, and targeted assassination. Draven saw this as a business opportunity. Despite whatever you think about the Black Network’s goals or methods, with the right motivations a person could become very rich in their employ.
It wasn’t long after he was propositioned by the Network that he began to work amongst them. His overall goal remained the same, obtain enough gold to buy a ship and captain his own crew. It was his method of obtaining that goal that had changed. With the help of the Network his abilities grew exponentially. He was no longer a out of work sailor working to make ends meet. He was a true assassin and man to be feared. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.
Draven was returning from a routine assignment when he overheard a conversation between the leader of the Network at the time and a woman cloaked in black. Clandestine meetings and hushed conversations are commonplace in an organization that prides itself on being secret. Draven had stumbled into more than a few. It was not the clandestine meeting that interested Draven, however, but the topic being discussed. The End Times.
Fenwrath has always been wracked with individuals that want to bring about a second Calamity or summon their deity to bask in his or her respective glory. These two individuals being spied on were no different. Draven overheard a plan to open a portal to Limbo. Not just any portal, but one large enough to pull Barasc the Scarab King through. For obvious reasons this objective would have to be accomplished on a day when the separations between the Planes of Existence were at their thinnest. Being a man of action, Draven devised a plan.
He began to sow seeds of decent within the Network. In the same instance, he sought outside help. He found it in the form of a small adventuring party known by its own name. The Winter Network. These young heroes had been traveling in search of a mysterious woman cloaked in black. The Winter Network had traveled to the city of Zhenith, home of the Black Network, and within days of their arrival had already made a name for themselves. Soon word of this new adventuring party spread to the Black, and to Draven. It was an opportunity for some much-needed change.
Draven would meet the heroes of Fenwrath within this Winter Network and would ask for their aid. With Draven’s knowledge of the inner workings of the Black Network, the heroes of Fenwrath had no trouble defeating the Black Network.
Draven went on to become the hero of Zhenith. He would take the title of Lord of the Black Snow along with Viride Pars of clan Darkstar and Nethiri of the Dire Wood. Throughout his time with the heroes of Fenwrath, he would take the lives of many people, both good and bad. Eventually he would kill the wrong person and become the target himself.
Draven evaded his assassin for years. Eventually he found himself too old to continue fighting. He resigned to go out on his own terms and waited for his assassin in a bar on the other side of the world. He would meet his end at the hands of a cup of poisoned ale. Though nearly impossible, given Draven’s profession, it happened for a reason. Draven knew where he would end up. He did not know exactly what he would do when he got there, but he was certain that if anyone could survive the 9 Hells (or the 7 Hells depending on who you ask) it would be him.
So that is where his soul went, to the 9 Hells to seek repentance for a lifetime of murder and theft. It is well known that devils and demons are formed from years of torment within their respective realms. Each perspective devil is asked a simple question. Would you end your own torment to serve the one true emperor of the 9 Hells? The simplest of questions are often the hardest to answer. Well for some people. It took the equivalent of 300 years for Draven to answer the question. He bided his time.
In the wake of the Calamity, the 9 Hells had lost several leaders of its inner domains. This caused turmoil among lesser devil lords as they attempted to subjugate those realms. Draven saw an opportunity to prove his worth to the Emperor of the 9 Hells. He waited until the timing was right and answered yes. When he was freed, he took the opportunity to kill the lesser demon running the torture pits of the 7th layer of hell. This gave him access to the souls within that layer and gained him enough power to hold the layer through a short-lived rebellion.
Draven was then approached by the Emperor himself. The Emperor offered Draven the 7th Layer of Hell in exchange for his loyal service. Gifted with a modicum of the Emperor’s power along with the souls of those tormented in this layer, Draven became a force to be reckoned with. Though it has only been about 50 years since Draven’s untimely death, his reemergence as the Fell-Bladed took over 500 years within the 9 Hells. It is hard to say whether this new abilities and status has appeased Draven’s lust for power. I suppose only he would know.
Fenwrath and Ebriom Homebrew 
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