There have been rumours for decades about the coming of the Silent King. A god that would ride out of the Wyld, unbowed and unbroken. A god who would cast Ten Thousand Dragons from their perch, and make them crawl in the mud for their wickedness. A god who would rule over the silent ruins left when the Dragons fled or bowed in defeat, who would return the fertile plains and rich jungles to those who had remained faithful during his exile.

A god of those outcasts driven to the ends of Creation.

In the lands around the Dreaming Sea, the rumours and legends have taken on more life. They say that the Silent King has finally returned from his long exile. War drums sound in the jungles. Rumours insist that the Silent King calls the exiles- the Children of the Mist, the Kallar raiders, and dozens of other barbarian tribes- to his banner. Yet the rumours rarely describe the being at the centre of the legend.

Those who meet the Silent King are immediately struck by his appearance, as there is something inhuman about his barbaric splendour. His skin is a dull bronze of someone who spent their life in the sun, but there sometimes seems to be a metallic sheen to it. His hair is long, wild, and the dark green of a native easterner, and seemingly woven with living vines. His features are fine, almost beautiful without suggesting weakness, but a little too other for comfort. Even his golden eyes, though odd, are close enough to normal to not attract too much attention. When out in public, the Silent King almost universally wears red-and-white warpaint and thick leathers clearly patterned after a buff jacket, reinforced with bronze segments. The red strokes of his warpaint seem to form a strange pattern, both breaking up the symmetry of his features and seeming to form strange glyphs.

While the Silent King carries a variety of blades and implements of war, two never seem to be far from his side. The first is a spear seemingly grown of deep red crystal is rarely far from his grasp, the twining, interwoven haft flowing up into the broad head without break or joint. The only imperfection on the weapon is the black stain on the spear's killing edge, and the trails and flecks of the same black that mar the blade. The second is a knapped stone blade, near four feet long with a wide chopping blade. The handle is bone with a strange, shimmering rawhide wrapping for the grip. The size of the stone blade wound be unusual enough, but it is the deep, verdant green of unpolished jade. The blade radiates an unnerving sense of malice- almost like it was aware- and hungering to be drawn.

And, while he can disguise his nature somewhat when at peace, when the Silent King enters battle he discards any pretence of normalcy. The vines that grow in a mane down his back whip free from concealment, coiling together to form a tail longer than his considerable height. The pupils of his eyes lose any cohesion, becoming inky black swirls in golden pools. And his blood, when it is almost invariably shed, is a dark amber in colour rather than the expected deep red.

In recent months, the Silent King seems to have abandoned any attempt to hide his inhumanity. In part, this seems to be a concession to his new constant companion- a child-sized, fox-faced creature named Harena. The small, black-and-white, ape-like creature seems to enjoy hiding amongst the Silent King's vine train- green eyes peeking out from over his shoulder, or popping out to investigate some small, shiny object. The little animal seems utterly harmless and exceedingly shy, at least around individuals it doesn't know.



[Appearance 4]