Vlados Slythe Pitrius
From Mizahar Lore
 Lord Vlados Slythe Pitrius | |||||||
| Race | Isur | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 329 AV (aged 194) | ||||||
| Title | Lord of the Pitrius Clan | ||||||
| Skills |
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Lord Vlados Slythe Pitrius is the current Lord of the Pitrius Clan of Isur. He is one of the oldest members of the Council of Five, the ruling body of the Kingdom of Sultros and has maintained the position of Lord Pitrius for almost 100 years. It is said that Vlados gained his position through an intricate web of deception, bargaining and even alleged assassinations that ended in his predecessor being blamed for it all and forced out of his lordship by the Council. Vlados, using forms of various political influence, stepped into the position of Lord soon after.
Although the Slythe familly was relatively well off in terms of wealth and influence among the clan, it was Vlados' own wit that set him on the path to becoming Lord. The Pitrius Clan is renown for its extreme distrust and dislike of outsiders/non-isur. When Vlados began his rise to power, he used this distaste for outsiders as a vehicle for personal gain. A man of extreme natural charisma with extensive knowledge of history, used both in various public events and gatherings. There he would speak of the past and how humans had drove the Isur deep into the mountains far from their rightful home in the Old Kingdom. He played on the Isur's long held belief that it was humans who angered the god Ivak and caused the divine destruction of the Valterrian which then forced Izurdin to design the prison to hold the rage-filled deity. He went on to say how the humans, now barely more than wild animals, were waiting for the right moment to strike the Isur. Of course none believed that the humans could be of any real physical threat which Vlados responded with the idea that if the humans could drive a god like Ivak to rain down fiery death upon the world, what other gods would tire of the humans barbarism and once more lay down divine wrath. He preached that once more the Isur would be forced to suffer for the sins of humanity. Unfortunately, the various barbaric tribes of humans that dare dwell in the Unforgiving realm of Kalea, all to often had rather violent encounters with the Isur at various Isurian trading posts. Those who listened to Vlados were not foolish and would not have listened to his words if not for the mix of his charisma, knowledge and the known negative encounters the Isur had with humans; sporadic as they may have been.
Eventually, his words took hold as they offered the people a voice for what they already wanted to believe. It gave them a target for any and all negativity they may have had in life. If the harvests from the above-ground trading posts were too small, it was blamed on the humans. If a trade caravan moving over above-ground routes from city to city went missing, it was because of the humans. If the Zith were increasing the frequency of their attacks on Posts and cities, it was because the humans were agitating them. Feeling now that they had a voice loud enough to be heard, a large number of people began throwing their support to Vlados to take some sort of political office. This support also gave Vlados the influence and resources he needed to begin the process of removing the current Lord. He quickly acquired a position in the Lord's Circle as the Hand of Public Relations. This left him responsible for meeting with the various business owners, public service operations and heads of the clan families on behalf of the Lord. It also offered him the perfect opportunity to topple the Lord.
After using his connections to disgrace the Lord in the eyes of the Council, Vlados was chosen by the people to represent them as the new Lord. The Council, after short deliberation, accepted Vlados as the new Lord Pitrius.
The Djed Storm of 512 AV
The Djed Storm of 512 AV that accompanied the release of Ivak caused a great rift between Vlados and the rest of the Council, in particular, the Isur King, Aronis Izurus Sultros. The two men were already great rivals when it came to how the Kingdom was governed. The events surrounding Ivak's release brought that rivalry to never before seen level. When many Isur received a vision detailing the final moments leading to Ivak's release, Vlados and many of his clan saw the vision in a very dark light. Vlados interpreted the vision as his people's most beloved king and savior standing up against fear in place of the weak, selfish, fragile humans. He watched as Isengir died once more just so the humans could pat themselves on the backs for freeing the god who destroyed the Old Kingdom; the god who nearly decimated the entire Isurian race in his hatred for humanity.
Meanwhile, Aronis saw it quite differently. The King saw it as a message meant to bring the humans and Isur closer together. Aronis made a decree that all Border Posts, Trading Posts and the Citadels themselves would be open to those outsiders who wished refuge from the Djed Storm and its long-lasting effects. It would be an attempt at reintroducing Isurian influence to the world in a way that could be seen as supportive and accepting; a strong arm for others to lean on in times of need. Lords Coglias and Vizerian supported Aronis' decree though Vlados denounced it as a death-sentence to the Isur. He believed that by opening their doors to outsiders, they would be opening themselves to untold dangers. Already the Zith were exploding in numbers and threatening Posts and Cities alike. Allowing outsiders further into the Kingdom would divert much needed attention from the Zith.
Realizing that he had little chance by himself of stopping Aronis' decree, Vlados sought support from Lady Terras who already shared similar yet muted feelings about the humans. After no small amount of effort, Vlados convinced Lady Terras of his concerns and the two formally challenged Aronis' decree. Vlados knew he would never be able to sway Lord Coglias so he attempted to convince Lord Kylonir Ironsoul Vizerian that his concerns were valid. Kylonir had interpreted the vision far differently than Vlados had and sided with Aronis.
With the Council sorely divided on the issue, 3 to 2, the challenge was waved and Vlados grudgingly accepted the loss. He backed away from further challenges, but decided to exercise a political power granted to him by the the Council's Foundation Laws created ages ago when the Council was ten instead of five. The Foundation Laws state that, while each clan must pay allegiance to the King and obey his wishes and the wishes of the Council majority, each clan also maintains the right to protect themselves from outside threats. Although the Foundation Laws were meant for a time when the Kingdom was much larger and there were more clans participating in the Council, the Laws were unchallengeable unless done so by the whole of the Council. Thus, along with the Terras Clan, Vlados closed off the main tunnels leading Pitrius City and posted heavy guard at the entrances. While travel to and from these cities to others was still allowed, those entering Pitrius or Terras City were only allowed to do so under armed escort. This holds true for lands above ground that have been claimed by those two clans as well. Humans found anywhere near Pitrius territory are killed outright while non-humans may only fare slightly better. Those outsiders entering Terras territory can expect slightly less severe treatment including a single order of "turn around and leave". Failing to obey means immediate attack.
After the Djed Storm to Present
With the Council and Kingdom divided, Vlados has really only one other ally, Lady Rylil Stonesculpt Terras. Together they allow unrestricted travel between their two cities yet restrict and heavily observe any travel into their own cities from the other three. Vlados, while despising what King Aronis has done to the Kingdom, is unable to bring himself to take further actions of defiance. Much of this is due to Aronis' detailed handling of his Kingdom-wide decree. Aronis directed Izurdin's Hammer, the King's Elite Guard and Military Force for the Kingdom, to garrison the Border Posts where outsiders are most likely to be encountered. He has allowed Sentinels from the Silver Tower to also hold influence at the Posts. This heavy hand of security has also helped maintain some order amidst the conflict in the Council and has kept Vlados in check. Vlados wants desperately to hate Aronis but in a strange sort of way, finds the King to be a useful challenge that he actually enjoys.
The Man, The Lord, A Planner
Vlados, for all his deception, shady deals and foul deeds, comes off as a very likeable guy. He exudes charisma and speaks very softly though with no small amount of venom when necessary. Others find his company quite pleasant and he is very easy to talk to. He has an immense amount of historical knowledge acquired through various ways. One such way is through the use of potent magecraft items held within the Silver Tower. Although he isn't a Sentinel, Vlados has studied at the Tower thanks to his position and with acquiring a great amount of magical knowledge came historical knowledge. Vlados is an amazing public speaker and makes political talk almost understandable to the average person. He of course uses his natural charm to get close to people in order to learn as much about them as possible, especially any secrets they may have that may grant him greater power and influence.
Vlados is a schemer and planner. He is always plotting his next move and thinks ahead of the consequences of every action and the consequences of the consequences and so on. He maintains a web of informants that spreads throughout the Kingdom in every city and every Post. Little happens in the Kingdom that Vlados does not eventually find out about.
Although his charisma often makes him look physically impressive, Vlados is pretty average for an Isur as far as his physical build is concerned. A man of advancing age, Vlados realizes that he only has a few more good years left of life to accomplish all that he wants. His primary goal, one that he truly believes in with all his heart, is to see the return of the Isur as the superior race of the world. He wishes to rise them out of the caves and tunnels and place them at the top of the world, ruling all beneath them. For only then can the Isur find true happiness, safety and security.
Aside from his access to the Silver Tower from which he gains much historical knowledge from, Vlados also possess Eyris' gnosis, Lykata, which allows him to read objects and get visual impressions from them.
Trusting only himself and actively distrusting everyone else, Vlados wears a magical ring baring the name, Occumondus. The ring is a Master level Magecraft item made of the bone of a creature known only to Vlados. Set into the ring is a smooth, polished stone with patterning that resembles an eye. It is rumored that the ring is semi-sentient and can see in all directions at once, through clothing, armor and even buildings to some degree and alert Vlados to anything suspicious or dangerous. If true, this would allow Vlados to never be caught off guard or surprised; he would always be aware of anything taking place around him.