Thursday, May 19, 2005

Antaria: Profile: Davin Earthwalker

Considering the ambition that is prevalent among the Tempestites, the position of grandmaster is highly coveted. At any point in time, there are many young upstarts pushing and clawing their way towards the top of the sect's hierarchy, which makes each Tempestite grandmaster's rule a lesson in fear and intimidation more often than not.

Perhaps this is why Davin Earthwalker is such an anomaly. The current Tempestite grandmaster certainly did gain his position through "standard" means (by having his teacher and predecessor, the half-mad Saarnus, torn limb from limb), but at the moment, Davin shows no signs of protecting himself against such methods. Some of his subjects whisper that perhaps the young man knows something that they don't. Others say that Earthwalker is merely subsisting on plain arrogance alone, and that his downfall is short in coming.

All Tempestites agree on one thing, though: Davin holds immense powers of magery, as well as an incredible control over his elemental servants. It is, in fact, rumored that Davin Earthwalker sacrificed a piece of his own soul for these extraordinary powers - a rumor evidenced by the glaring red scar across the young man's chest. Davin, however, never agrees nor disagrees to the truth of these statements - and smiles as the whispers grow even more widespread.

Davin controls but a single permanent familiar - Uthanak, a ten-foot-tall elemental formed of earth, rocks and soil. Owing to its nature, the construct holds as much devotion to the Tempestite grandmaster as a fawning servant, and has played the corresponding roles of bodyguard and chamberlain many, many times. Davin has even made use of Uthanak against some of his enemies within the sect, and perhaps that is why Davin has few outspoken rivals.

Davin Earthwalker fully knows that his sect's sentiments would be extremely self-destructive if left to run on their own terms. But he also knows that the Tempestites are more than capable of governing themselves, as long as the right measures of power are left in the right places. So he lounges in finery at his home in Allandria, content to delegate small doses of power to the people around him, awaiting the next challenger for his post.

No comments: