Antaria: Profile: Kharam

The necromancer Kharam is unique among the Thanatai. Not only is he held in high regard among his secretive sect of mages, but he commands plenty of respect among the more accomplished sorcerers of other classes as well. Kharam's mastery of the aspects of death and divination is the stuff of legend; He has himself been responsible for many of the advances made by the Thanatai in their entire period of existence.

All that, however, pales in comparison to Kharam's greatest accomplishment: He has been able to touch the barrier between life and death, and he has learned how to cross it.

In truth, Kharam is almost six hundred years old -- one of the few beings in Antaria for whom time makes little difference. He is so long-lived, in fact, that the lifespan of the human body cannot even begin to accommodate his existence. Kharam has died many times in the last six centuries, only for him to reach back into the physical world and be reborn in a new mortal vessel. He is a living embodiment of the Thanatai hypothesis: Death is merely an inconvenient occurrence.

Despite Kharam's accomplishments and the magnanimity of human wisdom behind them, more than a few complications have arisen. Many of the Galenics, for one, would like nothing more than to see the Thanatai grandmaster dead. In fact, Kharam has seen his mortal vessel killed or executed more than once -- although several centuries' worth of patience has slowed any adverse feelings he may have about the problem. Still, he is forced to work, hide and travel in the shadows of the Antarian landscape, much like the other mages of his sect.

As of the present time, Kharam's current vessel has recently died, and the Thanatai have begun to mount a search for his reincarnation. They are joined in this effort by more than a few others -- some curious adventurers who seek to meet the most enlightened soul in all of Antaria, and some hired mercenaries who look to kill or abduct him. In the meantime, however, the newly-born Kharam enjoys the little time he has all to himself, and waits...