Creature and Character Creations: Aetherium Series: Tharkson – The Soul Devourer
Welcome to my Creature Creations Corner, where I will be uploading old/current pictures of my artwork and telling stories based upon the design. I will give you a backstory into the character and world I created. The creatures, beings, and characters I’ll be discussing are my own design and will be used either for future books or the current Eternals series of novels.
Let me introduce you to Tharkson, the firstborn son of the Abyssal Lord Tharduk. Woven from the Nexus, Tharduk mustered his strength to create his son. As his powers developed, his father bestowed the title of “Soul Devourer” for his ability to convert the souls of his enemies into near unlimited power. For each soul he reaps, his powers amplify exponentially.
As a youngling, his father imbued him with magical sigils by carving into his flesh and sealing the wounds with arcane, dark magic, which not only sustain him but house the souls within. Through the years of torture, his body morphed into the malformed creature of today.
On the battlefield, his tactics and ability to take on regiments of soldiers single-handedly are legendary. Because of this, in the human and elf lands, he is known as “Legion” and the “The First Destroyer.” The dwarves have another name for him, loosely translated as “The one who is many.”
“Everything that Tharkson once was now changed. ”
At the Battle of Silver Hills, the paladins of the Order of the Silver Swords captured Tharkson. Later that night, the paladins tried numerous times to exorcise Tharkson but were unable to. Bishop Daniels and Cardinal Lawson spent hours tirelessly over ancient tomes, looking for a clue on how to destroy the dark general, but their search yielded nothing. According to Cardinal Lawson, who stood toe-to-toe with the Soul Devourer and helped bring him down, he is the only being in existence with the ability to survive numerous exorcism attempts.
After his escape at the hands of an all-out assault by his father and his highest-ranking generals, Tharduk, the Abyss Lord, and Nuktel the Desolate One, freed Tharkson from his torment, but not without irreparable damage done. Everything that Tharkson once was now changed. He became stronger somehow, but not without a cost.
He would need souls.
A ravenous and insatiable hunger gripped hold of the Soul Devourer. To stay alive, he needs to reap souls. So at times, when hunger would strike, he would hold onto this sensation and use it as fuel so that he could reap the one soul that has eluded him. Cardinal Lawon’s, his arch-enemy. If and when the time was right, and he would meet him on the battlefield once more, he would stop at nothing to get his vengeance. And when he reaps his final soul. Content with his vengeance, he would allow his hunger to devour him.
But first, he would need his vengeance.