Altradus Artavan

Altradus Artavan, the Shield of Darkness, was a vampire considered to be the left hand of the Chained Harbinger, the Immortal of Darkness.

Description
Altradus had human features but very pale skin, typical of vampires. He had long black hair that he wore slicked back, and wore very extravagant clothing. He also had a cloak with magical properties, though precisely what these properties were is not known.

Personality
A cool demeanour and a regal air defined Altradus' interactions with others. Even those he believed to be beneath him or enemies were treated with courtesy, as he believed it was important for a nobleman to hold a standard for others to look up to. Despite this, he viewed himself as an embodiment of darkness and had few complaints about committing blatantly evil acts.

Abilities
Though he possessed abilities common of nearly all vampires, Altradus was particularly adept at supernaturally charming others. He was also a talented strategist, planner, and organizer. Meanwhile, he had only passing combative skills and tended to avoid battle wherever possible, as he claimed to have a distaste for direct battle.

Possessions
The most notable of Altradus' possessions was his cloak, which was said to possess dark power. The actual nature of its power was never discovered, however.

Relationships
Altradus maintained a close, loyalty-bound relationship with the Chained Harbinger. Despite the difference in power and importance, Altradus believed him to be the Harbinger's equal, and saw the Immortal of darkness as his peer.

Besides the Immortal, Altradus was also close to Thorok Roth, the Sword of Darkness, before his death. After the creation of the death pact ring that his corpse was bound with, Altradus saw Thorok as more of a tool to be used than a peer.

The "Prince of Darkness"
Altradus was born into minor nobility on Noctis. The youngest son of a large family, he stood to inherit nothing and faced constant abuse by his parents, siblings, and cousins alike. As a young man he became enamoured with a mysterious socialite who ran in the same circles, and was ultimately turned into a vampire by her. Altradus was quick to embrace this new darkness, and equally quick to take revenge on his family, claiming their ancestral castle for himself. He named himself the sole lord of the surrounding lands that belonged to his family and was even so bold as to forcefully take lands from other neighbouring nobles.

During this time, Altradus came to refer to himself as the "Prince of Darkness," and boasted that his dark powers exceeded even those of the Chained Harbinger. When the Chained Harbinger learned of this, he laid waste to Altradus' castle and lands, though Altradus and his dark summoning rituals put up a fight that surprised the Immortal. Rather than destroy Altradus, he offered the vampire a chance to join him, which Altradus accepted.

The Shield of Darkness
After becoming the Shield of Darkness Altradus attempted a few times to betray the Harbinger, but was denied and spared death each time. Eventually, Altradus became very loyal to the Immortal of darkness. He was involved in most of the Immortal's large-scale pursuits, and was instrumental in his war against Trath. Altradus also worked independently on occasion, such as when he assisted the Hibernean Theocracy in their war to repel the Firstlight Legion. Altradus worked closely with the mercenary captain and strategist Benedicton Carolus during the efforts, but when the Legion was finally repelled Altradus betrayed the Hiberneans, launching his own strike and converting many of the Hiberneans into vampires from within. Altradus was eventually driven out as well.

Shadowborn
At some point, Altradus oversaw the construction of the Dark Beacon, a tower that extended through a permanent base in the Eternal Void with an upper half that could shift between other planes. Though officially the Beacon belonged to and was home to the Chained Harbinger, Altradus was responsible for its day-to-day operations and maintenance.

When Trath attempted to restore his physical form during Shadowborn, the Chained Harbinger responded by shifting the upper half of the Dark Beacon into Leviathan Bay. From here, Altradus coordinated the umbrans under the Harbinger's command, while the Harbinger himself went to the mainland and the forward force.

Altradus was confronted by Benedicton Carolus and his party, and a fight nearly broke out before Altradus ended up hiring the party to repel the Firstlight Legion again, who had now taken over Karth. The party killed the commander of the Legion in the Leviathan Bay region, allowing the Chained Harbinger to prepare Karth with the appropriate magic for the Dark Beacon to shift into the middle of the city.

Gaius Kvath later returned, imbued with power from Cerielle's death and technically undead, and destroyed the Dark Beacon. Altradus Artavan is believed to have been destroyed with it.

Appearances

 * Shadowborn