Tsabrak (prime)
Tsabrak (Prime)
— Tsabrak, during the Reckoning of Ivory Vale
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Overview
Tsabrak, known in whispered legend as The Black Ritualist, is a figure who stands between history and myth. Among the Dhe’nar, his name is spoken rarely and with care — a conjurer of forgotten runes, a breaker of gates, and a wielder of flame and void alike. Though his life is veiled in secrecy, fragments of his deeds have been preserved in epic verse, most famously in The Black Ritualist and the Moon That Wept.
Origins
The earliest surviving accounts place Tsabrak’s birth in the deep caverns beneath the Ashen Peaks during the early years of the First Age. Born into a bloodline already hardened by centuries of discipline, he was raised under the Dhe’nar creed of silence, strength, and obedience. It is said his first words were not spoken aloud, but carved into the air with a spark of black arcane fire.
From his youth, Tsabrak’s talents in spellcraft were matched only by his contempt for limitation. He studied the hidden runes of summoning and ward-breaking, delving into rites that others deemed too dangerous to name.
Rise to Power
By the Second Age, Tsabrak’s mastery had brought him to the inner circle of the Architects of Silence, an esoteric Dhe’nar sect devoted to reshaping the mortal world according to ancient designs. Here, Tsabrak’s mythos deepened: the sack of the Vaults of Elanthia’s Eye, the Siege of Ivory Vale, and the breaking of the Runegates are all tied to his hand.
It was during these years that he fought alongside Heavenmoon, the Moon Who Wept. Their union — whether of love, fate, or power — became one of the defining tales of late Second Age warfare.
The Spiral of Living Flame
Legends claim Tsabrak and Heavenmoon faced their final trial when a gate to the Plane of Fear was torn open by an ancient pact. To seal the breach, they bound themselves in both mind and flesh to the wound in reality. No mortal eyes saw their end. Some say they perished; others believe they walk still, hidden beyond the Veil, awaiting the call of the Architects.
Legacy
Among the Dhe’nar, Tsabrak is remembered not as a hero or a villain, but as a necessary force — an agent of will and consequence. His teachings in ritual summoning and his artifacts, scattered across Elanthia, remain coveted by arcanists and feared by the superstitious.
The poem The Black Ritualist and the Moon That Wept remains the most complete surviving account of his deeds, though its embellishments blur the line between fact and myth.
Notable Possessions
Tsabrak is most often depicted wearing:
- A rune-etched triangular silver dragon knot earcuff set with onyx and softly glowing glimaerstone
- Midnight blue cotton robes edged with ancient Dhe'nar summoning runes
- A silverback orc hide vest worked with silver stars and moons
- Gold-runed silk casting gloves and a sigil-covered bloodjewel bracer
- A shadowglass ring and a shimmering golden monkey ring
- Reinforced black leather pants set with rune-inscribed stones and leather spring-heeled boots
Notes
This work is considered part of the oral tradition of Dhe’nar arcane history, though its veracity remains debated among scholars.
Related Links
Related Works
- Tsabrak_(prime)/The_Black_Ritualist_and_the_Moon_That_Wept — Epic poem chronicling Tsabrak’s partnership with Heavenmoon and their final stand.
Timeline of Myth & History
First Age
- Early First Age – Birth in the caverns beneath the Ashen Peaks. Dhe’nar sources claim his mother’s labor lasted three days under the light of a blackened moon.
- First Age, c. 1200 – Begins training in the Black Runes under the tutelage of an unnamed Circle master. Rumored to have carved his first summoning glyph into living stone.
Second Age
- Second Age, c. 200 – Joins the Architects of Silence, gaining the title Black Ritualist for his mastery over sealing and unsealing dimensional gates.
- Second Age, c. 240 – First recorded alliance with Heavenmoon, the Moon Who Wept. Together they intervene in the Siege of Ivory Vale, reportedly cloaking the battlefield in broken moonlight.
- Second Age, c. 255 – The Runegate Shattering. Tsabrak leads a ritual to destabilize enemy fortifications. Surviving accounts speak of thunder summoned by Heavenmoon’s hands and firestorms guided by Tsabrak’s voice.
- Second Age, late years – The Reckoning of Ivory Vale. Armies clashing for control of the Vaults of Elanthia’s Eye are annihilated in a combined act of destructive magic.
Third Age
- Third Age, early years – The Spiral of Living Flame. An ancient pact is broken, opening a rift to the Plane of Fear. Tsabrak and Heavenmoon perform the sealing ritual at great personal cost. Neither is seen again.
- Third Age, Year Unknown – First written versions of The Black Ritualist and the Moon That Wept appear, mixing verifiable historical events with symbolic imagery.
Modern Era
- Tsabrak’s name persists among Dhe’nar scholars as both a warning and a lesson. Artifact hunters claim several relics bearing his personal sigil have surfaced in the last two centuries, though none have been verified.