Lugaru

On the deathly still nights of the Sanguis Mountains, if you close your eyes and listen above the stale wind, you will hear the hate-filled howl of Lugaru the Wolf King. A descendent of the ruined House of Lycansus, the noble Werewolf house who once ruled over much of what is now known as the Sanguis Mountains, Lugaru is obsessed with the idea of returning his now oppressed people to power so that the Werewolves can have their revenge on the Vampires who enslaved them. As he plots his bloody revenge in the moonlight, Lugaru gnashes his teeth in excitement at the idea of enslaving the few Vampires he chooses not to rip to shreds. The history of the Werewolves is passed on orally, told in howling song. The Werewolf troubadours of his court sing of a time long ago when the House of Lycansus ruled over their mountains, hunting and protecting their lands with a violence so ferocious that only the bravest would dare venture within. Yet to the north, evil stirred in the House of Sanguis, a noble family of Vampires. There had long been an uneasy peace between the houses of Lycansus and Sanguis as neither was powerful enough to defeat the other. With the ascendency of Volka the Night Empress among the Vampires, however, it became evident that a more powerful Vampire than had existed for generations was rising like an evil star in Tya's night sky. Declaring herself a goddess and promising a golden age for Vampires, the Night Empress ordered the subjugation of the Werewolves as slaves. As a result, the House of Lycansus fell. Lugaru and his younger brother are the only remaining members of the house, the rest slain and their heads impaled on spikes in Volka's foul castle. All Lugaru lost was his eye, family, and his pride. Driven mad by rage, hatred, and humiliation, Lugaru swore to avenge his family and restore the glory of his house and sees himself as the reincarnation of a mythical Werewolf king the troubadours howl songs of, a king who will drive out the Vampires and establish an age of vengeful glory. Working in the gloom of the Sanguis Mountains and a gruesome tyrant in his own right, he has recruited a band of warriors to restore the House of Lycansus, slay the Night Empress, and rule over all Vampires regardless of their beliefs. He has even slaughtered Vampires who wish to destroy the Night Empress themselves, blinded by hate. This has been the major reason for his feud with his brother Theondis, who would prefer to work with the Vampires in unity so their united peoples can know peace and glory together. Lugaru would rather see the Vampires burn in the fires of his halls and dangling from the jowls of his soldiers for he knows nothing but the madness of rage and blood.