Daryx, or Dar Malyx, Lord Priest of Lolth, Founding Member of The Circle

Daryx, dark elf ranger and member of the Circle of Morbatten

While sages and bookmages might argue about WHEN Morbatten transitioned from Dar Tania’s “Consolidation” Phase into its current Dar Ana’s “Imperialist” phase, everyone agrees that Daryx helped define every aspect of the Imperialist. For a long time, Daryx’s arrival in Tania marked the date transition until Dar Ana showed up at a meeting on this topic and noted that Daryx had been present in Morbatten for decades before anyone knew he had arrived. While flattered and terrified by her unannounced visit, it forced the discussion from Daryx-as-the-trigger to some strategy of Dar Ana’s as the fulcrum point.

Daryx was a young warrior in the Kinslayer Wars that destroyed Merakor. He fought with House Larus in the Imperial House’s royal guard alongside the Emperor Ka’ix. Considered a prodigy with the blade, Daryx ranked in the Top 100 best duelists at one point. He is tall for a Drow standing at almost 6′. Though slender in build, his most notable feature is the many scars crossing his body. His face and hands were spared.

The records of this meeting were lost years later when this enclave of scholars was attacked by Jade God worshippers. Only a few were rescued by Dar Ana. Since that time, gentle entreaties for more information to Dar Ana and even to Daryx have gone unanswered. Here is what is known:

Daryx found his way to the Isles entirely by accident, a rare if not unprecedented feat sometime around 570-750 DAR
He was exiled (sentenced to death and escaped) by the Drow for practicing the worship of Lolth as a male. His heresy was to name Lolth ‘The Goddess of Phase Spiders’
Though Daryx is a master with scimitars and rapiers, he fights in combat with faith as a Priest of Lolth
Daryx identified and brought the 3 Vampire Generals of Bloodstone to Tania and away from Orcus
Daryx’s first seat in The Circle was Perdition, the Spy Throne. He has since founded and given over several other seats there. Though never confirmed, the Animal Seat, the Trade Seat, and the Seat of War are though to belong to Daryx either directly or through proxy

Daryx practices a form of Lolth worship unlike any other. He creates breeding grounds for phase spiders and ‘gentles’ them because, as he once said to Dar Ana, ‘you cannot tame a creation of Chaos.’ The scars are from Daryx mastering this form of worship. What he has said publicly, many times, is that he believes in a reunion of the Elves where the worship of Lolth is no more at odds with the worship of other gods as nature concerns itself with insects caught in a web.

Daryx was forbidden from visiting Morilon where, he tried many times, to speak with Vel Pajor. Eventually, Daryx published what he would have said through a series of writs he named “Why All Elves Wept Blood That Day.” The writings were also banned in Morilon. They tell of an encounter between Daryx and a human priest right at the end of Merakor, just before the Exodus, and catalogs Daryx’s role in sweeping the Elven Triopolis from the surface of the world. A surface level scan shows the writing to be self-aggrandizing and even boasting. Underneath it, is a pain and grieving for the loss unity of the peoples over what Daryx felt was a misunderstanding. The most oft-quoted line is a maxim in Tania… “Why, when all other races acknowledge parts of themselves that are necessarily good and evil, must Elves stand apart and be defined in both worship and deed through the barrier of good and evil they serve? You say I serve Lolth and must therefore be evil, when in truth, I serve the spiders that are Lolth’s children. The druids see the good and evil in spiders. I urge you to see the good and evil in Lolth, whom the spiders serve.” In Tania, this is shortened to: The Master’s mind is not the servant’s.

Daryx created The Circle. He once described The Circle’s purpose as this: It is Alerius’ will through a more mortal perspective.

The art here is a rendering of Daryx by artist: Lukas GP Jordao. Hit me up in Comments or through the contact form and let me know how you like it!