User:Joshmaul/Helbrand the Wanderer

"'No one knows the true motivation of this undead vrykul sorcerer, or indeed any of his history. Known as 'the Wanderer', he seems to follow the traditional role of the outcast who survives his exile and thrives in it. What is known for certain is that Helbrand was trained in the demonic arts by the Corruptor and in the art of illusions by a Yrkvinn runemaster...and that he holds a vendetta against Lord Saavedro for an incident near Baleheim early in the war against the Lich King, in which he was left to replace his hand with a huge scythe blade. After Tanis and Ketiron defeated Joshmaul's forces at Icecrown Citadel, Helbrand vanished. Some say he has turned on the Corruptor, denouncing him as weak. We may never know for certain.'"
 * - Ambassador Jaeden'laek, personal journal

Helbrand the Wanderer is a nomadic vrykul sorcerer who journeys throughout the continent of Northrend at the behest of his evil master, Joshmaul the Corruptor.

Biography
Little is known of Helbrand's early history, as he spent nearly fifteen thousand years in hibernation along with King Ymiron and the rest of his people. Upon seeing that his people were declaring their allegiance to the Lich King, the skeptical Helbrand separated himself from his people and became something of a wandering hermit, hence his nom de guerre - though he mostly kept to the Howling Fjord at first. That changed early in the war against the Lich King.

During a confrontation with Saavedro of Stratholme near Baleheim, the paladin sliced off Helbrand's right hand, and it was only by sheer luck (an ambush from Winterskorn clansmen from the nearby village) that he was able to escape. Helbrand continued through the Fjord until, near death, he collapsed outside of Halgrind - a fair distance from Baleheim, considering his condition - where the Forsaken were busily concocting their plague and infecting the citizens of the town. While aiding the Forsaken in this task, the orc warlock Joshmaul found the wounded vrykul and decided to aid him. Recognizing that Helbrand was touched by shadow magic, Joshmaul decided it was time for another apprentice...

Cauterizing the severed hand with a burst of flame, Joshmaul escorted the wounded vrykul to the nearby town of New Agamand, where he was tended by Joshmaul's personal apothecaries. Joshmaul's apprentice, Linavil Shadowsun, was a linguist who was able to learn the vrykul tongue and communicate with the wounded Helbrand, teaching him orcish so that he could communicate with the warlock who had saved his life.

Vendetta Against Saavedro
As he recuperated and - under Linavil's instruction - became fluent in orcish, Helbrand explained to Joshmaul exactly what had happened, describing his attacker to the smallest detail. The warlock immediately recognized Saavedro from the vrykul's account, and identified him as his sworn enemy. Helbrand also swore a vendetta against the paladin for maiming him. Coming up with an idea, Joshmaul spoke with the blacksmith in Vengeance Landing to have a bladed hand crafted to replace the missing right hand. The Corruptor also explained that he had the ability to instruct Helbrand in the magics he and Linavil wielded, and the Wanderer cautiously agreed. In time, Helbrand became a powerful warlock, and agreed to be the Corruptor's eyes in his journeys, which would take him outside the Fjord and all over Northrend.

Unlike Joshmaul and Linavil, who were master demonologists, Helbrand specialized in destructive magics, particularly wielding the Chaos Bolt. He was particularly intrigued by this, as Joshmaul mentioned it had the power to penetrate the divine shield of paladins like Saavedro.

The Wanderer's "Other Side"


Helbrand was killed shortly after he undertook his training with Joshmaul, and was raised as a minion of a Scourge necromancer subsequently slain by Joshmaul and Linavil - who had gone to search for their lost apprentice. After discovering his monstrous form, Joshmaul decided to aid Helbrand in locating an illusionist named Sel'tira, who lived in Voldrune in the Grizzly Hills. Learning the illusionary magic of the Yrkvinn (and then subsequently impaling her with his bladed hand), Helbrand gained the power to shift into two forms - the form of life and the form of death, which he switches between depending on the situation. His warlock powers, combined with the "immortality" of undeath, make him a very dangerous and cunning opponent.

Shortly after his apotheosis, Helbrand took command of what survivors of the Dragonflayer clan he could find after the deaths of King Ymiron and Ingvar the Plunderer at the hands of Saavedro and other adventurers. Utgarde Keep was practically empty thanks to the constant incursions from Valgarde and New Agamand, a fact that distressed Helbrand - not because of the death of King Ymiron, but rather the hundreds of his people, all deluded by the Lich King, who were slaughtered like cattle. Turning the Dragonflayer survivors away from the Lich King and forcing them to swear allegiance to Joshmaul, Helbrand essentially rallied his own army in the service of the Corruptor - a fact that pleased the master warlock greatly.

Helbrand's recruiting efforts, it must be said, were aided greatly by the influences of the insane Blood Knight Zaelan Bloodhammer. Despite deriding the blood elf as puny and weak, Helbrand had learned from his experience with Joshmaul that the mind was as potent a weapon as any blade, and grew to rely on the schemer to influence his plans. Trying to keep the battle against Valgarde going, Helbrand granted Zaelan command of a group of his warriors to hold the line in Utgarde.