Background
"Please...end it." ~ Raunfalt
Raunfalt was an ancient giant king who reigned over a kingdom in the sky. Fearing that his legend would fall to the sands of time, he longed to have an eternal kingdom. One day, Stillhavity came before Raunfalt offering him the answer to his dreams. Raunfalt agreed, unknowing that his "eternal kingdom" would come at the price of his free will. The ancient king was helpless to stop committing repeated atrocities in pursuit of tributes to sacrifice, which granted his body further extended life. According to Stillhavity, Raunfalt killed every human on the continent of Alivast before the most recent colonization.
Raunfalt fan art by @SirMalervik
Raunfalt's body functioned based on Stillhavity's instruction and self-preservation, leaving no control to the mind inside. Though he was still vulnerable to harm in this state, he could regenerate all wounds over time. He could only be permanently harmed through damaging his contract eye, a furnace within his treasure chamber.
Raunfalt reappeared west of the City of Alivast, stealing a dragonslayer sword from Dragon's Take, the head of the fallen Paladin Rey from Everbright, and the child Colette Black from Wolf's Den. A newly formed adventuring party called The Unexpectables were sent by Abacus Fleetfinger to investigate the thefts and discovered the rampaging giant. After meeting with the druid Rauul, they confronted Stillhavity in his keep, destroying Stillhavity's furnace and bringing and end to Raunfalt's destruction.
When he died, Raunfalt's spirit and the spirits of those he held captive were seen passing on to their next destination, the captive spirits towards the sky and Raunfalt into the ruins of his kingdom, clinging to his weapon to escape being absorbed into Stillhavity's hellish plane. The Nerasmun Collective later excavated the sword from the ruins and brought it to Alivast. It was placed in Edward Enrobso's collection of items within the Shadow Realm which also includes weapons from the native gnoll tribe and Dullmar's Soul Crystal. Edward had the damaged blade restored and offered it to Borky to assist in the task of convincing the outlying orc tribes to ally themselves with Alivast. Borky is now in possession of the blade and can telepathically communicate with Raunfalt through it.
Personality
In life, Raunfalt was seen as a great and powerful king. His strength was unrivaled and his kingdom prospered, but he was also consumed by his fear of one day being forgotten. This fear was what led him to bargain with Stillhavity, but it did not bring him the peace of mind he sought. Raunfalt suffered in his undead state, slaughtering thousands and taking their heads and treasures to sustain himself. His body fought to preserve itself while his mind sought the release of death. When the final blow was struck, Raunfalt's soul refused to be absorbed into Stillhavity's realm, clinging to his sword and the Material Plane through the sheer power of spite.
Raunfalt as a spirit handles himself with the pride an honor of a king, despite no longer having land or subjects. He has a somewhat short temper and little tolerance for nonsense. He is also rather melancholic and exists with many regrets that he seeks to atone for.
Raunfalt the Blade
Raunfalt's Sword offical art by @jackakaiser
"I am Raunfalt and I am the blade." ~ Raunfalt
Through sheer force of spite and his hatred of Stillhavity, Raunfalt avoided being absorbed into the godling's realm by binding his soul to his blade. When Borky first encountered him, he had a vision of the giant king on his throne and the two "Came to an agreement".
Raunfalt can communicate telepathically with Borky.
Editor's Note: this section will be expanded in the future with any abilities or powers of the Raunfalt Blade.
Relationships
Von Ren
Raunfalt Fan Art by @Tunesepai
Von Ren was a giant king of the Eastern Sky that fell in combat by Raunfalt's hand.
Stillhavity
Through Stillhavity's tempting visions, and Raunfalt's pride, he became a slave to the demigod and created havoc in his name, though he long regretted the cost of having to deal with such a creature, and was relieved to finally be away from it's control after being slain by the Unexpectables. In death, Raunfalt expresses nothing but seething hatred for the demigod and wishes nothing more than to slay anything that happens to be related to it.
Siduri
After narrowly surviving the battle at Hellmouth's Grave, Siduri attempted to rally her fellow soldier into rejoicing and rebuilding their fallen kingdom. However, before they could lick their wounds, Raunfalt appeared on the battlefield, striking Siduri down in a single blow, severing the Helmet of 1,000 Hearts from its host. He then went on to kill the remaining survivors.
Colette Black
Raunfalt's deal with Stillhavity bound him to take what his defeated foes valued most. Thus, when he defeated Payton Black, he kidnapped the town leader's six year old daughter. Though he could not directly act against the curse upon him, Raunfalt attempted to comfort the girl, as well as apologize to her for the actions he could no longer control. Raunfalt later asked Borky whether or not Colette survived the attempted sacrifice, and when Borky confirmed that she did, he was greatly relieved.
Rey
Rey was one of the casualties of Raunfalt's pact with Stillhavity. While protecting Everbright from the giant, Raunfalt struck her down and removed her head, forcing the town to bury her incomplete.
Borky
Raunfalt and Borky fan art by @SirMalervik
Borky is Raunfalt's new wielder, a position granted on the condition that Borky would use him to strike down any of Stillhavity's spawn. Raunfalt believes in Borky's abilities but is also very critical of the orc. He has cited that while Borky has the potential to be a great leader, he will never achieve that height unless he masters and harmonizes his father's brutal leadership alongside his mother's compassionate nature. He also expects Borky to treat him with the respect a former king deserves. Borky has displayed a wide range of emotions toward Raunfalt; somber respect toward powerful adversary, delight at the ownership of a talking sword, and awkward social clumsiness surrounding kingly formalities. Borky is slowly getting used to Raunfalt's preferences and refers to him as "Your Majesty."
Trivia
- One aspect of Raunfalt's condition is that any iron he touched would begin to emit red smoke. However once he left the iron would quickly return to normal.
- Raunfalt doesn't like the idea of being sheathed, instead preferring to be wrapped in cloth.
- He does not like being called "Mr. Raunfalt."
- The extraction of Raunfalt's sword from the ruins was noticed by Ozzy Enrobso.