Lord Vlaew

Lord Vlaew is the main antagonist of the Exmortis Trilogy. He was mentioned in Exmortis 1 and seen in Exmortis 2 and 3. Vlaew is a sadistic Ancient Greater Fiend who wants to become a god. His brothers were Kfafta and Azrael. He manipulated Joshua Hannay in Exmortis 2, supposedly killing him. Hannay returned to the earth and eventually killed Vlaew in Exmortis 3.

History
Vlaew, Kfafta and Azrel's births are unknown. They supposedly came from nowhere while the Earth was in its primateve state.

The Ancient Dominion War
In a time before life and light, corporeal beings did roam our lands ruling over those smaller and less powerful sentients.

These fiends of great power and might were many in numbers but their greed to exert their dominion over other saw these lands bathed in the permanent blood stained hue of war. Many Ancients and lesser sentients were slaughtered in the resulting conflicts - eventually only three ruling Ancients remained.

The Merciless Kfafta
Lord Kfafta held rule over a vast army of sentients, having single handily delivered the death blow to the majority of opposing Ancients. His power was only exceeded by his hunger for total control and the effective purging of his enemies.

The Manipulator Vlaew
While Lord Vlaew's armies were by no means comparable in size to his opponents, they fought with a great ferocity and unwavering loyalty to his rule. It was the belief that he had a gift of influence over other that made it almost impossible to remove oneself from his service. He was considered the general's general.

The Tactician Azrael
Lord Azrael's armies were slightly smaller than those of Kfafta and he was in no manner as influential as his brother Vlaew; however he was created as a ruler and a master tactician. If there was a way of turning the tide of victory against an aggressor, Azrael would carry it out effectively.

The age old war continued to rage on between the three remaining Ancients, but the tide had turned in a final assault on Vlaew's royal armies. Azrael being the master tactician had realised that the inevitable victory here leading to the eventual confrontation with Kfafta's forces would result in defeat. Kfafta's armies were numerous and the only way for him to be defeated would be to work with Vlaew against the greater enemy.

In the wake of the destruction of Vlaew's last bastion, Azrael had his brother captured but instead of disposing him he asked of him to lead their consolidated armies against the mighty forces of Kfafta. Vlaew had no choice but to agree, and lead Azrael's armies he did.

It was the bloodiest battle to have ever been fought and eventually Lord Vlaew plunged his sword deep into the heart of Kfafta. His life force stolen from him, Kfafta crumbled and perished. Vlaew had won complete control of the Earth Realm for Azrael to rule over.

However Lord Azrael had learnt from the history of Ancients before him and had decided to have Vlaew destroyed before he could carry out the inevitable treacherous challenge to his rule. But what he did not count on was the extent of Vlaew's influence on his armies.Azrael was soon deposed from his throne and Vlaew destroyed his corporeal form to assume control of his new consolidated dominion.

Emergence of the Exmortis
Over many millenia Lord Vlaew ruled with an iron fist over all sentients. None would dare oppose his word, but in time his power on influence diminshed and a faction of lesser beings had his corporeal form destroyed and his ethereal form banished to roam the lands forever as an earth-bound entity.

Vlaew dimished greatly in power and was doomed to be unable to physically affect the world around him. However he still had many followers to which he spiritually combined his life force when they too were stripped of their corporeal form. The legion of Exmortis was born and over the course of millions of years did it grow stronger and work towards regaining the power of influence and totalitarian control of the Earth realm.

The Soul Bearers
Over the millions of years following Vlaew's removal, the Earth took on a different look. The grounds turned green and lush with vegetation, while the sky was no longer stained with the blood of the Ancient Dominion War. Strange beasts appeared on the lands and in the oceans, but the most significat of these creatures to emerge was man. For it seemed that these fragile beings possessed a gift. It was a gift that would grant them with great power over the roaming malevolent demons and spirits of the ancient world.

Man was born with a soul.

Over many thousands of years man destroyed the remaining evil Earth realm sentients and entities. The scores of entities that had survived the Earth's metamorphosis had been destroyed forever.

But unberknowst to man, the powerful Exmortis laid dormant, surviving through their strength in numbers and revelling in the wisdom of their Ancient leader, Lord Vlaew.

The Hand of Death
The blood of five innocent soul bearers, marked with the symbols of the Ancient Vlaew has the power to bridge the gap between the ethereal plain of existence and the Earth as dominated by man and beast today.

The Influenced man shall become the hand; his soul the pathway and the source of strength for the demonic horde.

Plans put to Action
The world turned blood red and death came on swift wings. After the Exmorts reemerged to the world and brought death, plague and ruin, Vlaew was also released. However, with the Exmortis no longer under his control, he set out to find a way to destroy the Hand and claim the world. He found his answer in the form of Joshua Hannay, a man who saw his wife and child ripped to shreds by the Exmortis on his own front lawn. Now he was in a church where he thought he would meet the rebels, but found that he was the only one. Vlaew, disguised as a man in a black rain coat and a black rain hat, walked into a confessional and he talked to Mr. Hannay that the Exmortis know were he is, and he hands him only a parchment that would "shed light upon this scourge and allow mortal man to begin rebuilding". After he vanished, he met Mr. Hannay after he destroyed the Hand and compliments on his success. "Which reminds me, I must also remember to thank Xavier in his role in this," he said. "How is he any way? Still moaning about losing his little whore of a daughter?" He revealed himself as Vlaew and he explained that he only needed Mr. Hannay to destroy his enemies and make it easier for Vlaew to take the world. And as a reward, Vlaew quickly and painlessly killed Mr. Hannay.

Ruling with an Iron Fist
After taking Earth, Vlaew built his palace and used surviving humans as his foot soldiers, mutating them into Shadow Guards and turning others into Readers, demons that uses memories to break minds. Some of the surving humans went insane, some turning to cannibalism to survive, while others commited suicide. The humans that were still sane did what they can to survive.

Final Battle
Vlaew got a surprise that came in the form of Joshua Hannay, now powered with the powers of the Ancients Vlaew's brother Azrael gave him. He mused on how Mr. Hannay is now a different man now; no longer a hesitant hero, nor a manupulated pawn. However, upon hearing Mr. Hannay's words of revenge, he dismissed it, saying that Vlaew cannot be harmed. But when Vlaew is tossed out the window of his throne room by Mr. Hannay's new powers, he was surprised once more. However, he regained his composure, saying that he used his powers more than Mr. Hannay. After Mr. Hannay crashed Vlaew through a wall, Vlaew begged for mercy, saying that should he die along with Azrael (whom Mr. Hannay sacrifices in a mercy killing after the Ancient gives him his powers), so would Mr. Hannay's power. Mr. Hannay, decided that if it is true, he would accept that fate. Angry, Vlaew called him a foolish child unable to see the bigger picture. After crashing him through another wall, Vlaew attempted to crawl away and use a portal to get away. However, Mr. Hannay caught him in a telekinetic grip. "Do what you came to do, human. Release me from this world forever more." Those were Vlaew's last words as Mr. Hannay uses his power to destroy Vlaew. Humanity can now rebuild with Joshua Hannay as their guide.