User:Ecstasy Amphetamine/sandbox

= Keeper of the Light = Upon a pale horse he rides, this spark of ancient suns. Ezalor, Keeper of the Light, rides forth from the shattered Primordial harmony to bring the gift of life and light throughout the many corners of the vast universe, while remaining one step ahead from the ancient forces of chaos and darkness. A force of the universe that has grown sentient in the dawn of time, he embodies and identifies himself as the weak nuclear force, a fundamental force that is unique among the others with its transformative capabilities on the subatomic level (compared to the other forces which are attractive and repulsive) as well as the ability to manipulate magic and its very essence.

Biography
Before time even began to flow, the fundamental laws of the universe were all bound together by the great Primordial harmony in the far and upstream Fundamental Plane made by the One we know as. At the dawn of the universe, these inanimate forces gained the gift of sentience and expression through unexplained means. With the capacity to feel and think, the spark of ancient suns came to be known as Ezalor, the Keeper of the Light, and the four Fundamentals were born. Soon after, the Primordial harmony was broken (either by Ezalor with his ability to disrupt harmony or Elder Titan who caused the Schism ) and the sentient Fundamentals were set loose into the many planes of the fragmented world left behind by their creator.

Ezalor frequently mentions that he is on a quest, but the goal of this quest and why he partakes in it is currently unknown. He also claims to originate from a place known as Light's Keep where he also returns to when he dies before riding out once more.

The Spark of Suns
Ezalor created and took on the mantle of the one who brought light to every corner of the universe and keeping darkness and chaos at bay with his powers over light and order, but abandoned this role soon after (likely due to the doggedly chasing after him) leaving it to be taken up by anyone who wishes to continue his work.

But it was under this mantle that Ezalor was in his prime, and he was in his prime when he was still the spark of ancient suns. Wielding a radiant staff, he channeled his powers to create the very first sun in the universe, a sentient and conscious beacon of light that can reproduce through supernova, resulting in an endless cycle of birth and rebirth. The first sun was the primogenitor of every sun and star in the universe, including the likes of and

Although he could give life to conscious stars, he can create lifeforms as well. In the earliest days following his exodus from the Fundamental Plane, Ezalor channeled his power to create a winged horse that inherited his gift, allowing it to aid his work in sparking suns to life.

His work soon came to an end when the Chaos Knight set his sights upon him and chased after his fugitive brother who was said to have defied the first covenant when he escaped the Fundamental Plane. Ezalor was forced to abandon his work in response to the pressing danger at hand and left the mantle with no one around to give it to, until it was taken up by his grandchildren aeons later.

Keeper of the Northlight
Aeons later, Ezalor assumed a cunning disguise in the form of a doddering old man, a true outward embodiment of the fundamental force that is his identity. He has been observed appearing in different guises: a fortune teller, a wizard, and even a sage, but there are none so well documented as his guise of the Keeper of the Northlight.

Legends from the remote frigid villages of the Wailing Mountains speak of a hooded old man who travels in the cold Northern wastes, appearing only to those who have lost their way and when evil or darkness makes its presence known in those lands. Upon a grey stag he rides, bearing the light of the famous North Star that has helped countless travelers to find their way, while banishing evil and darkness when he finds them.

Personality and Mannerisms

 * Ezalor is prone to forgetfulness, but this behavior affects him deeper than what we observe from his physical guise. He is not forgetful because he takes on the form of an old man, but because it's actually an outward expression of the force that he embodies: the weak nuclear force, which is best known for mediating the process of radioactive decay.
 * Decay may be associated with forgetfulness in the elderly, because their capacity for making and retrieving memories often deteriorates (or decays) with age.
 * Hence, Ezalor did not choose to take on the form of an old man, but his guise is a result of him creating a form that bests represents what he truly embodies.
 * Explanations aside, his forgetfulness often gets him into trouble with his kin and even himself.
 * Ezalor is a benevolent and noble being. Even after abandoning his mantle, he still does his best to beat back evil whenever it is found while still helping those who need his gift of light, no matter what form he takes. His voicelines and the way he speaks them has an air of heroism and nobility.
 * Among other heroes, he has a reputation of being a funny old man to them.
 * Some of Ezalor's voicelines when he meets with allied female heroes show that he is quite flirtatious with females, regardless of their race or species. It's unknown if this is just a gag on him being a perverted old man or an actual aspect of his personality, as none of the women that he directs these lines to acknowledge this and he doesn't even display this behavior in Dota Underlords.

Family
Ezalor is one of the few heroes in Dota 2 that has children of his own. All the stars and suns in the universe are his children, including Phoenix, Dawnbreaker, and her creators, the Children of Light, who are all descendants of the Keeper's first sun. Dawnbreaker is humbled by the presence of her great grandfather but she is also saddened that he did not do anything to save the Children of Light nor did he know about the fates that they chose. She is even furious at him for abandoning his descendants.

The Solar Goddess, a divine figure whom worships, is a dilution of a greater lineage of star progeny (as in the stars and suns themselves) which includes the Dawnbreaker and her creators, the Children of Light. This would imply that the Solar Goddess is also a very distant descendant of Ezalor and his first sun.

Since is the lover of Dawnbreaker, Ezalor would be his great grandfather-in-law. Mars seems to be deeply concerned about how he treated the Children of Light and why he abandoned them.

Ezalor is the younger brother and antithesis to the Chaos Knight, who has been hunting him down ever since the exodus of the Fundamentals from their progenitor realm. Chaos Knight claims that he seeks to destroy all order and creation as well snuff out the Light from every plane of existence but he belies an ulterior motive where he truly seeks to reunite his siblings back into the Fundamental plane.

Like all Fundamentals, they are the children of the Elder Titan. That includes the two omnipresent forces and.

Rivalry
Besides the Chaos Knight, Ezalor has been in some in-fighting with the children of the Schism. Enigma is hostile towards Ezalor, as he embodies the very force that causes a star to collapse on itself and die, turning it into a black hole. In Dota Underlords, Enigma also plans to replace him with, for reasons unknown.

Embodiment
Ezalor is a Fundamental, a fundamental law of the universe that has gained sentient expression at the dawn of the universe's creation. It is currently unknown how Ezalor and his Fundamental brothers managed to become sentient beings, and it's even more mysterious if they got their sentience by themselves or someone/something else. He originates from a higher plane of existence known as the Fundamental Plane where they were once united as one force   in/by the great Primordial harmony, which was either disrupted by Ezalor or shattered by his creator, allowing him to separate from the other ancient forces that he was once bound with.

Like all Fundamentals and their creator, Ezalor is an omnipresent force that exists in all planes at once, allowing him to call upon other versions or aspects of himself to assist each other. Like his brother Chaos Knight who uses it to summon phantasms from other worlds, or Enigma who uses it to summon aspects of himself from other dimensions, Ezalor can utilize this omnipresence to summon a separate spirit to channel his abilities for him.

The Weak Force
Ezalor embodies the weak nuclear force, in contrast to his brother who embodies the strong nuclear force. The weak force is best known for being responsible for several kinds of radioactive decay, one of which is responsible for the nuclear fusion between subatomic particles that causes stars and suns to burn. With this power, Ezalor has sparked the heat of countless stars, lighting up every corner of the universe and gifting the sun's radiance to the distant worlds that find comfort from its rays, while allowing them to go and multiply via supernova to further extend the cycle of life. He also used his force to make sentient lifeforms, such as winged horses that inherit his powers, which means that the weak force can be used to create life as well.

is a rather straightforward ability. Ezalor simply channels a burst of light from his radiant staff and releases it at the right moment to unleash a large wave of light. The internal glow of his staff is said to fill the souls of the innocent with tranquility while relieving them of their pain (likely flowery language that explains Illuminate's healing ability) but the wicked cannot bear the weight of this light.

Ezalor's is a good example of the weak nuclear force being integrated into his gameplay and his lore. By disrupting the so-called "Primordial harmony", Ezalor can cause those with poor constitution to uncontrollably drain their own magical energy. It is unknown if operates under the same lore of the ability that it has replaced (besides being similar in terms of gameplay) since the spell was released without a lore description.

is one of Ezalor's most vague abilities. Lorewise, the skill is said to be Ezalor bestowing his "harmony" (likely referring to the Primordial harmony that's frequently mentioned in Ezalor's lore ) upon others to restore their magical energy. Ezalor mentions chakra, kundalini, and the serpent of illumination when using this ability, but it's not yet known how these concepts relate to his powers.

Just like his first spell, is also a straightforward ability. It is simply a short blast of intense light that may threaten to blind those who look directly towards it.

is an interesting ability, as not only does Ezalor call upon the wisp Ignus Fatuus to aid him, but its lore description states that Ezalor has an uncanny influence over many powerful creatures that are always willing to help him even if he doesn't seem to be familiar with them. Basically, Ezalor can call upon creatures such as wisps to aid him and they will always answer his call, even if he forgets who they are. As for the capabilities of this wisp in the lore, it is currently unknown if we do not take gameplay mechanics into the question.

is yet another one of Ezalor's vague abilities, due to its obscure description. It can be speculated that this ability works similarly to Io's (lorewise) for the two following reasons:
 * These abilities are almost similar to each other in gameplay. Lorewise, Io's ability uses its omnipresence over space and the Seven Planes as well as its ability to teleport to use Relocate, allowing Io to relocate anyone to any point in space while still being with them at their destination, since it is omnipresent.
 * Like Io, Ezalor is omnipresent as he is a Fundamental, who exists across all planes at once. Since they share this trait and possess similar teleportation or planeshifting skills, it may be assumed that Recall is simply Ezalor's version of Relocate that may or may not have any differences.

Lastly is what happens when Ezalor sheds his mortal guise, allowing him to reveal the power that he truly embodies.

Friendships and rivalries
Allies meeting Keeper of the Light Enemies killing Keeper of the Light Enemies dying to Keeper of the Light Others
 * vo_arc_warden_arcwar_ally_02.mp3  The aid of a Fundamental is most welcome.
 * vo_centaur_cent_ally_08.mp3  Keeper, what a strange beast you are.
 * vo_centaur_cent_ally_09.mp3  Keeper, let us run together.
 * vo_chaos_knight_chaknight_ally_01.mp3  Ride with me, brother.
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_ally_81.mp3  Wow, you're old.
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_ally_82.mp3  Keeper of the light... That job sounds... Boring.
 * vo_elder_titan_elder_ally_05.mp3  Great age has dissolved the differences between us, Keeper.
 * vo_enigma_enig_ally_01.mp3  Come, Ezalor. We have endless work to do.
 * vo_enigma_enig_ally_02.mp3  We Fundamentals shall win this day.
 * vo_hoodwink_hoodwink_ally_85.mp3  I kind of wanted to sleep in today, gramps.
 * vo_wisp_ally.mp3  Boop
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_ally_10.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_ally_10.mp3   I like your mount.
 * vo_mars_mars_ally_146.mp3  What kind of example are you setting for the youngsters, Ezalor?
 * vo_mars_mars_ally_147.mp3  Long have I admired your steed, Ezalor.
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_ally_79.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_ally_79.mp3   You gotta show me how to do that light trick, Ezalor.
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_ally_80.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_ally_80.mp3   Keeper, I was thinking next Thursday would be a good day for my 'fundamental ascension' ceremony, that work for you?
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_ally_85.mp3  You make me laugh, old man. Perhaps you're not as senile as you appear to be.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_ally_86.mp3  Chaos Knight was asking about you. It seems he is quite taken with you.
 * vo_phantom_lancer_plance_ally_05.mp3  You keep the light. We will protect it.
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_ally_87.mp3  Feel like some flap-jacks, Ezalor?
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_ally_88.mp3  Going my way pilgrim?
 * vo_rubick_rubick_ally_07.mp3  Illuminate my path, Keeper.
 * vo_void_spirit_voidspir_ally_30.mp3  Before I even knew myself, I felt your headlong flight.
 * vo_void_spirit_voidspir_ally_31.mp3  I've enjoyed watching your journey, Ezalor.
 * vo_arc_warden_arcwar_rival_07.mp3 The last of your light is cast.
 * vo_bristleback_bristle_rival_14.mp3 Die, geezer! And that horse you rode in on!
 * vo_bristleback_bristle_rival_12.mp3 Lights out for you, geezer.
 * vo_chaos_knight_chaknight_rival_15.mp3 My antithesis rides no more.
 * vo_chaos_knight_chaknight_rival_16.mp3 The Light is lost from this plane.
 * vo_chaos_knight_chaknight_rival_17.mp3 Aha, come back, and I shall kill you again.
 * vo_chaos_knight_chaknight_rival_18.mp3 I'll see you purged from every plane.
 * vo_chaos_knight_chaknight_rival_19.mp3 Your light is snuffed out.
 * vo_chaos_knight_chaknight_rival_20.mp3 The light goes out from your eyes.
 * vo_chaos_knight_chaknight_rival_21.mp3 Long have I hunted you, Ezalor.
 * vo_chaos_knight_chaknight_rival_22.mp3 The universe has no place for a rogue Fundamental.
 * vo_earth_spirit_earthspi_rival_42.mp3 I enlighten you.
 * vo_elder_titan_elder_rival_14.mp3 That which I divided, returns to Unity.
 * vo_elder_titan_elder_rival_15.mp3 So dies the spark of ancient suns.
 * vo_enigma_enig_rival_02.mp3 Though you spark suns to shine, you cannot escape me.
 * vo_enigma_enig_rival_03.mp3 Ezalor, the weak and infirm.
 * vo_enigma_enig_rival_04.mp3 Your weakness was your undoing.
 * vo_enigma_enig_rival_05.mp3 Ezalor, your decay is now complete.
 * vo_enigma_enig_rival_06.mp3 So dies the spark of endless suns.
 * vo_enigma_enig_rival_07.mp3 You forget yourself, Ezalor.
 * vo_enigma_enig_rival_08.mp3 Flux you and the horse you rode in on.
 * vo_enigma_enig_rival_09.mp3 What you bring to life, I shall bring to death.
 * vo_enigma_enig_rival_13.mp3 So ends another Fundamental.
 * vo_enigma_enig_rival_16.mp3 A Fundamental dies.
 * vo_enigma_enig_rival_17.mp3 So dies a Fundamental of the universe.
 * vo_grimstroke_grimstroke_rival_53.mp3  I take extra pleasure in destroying an original.
 * vo_hoodwink_hoodwink_rival_85.mp3  Hey old-timer. The sun sets on everybody. Whether they like it or not.
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_rival_25.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_rival_25.mp3  Never trust a wizard.
 * vo_lina_lina_rival_17.mp3 Got a light?
 * vo_lina_lina_rival_18.mp3 Old.
 * vo_mars_mars_rival_74.mp3  Your brilliance ends in darkness, old man. Just like all the rest...
 * vo_mars_mars_rival_75.mp3  All who came before me must perish!
 * vo_mirana_mir_rival_10.mp3 Sagan has been eyeing your mount all day.
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_rival_79.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_rival_79.mp3   Ezalor, you should have used that horse to run.
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_rival_80.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_rival_80.mp3   You've had a good run, Old Man. But it's my time now.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_rival_83.mp3  This is where negligence leads, old man.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_rival_84.mp3  So do I keep the light now? Is that how it works?
 * Phoenix_bird_emote_bad.mp3 Chirp!
 * vo_rubick_rubick_rival_16.mp3 No light lasts forever.
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_rival_88.mp3  You rode in the wrong rodeo, Ezalor.
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_rival_89.mp3  Turns out you're a one-horse talent.
 * vo_spectre_spec_redux_rival_08.mp3 You ride no more.
 * vo_visage_visa_rival_02.mp3 You shall not pass!
 * vo_void_spirit_voidspir_rival_51.mp3  It brings me no pleasure to extinguish the first light.
 * vo_kunkka_kunk_death_06.mp3 Not the horse latitudes.
 * vo_oracle_orac_prophecies_043.mp3  Ponies! I see ponies! A terrible vision indeed.
 * vo_oracle_orac_prophecies_044.mp3  Trampled falls the hero beneath ethereal hooves.
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_duelhero_22.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_duelhero_22.mp3  Defend your beard!
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_duelhero_28.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_duelhero_28.mp3  I will tear you from your saddle!

Biography
Before the universe came to be, there was a singular presence: an ancient consciousness, the Primordial Mind, an infinite intelligence who could think inscrutable thoughts that no rational mind of the past, present, and future can hope to penetrate. In the moment when the universe was created, this mind was shattered into many fragments. Although all of these parts shared the same progenitor, these mental fragments soon gained individuality. Two among its greater fragments—Radinthul and Diruulth--fought each other and twisted all of creation with their powers of enthrallment to serve their conflict.

In this cascade of moments, a third greater fragment, the unsung Ancient, made itself known. This intellect named itself Zet and strived to stop the appalling disharmony that it had just witnessed in the first moments of its conception. Focusing all of its power, Zet overwhelmed both of its siblings and fused them into a single form, trapping them both in an inert crystalline sphere. Zet hurled this sphere into the darkness of space to be adrift for eternity until the gravitational force of a burgeoning planet captured this body and turned it into its satellite. The cost of this imprisonment drained most of its strength, but Zet was determined to use its remaining power to sentence itself into an eternal vigil.

Time passes by and the once nondescript world became teeming with primitive lifeforms that rose into significance and then fell into naught but apocrypha. But in each generation of this life cycle, none could escape the glare of this eerie celestial body (which they soon named "The Mad Moon" in their lore) that appeared at all times of the day. Meanwhile, the warring Ancients resolved to escape their prison using the reverberations of their clash, tidal forces, and the orbital stress acting between the planet and their prison. Zet used its weakened powers to contain the breach, but on one fateful night, the Mad Moon was shattered and the resulting explosion expelled moonstuff at high velocity towards the planet and destroyed its surface in an extinction event.

The Ancients were freed, but they returned in a new form that they stole from the very material that made up their prison. As for Zet, it was flung to the farthest reaches of space and warped by the dissonant energies of his siblings. No longer of single form or thought, Zet embodied the very concept that he despises the most: disharmony. They were disunited into many parts, a fractured consciousness much like its progenitor. Using the remaining power that they had left, Zet struggled to reunite their separated elements into a single goal and travelled the cosmos to rejoin the fray against the Ancients who had resumed their war.

The Sundered Moon
Zet was among the many heroes who were gathered in the Sundered Moon bar. Unlike the other heroes socializing with each other, Zet sat alone in the corner of the pub as if the Self was waiting for someone. Overhearing a conversation between a certain amorous god and his unlucky prey, the Self provoked the former to get his attention, calling him a half-god.

The vexed "half god" left his potential lover and confronted this strange hooded figure by himself. Zet taunts the deity with its superior origins, but Zeus retorts with quips on its lack of pronouns and poor enunciation. Adding to his words, he took the Self's taunts as an invitation to a fight. The Self declares him half correct, saying that Self only came here to fight. Annoyed with this meaningless ebb and flow of talk, Zeus reminded the stranger about why they were all gathered here, telling the Self that anyone it picks a fight with in this bar will tear down an Ancient the next day. Undaunted by his boldness, Zet corrects the half-god by saying that the Self will not destroy one Ancient, but both of them.

Zet revealed a projection of the lore about the two ancient intellects from the "world before your world", Radinthul and Diruulth. It told the story of their battle, imprisonment, and escape. Zet reveals to him that the Ancients have been building an army of lesser creatures to serve their conflict, and if either Ancient were to win, their power would end "both of their worlds". Such a grand task could not be done alone, and like its Ancient siblings, it seeks to amass an army aligned against both Ancients. Zet handed him a scroll and told him to fulfill whatever mystery was inside it.

Unsure of whatever nonsense that Zet had just talked about, Zeus asked the Self if he had any stake in this war. Zet promised him that the Self would "make him whole again" should they be successful in the destruction of both Ancients. Still having doubts with the Self's offer, Zeus asked him to verify this claim by giving him a "taste of this wholeness". The Self agreed and returned to him a small fragment of his rightful power, including a golden helm rimming with divine power.

Satisfied, Zeus relished in his newfound power, completely ignoring the nonsense that led to this moment. He invites the Self to hear about his divorce story while offering it some ambrosia. The Self politely declines because it has work to do, before revealing six other scrolls like the one it gave to Zeus.

Nemestice
The Mad Moon's destruction introduced the shards of Radiant Ore and Direstone to the burgeoning planet where most of Dota 2's story takes place. These shards contained the very presence of the two greater fragments of the Primordial Consciousness, both known as Radiant and Dire or Radinthul and Diruulth by Zet. But a third stone—known as Nemestice—was left uncorrupted by the Ancients. Instead, it contained the power that Zet sacrificed aeons ago to seal its warring siblings together into one form, eventually trapping it within an inert crystalline sphere that would become the vessels for both of the Ancients' power.

At the moment when the Mad Moon exploded from within, the shards that contained the Radiant and Dire essence were flung by the blast and captured by the gravitational pull of its celestial companion before falling to earth, with some of these shards being flung away into space or destroyed by the heat of atmospheric entry. However, the Nemestice stones remained afloat within the ruins of the Mad Moon, left behind by its ancient fugitives.

Aeons later, Arc Warden's magnetic compass revealed the impact site of a prophesied Nemestice storm that would precede a meteor shower of the other Nemestice stones. They finally fell to earth in the present age to rejoin the fray against both Ancients, ready to be reclaimed by the jailer of the Ancients...or anyone seeking control over both of them.

Allies
Zet is building an army of Heroes to fight against Radinthul and Diruulth. So far, it has currently recruited into its ranks.

Enemies
Zet is ill-disposed towards Radinthul and Diruulth ever since it willed itself into being.

Embodiment
Although Zet has a physical form, it is not the true form that it once had. Zet is an incorporeal mind that was broken off from a vast infinite mind that existed before the cosmos.

In his current form, Zet has been warped by the dissonant energies released by the Mad Moon's destruction. It was so powerful that not only did it send Zet flying into the farthest reaches of space, but it even split its disembodied mind into many mental fragments of varying power—some lesser, some greater. Thence Zet was transformed into a collective consciousness—a mind of many parts but with their thoughts in unison as if they were a singular existence.

Powers
Zet is an extremely powerful being. The Self overwhelmed both Ancients in a single stroke and fused them into one form, before locking them into the Mad Moon. However, this task drained most of Zet's power, but it has not been consumed into nothing. Instead, the power that he used was locked in the moon as well, which he seeks to reclaim through the rare Nemestice storms to restore himself back to full power. Zet's in-game abilities utilize kindred forces with, who also uses electromagnetism.

The Self also has the powers of creation. Zet was able to create a massive celestial body made of crystals to seal the Ancients within it and prevent them from influencing the outside world. As a force of order and unity, Zet can make broken or incomplete things whole again. Besides its attempt to fuse the 2 greater splinters of the Primordial Mind, Zet was able to casually restore a portion of Zeus' lost powers and imbued him with the energies of the Ancients themselves, making him partially "whole" again.

is the same power that Zet used to imprison the Ancients. In his current form, it has been heavily weakened due to Zet's power being depleted from fusing and imprisoning the Ancients. At its weakest, this power manifests as a discharge of volatile, fluxing energies that will electrocute anyone unfortunate enough to receive this shocking energy.

By distorting space itself, Zet can generate a to protect anyone within it from incoming attacks. It's possible that the field deflects attacks by either repelling the attacks with magnetism or distorting space to cause attacks to miss.

Calling upon a lesser fragment of his fractured being, Zet summons a to perform a watchful vigil around a certain area. Upon materializing, the wraith will patrol the chosen area until it finds a trespasser. The wraith will be drawn to them, infusing the trespasser with harmful magic upon contact.

Willfully accepting its disunity, a temporary of the Self is created when Zet fuses its fractured elements into a single form, creating a perfect electrical duplicate of itself to bring twice the chaos and disharmony to the fight—two concepts that Zet absolutely despises. Perhaps the same process that creates Zet's double was the same process that it used to fuse the two Ancients back into a single form, but the incompatible intellects managed to retain their individuality and resisted the process.

Zet has the ability to summon draconic wraiths from another plane, who gladly serve the warden in exchange for sustenance. By using the Self's being as a bridge between the wraiths' plane of existence and the mortal plane, Zet can call upon these wraiths who will consume the energies found in the mortal plane. The energies they consume in the mortal plane will manifest tenfold of its power in their home plane.

Friendships and rivalries
Allies meeting Arc Warden
 * vo_abaddon_abad_ally_03.mp3  Waste not your energy, Zet, but wield it well.
 * vo_centaur_cent_ally_10.mp3  Arc Warden, try to keep up.
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_ally_09.mp3  If you were so good at your job, how did the Ancients escape?
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_ally_10.mp3  Warden, your jurisdiction stops at the Mad Moon, right?
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_ally_18.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_ally_18.mp3   Bring forth the tempest, Arc Warden.
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_ally_09.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_ally_09.mp3   Alright, it's just a suggestion, take it or leave it at your leisure. But maybe you should start talking in the first person?
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_ally_10.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_ally_10.mp3   Arc Warden, you're not planning on sticking me in the moon or anything like that?
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_ally_09.mp3  So this whole mess is all your fault?
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_ally_10.mp3  Didn't I just see you over there?
 * vo_winter_wyvern_winwyv_ally_10.mp3  Arc Warden, you have such a magnetic personality.

Enemies killing Arc Warden
 * vo_centaur_cent_rival_28.mp3 Arc Warden, your spark goes out.
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_rival_10.mp3  I wasn't sure if someone could annoy me more than Donte, but then you had to go talking in the third person.
 * vo_ember_spirit_embr_rival_14.mp3 Rest with your tempest, Warden.
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_rival_36.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_rival_36.mp3  Never trust a--what are you anyway?
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_rival_10.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_rival_10.mp3   Arc Warden, I'll take you seriously the moment you start talking in the first person.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_rival_09.mp3  You didn't need to die, Arc Warden. I was going to end this war either way.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_rival_10.mp3  You're too weak to stop the Ancients. Leave this one to me.
 * vo_spectre_spec_redux_rival_17.mp3  The warden falls.
 * vo_spectre_spec_redux_rival_18.mp3  Imprisoned in death.
 * vo_skeleton_king_wraith_rival_14.mp3 Go back and guard your arcs.

Enemies meeting Arc Warden
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_rival_09.mp3  You may have imprisoned the Ancients, but you'll never capture me.
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_rival_09.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_rival_09.mp3   Alright fishbowl head, show me what you've got.

Others
 * vo_oracle_orac_prophecies_006.mp3  I envision not one, but two tempests to twist your fate awry.

Trivia

 * Invoker's magic bears many similarities to the Vancian magic found in Jack Vance's Dying Earth series, such as its mnemonic spellcasting and the name of a spell usually crediting its creator. There are a few differences between his magic and Vancian magic:
 * Vancian spells can be used a finite amount of times before the caster can no longer use them due to the spell being wiped out from the user's memory. However, Carl may cast his spells as much as he wants until he runs out of mana or if he swaps them out for any of the ten spells allotted to his memory—doing all of this with his mere thoughts.
 * Vancian spells can only have a single purpose and a fixed level of potency. This means that a spell that creates a large ball of fire can only do just that, the same spell cannot be used to create a smaller/larger ball of fire, nor can it be used to conjure a wave of flame. However, the level of Carl's elemental orbs can increase the potency of his spells to the point that it becomes a different spell, according to Vancian magic rules. This may just be gameplay mechanics since it has not yet been acknowledged in the lore.

Biography
Vrogros hails from the subterranean city of Aziyog, which is situated underneath the magma chambers of dormant volcanoes that give this city its obsidian structure. This powerful beast has already conquered all the lands that the underground world can offer, but this lord was never satisfied with mere regional conquest. With his mastery over the arts of the Dark Rift, Vrogros bends even space to his will to transport himself and his armies without the delays of distance and time, bringing them to the world on the surface where its nations and their inhabitants are ripe for the taking.

The first few forces of the Abyssal Horde have already walked through his rift—mere scouting parties and fodder meant to test the might of the nations above. With the knowledge imparted from their encounters, Vrogros himself finally walks through the ethereal rift to lead the charge of the Abyssal Horde as he makes his presence known to the surface world with the intent to conquer the lands before and beyond the horizon, while making the most out of the survivors of his unholy holocaust by making them his slaves or burning them in the hearth of Aziyog.

Artifact
In this strange timeline, Vrogros has yet to enter and conquer the surface world. He is currently planning his assault on Stonehall, but it also appears that he has formed an unholy alliance with the demon lords of the Court of Ristul.

Allies
After agreeing with the other lords to split power into three ways, Vrogros rules over the Court of Ristul alongside and B'Kor. It may not be said that they enjoy working together, but they are allied regardless and must keep their allegiance to maintain power over the court.

Enemies
With hostile intentions on the nation of Stonehall, it is only natural for the vengeful to be ill-disposed towards him. Vrogros' status as one of the usurpers of the Court of Ristul's positions of power makes him a target to who seeks to reclaim her seat in the demonic court.

Equipment
The soul cutting was once in Vrogros' possession before he somehow lost it due to unknown means. He replaced it with the default runic blade that we can see on his person, but he expresses his joy upon retrieving it.

Vrogros claimed the Emerald Conquest as a prize of war after a battle for the middle reaches of the Emerald Abyss. The glow of this blade is said to be so bright that one can see it from afar in the farthest borders of his obsidian dominion.

Powers
Vrogros' brute strength belies his mastery in the arts of the Dark Rift. Judging by its name and its demonstrated uses, the arts of Dark Rift seem to focus on manipulating the fabric of reality and its aspects, such as space.

Reaching into the Abyss, Vrogros calls down a to burn down everything in his wake. The Dark Rift arts might be used to summon this flame from below to bring it to the surface via teleportation.

compliments his powerful area controlling abilities. Vrogros' hatred is so powerful, it can manifest outside the mind and have an effect on his surroundings by twisting the very seams of reality to paralyze his enemies. In his lore, the "seams of reality" are also referred to as the "twist between worlds". These so-called seams or twists could possibly be the same as the seams of the cosmic tapestry that the Weavers maintain with care.

Enemies in his presence can feel his draining the conviction of battle from their souls, causing them to falter in battle.

The pinnacle of his dark arts, grants him pseudo-omnipresence with the ability to teleport himself and his vast army with him by conjuring an ethereal portal that leads to his target destination. With, Vrogros gains access to a new ability:. Lorewise, it appears to be similar to its progenitor ability with its use of dual rifts to access two points in space and move freely between them. The description for this ability implies that Dark Rift has a limitation to its range and Fiend's Gate mitigates its limits. However, its exact limitation is not stated anywhere in the lore.
 * A friendly interaction with Dawnbreaker implies that Vrogros may require coordinates of the location before he teleports towards it.

Friendship and rivalries
Allies meeting Underlord
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_ally_201.mp3  Wow, you're big.
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_ally_202.mp3  Please don't eat me.
 * vo_dawnbreaker_valora_ally_215.mp3  If I give you the coordinates, can you take us somewhere? Or do you need to know it yourself?
 * vo_grimstroke_grimstroke_ally_89.mp3  So, what's Aziyog like, Underlord? Paint me a picture.
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_ally_01.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_ally_01.mp3  Abyssal filth. Huh. This alliance will be short.
 * vo_mars_mars_ally_116.mp3  I'll see how well you fight before I bother talking to you...
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_ally_193.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_ally_193.mp3   Where're we going today, Underlord?
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_ally_194.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_ally_194.mp3   What's the worst place you've accidentally rifted to?
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_ally_199.mp3  Are we there yet, Underlord? I kid, I kid.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_ally_200.mp3  You are not going to leave me hanging when the time comes, are you?
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_ally_214.mp3  Out of the way, tubby!
 * vo_skeleton_king_wraith_ally_13.mp3 Ah, I've been looking for you. I hereby assign you Lordship of the Abyss!

Enemies killing Underlord
 * vo_abaddon_abad_rival_03.mp3 I put you under, lord.
 * vo_centaur_cent_rival_27.mp3 Back to the pit, demon.
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_rival_201.mp3  You're repugnant.
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_rival_202.mp3  I'm not going anywhere with you!
 * vo_ember_spirit_embr_rival_15.mp3 A corrupted flame, extinguished.
 * vo_ember_spirit_embr_rival_20.mp3 Ignorant of true flame.
 * vo_ember_spirit_embr_rival_21.mp3 Your fire lacks discipline.
 * vo_ember_spirit_embr_rival_22.mp3 I snub you out.
 * vo_ember_spirit_embr_rival_23.mp3 You smolder and die.
 * vo_grimstroke_grimstroke_rival_124.mp3  All that bluster, for what?
 * vo_hoodwink_hoodwink_rival_209.mp3  Wonder if I can turn these horns into some sorta charm.
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_rival_01.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_rival_01.mp3  Crawl back to your ditch, you filth!
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_rival_02.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_rival_02.mp3  Your reign ends now.
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_rival_03.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_rival_03.mp3  Abyssal scum!
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_rival_04.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_rival_04.mp3  I wanted to hear you beg!
 * vo_mars_mars_rival_140.mp3  They say you commanded armies. Did others fight in your place?
 * vo_mars_mars_rival_190.mp3  There were many who prayed for your death, Underlord. Prayers answered.
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_rival_193.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_rival_193.mp3   Get back in your pit, Underlord.
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_rival_194.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_rival_194.mp3   So much fanfare. So much disappointment.
 * vo_furion_furi_rival_05.mp3 Into the pit with you!
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_rival_201.mp3  I do not have time for your one track mind, Underlord.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_rival_202.mp3  Next!
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_rival_215.mp3  I'll shoot ya as many times as it takes.
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_rival_216.mp3  What comes up, must be put down.
 * vo_techies_tech_rival_10.mp3 That's a nice crater you've got there.
 * vo_void_spirit_voidspir_rival_116.mp3  I can go anywhere, yet have invaded nowhere. Expand your ambitions.
 * vo_skeleton_king_wraith_rival_13.mp3 Underlord. Your title is worthless here.
 * vo_skeleton_king_wraith_rival_15.mp3 And you call yourself a lord.

Others
 * vo_oracle_orac_prophecies_002.mp3 Avoid the abysmal fortune that stews in a malicious pit. Also avoid stewed prunes, and their pits.
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_duelhero_01.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_duelhero_01.mp3  Abyssal filth!
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_duelhero_02.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_duelhero_02.mp3  I've bested your kind before!

Biography
The unlucky victim of a sadistic sorcerer's summoning spell, Viper would soon realize that his freedom was the start of his enslavement. He hails from the Nether Reaches where his kin thrive in luminous caverns that have been sealed off from the world by the shifting of tectonic plates. Malevolent in nature, Viper hoped to learn from the dark magics of his captor, purposely submitting to his spells to learn them on a practical and painfully physical level.

Although he could endure most of his spells, he soon realized that some of them were too potent for him to deal with. Not wanting to risk his life any longer, he corroded the bars of his cage and spit poison in his captor's eyes before finally setting himself loose upon the world.

Artifact
Years after his escape, the joy that Viper felt from his escape soon faded into ennui. He felt that his existence was hollow due to the fact that his captor still remained in this world. He flew away to take revenge on Pugna once more to ease his trauma, but quickly realized that Pugna was just a part of a bigger problem that he had been missing on. Viper's hollow existence was filled with an evil realization: why enslave his former master when he could enslave all who were just like him? So many magicians like him summon familiars and grant them the blessing of life, only to let them live it all in servitude. And many more immerse themselves in magic for the purpose of controlling others. Viper could not stand the thought of that.

Thus was Viper enlightened. He soared out with a new purpose to enslave all who practice the vile arts of sorcery and keep them like pets in his menagerie of magicians. He has not forgotten Pugna, for he is naught but a pet that he shall soon imprison among the others who are just like him.

Personality and Mannerisms

 * Viper was already a malevolent creature prior to being summoned by Pugna. During his time as Pugna's pet, he was taught by him to be sadistic, but Pugna's ill treatment has also indirectly influenced him to enslave and dominate others—a trait that he inherited as well.
 * Viper is a hypocrite. He dislikes being enslaved and those who enslave others, but he is willing to enslave others and exploit those with the power to control others.
 * Viper is a surprisingly intelligent and inquisitive creature. Magic is a taxing, mnemonic process yet Viper has learned much about magic and spellcasting just by watching his former master while in captivity.

Allies
In Underlords, Viper seems to respect those who disdain magic, such as the. He also seems to be concerned with what Ethreain did to.

Enemies
enslaved the netherdrake and kept him as his pet. He now seeks vengeance against him for the trauma he experienced under his servitude.

Viper is on a crusade against magic and is hostile towards anyone who practices it. In Artifact, he seeks to enslave the sorcerers and. 's powers of enthrallment has piqued his interest, and he wishes to make him the keeper of his menagerie. He also wants to keep the as a pet.

In Artifact, he seems to dislike Kanna and Prellex. He dislikes the former for her mind control powers and sees her mother to be no different from her.

In Underlords, Viper encourages the elemental sisters Rylai and to kill each other.

Likely as a coincidence, Viper seeks to claim the magical city of Weeping Rose, much like his former master Pugna.

Physiology
Viper has the physiology of a typical netherdrake, but what makes him unique among his species is the presence of magic in his poison, likely obtained from enduring the spells of his former master.

He is also one of the few Heroes of Dota 2 to undergo bodily augmentations, having taken such interests from observing his former master's skill in it. Through a combination of the right sequence of spells and a great amount of suffering from tests on himself and many trial victims, Viper has managed to augment his body with a magic hood and a stinger on his arched tail. These augmentations make him confident enough to return to the Nether Reaches to reign as the most poisonous creature alive, but first he must verify the rumors of a secret passage to the now sealed caverns where his kin lives.

Powers
Viper is not a sophisticated Hero. He lacks any kind of versatility or complex abilities—all he can do is exude poison of varying potency and dosages from the orifices of his body. That is not to say that he is not a deadly creature, however. He has learned deadly spells from his master Pugna, including spells that he used for the augmentation of his body and poisons. It's possible that these magics are the same brand that Pugna is versed in: the Arts of Oblivion.

The description for his states that this ability intensifies his already powerful toxic spit. It's possible that Viper's magic enhances his poison breath, hence the mana cost required for its use.

is a much more widespread application of his inborn poison as he spews a large amount of it to create a pool of poison. The lore for this ability describes the potency of his poison: it is so powerful that any fatigue or injury sustained from his poison can be lethal.

The of a netherdrake can exude an infectious toxin to corrode those who are foolish enough to strike him at melee range. Against magical attacks, Viper's exposure to his erstwhile master's magic has hardened his body against it. The description also states that the exuding acid contributes to his magic resistance, possibly cleansing the effects of magic from his body in an acid wash.

The most powerful poison that he can produce, 's lore implies that this poison is a hemotoxin because it is said to spread through the veins and hence the bloodstream. This is the same infection that he used to slay his master.

Friendships and rivalries
Allies meeting Viper
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_ally_211.mp3  You're not a whole lot of fun to be around, Viper.
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_ally_212.mp3  Don't be getting any ideas, Jex.
 * vo_dawnbreaker_valora_ally_225.mp3  It's interesting. Your lack of sophistication makes you dangerous.
 * vo_gyrocopter_gyro_ally_01.mp3  Holy shit, it's Viper!
 * vo_medusa_medus_ally_08.mp3  Reptiles rally!
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_ally_203.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_ally_203.mp3   You're not exciting, Viper, but you sure get the job done.
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_ally_204.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_ally_204.mp3   You're Viper? Don't look like one to me.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_ally_209.mp3  The Netherdrakes do a possess a certain grace, despite all reports.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_ally_210.mp3  Am I correct in assuming I should avoid the noxious green puddles left in your wake?
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_ally_224.mp3  I try to not be prejudiced, but you don't set me at ease, Viper.
 * vo_vengefulspirit_vng_ally_03.mp3  The green shadow takes wing!

Enemies killing Viper
 * vo_batrider_bat_rival_22.mp3 Aw, Viper, and I was gonna take you out for a spin.
 * vo_dark_seer_dkseer_rival_08.mp3 Viper, I've seen your end.
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_rival_211.mp3  I'm supposed to be scared of a little acid?
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_rival_212.mp3  You're not a predator, you're a weed.
 * vo_earth_spirit_earthspi_rival_21.mp3 Viper, you fall to Earth.
 * vo_enigma_enig_rival_26.mp3 Gravity brings you down.
 * vo_grimstroke_grimstroke_rival_129.mp3  Your natural talents weren't quite enough.
 * vo_gyrocopter_gyro_rival_03.mp3 And they call me a buzzard!
 * vo_hoodwink_hoodwink_rival_219.mp3  Lot harder to fly with all those arrows in you.
 * vo_life_stealer_lifest_rival_21.mp3 Mmm, Viper…tastes like chicken.
 * vo_mars_mars_rival_143.mp3  Time for a new pair of boots!
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_rival_203.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_rival_203.mp3   Monkey vs snake. Monkey wins. Monkey always wins!
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_rival_204.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_rival_204.mp3   Let's see if your poison's good for cleaning off blood.
 * vo_outworld_destroyer_odest_rival_13.mp3 You let yourself get carried away.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_rival_211.mp3  Perhaps I must find your homeland. Just one of you wasn't even a challenge.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_rival_212.mp3  Your poison is sweet like a summer wine.
 * vo_puck_puck_rival_01.mp3 Green you may be, but I find you tiresome.
 * vo_pugna_pugna_rival_01.mp3 Ah Viper, my erstwhile pet.
 * vo_pugna_pugna_rival_02.mp3 Viper! I wondered where you had gotten to.
 * vo_pugna_pugna_rival_03.mp3 What was it, Viper? Nether Reaches lost their charm?
 * vo_pugna_pugna_rival_04.mp3 Back to the Nether Reaches with you, Viper!
 * vo_pugna_pugna_rival_05.mp3 Viper, here you fly where below you crawled.
 * vo_skywrath_mage_drag_rival_10.mp3 One source of aerial pollution curtailed.
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_rival_225.mp3  Snake's are flying now?!
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_rival_226.mp3  Hmm. Should see if there's a reward.
 * vo_stormspirit_stormspirit_rival_13.mp3 You shouldn't have spit into the wind, Viper.
 * vo_sven_sven_rival_09.mp3 Hit the ground!
 * vo_sven_sven_rival_10.mp3 Dirt nap for you!
 * vo_sven_sven_rival_11.mp3 Time to slow down.
 * vo_undying_undying_rival_01.mp3 vo_undying_undying_big_rival_01.mp3  Dead air.
 * vo_vengefulspirit_vng_rival_06.mp3 Your poison shadow is now but a crater.
 * vo_vengefulspirit_vng_rival_01.mp3 Grounded.
 * vo_venomancer_venm_rival_01.mp3 Venom beats Viper!
 * vo_venomancer_venm_rival_02.mp3 Ah, Viper, you might want to invest in some venom.
 * vo_void_spirit_voidspir_rival_121.mp3  You still wouldn't have had a chance had you learned proper magics, but it would have been closer.
 * vo_winter_wyvern_winwyv_rival_07.mp3 These are unfriendly skies for a viper.

Others
 * vo_oracle_orac_prophecies_104.mp3  V is not for visions of victory, but for a victim of a vicious viper.
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_duelhero_29.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_duelhero_29.mp3  I will bring you down!

Biography
Nature's Prophet is entrusted with the burden of keeping the woods safe. With his foresight, he can always know where he is needed and respond to the wild places and their inhabitants.

Birth
The being we know as Nature's Prophet came to be from the remains of his progenitor deity Verodicia, the Goddess of the Woods. Long ago, Verodicia toiled to prepare a nurturing environment for her living things to grow in. She planted the burgeoning spirit in the seed, lured the groundwaters deep within the aquifers, and made the sun swear its full attention to her children. But she soon realized that she will soon die without seeing her children grow. On one of the leaves inside the seed that she had planted, she saw the unswayable fate of her fall imprinted within it. Although it pained her that she would leave her seeds vulnerable, she was determined to do something about it even if she couldn't defy her destined demise.

Verodicia found one last seed in her seed pouch and spoke a single word into the seed, swallowing it as she fell. Her vast body decomposed throughout the winter season, becoming the humus that would feed her seedlings in the spring. On the morning of the vernal equinox that marked the beginning of the spring season, the last seed ripened and burst in an instant before the other seedlings could even grow. From the last seed sprouted Nature's Prophet, who inherited Verodicia's power to foresee the forest's future in the leaves of destiny, staying vigil over the green places where danger or great need may beckon the aid of the goddess' sole descendant.

Battles
The riverlands hero Castor Twin-Tusks once challenged the Nature's Prophet to an arcane duel. The prophet won the duel and now wears Castor's upper jaw on his shoulder.

The Oakfall Horn was used to summon the Nature's Prophet to Virga Truebark's side, who defied the Iron Princeling. Together, they fought their enemy side by side.

Personality and Mannerisms

 * The Prophet's disposition is like that of nature. In equal parts, nature is both caring and unforgiving. At times, the Prophet may be peaceful and gentle,  but those who fail to see the other side of nature will learn that he is no stranger to violence. Embodying the violent half of nature, he is ferocious, savage, and punishing if he needs to be.

Family
Born from the final breath of his goddess Verodicia, the Prophet is said to be her favored son. The Prophet honors his goddess and tends to all of her creations.

Allies
is related to the Prophet, who seems to share an unnamed goddess with his lore. Kaolin's goddess may possibly be Verodicia with the following speculations.
 * When meeting the Prophet, Kaolin will claim that they are both of like spirits. Kaolin will also say that the Prophet must revere him, which hints that Kaolin has authority over the Prophet.
 * Just like the Prophet, Kaolin is dedicated to a goddess who is said to tend to all life.

Enemies
Nature's Prophet bears a great hatred and rivalry towards the Society of Likeminded Keenfolk, especially and. He believes that they are a scourge on nature with their inventions that pollute and quell the forest and its inhabitants.

He rejects the presence of and his plague wards in the forest.

Physiology
Born from a special seed that was blessed by Verodicia's last breath, Nature's Prophet is made out of plant matter.

He possesses the ability to shapeshift his physical form, taking on the aspects of a tree, a predator, or prey.

Equipment
Nature's Prophet possesses a copy of the Orchid Malevolence and the Scythe of Vyse.

Before the Prophet's seed was made to sprout, Verodicia imbued a sapphire gem with a spark of her essence. This gem was a fail-safe left in the wastes of a war-torn land to restore life and restart its cycle in places that lack it.

The Prophet wears a set of natural garments made of fungi and moss infused with the essence of the Father Mushroom.

Powers
All of the Prophet's powers come from the blessing of his goddess Verodicia. With his power, he can bend nature to his will even if they are harmful or aligned against nature, such as the parasitic Cordyceps and corrupting Sufferwood. Rather than using mana or blood magic, the Prophet relies on the wrathsome will of his goddess to use his powers, tapping directly into it to work his arts.

He got his name from the foresight that he inherited from his goddess Verodicia, whose seeds contained a coiled-up spiritual plant with leaves that are imprinted with the fate and destiny of those who read it. Nature's Prophet can read the future through these leaves within the seed that birthed him, and the many branches of this plant may signify the many futures that he can see.

allows the Prophet to grow a ring of trees to fence in his opponents. In its lore, reports of the Nature's Prophet's fury state that he frequently uses this against his attackers.

does not have much lore to it, so it can simply be assumed that it is nothing but a teleportation ability.

is but one of the many abilities bestowed upon him by the woods-goddess. With this boon, he has the ability to summon the Treant Guard, a mythical sentient army in service to the greenery of Verodicia. In gameplay and lore, he can summon them using the trees as a catalyst, but it's possible that he can still summon them without using preexisting plant life.
 * It is said that not only can he summon them, but he even bends them to his will to place them under his complete control.
 * The Prophet can construct a fungal familiar named Shroom Thing, made from fungus and moss and infused with the Father Mushroom's essence.
 * He can also summon the Shroomlings to his side. A sentient, walking fungi who hail from the Drowned Forest, they are fearless and are fond of dark and damp places.

Calling upon Verodicia's fury, Nature's Prophet summons the to strike down all who wish to threaten and destroy the green places with its powerful, far-reaching energies.

Friendships and rivalries
Allies meeting Nature's Prophet
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_ally_117.mp3  I'm more of a city girl meself.
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_ally_118.mp3  I know you like making trees. I don't suppose you can add an addition to my little hollow?
 * vo_dawnbreaker_valora_ally_127.mp3  It's surprising trees don't hold more influence in these lands.
 * vo_drowranger_drow_ally_02.mp3  Prophet, you and I will reclaim these woods.
 * vo_earth_spirit_earthspi_ally_14.mp3  Come Prophet, we are of like spirits.
 * vo_earth_spirit_earthspi_ally_15.mp3  My Prophet, we shall defend these lands.
 * vo_hoodwink_hoodwink_ally_123.mp3  You always think you know best, Prophet. I don't care who sprout you, no one bosses me around in my woods.
 * vo_lone_druid_lone_druid_rival_29.mp3  Tell me what you see for us, Prophet.
 * vo_lone_druid_lone_druid_bearform_rival_29.mp3  Tell me what you see for us, Prophet.
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_ally_113.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_ally_113.mp3   Just don't go moving the trees when I need 'em, Prophet.
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_ally_114.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_ally_114.mp3   Forcing trees to fight goes against their nature, Prophet.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_ally_121.mp3  So do the trees like what you do to them, Prophet?
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_ally_122.mp3  I prefer a straight up fight to all this sneaking around, but sometimes victory does require a bit of subterfuge.
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_ally_126.mp3  I don't share my nephew's prejudice, Prophet.
 * vo_shredder_timb_ally_02.mp3  You.. make.. tree-people… Okay P-prophet, I don't think we can be friends.
 * vo_treant_treant_ally_08.mp3  Greetings, little tree.
 * vo_ursa_ursa_ally_01.mp3  Nature's Prophet, your presence foretells our victory.

Enemies killing Nature's Prophet
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_rival_117.mp3  You think trees are going to stop me?
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_rival_118.mp3  I'm not afraid of the forest, Prophet.
 * vo_death_prophet_dpro_rival_07.mp3 Nature's Prophet? Nature's loss.
 * vo_death_prophet_dpro_rival_08.mp3 What could be more natural than death, Prophet?
 * vo_drowranger_drow_rival_17.mp3 The woods have spoken, and they chose me.
 * vo_drowranger_drow_rival_18.mp3 Let's put it to a vote.
 * vo_earthshaker_erth_rival_16.mp3 Thus I confound the Prophet.
 * vo_earthshaker_erth_rival_17.mp3 It was time to clear the underbrush.
 * vo_earth_spirit_earthspi_rival_24.mp3 My greatest prophet, I had to put you down.
 * vo_earth_spirit_earthspi_rival_25.mp3 Prophet, you turn against the one you should revere.
 * vo_earth_spirit_earthspi_rival_26.mp3 I prophesied your treachery.
 * vo_earth_spirit_earthspi_rival_27.mp3 You are no prophet of mine.
 * vo_ember_spirit_embr_rival_13.mp3 A forest fire begins.
 * vo_ember_spirit_embr_rival_12.mp3 Your minions, my fuel.
 * vo_grimstroke_grimstroke_rival_72.mp3  Death doesn't suit you. Perhaps you'll grow into it.
 * vo_hoodwink_hoodwink_rival_123.mp3  Look, I told you I'm not big on affiliations. Stay outta wherever I am.
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_rival_30.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_rival_30.mp3  Never trust a tree.
 * vo_leshrac_lesh_lasthit_09.mp3 Two legged freak!
 * vo_life_stealer_lifest_rival_14.mp3 Nature's Prophet…bleh…your life tastes like sap!
 * vo_lone_druid_lone_druid_rival_17.mp3 vo_lone_druid_lone_druid_bearform_rival_17.mp3  Even you must respect my mission, Prophet.
 * vo_lone_druid_lone_druid_rival_18.mp3 vo_lone_druid_lone_druid_bearform_rival_18.mp3  Why would the Prophet stand against me?
 * vo_lone_druid_lone_druid_rival_19.mp3 vo_lone_druid_lone_druid_bearform_rival_19.mp3  I never thought the day would come that the Prophet's blood stained my hands.
 * vo_mars_mars_rival_96.mp3  Ugh, that almost felt like...work!
 * vo_medusa_medus_rival_11.mp3 Oh, look — a petrified forest!
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_rival_113.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_rival_113.mp3   Pulling root was your ruin, Prophet.
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_rival_114.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_rival_114.mp3   Trees offer no protection from me.
 * vo_outworld_destroyer_odest_rival_03.mp3 It was in my nature to destroy you, Prophet.
 * vo_outworld_destroyer_odest_rival_20.mp3 False prophet!
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_rival_119.mp3  And so you find your head on the chopping block, Prophet.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_rival_120.mp3  And that is for dulling my blade on your bark!
 * vo_puck_puck_rival_04.mp3 What is this nature you speak of?
 * vo_pudge_pud_rival_04.mp3 You call him Prophet. I call him roughage.
 * vo_razor_raz_rival_13.mp3 My lightning shattered that old stump.
 * vo_sandking_sand_rival_13.mp3 So much greenery is unnatural.
 * vo_sandking_sand_rival_14.mp3 I have no time for shrubbery.
 * vo_sandking_sand_rival_15.mp3 What a shrub.
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_rival_126.mp3  You set about me n' mine and this is what's coming to ya.
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_rival_127.mp3  Grew a bit too big for your grassy britches.
 * vo_spectre_spec_redux_rival_02.mp3 Your death was in this one's nature, prophet.
 * vo_stormspirit_stormspirit_rival_09.mp3 When you strip away his leaves, Nature's Prophet is just plain gnarly.
 * vo_sven_sven_rival_26.mp3 Stay awhile, Prophet!
 * vo_terrorblade_terr_rival_06.mp3 vo_terrorblade_terr_morph_rival_06.mp3  vo_terrorblade_terr_shards_rival_06.mp3  Down with false prophets.
 * vo_terrorblade_terr_rival_07.mp3 vo_terrorblade_terr_morph_rival_07.mp3  vo_terrorblade_terr_shards_rival_07.mp3  You'll imprison no more in your ring of trees.
 * vo_shredder_timb_rival_07.mp3 Trees do have a way of dying around me!
 * vo_shredder_timb_rival_05.mp3 Your friends are next, Prophet!
 * vo_shredder_timb_rival_06.mp3 Oh don't die yet. I'm not finished with you.
 * vo_tinker_tink_rival_05.mp3 Science: One. Nature's Prophet: Nothing!
 * vo_tinker_tink_rival_06.mp3 Nature's profit, your loss!
 * vo_treant_treant_rival_02.mp3 By my bark!
 * vo_treant_treant_rival_03.mp3 That's enough now, little tree.
 * vo_ursa_ursa_rival_10.mp3 I'll sharpen my claws in your bark, Prophet!
 * vo_void_spirit_voidspir_rival_71.mp3  Living things die.

Enemies dying to Nature's Prophet
 * vo_dark_seer_dkseer_rival_01.mp3 Couldn't see the forest…for the trees.
 * vo_lone_druid_lone_druid_death_19.mp3 vo_lone_druid_lone_druid_bearform_death_19.mp3  Prophet, why?
 * vo_lone_druid_lone_druid_death_20.mp3 vo_lone_druid_lone_druid_bearform_death_20.mp3  Betrayed.

Others
 * vo_oracle_orac_prophecies_061.mp3  Your life shall be uprooted by a shaggier prophet than I.
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_duelhero_22.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_duelhero_22.mp3  Defend your beard!

Biography
This strange alien being hails from another universe whose inhabitants have exiled him for reasons that are best left unknown, lest we be inflicted by the same fear that consumed his predecessors. For those willing to hear his backstory, prepare yourselves to hear the tale of the great foreseer whose prophecies may be certain, but his intentions are not.

Origins
For ages, those who inherited the Great Seat of Cymurri relied on the Oracles, imported to them exclusively from the ancient school of the Ivory Incubarium that was situated high in the hollow peaks of Zealot's Range. Despite this powerful, mystical advantage of having foresight at their side, such power comes at a mere monetary price. Downpayment was made by the time an Oracle's embryo develops, with the remaining balance paid on delivery of a mature, well-trained Oracle to the Gate of the Graven King.

In the Ivory Incubarium, the Oracles are bred and birthed from the Pallid Sybils, who raise and train them until they have come into their own. Using their physical forms as an anchor to the material plane, their souls roamed afar while still being bound by the faintest astral tether. Returning from their cosmic roamings, they would report back with mystic utterances that were analyzed by the Cymurri Advisors who found in them visions of the future and diplomatic advice. These prophecies were a powerful resource that the Graven King lineage used to secure victory in every campaign in the court or on the battlefield, filling the pages of the Graventome with the names of successful kings and the domains they have captured. This trend would persist until a certain Oracle named Nerif wrote the last page to signify the end of the stone-helmed kings.

At first, Nerif's prophecies were unusual. Most Oracles speak of what they see in the future, but Nerif spoke of the future as if he was shaping it with his words. He croaked out advice that no one requested, and suddenly the Cymurri found themselves in conflicts with new enemies. Sensing a threat to their power, the Cymurri blamed Nerif and demanded his removal. They appealed to the Sybils to replace their defective prophet with a worthy substitute. But Nerif portended an ominous dream of the Incubarium's destruction, and news of its destruction in an avalanche came a few hours later. Fearing that they may face the same fate as the Pallid Sybils and their school, the Cymurri Advisors retreated to their counsel chambers, away from the harbinger's notice.

But the incumbent Graven King was a practical and opportunistic person. Where his advisors saw bad tidings and the ability to realize them, the Graven King saw only the latter in this strange augur. An Oracle of such rarity, he reasoned, ought to be used as a weapon to enlarge his domain. Hence he demoted his advisors and stationed Nerif at his side. With a superficial understanding of his power, he persuaded Nerif to utter his wishes as prophecy.

Initially, all was going well. He boasted that by adopting Fate's pet, he had made a plaything out of Fate itself. He should've taken it as a warning when, on the eve of his invasion on the Unsated Satrap's realm, Nerif quietly muttered "It could go either way" when the Graven King coerced him to make a prediction of certain victory. The King could nor force anything else beyond that, but nevertheless he was confident in his army. The Satrapy was landlocked, poorly armed, and shut off from all possible allies. He thought his prophecy meant that with tactical might on his side, there was little risk in his plan.

Perhaps the Graven King should've taken the sayer's words more literally, but knowing what had happened after that, it wouldn't change anything. Even with careful study of the Annotated Annals of If, what happened on the field before the Satrap's palace was impossible to visualize. In the midst of the skirmish, Nerif had literally split reality, dividing the battle's every moment into two outcomes as they all played out. Soldiers who staggered and fell in battle also found themselves unmoved and able to fight, soldiering onward to battle. Even their minds were split into two as they all experienced the state of being both alive and dead, existent and nonexistent, triumphant and defeated.

The Graven King, the Unsated Satrap, and both of their forces could not comprehend a paradoxical situation and they all fell into insanity as the universe became a hall of mirrors that reflected each moment's alternate outcome, endlessly shattering into even more shards of reflection. The opposing but paired realities continued to split and split again, echoing into infinite continuums, all of them populated by a populace that soon lost the ability to feed, clothe, defend, or reproduce itself in the traditional manner.

But before the repercussions could even happen, the wary Cymurri Advisors had seized Nerif, tied him up and sealed his mouth, before placing him in a dimensional barque that was launched out of their universe at high speed, hoping that they could banish him to a place where he could not harm anyone forever. It was, of course, too late for them. And now that his barque has somehow brought him into our universe, it could very well be for us.

The Contract
A lone assassin closes in on a building perched between the walls of a valley. The dark figure leaps from ledge to ledge as she makes her way into the establishment. In accordance to her ever-changing list, she leaps over one unsuspecting guard, but doesn't spare the others as she walks through a massive door.

The intruder is revealed to be the Phantom Assassin, who has come to slay Nerif for the Veiled Ones. Nerif utters her forbidden name as he taunts her lack of perspective, much to the surprise of his would-be killer. He then tells her the many possibilities that he has seen of this encounter and concludes with the one thing that they all have in common: she has never known why she was sent here to begin with.

Mortred silences the soothsayer as she holds a dagger to his neck and assures him that she has a name to expunge from her list, which is all that she needs to know. Unmoved, Nerif tells her that she is missing something, evident in her refusal to kill him. Something is holding her back and gnawing at her—although her killings have shaped the world around her, she has never known the consequences beyond them and how they've shaped the world as well. Compelled, Mortred asks him about the truths that he could possibly tell her, and the soothsayer responds with a grin on his face.

"Everything...if you wish. But first, a favor."

Nerif turns to his back and reveals a projection of reality's many timelines. He explains that, rather than seeing the patterns of stars as mere shapes of animals or figures, he sees the starry constellations in the sky as a pattern of timelines. To him, these timelines are prophecies that presage his death should they result in it. Although he has died across many timelines, he has taken heed to the ones where his murderers have proven themselves to be the most lethal nemeses to him across time.

Before he could finish his explanation, Mortred makes it known that he wants these people dead. Having reached an understanding, Nerif materializes the Manifold Paradox in his hands and entrusts it to her so that she may be aided in her contract. She then curiously inspects the blade.

Artifact
Nerif is not involved in any of the events of Artifact, but he is mentioned by Ish'Kafel. Hearing of the Oracle's precognition abilities, he seeks him out as a powerful ally or a foe worth testing his skills against.

Dragon's Blood
Nerif is not involved in any of the events of Dragon's Blood. He makes a brief physical appearance at the very beginning of the first episode and continues to narrate the intro when he is offscreen. Here, he introduces the viewer to the origins of the Dota universe, the Chaos of the Infinite, the introduction of the Nemesis Stones, and Terrorblade's plan to remake creation.

Acquaintances
In the Artifact timeline, the has heard of this strange sayer, but has yet to meet him. Ish'Kafel heard of his claims that he had the ability to see every possibility, a gift that any practitioner of chance would covet. If this is true, then he must seek him out as a powerful ally, or at the very least a worthy foe worth testing his prediction skills against.

Allies
Although he has seen his death in the hands of the across an ocean of possibilities, he has managed to sway Mortred to his side with answers that she may need to know. Striking a deal with his former assassin, Nerif has bound her to a contract, giving her a pair of reality cutting blades to help her fulfill it. Who knows what Nerif might repay her with in exchange for killing his nemeses...

Foresight
All Oracles have the ability to see the future, and Nerif is no exception. To see the future, the soul of an Oracle must drift far beyond the material plane while still being bound to their physical form by their soul's tether, roaming far afield until they return. From there, the Oracle will report back with mystic utterances: "words of fire" spoken with "tongues of flesh". It appears that their mystic utterances are vague or something similar because they must be analyzed first in order to unlock the prophecies found in them.

As for where their souls go to see the future, it can be speculated that they can see the future in the Astral Plane. According to Inai, the map of all time is found in the Astral Plane, which appears in the form of lines across the spiritual plane.

Causality
Lorewise, Nerif is one of the most powerful Heroes in Dota 2's roster. Perhaps it would be wrong to call it a prophecy, because Nerif's words may actually come true in short notice. That is, if he wills it to be. When Nerif portends something, be it a detailed explanation or a vague sentence, it is bound to happen in reality. His prophecies destroyed the Ivory Incubarium just after he described a vision where it was crushed under an avalanche, and reality (on a local scale) endlessly split itself into an infinite multiverse when he just said "It could go either way" in response to the Graven King's demands.

Fate and causality are quite intertwined, so it's only natural for Nerif to be able to manipulate the latter. Even his prophecies can break causality to create a paradox of a specific event where both outcomes can occur at the same time, even if it's impossible like being existent and nonexistent at the same time. When Nerif split causality during the invasion of the Satrapy, the participants' minds were also split so that they could experience both outcomes as they happened at the same time.

Powers
Nerif's powers reflect his double-edged words: It could go either way. Each of his abilities can achieve two opposing outcomes, one that benefits himself or his team, or one that benefits his enemies. As the great foreseer would often say: "The odds are with us. Or are they?"

The astral orb that floats in his hands is a catalyst for. Channeling power into the orb, it shoots a bolt of raw energy that temporarily disrupts an enemy's connection to their own body. Basically, this power forces an astral projection on the opponent, which might be the reason why the enemy is stopped (in gameplay) since one cannot animate the body without a soul in it. The description for this ability also state that its energy is "scouring", which explains its ability to remove effects.

Using his powers over fate, Nerif decrees an unbreakable on a chosen ally's destiny. The prophecy resounds: "A chosen ally shall briefly suffer no magics. Other kinds of suffering however..." Besides its absolute protection over magic, it would seem that this power comes at a price.

Friendships and rivalries
Allies meeting Oracle
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_ally_129.mp3  You and I could make a killing Oracle.
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_ally_130.mp3  Hey Oracle, I'm not going to die today, am I?
 * vo_dawnbreaker_valora_ally_139.mp3  My old masters tried to manipulate fate. It cost them.
 * vo_ember_spirit_embr_ally_09.mp3  What do you see, Oracle?
 * vo_grimstroke_grimstroke_ally_53.mp3  Do you ever fall prey to a sudden reversal of inspiration, Oracle?
 * vo_grimstroke_grimstroke_ally_54.mp3  Was my rise foreseen, Oracle? What would have become of her... of us... had I taken another path?
 * vo_hoodwink_hoodwink_ally_135.mp3  I'm not interested in my future. Now's all I need.
 * vo_mars_mars_ally_76.mp3  That's not what an oracle looks like!
 * vo_mars_mars_ally_77.mp3  If you spoil the ending of this fight, I'll...Well, I'm sure you can work out the rest!
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_ally_125.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_ally_125.mp3   Never tell me the odds.
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_ally_126.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_ally_126.mp3   I can see the future, too, Oracle. It looks like victory.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_ally_133.mp3  Don't tell me how it turns out, Oracle. It's more fun to be surprised.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_ally_134.mp3  Tell me one thing, Oracle. On the day of my funeral... Will she weep for me?
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_ally_138.mp3  Babble all you like, Oracle. Just don't ask for a nickel.
 * vo_void_spirit_voidspir_ally_40.mp3  I have not gleaned what comes beyond this battle, Oracle. Is your sight the same?
 * vo_skeleton_king_wraith_ally_12.mp3  Oracle, you must have foreseen that your future lies with me.

Enemies killing Oracle
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_rival_129.mp3  Too easy.
 * vo_dark_willow_sylph_rival_130.mp3  I don't need to see the future. My victory is inevitable.
 * vo_grimstroke_grimstroke_rival_78.mp3  My hand alone shapes the future to come.
 * vo_hoodwink_hoodwink_rival_135.mp3  Wait wait, I want to think of one you never heard before or after.
 * vo_hoodwink_hoodwink_rival_136.mp3  Yeah, I'm not real keen on what you said about dying in a fire. That's what my crossbow likes to call a trigger warning.
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_rival_25.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_rival_25.mp3  Never trust a wizard.
 * vo_mars_mars_rival_103.mp3  I'll keep your tongue as a talisman for a time!
 * vo_mars_mars_rival_104.mp3  Mortal royalty should thank me!
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_rival_125.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_rival_125.mp3   Tell me you saw this coming.
 * vo_monkey_king_monkey_rival_126.mp3 vo_monkey_king_monkey_crown_rival_126.mp3   I'll trust my staff over your whispered dreams, Oracle.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_rival_131.mp3  And that's why we fight the battle, Oracle.
 * vo_pangolin_pangolin_rival_132.mp3  So you can see the future and you still picked the losing side?
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_rival_138.mp3  I'm sure you won this one in your dreams, Oracle.
 * vo_snapfire_snapfire_rival_139.mp3  You couldn't tell durana dung from honey.
 * vo_spectre_spec_redux_rival_16.mp3 Did you foresee this?
 * vo_terrorblade_terr_rival_30.mp3 vo_terrorblade_terr_morph_rival_30.mp3  vo_terrorblade_terr_shards_rival_30.mp3  Did you see that coming, Oracle?
 * vo_void_spirit_voidspir_rival_77.mp3  It isn't prophecy so much as foresight and an excellent vantage.
 * vo_skeleton_king_wraith_rival_23.mp3 No amount of foresight could have prepared you.

Others
 * vo_legion_commander_legcom_duelhero_21.mp3 vo_legion_commander_legcom_dem_duelhero_21.mp3  Face your omens!