Venomancer/Lore

Venomancer
	About
	Associated With
Places	Jidi Isle; Acid Jungles; Bay of Fradj
Gods	Aktok
Species	Spitterpede; Fradjan Moth

Lore

Old Abilities

Changelogs

Known Bugs

Lesale Deathbringer, the Venomancer

In the Acid Jungles of Jidi Isle, poison runs in the veins and bubbles in the guts of every creature that scuttles, climbs or swoops between fluorescent vines dripping with caustic sap. Yet even in this toxic menagerie, Venomancer is acknowledged as the most venomous. Ages ago, an Herbalist named Lesale crossed the Bay of Fradj by coracle, searching for potent essences that might be extracted from bark and root, and found instead a nightmare transformation. Two leagues into Jidi's jungle, Lesale encountered a reptile camouflaged as an epiphyte, which stung him as he mistakenly plucked it. In desperation, he used his partial knowledge of the jungle's herbal bounty, mixing the venom of the (swiftly throttled) reptile with the nectar of an armored orchid, to compound an antidote. In the moments before a black paralysis claimed him completely, he injected himself by orchid-thorn, and instantly fell into a coma.

Seventeen years later, something stirred in the spot where he had fallen, throwing off the years' accumulation of humus: Venomancer. Lesale the Herbalist no longer—but Lesale the Deathbringer. His mind was all but erased, and his flesh had been consumed and replaced by a new type of matter—one fusing the venom of the reptile with the poisonous integument of the orchid. Jidi's Acid Jungles knew a new master, one before whom even the most vicious predators soon learned to bow or burrow for their lives. The lurid isle proved too confining, and some human hunger deep in the heart of the Venomancer drove Lesale out in search of new poisons—and new deaths to bring.

Prior to entering the Acid Jungle, Lesale already had some knowledge of its plants and animals.^[1]
The cocoon of a Fradjan Moth was inside the armor orchid Lesale used to concoct his antidote. Because of this, the moth's physiology has been merged into his new form.^[2]

Encounter with the Aktok cultists

Once, after a battle, Lesale crawled into a crack in the ground to recover from his injuries. Little did he know that the spot was a gathering place for worshippers of Aktok, an ancient serpent god. When the followers came to the spot to offer their sacrifices, they mistake Lesale for an avatar of Aktok, and worshiped him accordingly. Lesale accepted their offerings, resting until his strength returned, then rose to follow the cultists back to their village, where he ate them all.^[3]