Samael Armons

“	Tempora Mutantur, et nos mutamur in illis	”
–Samael's motto, Translated("Times change, and we change with the times")

Lord Samael Armons
Be sure to get my good side
Age	Claims he's mid twenties
Gender	Male
Occupation	Baron of the Kinshra Knights
Religion	Zamorakian
Alignment	Chaotic Neutral
Pros	Chocolate Saturdays
Cons	White Chocolate Saturdays
Status	Hungover

Lord Samael Armons is the present and former leader of the Kinshra Knights, superseding Baron Corbin. Records show his family have been serving the Kinshra for many generations and as a result Samael managed to acquire a high ranking position with little work. Described by some as an 'alcoholic nincompoop', his high success rate as a commander in battles has often shut them up.

Appearance

Samael appears to be in his middle ages and has blue eyes and long black hair. He is roughly 5ft, 10 and has a slim build. Samael is normally found wearing his armour when working or at battles but out of work he tends to wear expensive red or black clothing. He owns more silk pajamas than anyone else in the Kinshra. Samael also carries a cane with him, which functions as a weapon to discipline misbehaving knights, to look stylish and also comes apart to form a wand and baton. He also wears a single silvthril gauntlet on his left hand which he uses as a weapon, to look more powerful and as a mirror to check his reflection.

Personality

Vain is the word most people use to describe him (the most common word that wouldn't get censored), this is often true, as shown by the fact the moment after a battle ends he decides to fix his hair. Despite there being no obvious signs of depression Samael is a severe alcoholic and often drinks from a hip flask even during battle, out of battle he enjoys lounging by the fire with a cocktail and pleasant company. Samael is homosexual, however he isn't open about it, though most people have guessed as much based on his reactions around new squires.

Despite all that, Samael is often ruthless, he appears to show little fear of death and often gives punishments such as locking misbehaving knights in a burning room. In battle he takes few prisoners other than important people. Samael is also said to be mysterious, often housing a secret agenda of some kind. It was common knowledge that Samael had been after the Kinshra leadership for ages and finally acquired it after much effort.

Abilities

“	Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses	”
–Samael, showing off his knowledge of ancient culture to his former commander

Samael boasts about a fine education in which he learnt about ancient history, a passion of his. He boasts he can name every officer in Zamoraks army throughout the god wars and when they perished, though this has yet to be proven. Samael also has a good knowledge of ancient magic, particularly smoke, which is his main form of attack. This is mostly used for support in battles such as providing a smoke screen or blinding enemies, though he can use it to increasingly damaging effects.

Samaels skill at commanding, based on his win record, is very high. Often preferring quality over quantity he tries to make as few casualties as possible for his side and has won battles without losing any men before. Many claim that this is mostly based on luck but Samael dismisses those claims. Samael is also able to scratch his head and rub his tummy at the same time.

History

“

In a moment... a story this good needs an especially good wine

”

Beginnings

Samael Armons was born to Herold and Eleonor Armons in the 2nd age, the Armons family had served the Ancient Empire well during it's beginnings and was now reaping the rewards. They lived in a small settlement called Rokenwood, a community consisting of mostly labourers who paid taxes of which the Armons claimed a small percentage. The workers earned little money, most were descendants from the old settlements forcibly taken into the empire. But the Armons cared not, they had worked hard and earned their reward, a large manor that overlooked the settlement. Samael grew up wanting little, his home was often host to extravagant parties, where the rich and powerful of the empire would visit and unwind. Samael grew up thinking having parties with demons, Vampyres and Mahjarrat invited was a common thing. Samael would claim later in his life that Zamorak himself attended one such get together, though this is likely false.

Samael was given the finest education that could be given in the 2nd age, when he was 5 one tutor discovered Samael had an affinity with magic. Samael was afterwords taught the Ancient Magiks by his uncle Dimexius Sowfcoven, a rising star amongst human magicians in Senntisten. Uncle Max as Samael called him, found that Samael had a strong affinity with Smoke Magic, though he was still quite capable in the other elements. By age 10 Samael could manipulate smoke to great effect, and would've been considered an expert in the field. Life was going well for Samael.

At age 13 the Armons manor caught alight whilst the staff and the Armons were asleep. Everyone perished except for Samael who managed to survive. As Herold Armons was an important man an investigation was started by the empire, the investigation was lead by an Avernic demon, Rok'kan, a friend of the family (As close to friend you could get with a demon) who had lost his arm in combat, he was taken out of the military and worked as a patrolman in Senntisten. Despite Rok-kan being in this position he proved himself and correctly identified the criminal as the head farmer, who had gotten fed up with the Armons over increased taxes. Rok'kan took the farmer to an empty house and invited Samael.

"This is the man who killed your family" Rok'kan said. Samael stared, unable to bring together the right words, an anger was welling up inside him. "I regret what I did, I was just so mad, and he never listened to us..." he said, realizing Samael wasn't listening. Smoke began to form around Samaels hand and it suddenly enveloped the man, he started to choke as it filled his lungs, Samael carried on further before the man looked at him, his eyes going blank, Samael was stunned and stopped the spell. The man choked, falling to the floor before looking up at Sam. "I'm so sor--" he stopped as a tremendous force knocked him back and against a beam, there was a crack and he fell to the floor. Rok'kan had knocked him back, the mans breath was very faint. The demon lifted his foot and brought it down on the mans skull, there was a large snapping sound, the mans breathing stopped. Samael stared at his parents killer, the sight of the skull caved in and the power that caused it, it would set Samael on his chosen path in life. "You didn't want to let him go, I can see it in your eyes. It doesn't matter how much skill you have, you don't have the heart to use it" Rok'kan said. Samael nodded. "Your right, I need to get stronger" he said, smoke twirled around his fingers.

Samael would take those words to heart, but for now he was homeless, all that was left of his inheritance was the village that betrayed his family in his eyes. Samael was taken in by his uncle.

(Brief history of Dimexius Sowfcoven for record keeping sake) Dimexius was born into poverty, his parents barely managing to support their 2 children. Max as he preferred to be known would often be forced to steal stuff to later sell, one day he stole some runes and started to play with them. His father noticed one day that he had managed to create a fireball that just hung in mid air, he knew his son was destined for greatness, but couldn't afford to nurture his talents, he decided to enlist him as a cadet In the military. Max's skill grew to greatness, so much so that he found himself in the elite units alongside demons and mahjarrat. During one fight against a well armed group of saradominist rebels, he managed to successfully repel the attack whilst only 5 of his group remained. This was the battle Rok'kan lost his arm and Max saved his life, Max left the army shortly after and met a woman, Aura Borus. A young scholar who was studying memories. The two were married the next year. Max would be 28 when he would take care of his sisters son, Samael. (end)

While Max was a brilliant mage his skills as a carer were poor. They were both too dedicated to their studies. Fortunately Sam learnt to take care of himself, as well as studying himself, often borrowing Max and Aura's books and notes. 2 years later Max was lacking inspiration in what to study, he was already 30 and soon the effects of age would catch up with him, he would often go down to a local private club that was frequented by those who had served in the elite units. Max was at the bar one day with his old comrade Robas Gallanden, or Rob.

(BH of Robas Gallanden) Robas was born to a family of average wealth, he would use his pocket money to buy spellbooks and runes, he got a place at a special academy where humans were trained in the art of magic. Robas got bored of it though and joined the military, he was one of the 5 in Max's group who survived. He was about 10 years older than Max and had stayed on in the military. (end)

Max explained to Rob about his lack of drive. When they got to the subject of age Rob also despaired and joked about having the lifespan of a demon. This got Max thinking, Rok'kan was also present in the bar, not that demons drank, he was there to play games, usually at high stakes, he tended to come out on top. Max went over and started to talk whilst they played a game of cards. "I was wondering, why do demons last so long?" he asked. Rok chuckled. "I thought we were here to play, not discuss philosophy" he said. "I merely meant to ask, 'how' do demons last so long, also I do believe I've won that hand" he said, laying his cards out. There was a huff from Rok. "I wondered how you got so good in so little time being a human" "It's called determination, now imagine if I had the lifespan of a demon" "You want to become a demon?" Max chuckled. "No, I like the way I am, except my hourglass has precious little sand in it, so I was wondering if you knew a way to add a little more" Rok thought for a bit. "Hah, a challenge. I was getting bored of patrolling these streets anyway. Meet me back here tomorrow, I'll bring some friends. Bring any other skilled mages you find and trust." he said.

When Max arrived at home he explained to Aura what had gone down, he asked her whether she wanted to take part, she agreed. Samael overheard them and asked if he could help. Max initially said no, but Samael persuaded him. Aura mentioned that she had a friend who would be very interested in the idea, an old scholar friend. Aura took the two of them to a shop called Parkenons Horologist and Clockmakers, an old man sat behind the counter carefully fiddling with a watch. He looked up. "I'm here to see Horace" she said to him. The man shook his head. "I'm not sure I understand" She sighed. "Har'Kras" she said. "I'm a friend of Anna's" she said. He nodded. "The master is upstairs, working on one of his projects" he said. "Anna's in the basement if you wanted to see her" he said. Aura nodded and went downstairs, Sam and Max stayed behind, Aura brought up another woman in a white gown. "This is Anna, she specializes in animal biology" Aura said. She nodded. "Aura's told me about you, and that you had something to talk to us about" she said. Anna lead them upstairs to a room filled with clocks, mechanisms and in one part, masks. Sitting at the craftsman table was a strange looking figure, it was working on some sort of clockwork mechanism. "Horace, we've got guests" Anna said. 'Horace' got up and turned around. Max eyed him with unease, like he had seen an old foe. "It's an aviansie, your pretty far from home" he said. Samael had only ever read about them, bird like creatures who worshipped a god in an empire far to the West. This one was skinny, with a brown and black plumage, a head like a hawk which sat a craftsman's monocle. His voice was different to how Samael would have imagined it, like his old voice had been replaced, however certain syllables were spoken in a high pitch. "Greetings Aura, who are your friends" he asked. "This is Max, my husband. And my nephew Samael." Horace carefully lowered his monacle. "Samael? Your the kid who had his house burn around him, I do hope you found justice" he said. Sam looked to the side.

(Backstory, again) Horace was one of the first of his species to hatch outside Abbinah, in a country that would later become Kandarin. When he was 10 he was captured and his parents killed. A group of bandits were hoping to sell him as a pet in one of the larger settlements, fortunately he was saved by a young man of 17. The man had hoped to bring him back home, but he didn't have the resources to make the journey. So he took him in and promised he would take him home one day. Raising an aviansie was difficult, and the man would often have to rely on the advice of travelers to help him out. The man took a job as a craftsman and Horace helped out, Horace showed great skill at his job and helped the man earn a decent amount of coin. It was tough and it was only 40 years later that they had enough coin to make the trip. Horace had grown up and became a master craftsman, as well as studying as a mage, specializing in enchantments. However when the man told Horace that they had enough, he shook his head and saying his home was here. The man had already started a family and had children, he decided to use the coin to move to Senntisten, and start a business. Horace tended to stay in the upper rooms away from the public, due to the negative image of his species. As the man got older found it difficult to keep looking after Horace, who was really only in his young teens, despite being in his 60's, the rest of the family had moved away except one, Anna, his granddaughter.

Anna stayed behind to continue her studies, she would often write papers on the characteristics and traits of animals, she also trained as a mage and was often helped by Horace. The two were good friends, though they had few others, Aura was one of those few. (end)

"I don't know about this" Horace said. "Of course not you've got another thousand or so years left, you wouldn't understand" Anna said. Horace looked down, before looking up. "Where are we meeting?" he asked.

It was cold, they were in a private room at the back of the club, the icebox was often used by ice demons, a rare breed. Sitting at the largest table sat Rok'kan, some kind of table top game brought over from Infernus had been left on the table. Rok'kan greeted them. "So you want to improve humanity. Well your not the first ones, a few years ago we had a cult, practicing something similar, for a ghastly purpose. Of course we executed the whole lot of them, though there was one surviving member of the group" he said. Pointing to the corner, a young man, probably a few years older sat in the corner, staring at the wall. "He's agreed to help you with your project". The man walked over and stood by the table. "My name is Seth Rhines" he said. "Rhines as in the Rhines family, those madmen" Max said. Seth nodded.

(Seth Backstory)

The Rhines were a strange family, the head was a mad mage, who practiced any and every kind of magic, especially forbidden. Most of the members weren't related to him, because they were in reality a cult. The Silver Cocoon were a group of people who believed that humans were merely the larval stage of an even greater creature, that they could transcend into mighty beings. Seth was born into the group, his parents both members. However Seth spent most of his time in the houses library, studying and training in magic, unfortunately for him he was to subject to the next ritual. Fortunately before the ritual was fully complete the Senntisten Guard burst in, as Seth was in the ritual circle they assumed he was a prisoner so didn't kill him. With no place to really go, Seth worked for the guard under Rok'kan, who also taught him to use Smoke Magic more effectively.

(End)

Seth produced some papers that showed the ritual they were going to do to perform on him. Max looked them over, it was like nothing he'd ever seen before. He'd never really studied rituals, but his wife had, she looked it over with a sense of shock and interest. "It's not perfect, it would need some refining, could take months, years. This is new stuff, I'm amazed they got this far" she said. "So then, shall we get started" Rok'kan said.

The Black Rose

Everyday the group met up underneath the Parkenons shop, the basement was quite large, it comfortably fit everyone inside with enough room to store stuff. Aura was heading the research into the ritual, one group made of Max, Rob and Aura were concentrating on the mechanics of the ritual, whilst Anna and Horace had to create some sort of catalyst. Samael and Seth were given a minor role at first, usually fetching things for the groups. Sam and Seth got on well, Sam was especially interested in the ideology of the cult Seth had grown up in, Seth would often advise against it, talking of the horrors that went on there. As they spoke they discussed where the strength would come from, Seth said the idea was to steal strength from as many humans as possible, Sam replied saying it was inefficient and that it would be better to take the strength from creatures stronger than human. This realization helped solve one of the problems with the ritual and the team was surprised, they both were put to work to help solve the next problem, they both worked with Anna in trying to create the bond between both species.

TBC

Recent History

“

Ah, my rise to power. Now... where to begin?

”

Enter Stage Right

It was a particularly cloudy day in Northern Asgarnia, the Kinshra Fortress stood protecting the land from the dangers of the Wilderness. As usual there was a guard at the portcullis, he gave a yawn and looked out towards the countryside, no bandits, no goblins, nothing. However suddenly something came over the horizon, the guard drew his sword. As his eyes focused he saw it was just a man, not a particularly powerful one at that either. The man slowly approached, a soft clink each step as his boots hit the cobbled bridge. The man stopped in front of the guard and smiled. "Heil!" he said. "State your business!" the man asked. He tapped his cane against the bridge, which the man suddenly noticed. "Lord Samael has returned" he said. The guard shrugged. "And?" he replied. Samael faked a sense of shock. "It 'has' been a long time, anyway I'll be returning to my quarters now" he said. Sam stood there staring at the portcullis, expecting something to happen. The guard sneered. Sam checked his watch. "You know this thing used to be much quicker" he said. "Your not coming in here" the guard said, crossing his arms.

"Always this rude?" Sam asked. "I ain't ever heard of no Lord Samael" the guard replied. "Oh I'm sure you know everyone in that castle don't you, just check your records" Samael said. The guard went inside and spoke to his captain, the captain muttered something about there having been a Samael on mission for about 10 years. The guard came back muttering and opened the portcullis, he looked through and saw Samael was no longer there. He turned round and found Samael examining a tapestry. The guard chose to not bother with him any longer and went back to guarding.

Samael managed to get his old quarters back, the previous recipient having gone missing in action, something Samael knew already. Lord Donovan was currently leading the Kinshra alongside his lady friend who Samael didn't really care for. They were already starting to lose power due to the lack of experience commanding and Samael thought this could be the chance for him to take over. 2 weeks later he was Head of the Kinshra Knights and it was just in time to, for a great conflict was soon to come.

Taking the Reigns

The situation around him started to deteriate, the 2 former captains governing the Kinshra had gone, leaving the group leaderless. There were arguments throughout the castle, groups started to form, some suggested searching for former leaders, some wanted no leaders at all. Samael grew concerned, the temple knights could easily use this chance to gain control of the Kinshra. He took a chance, he managed to gain a large enough following to secure his leadership. Though many didn't approve of him, Samael simply ignored them and punished those who ignored him. Instead of focusing on mass recruitment like previous leaders, Samael chose to focus on improving the skills, stating that each Kinshra Knight should have the skill of 10 White Knights.

The plan went smoothly, a few skirmishes to take valuable ore mines along the mountain and ambushing a White Knight camp proved that, as they were outmatched each time but still proved victorious. One day they were called up to defend Gielinor from the wrath of Tuska, though Samael could have said no, especially as Saradomins followers were also involved. But Samael owned stuff that was on Gielinor and he didn't want some pig to destroy it. The Kinshra provided a sizeable amount of troops to sites where airut were attempting to break through to Gielinor, Samael himself also fought on the front line, his most famous moment came when he managed to set an airut on fire with a flask of vodka.

Eventually the Airut were forced back and a giant boar god corpse crashed into the ocean, the Zamorakians having been noted for giving more effort than expected. Several groups benefited from this, especially the Kinshra who managed to amass some more troops for their army and had already made up for their losses with the new recruits. Samael had managed to gain near total support for his leadership following the victories and this was shown when he was invited to host and attend the first meeting of the newly formed Zamorakian Council. Samael graciously accepted and went to get the best wine.

The meeting didn't go well, it didn't go badly either. Samael often found himself interrupted by the noisy and intolerable Cult of Hazeel whose leader had been the commander during the Battle for Gielinor. The meeting did shed light on a future plan to launch an assault on Ardougne, which Samael was reluctant to do believing spreading out the Zamorakian empire so thinly would do no good. He tried to get a suggestion in about taking out the godless villages surrounding the Kinshra fortress, believing that the Saradominist White Knights would do little to help out, but nobody agreed with him. The meeting ended with 1 dead and many angry and nothing agreed on, compared to actual government meetings it could be considered a success, but it wasn't for Samael.

After the meeting Samael was instructed to prepare the Kinshra for war, at which Samael was originally going to refuse based on earlier points he made. Outside pressure from other Zamorakian groups (and possibly the temple knights working against him) was beginning to pile up on him. Overnight Samael found himself out of leadership, replaced by Commander Octavian, a commander who had won considerate support during the battles and had been vying for leadership himself. Samael didn't argue, he didn't see the point but he managed to maintain a commanding position in the Kinshra.

The Fight for Ardougne

Samael commanded a small platoon of soldiers at the battle, Octavian himself didn't fight in the battle but the most of the commanders all did. The Zamorakians met resistance from the Ardougne Military as well as the Godless, who proved difficult foes to overcome. Ultimately the Zamorakians efforts turned out to be nothing more than a distraction whilst a 2nd much larger force worked their way into West Ardougne. During the battle Samaels skills in smoke magic proved vital as the military contained a large number of archers and mages, his smoke creating a cover for the army to march through to get up close and personal. Samael was injured during the fighting and removed himself from the fight before the enemy could do any serious damage to him.

The army managed to gain control of West Ardougne and Samael and the Kinshra marched into the area with pride and several cuts and bruises. At a demonstration against the occupation by the locals things turned violent. A few zamorakians opened fire on the crowd, suddenly however snipers appeared from the roofs and windows on the houses above, it was an ambush. Samaels smoke cover techniques allowed the forces time enough to prepare and also providing them with cover from the projectiles. The surprise attack and little preparation didn't do much good and the opposing group started to push forward, Samael knowing defeat was inevitable teleported himself and another Kinshra knight away from the battlefield. The Zamorakians left behind managed to quash the resistance, but not without casualties.

The next day Octavian announced the Kinshra were to pull out of the conflict. But not after a long winded execution ceremony which involved most of the watchers getting bored to death as one Zamorakian dragged what should have been a quick execution for almost 10 minutes. Samael, not liking the other groups also arranged for the Kinshra to steal some of the loot the other groups had acquired before they all left back for home.

The Fight for Falador

The Kinshra launched an offensive on the unprepared White Knights. The surprise of the attack lead to the Kinshra pushing through a weak part in the wall to the park. Commander Delrith lead the assault, though Samael joined in on it to save his ass. Samael managed to blind the white knights mage at the cost of a boulder smashing into him.

The 2nd Kinshra offensive came shortly after the last one, although the Kinshra fought valiantly, Samael was separated and became outnumbered. He escaped and joined another regiment heading south towards Rimmington. While the Kinshra in Falador slowly worked towards killing the empress (Something they managed to achieve), Samael was busy taking orders under the son of another commander. During the assault on Rimmington Samael took the duty of setting the houses on fire, under the impression they were gonna increase pressure on Falador through civilian displacement, but the men were all intent on killing the civilians, something that some might say could increase Faladors resolve. Samael left before the executions began.

Samael didn't take part in any of the main Kinshra offensives afterwards, opting to take command of several small skirmishes in order to gain the Kinshra a bigger foothold at the end of the conflict.

Accusations of Treason

After the conflict news of a 'Baron' who was supposedly planning on taking over the Kinshra. Samael never met the baron and began to wonder whether he really existed, however he did meet a young mage who had recently begun experimenting with demonic rituals. The mage appeared to have an interest in working for the Kinshra and Samael hoped to use him to spy on the 'baron'. This plan never came to fruition as the mage left the baron and asked to join the Kinshra. Samael, knowing that this man had just left working for a potential enemy Samael refused on security grounds. However the mage was persistent and contacted Commander Delrith directly, who had let the mage in.

Samael was having a tough time, he tried to avoid the mage when possible, but when Delrith was called away from commanding an attack against the monastery Samael stepped in, the mage being one of the soldiers in the attack. The fight went smoothly but afterwards after the monastery was looted Samael found the mage accusing him of treason and not being true Kinshra. Samael held in his anger, thinking he would have a talk with the mage about this, reminding him that accusing a commanding officer of treason without evidence could result in severe punishment. The mage continued to accuse him and even got Captain Skeat to join in, causing Samael to get even more annoyed lashing out at the captain at one point. When the captain left Samael punched the mage repeatedly and sent him to another outpost and hoped Delrith wouldn't intervene.

Delrith, recently promoted to colonel, met up with Samael to discuss a letter received by many at the Kinshra, accusing Samael of treason. Samael explained the claims were false and cited his many victories achieved for the Kinshra under his command. Delrith said he believed Samael and wondered whether Samael knew who wrote it, Samael wanted to say the mage but realised it could've been a number of people. The 2 shared a drink and celebrated Delrith's promotion.

Creation

This is an ooc passage where magejake50 discusses how his character was created.

Whilst I was writing the history of my other characters, I wanted them all to have a shared antagonist, this lead to the creation of Deja Vu, my first antagonist character, I wanted to expand her history and created this group of mages who created different kinds of rituals. Samael was originally created as the leader of this group, his original story was that he later became a leader of a mercenary group that targeted magical artifacts, particularly around Morytania. However in 2014 the leader of the Kinshra disappeared and as the highest ranking Kinshra I was to take over, however I didn't have a character that was leadership material at the time, and so Samael was transferred.

There one thing that always annoyed me with the Kinshra Knights page and that was the pictures of the barons, being that they are just pictures of helmets, unmemorable. I wanted to change that, which is why Samael almost never wears a helmet, the single gauntlet look also made him unique compared with any other character (This look is now copied by others in the Kinshra) and the crozier also adds to this effect. The other thing I wanted was an antagonist of the Kinshra I could control, so Samael was made to appear corrupt, giving people someone to hate, everyone loves a good rise up and take down the corrupt leader story.

Samael drinks a lot only because I can say -Sips from flask- if the conversation is slowing.

Trivia

• Samael has a number of firsts in terms of magejake50's characters including: First character to lead an army, first LGBT character, first male antagonist and most expensive outfit.
• Samael gets his name from an misspelling of Samuel, becoming Samoel and later changing to Samael after finding out it is actually a name. His name also comes from the character from the book 'Green Eggs and Ham'.