Duros Kaast

Duros Kaast was a Redguard necromancer, who lived in the Alik'r desert for most of his life. In addition to his 'experiments' with necromancy, Duros sympathized with the Thalmor cause, unlike the majority of his fellow Redguards. Due to this, among other things, Kaast was hunted by his fellows, and spent most of his life in hiding. Eventually, he was found by the vampire Tash Valon, a member of the Bloodlet Throne coven. Valon turned Kaast, and traveled with him to Skyrim. By 4E 203, Kaast had become known as 'The Inquisitor'.

Early Years 4E 159 - 4E 179
Duros Kaast was born in the city of Gilane, in Hammerfell. His parents were not particularly rich, nor were they of any particular importance. His father was a fishermen, and his mother a spell caster of minor power, though she hid this skill, and instead sold minor trinkets, to get by. Duros inherited his mothers abilities, and became quite interested in magical arts, much to the alarm of his parents.

Forced to hide his abilities, for fear of being made into an outcast, Duros got by on whatever magical tomes he could get his hands on. He first discovered the art of necromancy when he found a dead Assassin beetle, and brought it back as an undead 'pet'. This pet was discovered and destroyed, by Kaasts parents, and the young redguard thoroughly berated.

Furthermore, as Duros grew close to the age at which he was expected to begin fighting with the blade, and showing his courage by venturing into danger and battle, Kaast instead turned to illusion and destructive magic, alongside his necromancy. However, fearing for his own life, Duros never revealed his powers to his peers, though he was constantly picked on for his thin frame and lack of muscle.

His father introduced the boy to a simple type of sword fighting, one that he'd seen pirates use on the seas. Duros was made into an adequate swordsman. By the time he was sixteen, he'd become used to using a pair of blades, and had built up his muscle mass and became quite impressive with them. Though the war with the Aldemari dominion was in full swing, Duros had yet to be called into active service. Unfortunately, the war came to Gilane, and both of Kaasts parents were killed, by Forebear forces.

Infuriated, he unleashed his magic and killed the entire group of Forebears. This also meant that he'd revealed himself as a spell caster. And a traitor to the Redguard people. For the remainder of the war, Duros spent his time fighting against the Forebear and Crown forces, using his necromancy to bring fallen Dominion and Redguard soldiers to bear against the living. The more he learned of the Dominion, the more he came to think like they did. Disgusted by both the Forebears and the Crowns, He threw his support behind Dominion forces.

Hunted 4E 180 - 4E 201
After the war, and the withdrawal of the last of the Dominion forces, the Forebear and Crown forces began dedicating resources to hunt Kaast down. He was forced to flee from the Gilane area, to avoid being slain by the vengeful Redguard forces. Kaast found a dead duneripper, and used his necromancy to turn the creature into his mount.

Using the undead lizard, he made his way into the Alik'r desert, and discovered a ruined fortress there. He took up residence there, bringing the ancient warriors that had fallen there back to unlife. The ancient fortress became a place of fear, and the nomadic travelers began to avoid a large strip of the desert near the fortress.

Kaast spent the years accumulating arcane knowledge, and increasing his skill in necromancy, along with his other arts. Over the years, dozens of bountys were placed on his head. Many Alik'r warriors attempted to collect on it, though, thanks to the Redguards natural dislike of magic, they failed, faltering in the face of his arcane powers. By 4E 200, Duros Kaast was a horror story told to young children across Hammerfell.

The Alik'r of the desert of that name began to hunt the Redguard necromancer, supported by both Forebear and Crown forces. Using the undead at his disposal, Duros held off his hunters for quite some time. in the desert, playing a game of cat and mouse, with neither side quite sure who the cat was. Eventually, the united forces began to close in on the ruins of the fortress.

Kaast held the Alik'r off for several hours, using the skeletal inhabitants of his abode to defend himself. The battle had begun to slip out of Duros' favour. Then, a group of vampires from the Bloodlet Throne, under the command of Tash Valon, a Breton vampire, arrived. Tash and his companions drove off or killed the Alik'r warriors, and joined Duros in the ruined fort. Kaast expressed his gratitude to the vampires. Though he was nervous about the implications of having a group of vampires arrive at his abode.

As it turned out, Valon and his men had been sent to recruit Duros to the coven. Seeing an opportunity for greater power, and realizing that the ruins he'd been inhabiting were no longer safe, agreed. He was turned by Tash himself, and after a day of recovery, he accompanied the group to the border. Unfortunately for Kaast and his companions, the Alik'r had set up an ambush, just before the boarder crossing. During the skirmish that ensued, several vampires were killed, including Valon Tash.

The Civil War
Duros Kaas joined the Bloodlet throne sometime in Mid Year of 4E 201. He was highly valued by Salthar Vivarian and others of the coven due to his necromantic and illusionist abilities. More than that, he was extremely skilled in interrogation techniques. He was quickly placed in charge of any Stormcloak and Imperial prisoners the coven had taken. Though most of these men and women were scouts, Kaast managed to get them to reveal much more than battle hardened veterans normally would have.

Another of his primary duties was to seek out and destroy smaller vampire covens worshiping Molag Bal, along with other organizations that opposed the Bloodlet throne coven. Because of this, he was granted the title 'inquisitor', and often traveled far from the fortress. Because of his important role, he was assigned a contingent of the Black Guard.

He personally oversaw the destruction of a small coven operating in the plains of Whiterun. When Salthar Vivarian finally decided it was time for the coven to reveal itself, in the month of Frostfall, he lead a large force of vampires and other undead to assault several key Imperial camps. He fought at several other battles, many of them near or in the marshes of Hjaalmarch. He was present at the battle of Karthspire, the final major battle of the war. When Salthar Vivarian fell, he, like most of the covens vampires, fled.

After the war
When Salthar returned a year later, Duros, along with Iliria Vale and Lucius Draconus greeted him. Despite Salthars' displeasure with the lack of progress the coven had made in his absence, he didn't punish any of those who returned. Duros resumed his duties as inquisitor, and was the first to bring Salthar news of Harkons plans to block out the sun.

After the Volkihar clan had been destroyed, and the Bloodlet throne coven had turned its sights on the Dawnguard, Duros set about attempting to discover the location of fort Dawnguard. To accomplish this, he orchestrated the capture of the Dawnguard recruiter, Durak. The orc warrior resisted initial interrogation, prompting Kaast to tear the location out of the orcs mind. Though the location was discovered, Durak was driven insane by the inquisitors harsh tactics.

The Soul Reaver
''"I am not here as a witness." ''Duros Kaast, before joining the assault against the Orcs of Mor Khazgur

Duros Kaast was one of the first to learn of the prophecy regarding the Soul Reaver artifact. On Salthar Vivarians orders, he along with a small task force of vampires left for the northern Reach. Word had it that the Orcs of Mor Khazgur held the scroll that would allow them to discover the artifact. Members of the Order of the Silver Sun had also heard of the artifact, and sent several of their members, including Elric Galthin, of the Silver Flame, to barter with the tribe. Unknown to all factions, agents of the Circle of Nine had arrived in Skyrim. They too sought the Soul Reaver.

The Order of the Silver Sun arrived first, and were well into their negotiations with chief Larak when Kaast and his forces arrived. Knowing that the Order would never agree to diplomacy, Duros ordered an immediate assault on the stronghold. Despite the surprise attack, the Orcish warriors, bolstered by warriors from the Order, held off the first assault. Kaast decided to step in himself, using his illusion magics and dual scimitars to carve a bloody path through the defenders.

Duros assault was successful, due to the Orders withdrawal. Kaast, upon hearing that Larak did not possess the scroll, killed the chief and his family. Salthar Vivarian arrived shortly after, and was furious with Kaast for not discerning the location of the scroll. The task of locating the scroll and the Soul Reaver was given, instead, to Lucius Draconus, much to Duros' chagrin.

Personality and traits
Duros Kaast was a very disciplined and analytical individual. Even in the midst of combat, he never gave in to anger or fear. He made choices based on logic, rather than in the spur of the moment. He disliked those that relied more on feelings than fact. He was a reliable member of the Bloodlet throne, though he was often at odds with Vengar Vivarian. Despite his role, he was not a cruel person. He preferred to speak with those he was interrogating, rather than immediately resort to torture. He was proven to be cunning enough to outsmart and capture an agent of the Dawnguard, who was expecting assault by vampires.

The inquisitor was known to enjoy his work as the official interrogator of the Bloodlet throne. Though, he could become overzealous in his attempts to gain information, torturing at least one victim until their mind broke. He was not put off by sifting through the memories of his prisoners, and often used them against them. On more than one occasion, he used a subjects memories of a loved one to lure them into a false sense of security, or gain a bit of information. Duros held nothing but contempt for mortal Redguards, and no longer considered himself a traditional Redguard after joining the Bloodlet throne coven in4E 201.

Abilities
Flight- Like most high ranking members of the coven, Duros Kaast could fly. He appeared as a shadowy blur, trailing darkness.

Quell- He had the ability to diminish, or outright extinguish most flames

Chill- Mortals near Duros Kaast often felt an unnatural chill.

Necromancy- Duros was an extremely capable necromancer. Prior to his turning, he was able to keep nearly two dozen skeletons under his control, and a dead Duneripper. When the Alik'r found the abandoned fortress he dwelt in, he coordinate all of his forces against them, and held them off for several hours. He accomplished even greater feats of necromancy during the civil war in Skyrim.

Illusions- Duros' was capable of creating illusions that seemed real enough to kill. He also used his illusion magics on prisoners, convincing them they were in the presence of a friend or loved one. At one point during the civil war, he stopped a mounted knight by convincing the mans' horse that it was galloping towards a solid rock wall.

Swordsmanship- Duros was a skilled swordsman. He wielded a pair of ebony scimitars in battle, often in tandem with his illusion magics, putting his enemy off guard. Despite his skill, he preferred to use the weapons only once his arcane skills failed him.

Possessions
Apparel- Duros wears robes oddly reminiscent of those worn by the Thalmor. However, the colouration is the ebony and scarlet of the Bloodlet Throne. His upper chest is protected by dark leather, and chainmail. The robes are hooded, though he often reveals his face to his enemies, except when travelling incognito.

Ebony Scimitars- Duros replaced his original scimitars with a matched pair of ebony blades when he joined the Bloodlet throne coven. The blades are unique, due to the fact that they can be joined by their pommels and wielded as a longer, double ended blade.

Physical appearance
Duros is tall and gaunt, with pale brown skin, which marks him as different from other Redguards. His appearance often fools enemies. He doesn't appear particularly muscular, but his gaunt frame hides the enhanced strength of a vampire. He lacks both a beard, and hair on his head, making him look fairly sinister. His eyes, originally a honey brown, are now a dark gold, flecked with red.