Aleksandr Kevik Khilkov

Aleksandr Kevik Khilkov is a name only whispered in hushed conversations behind closed doors, typically between wizards and other spellcraft practitioners. His name is invoked as a reminder that the mortal mind and body both have limits, and as a warning that the beings that live beyond those limits are most often malevolent and dangerous. Though the Khilkov family in general can be sited for such a warning, none who came before or after Aleksandr have posed such a distinct and apparent threat to Thelekar as he.   Born only a few generations after Princess Valeria, the founder of the Profaned Order, Kevik was foundational in establishing the Khilkov Hold, a collection of arcane and occult knowledge said to hold secrets that even Voletaria's Grand Archive did not. He was one of the primary researchers of the time, reportedly a member of the Society of the Defiant Seal, and was well respected by even the senior members of the Society who had been alive and studying for centuries. As an Archivist, his duty was not to the hunting of monsters or culling of upstarts, but to the discovery of forbidden knowledge and the keeping of tomes. It was this interest that led him to the study of the Far Realm, and the divine gate that holds the Outer Gods at bay.   The more time Kevik put toward his line of study, the older everyone around him seemed to get. For him it was the blink of an eye, and yet his own son was old and grey before he knew it. Something, or someone, was effecting the way time effected him, effectively placing him in a state of limbo without aging. He would wake up with mountains of notes undoubtedly written by his hand, and yet he could not remember writing them. When asked a question, though he did not consciously know the answer, his mouth could give it. Compared to other elder races such as elves and dwarves, humans have quite short lifespans, and minds to match. The human mind was not made to withstand centuries of life, and would break sooner or later. Kevik came to the conclusion that whatever was keeping him alive also meant to keep him in pristine condition, and while time passed the same, his mind only perceived some of it.    His son died. Aleksandr had forgotten his name. He didn't show up to the pyre burning, he had work to do. His hands wrote as his mind wandered. Hours passed before his assistant asked what he was doing. The same thing was written on the parchment over and over and over: "Understand He Who Came Before".   As Kevik spoke the words aloud, his mind became more. He saw it all, the grand plan, the absolute chaos, the scheme behind everything, nothing at all. He understood the interest of those to his left, and the indifference of those to his right. He gazed upon the one who protected his mind, the one who broadened his mind to this world beyond, He Who Came Before. In this moment he understood its entirety, but this was quick to end. At once, his mind diminished to that of a human once again, time became normal, and his assistant still looked up at him with concern. Kevik had witnessed truth, and he would give the mortal world to be in its presence again. His body shook with sobs, his legs were stuck in place, he could barely breath as he attempted to recall even a sliver of what he'd witnessed. At once he tore at his body, clawing open the flesh of his chest and breaking his ribcage apart to grasp his still beating heart. The assistant fled in terror, hoping to find someone to help him restrain the old archivist, but it would be too late. Kevik called out to He Who Came Before, making an offering of his rended heart in exchange for even the faintest glimpse of Truth in return.   When the assistant returned with a few Heretics to aid him, Kevik was no longer distraught and breaking his own body. His chest was closed, his clothes mended. Parts of his body had become incorporeal, billowing off of him like smoke. He still shed tears, though not of pain or sadness, but of joy, as he stared towards the ceiling, arms spread wide. When one of the Heretics attempted to place a hand on his shoulder, the man was seized by an otherworldly force, his limbs and body breaking and crumbling inward until he was a ball of bloody mess on the floor. Kevik's form entirely dissipated at this point, becoming smoke on the wind and slipping out through the doorway.    All of Aleksandr's notes were gathered and placed within a warded chest, and buried under liquid stone beneath the floor of the Khilkov Hold. By the time of his death, nearly 3 generations of his line has lived and died, so none truly lived to mourn him. His fall into madness was the reason behind tightening the rules for occult research in the Profaned Order, requiring research teams to be comprised of at least 3 members at a time, including a Heretic should more of their family fall to the Outer God's influence.