Darius Ludovic

"Use this power as you will, but I ask that you let your deeds be known to the world, so that they might judge your worthiness to wield it." - Darius Ludovic

  Darius Gallian Ludovic was an Everian wizard, most famous for discovering runecraft. He is a somewhat controversial character in modern history; some see him as the indirect instigator of the First Arcane War, while others portray him as a champion of freedom and knowledge.   Life   Darius Ludovic was born in Western Everflame on 8 Windmarch 1436 ANG to Farjarl and Ginna Ludovic. Identified as a prodigy at an early age, he was tutored by the son of one of the country's Barons, an archwizard. When his tutor was sent by his father to resolve a set of border skirmishes with the Elven Nations and never returned, Darius changed, growing solitary and distant, and developing a distrust of authority that would lead to his staunch belief in democracy and the free flow of information.   Finding no nation which agreed with his philosophy, Darius remained in Everflame, renting a small third-floor room in an inn which he used as a makeshift laboratory. His discoveries leading up to the invention of runecraft were mostly insignificant, but enough to maintain his lifestyle. There is little record of him during this time, since he spent the majority of his time alone and had few friends.   Finally, on 16 Pasturelire 1460, Darius had a breakthrough, discovering the innate potential of carved or drawn patterns (dubbed 'runes') to manipulate the Weave in ways previously unseen. Having no particular loyalty to his own country and a strong belief in freedom of information, he sent a letter detailing his discovery to the government of every nation, requesting only that they tell their populations about it as well.   During the First Arcane War, Darius remained out of the spotlight as much as possible, though he secretly hoped that the war would rile up the populations of the world's nations enough to cause revolution and reform. After the Treaty of Gildmire was signed, he recieved several death threats from people who blamed him for causing the war, leading him to leave Everflame. This, however, was not enough to save him. Records indicate he was killed sometime between Glowsend and Drethmire of 1465 by a half-orc soldier who blamed him for the destruction of his village.   Legacy   While some still blame Darius for the First Arcane War, only certain elves are old enough to still hold a personal grudge against him, and those are few and far between. Only fragments of his original work survived the scorched-earth policies of nations during the First Arcane War, but what remains is of great interest to modern runesmiths, who believe his research may hold the key to unlocking even greater arcane powers. He has also been honoured by many arcane universities and libraries, in most cases purely for his discoveries, but in some for his championing of freedom of information and self-rule.