Bane

Bane's former glory was reduced to ashes during the "Crimson Eclipse," yet he remained like an unyielding statue, guarding the shattered shrine. When the banners of a new dynasty rose over the scorched land, the scarred shieldbearer was not honored, but instead branded as the last "witness" of a fallen age. To erase that history, the arbiters stripped him of his title and cast him into a lightless abyss, hoping the final backbone of the old world would vanish into dust.

Within the damp prison, an assassin once saved by Bane appeared like a ghost. Known as the "Cold Fang," the agent returned a rigged copper coin to him, his tone mocking yet edged with respect. "Great hero, taste this bitter cure—it's the quickest path to freedom." While the guards fell into a drugged slumber, Bane clenched his teeth and endured the searing pain of the antidote, racing against death itself. By the time the cell door was pried open from the shadows, he stumbled forward through a haze of fading consciousness and into freedom.

Bane regained awareness to the scent of cheap ale. He found himself at a remote outpost on the edge of the wasteland, watched over by a rambling, one-eyed veteran. The old soldier spent his days boasting of unheard-of battle tactics and brewing so-called "fine drinks" with questionable ingredients. Yet somehow, this rough, grounded life—full of dust and ordinary noise—began to mend the fractures in Bane's spirit.

The former shieldbearer set aside his cold armor and lived as an ordinary man in that distant town. But when the thunder of raiders' hooves once again drew near, and no tower shield remained at his side, Bane tore the heavy redwood door from the crumbling outpost. With the wild ingenuity of the inventor Rita, that worn, dust-covered slab became an unbreakable wall. He no longer fought for statues or glory, but for the simple morning smoke rising from the town—and once more, he raised his heavy guard.