Old, emaciated, shaking. A five-pointed scar on his chest — the Queen’s mark. Withered arms, sunken eyes. His flesh is rotting while he remains alive against all reason.

Santaris Sendus came from nothing — the son of a Dranian fisherman who trained as a soldier, killed his abusive sergeant, fled to Mordikhaan, and rose through decades of service to become Lord High Steward. He led the armies that defeated the Thartans at Kasomis forty years ago. He served Parsifus when the Queen still walked the world.

Before she vanished, the Queen marked him. She pressed her palm to his chest, leaving a five-pointed scar, and said: “I need you to live, Santaris. You must remain, even when all else falls away.”