Otto Ekelhaft
Otto Ekelhaft,
Witch Hunter of Wolfenburg
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Although not the land of his birth, Wolfenburg is where the Witch Hunter known
as Otto Ekelhaft began his “Sacred Quest.” Very little is known about the
Hunter, as he wanders from town to town, stalking his quarry. What is certain is
his possesses an undying hatred and savagery in his pursuit of practitioners of
sorcery and the Undead. His is believed to be responsible for the death of over
100 Witches, Wolves, Liches, Ghosts, Vampires, Zombies, and other undead
creatures. As with all Witch Hunters, Ekelhaft has a great disdain from all
things magical. Legend has it that Otto Ekelhaft was born Prince Otto von
Kindsbach Ekelhaft I of the Kingdom of Dornheim. Dornheim was a beautiful
Kingdom nestled high in the Mountains that surrounded the countryside.
Unfortunately, Otto as born in an age of decadence. His father, the King of
Dornheim was a benevolent ruler, but blind to the corruption and subterfuge
practiced by his closet advisors. Soon, the King was little more than a figure
head, the staple of a dying breed. The bureaucrats were in control. Sometime
during the mid 1530’s the Barbarian hordes of the Northland attacked the
Kingdom. Their attack spread like wildfire. Even the great Imperial Army was
unable to defend against the hit-and-run attacks of the hordes. The Guerilla
tactics took its toll on the Army, as unprecedented thousands fell to these
“Eindringlinge Vom Norden,” Invaders from the North. The King was under
great duress, he came to realization he had no power, and had to deal with a war
on both fronts- from the Norden, from his own people, who held him responsible
for the shrinking empire. And finally, from a barren Queen, who could provide
him no heir. Fearing the inevitable; his legacy tarnished, the King traveled to
the distant lands of Wolfenburg, specifically, to the Woods which lie on the
Western front of the region. Upon his arrival, the King supposedly met with a
Coven of Witches. Making a pact with them, the King requested that his Kingdom
be restored and that the Imperial Army utterly destroy these “Invaders from
the North.” Before leaving, an older member of the Coven approached him. She
caressed his cheek and muttered something in Romany. When the King inquired why
she had said, a young woman told him that making a pact, was, in a sense, making
a child. “Purple Fagarda Unsicded.” Which roughly translated means, “Child
of the Night Flower.” Soon, fearing his Kingdom would be in even more disarray
then when he left, the King returned to Dornheim. Upon his arrival, he
discovered that the Imperial Army flanked the Barbarian Hordes and were pushing
them back. Soon, the Hordes were defeated, the survivors were sent deep into the
mountains to be used as slave labor in the mines. The Kingdom was in a time of
prosperity. The King’s legacy and popularity were restored. And on the
curtails of this news, his wife gave him the grandest of all-she was pregnant. A
child was born a few months later, and the Queen named him Otto, after her
grandfather. Schooling him in the etiquette expected of a Prince, young Otto
soon became a fine young gentlemen, whose charm and charisma captivated the
Kingdom. Many years passed, and during Otto’s Sixteen summer, his father, the
King passed on. Feeling it best for him to leave during the transition of power,
the Queen sent Otto to school in the West. He attended the University at
Wittenburg for three years, during which time met a young woman with whom he
fell instantly in love with. Soon, they were to be married, and Otto would
assume his throne upon the Kingdom of Dornheim. What happened next, is
uncertain. Sometime during their return to Dornheim, or shortly there after,
Otto’s betrothed was murdered. This utterly undid him, he flew into a rage,
and the Queen, fearing him mad kept him under lock and key. After the third
month of his imprisonment, Otto escaped. He murdered a nurse, as well several
guards. The only surviving member of the unit guarding the Prince could only
comment on the utter savagery of the young man: “Like a wolf.” Otto was not
heard from again in his native land. Several years later he reappeared in
Wolfenburg, and began his “Sacred Quest,” searching for someway to avenge
his lost love.
Whylom there was dwelling in my country
An archdeacon, a man of high degree,
That boldly did execution
Or punishing of fornication
Or witchcraft
-- Chaucer, "Friar's Tale," Canterbury Tales