Cyanos was a reclusive Asrai Highborn who ruled over the realm of Fincara in the Pine Crags. An eccentric bordering on lunacy, Cyanos had been secretly conspiring against the rule of Orion and Ariel, the rulers of Athel Loren, first under the influence of the forest spirits, and later under the influence of darker forces.
History[]
Cyanos and his kin had long isolated themselves from the Asrai of Athel Loren, believing themselves above them. Calling themselves the Alvaír, the "Children of the Sky," they worshipped Giant Eagles and aerial spirits such as Amphion, forsaking worship of the traditional Elven Pantheon, with Cyanos even claiming the title of king for himself in defiance of the King in the Woods.[1a]
To weaken them, Cyanos had divided the Forest Dragons from the Wood Elves and spirits, spreading lies over hundreds of years that eventually drove the Forest Dragons into self-imposed exile, hoping that a divided forest would drive the Asrai out by itself.[3d] Under the belief that the spirit Amphion had adopted him as a son, Cyanos built a great monument, the íobrass, where he sacrificed Elves in order to "atone" for the sins of his forest kin. In doing so, their sacrifices would strengthen Amphion until he had the power to drive the Asrai from Athel Loren and restore the forest in its primeval glory.[1a]
Orion challenged Cyanos when he searched for Amphion, revealing that the spirit had lied to Cyanos, using his devotion as a tool for his plan to destroy the gullible Wood Elves. Their sacrifices would not strengthen the eagle spirit, but were merely planned to rid the forest of elves.[1a] When it was revealed that his faith had been a lie, Cyanos impaled Amphion with the Silverwood, a spear forged from the tooth of a Dragon, and pinned the spirit into the íobrass where Orion sealed him.[1a]
Cyanos then joined the King in the Woods in his conflict with the forest spirits and later against Beastmen incursions. At the Battle of Druné Fell, Cyanos and his eagles engaged the Beastmen warherds to keep them from advancing further into the heart of the forest.[1c] His troops then joined the host of Prince Haldus, fighting the incursion of Nurglite Daemons that spilled from the forest and meeting them at the Silvam Dale.[2a]
During the winter, the battle against the Nurglite hordes became more and more desperate. Together with Prince Haldus, Cyanos attempted to draw the bulk of the horde at the Crowfoot Falls, where they fought Elves mutated by the Nurglish plagues, setting their settlements ablaze so that the sickness would not spread further.[3a]
In secret, Cyanos conspired against the Asrai, hoping to trap the army of Prince Haldus in the Cromlech of Cadai, claiming that its master, Lord Calaingor, would be an addition to the war effort. Instead, Calaingor was solely focused on maintaining the stasis that kept the Cromlech and the lingering might of the gods it contained intact. In the meantime, the armies of the Daemon Prince Alkhor had surrounded Haldus' forces and threatened to destroy them, just as Cyanos had planned.[3b]
The lord of Fincara had already retreated back to his mountain realm, waiting for Athel Loren to be destroyed by the armies of Nurgle.[3c] Having come to the conclusion that the forest spirits were as weak and treacherous as Orion and Ariel, Cyanos had pledged himself and his people to the Chaos Gods, attacking the realms of the Pine Crags and conspiring with the armies of Alkhor and his proctor Ordaana. To this end, he intended to sacrifice Amphion to fuel his own power.[3d] This madness was stopped by Prince Haldus, who had escaped the trap and brought his kin to attack Fincara, putting an arrow through Cyanos' throat.[3d]
Appearance[]
Cyanos was an unusual Highborn, his black armour adorned with trinkets and fetishes that originated outside the forest -- copper gears, clockwork devices, cylinders and keys, as well as books.[3a]
The long years of worship of otherworldly entities caused Cyanos to mutate. He gained a pair of wings and claimed to have been remade in the image of the gods.[1a] After Amphion's treachery had been revealed, Cyanos hacked his wings off, yet the stumps remained for the rest of his life.[1b]