Ernst Helmuth.
Born and raised in Middenheim, Ernst Helmuth lived a life of ease. His parents were nobles, minor enough to have few responsibilities beyond the occasional court appearance but wealthy enough to live luxuriously without concern. Helmuth was given the finest education and everything he could possibly want, and he grew up a charming young man utterly bored with his own life.[1a]
To alleviate his boredom, Helmuth experimented, as did many of his peers. He tried drink and drugs and women, but none of them excited him. He tried duelling and enjoyed seeing an opponent’s blood flow but was otherwise unimpressed. He tried putting on common clothes and moving among the lesser classes but discovered their lives were even worse than his own.[1a]
Then one night while dallying with a young woman, Helmuth knocked over a bedside candle. It fell upon his companion, who screamed as the wax burned her flesh—and suddenly Helmuth felt a wave of excitement he had never experienced before. He quickly discovered pain gave him pleasure—not his own pain but the pain of others, particularly the cries and screams it produced. His vast fortune allowed him a great deal of leeway, and Helmuth began performing minor tortures on both willing companions and unwilling commoners.[1a]
After one particularly enjoyable session with a common girl, performed down at a small alehouse for privacy, Helmuth was surprised to encounter one of his peers, a young noble named Wingerdt. Wingerdt did not seem surprised—in fact, he acted as if he had expected Helmuth. The two began talking and quickly discovered they had the same interests and predilections. They performed several experiments together, and then Wingerdt mentioned a group Helmuth might like. They called themselves the Deviants & Decadents, and they were all men and women of similar rank and appetite. Wingerdt introduced Helmuth to the group, most of whom he knew from court already, and Helmuth quickly became an eager participant. A year later, he learned that they were part of a larger Cult, the Jade Sceptre, which worshipped a Chaos God called Slaanesh. Far from frightening or concerning him, however, Helmuth was pleased to discover so many like-minded individuals and a deity he could fully support. He became an active member of the Cult as well, and he rose through its ranks.[1a]
As time passed, however, the Cult leaders decided Middenheim might no longer be the safest place for their activities. Determined to find some place where they could enjoy themselves fully, the leaders organized a group of men to search out a suitable location. One of them came back two months later to report on the Border Princes and on a small town he had found near the Howling River. Deciding it sounded like a good match, the leaders gathered several of the Cultists and sent them ahead, along with the Cult’s treasured statue of their God. The Deviants & Decadents stayed behind, both to maintain appearances and to funnel any necessary money and materials to their adherents.[1a]
Then the Cult’s leader was murdered. Clearly the time had come to move on. Many of the leaders chose to stay, unwilling to give up their life of luxury for the unknown, but Helmuth was eager to move on. He was tired of Middenheim and of secrecy. He gathered his closest friends and set forth, following the trail the previous group had left. When they arrived in Vitrolle, he knew immediately this was the place for them. Helmuth quickly organized the Cultists and took control of the town. They fortified it, rebuilt it, and turned it into an open bastion of Chaos and debauchery.[1a]
Helmuth is the leader of Vitrolle, as much as a Chaos-dominated town can have a leader. He is the highest-ranking Cult member in residence and serves as their High Priest during rituals and other official functions. The rest of the time, he lets everyone do as they choose, interfering only when something threatens the town itself. His chief concern is his own pleasure, but he has discovered an affinity for leadership and an enjoyment of having people turn to him for orders.[1a]
Helmuth is an affable fellow with excellent manners, which only makes his sadism the more terrifying—he can and often does chat pleasantly with his victims while torturing them. He has retained the attitude of his upbringing and expects to be waited upon hand and foot, though he has adjusted to the fact that Vitrolle does not have as many luxuries as Middenheim.[1a]
Helmuth is a handsome young man of average height, with red-blond hair and a narrow moustache. He dresses very well and carries a fine rapier and a matching main gauche. He knows how to use both and is a competent duellist. His preferred weapons, however, are tiny knives and other torture implements, which he keeps in a small leather satchel.[1a]