Felix Deichert

Felix Deichert is a second generation Death Knight convert originally serving within the citadel of Naxxramas when it loomed in the skies above Stratholme. Known somewhat infamously by his moniker of "The Baron of Plaguewood", he was an active agent of the Scourge within the Eastern Plaguelands during the reign of the Rivendare, and continued to wreak havoc on the Plaguewood long after the Scourge's leadership crumbled in the area.

He is currently wandering Northrend, his goals unknown.

The Fall of Alterac
Felix's heritage can be traced back to Alterac and his relation to Argus Wake cultist Janara Kessler, whose maiden name is Deichert. They are confirmed to be siblings.

Janara's personal account details the dismay Felix felt during the final days of the Subjugation of Norlaran. Set against the Inquisitor Ithel the Shrewd, the champion of House Deichert was left to question his ability in his final standoff. Felix was the best man-at-arms that the Kessler vassals could field, and one lone inquisitor had managed to cripple the mind of the knight to the point where he rained a flurry of blow upon Ithel, only for it to seem that time had rewound over and over. Tired, confused, beaten, Felix threw down his sword and despaired, and both Deichert siblings were carted away as prisoners of the Lordaeronian inquisition. = The Delusion of Justice: Lost in the Weald = Awaking days later in the midst of the night, far north from his home deep into the Eastweald, the dangerous fallout of the plague and the wandering dead were the immediate threat. It was convenience nearly that he found his blade amidst the wreckage.

The stench of death lingered like an acrid smoke in the air, as the surrounding fallout of the forests seemed not just foreign, but entirely alien, unnatural moreover. Felix was adaptable, however, as no matter what horrors came bounding from the dreary fog, the unliving monsters posed him little threat at this juncture. Still, he was one man alone in this forest set against the odds, and things would grow overwhelming should he not seek a place to rest. Fatigue was mounting.

The ranks of twisted undead lurkers continued to present themselves increasingly more horrifying arrangement and forms, and it quickly became apparent that there was no surviving this hell unless there was somehow, somewhere a band of survivors were holding out. Hope was still clinging to Felix like a damp cloth.

-Stumbles into a family's house. Promises to protect them in exchange for information and shelter. They agree but everything ends in a horrible tragedy, with one among them already having succumbed to the plague and being a ticking time bomb. The family is killed by the ghoul the eldest brother had turned into, and Felix has no choice but to cut down the remaining member.

-No time to be sad as he searches for shelter elsewhere. Ends up outside a crypt. Felix is knocked out suddenly.

-Tied up the cryptkeeper who has recently turned paranoid, thinking Felix is another wandering Scourge agent. With desperate appeals to logic he manages to convince the cryptkeeper to let him go.

-Realizing that the crypt was pretty much empty with the dead having risen, it was ironically the safest place at the moment. Felix bargains to stay, disregarding the cryptkeeper's demeanor.

-Cryptkeeper bears no ill-will, offers to share meal and the exchange words, talking about the state of affairs. Cryptkeeper is blunt and jabs at Felix cluelessness and questions his origin. They discuss Alterac. The topic of the inquisition arises and suddenly the cryptkeeper grows cold and wary.

-Tense moment ensues, Felix halts his story and brushes it off. The cryptkeeper plays things cool until a sudden outburst compels him to stab Felix's hand with a steak knife against the table. Cryptkeeper scurries into the crypts somewhere as Felix reels but recovers, now on edge and ready to retaliate.

-Felix tries to appeal to the Cryptkeeper one more time to come out of hiding but to no avail. Cryptkeeper mounts his ambush but Felix overpowers him.

-Stating he has no intent on murdering the cryptkeeper, Felix simply asks him to stand down but the dynamic was made clear. The inquisition's threat was embedded far deeper than he could have imagined and it was now a matter of kill or be killed. Drawing what appeared to be his weapon, Felix mercifully ends the frantic man with a decisive blow. He takes the keys and exits the crypts.

-Encounter with Ithel in a neighboring town free of Scourge. Felix is wise to Ithel's tricks this time, knowing how the devious inquisitor was employing psychic magic and simple suggestion to warp perception, something Deichert would very much be wise to this time. Ithel submits without coming to blows, and freely speaks about his superior, remarking honestly on what fate awaits Felix should his rampage continue. Regardless Ithel starts to speak more on the head inquisitor and encourages Felix to confront them, suggesting that they know the location of Janara. Enraged, Felix beats Ithel angrily until he forfeits the location and identity of this head inquisitor, Laurena Holcomb. Ultimately, Ithel is spared, and even bloody and battered, the shrewd inquisitor musters a grim smile, as if expecting this.

Death or Defeat
-Fights Holcomb's goons, finding his senses dulling but his violence increasing.

-Meets Holcomb. She chides Felix and explains that he's found a runeblade, and that he can no longer be offered redemption.

-A single shearing smite carves Felix's chest open, and he falls then and there.

"I Did It For You"
-Awaking after what he thought was death, his scorched chest bears no pain and he doesn't bother questioning it. His lingering intent was to find his sister at all costs.

-Fighting through Scourge and meddling assassins alike, he finally happens upon an untainted piece of land, but the inhabitants are not happy with his presence.

-The locals draw arms, and Felix spares no moment to retaliate, cutting down every militiaman stepping to him. He makes his way to yet another chapel.

-His sister is there, distraught. She sees Felix coated in blood and pieces things together.

"How many men and women have died because you wanted to find me, to protect me?" Janara says, a cold mixture of resentment and guilt in her voice.

Felix retorts, equally bitter and biting, "It was me or them. I chose us. I chose you. All of this... I did it for you."

-Fighting words. Janara, at least at this point, would have never wished for her brother to slaughter a village of people for her sake. Regardless, she knows neither of them can turn back, and she would be a hypocrite to judge his actions now. The runeblade he had belonged to whatever mysterious master she served and had briefly referred to.

-Indignant, Felix does not relent and demands to know what she's doing and who this "master" is. They come to blows, but Janara doesn't wish to slug it out. She simply engulfs the chapel in flame and simply disappears.

-This would have killed Felix, had he still been mortal. It was obvious now how much punishment he was able to take and shrug off, noting all the wounds he had accrued never bled, and the pain, while temporary, did not halt him for a second. He ruminated as stared at his weapon, realizing what exactly this sword meant. He wouldn't have come this far without it, but things were quickly crumbling around him. He felt as if everything he was trying to accomplish prior had no meaning beyond simple and pure violence for the sake of a vague sense of longing.

-These thoughts were confirmed, as once again, the unrelenting adversary known as Ithel had come to this place to confirm everything Felix was racked by.

The Shrewd
-Ithel earns his namesake. He didn't strut in front of a runeblade wielding opponent just to tempt fate.

"There's still something left of the Knight of House Deichert left within you. You must let it die. You must let everything inside you fade and burn. The very person you were trying to protect forsakes you as you are," Ithel declared firmly.

"You have been playing me, getting in my head, scrambling every thought I have, and you want me to believe this little puppet show? It's all too convenient..." Felix barked in retort.

"Perhaps. Though if you wish to convince yourself of such a delusion, what use would there be in my continued meddling?" the inquisitor asked, the simple question dismantling Felix's judgement more than any magical subterfuge could at this point.

"Maybe you could tell me where she went, and I'll take you up on that offer of yours," snarled the rattled Felix, pointing his blade at his languid opposition.

Unmoved, unthreatened, Ithel simply pointed his hand outward to redirect Felix's attention. "No more need for pretense. I owed you two a reunion regardless. Make good on at least one of your duties, and my business with you will be concluded. I suspect you'll keep me in mind either way." The inquisitor offered his farewells as he shuffled away. A familiar emerald flame flashed in the corner of his vision.

"Wha--" Felix gaped.

"That bastard will die, Felix, but I have to do this," sizzled the tired voice behind his shoulder. That voice brought relief, but confusion. So much confusion.

All Felix knew was confusion as he made the sight clear and turned around, seeing the tired purple eyes of his fatigued sister, still standing despite the conflagration in the chapel prior. The green flames burned in her mangled hands as the siblings were now set upon each other, consumed by desperation and damning afflictions.

Ithel would not know the ultimate outcome, but he could happily report that the threat of House Deichert was officially extinguished.

How to Die
As well as the inquisitor played his gambit, stubbornness and spite were a qualities he rarely foresaw, and if a sibling rivalry could be defined succinctly, those two traits would be more than apt. Ithel never really studied that dynamic all too well.

The two siblings stood across from each other but one had no intention on continuing the feud. It was all too tiring. Janara aching palms relinquished the final sparks of horribly trenchant flame and she simply stared her brother down.

"If you did this for me, find a place to die properly. We don't kill family," Janara muttered before beginning to walk away, but her brother made a noise--an angry one.

"I'll find the answers, Jan. When I do. What will you do?"

"You'll already know," came the simple response. The devastating clash sparked by the scheming Ithel ended there. His sister left with no further violence exchanged.

Felix could only stand there, frozen, trying to feel the phantom pulse that existed only in the confines of the sinister weapon he held. He sacrificed everything at this point, and came no closer to the truth. He couldn't make sense of all that had happened. He had to fight, but where would fate lead him except back into the clutches of the madmen who condemned him? How would one even die properly at this point? Death was a suggestion, and he already tasted it.

''But he won't know unless he moves forward. The path is obvious. Just follow it.''

The Cult of the Damned
A broken man, Felix had barely remembered his identity, and cursed the fact that he was still lingering. This made him a prime candidate for the nascent ranks of the Cult of the Damned. Henceforth, he discarded his identity and embraced a renewed purpose as an agent of the Scourge.

Knight of Naxxramas
Following the Third War, the nameless acolyte had sown a great degree of chaos across Lordaeron, earning great renown among the ranks of the Scourge. His martial skill and talent was noted by Razuvious' students, who heavily recommended the acolyte to seek the dread citadel of Naxxramas to further his ascension. Though training was arduous under the harsh instructor, the tutelage turned an otherwise nameless, unremarkable blade-swinger into one of the Scourge's finest Death Knights.

Vengeance
Though most of his mortal memories shed away during his ascension, the Death Knight had encountered Lady Holcomb--who was now an inquisitor of the Scarlet Crusade--once again upon the same road they had last met. The wracking horror came crashing back, causing him to flee on instinct, but not before slaughtering her horse and stealing a portion of her belongings once again. The compulsion to spite the woman seemed to remain even in death, as the fallen steed would serve as his own, condemning Holcomb's prized mare to serve the Scourge in an act desecration.

Another memory in the Death Knight's mind, still. It was one of a man who was shrewd, a played games with ones mind.

The Biggest Pain in the Ass
--Encounters with Serena and Vanalli Dawnsworn.

--First encounter with Abram Whitlock.

Hand It Over
--

The Baron of Plaguewood
See: Undying Flame

As a void of power was left in the wake of both Rivendares' defeat, the nameless knight thought he would be the one to inherit the fungal expanse that was the Plaguewood. He enlisted remnant Black Guard warriors to battle the crusader forces in the area, keeping them at bay for quite some time.

Unfortunately, he did not expect a united group of Scarlet Crusaders lead by Ostrick the Zealous and Joffrey Flamegarde to be present and press their attack against the Scourge. Cornered at the gates of Stratholme, the Death Knight mustered the Black Guard and nearly ensnared his foes, but zealotry prevailed in the face of overconfidence. He was beaten.

After his defeat, the "Baron" was stripped of his ill-gained title, abandoned by the Black Guard, and with his waning vitality, he mustered all remaining power to burn open a desperate Death Gate, one which lead him to the foot of Naxxramas in Northrend. For unknown reasons, the Cult of the Damned deprived the knight of his runeblade and buried his enervated body beneath the frozen earth of Icecrown, just outside the ramparts of Aldur'thar.

Awakening
Entombed for nearly four years, Felix was violently awoken with the strike of his own runeblade. As the prison of ice sloughed away, he beheld his own sister and Ebon Knight Kora Deathwhisper. The surge of power that his weapon gave him also instilled him with the still raw rage left from his prior defeat. All of the memories came flooding into his cold vessel, overwhelming him to a degree that lead only to his ensuing rampage. Though the target of Felix's ire was Janara, Kora stood in his path. He fixated upon the other knight, and as the two clashed with remarkably matched tempo and rapidity, it became apparent that Deichert would not relent until both women were slain, as he managed to land cutting strike against Deathwhisper. Appeals to his remnant humanity came after, as a battle to the death served his apparent foes no purpose. The name he long discarded and all the pain and associated with it dug into his rotten soul like a knife. Felix was no longer mounting a furious assault, and was left on the back-foot to stave off the angered blows of the fellow knight. Defeat was tasted yet again, but he had no choice but to accept the clemency that was being offered to him, for he valued his existence, and as his ire quelled, he was thankful--albeit reluctantly--to be reunited with his soul's power once again.

Return to Alterac
Felix was unable to protest against the whim of his sister. Unsure as to why she would have a vested interest in liberating from his stasis, he simply obliged to aid the Ebon Blade knight while he collected his strength. Kora, the knight who was brought in tow, had been promised a reward for her efforts in subduing the unruly Felix, and was sent to the County of Black Peak to rendezvous with Thirnas Kessler, having been told that the Lord of House Kessler would provide ample compensation.

However, Felix was not alone. Comrades from the Cult of the Damned were much aware of the prominent Naxxramas knight's return, and were already awaiting his arrival at the area. Naturally, Lord Kessler was not to eager to be in the company of death-sworn agents, and elected to evade any attention, leaving only only an enchanted letter in his stead to relay his message. Meanwhile, Felix was ensorcelled by a herald of the Scourge, and much to Kora and her companion Drael Mastral's dismay, the rogue knight was far from cooperative. Deichert had decided to seek out his lost power in Plaguewood, and abandon whatever wild chase the other death knights had planned on embarking on. Still, he did not leave without relinquishing the location of the Kessler Estate.

Cycles of Guilt - Hunting Erasmus
A source of Felix's woes, Erasmus Vanderbeck, had been unleashed ostensibly as yet another ruse from his sister to keep him from growing too reckless with power. The rampaging death knight set his warpath firmly on the lich, though it seems his woes in Plaguewood came to repeat themselves, and with even less time to prepare against the opposing forces set against him this time, he had to think quickly if he was to reach the desecrated ground necessary to open a death gate to Northrend.

Black Rain
The sky shattered above the Frozen Throne. Felix's blade, having plundered from his corpse, had fallen right back to his hands again, wresting him from his dreamless stasis. When he had awoken, an unlikely sight plagued his vision. Tiberio, and unknown tidesage, and none other than his very own sister having burning the reserves of a full demonic metamorphosis. These three, brimming with all their might, had still barely scathed the reborn Felix. With no desire to slay any of them, he felt the lure to Icecrown proper, dispersing into red raid marker.