Ashur is a uniquely privileged child. The firstborn in the House Luana, with a mother who doted on him, and a father who desired nothing more than to shape him into the perfect Luana. His formative years were spent in the tutilage of the best scholars and politickers of the age and his exposure to all levels of Anirian society left him with a unique understanding of the city.

When his training was complete, a second, replacement, child - his brother - was born should anything happen to Ashur. With the back-up in place, Ashur was taken under the blade. An ancient and cruel form of necromancy that has been exploited by the family from their very inception. Once every generation, when a suitable heir is identified, it begins. Using their extensive connections and spies, they search and find a child before the Dreadlord's have even realised they existed and return it to a secret location. A soul-knife, a powerful artefact use to siphon a person's being, hacks away at the victim and implants it deep into the chosen heir.

Ashur's experiences in the ritual were not pleasant, he was sick for weeks, constant wracking pain. He begged for death, an end to this suffering. Eventually, it ran its course and the experience was complete. He soon found himself capable of magic, although he had been told to expect as much, and he was swiftly inducted into the Dreadlord academy.

His training at home had prepared him... to an extent. The academy was lawless and while the proctors made sure to treat him well, the fellow students were under no such allusion. He received relentless torture, beatings and mocking for his status, but it presented a challenge to him and he loved a challenge.

Years passed and, one by one, those who made him suffer in the academy either disappeared or become devout followers of House Luana. There was no in-between, you either fell in-line or you fell permanently. His apprenticeship was easy in comparison, his family had chosen one of their most skilled and popular Dreadlords as his teacher. Life was easy.

His selection as a Fourth-Level, too, had been arranged - to an extent. His martial skills warranted a low-third, but his lack of offensive magic would see him never truly rise above this and, so as to save face, he was deemed a non-combatant. Yet, in reality, this pleased Ashur and had given him the ultimate freedom whilst still retaining his Dreadlord name.

In the years that have followed, Ashur works closely with his family, continuously improving the House Luana name and paving the way for their long walk to power.