Vestal Stone

The first Paladin of Demmazon and bearer of the White Gift, Vestal Stone became the leader of the five Gift Bearers during the Korvak War. He ultimately sacrificed himself so the other champions could imprison the seemingly invincible Korvak leader beyond the world.

Overview

Vestal Stone was a human knight who became the first Paladin of Demmazon and the founder of the Knights of Demmazon.

He was chosen to wield the White Gift, the first and strongest of the Five Gifts. Unlike the other Gifts, which were created with specialized magical profiles, the White Gift was all-powerful and unrestricted.

Vestal became the leader of the Gift Bearers during the Korvak War. His leadership was not simply a consequence of possessing the strongest Gift; the surviving accounts consistently portray him as an exceptionally worthy champion. Magerris later expressed regret that he had appointed Vestal as leader—not because Vestal was unworthy, but because he was too worthy.

"He was the best of us."

The First Paladin

Before the creation of the Five Gifts, Vestal was a human knight and a devoted follower of Demmazon.

When Demmazon revealed himself during the Korvak invasion and gave the mortal races knowledge of true magic, Vestal became his first holy warrior and the first Paladin of Demmazon.

Vestal also founded the Knights of Demmazon, which became the order of Paladins serving Demmazon prior to the Fall of the Age of Wonders.

His faith in Demmazon distinguished him from some of the other champions. Magerris, who was initially offered the White Gift, had not yet fully accepted Demmazon as the One True God and considered himself unfit to wield such power in Demmazon's name. He therefore recommended Vestal instead.

The White Gift

Vestal was the original bearer of the White Gift.

The White Gift was the first Gift created by Demmazon and proved to be substantially more powerful than the other four. Its power was not limited to a particular pair of magical schools; it was an all-powerful, unrestricted Gift.

Because of its overwhelming power, Vestal became the strongest of the five champions and the leader of the Gift Bearers.

His position nevertheless carried enormous responsibility. The five champions were not merely powerful individuals; they were the principal mortal weapons against the Korvaks while the races of the world were still learning the magical knowledge Demmazon had given them.

The Final Battle

The final major confrontation of the Korvak War came against the leader of the Korvaks, a being of immense, almost god-like power.

Even the surviving Gift Bearers could not defeat him through direct combat.

The champions therefore devised a trap that would imprison the Korvak leader in an extra-dimensional, extra-planar prison, removing him from the world permanently.

The trap required the Korvak leader to be lured into position. The champions determined that the only way to accomplish this in the time available was for Vestal to sacrifice himself.

Vestal insisted on being the one sacrificed. The plan was his, and he willingly accepted the cost.

The trap succeeded. Vestal died, but his sacrifice allowed the remaining champions to imprison the Korvak leader beyond the world for all eternity.

Afterward, the remaining Korvaks either fled the world or were hunted down and killed.

The White Gift After Vestal's Death

The surviving Gift Bearers concluded that the Gifts were too powerful to remain freely in mortal hands.

Vestal's body was buried in a secret tomb with the White Gift.

His soul remained with the Gift as its protector.

The White Gift therefore remained hidden with Vestal until many years later, when Magerris and his allies recovered it during the struggle against Correries.

Magerris ultimately absorbed the White Gift's power, becoming a god.

Legacy

Vestal Stone became one of the foundational figures of Demmazon's faith and of the history of the world.

He is remembered as:

• The first Paladin of Demmazon.
• Founder of the Knights of Demmazon.
• Original bearer of the White Gift.
• Leader of the five Gift Bearers during the Korvak War.
• The champion who sacrificed himself to imprison the Korvak leader.
• The guardian of the White Gift after his death.

His sacrifice became one of the defining events separating the Korvak War from the subsequent Age of Wonders.

Known Information

• Race: Human
• Role: Knight; first Paladin of Demmazon
• Religious affiliation: Demmazon
• Organization: Founder of the Knights of Demmazon
• Gift: White Gift
• Position: Leader of the Gift Bearers
• Era: Korvak War
• Fate: Died as part of the trap used to imprison the Korvak leader
• Posthumous role: His soul remained as protector of the White Gift

Uncertain Information

The surviving material does not establish:

• Vestal's age when he became a Gift Bearer.
• His life or background before becoming a knight of Demmazon.
• His exact class beyond his identification as a knight and first Paladin.
• His specific accomplishments during the earlier stages of the Korvak War.
• The location or exact nature of his tomb.
• How his soul continued to protect the White Gift after death.