Herl'Be'Zaatch

Serpentine dweller of the sand wastes around Lapapidus, master of creatures in the region, and a member of the Apex Dozen.

History
Herl'Be'Zaatch, similarly to the other Apex Dozen, possesses a sketchy origin story; He was once a warlord of the now-extinct Hyralise species, leading many nations on his homeworld and achieving glory for his bloodline. He was known to be a fierce conqueror, but advocated that neither children nor women would ever be killed deliberately in his conquests as they were key to the future of his planned empire. However, these plans were demolished when the Hyralise homeworld was discovered by Tyranis.

He easily conquered and destroyed most of them, but Herl'Be'Zaatch was a fierce fighter and managed to scratch a portion of Tyranis' armour. Impressed by his fighting capabilities, Tyranis abducted him before he destroyed the Hyralise homeworld. Transforming him into a powerful Diabolith, Herl'Be'Zaatch's loyalty was assured, as his people had always been power mongers, and he came to be one of Tyranis' most trusted lieutenants. When Tyranis was defeated, he burrowed deep underground the Lapapidus sand wastes, going into slumber to await his master's call.

Tyranis awoke the last Hyralise and told him to help Kortarex in forming the Apex Dozen. Heeding the call, he introduced Kortarex to the achievements of the Diabolith, and to the goal he was likely to have to perform. Much of Kortarex's early actions were influenced and advised by Herl'Be'Zaatch, whose experience and closeness to Tyranis were, eventually, a cause for envy from the other Apex Dozen. In a confrontation with Visstass, Herl'Be'Zaatch lost an arm (which eventually grew back).

Following this confrontation, Herl'Be'Zaatch began relying more on working alone; he single-handedly terrorized the sand wastes and preyed on many Erthus, resulting in Erthus of Stone becoming exceedingly rare. He almost killed Saturn, Kratindikur, and Vacticitus, but a frost nova by Kratindikur drove the Diabolith off into the dunes of the wastes. In his time there, gathering his strength, he practiced his powers of creature control on other regions, finding his abilities extended to any beast that made a habit of living underground or by sand. This gave him limited control over some wildlife near Flumpidus, and he used this to his advantage to harass villagers and Erthus there, too, although these attempts were mostly unsuccessful.

He is currently on his way to the ruins of Terropidus, on a mission to provide as much of an obstacle as possible in their attempts to rebuild the village. If he succeeds, it is highly likely that Terkridion, other earth Makori, and Erthus will be forced to migrate elsewhere, resulting in that element becoming sparse on the planet.

Tools and Abilities
Herl'Be'Zaatch possessed control over the elements of sand, shadow, and stone, with limited ties to earth, as well. He was able to burrow deep underground very quickly and travel for long periods of time before having to surface for air. He had many tunnels underneath Lapapidus which allowed him to elude predators and Erthus who sought him out. He was not particularly strong in of himself (although he could easily overpower a small group of ordinary Erthus alone) but his tactics allowed him to take on much larger groups of enemies and emerge victorious.

As a Hyralise, he possesses sharp claws and a stinger tail, as well as huge jaws with multiple rows of teeth. As a Diabolith, he gained heavier armor, forged from Magnum Steel.

Personality
Herl'Be'Zaatch, like much of his species, was fiercely competitive and hungry for power. He would leap at any chance to grow in power, and would remain loyal towards those who granted it to him. He was also more of a solo worker, preferring to get things done on his own terms in his own time. He found few were able to match his cunning and surprising intellect, hence why he despised teamwork. Visstass, envious of Herl'Be'Zaatch's power, presented the greatest annoyance to him; Skarthion, being driven by a want to conquer, had some synergy with the former Hyralise due to their similar goals and mindset.