Eþelweard
The Eþelweard is the eternal guardian of Scref, and a figure shrouded in legend. The legends agree the Eþelweard was once a human, a great warrior, however the stories
diverge as to how he ended up as the custodian of the afterlife. In some tellings, he committed a great sin in life such that he was punished by Nothus, cast into Scref to guard the dead and repent, bound never to walk the
path of Leowlar and reach Heowmaeg. In others, he was a figure of great virtue, who willingly sacrificed his own afterlife to give the Leowlar a chance at redemption.
The Eþelweard’s lantern is said to be the only source of light in the prison of the dead, and bears the curse of drawing the Unbesenged to him. He wandered the realm for centuries, searching until he found the beginning of the path. Once there, he built a fortress, hewn from ice and rock, to act as a ward to the dark and a beacon to guide the Leowlar. It is a bitter existence, but not a lonely one.