Leo is extremely old, covered in scars — battle scars, torture scars, and self-inflicted ones. He is the only Kex national living in the settlement surrounding the ruins of Noureddine. He runs a general goods store and serves as an appraiser of artifacts recovered from the megadungeon, specializing in items of Kex origin. He is affiliated with the Arch Art Factum Guild.
He speaks sourly of the Kex Empire and holds the Kex faith in visible contempt. He is not grateful to be alive. He is not certain he should be.
History
Leo was present during the War of Dominion and the sacking of Noureddine. He did not merely witness what happened — he participated. He helped secure the perimeter during the Ritual of Sundered Day, the desecration ritual that killed hundreds and created the cursed megadungeon.
By any standard, Leo committed war crimes. He abetted and participated in atrocities. He helped destroy a holy city. He served the ideology of Malabolous faithfully and well.
And he survived. And the ideology did not hold.
The Shape of His Guilt
Leo’s departure from Kex ideology did not come from argument or conversion. It came from witnessing what the ideology produced when it succeeded. He did everything it asked. He was a faithful soldier. He helped win. And then he had to live in the world that winning created — the cursed ruins, the undead, the perpetual shadow.
He holds no illusions about what he was. He is not certain he deserved to survive those he fought against. He believes he will suffer for all eternity for what he has done.
He is still here. Still useful. Still buying adventurers’ finds and telling them what things meant.
Role in the Dungeon
Leo is one of two living witnesses to the War of Dominion. He can speak to the history and culture of Kex forces, the origin of undead Kex soldiers within the dungeon, and the meaning of Kex-origin artifacts. His counterpart is Fiona, the town healer and priestess of Ronahiya, who holds the other perspective on the same history.
When adventurers describe undead they encounter or bring out artifacts, Leo identifies things from the Kex side. He names people he recognizes. He sometimes goes quiet. He tells them things he clearly doesn’t want to but believes he has no right to withhold.