- "I can see the fear in your eyes."
- — Varoth
- Varoth Varacougar is a character in the Soul series. He made his first appearance in Soulcalibur III and has returned in Soulcalibur V.
What lies in his soul is Hatred.
In Soulcalibur V, he is referred to as The Mage of Shadows.
History[]
Soulcalibur III[]
Somewhere in eastern Romania, a young boy was born. From his earliest days, he showed signs of being different. Other children felt uneasy around him, and he preferred to study rather than waste time interacting with others. His father, once a wandering warrior, had been exposed to Soul Edge's power in the past. It wasn't enough to Malfest him, but it had given him corrupted blood. When he had a son, the corruption passed on to him.
Varoth grew up as a brilliant young man, and had become a well-respected healer in his kingdom. As the years passed, he grew tired of his mundane life. There was something else out there in the world, something he believed was meant for him. He longed to have it, but the power was too weak to detect. It had been broken and scattered, impossible to track.
With dissatisfaction and resentment, Varoth's body began to fade past its prime. His hair grayed, his skin wrinkled, and he felt his vitality slipping away. Age was making its mark on him, and when he was forty, he decided to finally take action. He'd find this power, and he would use it to become immortal. But the power was still too weak to track completely. Pieces of it had come together, but they were separated by immeasurable miles. While he despised its effects, time was the only thing that could bring them all together.
Rather than wait, Varoth began to focus his abilities. He gave up healing and preaching. He began to focus on the occult, and sought aid from the Fygul Cestemus. For a price, they helped Varoth increase his magical abilities, giving him the power to create portals and pocket dimensions. The training increased Varoth's strength as well, allowing him to fight against younger enemies without completely tiring out.
Satisfied, Varoth commissioned a golem from the cult and began his search. He could feel a shard of Soul Edge within the country, and began his journey. It took him to a kingdom on the farthest reach of Romania's border, led by a warlord and hero named Ranis Drakan. He gained the man's trust and became the court wizard, keeping the position for ten years during his search. By then, his golem had arrived, and he had increased his strength even more. Now, it was a simple matter of waiting.
One day, Ranis returned from battle with an artifact of great power. A large sword, infected with the unholy energy of Soul Edge. It was still wieldable by mortals, and he made use of it during campaigns for more territory. As Drakan's territory grew, so did Varoth's ambitions. He waited and watched, and Ranis began to grow sick as his Soul Edge copy grew in strength. A mere three months after he'd claimed it, he was on the verge of Malfestation.
Varoth "healed" Ranis's sickness by taking the sword. His cursed blood gave him resistance to Malfestation, and to make sure it would not completely infect him, he manipulated the blade using his magic. Disposing of his old scythe, he took the weapon Soul Edge formed for him. With it, he casted a spell that infected the entire kingdom with Malfestation, Ranis included. He'd succeeded in finding the first piece, and with an army at his fingertips, he was determined to find the rest.
Soulcalibur IV[]
But it wouldn't be as easy as he'd hoped. One of his messengers, a young witch that had been living in the kingdom, reported the failure of his Malfested soldiers to a wandering knight. His weapon was described as being disturbingly similar to Soul Calibur. If it could purify a Malfested, there was a chance he could be looking to destroy the other shards of Soul Edge.
Desperate, Varoth began to release every prisoner he could to act as a solider for him. They were already Malfested, but it didn't help them against the man's holy sword. Those that did survive regressed, and Varoth was left with one option: Outside help.
He contacted a group of mercenaries from the east, and when the swordsmen arrived, he had them ambushed. Only one was in the Malfested's grasp when they returned, so Varoth immediately infected him. He sent the mercenary on his way, and waited for word to arrive of the wanderer's death.
The word never came.
Varoth was angered. He knew that the wanderer would be coming now, and refused to let someone take away his chance at immortality. He fortified the kingdom and waited. He refused to fail.
Despite all his preparations, all his planning, Varoth was defeated. His scythe was destroyed, and his power was taken. In a desperate act, Varoth opened a portal and sealed himself in, shamefully admitting defeat. One day, he would return.
Soulcalibur V[]
17 years had passed since Varoth was locked away. 17 years of isolation and weakness, sealed in a dark world of his own creation. His body aged rapidly, making his already-decrepit body even weaker. Despite his strongest spells, he could hold off the truth no longer. He was dying. The wizard spent some time in the remains of castle Ostreinsburgh, using the dark energy present in the land to power himself.
Learning that Xander was still alive only added insult to injury. He was in no shape to handle the boy. A man now, rather. Varoth mused over the passage of time. What was nearly two decades felt like a mere two months to him, but all the pain and weakness of age came with it. Even worse, his piece of the cursed sword was gone. He was essentially powerless.
As he traveled, he studied and tried to find ways to rejuvenate himself. Absorbing souls was the fastest way, but that required the strength of mighty warriors. Varoth couldn't overpower even the weakest trainee. With Drakan dead, force was out of the question.
Through further study, he learned of a woman Xander had met sometime after his sealing. Leandra Scott, a renowned swordswoman, once a wielder of Soul Edge. She avoided malfestation somehow, but had lost her weapons. Age was beginning to creep up on her as well. Varoth needed someone young, with many years ahead of them.
That's when he learned of Luke.
The son of a legendary warrior, young and hardy. Varoth guessed that Leandra's contact with the cursed sword passed on to the boy, and his plans were decided. He would attempt an extremely risky procedure that had only been done twice in history: Stealing the body of another.
He gathered what strength he had left and began to travel, seeking out Leandra and Xander. He would not confront them, only watch and learn in secret. Eventually, he would find his target, and then he could begin.
His mother, Leandra Scott, had begun traveling with Xander Alondite. While they were gone, Luke was left alone at home.
Varoth decided to take advantage of the boy's isolation. Posing as an old monk, he approached his house and asked for aid. He claimed to have been a traveling merchant, and offered him some random wares for compensation. A sword was the boy's first choice, predictably.
While Leandra and Xander were gone, Varoth made small talk with Luke. Questions about his parents, his mother's adventures, and his own plans for life. He learned as much as he could about the child, then offered him a place as his apprentice.
Before Luke answered, Varoth felt Xander's presence and had to leave. He'd promised to return in a week, and once that time had passed and the two adults were gone again, he returned. This continued for a month until Luke accepted Varoth's offers. Falling for Varoth's lies, Luke drank a mind-altering potion that Varoth had brewed. It allowed him to easily abduct the boy and escape.
He returned to Drakan's kingdom, and began the ritual to transfer his soul to Luke's body. Xander and Leandra had tracked him down, but by the time they arrived, he was already in the process of transferring his soul into Luke's body. Just as the warriors entered the room, Varoth's old body expired, and Luke fell unconscious.The ritual was a success.
Over the next few weeks, Varoth's influence slowly grew. He corrupted Luke and took over his body, viciously attacking Leandra before running away. He began to travel Europe in search of something.
Luke's path was extremely erratic, as if he were searching for something. His broken weapon, the scythe infected by Soul Edge's energy.
When Luke found it, he took the weapon and changed its form to suit his new body's needs. A pair of blades, usable without trouble by the boy. Varoth was somewhat dissatisfied with the body, but already had new plans. As soon as he'd absorbed enough souls, he would perform another spell. One that had been theorized, but never actually performed.
He would create an entirely new body for himself, and discard the child.
Personality[]
Personality: Hateful, full of resentment and pent-up anger. He never loses his cool, but his immense distaste for everything shows clearly. He hates to serve anyone and has a god complex, feeling that he should be the immortal ruler of whatever he wants. His plans tend to be short-thought, but he's more than confident that he can destroy anything that interferes.
Weapon and Fighting Style[]
In both Soulcalibur III and Soulcalibur IV, Varoth fights with Zasalamel's weapons. In Soulcalibur III, he was of the Saint class. His primary weapon was Ankou.
When Varoth infected his weapon with a fragment of Soul Edge, its form mutated into a flesh and bone, semi-organic construct of a weapon. The Irkalla represents Varoth's infected scythe.
As Zasalamel does not appear to be present in Soulcalibur V, it is unknown what weapons Varoth will be using.
Critical Finish[]
Varoth swings his scythe overhead, bringing the blade down into his enemy's body. As they fall to the ground, he twirls the weapon behind him and stands up, readying his hands for a magical ritual. His fingers glow with purple energy as he casts a spell, forming a gigantic magical rune beneath his opponent. The unlucky victim is enveloped with energy as Varoth psychically lifts them from the ground. As Varoth opens a huge portal behind them, he strikes upward and launches his opponent into the other dimension. He then closes the portal, clenching his fist tightly to seal the opening in reality.
Stages[]
Ostrheinsburg Castle Throne Room[]
Represents the castle he fought Xander in before being banished.
Astral Chaos
Represents the realm Varoth was trapped in before his escape.
Relationships[]
- Master of Ranis Drakan
- Sworn enemy of Xander Alondite
- Sworn enemy of Leandra Scott
- Stole the body of Leandra's son, Luke Scott
Trivia[]
- Eventually uses a ritual to give himself a new, young body.
- Once owned a piece of Soul Edge. Is now looking to rebuild it.
- Very gifted in the magical arts.
- Has a hatred for non-magical people.
Costume[]
Varoth's outfit consists of a heavy robe worn beneath purple armour. He dislikes full suits, and thus only wore a cuirass and greaves. While his legs and head were exposed, his magical powers helped keep him from being gravely injured in those areas.
In Soulcalibur V, his rejuvenated body will wear a more lightly-armoured robe.
Gallery[]
Soulcalibur V[]
