William Zandaris

William Zandaris
General Info
Aliases:	Captain Zandaris
Soulcards:	The Emperor, The Lovers, The Fortress
Character Info
Race:	Human

William Zandaris is a historical figure most known for being the first Zandari and his unique Norn Trial case.

History

William was a renowned sailor and captain of the Whispering Lady, one of the fastest cargo ships designed to traverse the Silent Ocean during its time. One day, however, he had a fated encounter with Shattratath that would change the course of his life forever.

Captain Zandaris Witness Testimony

Judge: "Sir William Zandaris, you are accused of waking up Shattratath and, therefore, causing the entire world to fall into a Night of waking terror. What do you plead?"

Zandaris: "It was a quiet night. The crew was fast asleep, and I decided to take a stroll on the deck to get some fresh air. This was when I tripped over one of the ropes, keeping the tools in place, and fell into the waters."

"When I opened my eyes underwater, I saw what looked like a burning city far, far below, probably on the bottom of the ocean. I couldn't make much out of it, but I saw multiple giant creatures I had never seen before emerge from it. They appeared to be coming for me, but before I knew it, a Hivejelly tentacle snugged up to me and touched my arm."

"I will never forget the images I saw at that moment: My family tortured, my crew burning alive, my home destroyed by some weird otherworldly creatures. They came for me, too. I tried to run but couldn't; I couldn't move like I was stuck on something. The creatures almost got to me as I screamed in panic when I was suddenly pulled out of the water by my crew."

"My foot got stuck in the ropes when I tripped, which allowed them to pull me up by it before I succumbed to the horrors below. However, I couldn't process everything that was happening at that moment and kept screaming. Which, of course, then woke up the sea."

"The ocean suddenly turned red; whispers were in my head, and images of the horrors below filled my mind. Knowing what was going on, the crew managed to stay calm, or at least silent. I, however, got almost consumed by the madness, laughing hysterically at the irony of me, William Zandaris the Fearless, bringing down my entire crew because I got scared."

"From that moment on, i don't remember anything anymore, as one of my mates knocked me out with a frying pan"

"I was fully aware of the dangers of the Silent Sea and willingly took the risk to take a stroll on a pitch-black deck, I am pleading guilty."

Judge: "You are pleading guilty? Are you aware that the punishment for causing a Night of Waking Terror is at least a lifetime in prison? Depending on the casualties of that night, might even become a death sentence?"

Zandaris: "I am fully aware of the consequences of my actions. However i am clearly guilty with plenty of proof to support it, as well as not a single sign of potential innocence. Tell me, Your Honor, what chance would I have if I pleaded not guilty?"

Judge: "You are correct; the odds are infinitely stacked against you. In that case, you will be temporarily held in custody until the casualties are tallied up and we can announce your full sentence."

That night, Zandaris could barely sleep as he had still haunting images of that ocean floor in front of him. Suddenly, all those images disappeared, and a calm and tranquil lake scene emerges in front of him.

Zandaris: "Am I finally dreaming again? what is this?"

Dormiria: "William Zandaris, long have I tried to reach you, but the horrors haunting you kept you from dreaming, but it seems that the trial today gave you a tiny bit of peace of mind, which allowed me to finally reach you"

She points something behind Zandaris

"May I introduce to you, Tael, The God of Life, The Personification of the World itself. He has something to tell you"

Tael: "Thank you, Dormiria, I am sorry it took so long for me to reach out to you, but meeting mortals in person usually burdens their bodies beyond their limits, and a broken mind such as yours would have never survived. But thanks to Dormiria's dream world, this meeting is possible after all."

Zandaris: "Tael? What in the Gods grants me the honor to have you seek out an audience with me, a humble sailor that committed the greatest of crimes?"

Tael: "What you did was indeed tragic; your testimony at court was truthful, and your plead for guilty was honorable. However, I wanted to meet you because we believe that, despite being guilty, you did nothing wrong. When the Judge reads out the verdict, I want you to demand a Norn Trial."

Zandaris: "Excuse me, what? You even said yourself that I am guilty; why would I want to demand that?"

Dorimiria: "Tael, this man is about to be woken up, time is short!"

Tael: "Norn knows..."

And with those last few words, Zandaris was woken up by the guards to get ready for the reading of his verdict.

"Why would Tael want me to demand a Norn Trial despite clearly being guilty, it makes no sense!"

He kept mumbling about this the entire time while heading to his trial.

Judge: "Sir William Zandaris, do you still plead guilty to initiating a Night of waking terror?"

Zandaris: "I do"

He was still unsure at that point whether or not he should follow Tael's advice. Was it even real? It was just a dream, after all. But it felt so real and simultaneously surreal, speaking with two gods at once; not even kings would ever dream of that. Zandaris's mind wanders completely off as he questions what is real and what is not.

Judge: "King Osiris the Third from the Kingdom of Mera was found dead in his bed chamber the morning after the waking terror, all clues point to the cause of death being a heart attack caused by the nightmares, you are therefore found guilty in royal homicide and are sentenced to death"

Zandaris, shaking from still questioning reality, looks up to the judge:

"I plead guilty and will continue to plead guilty no matter what happens. I plead guilt and demand a Norn Trial!"

Shock fills the entire courtroom, everyone questioning if they truly heard right what was just said

Judge: "... Excuse me... can you repeat that, i am sure everyone in this room agrees that we probably misheard you just now"

Zandaris: "I plead guilty and demand a Norn Trial."

the entire room is quiet, no one really believes what they just heard, but it is true, Zandaris, despite being clearly guilty and even admitting it, demands a Norn Trial

Judge: "Do you even realize what that means? do you know the consequences if you are found guilty during such trial?"

Zandaris: "I do."

Judge: "Very well, then a Norn Trial shall commence"

The Judge pulls out a very different-looking, slightly purplish gavel, holds it into the sky, and shouts out: "God of Justice, the mortal judiciary requires your ultimate judgment, for William Zandaris pleads ...guilty... for initiating a new Night of waking terror"

"William, I really hope you know what you are doing"

The gavel suddenly starts glowing and sparking with energy as the Judge slams it down. On impact, the entire room fills with a blinding light and rumbling thunder. As the light dims out, the judge now suddenly sits in the audience, and instead, Norn himself is now overseeing the courtroom.

Norn: "Aaah, William Zandaris, truly a peculiar case, you plead guilty but yet still ask for me to judge you. It truly is unheard of yet, so i'm looking forward to it"

"You have quite a history here, from an orphaned child at a very young age to a successful and honorable businessman, financing all kinds of charities, ultimately going into the sea trade, traversing all kinds of waters, and oh... oh fate has not been kind to you has it. And you are accused of murdering a king because of that!"

"Zaltan, please bring me the records of Osiris Sylloban of Mera"

Suddenly, a random member of the Audience gets up and disappears into thin air, reappearing shortly after next to Norn with a stack of documents.

"Thank you. Ah, yes, I knew I read that name before. Anyways, let us continue"

"William Zandaris, I have rehearsed your entire life and have come to the conclusion that you are... not guilty, of anything"

Zandaris: "What? but how is that possible? I have awoken Shattratath that night! I caused innocent people to die!"

Norn: "I understand that this makes no sense to any in the room right now, so let me shine some light on this"

"You claimed it was nighttime when you fell into the water, right? well, what if I told you that it was actually a perfectly fine afternoon?"

Zandaris: "Impossible, it was completely dark"

Norn: "That is also true, you see; it was dark because my dear Shattratath was already about to wake up; his images were already tainting your visions. You falling into the sea just gave him that last little push."

Zandaris: "But then who woke Shattratath? Who is guilty here?"

Norn: "Well you. Shattratath was fated to wake up that day. You were just there at the wrong time and became an actor for fates stage. If you hadn't awaken him, someone else would have. And whoever else it would have been would have probably not survived that experience, so technically, you did not commit a crime in the traditional sense and even saved another sailor's life."

Zandaris: "Thank you, but if I may be so bold, may I ask one last question? Why did your son take such an interest in making sure that I summoned you here?"

Norn: "Because just like myself, you are something that we have never witnessed before, and everyone in this room should take note of that. You are the first person to ever perceive Shattratath directly and live to tell the tale. No normal person should be able to do so, and, as such, has piqued our interest."

"But this feat has left a remarkable scar on your soul; one that will never heal. Zaltan, could you please hand Mister Zandaris the Box?"

The random audience member gets up again and, without a word, places a little casket in front of Zandaris

"This is a little gift, a token of respect you could say, forged by Tael himself together with Shattratath. It is a little Talisman that, as long as you wear it, will protect you from Shattratath's gaze and clean you of his lingering visions. Never again should you have to witness these horrors, so that your soul may have a chance to heal before eventually stepping over to the Nachwelt."

"Additionally, Ayla sends her regards and wishes to bless you with a long and healthy life, and of course extends that blessing to your wife and kids as well"

With a final farewell, Norn disappears just how he entered, in a shining bright light. Everyone was still perplexed by the unexpected verdict and completely forgot about the situation with Osiris, who later turned out to be a false king who secretly overthrew the old king and acted in his name.