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Asheth Magnus, also known as Magnus the Traitor or Warlord, is a Cygnaran army deserter and traitor, and one of the staunchest supporters of the dethroned Vinter Raelthorne IV .

Magnus the Traitor[]

The war criminal called “the Traitor” is among the most wanted men in the known world. Magnus wages his personal war against Cygnar while on the run, financing his vengeance with coin from employers who appreciate the exquisite brutality of an outcast warcaster with a score to settle.

Years ago Asheth Magnus was privileged to serve King Vinter Raelthorne IV as a commander in Cygnar’s army. In those days he was revered for his mechanikal aptitude and feared for his ferocity in battle. Though Magnus was known to sacrifice troops to ensure victory, Vinter cared little: life was cheap, while warjacks were not. His methods found him favor with Vinter, and his unquestioning service conferred luxuries generally afforded only to nobility. While Magnus took full advantage of his rewards, he remained resolute in his singular desire to honor king and country.

Magnus is inarguably a man of conviction, but what he calls patriotism others have labeled a simple lust for power. Born of ignoble blood, Magnus holds no hope of occupying an official seat of power—but for someone who cannot be king, the next best place is at the king’s right hand.

After usurping his brother’s throne, King Leto Raelthorne sought to heal his country’s wounds by extending pardons and military commissions to officers who had been loyal to Vinter. Magnus refused his offer and instead led loyal remnants of the Royal Knights of Cygnar in a bloody guerilla war. This campaign of random skirmishes was in actuality a cover for Magnus’ true agenda, a long-tailed gambit with world-changing stakes.

In Magnus’ eyes, Leto’s mercy is the new king’s greatest weakness. And his greatest mistake was to spare Vinter’s life. This was the chink in his armor, the oversight Magnus would exploit to realize his ultimate ambition: the restoration of Vinter to Cygnar’s throne.

Over the years following Vinter’s exile, Magnus labored relentlessly to pave the way for the return of his liege. Through his underworld connections, Magnus obtained access to weapons and military technology that he smuggled throughout the Iron Kingdoms, supplying the enemies of Cygnar with whatever aid their individual efforts required. Sowing strife and bolstering the power of Cygnar’s opponents, Magnus worked to destabilize Leto’s already tenuous hold over his kingdom, hoping to throw the nation into an era of violence. Magnus would raze Cygnar to the ground, and Vinter would rebuild it from the ashes.

Perhaps Magnus underestimated Leto’s courage, or perhaps Coleman Stryker, the man responsible for his crippled body, had given the usurper king some vital insight into the Traitor’s machinations. Despite the best efforts of Magnus and all that he has sacrificed to see Cygnar’s rightful ruler restored, his wish has yet to be fulfilled. His resolve, however, remains undiminished.

The throne will be reclaimed.

Magnus the Warlord[]

Asheth Magnus, warlord and exile, exists perpetually in the eye of a storm, manipulating the fates of nations as he carves his legend across western Immoren. Tortured and betrayed by the one he served most faithfully, a lesser man would have been lost. But Magnus rose determined to seize his own destiny.

For years Magnus worked tirelessly to restore Vinter Raelthorne IV to the Cygnaran throne. He orchestrated countless plots, plunged himself into exile, endured being hunted as a traitor, and murdered anyone who got in his way. Despite his inexhaustible labors, his ruthless liege and lord questioned his fidelity and sent a master torturer of the skorne to cut the truth from his flesh. Magnus takes pride that not even Master Tormentor Morghoul could break him with prolonged agony. The proof of his fidelity revealed the true agenda of his former master, sending ripples through the Skorne Empire that would prompt Makeda to turn against the Conqueror and drive him from the Abyssal Fortress. Magnus knows that despite this, his former king is neither unbowed nor defeated.

Magnus works with the inexhaustible energy of a man utterly devoted to his purpose, which is survival and revenge. Armed with intimate knowledge of Cyngar’s every dirty secret, Magnus prepares to shape history. He has been at the heart of the hidden network working to prepare for Vinter’s return by coordinating spies, informants, and former inquisitors. Soon enough, all Magnus’ old enemies will be destroyed.

Although few would understand, part of him is still loyal to his memory of Cygnar, to what he sees as ancient Cygnaran strength. Magnus believes the destiny of his nation was derailed when Leto overthrew his brother, and only bloodshed and hardship can restore the course of history. Determined to be on the winning side of the coming conflagration and to claim a place of power in the aftermath,he is eager to see the walls of Imer torn down, the Menofix crushed, the Khadoran capital in flames, and the Cryxian Black Fleet sunk to the bottom of Meredius. He bides his time, selling his fighting services to those he despises, all the while accumulating the power and influence necessary to bring his vision to fruition.

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