Corlian

Theory 1
A thaumaturge of noble descent who was forced out of his home by peasants due to Thaven's single minded behaviour. He was likely sent by Thaven to seek the Spellgiver but was more preoccupied with finding the secret to immortality. Due to having been marked by the kingdom as a dangerous sorcerer, he was forced to hide in the dungeon until his experimental equipment is sent into the dungeon. To fuel his research, he enlists the aid of the Bandit Hamon to kidnap people and send them into the dungeon of Exanima. To his ire, Hamon sends too many people down at an excessive rate, though he takes advantage of the excess of subjects to fuel his research. He apparently sacrificed his own apprentice Papin (who agreed to be used as a test subject for his experiments) long before setting foot within the dungeon. During his time in the dungeon, he discovers the Healing Salve and a strange helmet which blocks his power and gives him a peace of mind from the restless ancient spirits and the malevolent presence that haunts his mind in the dungeon. One of his subjects also discovered a formidable weapon and escaped with it by entering the portal of the third level.

Word of the large number of disappearances reaches the capital of Ardent and the king sends a Proctor to investigate. The Proctor finds him and nearly kills him. Thanks to a stroke of luck he manages to kill the Proctor and reanimates her to deter any future pursuers. Fearful of further pursuit by executives of the law, Corlian enters the portal with a number of subjects.

Beyond the portal, he is greeted by the louder presence of the malevolent presence and surmises that it is this presence that prevents the ancient spirits of the dead from resting in peace. As he explores the archives, he encounters a demon and is terrified by it. He confuses it with mind thaumaturgy and escapes into one of the Conservers' offices. He reanimates dead guards of the archives with necromancy to use as a decoy so that he can escape to other parts of the deeper Underworld, leaving a subject behind in the office. During this time, he realises that his body has not much time left and decides to send word to Thaven about his accomplishments.

He explores the Foundry and witnesses the activation of Golems which terrifies him and prompts him to turn back. It is here that theorizes that the Spellgiver and Corruptor are the same and reveals that he has sent word to Thaven asking for assistance.

He soon goes to Crossroads and finally receives a reply from Thaven who mentions that he is sending someone to assist him. Corlian does not trust Thaven's words and decides to move on.