Peto Specimen, The Bleeding King

There are two guards at the door of the palace, who seem frozen in place by their ceremonial armor, a solid black piece made to resemble an enormous human-like ant. It seems scant protection for a ruler, but try to break in, and you'll find that only by killing both will the door open. But few discover this, because you will be assailed the ceremonial armors, powered by the souls of the guards inside them. The chamber inside is unlit, and you can barely make out two figures, one sitting in the throne, mumbling to himself, and another figure sitting next to him, wrapped in a cloak, which drips some unknown substance. If you squint hard enough, you'll swear you see another figure, but in the darkness you cannot be sure...-Exert from a diary found outside the Republic of Zanthir

History/Background
Mantle Wave started out as the son of a poor bartender in a town whose name has been forgotten due to a fire that destroyed it some time after Mantle left. He likely remembers the name, but he is not going to tell anyone. With absolutely no money to his name, Mantle had an inborn hate of the rich and powerful that the poor community around him heightened. He was a smart child, and at a young age started to read creation myths because he was not satisfied with the local priest'sa tale of how the world began, and became obsessed with the 'creator' that was mentioned in several of them. Mantle believed that this creator had made everything so that all intelligent beings could live in harmony. Yet the stories did not stop Mantle from witnessing the poverty and misery that surrounded him, and he began to wonder if this creator'sa message had been warped by the upper class.
In response to this horrifying possibility, Mantle started talking to the other people in the town, and being a charismatic speaker, he rallied others to his cause. In a poorly planned peasant revolt, Mantle struck out against the nobles in a blind fashion, using his small force to burn houses and attack guards. However, within two days, the local army set upon the rebels and cut them to pieces. The leaders, including Mantle, were all put on trial and executed, except for Mantle because of his youth (he was only 13 at the time). Instead, he was cast out (literally thrown from the gates), and forced to fend for himself.
In his time of desperation, Mantle found an unexpected talent for stealth, which served him well while he did not have food or shelter. He survived for a time by stealing from local farmers he came across, but then settled down in the sizable city of Mynis. DuMinishis time in Mynis, hisMinisinal prowess earned him a small amount of fame. He donned a new name from a tome of an ancient language: Peto SpeciPet or seeker of the ideal (he translated it poorly). Once he was living comfortably for the first time in his life, Specimen decided that it was his duty to create a perfect society.
Of course, Specimen had no idea how to accomplish this goal, so he used the tactic he had been taught: violence. With the illogical goal of killing every royal heir to every throne, he began to systematically take out royal families. At first he was seen as a boon to competing factions, but when it became clear that he meant to kill all royalty, his usefulness evaporated, and a hefty price placed on his capture.
Specimen survived for some time, but was eventually captured and brought before the survivors of the families he had attacked. At his trial, he revealed the reason for his systematic destruction, and his undying belief in a creator. Recognizing his devotion as a threat, the royal families sentenced him to die by torture.
As he was escorted into the chamber that he would die in, he muttered the phrase 'he will hear me, and preserve my life as special among others, because I have heard his message.' As his torturers began to flay his skin from his body, Specimen recited old text from the creations myths he had read as a child. After some time, the torturers became confused, their victim was still alive and conscious. No one, not even the most hardened of criminals had ever been able to last more than an hour. Soon, the torturers were finished, and Specimen lay stripped of his skin, still reciting his lines feverishly. Suddenly, he stopped, staring with an insane grin at the ceiling.
'You have spared me,' He whispered, 'now give me the power to kill.'
The royal families waited nearby in a stronghold to hear the news of their hated enemy'sa death, when the bloody form of Specimen strode in, attacking the nearest group with an enormous sword that he wielded effortlessly. His stealth forgotten, he screamed in hatred and pain with each thrust. In his mad rage, he reached two princes before the families started to flee, and their bodyguards assailed him. By the time he had disposed of the guards, the families had escaped, and he was left with only the comfort of his god.
Specimen, dazed and confused and without his skin wandered the now empty stronghold still clutching his sword. As he walked, he realized that the royal families were far too large and too well connected to be brought down by a single assassin. It must, he realized, be a revolution of the people. But how to show the people that there was a better path than the monarchies and aristocracies that existed now? He was confident that his creator would help him.
Believing that the tools to create a perfect society would come to him, Specimen wandered through various towns and cities, looking for answers. In every populated area he came to, he carefully recorded the system of government used by the locals, and any inventions that could make society more equal. He dressed in a cloak to hide his hideous form that constantly bled, but he still left a trail of blood behind him. He kept to the shadows to avoid the scrutiny of the outside world and possible attacks by the royal families. Fortunately for him, the families had decided that Specimen had died, and that one of their other enemies must have used his body to attack them (they did not want to believe anything else).
In an event set up by his god (or so he believes) he entered the domain of King Stymian tStymiannd, just when the Helm of Prophecies was created. Upon discovering the power of this device, he immediately saw his ideal world come into focus. Now, the people could truly lead themselves! And with this discovery, other nations would come to the understanding that they did not need to submit to the will of others! Not knowing the item'sa unfortunate drawbacks, he prayed to the creator to duplicate the item to found the perfect society.
After a night of fasting and prayer, he received the crown. In exultation, he tried on the crown, only to experience the dizzying emotions that came with its use. Not discouraged, he traveled further, this time looking for a city that would be a receptive area for his experiment, he came upon a simple warlord kingdom called Zanthir, with the signs of rebellion all around.
Seizing this opportunity, Specimen drew upon the charisma he had used as a boy to organize his town, and usurped control of the rebel'sa council. Specimen went to great lengths to disguise his horrifying nature, but identified himself as the assassin who had tried to take down all royalty single-handedly. Promising a truly progressive republic with the Helm of Prophecies, Specimen and his peasant army stormed the warlord'sa citadel, killing the warlord and setting up the paradise they envisioned. Deciding that if word reached the royal families that Specimen had lead a rebellion, the whole town would be in danger, he faked his own death. He made sure that the other leaders of the rebellion saw him fall from the top of the warlord'sa palace, and that they found his bloody body at the base. After the funeral, Specimen escaped his coffin, and set up a secret residence at the edge of town.
But now Specimen had a problem: Who should bear the crown? He was the only one who knew of its side effects, and he dared not lose his identity to the will of the populous. His problem was solved when a faction of the peasants that had supported him broke off in favor of a different system of government. He moved quickly, quashing the rebellion before it happened, and affixed the crown to the leader of the dissidents, and sat back, waiting for the new king to take shape.
Unfortunately, he learned quickly why human nature prevents this kind of rule; the former political adversary quickly succumbed to the helm, but proved indecisive at best, petty and selfish at worst. Pretty soon, Specimen had to call the governmental shots to keep his republic from collapsing.
Once Specimen took control the economy improved, so he is out of danger for now, but he feels a great guilt that he is cheating the people out of a perfect republic. He believes that the people should lead themselves, but the discovery that the people are incapable of doing so has shaken his faith to the core. His god still whispers to him, telling Specimen that the great quest is not over and that he must seek other methods to achieve his goal.

Appearance
Specimen used to be a fairly fit, handsome man, but since his failed execution he is a walking monstrosity, preserved at the moment that he should have died, with all of his skin stripped from his body. He feels continuous pain, walking with a faltering step, but kept alive by his devotion to this god. He tries to hide his ghastly nature by wrapping his body in various salves and cloths, but he still drips blood slowly.

Special Equipment
Aside from the overly large sword he used to kill some of the royal family after his failed execution and the Helm of Prophecies, Specimen possesses the gear of a veteran assassin.

RolepRoleplayings
Specimen has become something of a dictator in his town, starting a secret police force that he heads. No one suspects him, because of his faked death, so he has taken to kidnapping his political rivals and using them in experiments. One such example is his ant bodyguards, the mascot of the new regime, but also abominations that run on the life force of the person trapped within. Specimen sits in deep depression, next to the gibbering 'king,' trying to contemplate the future of the kingdom. As you might have guessed, his miraculous survival was due to AxtraAxtrami Specimen'sa faith in a creator keeps him close. AxtrAxtramisses Specimen to spread the concepts of this government to neighboring states, but Specimen is hesitant to spread the idea before it has born fruit in his own kingdom.
Only a few people have ever seen the true ruler of Zanthir, because Specimen chooses to keep the town out of the larger scope of affairs. One assassin was quick enough top get inside, but he could not kill the king. His escape was cut short right outside of Zanthir, and though he was strangled, his body was found in a pool of blood. The assassin'sa diary, which was left behind, gives what little information that is known about Specimen'sa current mental state.
AxAxtramis intrigued by Specimen'sa devotion to such a unique cause, and wants Specimen to spread his concepts so that others might devote themselves in a similar fashion to Specimen'sa faith.