Hesulton Branwick, known as Hesul to those who roam the gardens of Alchester, is a dedicated gardener and the groundskeeper for one of the few remaining temples in the city. With a gentle touch, he nurtures the blossoming flora that fills the sacred space, crafting a serene sanctuary for worshippers and visitors alike. He embodies the spirit of tranquility and reverence to the outside world, but within his heart lies a dark secret—a fascination with necromancy that led him down a shadowy path many years ago.
Hesul’s interest in the occult was ignited during his early years. While gardening, he stumbled upon ancient tomes hidden among the roots of the garden’s oldest trees, their pages filled with esoteric knowledge. He became captivated by the idea of life after death, drawn to the legends of those who wielded power over the dead. His thirst for knowledge intensified after he met Bishop Ashunde, a charismatic spiritual leader at the temple, who shared stories of arcane rituals and forbidden magic in hushed tones.
While Ashunde was ostensibly a figure of light, he harbored his own fascination with necromancy, driven by a desire to transcend mortality and gain ultimate wisdom. In private conversations with Hesul, he confessed his longing to return from death and wield power that few could fathom. Recognizing the shared curiosity and dark ambitions, Ashunde enlisted Hesul’s aid, revealing his plan to attain immortality by becoming an undead being.
The two forged a secret pact, engaging in clandestine rituals within the hidden recesses of the temple grounds. As Hesul cultivated rare herbs and enchanted plants, he assisted the bishop in gathering the components necessary for their dark rituals. Hesul meticulously followed Ashunde’s instructions and was completely invested in the process while wrestling without concern for the ethical implications of their actions.
When the temple's clergy discovered Ashunde's necromantic activities and performed what they believed was a purging ritual, reducing the bishop to ashes through holy fire, Hesul refused to accept his master's apparent destruction. Unknown to the other priests, Ashunde had orchestrated his own apparent demise as part of a larger plan to transform himself into a vashu, a particularly malevolent form of undead that could only be achieved through such specific circumstances.
Acting quickly and with the desperate cunning that had always marked his character, Hesul stole the urn containing Ashunde's consecrated ashes from the temple altar. To prevent the simple scattering that would have permanently thwarted his master's resurrection, he mixed the ashes with lime and water, creating a concrete-hard block that would preserve them for the ritual that was yet to come. This act of devotion sealed his fate as surely as it preserved his master's remains.
The theft did not go unnoticed. When the temple priests discovered both the missing urn and Hesul's involvement, they hired the Assassin Without a Name to end what they saw as a growing threat. In the hidden basement beneath the temple's stables, where Hesul had established his makeshift necromantic laboratory, he made his final stand as a living man.
Surrounded by the trappings of his dark studies and flanked by hired thugs, Hesul stood before the ritual circle he had carved into the stone floor, the concrete block containing his master's remains at its center. When the assassin arrived, Hesul showed no fear, only fanatic determination. His final words rang with absolute conviction in his cause and his master's inevitable return.
A knife ended his mortal life in a spray of blood and choking gasps, or so the assassin thought. Somehow, Hesul survived. More devoted than ever to restoring his dead master, Hesul took up residence in the Emory estates, where he prepared to once more initiate the ritual to restore Ashunde to the world of the living, albeit as an undead vashu. Once more, the Namless Assassin was called in to put an end to Hesulton's plans. Their final confrontation resulted in Hesul's irrefutable death when electrical disturbances coursed through his body and ended him once and for all.
But death proved to be merely an interruption rather than an ending for Hesul's service to his dark master. His devotion to Ashunde transcended mortality, and his spirit remained tethered to the world of the living by bonds of fanatical loyalty that even death could not sever. Despite Hesul's sacrifice or perhaps because of it, Ashunde rose from the dead. One of Ashunde's first acts was to reclaim his most faithful servant from the grave.
This resurrection took a form that reflected both Hesul's absolute devotion and the violent nature of his demise. The electrical scarring that had killed him remained as a permanent testament to his sacrifice, while his flesh took on the desiccated, leather-like appearance characteristic of those raised by powerful necromantic magic. The undead Hesul retained his memories, his personality, and most importantly, his unwavering loyalty to Ashunde. However, death had concentrated and purified his malevolence, stripping away any pretense of humanity or moral restraint that might have lingered from his living days. The evil that had consumed him in life became his defining characteristic in undeath, no longer tempered by mortal concerns or physical limitations.
His undeath represented the ultimate fulfillment of the pact he had made with Ashunde years earlier. No longer constrained by mortal limitations, physical needs, or ethical considerations, Hesul has become the perfect servant for a master whose ambitions extend far beyond the boundaries of natural existence. The electrical scars that marked his resurrection serve as both a badge of honor and a warning—proof that his devotion to darkness had been literally burned into his very essence, making him a creature of pure, malevolent purpose in service to forces that seeks to reshape the world according to their twisted vision.
FIRST APPEARANCE
The newly risen Hesulton first appears in The Assassin's Skill (Assassin Without a Name Book Four).
