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A superlatively powerful tianhunren spirit of the order of Celestial Dragons, wielder of sacred light and implacable foe against the demonic heiyao.
When the Malignancy forced his way into the Immanent Heavens, his fell presence corrupted many celestials into demons and spawned countless more horrific monstrosities slaved to his will. Such was his overwhelming might that most of the remaining celestials despaired of any chance of victory.
Not all were unwilling to contend with this new foe, however. As the warlike jǫrmunalfar marched forth to meet this new evil in battle, the dragon who would come to bear the title of Highlord traveled from domain to domain, rallying those who were unwilling to bow to Heijian to oppose him. His entreaties and encouragement renewed hope and instilled resolve within the hearts of the tianhunren, and soon great multitudes from among most of the orders prepared to make war against the Malignancy. He did not come bearing a sacred missive, nor did he promise victory, but he vowed to them that he would always be first into battle and last to retreat, and that his fate would be their fate whatever it might be.
The war did not go well. Although the great army led by the Highlord, the Remnant Host, achieved several critical victories, its warriors soon found themselves utterly outmatched by Heijian's might. The legends are particularly obscure on what happened next, but it is said that after scattering the Host, Heijian took on form so he could make a cruel example out of the dragon, a warning to all creation as to the fate of any impertinent enough to oppose him. None of the legends attempt to describe how Heijian manifested, but whatever it was could have easily slaughtered the dragon had it not wanted to break him in a different way. It subjected the Highlord to torment like no created being has felt since, offering to relent only if he chose to abandon his brethren. But the dragon would not do so.
The legends are also unclear about how he was delivered, only that transcendent divinity did deliver him. Some say it indwelt him briefly, and that in doing so even the merest touch of sacred fire was enough to send Heijian howling, broken and injured, to the abyss within which he has hid since. In this telling it is this indwelling that gifted him the power he is now known for. Others say that the highest heavens could bear this desecration no longer, and that an Emissary, equal of Heijian, was sent into creation to oppose him, and that each resulted in the ruin of the other. In any case, though, it was made clear to him from above that this was the first and last time divinity would intervene like this.
Even in the wake of Heijian's defeat, though, his corruption lingered within the dragon's spirit. The Highlord saw Heijian crippled, his forces in disarray, the abandonment of creation by the highest heavens, and he contemplated finishing Heijian's work by proclaiming himself god of all things. But in the end this test he passed, and in doing so the last vestiges of this corruption were expunged and he gained divine imprimateur to continue leading the Remnant Host.
He remains to this day loved and admired by the other celestials, and all who call themselves part of the Host are as fiercely loyal to him as he is to them. Courage and determination seem to flow from his being into the hearts of those who fight alongside him, and he never evinces fear or shows any willingness to compromise with evil. He refuses to flaunt his great power, but instead expends considerable effort to mentor and encourage his charges, and to share with them lessons hard learned. His surprisingly reasonable demeanor makes him amenable to receiving advice and warning.
Only when his guard slips, when he is with those he trusts the most, will he admit that he is weary, desperately wishing that the Host were not alone in its war against the forces of evil or that he didn't have to shoulder the crushing responsibility of leading it. He also admits to mistrusting the xinlingren mortals, who in his mind tend too often to be either hapless victims or cruel, ambitious villains. Heijian still empowers his archdemon minions, and the grimmrgandar have been extremely effective at prosecuting the War of All Creation against their still-outnumbered opponents, ceaselessly inventing creative new strategems and perversities to inflict upon celestials and mortals alike; few within the Remnant Host fight because they believe victory is possible.
As a celestial spirit, his innate mastery of thaumaturgy is unsurpassed. He wields such supernatural energies with both extraordinary power and a graceful precision that borders on artistry, and when his anger is provoked nothing can hide evil from his purifying will. There are legends where he turns into ten thousand incandescent spears to defeat a warfleet arrayed against him, or a trillion droplets of blinding light in order to scour a world of some tenacious, pernicious wickedness.
Like others of lofty rank, he may physically manifest as a Fiery Creature—either in the draconic form which the First-Awoken well know him for, or in more human-like guise should discretion be necessary. Although embodied as flesh and blood, bone and sinew, his avatar is nigh-impossible to harm by any weapon or artifice known to the Ensouled Folk. Certain foes in the physical realm must be confronted on their own terms, and even as a creature of fangs and horns, slashing claws and twisting muscle, few can compare.
