Daniel Zuse was the first follower of the prophet Vor.
Biography
Little is known of Daniel's past, although it is believed he may have grown up under harsh conditions of some kind, causing him to become mentally unstable. When he was nineteen, he committed his first murder, and eventually became a serial "lust killer", gaining sexual satisfaction from the act of raping and killing women.
Chased by the authorities, Daniel fled into the wilderness, where he lived like an animal, naked and emaciated. There he had a chance encounter with Vor. Daniel claimed he was cured of his madness by Vor's presence and refused to leave his side, afraid he would once again return to the abyss.
Vor allowed Daniel to accompany him as he preached in various cities and villages. Rolfe, a deputy in pursuit of Daniel, found them in Io and arrested him. Vor followed them to the local jail and sat outside Daniel's cell, comforting him during the long night. Rolfe was moved by Vor's words and agreed to free Daniel on the condition he be allowed to join their company. Rolfe remained suspicious of Daniel and claimed he was only with them to make sure he didn't kill again.
In the city of Zemar, the pregnant former prostitute Sofia Belgrade began to follow Vor. Sofia noticed that Daniel grew nervous around her and later concluded it was because he was afraid she would excite his bloodlust. At Vor's behest he and Rolfe aided in the birth of Sofia's son Vormundus.
More joined the cult. Daniel lived in the cave with the others, but was considered quiet, introverted, and rather strange. His desire to defile and kill had not completely left him and he constantly feared he would cause harm.
One night Daniel, having gone into the woods alone, crossed paths with Lilia, the adopted daughter of Joshua Merriman, who had come to fetch water from the river. Beset by his urges, he overpowered the girl, raped her, and strangled her. Horrified at what he had done, he fled deeper into the forest.
Daniel prayed for strength, retrieved a hidden dagger belonging to Lord Gavin Zosimus, and used it to castrate himself. He managed to make it back to the river before collapsing from blood loss. The healer Heather Babbitt spotted him lying on the bank, but made no attempt to help him, instead finding the rest of the search party and telling them where he was. Gavin and Athanasi carried him to the cave.
While Daniel lay in critical condition, the midnight sun phenomena occurred, which Vor had foreseen as a time of holiness and closeness to Akhen. Vor was consumed in prayer, pleading for Daniel's soul, and many in the cult began to fall into darkness. The enraged Joshua was narrowly stopped from attacking Daniel, and Rolfe threatened to arrest him again. Daniel's fever had broken by morning and he slowly recovered, although he would never be the same after the ordeal.
After Vor's arrest, Daniel visited him in the castle dungeons. Vor tasked him with continuing to preach, blessed him, and sang the death song, which Daniel memorized. He witnessed Vor's beheading and returned to the cave, where he described it to the others.
After the cult disbanded, Daniel traveled to the city of Hiberia and preached there. He was chased out of the city by the authorities, but managed to evade them for a decade, preaching in the outlying villages and settlements in the surrounding area. His fate is unknown, but a companion of his claimed he witnessed Daniel disappear in a blaze of light at dawn one morning.