The Sufferer

The Sufferer was a mutant rebel in Alternian folklore. Hatched of illegal blood, he spent his life as a trickster dressed in red, tricking lowbloods into abandoning their superiors and following him into mischief. He was ultimately caught and chained to a rock to be executed - an event often called the Bleeding at the Rock, during which he suffered greatly and from which he got his name.

His various tricks and accomplices differ between variations of the story, but one deed common to most versions is his meeting with a mage (usually called the Ψiioniic), who was fooled by the Sufferer into leaving his master but ultimately sold into slavery as punishment for his mutiny.

Secret Sufferer
A common version of the Sufferer story states that the executor tasked with punishing the Sufferer failed to execute the last of the Sufferer's many enthralled disciples, and so was exiled from official Empire territory. During his time as an expatriate the former executor was continually sent anonymous and dangerous gifts by members of the public, up until his death. This is the most commonly cited origin tale for the sweeply celebration of Secret Sufferer, which is held on the night that is generally agreed to be the night that the Sufferer was put up for torture.