Zhengyi

Baddy of Orcus on Tol Randai 27/11/2024
Zhengyi, known as the Witch-King, was a lich who conquered Vaasa and much of Damara in the mid-14th century DR, amassing a kingdom that was briefly one of the great powers of Faerûn.[3] He was a former Red Wizard of Thay and a servant of the demon prince Orcus.[2] Zhengyi was enormously powerful, having created Castle Perilous in just one night.[4] “ My power comes not from my physical form, but from the blackness that resides in the hearts of all men. ” — Zhengyi, Year of the Serpent, 1359 DR[5]
In his own throne room, Zhengyi made no effort to conceal or diminish his horrific undead appearance. His body was almost completely skeletal, and his head appeared as a greyish skull with flaming eyes and only a few tufts of hair.[6] His appearance was barely concealed by the rotted strands of a once extravagant golden robe and a dark hood fashioned from a dragon's skull.[1][2] On occasions when he needed to leave his citadel to court new allies, he was known to use illusions to adopt the form of a pudgy, bearded wizard similar to how he had appeared in life.
Zhengyi was ambitious and sadistic. He was wholeheartedly devoted to spreading chaos in the name of Orcus, refused to form alliances even with other evil factions, and had a hatred of the living which bordered on irrational. However, he was also patient and cautious to the point of paranoid in his pursuit of these goals. He was a meticulous planner and tactician[5] who feared to take risks in cases where he was confident that his victory would ultimately come to pass within his undead timescale.[2][7] Zhengyi did not enjoy his undeath, and secretly looked back fondly on the pleasures of his living years. As a general rule, he wished to destroy or remove from his presence anything which reminded him of that time, which included anything that was itself alive.[2]
History In life, Zhengyi was a member of the Red Wizards of Thay and a devout worshiper of Orcus.[8][9] He achieved lichdom in the second half of the 10th century DR with the aid of Orcus.[2] At some point, he became the leader of the Cult of the Goat's Head dedicated to Orcus.[10]
Nearly four hundred years later, Zhengyi set his sights on Vaasa,[11] where his evil presence was said to have been part of the elves' decision to leave Myth Drannor in the Retreat.[12] He raised Castle Perilous in a single night in Year of the Bright Blade, 1347 DR,[11][note 1] and declared himself ruler of a new Kingdom of Vaasa.[13][14] He immediately set about winning the favor of the chaotic human, goblin, giant, and orc tribes and bandits in the area, including the White Worm barbarians and the Grandfather of Assassins.[4][8][15] He was further supported by priests of Orcus, allowing him control of many undead creatures, and he leveraged his knowledge of undeath to offer lichdom to many local dragons in exchange for their services.[5][15][16] These forces made the Witch-King's realm one of the most powerful in all of Faerûn.[3]
A year later, in the Year of the Spur, 1348 DR, Zhengyi had nearly full control of Vaasa and began his invasion of Damara in what would come to be called the Vaasan War. He began by occupying Bloodstone Pass, isolating a lot of mining operations crucial to Damara's prosperity. The armies invaded Damara itself, massacring at every opportunity. Damara fought back, and the war continued for almost a decade until the Year of the Prince, 1357 DR, when a stalemate between the armies was reached at the Ford of Goliad.[15] Zhengyi broke this stalemate by convincing the leader of the opposing army, King Virdin, that a magic wand could give him the ability to get his army safely across the river. In Damara it is believed that Virdin's chief lieutenant, Felix, was persuaded to defect and aid Zhengyi, who waited until the Damaran army was helpless in the river before making his move.[17]
With this victory, Zhengyi claimed direct control over all of northern Damara and allowed southern Damara to remain independent as long as they recognized his rule and paid him tribute.[3] His kingdom was then divided into several regions: Zhengyi ruled directly in Vaasa from Castle Perilous, the Grandfather of Assassins was appointed charge of the Galena Mountains, and Damara became divided into six independently-ruled baronies, all of which were taxed heavily leading to great hardship and large-scale emigration from Damara to the south.[17][3] Zhengyi then withdrew from Damara to plot his next moves.[17]
During this time, a delegation of Red Wizards from his homeland arrived in Vaasa to seek an audience with Zhengyi, and he promptly had them killed.[7]
The Witch-King returned his attention to Damara during the Bloodstone Wars in the Year of the Serpent, 1359 DR, when the Damarans threatened to unite behind the formidable Gareth Dragonsbane, the new Baron of Bloodstone. Zhengyi sent his army after him, and another stalemate occurred at the Ford of Goliad, the location of the first stalemate.[17]
Zhengyi lost his power when Dragonsbane and his companions stormed Castle Perilous and banished Orcus by stealing his wand. Zhengyi's undead army crumbled along with the Castle, and the Witch-King was defeated.[18]
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Zhengyi's relics The Witch-King had hoarded many magical items during its existence, and after its destruction many items were discovered by determined looters. Some rumor that after the defeat of the Witch-King, remnants of himself or his spirit were scattered across the lands.[19] The items were often cursed and quite powerful, plaguing the lands of Vaasa and Damara for years afterward. Exposure to a relic could contaminate a person and their descendants with Zhengyi's power, which could then be tapped through the use of Zhengyian blood magic.[20]
Dragon Statue Once a grand dragon statue was discovered in the bog north of Darmshall. It grew to enormous proportions before finally sinking into the bog.[21]
Accessories A young man found a plain gray stone with a gem-studded belt wrapped around it on the northern slopes of the Galenas. He carelessly threw aside the stone after strapping on the belt, not knowing that the stone actually was the magical trigger for the 25 fireball-enchanted rubies to enact their devastating magic - obliterating the young man in the wake.[21]
Books of Creation Zhengyi conserved his knowledge by writing it down - several of his books have been found, most often with devastating results. These books are said to even rival Zhengyi's greatest accomplishment - his lichdom. A living being triggers the "unreading" of a book. The book then starts to read itself, enacting the magic Zhengyi placed within its pages.[22] Runes appearing in the air above the book and falling into it are translations of life energy, drawn from a spirit caught in a crystal phylactery concealed within the book. That energy fuels the construction. It serves as the living source of power in animating the defense of the construction: raising undead soldiers, causing the gargoyles of the castle to regenerate on their porches, and bringing life to flesh and iron golems.[23]
One tome was discovered by a human wizard, called Herminicle Duperdas from Heliogabalus. He was considered to be but a middling magic-user, even considered a novice among his own guild. The mage found the book and read it. But he underestimated the power of Zhengyi's legacy and found himself being consumed by the tome - the book taking his magic and his life-force as its own, using it to create a tower. The mage's essence was then bound to the tower, as the tower bound itself to the mage, leaving Duperdas in the form of a lich guarding the tower and the book. The human assassin Artemis Entreri and his drow companion Jarlaxle went to retrieve the book, killing the lich by destroying the tome itself. Jarlaxle kept a component of the book for himself though: a small jewel human skull that was embedded in the book.[24] When attuning his sensibilities to the skull, a non-human owner can enter the nether-world, sensing long dead human bodies, that would raise to the stone's bidding.[25]
Another tome was discovered by the half-orc Wingham, who gave it to his niece Arrayan for study. This tome was bound in rich black leather with designs of curling and rearing dragons etched onto the spine and cover of the book.[26] Arrayan started to read the book, unleashing its power and thus binding her own life-force to the book. The structure created by Arrayan's book seemed to be a replica of Castle Perilous itself. The true power behind the unleashing power though was the life force of a dracolich concealed within the book.[27]
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Dragon Phylacteries Zhengyi was known to create phylacteries for dragons, even those who did not want them, in order to entice or coerce them into his service. He was estimated to have produced over one hundred such relics, nearly all of which were lost when he fell.[28]
Appendix Notes The Forgotten Realms campaign sets for both the 1st edition (set 1357 DR) and 2nd edition (set 1368 DR) give Zhengyi's appearance as happening "20 years ago." The 3rd edition onward continued from the date established in the 2nd edition, and set the year as 1347 DR. Appearances Adventures The Throne of Bloodstone Referenced only Bloodstone Pass • The Mines of Bloodstone • The Bloodstone Wars
as per flee mortals
HP 270, AC20 30/50 MOVE
Biting acid Disruptive attaxck Pain of Ages Glare of death Horrid woe Life Asboorption Ncrotic form Immortal insight Spells