Lord Negutesco - The Lich Lord
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In life, Lord Negutesco was the dread lord of Tavelia who ruled that dark nation with an iron fist, uniting its assorted counts under his banner and threatening to engulf his neighbors in an endless horde of the undead. Post Ascension, he has become the god of undeath, tyranny, decay, and nightmares, dictating that the dead must not be left undisturbed and people must accept their place under their betters and above their lessers. He is worshipped by necromancers of all sorts, both arcane and divine, and deeply opposed by the followers of Sigune, who have never abandoned their mistress' crusade against The Lich Lord.
Mortal Life
The dark forests of Tavelia have always been shrouded in secrecy, filled with dangerous creatures and dotted with dark castles, and Lord Negutesco's origins are another one of the secrets hiden by this dark land. Nothing is known of him pre-lichdom, but from his stronghold in the heart of Tavelia, Castel Dorogheni, he plotted to expand his power and rule all of the dark forest. As his power grew, and the other lords of Tavelia fell under his influence, the region became more dangerous. While once merchants could freely traverse the roads during the day, soon only the bravest ventured out, and only on the main roads. Wandering groups of the undead traversed the countryside and even the normal beasts of the forest seemed emboldened, leaving the region nearly cutoff from the outside.
Rulers who used to enjoy trade with Tavelia began to become concerned, and when their envoys disappeared, some of them even sent expeditionary forces into the region or hired teams of adventurers. All failed to return, seemingly swallowed up by the dark forest without a whisper. Eventually, tales of a dread lord of Tavelia began to emerge, a lord of the undead who had united the region under his banner via fear of his dark magics. Caravans began taking the sea route around the dark forest, attempts to send envoys ceased, and the region was largely written off by the rest of the continent.
The silence of the region abruptly ended when armies of the undead flooded out from the borders of Tavelia like a dark tide into the lands of their largely unprepared neighbors. The Achaean city state of Cebresia has always been vigilant against incursion from Tavelia, given their proximity to the dark realm, but they were caught completely unprepared for the scale of the invasion, as most of Lord Negutesco's underlings pushed into the Achaean City States. On the other side of Tavelia, The Lich Lord pushed up into the Lechian Peninsula, while his final vassals attacked up through the lands which would one day become Gnok and Krudh. The army of Lord Negutesco seemed unstoppable, destroying one minor kingdom after another, the ranks of the undead swelling with every victory.
In the Lechian Peninsula, on the grasslands just south of the city of Bedle, the forces of the lords of Lechia assembled, lead by the warrior woman Sigune, and made their stand. The battle has long since passed into legend, with tales of men withering and dying wherever Lord Negutesco directed his attention and others rising where they fell, turning on their former companions. For all his dread power, his armies crumbled under the light radiated by Sigune and her followers, and the legendary winged hussars of Lechia slammed into the flanks of his forces mercilessly.
As his armies crumbled, Lord Negutesco and Sigune met in the center of the battle, and as they clashed, titanic forces washed over the battlefield. Waves of dark magic flew from every swing of his mace, and bursts of light healed her allies and burned away the nearby undead. As their battle reached it's peak, shafts of golden light slammed down from the sky, enveloping both of them, followed by a blast of blinding radiance which knocked everyone for hundreds of yards off of their feet. When it cleared, both combatants were gone, and without his influence, Lord Negutesco's armies of the undead began to crumble where they stood.
Without the unifying influence and power of The Lich Lord, the other invasions ground to a halt as well, and they were driven back into the dark forests of Tavelia. Tavelia eventually reopened to foreign trade, but never to the point that it once was, and traveling the lesser roads would remain a dangerous prospect.
Castel Dorogheni
The ancient fortress from which Lord Negutesco ruled over Tavelia with an iron fist, today Castel Dorogheni stands as a stark reminder that none have surpassed The Lich Lord. Castel Dorogheni has stood abandoned since the ascension of The Lich Lord despite the aspirations of the many counts who have, over the years, claimed to be the heirs to the legacy of The Lich Lord. Many have tried to take the the fortress as their own, all have failed, and most lost their lives in the process.
Whether from some machination of The Lich Lord while he resided there or an effect of his ascension to divinity, the fortress has taken on a life - or perhaps unlife - of it's own. As many would be visitors to or conquerors of the castel have discovered, only someone truly worthy of The Lich Lord's legacy will be able to take it as their own, and thus far all have failed that test. Castel Dorogheni is filled with ravenous undead, devious traps, and uncounted deadly secrets waiting for the next claimant or invader to stumble upon them.
Worship
The Lich Lord is a god who is only openly worshipped in the darker places of the world, in all others his worship is conducted in secrecy as Lord Negutesco is reviled by all good peoples. His cults have strict hierarchies, with the strong ruling over the weak, but all are constantly seeking to surpass their peers and raise themselves above their rivals. Because of the cutthroat nature of the cults, backstabbing and betrayal are a constant threat as everyone eyes the next position in the hierarchy and seeks to guard themselves from those below them.
Lord Negutesco
The Lich Lord
Alignment
Lawful Evil
Edicts
Raise the undead, Rule through fear, Subjugate your lessers, Bend the knee to those more powerful
Anathema
Let the dead lie undisturbed, Allow the living to prosper, Defy your masters, Defer to your lessers
Areas of Concern
The Undead, Necromancy, Law
Follower Alignments
LE, NE, LN, N
Devotee Benefits
Divine Ability
Intelligence or Wisdom
Divine Font
Harm
Divine Skill
Arcana
Favored Weapon
mace
Domains
Undeath, Decay, Tyranny, Ambition
Cleric Spells
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