Shadow Triad

Shadow Triad/Necropolis additions Shadow Triad Lore 1. About 200 years before the events of Gaiobros & after several failed attempts by the Death Minister to insert political influence into Fraesokovia, Lady Gaelica led the Roving Shadows on an extensive siege of the Frost Elf capital. However, the anti-undead stronghold proved too much for Lady Gaelica to conquer, and after a multi-year siege, her army was too depleted to continue. As such, Gaelica was forced to retreat and rebuild her forces, temporarily limiting the Shadow Triad’s military influence over Cyregnor. The Death Minister amplified his work to keep the other civilizations under the Shadow Triad’s influence during this time
2. The Death Minister spends most of his time on diplomacy with the vampiric nations, forming a tenuous alliance amongst their undead societies
3. Sometime after the Roving Shadows’ (renamed to Jaw Company at the time) successful conquest of Santa’s Workshop, the Shadow King’s investigators beseeched his aid in unlocking an arcane vault hidden beneath the Necromancy Lab, missed by the Gaiobros in their excitement for the other aspects of the castle. Even if they had found it, the arcane combination to this lock was so complicated that it took the Shadow King’s projection about a week to crack. Eventually, through a true push of his genius, he opens the vault and deactivated the glyphs securing its contents, releasing a rabid demon thought to be a myth in holiday horror stories: Krampus. He finds a hidden Thought Crystal that explains its origin: Wizard Santa II summoned this demon to the material plane and experimented on it, but lost control about a week before Christmas one year. This allowed the demon to go on a rampage through children’s dreams & kill several people across the world until the St. Knights subdued the monster, saving the holiday from a horrible reputation right before Christmas Day. Since then, Wizard Santa II used his influence to gaslight the world into believing Krampus was only a myth, a rumor told by parents who wanted their children to stay on the nice list. This actually worked in his favor, as the threat of Krampus covered up the true consequences of being on Santa’s naughty list. Wizard Santa II sealed Krampus away in this demonic vault and hid it so thoroughly that it remained undiscovered by Wizard Santa III. While the demon tore through most of the Shadow King’s forces, the latter teleported the creature to his lair in Cyrofel and subdued him there, keeping it for his own purposes.

Shadow Triad Monsters •Bone Behemoth - a hulking, Huge-sized undead giant with a dragon-skull head & necrotic flesh/muscle, and a strong boned exoskeleton. The flesh is crafted from the still screaming bodies of Cyrofellian citizens, mouths contorted and souls trapped. When the Bone Behemoth attacks it’s foes, the screaming crescendoes as the monster raises and slams it’s arms. Acts as a guardian warrior for the Shadow King’s castle, wandering it endlessly on patrol for intruders. Occasionally, the Shadow King lends these warriors to the Shade Reaper for important missions. For security purposes, these monsters are not granted to Lady Gaelica or the current commander of the Roving Shadows. When the Bone Behemoth attacks it’s foes, the screaming crescendo as the monster raises and slams it’s arms •Death Stars •Shambling Flesh Mound - shambling mound, but change type to undead and change Lightning Absorption to Necrotic. Make sure it has no damage vulnerabilities, and give it advantage against any saving throw to change its form, petrify it or grapple/restrain its movement. •Cyrofellian Guard - the few members of Cyrofel’s Royal Guard that remain as wights to serve the Shadow King. They are elite soldiers with undying loyalty to Avernion, and sometimes serve as troops under the Shade Reaper on special missions
Necropolis updates 1. Count Volugard is a founding member of the Morien Council & the president of the Merchant’s Guild. There is no “chairman” of this council, since they would not truly represent any significant level of power in the city (that position belongs to the Shadow King & current members of the Shadow Triad). However, as the most senior member, Count Volugard has the most influence out of any others, and is the only council member who does not have to worry about being “voted off” by the people, the other council members, or the Death Minister. Count Volugard has a strong working relationship with the Death Minister and is one of the few individuals in Necropolis than can consider him a friend; the Death Minister respects him greatly and sees him as one of his only true peers in the city.
2. Argatha & Count Volugard have an ongoing romantic relationship, but they keep it open as to not tie each other down (at least metaphorically; they tie each other up physically all the time, as she is the most avid user of his sex dungeon). As such, Argatha holds strong influence within the Morien Council and is vice president of the Merchant’s Guild. She has a good working relationship with the Death Minister and has been offered a position on the council when vacancies occur, but she turns them down every time; she has no interest in such direct politics, preferring to influence from the shadows and focus on her work.
3. The Necropolis Guard has a division known as the Frostbite Rangers, undead scouts that patrol the wastes endlessly in a several-mile radius around the North Pole. Since they do not need to eat, sleep, drink or breathe, they are immune to the harsh conditions and are the best at their job, leading to low turnover. They primarily alert their Scout Warden (similar rank to a Watch Captain, the Necropolis Guard soldiers that oversee a specific ward of the city) of any new faces in the North Pole, who then alerts Sir Gorien in case they come to the gates of Necropolis. They also snuff out small threats approaching the city and send word to the Scout Warden of any large threats, who then coordinates with Sir Gorien as to whether the threat can be handled by the Necropolis Guard or if the Roving Shadows are needed. If the latter is true, Sir Gorien alerts Lady Gaelica or the Lt. Commander.
4. Alcohol in Necropolis is usually made from exotic ingredients, but generally starts with aged blood as a base (in lieu of water). This blood is harvested by Mellok during his meat curing process or by Count Volugard during his own business (obviously, the blood is sold to these bars, rather than freely given). The blood is then aged properly and mixed with whatever ingredients the bar chooses to include.
5. Due to Danos’ curse on the Shadow King, the Shade Reaper cannot teleport or operate outside of Cyregnor. This is why the Shadow King needs the Gaiobros; otherwise, he could just have the Shade Reaper kill Gaioforce users across the world. As a result, rewrite the Shade Reaper side story as a mission to only hunt Santa’s Naughty List members that reside in Cyregnor.
Shadow Triad: Future if Avernion wins The Shadow King’s Ascension Plan
1. Requires two critical components. First, he must break Danos’ Shadow Lich Curse to free himself from its limitations while maintaining protection from future curses like it. Secondly, he wants the soul of the oldest living Frost Dragon in the world; Gorofax the Winter’s End. He tasks the Shade Reaper to cease his hunt for the remaining individuals on Santa’s Naughty List (after he killed Garfak the Knawing Lord) and go after this dragon, as he has trained his whole career for this important moment. The Shadow King lends him Darkjaw & the two Bone Behemoths that were helping him against Garfak.
2. Once the legendary Draconic soul is acquired, the Shadow King will place it into an arcane device called the Draconic Soul Lens. This will float between the Daidrin Gaiostone & the Shadow King, forming around his phylactery tether. Then, the Shadow King will use the Daidrin Gaiostone to draw the entire magical essence/force of the Everstorm into the stone and into himself, passing through the lens of a legendary dragon to ensure it can bind to Avernion. With the Daidrin Gaiostone essence of Artassa the Cold Empress binding to his own, the Shadow King will have performed an act of Ascension and broken past his mortal bonds, severing the phylactery and becoming a god.
3. Once the Shadow King ascends (in the skies above Necropolis), he will rapture his most devout & capable followers to the streets of Cyrofel. The Shade Reaper (Angel of Death) & Death Minister (Grand Hierophant) will go with him as he teleports the city to the Ethereal Plane, beginning his war for dominion of the Underworld from Danos. Lady Gaelica will run his military operations on Gaion and spread his dominion over the entire planet, while Solya the Caring Pharaoh will rule Necropolis & continue her own ambitions with the Daidrin Gaiostone (she possesses it now). Darkjaw the Wrathful Warden will continue hunting dragons, but will be called to the front lines by Gaelica whenever she comes across Sun Elves. He will personally kill them while Solya claims their souls for Necropolis; all dragon souls will go to the Shadow King. Solya can also call Darkjaw using the Lash of Disgrace whenever she wishes, instead of once a week.
The Avernal Order (Shadow King’s divine military & dominion)
•Grand Hierophant (The Death Minister, has shadow wings and is a death cleric/angel) •Angel of Death (The Shade Reaper, has shadow wings and is a death paladin/angel •Shadow Dragons - breathe cold, fire, lightning or necrotic damage based on the Shadow King, Angel of Death or First Knight Gorien’s command •Shadow Giants - channel cold, fire, lightning or necrotic damage based on the Shadow King, Angel of Death or First Knight Gorien’s command •Bone Behemoths •Laughing Ghouls •Avernal Knights - Cyrofellian Guards & Necropolis Guard (raptured to Cyrofel after the Shadow King’s Ascension). Sir Gorien joined his men as their respective captain in the Avernal Army’s ranks, answering to the Shadow King or Angel of Death
New Necropolis Guard
•Dollmen •Ward Captain (4): Redesigned Nutcracker Guard; warforged wirh sentience granted from the Caring Pharaoh. One for every ward of Necropolis (excluding Zalcovia)

The Roving Shadows (Lady Gaelica’s Army)
•Lady Gaelica, Commander •Sir Kringle, Lt. Commander •Wight Captain (leads individual divisions, reports to Sir Kringle or Lady Gaelica) •Abominable Yeti Wight •Yeti Wight •Ogre Wight •Mammothus Tormentum - can fire cannon blasts of dark energy from its trunk with its magitech implants •Wyvern Zombies - can inject dark energy venom into its victims & can also corrode objects/constructs. Used as cavalry by Wight Captains •Pterosaur Zombie - reconstructed from fossils or small expeditions to Vulsemar. Used as aerial cavalry by Wight Troopers •War Drake Zombies - often used as land cavalry for Wight Troopers •Wight Trooper •Yeti Zombie •Ogre Zombie •Ogre Skeleton •Minotaur Skeleton (yak/arctic bison-based) •Ghouls (individual hunting packs led by Ghast Captains) •Beast Zombie •Zombie - used as cannon fodder/bodies to overwhelm siege targets •Skeleton - used as archers & arcane weapon operators

Notable Members

• Avernox

Related Plots

• The War on Christmas