Kaius I Allies Karrnath with the Blood of Vol

Political event

Kaius ir’Wynarn, King Kaius I of Karrnath, was turned into a vampire by the Lich Queen Vol in 897 YK as part of the price she required for her aid in preventing Karrnath’s fall to its enemies in the opening years of the Last War. When the Last War was in full swing, Kaius I was approached by priests of the Blood of Vol. These priests promised to aid Karrnath against its enemies, provided Kaius agreed to a few “minor” considerations. With Cyre and Thrane pounding on his borders, an outbreak of plague and famine that weakened his population, and a breakdown in diplomatic relations that left Karrnath temporarily without allies, Kaius agreed to whatever terms the priests had—so long as he was provided with the means to repel the invaders.

First, the priests worked with Kaius’ own court wizards to perfect the process for creating elite zombie and skeleton troops to bolster Karrnath’s forces. With the addition of armor and weapons, as well as a slight increase in power, these undead were stronger and more formidable than the average mindless walking corpse. Second, the priests provided an elite fighting force dedicated to both Vol and Kaius—the Order of the Emerald Claw. “The Order will help you here and in distant lands, where its agents will foster unrest and revolution in the homes of your enemies,” the priests explained. Both of these gifts gave an immediate boost to Karrnath’s beleaguered forces and the order took credit for the internal strife that soon blossomed in Cyre, Breland, and Aundair, saving Karrnath from total conquest by Aundair and Cyre in the first decade of the conflict.   When Vol, the ancient half-dragon lich at the heart of the Blood of Vol cult, appeared before Kaius I to collect her “considerations” for the aid her priests provided him, he had no choice but to submit. In addition to allowing the cult to establish temples and bases throughout Karrnath, Vol demanded that Kaius partake in the Blood of Vol’s Sacrament of Blood. Instead of the usual harmless ceremony, Vol invoked an ancient Qabalrin necromantic incantation that turned Kaius into a vampire lord.   Rather than becoming a compliant undead thrall of the Lich Queen, however, Kaius I fought to keep his independence. Furious that the vampire refused to be humbled, Vol eventually forced the issue by triggering Kaius’ blood lust (something he had been struggling to control since his transformation). When the crimson haze cleared, Kaius discovered that he had attacked and killed his beloved wife and queen. The helpless monarch saw his nation increasingly fall under the Lich Queen’s sway even as Karrnath’s military was able to hold its own once more due to the assistance of the knights of the Emerald Claw and the development of the new Karrnathi undead troops.