A lich who waged war across the world, changing much of it permanently.
Early Life
Croudrem was raised on the Echium Isles for most of his life. His parents were nomads and pirates; he spent his early years bouncing around port cities and the inner sea. Always a bright boy, he took a particular interest in arcane magic. When he came of age, he attended the
Oxyll Institute of the Arcane. A talented young quarterling (part human, part halfling) who studied necromancy, surgery, and ancient texts. In his third year, he absconded from the school with a selection of rare manuscripts. It is unknown what happened to his family or friends from this time in his life.
Rise to Power
Nearly fifty years later, he began travelling through the countryside of Retrienne (now the
Retriesh Republic ), hawking his services as a miracle-worker and healer. His appearance horrified the peasantfolk, skeletal and modified as he was, but he claimed to follow
Ewyhrtoa , and would raise anyone from the dead in exchange for their loyalty. The corrupt monarchy tried to hunt him down for spreading false beliefs and practicing "foul magicks"1 among the common folk. The government's villification of Croudrem only fueled public belief in him, until finally conflict began to spread.
The War
From there, he led something of a peasant uprising against the monarchy, dependent on the loyalty of the people he had raised from death and their families. This stage of the war lasted two years, until the monarchy was overthrown. From there, Croudrem insisted on continuing the campaign to conquer neighboring countries, calling the new Retriesh country "Croudremicia", which nobody liked. But he had leverage over his entire populace; he could easily un-resurrect their family members, or force the undead to kill the rest. Faith dwindled as he led his armies across the land, eventually holding all but the dwarven, goblin, and draconic lands. The governments within were allowed to persist, but were controlled by their own dead, risen mindlessly and cruelly from their graves. Then, the Arcane Council intervened.
When Croudrem, now with his epithet of The Resurrector, arrived at the
Territories of the Arcane Council , he was finally met with resistance. A famous standoff ocurred, wherein the leaders of the council shouted from their towers across the crashing sea to the mainland of
Gostait , saying they had to have a meeting, and that the meeting would decide the fate of the world.
A few hours later, Croudrem the Resurrector was no more. Eyewitness accounts state he "ran from his chambers...raving about his patron's betrayal" (
Autobiography of an Undead General, Jelmarv Twinrange, 12 7P). His body - made of old bone, rusted metal, and enchantments - collapsed into dust.
Everyone he had raised died again. That entire swathe of the archipelago was miraculously and spontaneously freed from subjugation. The much abused armies of "Croudremicia" returned home, determined to rebuild.
Aftermath
The most notable result of the conflict caused by Croudrem is the founding of the Retriesh Republic. When the armies of the lich king returned home, they were able to rebuild from scratch, with those who had once been peasants in positions of power. They established a direct democracy, and officially adopted
Lysander as their official person of worship - many people attributed Croudrem's defeat to the god of justice. Still, many other areas began to worship
Ewyhrtoa, a god found to be kind and generous, providing new life to many who died unjustly or before their time.
Outside of the Republic, people now harbor an instinctive mistrust of necromancers, worshippers of Ewyrhtoa, and anyone who bears any kiss of undeath. The general opinion of the arcane has also become fraught; the fact Croudrem was taught magic at Oxyll has not earned the academy any favors, although they have claimed credit for the defeat of the lich. Council members state they "cut off Croudrem at the source of his power," leading to his demise (Archmage Onvorick, 41 6P).
The conflict also caused some slight redrawings of country borders. The dwarven kingdom of
Dukehdah Tudug expanded into the countryside left briefly unguarded on their border with Retrienne. This has caused some raw feelings for Retriesh citizens, but they don't really have a leg to stand on when it comes to gripes about conquering.
Comments