Description
The Shrike of Hsira was relatively short compared to most aethrin, standing just under five feet tall, but often levitated much higher off the ground. Their skeletal body was almost completely barren of flesh and feathers, although the bones weren't truly 'picked clean.' Over their frame they were often seen in flowing black robes tattered from damage inflicted by countless battles and assassination attempts, and though the robes were often more than enough to obfuscate any equipment, they never seemed to care or mend it beyond that. As an ancient lich suffused with magic, their robes often swirled and flowed about their body like animate shadows, and arcane light glowed from their eyes and mouth.
Knowledge of their mortal form's appearance, as well as their original, familiar form, has been lost to time.
Personality
The Shrike of Hsira is ruthless, pragmatic, cold, calculating, and unflinchingly evil. They behave intelligently, but without a single thought given to any concept of a code, and only ever keep their promises when it suits them to do so. They are prone to exhibitions of rage, but it rarely ever seems to impact their plans in a negative way. Instead, their fury seems like yet another weapon in their arsenal of terrifying powers, just as effective when they seize the initiative as it is when they take the very coldest revenge.
The Shrike has an extensive knowledge of the arcane - not only do they have over three thousand years of experience in wizardry, but they were also literally born of magic themselves (as they were first a wizard's familiar spirit before they were awakened and transformed into a genuine Aarakocra). In addition, the Shrike uses their magic and the power they can exert over other beings to cultivate a nearly omniscient network of spies and contacts in many Realms, which gives them the ability to cruelly manipulate with blackmail and coercion who they cannot convince with charisma.
Abilities
In his immortal life as an Aarakocran lich, the Inaethri of cruel undeath was a necromancer without peer literally
transmuted from magic itself. As such, the Shrike was capable of casting dozens of high circle spells per day, a nearly infinite amount of lower circle spells, and had even devised how to cast spells beyond the ninth circle (also known to the Gylidder Curio as Epic Magic). Although their names were never known, their effects included such things as; an Epic variant of Spirit Guardians that could cover nearly a quarter mile in diameter, an Epic variant of Animate Dead that could raise all creatures within sight as skeletons or zombies, an Epic spell that served as a 'matrix' for multiple leveled spells that would be cast simultaneously, and so on.
The Shrike still commands a massive cult of spies and browbeaten victims in positions of power all across Myzelis, even from the outer planes as an Inaethri. With these brokers, the Dread Necromancer can access nearly any information given enough time, and uses it to barter with and control an ever increasing sphere of influence in the Realms. Though time will tell if his networks will survive the scrutiny of his dizzying array of mortal and immortal enemies, the Shrike's immortality gives them a cunning patience that waits in the shadows with perfect poise for the right moment.
Worshippers
"I am the Shrike of Hsira, a Curse upon all the Realms. I am the Death that comes for you before your time."
"Fear strengthens everything it touches. Even now, it draws your hands to your weapons, to your foci, to lash out at what you do not understand. I can smell it suffusing your every thought. Fear is your ally. It keeps you safer than hope ever will."
"I have brought the Doom of Kolkaris to Ulloren, to prove this to you. This castle will be its sword, and it will pierce the soft flesh of your Realm to plunge all into the darkness."
"Fear will guide you and keep you strong. Embrace your fear... fear death... fear corruption... fear me."
— The Shrike of Hsira, before attacking the Realm of Ulloren in 0 AE
Before their Inaethrid in Falka, 0 AE, the Shrike was a powerful necromancer and undying warlock patron. Although the exact number of sponsored individuals and cults was unknown, the Shrike routinely proved that they could access and influence nearly all of the most secretive Gylidder markets, whether for illegal goods or information. In the over 3000 years of the Shrike's notoriety, neither the Gylidder Guard nor Curio were ever able to permanently tamp out their network of spies and merchants. It remains to be seen if the Shrike's brokers will survive now that the ancient lich has left the plane.
Now that the Shrike has become Inaethri, researchers and sages of the Gylidder Curio believe that a considerable percentage of their most devoted mortal and immortal followers will convert to worship, with many of these earning unholy powers as clerics or divine souls. These followers are known in Gylidder parlance as Cigyddren
(KEE-gidd-ren), which roughly translates to "Butcher Children" or "Shrikekin." No official public religion exists anywhere that venerates the Shrike, so it is unclear what they will officially call their priests, or where they will hold their vile services.
Activities
Not enough time has passed to see what sort of deific goals the Shrike has, but they are likely to be disastrous for Myzelis. If their activities leading up to the Inaethrid are any indication, they will likely seek greater heights of power until either they are ultimately stopped, or they take the mantle of control from the planet itself.
Most recently, the Shrike hatched a plan in which they plotted both with and against the entity known as Xultras, the Doom of Kolkaris. Using the extraplanar monster to both distract and weaken the known Realms, they used the opportunity to spread their infamy across the world. Once the destruction had reached its peak, the Shrike purposefully lost in battle, ensuring that they would be able to accept the Inaethrid and wrest the mantle of immortality from
The Master.
As of Falka, 0 AE, the Shrike has only just begun to craft their own Outer Plane and so knowledge about it is extremely limited. It is unlikely to be a paradise by any means, and more likely than not will serve as a torturous dungeon for worshippers who are unable to live up to their promises to their cruel mentor. It will, undoubtedly, be fashioned as a mockery of the way their namesake bird lives, with tortured souls impaled on spikes.
History
The Shrike of Hsira was created by the "Find Familiar" first circle ritual spell around five hundred years before the turn of the Age of Invention, in the city of Hynfaol on Gylidd. Their conjurer, a firbolg wizard named
Glasylian, summoned the tiny bird and named him "Hosoki", an ancient Gylidder sylvan term for 'sighing reeds of tall grass in a twilight breeze.' Although Hosoki was present for the corruption of his master's master - the high elf wizard Caesylimbioth - and the subsequent corruption of Glasylian and his peers, the bird spirit was barely more intelligent than a true shrike and remembers very little aside from being wholly devoted to Glasylian's needs.
It wouldn't be until nearly the second century of the Age of Invention that Glasylian developed a spell to permanently awaken and transmute Hosoki into an aethrin aarakocra. The ritual did not remove the bindings that ensured their familiar's loyalty. In an attempt to hide their allegiance for political purposes, Hosoki's name was purposefully 'lost', and the 'new' necromancy student was simply referred to as "the Shrike of Hsira", as Glasylian had moved from Hynfaol, Gylidd, to Hsira, Hsarova around the year 381 BAI.
The Shrike was guided to immortality shortly after, so that Glasylian would not outlive them, and was taught magic up to and including Epic Arcana over the next several hundred years. Gradually, the Shrike was granted more and more opportunity for autonomy, and was tasked with scouting the Realms of Hsarova and Gylidd for living bodies worthy of experimentation in both demonic transfiguration, and undeath. To facilitate this task, Glasylian crafted a terrible construct that could take two forms - that of a three-masted sailing vessel, and that of a colossal bird of prey.
For the next three thousand years, the Shrike continued to operate the pirate vessel in the Sea of Binding. They made contacts, bartered with lives, and mercilessly predated upon the living aethrin of the Realms nearest to Gylidd, as well as the Gylidder people. In the year 3210 AI, Glasylian bade his familiar stay far away from the city of
Hsar as it was destroyed by
Aurelius Zelkor's Gylidder Army of Light, and for a time the Shrike lost communication with their creator.
Around the year 3517 AI, the Shrike began to hear whispers of Glasylian's influence coming from the Brume-covered eastern shore of Gylidd Island. Though he was compelled to greatly desire a reunion, the Shrike was unwilling to test Vrokíva for access, and waited patiently until the receding of the Brume in 3518 AI/0 AE. The Shrike discovered a hidden dungeon beneath the eastern hills of Gylidd, and discovered that the Master had captured Glasylian and forced them into service as an Architect.
The Shrike then spent the better part of a year sending servants of varying strength and variety into the dungeon to clear it and retrieve Glasylian. None would be as successful as a group that would eventually become the Damned Chime of the
Wrenjers of Gylidd, although they fought themselves free of the Shrike's influence and blackmail before the job was finished. At the same time, the Shrike's base of operations at New Hsira were destroyed by a joint force consisting of the Gylidder Guard, Gylidder Curio, Wrenjers of Gylidd, the red greatwyrm Athalgaethir, and their allies, and the necromancer was forced to flee into the Sea of Binding for a time in an event that has become known as the
Banishment of the Shrike.
In Falka, 0 AE, in an event that would become known as the
Nightmares of the Ley, the Shrike launched a multi-pronged attack upon each of the Realms connected to Gylidd Syn Aethri, using coins of possession containing the spirit of Xultras, an extradimensional being that sought the silence and destruction of all life on Myzelis. In truth, Xultras was a pawn and the Shrike had no intention of allowing them to succeed, instead trusting that the combined powers of all of the Realms would be more than a match for this interdimensional interloper. Instead, the Shrike called upon their allies and minions in an attempt to sow as much fear and discord as they could, taking credit for every pound of destruction and every ounce of terror.
Challenging the Wrenjers once again -
literally atop a massive graveyard of their own dead from his previous attacks - the Shrike dealt as much pain and death as they could. They smashed their own Phylactery to ensure that if the Wrenjers successfully put them down, they would have an opportunity to undergo an
Inaethrid if they perished. Luckily for them - and unluckily for the rest of Myzelis - their gamble was a success. The mass fear and destruction they had sown across the world in a matter of hours had made them infamous in every Realm, and though many brave heroes defied that fear, the common Aethrin were terrified of his powers.
As their physical body fell to pieces on the lawn of Hopewatch Tower, the Shrike of Hsira's spirit absorbed the faith necessary to ascend, and became Inaethri.
The Shrike of Hsira undergoing their Inaethrid at the Tower of Hopewatch, in Falka, 0 AE
