Lich King Gryllfagor

The most famous, and final, wearer of theCrown of Thorns was Gryllfagor the Lich King of Svartvelheim. Under his reign, he transformed the crown into his own personal phylactery. Of his five centuries of rule, the crown become corrupted by the souls it captured and stole and by the lich kings dark magics, becoming cursed. The crown still holds powerful arcane magic, but needs souls to feed and fuel it or will eventually decay into a standard crown again.
Gryllfagor came to power likely in the 1200s, ma, and began a drastic change of Svartvelheim culture. The city’s grew, their civilization reached their highest extent, and the output of their artefacts increased. Seen as a benevolent and wise ruler who had expanded his empire, Gryllfagor,a hobgoblin noble, saw no reason to surrender this power. It is said he travelled to the lands of men and began to seek council from the dark forgotten gods, where he learnt the secrets of immortality from one of them. He returned with this power, and is said to have sacrificed an entire city to transform the crown into a phylactery and unlock the potential of lichdom.
This golden age continued, Gryllfagor content, and used wars and capital punishment to fuel the souls to keep him alive. Over time, his use of this dark magic slowly corrupted him, and his empire began to fracture, the city states becoming more autonomous, those opposed to him fled to the mountains and began brutal raids, and the empire entered its late stage.
By the time of the Jotun arrival during their golden age, Svartvelheim was long passed its strength and height. The jotun found conquest easy, the city’s fragmented and offering little resistance. Gryllfagor did what he could, making the Jotun pay for every inch with thousands of casualties using his arcane powers, from their dead, he arose new armies.
This would not last forever, and clerics of the all-father soon arrived and pushed the lich king back to his capital of Fasingos. The city would fall in a colossal battle still song about today, and allegedly Ymir the king of the frost giants tore the body of the lich king asunder, but this did not kill him, so he was thrown into his tombs to rot, and the tombs sealed and buried.
What is most likely is this giant fuelled decapitation did temporarily kill the lich king, and the few loyal soldiers he had left after the city was sacked likely buried his body and then themselves within. Yet Gryllfagor lived on, he was reborn years later, but could find no escape from his tomb. He decayed slowly, eventually becoming a demilich by 1052 when Doomed 2 Die discovered and defeated him. Gryllfagor did not revive again this time, and seems to be hiding within the Crown of Thorns itself.

Alternate Reality

In the alternate reality created by Primus where Doomed 2 Die never met, Gryfyllgor was defeated by Falia Rayes and the 22nd scouts. He would be completely destroyed when Falia turned the crown of throns into a weapon, killing herself, Balcorus †, and The Snow Lord†.

Status: Incorporeal
First Apperance: Session 63, Brawls and Crowns

Ruled Locations

• Fasingos

Appearances:

• Session 63: Brawls and Crowns
• Session 65: Tales From Jameleska Pt.1 (Voice Only)
• Session