The First Necromancer

The First Necromancer is a mythical tale still told around the world of Varda in various forms. The details mostly remain the same, although names and locations vary with who is telling the tale.
The below rendition of the story is from the historian Theoderada Oakburrow (Southdale Academy, prof. of History), from her book “The Rise and Fall of the Old Kingdom”.

The Mage and the Healer

It is a known fact that around the year 550 BA, at the height of turmoil that the Empire of Elystrium was seeing, a single Goliath rose to power. His name was Calux Valerius, and he was a great man. Many flocked to his cause, seeking a saviour to bring about the end of the chaos that had descended on the realm. His natural charisma and mighty form inspired many, and we have records that a vast host of warriors joined his cause to unite Elystrium once again.
Of course, many thought that they would be the great hero who would bring peace to the people. So what made Calux Valerius different? A large part of it was those that he persuaded to his side early on. The Arcana Custodum. These were a range of magic-users, typically the most powerful in the land, that were trained in battle-magic and the way of war. With these mighty spellcasters following him, Calux Valerius had a great advantage over any that would stand in his way.
It is amongst these esteemed mages that we find the main character to the tale, a man by the name of Marcus Ignassar. Young and handsome, and with powers far beyond those of the everyday commoner, Marcus must have been a truly impressive sight. But mortal he still was, and despite his spells, he would soon come to be grievously injured in battle.
It was not for the Arcana Custodum to simply be left to die though, and the finest healers were always available to them. And this is where Marcus met Livia Naenia. Like all tales, love came quickly to the pair. Passions flared and a blossoming relationship began between the two, all with a backdrop of civil unrest and war. Livia joined Marcus on the battlefield as soon as he was fit to fight again; a vital asset as a battle-healer in the war effort. Battling side by side, with a faith in the cause that they fight for, powers beyond compare; it must have seemed like a grand adventure. But war is cruel and tragedy soon followed.

Love and War

At the Siege of Marcellum, a counter-attack from the defenders struck out against the besieging force of Calux Valerius. This was but a final, desperate act of the defending forces, and the battle swiftly turned against them. Losses on both sides began to pile up. Amongst those that fell in the skirmish was Livia, swords piercing her flesh and cutting short her life. Across the turmoil and mayhem of battle, with swords clashing and spells flying, Marcus bore witness to his love dying. In an instant, rage overcame him.
Accounts of the Siege of Marcellum are sparse, but what little information is gleamed tells of fire and death and destruction. In his rage, Marcus appears to have unleashed a magical torrent that consumed all around him. Friend and foe alike were obliterated in a firestorm, and the battle was instantly ended. When the flames subsided, it was only Marcus standing, clutching the body of his dearly departed.
It is assumed Livia was buried, but what happened next is more tale than solid historical fact. It is said that Marcus fled Elystrium, tormented by his loss and the powers he had unleashed. He began a journey for answers, and sought out magical knowledge that would exceed his own. With this, he travelled north, braving frozen tundra and isolation, until he finally came to the Ibrezar Dynasty: the home of the exiled Dark Elves.

Forbidden Knowledge

The Dark Elves have always delved in to the dark arts, making pacts with demons to unlock powers often forbidden across Varda. Marcus had come to this shadowy realm seeking knowledge, and this is what he found.
Fighting off madness and sorrow, Marcus stayed with the Dark Elves for years. He studied all forms of magic, and began to manipulate it for his own ends. The broken-hearted Mage delved deep in to powers that should-not-be, and with it, developed a new form of Magic: Necromancy.
The world had seen various forms of the manipulation of life energies using magic before this, be it the strange practices of mummification in the Akriteru Dynasties or the life-giving elixirs crafted by Alchemists across the world. But what Marcus Ignassar had created was the ability to return the dead to a form of life. His intention was simple; to resurrect his beloved Livia.

The Curse of Undeath

His goal complete and knowledge unlocked, Marcus returned to Elystrium. The country was still deep in the ravages of war, but none of this mattered to the Mage any more. A single task dominated his mind, and he returned to the site where Livia had been buried.
With dark energies flowing through him, Marcus performed the ritual of resurrection. But the cost of forbidden magic is often unseen until it is too late. Livia did indeed rise from the grave, her body once again animated and her consciousness returned. However, she had been twisted and corrupted by the ritual that bought her back. Not quite alive, but also not amongst the dead, Livia found herself railing and confused in her new, undead state.
Marcus wept as his love returned to him, the years of torment and sorrow washing away. Blinded by love, he did not see the creature he had created, and the abomination against natural law struggling to comprehend its existence.
Livia had changed, consumed by malevolent power and driven by a thirst for vengeance. The resurrected Battle Healer turned against Marcus, begging he undo what had been done to her. The Mage refused.
Anger filled her and with the energies of undeath coursing through lifeless veins, Livia struck out. Newly undead powers were unleashed on the unsuspecting Marcus, and within moments, Livia had drained his life force and seized his magical prowess for her own. Necromancy was now hers to command, and she would use it to sate her unending lust for vengeance against the world.

The Fall of Elystrium

What remains of Livia's wrath can still be seen in the world today, although many simply see these tales as ghost-stories and myths. However, for anyone that ever comes in to contact with the Goliath Tribes of the Northern Wastes, or even dares to travel to the frozen landscapes themselves, the stories are all too true.
Many undead creatures can be found across the icy tundra of the north, across the snowfields and ruined remains of Elystrium's cities. The origins of the undead beings cannot be defined, but to those educated in the history of the world, it is more than clear.
Livia bought the downfall of Elystrium swiftly, and with an army of the undead. Be it the raising of Ghouls, Zombies, Skeletal warriors, it did not matter – I am sure as she stretched her necromantic powers, new abominations were spawned from the recently deceased. Ancient parchments and reports from the Old Kingdom have recorded some of what happened, telling of vast hordes of the undead and creatures of nightmare. But such was the chaos and destruction of Elystrium, these records are rare, and much must be pieced together with guesswork and conjecture.
And what of the eventual fate of Livia? Again, tales, myths and legends is all we have to go upon. But if one ventures deep in to the Northern Wastes, and manages to find a tribe of Goliath who wander far and wide on their great Mammoths, you may be told a tale that glimpses in to what happened. They will say that there is a region in the north they seldom go to, where the sun rarely shows and the wind howls. At the centre, a vast palace of towers made of a black stone rises, with shambling figures seen along the walls and grounds. And at the top of the highest tower, if you are lucky to see it on a clear day and brave enough to venture closer, you will see her at a window gazing out. A Queen ruling a kingdom of undeath, blackened eyes full of hatred and vengeance. A haunting reminder to the world of the perils of disturbing the dead.