I considered calling this something more traditional like “The Rise and Subsequent Fall of a DEATHOMANCER”, but as the following will show there’s not much of a rise to speak of.
After a couple of attempts that were cut short by raiders* I rolled a 7 and a 4 for my next attempt; Rjak and High Elves.
I practically never use Death spellbooks, so Rjak was definitely a challenge since it’s a school I’m not too familiar with. High Elves is one of the races I play most often, and their longbowmen unit is very good. Sadly there’s not much support for them spell-wise in the School of Death.
*= The fact that I only had a couple of units defending the fortress while the rest were out exploring ruins with the heroes is of course not related to these swift defeats.
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Olethros rose to power in the hamlet of Lanerell after Rjak, master wizard and former lord of the place, died in a freak sacrificial accident. Not lacking in ambition or sense of self, the new lord promptly renamed the hamlet to Olethrostan and ushered in a new age of expansion and conquest.
The local elite noticed the ambitious drive of the new lord, and soon a rich orc warrior joined Olethros’ cause, offering both his martial prowess and riches.
With all these resources at his disposal Olethros was sure that no natural force would be able to contain his lust for conquest and power. He was soon proven wrong when it was discovered that his domain was located on an island; the sea would definitely slow down his expansion. It wasn’t a total setback though; the island had a cool volcano (which all evil overlords should aspire to possess), and it would probably be an easily defended position.
As the Island Nation of Death-Worshipping High Elves started to build an infrastructure geared for conquest, magic spirits were sent out to scout the nearby continents. As it turned out they were already in the process of being conquered and settled by other Wizards of Power. First contact was as courteous as can be expected between beings that can bend reality to their will:
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The assertion of mutual toleration.
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A display of arbitrary anger.
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The introduction of another Wizard, followed by a reveal of the fact that they like each other just fine but hate your guts.
Olethros didn’t get started in the Wizard of Power-business in order to make friends. But the vast, unsettled lands on the other side of the seas had to be brought into the Olethrian Empire. And so a great new settlement was established overseas.
Then it was razed by Lo Pan. But it was rebuilt!
It was at this point Merlin also made an appearance.
Merlin proved to be very unreasonable, so one of his settlements had to be captured. Sadly the orc warrior was killed by a stray ice bolt in the battle. Olethros thought the loss of a prime settlement would serve as a lesson to those who opposed him! And apparently it was a good lesson in not showing any mercy, as both the captured settlement and the high elf outpost were razed by Merlin’s seemingly endless supply of priests shortly afterwards.
The settlement was rebuilt once more, and again razed by Merlin. This time by priests, sprites AND a pack hell hounds.
Olethros decided to not let these setbacks break his will or dampen his lust for domination. New heroes, a Warlock and a Draconian, were summoned and put in charge of large armies of Olethrostan’s finest Elven Lords and Longbowmen.
Both died in failed attempts to conquer cities from Merlin. The Warlock was struck down by a lightning bolt. The Draconian was killed by priests.
At this point the Olethrian Empire only encompassed the two settlements on the starting island. A new plan was made: If the world couldn’t be conquered (and stay conquered) it would burn! This was definitely a plan worthy of a mighty WIZARD OF DEATH. A huge army of longbowmen and elven lords would be comissioned and sent out to destroy all poorly defended settlements. Then Olethros would conquer the weakened remains of his enemies’ domains. The year was 1429…and it was the beginning of the AGE OF RAZING!
What happens next?
It was as if the dead husks of the ancient gods had reanimated in order to deliver one final message: It’s just not going to happen.
Olethros retreated to his fortress, and there was much brooding, sulking and other verbs. Olethros would not be the ruler of the world, but at least he had his own island – with an awesome volcano.