The Lord of Rot

It's May of the Dead! For my part in this unholy madness, I've created an undead fourthcore monster: the infamous death knight, The Lord of Rot.

Who among you is foolhardy enough to brave his throne room?


Spoiler Alert: I will eventually be expanding this villain into a full-fledged fourthcore dungeon. So if you have ambitions of playing in my upcoming module, read no further!

Rumour Cards:

History:

Early in life, the Lord of Rot was a young prince in a kingdom of proud warriors. Under the rule of the beloved King Ulric, the kingdom flourished, its coffers flush with the riches of numerous conquests. Heir to his father’s throne, the young Prince Ossen was a brash and strong-willed young man. Viewing his unproven son through the distorting lens of fatherhood, King Ulric entrusted Ossen with his vanguard legion during an invasion into elven lands. Although inexperienced in the field of battle, Prince Ossen took on the challenge with great enthusiasm, eager to impress his esteemed father.

Sadly, the task proved too much for the young man. During their advance, Prince Ossen led his men straight into an ambush. Under a vicious hail of arrows, the veteran legion was decimated.  The few soldiers that survived quickly fled the field, leaving the prince alone to his failure. Only by feigning death was the prince able to escape and retreat to his father.

With the vanguard destroyed, King Ulric’s troops were easily outmanoeuvred by the nimble elven forces. In the battle that followed, Ulric was wounded by a poisoned arrow. By the time Ossen reached his father, the king was dead.

With the king dead and his forces in total disarray, Prince Ossen was forced to surrender to the elven general. In exchange for his men's freedom, Ossen kissed the archdruid’s boots in a humiliating display. Ossen solemnly gathered the body of his slain father and returned home defeated. In a ceremony devoid of celebration, Ossen was crowned king, ruler over a deflated kingdom.

As a ruler, Ossen was despised by his people, who saw him as a mere shadow of his father. Despite being crowned king, Ossen was often referred to as Prince by his people, with the title of King being reserved for the memory of his slain father. Whether viewed as a conniving patricidal conspirator, or an incompetent fool, Ossen was largely blamed for the death of his father.

As the years wore on, King Ossen’s mental state deteriorated. His twisted and paranoid thoughts were dominated by the fear of losing his throne. Obsessed with death, the heirless ruler tirelessly sought ways of extending his natural life. He sent champion after champion out into the world, searching for means to his immortality. His search finally led him into the dark halls of a dwarven necropolis. After slaying the monks sworn to its protection, Ossen plundered the hallowed halls of the ancestral crypt. Among the vast treasures he found were a pair of magical war axes and a scroll containing a dark ritual. The unholy ritual promised what Ossen had long sought: an eternal and undying existence.

When he returned home, Ossen saw only enemies in the faces of his kith and kin. Before his transformation was to take place, the paranoid king arranged a lavish banquet. He raised a goblet to the everlasting prosperity of the kingdom and promptly poisoned all of his guests. Serving him in death, their loyalty would be assured. As his unholy transformation began and his castle slipped into the swirling mists of the Netherworld, Ossen was finally cursed with that which he desired: true immortality.

Sitting atop his throne of bone, the Lord of Rot now rules over the decaying remains of his fallen kingdom, served mindlessly by the shambling zombies of his former countrymen. The undying death knight’s ambitions have been far from sated, however. Harbouring a twisted hatred for the living, the Lord of Rot now plots the conquest of the entire mortal realm, seeking an eternal legacy to overshadow that of his father’s.


Description:

The Lord of Rot is a towering and imposing figure. Draped in ancient rusted chainmail and a tattered black cape, the worm-ridden death knight weilds twin magical war axes, an iron crown resting atop his discoloured skull.

Throne Room:

When the dungeoneers enter the throne room, the Lord of Rot is sitting atop his throne of bone. A tattered banner hangs above the throne (a DC 24 history check can identify this as the personal standard of King Ulric). Throughout the chamber, six large funeral pyres burn with an unnatural fire (A DC 20 Religion check can identify that these green flames burn with the souls of the dead). Scattered throughout the throne room are eight skeletons in rusted chainmail carrying large tower shields and wielding tarnished iron spears (Fallen Legionaries).

Dread Pyre: These six large pyres burn with the souls of the Lord of Rot’s fallen legionaries. Any living creature that enters or starts its turn within a pyre takes 10d6+50 fire and necrotic damage. At the end of each round, a Fallen Legionary climbs out of each Dread Pyre and salutes the banner above the throne. An adjacent dungeoneer can extinguish a pyre with a successful arcana, nature or religion check (DC 22 with a standard action, or DC 29 with a minor action). If a dungeoneer fails such a check, they are lit ablaze and take ongoing 20 fire and necrotic damage (save ends).

If the Lord of Rot is defeated, the Dread Pyres extinguish and the Fallen Legionaries fall lifelessly to the ground.

The Lord of Rot weilds the following magic items:

Encounter Soundtrack: T4 Strain - Henry Rollins and Goldie





That's it for now. Stay tuned for when I expand this badboy out into a full fourthcore dungeon, Assault on Castle Mordenhelm.




Game on,

Rob.