Xarth

Xarth is the Collab nation between Tert, Insidiousrogue and Jet.

History[]

Xarth, a long time ago it was a coastal nation, it was a land of magic, vibrant with life and energy. It was industrious and prosperous, its rulers just and kind. Sadly, as with all things, good things come to an end. A plague swept through the entire region and no one could stop it. Not the mountain shamans to the north, the wise druids of the forest in the east, the healers of the city in the center, or anyone else for that matter. This plague carved a path of death and decay through what was once a place of life and learning and in only a few short years, thousands upon thousands of creatures of all manner had succumbed and lay rotting in the dirt or in mass graves. For it was as if the very land had withered away.

Yet, even a land of death has its uses. Soon after the last living soul had departed from Xarth, more flocked, but these were the souls of those with malice and evil, the dark arts of necromancy had tainted them. And they saw Xarth as an excellent place to raise armies of undead servants. Of couse, the Necromancers were deceitful and couldn't organize without stabbing eachother in the backs and so it came to be that five of the most powerful Necromancers carved out their own separate fiefdoms in Xarth, where all necromancers would have to obey their laws or be turned into just another mindless thrall.

Necropolis[]

Once just a series of caves beneath Blackwood Forest, after the first of the Thinking Dead clawed their way out of the withered ground, they found safe refuge among its twisting corridors, and as the trickle of these Dead became a flood, so Necropolis went from a series of caves into a full fledged stronghold, with openings to every bit of Xarth, so that the Thinking Dead might overthrow the terrible rule of the five Lichdoms.

Thinking Dead[]

Not all Necromancers in Xarth are equal, some of them were wasteful, and so the tainted magic they used to raise their servants leaked away. Sinking into the withered earth, clouding the tainted air, sullying the black rivers, and intertwining with the long dead interred within the earth. Such rampant necromantic pollution gave rise to the first Thinking Dead, the unintentional byproduct of mass summonings and ressurections. Brought back by their own accord, the Thinking Dead are just that, they are fully sentient and capable of thought and reason, indeed some of them still are filled with nostalgic memories of a Xarth long gone. Perhaps it is these memories that drives them to fight against the Necromancers, to bring Xarth back to what it was. However not all Thinking Dead are alike in this thinking, perhaps it is from the dark energies that gave rise to them, or perhaps that was how they were in life, but some Thinking Dead swear fealty to the Necromancer Lords in hopes of furthering their own ambitions.

Geography[]

Xarth is a small nation cut off from its neighbors by a river that makes up its northern and eastern borders. This is known as the Bloodrun River. It is colored an eerie red color due to the magic that keeps the undead from crossing it. This river also spawned the myth that the undead cannot cross running water.

To the south and west of Xarth is ocean, and the only way from the Necromancer Lords and their undead armies to leave the island. Due to this, Xarth has a rather large navy built up, since the only way they can invade is by sea.

Xarth can be split up by five areas. To the east is the Blackwood Forest, a forest full of dead (and undead) trees that were killed by the horrible plague. In the center of the forest is the Briarbound Keep, a fortress covered in massive briars where the Undying Druid resides. Underneath the forest is and underground citadel known as the Necropolis where the Thinking Dead reside.

To the north are the Restless Mountains. The Restless Mountains are named this because they are constantly moving. The area is completely unmappable, and very dangerous to travel in. Atop one of the mountains is Soulrend Keep where the Phantom Master resides.

To the west is the Shadowmire Swamp. It is a swamp shrouded in perpetual darkness. At its center lies the half sunken Mistcovet Keep. This keep is the source of the darkness surrounding the swamp, and once the Shadow Maker moved in, he amplified it to cover all of Xarth. Of course, there is a portion of the swamp that none venture into. Supposedly the home of the Shadowmire Monster, nothing sent to this part of the swamp ever returns. The Necromancer Lords expended hundreds of minions trying to claim this part of the swamp, but have since learned their lesson and avoid it.

To the south lie the Wailing Plains. Its flat surface carries the screams of the tormented very far. And all the screams originate from the keep at its center known only as the Chop Shop. It is there that the Butcher and Stitches mangle and mar their victims, creating horrible abominations, most dead but a few still living. This is also where the other Necromancer Lords send disobedient necromancers under their command to be punished. The Patchwork Necromancer considers each and every one of his creations a work of art. He has no organized army, but rather a swarm of abominations that simply wander the plains aimlessly.

At the very center of Xarth lies the massive citadel of Kar'Kazz. It is nigh impregnable and also rests on the back of the Ancient Lich, the most powerful necromancer in all of Xarth. If an invading force could manage to topple this citadel, then they would easily be able to conquer the rest of Xarth. The citadel is Xarth's rotting core, as long as it remains, Xarth will always be in control of the Necromancer Lords.

The Five Necromancers[]

The Undying Druid[]

The Undying Druid, the Scourge of Blackwood Forest, she goes by many names, but they are all earned. For the Druid rules over eastern Xarth, what was once a forest rich with magical energies, the plague desecrated the land and killed everything, from the trees, to the humans, even the treants and fairies. It was here that the Undying Druid, a powerful necromancer, made her claim, ousting all rivals and going about the once thought impossible task of raising such mythical creatures. Now the Undying Druids word is law in all of Eastern Xarth, necromancers bow before her will or face the inevitable wrath of an undead army of fey creatures.

The Shadow Maker[]

The Shadow Maker, ruler of the swamps of Xarth to the west. Long ago as a mortal, he was once known as the Nightwraith, for he detested the light, and summoned beings of pure shadows, infusing them with the souls of the dead. It was only natural that the Shadow Maker, a man who derived his power from darkness itself, would set up shop in the swamps, for they were constantly shrounded in mist, staving off the hated sun and allowing his creations the freedom to terrorize all of Xarth. The Shadow Maker grew in power, eventually gaining the power to shroud all of Xarth in an eternal darkness, so that his minions might terrorize Xarth until the end of time.

The Phantom Master[]

The Phantom Master, not even his closest servants know who or even what he or she is. For it is constantly surrounded by a cloud of spirits so dense it would take a powerful aura user to penetrate such a deadly cloud. One thing is certain, the Phantom Master is a being of pure malevolence. It seems that not even flesh can contain the wickedness of its creations, for the Phantom Master, is master of all things incorporeal. Ghosts, Wraiths, and the like all heed his call and terrorize the mountains of the North.

The Ancient Lich[]

The Ancient Lich was once an old necromancer who lived in the very lands that Xarth is, even before it was plagued. He was shunned by his country for practicing the dark arts, but he still continued, hiding from the authorities his whole life. When the plague had struck, he cast a spell that would revive him after a certain time period, allowing him to keep his magical powers at the cost of his humanity and mental health. The Ancient Lich returned from the Spirit World on his own, binding his soul to the carcass of a legendary, colossal beast.

The AL's abilities include raising armies of his dead countrymen. He can also raise up beasts of considerable physical prowess. Even without his magic, The AL is capable of crushing mountains with its colossal body.

The capital of Xarth, Kar'Kazz, lays on his back.

The Patchwork Necromancer[]

The Patchwork Necromancer is not one physical creature, but rather two, though they are the same entity, one is the Butcher, a fearsome and hideous creature that slices apart corpses, the other is known as Stitches, a conniving little bastard that sews the Butcher's handiwork back together into even more hideous abominations. In life the Patchwork Necromancer was perhaps an artist, it would certainly explain the artistic flair that goes into the creation of each and every abomination that wanders the southern plains of Xarth.