Arterius

This is the grand room that shows the express power and prestige of Yalanue's power, a large room where she holds court and plans out her strategies and issues her orders. It operates as her command center for her forces. From the velvet rugs, glorious elven drapes, paintings, it is a room that would be desirable for any Monarch. The most prominent center piece of this room is the large Obsidian Throne where the Lich sits typically deep thought, plotting on her next moves

Liches have always been among the top tier of the undead, most liches are not capable of preserving their natural beauty however it was apparent this one had found some special power or technique to negate the undeath which is the source power of the necromacy. Void Goorwind was one of the exceptionally gifted and strong necromancers who had been able to be in touch with some of these ancient monsters. And apparently, she was able to locate the castle of this elven lich and he had hoped to see her personally for he had come with some kind of super special suggestion that it would be impossible for the lich queen to refuse.

In the world of darkness, there were so many creatures that would use the power of undeath, and darkness and incontrovertibly liches were among the most powerful ones. However, there was another type of undead that was considered monsters among monsters a type of undead that was considered to be nothing by a myth! And Void was one of the exceedingly few ones that knew this was not correct and he knew that this particular lich queen must have some sort of information others don't so he had come to her territory in search of help for his master.

--- The lands of Arterius were vast and endless and this could be a perfect opportunity for Void and his masters to settle down, but still, everything depended on the lich and her verdict. Ahzrukhal fortress was fascinating and this could the perfect sanctuary for him and his master... he approached at the gate of the dark fort and said, "I am here t see the lich queen, I am Void Goorwind a necromancer coming from distant lands!"

The fortress was impressive structure but upon it one could see massive breaches within its walls and its crumbling infrastructure. The fortress was a crumbling ruin and it’s new owner has new vigor to restore what was left to rot. The door that stood before Void was large and impressive and yet he did not get an answer. If he looked he would see two skulls looking down at him up by the walls of the fortress, both in typical foot infantry helms. The skulls would look at each other and back at Void before dipping behind the rampart away from his view.

After a few minutes the grate would clatter and clank as it would slowly would open inward. As the door opened, a skeleton knight in well dressed armor along with a red cape stood in front waiting for the visitor. It would speak “I am Knight Commander Dorwill, I am to escort you to our mistress, please follow me, getting lost will make these take longer than it needs to be” he says as he pivots on his foot and begins to walk having Void follow.

Even though the Fortress was in disrepair, it was still impressive to say the least, very large and imposing structures with multiple ramparts and archways. As they walked, Void would see that this was one active fort. Skeleton warriors marching around the court, “naked” skeletons milling about while others work in restoring the fortress. Skeletons soldiers on guard duty while others operated as sentry. Void would hear chatter and small talk as if he was in any other military installation. Soldiers killing time as they spoke and joked with each other.

As they got deeper, he would see more heavily armored skeleton soldiers marching about along with the others added. Thanks to the Commanders lead, Void and others who dare trek into the fortress would be lost from winding turns and halls that lead to no where.

Once they arrive to the main keeps courtyard, his eyes would meet with a 200ft (61 meter) tall knight in full black armor, wielding a massive black tower shield and lance, it stood on guard in front. “Ahzrukhal’s Tower Knights won’t activate unless we are truly being attacked by the enemy” the skeleton commander spoke indicated that this massive knight was really a golem of some sort.

The gates of the main keep would open and they entered inside where the most well armored skeleton knights and the area of the fortress were it was repaired and being maintained well and as they got closer to throne room Void would see skeletons were gold plated enchanted armor standing guard with golden halberds. There were very few of them but their positioning, these were the honor guard of the Lich, Skeleton Knight Champions.

Soon they approached the large doors of the throne room. The skeleton commander stood in front before turning around to face Void. “You are on your own in there, make your case and do not disrespect her, you may be ballsy if you wish, but don’t push your luck” he warns as the door opens into the grand and luxurious throne room, the doors would close behind Void as he enters.



Yalanue sat upon her throne, her hands holding papers which were scouting reports of the surrounding area along with set reps about the two castles that guard the trail towards her fortress along with other details. Her long white hair spilled behind her, her beautiful elvish features can clearly be seen. She wore a dress with a very deep v line that went towards her toned stomach, showing off her large cleavage towards him and her curvaceous body. Her elegant legs were cross as she sat. Yet she had the aura of a powerful elf sorceress, not a powerful Lich, though with all the sentient skeletons roaming about it was clear she is the Lich even if her aura doesn’t read it.

Her beautiful eyes glanced at up at guest, she raised her hand to stop him in his place. “Not many dare brave this Fortress…why have you come here? Do you seek your doom? Or do you seek sanctuary?” She asks him, her voice smooth as silk as she continues to read her papers occasionally glancing at Void from time to time.

while one would feel exceedingly scared or even spooked in a place like that it was the quite opposite for Void, when the gate opened and he was led inside the massive castle he felt peace, he felt he was entering the home... he walked and passed through the skeletons as if they were nothing but normal people, and the reason was this because Void was a capable and adroit necromancer. The smell of old age, the armored skeletons with different ranks, the cobwebbed corners and gloomy towers, the jagged and deformed curves of the castle, and pretty much anything relating to it felt so perfect and ideal to him!

--- "I won't disrespect the ruler of the castle, and why should I? as an educated necromancer I don't like using inappropriate words unless in bed!" Void replied and entered the throne hall. He had this expectation to witness a long flesh-disintegrated ancient lich, either a woman or man, but incontrovertibly he didn't expect to witness such a masterpiece of beauty. Void himself was a super beautiful-handsome man whose long white hair had a perfect harmony with his pale and pasty complexion. His cold blue eyes glowed, like a pair of frozen sapphire, when they met the majestic beauty on the throne.

--- "Your highness, my name is Void Goorwind, it means the wind of grave in your tongue! I have come from super far lands, I am a necromancer and practitioner of the black arts of undeath magic. I have come on the behalf of my master, Lord Valdoran who seeks a sanctuary here within the walls and towers of your castles. Due to his condition, he needs to have a safe place to hide from the forces of light and holy order, it was him who led me here, for the time being, he is somewhere safe within the mountains around but the conditions are fragile and he may be forced to move again, but I assure you if you help him here and support him in these dire times, he will be able to make you the most powerful queen in the entire world when the time comes, though I admit it will take awfully long time I do understand time means so little for both of you, doesn't it?" he replied. His tone was slow, heavy, and noble and it could catch the attention of the most ignorant people.

The Lich would listen as she continued to read her reports. She was quiet for a moment before set the papers down and sighed. “Lucky for you and your master, that this land Nova Angra as it is called does not have a heavy religious element to it” she says to rest assure any thoughts of religious retaliation or significant influence. “However rapid industrialization upon the land especially in the city of Arterius has caused beings who practice the dark arts to no longer be the big fish in the pond, we are small fish in the ocean. I have now pivot my policies to be that of cooperation with those of the living” she says to him as she stares him down.

“I don’t wish to be conquerer, but this place is to serve as a safe heaven but also operate as a place of study and research. I’ll go in more details once your master is.” She adds as she sits up “If you and your master have no issue that this place is a place of learning and study and that you both understand that my word is law, then you are welcome here. Are we clear?” She asks him with a raised eyebrow seeing his reaction.

Void, was all ears when the Lich Queen was speaking, one of his most distinguishable traits was that he was a good listener, once the Lich queen was done he replied:

"Your highness, I assure you Lord Voldaran is not one of the aggressive type undead, well at least as long as he is not threatened or provoked. He simply seeks a sanctuary and not only his kind is seclusive but also his own personality is like that which means he's an isolationst and prefers to remain undisturbed. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to tell what sort of undead he is, I am certain he will tell you himself. However, there are two or three special matters concerning my master's condition, in his presence the time will stop and the technological devices won't work, and because he is a young one his aura won't effect a large radius but still that is the case with him, plus he exudes everpresent thick darkness which alters the world around him this means he would certainly love to have the most secluded part of the castle as its residence, most of the time he will mind his own business and I will be the one who will carry out the things on his behalf!"

The Lich made a grimace look towards Void offended by what he aid about his master. “How dare you, Void. You come here seeking sanctuary for your master and yet you don’t have the decency to tell me what he is? Who I am bringing into my home!” She says her voice filled with anger. “Thanks to context I can figure out what your master is, but I’m not letting this go. I’m tired of talking to a proxy, so here is what’s going to happen” as she stood up and summoned her staff in hand. “You are going to bring me your master right now! I don’t care if he’s sleeping or in whatever state he is in, I want him in this room now!” She declares now shouting at Void, her visage cracking, Void being dumped by an intense magical and darkness aura like a dam breaking and releasing an intense flood. “So you go, Void…bring your master to me and if you don’t…” as the mass of flesh and slime could be heard from the darken corner as a blood red tentacle monster covered in chitin armor can be see, it’s fleshy tentacles eager to find its victim…

“…well my pet Odagoran is in deep need of a new breeding partner and I’ll love to see your body feminized and give birth to his brood” as she gives an evil grin. “If that is not the fate you wish, now go! Fetch me your master or leave this place and never come back!” She says as he points to the door behind him.

Well, it seemed this lich has some kind of anger problem, Void simply was not allowed to talk about what his master and the only one who could reveal the secret was his master himself, but he needed to be hushed. She was obviously far more powerful than him and he needed to keep calm for his master needed this sanctuary. He had heard that this lich was a kind of kinky and horny being so that didn't stun him, instead he said, "No, I am completely satisfied with my gender, and your highness I mentioned he will take more about his condition and he will explain everything, I am just an emissary, however, I will go and bring him here. Well, at least the Coffin, he's within!" he added and then bowed before the lich queen.


--- Soon he was out of the throne hall, "Well, that did go well, but I didn't expect a woman as beautiful as being such a short-tempered person!" he sighed and then with the guidance of the same knight that had accompanied him back then when had come to the castle, he was out this time. He needed to go back deep into the mountainous region and have the bone golems he was able to summon bring the large coffin here.

The Lich would sit back down on her throne as the emissary of the mysterious being had left to fetch him. Yalanue was fuming as she was being asked a bit and yet she wasn't allowed to know who she was bringing in. The elf grumbled to herself as she fixed the crack on her face as she spoke "Come to my castle, suck my dick and call me gay? Bah!" she said to herself as she shook her head. Though she would get up and visit her library to try and cross section the limited info she got about this mysterious man and learn a bit before he would arrive.

The Skeleton Commander would speak "HA! She is a rose, beautiful to look at, but get close she has sharp thorns" as he would ask him out. "Do you need a squad to help with transportation?" the Skeleton commander would ask once Void was out of the Fortress. A squad of quality skeleton soldiers would march under the command of a skeleton sergeant with Void if he so wished, if he did not want any help, then he would be on his own.

"Well, to be honest, I have had more than my share of thorns in life and I don't have the endurance to take one more so I would try to avoid her, plus I have my own mysterious master to deal with, he is something super scary and even though he is just at be beginning of its, yes, its and not his because it suits it better! the long way its presence would boost the abilities of the undead during the night time, if you people can provide him a good shelter where he could be safe from the warriors of divines then he will add so much more to this castle and because of his beliefs concerning the matter of honor, he will indeed honor the promises he will make if you accept him, unlike the lich queen he is more of an isolationist rather than being in the center of the attention. I also appreciate your concern and would love to have a hand in this... the coffin which we are going to bring here is better to be protected even though it is highly unlikely that the damn light dwellers would be able to locate us extra protection and help never hurts, you see I have been on the roads and strange places for years now and I am really tired of this, it would be super cool for us to settle down, the problem with the master is that he is not able to control the darkness he oozes! his dark aura always affects the environment little by little until the land changes and it gives us a way I mean it has us discovered by the ones that want to destroy us."

The skeleton commander would summon a regiment of skeleton warriors led by the decently armored skeleton sergeant. “No doubt our mistress would be interested, Aether has similar properties to your darkness and effects almost everything and everyone, even we, one of the simpler undead. It’s why she is here, she’ll explain once you and your master come back” the commander spoke as the sergeant step forward and saluted to Void. “My squad of six are at your command, sir!” It spoke as the rest of the skeletons saluted in turn.

Being a seasoned necromacer who was still in service of his master and learning from him he was not unfamiliar with the dead people, with respect he greeted the commander's chosen ones, and then they all took leave to get to the hideout that was hosting the dark master, and the incontrovertibly needed to make haste for it was about to be daytime and the damn holy angels and inquisition could capture his master for he was unable to conceal the darkness that oozed from him, his haunting aura would easily give away his hideout unless he was accepted within the kingdom. The first few centuries indeed were going to be tough for him but the reward was beyond imagination so the dark one was so eager to survive this period and it seemed he had made the right choice by coming to this part of the world where he could be offered some sort of permanent shelter.

--- "Soon we will be back with the master, commander and I am in your debt for this kindness please know that this kindness and courtesy of yours won't be forgotten," Goorwind said.. then they vanished in the bowels of the mountains around to bring him back!

As she waited for Void to return with his master in tow, Yalanue would make preparations for both there guest and for an upcoming journey. For the Lich, securing the mountains is top priority and no doubt it would be in her and her fellow occupant of the other citadel to have the Grey Mountains secured.

Whenever her guests returned, Yalanue would be ready for them, holding a glowing blue stone in hand as well as some…”insurance” if things get a bit nasty for some reason. Yalanue already suffered betrayal and she wasn’t going to suffer it twice, this was her territory, territory she intends to keep…

Goorwind rushed into the bowels of the mountain. It was pitch black inside, and the maze of caverns had provided an ideal hiding place for his dark master but even the shadows of the mountains were not enough to conceal the darkness whose source would be the undying and otherworldly body of his master so he certainly needed to be fast and have the large coffin, where his master had been slumbering, moved into the tower of the lich queen.


--- Both the dark master and the necromancer were going to be grateful and supportive of the lich queen for they were the sort of people who would value their would-be helper to a great level and indubitably the lich queen was going to win a super powerful ally. Using his skills he created a mage light spell that illuminated the path for the necromancer. Due to being greatly adroit, it was not difficult for the cunning necromancer to find his way to the coffin which was put on the cold stone ground of the cavern maze.

--- With the help of the dead warrior the coffin was raised from the ground and carried towards the outside world on the shoulders of the skeletal warriors. Once outside he addressed the commander, "Well, it seems that we have been able to come after the master just in time for the day time is our enemy and weakness, may we return to the castle at once?"he asked.

The skeleton and its contingent would continue to help Void carry the coffin back to the castle. The citadel would open its gate for Void once he arrives and the skeletons would continue to carry the coffin straight towards the throne room where Yalanue was waiting, her insurance ready just in case something goes wrong.

The elven Lich sat upon her throne as she looked at both Void and his coffin within the room as the skeletons leave them alone. “Open the coffin, introduce your master to me or have your master introduce him or herself” she orders Void as she waits with waited breath to see what comes out of the box.

Void had indeed told the truths about his master for the kind of darkness coming from the coffin was thicker and heavier in every aspect, it was as if there was a darkness that cast darkness over darkness! and yet the environment around the coffin was super cold, colder than death itself.

--- Void bowed before the lich queen, his beautiful face had a peaceful expression which meant the strain he was undergoing had significantly mitigated. The lid of the coffin all of a sudden opened and from within darkness oozed out, it was wounding-spiral darkness which was exceedingly cold, it went upper and upper whose summit had a large burning sphere of glowing red light which split up in half and then the spinning darkness got sucked inside a kind of black hole under the left glowing sphere and it was then once could see the spheres became glowing vermilion eyes whose gaze could stun the most terrible of wraiths. There stands a tall man... He is the manifestation of the word perfect, literally, his body and complexion are legendary perfect, however, his beauty is designed by darkness and death thus he is exceedingly pale ever paler than dead and ghosts.

--- Placing his left hand over his heart, the mysterious figure bowed, "I am Voldaran, the lord of the undead and darkness, it is such an honor to finally make your acquaintance, my necromancer Void Goorwind has told quite a lot about you and your magnanimity concerning accepting us admit your own people. To prove I am grateful I gave away the secret I never share with anyone for I am a legend even in the world of the supernatural, I am a vampire! I can see you are a powerful lich queen and I am sure a knowledgable lich queen such as yourself does know what a vampire is and why I need protection, I am a new-born Vampire, this means I am young and far from a true indisputable lord of darkness this is why I am weak during the daylight hours and have no control over the darkness my undying body leaks out, this means I will be easy prey for the forces of the light and holy orders who would love to drive a blessed wooden stake into my black heart and take my ashes with them to imprison my darkness forever," He introduced himself plus gave the reason why all the secrecy was needed concerning him being transported to Ahzrukhal Fortress.

Yalanue seemed unimpressed by the vampire’s entrance and even scoffed at his claim of being the Lord of the undead and darkness. Though still she listened to him. “I am aware of what you are and I can understand your predicament. Lucky for you, this land isn’t plague by such holy beings, so no need to worry about holy groups searching for you” she would say to him.

“You are welcome to stay and I’ll have your coffin transferred to the darkest and deepest parts of the citadel. However there are rules” she says to him as her tone was serious “My rule is law here and this citadel is dedicated to study, study of anything is accepted here, but particularly I’m focusing on what powers the city beyond the mountains Arterius, I am committing resources to studying the material known as Aether that is used for many things and power for the city. You are welcome to commit your own studies and if resources are available you are welcome to it. I do ask not to agonizing the mortals as I do not wish to seek conflict with beings as I am currently rebuilding this citadel and this is not my goal here” she says to them both.

“If you need tasks to do or so called quests, I can assign something for you both to do if you like as well” she adds as she rests her hand on her face. “I hope we are clear that I am in charge and I will not tolerate betrayal…I’m about to make a trip to my former home here in the mountains to make peace with its new occupants. One of you is welcomed in joining or not, I’ll leave what you want to do up to you. Do as you wish” she would then smile “Welcome to my home, boys” as she would bow her head towards them in a sign of respect seeing if they understand there position here

Her scoffing at his words was not an unnoticed quality because with his supernatural senses the vampire did notice it, perhaps she was not so knowledgeable as the vampire had thought. It was true that Voldaran was nothing like a true vampire overlord whose darkness would easily overpower gods themselves, but still, he was a perfect immortal with only one way to be stopped, a blessed stake into the heart and safe-preserving his ashes to prevent him from coming back to life. But still, he was a guest there and he was accepted by his host. And that was something he wanted so he bowed in return, his ghastly pale face was the stuff of both nightmares and beauty... "I would prefer to withdraw into the depth of cold darkness, I will only need an underground crypt here, and I do promise I won't cause problems to your citizens whether them being mortal or immortal, my necromancer will be the one who will interact with you and the world around here, also we totally understand your rules and I assure you we will stay true to our promises," Voldaran said.

--- Void also bowed before the lich queen and showed his respect, indeed she had done so much for them by accepting them for the out side world was tainted wit holy magic and holy people and he certainly didn't want to be out there at least not until the time his master could unlock his incredible powers but he knew that this could take countless years but then again they had all the time in the world.