Factions of Siflige

The lich Kain Jarshald was the first recorded Undead King. During his reign, the undeath presence in Siflige was not really obvious, considering the pacific nature of the lich Kain Jarshald. For some unknown reason however, the lich disappeared, leaving the Kitlish Throne vacant.

For a long time following Jarshald’s disappearance various forces of evil made an attempt at filling the spot. Some of these forces, like that of Crawlius, sought not to become the Undead King himself, as Jarshald had been, but merely to the authority that came with having the throne in one’s power. This power was not only material but also influential, as all of Siflige and its surroundings at the time knew what a mighty being it would have to be to control the fierce muscle of the Throne.

It never came so far that Crawlius held power over the throne. Why this is the opinions differ. Some say he did not need it; the people feared him a great deal as it was and with the Throne not having its king it would pose no additional threat to him or to his army as they sought to control what was Siflige at the time. Others say that the old king Jarshald, through his undead council, prevented Crawlius from taking over the throne. Whatever reason is the right one, it is clear that Crawlius never held full authority over the Throne and also that the undead council was still as active as they had ever been when Jarshald was still the undead king.

Crawlius, the first true contender to the throne, was followed by many minor and insignificant attempts at taking it, but they were all either too dumb or too weak to make a lasting mark in the history books as they were quickly taken care of by the still active undead council. One attempt, however, that some say came close to actually achieving its goal, was made not long after Crawlius had given up.

Eredar Rathisk, a former errand boy of Jarshald, had risen in strength after the lich’s disappearance and after years of studying the magical arts made an attempt at becoming Jarshald’s successor. What is interesting about Rathisk’s attempt is that he, unlike the other contenders, sought to accomplish his goal without using any force. He studied the throne carefully, trying to decide wherefrom it gained his power and what its history was. He made no secret of this, which to some would seem a foolish thing to be open about, and had it not been for the pacific nature of the undead council – that was largely due to Jarshald’s own influence over it prior to his disappearance -, Rathisk would with great likelihood not have made more than one visit to the throne room. Nevertheless, he now made several visits and according to the council’s logs also found out quite a lot about the throne’s enigmatic history.

It never came so far that Rathisk actually mastered the throne, although several sources claim he was not far from it. Why he did not succeed in his endevour is even more of a mystery than why Crawlius in his days let the throne be.

As with Crawlius, it is believed by some that the undead council, realising that Rathisk was getting too close, finally took action against him. This idea is supported by the fact that the influential council member Baron Jora is known to have said that he did not wish to see Rathisk as the new king (some sources even claim that his exact words were, “Rathisk will not be my leader” without leaving any room for his personal wishes). The idea is challenged by the fact that Rathisk, like Crawlius, was not physically shoved away from the throne, but rather that he just left it alone and said that he did not wish to be the king after all.

Another suggestion to why Rathisk let the throne be is that he, despite obvious mastery of the magical arts and a keen mind, came to the very brink of unleashing the throne’s secrets and that this knowledge was too much for his mortal mind to contain.

The opinions differ still even if one accepts that this is what made Rathisk leave the throne to its own. There are those that say that Rathisk went mad when confronted with the horrific secrets of the throne and that this madness showed itself in an oblivious denial of ever having to have had anything to do with the throne (which could explain both his words of not wanting to be the king and the fact that he soon after he said this left Siflige for a period of time). Others say, with a sign of respect for the great scholar that was Rathisk, that when coming to the edge of revelation of the throne’s secrets, he was not lost in what it could mean to go any further. He noticed how the cosmic scope of the dark, inconceivable terror that was enclosed within the throne, began to take shape in his mind from what knowledge he had gathered, and decided wisely that no mortal man, including himself, would ever hold the throne and its secrets in his grasp.

Soon after Eredar Rathisk failure to attain the throne’s massive power, also the undead council disappeared from its active duty. The reasons for this is not known, though it is likely that Rathisk had gotten too close to revealing the secrets of the throne and that this informed the council that they were no longer to take part in this chapter of the throne’s destiny.

Knowing that the throne was now vacant and without a, what was believed, guarding council, the fey Dorian X. Dubois raided the tower with a group of mercenaries and soon took over the throne: he became the new undead king. The undeads were much more threatening while under the reign of Dorian X. Dubois than they had ever been before, this is according to most researches largely due to the new king being himself a very aggressive man. During Dubois’ reign more people were executed from afar – by the infamous Death Pedestal – as well as up close – by Dubois’ vicious array of distinctive guards – than ever during the reign of Jarshald.

Even though he seemed invincible, Dubois disappeared and left the throne vacant. It is officially unknown whether the throne was taken over by an altogether new entity, or if it is yet still awaiting a new owner; however, it is rumored that the Vampire Lord Holdrel has become the new Undead King.

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