The Necromancers of Batowzilta:
Ellum Routband was one of the first humans in the world. She married Tista Ownedrained in the year 1 and settled into a quiet life as a bowyer in Reigngems. She and her family moved to the new town of Boarsneaked upon its founding in the year 4; in the same year Ellum convinced the town council to appoint her to Lady of the village. After many years of rule, and following the birth of her last child in 13, she began to fear her inevitable death. She prayed to Gogol the Crypt of Urns, hoping to master the will of fate; Gogol acquiesced, granting her the slab "Fataldies" in the year 16. For two years she concealed this fact from her family and servants, retreating to the deep recesses of her castle to practice her magic; soon, though, she realized she needed much more privacy... much more.
Ellum travelled to the site of the Ignited Battle, an elf-human conflict from five years earlier, and awoke the dead who lay there, buried or forgotten. With these new slaves she travelled to the furthest reaches of the known world, into the great savage desert at the foot of the evil mountains, and built a great tower: Batowzilta, "Tradeamazed." Here she remained, furthering her dark knowledge, never once returning or even looking back on the life she left behind.
Ellum's husband Tista was despondent at her sudden, unexplained departure. He lived on for another three years in a melancholic state, finally dying when the terrible dragon Idrath, the most devastating megabeast in all history, attacked and destroyed Boarsneaked.
Meanwhile, Inod Pagebreached, one of the very first dwarves, was following her own path to the dark arts. Her husband, Cog Lureinked, had been named the baron of Counselledlashes in the year 2; he and Inod had five children, the eldest a daughter named Urist Lettershoved. In the year 7 Inod was appointed the baroness of Scrapefountain. This was hard on her family, since she had to spend most of her time in her barony, and when Cog was raised to count in the year 8 his duties became more demanding; but she and Cog had a sixth child in the year 12 despite this difficulty. Then in the year 16, Inod was attacked in her castle at Scrapefountain by the midnight crone One Shadenight. Though she suffered no injuries she was shaken by the event, and began to despair over her own mortality.
Around the year 20, Ellum Routband, until then alone in her tower (save for her zombie slaves) and not particularly disposed to treat with mortals ever again, recieved a letter sent by raven from the dwarflands. It was from Inod, who had learned of Ellum's secret and desired to become her apprentice. Ellum considered: there was little the dwarf baroness could give her that she wanted - money was as useless to her as companionship - but perhaps another mind skilled in necromancy might aid her further research into those arts. She had conquered natural death; could a death by violence be similarly nullified, or even, could the weak body be forever cast off and the necromancer live on as pure, indestructible spirit? Ellum had not yet found any answers to these questions, and perhaps a colleague was what she needed.
In short order, therefore, Inod became Ellum's apprentice, leaving behind home and family as her master had done. For nine years she and Ellum worked to advance their craft with no results. Then, in the year 29, Inod's husband Cog finally learned of her whearabouts, and journeyed to Batowzilta to find her. Ellum was against his being allowed within - he might make Inod regret her decision to leave, losing her a promising confederate - but Inod claimed that she could persuade Cog to join them. And so she did: Cog became her apprentice, but soon outshined her, and indeed Ellum herself, in his proficiency at the dark arts.
Cog took an apprentice in the year 36, an old dwarf named Rovod Fordedpaddles. He had been the mayor of Sprinklebolted since the year 2, and had been attacked by the dread dragon Idrath in the year 7. By this time Ellum had become reclusive again, keeping to her apartments in the upper floors of Batowzilta, occasionally producing a necromantic tract or work of history; Cog and Inod worked together in the lower floors with apprentice Rovod. When he had mastered the art and began his own research, who should appear at the tower gates but Urist Lettershoved, Cog anf Inod's eldest daughter. She had been mayor of Defensegolds since the year 19, a wonder indeed since she was only sixteen at the time. The same pioneering spirit that led her to mayorhood also led her to find out what had become of her parents who had disappeared years ago, leaving their families, lands, and titles without a word. When she learned where they were, and what they were, and what they knew, suddenly life as the mayor of a small hillocks seemed too provincial for a dwarf of her talents. She was, of course, welcomed into the fold by her father and mother, and put under Rovod's tutelage.
Three more apprentices followed her into the dark halls of Batowzilta: Bembul Greensteels, another countess of Counselledlashes; Apsong Spiritdeeps, a human originally from the town of Kissisland who had become lady of Hawkcontrolled in 104; and Stukos Helmedlulled, former baroness of Defensegolds who had survived a minotaur attack in 66. The small coven of Batowzilta is to this day guided by the family, Inod, Cog, and Urist; Ellum is still viewed with much respect by all, as the primordial necromancer, but she wields little influence in the tower, mainly because she doesn't care to. She is occupied with more important matters.
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Topic: Dwarf Fortress Legends Sharing (Read 3585 times)