You first command Caliwick to speak with Lurrothel and your Doom-Seers, to teach and learn. He cackles briefly, and you seize him to take him back to Avar with you. The journey is largely uneventful, except you learn that he will be banished back to the castle and be unable to leave if the amulet is removed from his neck.
Once in Avar, you begin to set about solidifying your rule in Henord Crossing and the various farms and villages. You send back a small force of thralls and zombies, along with two Doom-Seekers and the Reavers. Once more the mines shall provide weapons and armor for your followers, but in the meantime the dead are stripped of their equipment as more of the soldiers are trained. You reform your followers in Henord Crossing, calling them the Avar Society, and having them organize and throw parties. They draw the resources for these from the town itself, throwing festivities in your name. Many attend reluctantly at first, but find themselves enjoying the affairs, even the sacrificing of goats and pigs and sheep at the end.
You also decide to investigate Lord Southbend and why he has not done anything about you, and you wish to hear from your High Seducer. She is currently in a town to the north of Castle Southbend called Redwerd, built on the shores of a vast lake at the base of a mountain range. The rivers that lead to Avar and Henord Crossing both originate from there, as does a third river which flows north. Which makes it an excellent place for rumors. She has found several reliable ones – a detachment of a thousand legion infantry and five hundred cavalry are moving south to you, and Lord Southbend has been hiring every mercenary he can find as he hunkers behind the walls of his castle. Her “refugees” are scattered across towns and villages, all muttering darkly about how inevitable your conquest is.
And you send Krell and the Demon-touched out to the farms and villages, to inform them of the coming inspections. There are inevitably a few who try to resist. Kreth turns them into zombies.
The Ceaseless Consumption finds their recruitment much more successful now. People don’t fear the Legions the way they did the Spears, and so they are willing to listen to this semi-heretical talk. Some do more than listen.
Your army grows in strength, although it will still be some time before everyone has been trained. Caliwick and Lurrothel have closeted themselves away to try and learn as much magic as possible. The returned necromancer has forgotten much due to his long centuries as a barely-there presence.
There is little to do but preparation. The Legion is nearly two months away, and Castle Southbend stands, if not exactly defiant, then at least resistant. Henord Crossing and the countryside are slowly bringing themselves under your control. What will you do next?
Name: Klx-Dryklfx
Time: 7.5 months
Physical Might: 102+6 (-4 leakage,+ 14 worship)
Mental Might: ] 102+6 (-4 leakage, +14 worship)
Followers
13 Reavers, 122 thralls, 129 Spear-Thralls, 132 Sword-Thralls, and 130 Archer-Thralls, 8 seducers, 117 peasants, 10 Hunters, 1 High Seducer, 17 Doom-Seekers, 2 Doom-Seers, 18 Dark Priests, 5 god-slayers(mounted), 28 Demon-touched
Servants
17 wisp wights, 8 armored brutes, 2 crushers, 451 zombies, 67 skeletons, 50 wisp wretches, 89 weeping sores, 17 specters
Cults
The Broken
Members: 13 Reavers, 122 thralls, 129 Spear-Thralls, 132 Sword-Thralls, and 130 Archer-Thralls, 10 Hunters,17 Doom-Seekers, 2 Doom-Seers, 18 Dark Priests, 5 god-slayers(mounted), 28 Demon-Touched
Resources: 26(+ 4 mines)
Power: 25(13 spent worshipping you, 4 spent gathering resources, 8 spent training)
The Ceaseless Consumption
Members: 7 seducers and 21 thralls, and 43 peasants split among 8 locations, 1 high seducer and 62 peasants
Resources: 0
Power: 11 (4 spent worshipping you, 2 spent recruiting, 4 spent spreading rumors)
The Avar Society
Members: 1 seducer, 3 thralls, 11 peasants
Resources: 0 (+4 “donations”, -4 party)
Power: 2(2 spent throwing parties)
Fortresses
Canord
Strong walls (45), Deep moat (25), Thorn Wall (25), Weak wards(15), Traps(15) Demonic crops, plentiful mines, Strong aura of domination. Inhabited by 50 thralls, 100 zombies, 2 Doom-Seekers, and 13 Reavers.
Avar
Basic Walls(20), Living Ward(15)
Demonic Realm
1300 Peons (+3 power/week)
Champions
Kreth Woemaker
Physical might: 10 (-5 zombies, +3 fear)
Mental might: 10(-5 zombies, +3 fear)
Other: Magic Cloak
Duthrax Soul-Render, First of the Thrall-Herds
Physical might: 7 + 1
Mental might: 3 + 1
Other: Duelist, skilled commander, zombie horse, Herald
Lurrothel, Weaver of Nightmares
Physical might: 1
Mental might: 6
Other: Necromancer, skilled at wards and dream magic
Caliwick the Arch-Necromancer
Physical might: 2
Mental might: 11
Other: Necromancer, Soulbond, Living Legend
Artifacts
Desecrator
+6 physical, +6 mental
Bringer of unholy rot, Reanimator, Focus of Power
Magic Cloak
Unknown properties
Herald
+1 physical, + 1 mental
Inspiring song