Shadow lord

"With these scars on my wrists To prove I'll try again Try to die again"

- Pantera

=Crimson Order of the Knights of the Shadows Shadow Lord —or— Death Knight=

From The Order among Chaos by Sir Azit ba-Akal

Also called a Death Knight, these are considered by many to be the epitome of evil. By combining fierce martial skills with vile necromancy, these unholy warriors are feared throughout Midian. Shadow lords are members of a loose fraternity called the 'Crimson Order of the Knights of the Shadows'.

The Order requires no dues of its members, nor has large meetings. It is an association of like-minded individuals. Its members are paired into master-apprentice bonds, with a senior shadow lord training only a single squire at a time. Even after a death knight has been a full member for years, training his own squires, he will still refer to the one who trained him as 'master'. No one is ever removed from the Crimson Order, even through death. Dark and vile deeds are applauded by one's fellow shadow lords, although personal vendettas against other members could easily result in fatalities among the ranks. Shadow lords are expected to treat each other courteously—which can be quite horrifying when two opposing death knights sit for tea among hundreds of slain bodies. Each may expect reasonable quarter from another, with the assumption that the same courtesy will be returned.

There are shadow lords of great honour, whose word is their bond; just as common is the shadow lord who is as chaotic, untrustworthy, and unreasoning as a storm cloud. Because of this mix of adherence to personal honour at all costs, combined with wanton chaos, the shadow lords have gained a reputation as the ones to seek out for difficult feats, especially those involving destruction or grey morality. They are known for always achieving their goal, no matter what may get in their way. Even when an employer has changed his or her mind, the shadow lord will still complete her task. When one has an end that must be attained—with no care for the consequences—seek out the shadow lords. A death knight on a mission brings chaos and destruction with her. When large groups of shadow lords assemble for a job, it is seen as a sign that great carnage and chaos is imminent.

In addition to their mercenary aspects—and it is whispered, their unspoken goal of spreading discord—the shadow lords do have their useful functions. Most notably, they are entreated by their Order to shrive all battlefields they encounter, whether created by their own efforts or not. The death knights meditate amidst the carnage, listening to the whispers of those departed soldiers. This ritual helps to ensure that no ghostly platoon or death-mist will ever arise from the site. However, it is suspected that there is a secondary and sinister purpose to the ritual, one known only to senior shadow lords and certain powerful necromancers [see Army of the Damned below]. They also perhaps aid the social good by acting as a focal point for those who would otherwise join another knightly order and compromise the moral standings of those other knightly organisations.

The symbol of the Order is an 8-pointed cross on a black field, although not all death knights choose to bear it. Many however, incorporate this symbol into their personal crest. All shadow lords swear to uphold the tenets of the Crimson Code, although some disreputable knights intentionally do not. The only thing that a shadow lord may be truly trusted to do is to look after his own interests—although if those interests coincide with your own, you will find no greater blade with which to stab fear into the hearts of your mutual enemies.

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Requirements:

Minimum Willpower: 11

Minimum either Strength or Stamina: 11

Horsemanship: Basic

Literacy

At least two different Melee Weapons

Membership in the Crimson Order of the Knights of the Shadows

Training time: Minimum 1 year, but may be squired for up to 7 years

Features and bonuses:

Expect courtesy from fellow members of the order and fear (or at least unease) from the common folk, but expect to respond accordingly

Bonus status: Knighted



Skills
Anatomy apprentice

Arcane Symbols apprentice

Blindfighting apprentice

Horsemanship: Cavalry apprentice

Military History apprentice

Operations apprentice

Armour Maintenance-Chain

Boasting

Medium and Heavy Armour Use

Meditation

Necromancy of Intelligence

Tactics

The Art of the Deal

Weapon Maintenance for all proficiencies known

Land Navigation I

Intimidation I

Shield I

Two necromancy spells in one category


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Level bonuses
 3 levels of any weapon proficiencies, divided as desired; +1D6 maximum hit point capacity Dark Army: your commands are heard over the din of battle +2 to parry and block; +1D6 maximum hit point capacity +2 to all attacks Aura of Command: you are recognizable as a leader, even among monsters; +1D6 maximum hit point capacity Slow Death: curse that prolongs the death of the victim in agony for one day per class level Speak with the Dead: conversations with a corpse; no longer need Necromancy of Intelligence ritual, instead may speak directly to the spirit if in the presence of the corpse Fire in the Eyes: express your displeasure with glowing red eyes, +2 Personality or Grace</li> Command Undead created by others</li> +2 to any two marital proficiencies; +1D6 maximum hit point capacity</li> Soul Trade: barter the dead, you cannot trap spirits or summon Demons, but you can effect the trade, and can tell a fair deal from foul</li> Dark Warrior: you can simultaneously either fight and command, or fight and work magic, logical limitations still apply; +1D6 maximum hit point capacity</li> Strength of Iron Will: +3 Strength, +3 Willpower, I.P.B.S. x2</li> Grievance: share your pain through eye contact; victim must save vs. mental attacks equal to the death knight's class level to avoid</li> +1D12 maximum hit point capacity</li> Cruel Cut: add one die to all bladed weapon damage, by normal weapon damage</li> +2 parry and block</li> Statuses: Unholy, Feared, and Trouble Magnet</li> +3 to initiative</li> Undying: ritual that allows you to become one of the Undead; one month to cast, return in one month; see the section on Sorcerous Undead</li> May 'precast' the Undying rite to take effect automatically if slain in battle; return in one month; death wound remains forever visible</li> +2 on all attacks</li> Death Shank: each Death Shank is created to affect one specific person, and must be carved from the thigh bone of a blood relative; to be effective, the victim must be first informed about the existence of the weapon (the fear may help fuel the effects); thereafter, if the Death Shank is pointed at the victim while his or her name is called out, a saving throw against physical necromantic magic must be made at a 20 or greater, or the victim drops down instantly dead</li> Army of the Damned: this is perhaps the ultimate 'last act of defiance', and may be used to raze cities and destroy entire armies; after only a brief 5-minute ritual, the ground explodes with all of those who have been slain upon it, destroying all who live save only the invoking death knight; the ground so used must have been a battlefield cleansed by a shadow lord (yourself or another), and may not be again invoked for a year and a day (when it may again be used by summoning the dead from this battle as well); due to their numbers and savagery of the Army of the Damned is undefeatable—only the invoking death knight may walk away—all else is slain or destroyed </li></ol>

Per additional level: +1 to any one weapon skill or necromantic spell

Per additional odd-numbered level: +1 maximum hit point
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