Necropolis Sect

~From the collections, journals and observations of Maleficius~

“The dead tell only the truth.”
~Digger Khep, 431 Tz

Shunned, disparaged and unjustly persecuted.

Triumphant only through self-reliance and personal initiative, where the individual has often meant more in the grand scheme of things than the community. This is what the Necropolis Sect believes of itself. Isolated in the northeastern reaches of The Land, carving a new empire from a wilderness never tamed by the Guild, the Sect necromancers and their supporters all know that they are heir to a legacy of timeless traditions, challenged by a history of great wrongs.

From their point of view, at least.

In their seclusion, the Necropolis Sect has only grown stronger, with dark magicks granting them control over magespawned monsters and infusing their warriors with incredible powers beyond the normal grasp of most other races or factions. They have the ability to blend with the shadows, to feed off life’s force and, in the ultimate display of their necromental mastery, to raise their dead. In this last power there is something to be said for intimidation. For while creatures of the night and fanatical warriors rage against an enemy line, hands are clawing their way out of graves to answer the summons of the dark masters.

When the great philosopher, Dantagne, said ‘The soldiers of war are all death’s cousins,’ he was speaking of the Necropolis Sect.

~Maleficius

Leader: The Dark Prophet 
When you think of the Dark Crusade, think of sexy vampire cults and the temptations of immortality. The thick taste of blood, the cold flesh of the dead, and the cries of the weak being gutted before a roaring crowd best describe life within the fire-lit halls of the Necropolis. In time, if one performs well enough within the course of the inquisitional Dark Crusade, one might be lucky enough to be made into an immortal vampire, or become a Necromancer trained to animate to control the restless dead.

As the Elementals are devoted to healing the Land, the Crusaders are devoted to dominating it

After Grand-Magus Tezla’s transcarnation in 278 Tz, Elven practitioners of Necromancy—death magic—departed Atlantis with the Tezla's soul safe in a Bone Golem Avatar. They traveled to the northeastern mountains with their precious cargo to construct the Necropolis, a sprawling complex of tombs, towers and catacombs on an island hidden away within a vast mountain lake. There, under Dark Tezla's direction, the Necromancers created a meritocracy where excellence in the blood pits, bedrooms and political arenas was rewarded with dark, seductive gifts: the immortality of vampirism and the power to raise and command the dead.

Under Dark Tezla’s guidance, as voiced by his chosen leader, Dark Prophet Soma, the Dark Crusaders are moving to take advantage of the chaos spreading throughout the Land. After years of planning, preparation and decisive strikes, the time has come for the first major campaign of the Dark Crusade. Tens of thousands of warriors, vampires, necromancers and an uncountable number of skeletons and zombies poured into Elemental League territory during the summer of 434 Tz, quickly overrunning the region’s defenders. Although the Forest Elves avoided extermination by retreating within the walls of the castle of Roanne Valle, the bloody onslaught has left the beautiful forests and grasslands of the Wylden in control of the Dark Crusade. All the while Dark Tezla, whispering his desires to the Deathspeakers that lead the Sect, plans the destruction of the imposter Tezlas and the fools who follow their heretical lies.

While the warriors loyal to the Crusaders have always had a dark flavor, this first major battle of the Dark Crusade has driven the Sect Elves into a bloody frenzy. Never before has there been such a chance to prove one’s merits in battle, or to arrange for the elimination of rivals in the heat of combat. Even as the Dark Crusade pushes its warriors to the limit, a near-religious fury has gripped the entirety of the Necropolis’ armies, from the all-seeing Deathspeakers that command the fray down to the lowliest battle-hardened Deathsinger fresh from the blood-pits. With the League seemingly on its last legs, it is only a matter of time before the Crusade turns west – towards the Empire and the Revolution – and engages enemies unprepared to face the wrath of Dark Tezla’s unstoppable armies.

Subfaction: Deathspeakers

Leader: Deathspeaker Aeradon

Deathspeaker Aeradon, one of the most powerful Necromancers in the Dark Crusaders, commands his armies of Vampire Generals to dominate the Land in Dark Tezla's name. While Darg the Corrupt, Kossak Darkbringer, and the Order of Vladd are loyal to Aeradon by word, with Kossak's near victory over the Elementals at Roanne Valle, will Aeradon soon be forced to defend himself against power-plays by the generals of his own vampiric armies?

Subfaction: Order of Vladd

Leader: Kossak Darkbringer

The Order of Vladd has long stood as the dominant Vampire faction in the Dark Crusaders. With Darq the Corrupt involved in matters to the West, and Kossak Darkbringer leading the Crusader armies against the Elemental Freeholds, the Order of Vladd shall lead the Dark Crusaders to victory!

Subfaction: Blood Cultists

Leader: Bloody Amara

Unlike the rest of the Dark Crusade, who long to pass over the boundary of life to embrace eternal undeath, the blood cultists cling to life for as long as possible by stealing the life force of others. Long answering to the powerful necromancers of the deathspeakers, the followers of the blood goddess have now uncovered lost secrets of their ancient faith allowing them to awaken the legendary Bloody Amara. With the support of his power and powerful spells of their own, the blood cultists are finally becoming a power in their own right--and may soon answer only to themselves.

Background

Racial Composition	Sect Elves, some humans
Origin of Faction	Founded in 279 Tz
Age of Faction	Roughtly 150 years
Geographic Control	The northeastern areas of the Land
Religion	Worship of Dark Tezla, the Blood Goddess
Magical Affinity	Necromancy, spirit-binding, vampirism
Political Loyalty	Dark Tezla, the Dark Prophet, personal power

Official Position

Atlantean Empire	Weak pathetic and mindless. Crish them all and drain the human upstarts dry
Black Powder Revolutionaries	Their fiery passion and idealistic views make them easy to manipulate
Draconum	Always a threat, as Draconum seem to revel in tearing appart Sect warriors more than anybody else
Elemental Freeholds	A doomed people destines to serve us an army of eternal dead
Elven Lords	Very dangerous, and very old. We understand these ancient masters better than they realize
Heroes	These fools will do anything for a few coins
Mage Spawn	Useful as a distraction, but the most loyal servant a Necromancer can have is a dead one
Orc Khans	Very difficult to control or direct, but a worthy opponent in combat
Shyft	They take credit for our deeds and blame us for their atrocities. Gut them all and leave them to rot
Solonavi	No price is higher than death, and of death we have little to fear