Shadow in and shadow out,
Shadow rise and fall,
Beyond the shadow of a doubt
Until it eats us all.

Darkest Mage

Splinter Mortis, the Death Splinter

Class - Supreme Death Mage

Size - Although it wears deceptively long flowing robes that cast unnatural shadow, the Darkest Mage is very diminutive. Most of the time when the Mage appears before others, it levitates a few feet off the ground so that it appears taller. The Mage claims that this is not out of pride, but a combined desire to see above the crowd and to keep the hems of its robes clean. Only those closest to the Darkest Mage have seen it walking about on its stubby legs.

Lifespan - It has been over 500 years since the Darkest Mage was reborn as a Dark Eternal after his former life. By the time a Dark Eternal has reached the Mage, they are very close to leaving this place and becoming one with the great dark reality. The last step before final transformation is a great test of the will. The Dark Eternal is tempted with great power in this realm, and they must choose to surrender that power in exchange for oneness with the darkness. The Darkest Mage is an example of one such Mage. His power is great - so great that the Lord of Darkness has ordered the Mage to be constantly observed. And for some reason unknown to the Dark Lord, the Darkest Mage continues to linger in this reality.

Habitat - There is a cottage of black stone near the northern inner wall of Utopin. This is the home of the Darkest Mage, although the Mage has recently begun to think of it as its prison. It is rarely allowed to leave the cottage, much less to conduct magical experiments of any kind.

Weapon - The staff of the Darkest Mage is called Runikrost. It was carved several centuries ago from a piece of southern driftwood that had floated into the melted waters of the mysterious Black Glacier. The wood was infused with bizarre powers that enhanced and morphed the magical abilities of Dark Eternals at the time. The Lord of Darkness has hired mercenaries on multiple occasions to steal the staff by night, but each time, some horrible accident has befallen his raiders on the eve of the job. It was as though some unseen powerful force would make absolute certain that Runikrost and the Darkest Mage should be one forever.

Diet - Rumors of the dietary habits of the Darkest Mage have reached as far as Anumun’s Lyverian Kingdom, who trades frequently with Beluroc of Mortis. On the darkest nights of the year, they tell their children nightmarish stories of the evil dark sorcerer who eats only bugs. And it is entirely true. The Darkest Mage has insects (plentiful in Mortis) collected and dry-roasted, claiming that they “fortify his magical mind.”

Allies - The Darkest Mage is an old friend of the Necromancer known as Crypt Mancer that dwells in the southern tower. The Lord of Darkness is aware of the occasional visits made by the Mage into the Southern Wastes. Rather than cooking some evil plot together, the two sorcerers simply enjoy talking of their most distant memories. When they are able to reach back far enough, they can sometimes recall their lives before the darkness found them so long ago. For these brief moments, they can remember what it’s like to smile.

Enemies - The Darkest Mage despises people, both living and dead. The longer it has lived in Mortis, and the more it has helped the Dark Lord with his schemes, the less it has been trusted. The Mage’s loyalty has been rewarded with imprisonment, and each day the Dark Lord becomes more paranoid of the Mage’s activities. Spies of the Gloridax have noticed this distrust growing between the Lord of Darkness and his subject and are making attempts to infiltrate through the cracks. Their plans will not succeed, for the Darkest Mage hates them as well.

Pastimes - The Darkest Mage must work with only what it has available in its cottage. Luckily for the Mage, the Lord of Darkness knows very little about the nature of shadow. Without leaving his cottage, the Darkest Mage is able to visit the Shadow Realm at any time it chooses. It has been making friends there. Friends and plans.