Thursday, May 16, 2019

Campaign Design - Villains: The Hallitsijainen

The Hallitsijainen

The undying witch-kings of the Kansattu, the Hallitsijainen dominate much of the world of Ilkeas through the Kansattu Empire and its client kingdoms such as Kreikka, Ranska, and Saksa. Also known as the Drualvii and the Cold Lords, the origins of these terrible beings have been lost to the mists of time, and what little is known about their exact nature and the extent of their powers is scant and often contradictory. There are only a few fragmentary U'pesuristean texts that come from a time before these dread beings came to power, and even those shed no light upon how or why they came into existence or how they gained sway over the Kansattish people. Once they do appear in the U'pesuristean records, virtually every reference to the Hallitsijainen describes them as being at war with the Tauta City-States.

Though the Hallitsijainen have come to dominate the histories since that time, there is little available information about their nature other than the fact that they all wield considerable eldritch might and enjoy a form of unlife tied to an extremely powerful flow of evil magical energy known as the Ilkeastasisin - a flow of magical energy that gives the entire world of Ilkeas its name. These beings also appear to be nigh-unkillable: They have been believed to be defeated and destroyed on multiple occasions, sometimes disappearing for centuries at a time, but they have always returned to reclaim their suzerainty over the Kansattu and seek to conquer the known worlds.

The Hallitisjanin have outlived cities and empires. Their imminent conquest of the Tauta City-States is believed to be what drove the Tauta to release the magical conflagration known as the Lieutsignis that broke the worlds and destroyed the Tauta people - but also which caused the Cold Lords to vanish for more than a thousand years. More recently, the Hallitsijainen are believed to have summoned the magical energies that resulted in the whelming of Llydaw in 450 IR. transforming it into Lloegyr and destroying House Llud in the process, resulting in the Rhadynnic Wars of Succession. Scholars point to the notable absence of the Hallitsijainen from the world stage in the years since the whelming of Cymru as evidence in support of this notion. When and where the Hallitsijainen will reappear is the subject of much anxious speculation.

Although they have been missing for almost one hundred years, the influence of the Hallitsijainen is still felt throughout the Three Worlds. Their machinations and intrigues have shaped the peoples and the nations of the Three Worlds, and almost every creature's life is affected in some way by their legacy. For reasons that are not clear to anyone other than them, the Hallistijainen bear a deep and abiding enmity towards against the White Hand.

Mustavittaja (the Black Destroyer)

Little is known of the early years of the Hallitsijainen, but one fact is clear: Mustavittaja brought the rest of the Cold Lords under his sway and became the Emperor of the Kansattu. Mustavittaja is sort of a primi inter pares Emperor as he must consult with the others as they could combine and overthrow him. He has great ritual authority, but his actual power is limited by his ability to compel obedience from his fellows. The Hallitsijainen follow the rule that the strong dominate the weak, whose lot is to serve and infrequently obey. Even so, there is constant infighting to establish supremacy, although Mustavittaja’s dominance has never been seriously threatened.

The perpetual Emperor of the Kansattu, Mustavittaja is counted as the mightiest of the Hallitsijainen - the fragmentary records indicate that he was already regarded as a master of both the eldritch and martial arts and suggest that he may not have been fully human before his transformation. He couples his might with an eternally scheming mind, engaging in intrigues across the Three Worlds, both in concert with and in opposition to those of the other Drualvii. Mustavittaja rules his dominions and his fellows from the mighty fortress of Iltorni (the Night Tower), a massive structure carved from an entire mountain over the course of a thousand years, with foundations constructed from the bones of a true dragon whose name has long since been forgotten. His symbol is a flaming hand grasping a black crown.

Herranoita (the Witch-Lord)

Herranoita is the co-ruler of Ranska alongside Miesurmata. While Miesurmata indulges in sadistic destruction, Herranoita is obsessed with mystical breeding experiments. She is credited with creating the minotaur race as well as many other horrific and monstrous aberrations. Under her watch and that of her co-ruler, Ranska fragmented into a land of petty lords all fighting against one another, making it something of a micro version of the Kansattu Empire. Herranoita and Miesurmata appear not to care so long as her subjects provide them with a steady supply of bodies for Herranoita to use in her experiments and for Miesurmata to engage in his bloody sport with.

Miesurmata (the Man-Killer)

Miesurmata, along with Herranoita, is the co-ruler of Ranska. He is served by minotaurs and the other twisted creations of Herranoita. In this realm there are only the eaters and the eaten, and Miesurmata's servants all know it is best to be the eater rather than the eaten. Callous and pitiless to a degree that is extreme even among the Hallitsijainen, Miesurmata delights the most in wanton slaughter and cruelty.

Murskilta (the Night-Crusher)

The War Leader of the Hallitsijainen, Murskilta is most martially inclined of the Cold Lords, and has often expressed disdain for the mystical pursuits of his compatriots, preferring to spend his energies engaged in war and conquest. He rules over the great port city of Pelkonnoitus, from which he commands the bulk of the Kansattu navies in addition to a mighty army. When the Cold Lords go to war, Murskilta is in the vanguard of their forces.

Murskilta is one of the three Cold Lords scholars believe may actually have been destroyed. During the Last Crusade of Cearnach VII, Murskilta and the Arwr were immolated by a great burst of magical energy as they fought in the very gates of Iltorni. Both vanished at that moment and neither has ever been seen again. Murskilta's weapon is the great blade Halkaistapimeys (the Cleaver of Darkness), which also vanished when he and the Arwr were consumed. His symbol is a black sword on a red field.

Pimeasenki (the Spirit of Darkness)

Pimeasenki, as her name implies, is not entirely corporeal, and surrounds herself with others of her kind. Her fortress is named Pelinnoitus (the Citadel of Fear) and is populated by all manner of incorporeal undead: Ghosts, specters, shadows, and others. Pimeasenki is the spymaster of the Kansattu Empire, using her many ghostly servants as a vast intelligence network. Her few living servants are said to live miserable lives in the hope that after death they will be elevated to her service as undead spirits, but most wind up as ghouls or even worse, zombies.

Sarviherttua (The Horned Duke)

With his distinctive helm crowned by the horns of an ancient stag, Sarvihuerta cut the most immediately recognizable figure of the Hallitsijainen. He resided in the great fortress of Sota Portii (the War Gate) that guards the strategic Ontto Gap, barring entry into the vast ashy plains that make up the bulk of the Kansattu Empire. Sarviherttua was not merely a gatekeeper, he was also a master of gate magic, and the Sota Portii is the hub of a extensive network of portals that criss-cross the Empire, allowing the Cold Lords and their minions to move freely throughout their dominions.

Sarvihuettua was also regarded as one of the foremost demonologists in the Three Worlds, and he bound many demonic beings to his service. Throughout his reign many of his mortal subjects interbred with these infernal creatures, either willingly or through coercion, and many of Sarvihuertta's servants have infernal blood in their veins. His symbol is a yellow set of stag's horns on a black field.

In 434 IR, the Arwr and the Cuddialon of the Sky Empire combined to infiltrate the Kansattu Empire. Among their exploits was the apparent destruction of Sarviherttua in 436 IR.

Sielusyoda (the Soul-Eater)

Sielusyoda rules over the great city of Kal'nasuola at the heart of the Kansattu Empire, situated at the end of a great chain of fortifications that stretches across the Astua Gap known as Sielyusoda's Fences. This network of strongholds guards the entrance to the heartland of the Kansattu, and are meticulously maintained by the Empire as a perpetual deterrent to invasion. Numerous invasions of the Kansattu Empire have faltered and been turned back when they failed to pierce through the Fences.

For his part, Sielusyoda is regarded as a master of the necromantic arts. In fact, one of the keys to the defenses he maintains is the vast army of undead he created to man them, including innumerable walking dead kept buried just below the ground to rise up and meet any invaders. Under his watch, Kal'nasuola has become a city of the dead, with the dead outnumbering the living within its walls.

Susiherra (the Were-Lord)

Susiherra was the ruler of Saksa and called himself the father of lycanthropes. A master of transmutation magic, Susiherra claimed responsibility for the existence of, and sovereignty over, all lycanthropes. Most scholars find these claims to be wildly overblown, but all agree that Susiherra was the creator of the greater lycanthropes who act as his greatest and most devoted servants. According the available records, the Arwr and Cuddialon destroyed Susiherra in 337 IR.

Tuliherra (the Fire-Lord)

Though Tummavoitin rules over Pimeaitus, she is not the only Cold Lord who resides within its halls. In the lowest deeps of the vast labyrinthine network lay great foundries and workshops lit only by the glow of the forges, from which Tuliherra and his twisted servants supply the armies of the Kansattu Empire with its greatest weapons and engines of war. Tuliherra is the most reclusive of the Hallitsijainen, rarely seen outside of his craft halls by any others, even including his fellow Drualvii. His symbol is a black hammer set upon licks of flame.

Tummavoitin (the Dark Ruler)

Tummavoitin rules over the vast underground fortress of Pimeaitus (the Dark Fortress) in the Diskygge Mountains. Her realm is actually the lost dwarven homeland of Hjertehjem, claimed by this Cold Lord nearly two thousand years ago when she drove the dwarves from it and made it her own. Pimeaitus serves as the deepest dungeon of the Cold Lords, where they confine those they wish to torment most horribly, and Tummavoitin is the chief warden and inquisitor. Where there were once great halls filled with light where objects of great beauty were crafted with care, there is now only darkness and despair. Pimeaitus is not just a prison, it is vast military camp that houses entire armies within its endless corridors. From the depths of her mountain stronghold, Tummavoitin has waged a thousand year war against the inhabitants of the Altusilva. In her war, ironically, Tummavoitin's greatest weapons are the air cavalry drawn from the highest eyries of the mountains above her underground fortress.

Verijuoma (the Blood-Drinker)

Verijuoma is the ruler of Kreikka. This Cold Lord holds a special affinity for vampires, and these dread creatures make up the ruling elite in her dominions. Styling herself as the sovereign of all vampires, Verijuoma's appetite for blood is said to be almost insatiable. Her symbol is a pair of black fangs on a red field.

Ysivalmija (the One-Maker)

Ysivalmija is regarded as the most magically gifted of the Hallitsijainen - many believe that it was her research that led to the greatest of the magical triumphs of the Hallitsijainen, including both the Lieutsignis and the secret ritual that transformed the twelve to begin with. Her great fortress of Saartorni (the Ash Tower) is regarded as one of the greatest repositories of arcane learning as well as being one of the most foreboding places in all of the Three Worlds. Ysivalmija does not permit living scholars to assist her in her work, so all of her students and apprentices are the unliving dead. Such is the awe the Kansattu hold for their dread lords that virtually all of her servants willingly chose unlife to better serve their mistress.

Ysivalimija's symbol is twelve rings tied together with a flaming chain. Many scholars believe that without this Cold Lord's influence, the remaining eleven Hallitsijaninen would have fallen into internecine war among themselves millennia ago, which has made her the focus of many attempts to destroy her.

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