Gulthias, Master of Nightfang Spire
The
elf named Gulthias was born thousands of years ago in an earlier age of
elves. During that time, the vast forest of Brithonen covered nearly a third
of the land which would one day be called the Kingdom of Blackmere. The
elves of Brithonen were tall, pale-skinned beings of great innate arcane
power. They ruled their mighty kingdom proudly, or arrogantly, some might
say.
Over the centuries factions developed among the noble houses of Brithonen. While some elves wished only to coexist with the natural world, others wanted to control it. This rogue faction bargained with dragons, demons, and anything else that could grant them power. Eventually, this led to a civil war between the elves (called the War of Blood by those few who still speak of it).
Despite their dark bargains, the power-hungry faction lost the struggle. Most retreated into the depths of the earth to settle in deep caverns to brood over their loss...and plot revenge. Others simply went into hiding in the dark places of the forest kingdom.
Gulthias was one of those who remained on the surface. He still had powerful allies among the dragons of the world, but he worried that he would not live long enough to wreak vengeance upon his enemies. He sought out someone to aid him in his quest for immortality, and found help in the form of an undead creature known as a vampire. Gulthias tricked the creature into granting him immortality, only to destroy it soon afterward and thus free himself of its dominion. Now he had all the time in the world.
Centuries passed, and Gulthias waited patiently. Eventually, he saw his opportunity. The humans who had settled the region left empty by the retreating forests of Brithonen brought with them many different religions, and one of these was the worship of dragons. Seizing this chance to establish a new power base, Gulthias walked among the humans, telling them of the glory of dragonkind and vowing that those who served the dragons would be rewarded in this life, and in the next.
Slowly, Gulthias brought together many disparate dragon cults, unifying them under a single banner--the banner of Nightfang Spire, a temple dedicated to draconic power. Over the next century, his cult continued to grow, gaining power as it did.
Then something happened which even Gulthias could not have expected. From out of the north came a great red dragon named Ashardalon, who destroyed everything in his path. The vampire realized that Ashardalon was the sign that he had been waiting for all these years. Proclaiming Ashardalon a divine being, Gulthias turned the dragon cultists into soldiers in a holy war. Behind the dragon's devastation came an army of fanatics: humans, elves, dwarves, and other beings devoted to serving the avatar of their beliefs.
Ashardalon reigned supreme in the region for decades, defeating all who opposed him. But then an alliance between the elves of Brithonen and the young human kingdom of Blackmere was formed, and a fighting force of archers, siege engineers, wizards, and other brave souls took the fight to Ashardalon not far from the present-day location of the village of Great Rock. The battle laid waste to a huge swath of land, now known as the Ashen Plain. Gulthias himself was staked to the earth in the bowels of a nearby draconic temple, and not long after that Ashardalon was slain by a druid of the Old Faith named Dydd.
Broken and leaderless, the cult retreated back into the cracks and crevices of the world. Fragmented once again into splinter factions and rival groups, the cult would never again rise to such prominence.
Gulthias: Male pale elf vampire Sor 12/Dragon Disciple 1; CR 15; Medium-size Undead; HD 13d12; hp 89; Init +8; Spd 30 ft.; AC 25 (touch 18, flat-footed 21); Atk +9/+4 melee (1d6+4 plus energy drain, slam) or +10/+5 melee (1d8+5/19-20 plus 1d6 electricity, blade of the tempest); SA blood drain, create spawn, domination, energy drain, spells; SQ alternate form, children of the night, fast healing 5, gaseous form, low-light vision, necromantic link, spider climb, undead traits; AL CE; SV Fort +6, Ref +10, Will +12; Str 16, Dex 19, Con --, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 24.
Skills and Feats: Alchemy +13, Bluff +18, Concentration +12, Hide +13, Knowledge (arcane) +12, Knowledge (dragons) +12, Listen +14, Move Silently +13, Scry +12, Search +13, Sense Motive +10, Speak Language (Common, Elf, Draconic, Abyssal); Spellcraft +14, Spot +14; Alertness, Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Corrupt Spell, Craft Wondrous Item, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Martial Weapon Proficiency (longbow, longsword), Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (Evocation).
Sorcerer Spells Known (6/8/8/8/7/6/5; base DC = 17 + spell level, +2 Evocation): 0—arcane mark, dancing lights, detect magic, ghost sound, mage hand, mending, open/close; read magic; repair minor damage; 1st—lesser acid orb, mage armor, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement, shield; 2nd—bull’s strength, cat’s grace, false life, protection from arrows, see invisibility; 3rd—dispel magic, fireball, haste, protection from elements; 4th—detect scrying, improved invisibility, otiluke’s dispelling screen; 5th—cone of cold, teleport; 6th—chain lightning.
Possessions: ring of protection +4, mantle of the silver wyrm, blade of the tempest, goggles of day, arcane scroll of stoneskin, improved invisibility, and nondetection.
Blade of the Tempest: This +1 shock longsword can fire a lightning bolt just as a wand of lightning bolt. (After the defeat of Gulthias, this blade was claimed and is now wielded by Adarrial Smythe, Man of Renown.)
Caster Level: 8th; Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wand, lightning bolt; Market Price: 26,315 gp; Cost to Create: 13,315 gp + 1,040 XP.
Mantle of the Silver Wyrm: This cloak, crafted from the hide of a silver dragon, grants the wearer a +2 enhancement bonus to Charisma and cold resistance 10. Once per day the wearer may cast fly on himself. (After Gulthias’s destruction, this item was claimed and is now worn by the paladin Alarion Northsea.)
Caster Level: 5th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, charm monster, fly, resist elements; Market Price: 22,000 gp.