Till Death us do part...
by Richard Pett
Editor's Note: This lich's tale expands on the material of the "Ecology of the Lich," published in Kobold Quarterly #3.
The Marriage of Kith
"This is mockery!" Sir Carl tried hard to hide his whisper with his gauntleted hand as the bride slowly walked by, angelic voices echoing following her footsteps as the choir sang with all their might.
So she's wearing white, how traditional...
The bride's pale skin was like that of a statue, stretched over her skeletal frame from too many years of arcane study and not enough of living. Now her life was about to become endless, her toiling finally done, her life fulfilled by joining her love in undeath.
Only one act remained, an important one for the woman. She must appease her lord and love, the Lich Kith, the lich she helped create by slaying the man she loved.
The only part of the groom Sir Carl saw was his mask. The white porcelain charade was played out for no one but the lie of appearance; all those present knew that beneath the mask lay nothing but empty sockets and bone and hate.
"For better or worse, in sickness and in health." Sir Carl whispered to his fellow knights as they gazed across the cathedral, wondering what fate would bring the kingdom next...
The D&D Monster Manual states that the organisation of liches is solitary or a troupe (assisted by vampires). But what happens if love truly conquers all? Could two evil spellcasters decide that life without each other is simply impossible?
Here are two scenarios between entangled lovers in the mortal world, Kith and his lover Leptonia. Both are accomplished spellcasters who wish for the immortality of lichdom. Kith has already attained his undeath, and his lover wishes only one act to precede joining him – their marriage. Shortly thereafter, Leptonia becomes a willing participant in the ceremony to become a lich.
United in Love
United in death, the two liches soon exert a terrible influence over their kingdom of Rondespar. It is a realm of towering mountains and glaciers and impossible castles. Combined, their arcane power is almost unassailable, and that power is almost great enough to fulfil their greatest longing: to create a kingdom where nothing truly dies.
The two lich-lords move like shadows through their lands, slaying and then reanimating their subjects with the intention of creating a land at perfect peace. Undead ravens fly over the cathedral, and the marketplaces thrives with the dead trading items of no worth. Greed, envy, and hate are things of the past, for the dead feel few emotions.
The PCs may hear about this kingdom in a song, or they may visit its mountainous confines. Better still, an adventure path might commence with the PCs relatives coming back home as undead. Do the 'loyal' knights form a brotherhood to work against the liches before it is too late?
United in Hate
In this version, the marriage falls apart. Immortality lies, and love soon becomes loathing.
The two liches rule the same land and wage an endless war against each other, seeking to destroy their former love and be free. Their endless battles make the mountain kingdom of Rondespar run with blood, yet the locals are to afraid to act against the lord or lady.
The PCs might come to this strange land by accident, or summoned by knights weary of battle. They may take to the mountains with a group of rebels in a bid to kill both liches, living a fugitive life in the snow, their names cheered by a grateful population to whom they are the only hope. Such a campaign could have many twists and turns – with the PCs being hunted by the liches, or perhaps secretly sponsored by one seeking to destroy the other.
For more twisted takes on the ecology of liches – see the latest issue of Kobold Quarterly – out now.
