Dominion of the Necromancer¶
"No fighting. No stealing. No religion. Obey the Dead." — the Four Laws (S153)
The Dominion of the Necromancer is the rule of the arch-lich Rodrizhal, "known only as the Necromancer" and "the Ultimate Ruler of Delvarn", over the living and dead of that land (S153). "He controls the area through his minions": liches who govern its provinces, wights who patrol its roads, and living and undead agents who choose its conscripts and judge its quarrels. Its aim is "a godless society of living and dead, where the gods are not relevant" (S153). To the Sancturi Imperium it is the wall on which a legion vanished.
Government¶
To outsiders Delvarn barely seems governed. "There seems to be little central government and each area of towns and villages are nearly autonomous, living under the protection of the necromancer and his armies based in the necromancer's citadel" (S319). The order beneath is strict. Rodrizhal "has a large tiered citadel where it is believed he resides", "suffers no rivals" and "has several liches under his command, but will destroy any that become too powerful" (S153).
Lieutenants¶
His two Hands, the lich Tatruna on the right and Nul'Xenul on the left, "work in the Citadel alongside him when they are not running errands" (S153); they, and his draco-lich Druk'rhinatraz, are described on his page.
Crypt Sovereigns¶
"Liches which govern a province within Delvarn … roughly about 11. Each one resides in and controls a Basalt Crypt (Large Tower that emerges from a mound of basalt)" (S153).
The Four Laws¶
"The Necromancer has simple code of laws - known as the 4 laws" (S153):
- No fighting
- No stealing
- No religion
- Obey the Dead
The patrols¶
"Undead patrols roam the land. Normally led by a wight. The wights form a mesh network while within range of a basalt crypts. They despise the living but are bound not to attack" unless the living are attacking or harming undead or other living humanoids, or unless they are "instructed/allowed to attack" (S153). "They can freely attack demons and other magic-users." The law of arms is absolute: "The living are not allowed to be armed. Any living person holding or carrying a weapon larger than a knife will be attacked. They can be transported in carts, etc just fine. Smiths have to operate in undead free areas" (S153). See Ghouls and Wights.
The borders are marked: "The Necromancer has marked boundaries (usually skulls on sticks), which if approached trigger an assault by a horde of undead" (S326).
Agents¶
Deathmongers¶
"Agents which travel across the lands looking for conscripts. They are widely feared and reviled. They can be living or minor liches. They select living candidates to become Wights or Liches (or deathmongers). Towns and Villages are required to offer up worthy sacrifices to the Deathmongers in the form of a panel of individuals from which the deathmonger selects. Different towns have different ways of making the selections. A town that refuses will be destroyed" (S153).
Deathpriests¶
"Agents of the necromancer which promote his laws, ways and ideals. They can be living or minor liches. They also act as arbiters and judges. They can be called for to settle disputes (as a last resort by someone who DESPERATELY thinks they are right) Their judgements are harsh and final" (S153).
Forces¶
The Dominion's soldiers are its dead (S153). Boneclaws, "improved zombie/skeletons with retractable metal claws", are "the prevalent 'grunt' of the Necromancer's forces". Reapers, killing machines "part incorporeal undead and part physical" that harm only by radiance and "will indiscriminately kill living creatures when set loose in an area", are "used heavily against the Sancturi and rebel villages/towns". Gaunts, "white, tall and skinny zombies", sniff out "demons, hollowlocks/magic users, clerics, spies (Sancturi) and witches". These are described under Undead. The Baelim Necromages, elves turned undead "to avoid their corruption", keep their magic from a new source, "the Necromancer & their undead form", animate the dead in towers and "form special corps in major battles against the Sancturi" (S153).
War with the Imperium¶
The Sancturi Griffon Legions' Faragond Campaign "ran afoul of the enigmatic Necromancer in 698 SM." Believing "a strike at the heart could deal with the threat", the legions "drove deeply into the Necromancer's territory in 700 SM with the intention of cutting off the head of the snake. Instead, the legions disappeared and not a single soldier returned" (S326). By 704 SM "the Sancturi advance in Faragond has been all but halted" (S319). See Faragond and the Sancturi Campaigns.
The Sancturi campaign's plot outline judges the war from the other side: "Rodric with Vanthe's Skull. He isn't evil, in a brutal war for survival with the Imperium" (S133). Session notes from the city of Miralt, in the Duchy of Miralt, place him and the Skull of Vanthe together: "Necromancer to the east. Skull of Vanthe" (S174).
In Play¶
The Dominion is a "Medium" arc of the Sancturi Campaign, "The Lands of the Necromancer" (S133). Travellers keep their weapons in the cart, keep their gods to themselves, and answer to the dead.
Gap
No source says how the living of Delvarn are taxed or fed, how Deathpriests are summoned, or how many wights and liches the Dominion commands.