Ketheryll Cymrych

Ketheryll Cymrych was a Prince of the Cymrych Dynasty of High Kings in the Moonshae Isles during the 3 century DR. He was famed for his association with the gruesome Castle of Skulls. Centuries after his death, the undead remnant of Ketheryll still haunted the Castle of Skulls, and used his proficiency in magic to trick, lure, and ensnare adventurers into his clutches.
==Description==
In undeath, Ketheryll was variably described as a shadow, a wight, and a lich. He appeared as a massive, writhing shadow of oily smoke with curved claws, fiery eyes, and a snarling jaw of black teeth with a crimson tongue. Cold and darkness swirled around him, and the sound of his voice appeared to come from all directions at once.
==Personality==
In life, Ketheryll had been a legendarily cruel and bloodthirsty warmonger. He had no regard for the Balance of the Earthmother, and instead was infatuated with dark magic. He was known to enjoy watching innocents be put to death in the Circus Bizarre, a fighting pit within the Castle of Skulls.
In undeath, Ketheryll retained his cruelty. He jealously guarded his old fortress and his trinkets and treasures, and maintained a lonely vigil over the remains of his castle.
==Abilities==
In life, Ketheryll practiced magic that allowed him to bind others to his service, such as his so-called Doomed Legion, members of which bore a magic brand in the shape of Ketheryll’s symbol (a skull).
In death, he was said to be able to drain the life from living victims. He could also create copies of himself and throw his voice to confuse intruders in the Castle of Skulls. He was known to transform such intruders into worthless trinkets that he then cloaked in illusions to make appear extremely valuable, before using these fake treasures to lure more victims to his castle.
==Relationships==
His father was High King Gwylloch, and he was the presumed heir to his father's throne. His younger brother, Markus Cymrych, would go on to become a High King.
Ketheryll's Doomed Legion pledged their lives to his service, whether willingly or otherwise. He had at least one servant, Garius, who grew disillusioned and attempted to flee from him. Instead, he became a victim of Ketheryll's transformation magic.
==History==
Prince Ketheryll was known as a mighty and highly successful conqueror. His father and grandfather warred with the Northmen, and engaged in the Ffolk practuce of collecting the severed heads of their enemies. By the , his father's collection of skulls had become so vast that he and Ketheryll constructed the Castle of Skulls and relocated their court there.
Over the next several years, Ketheryll and his father launched numerous expeditions against both the Northmen and troublesome Ffolk lords, collecting more skulls as well as captives. Ketheryll would famously drive out all rivals for control of the Isle of Gwynneth, and in the , he captured King Durnhal and Queen Morgan of Corwell and put them to death for treason. He kept their royal signet rings as trophies within the Castle of Skulls.
Ultimately, Ketheryll and his father went mad, and on the night of the Summer Solstice in the , they and their retainers all perished in a gibbering, suicidal orgy of combat within the Castle of Skulls. While it was believed that the stench of death within the macabre castle had driven them to this madness, some suspected that the wizard Flamsterd may have caused them to disappear, perhaps with the aid of the Earthmother. Regardless of the truth, Ketheryll would persist as a cursed undead abomination within the abandoned Castle of Skulls.
In the , Ketheryll lured the halfling adventurer Pawldo and his companion Stefanik into his castle, but they escaped his grasp and stole the rings of the ancient monarchs of Corwell.
==Appendix==
===Appearances===
===References===
Category:Humans
Category:Undead
Category:Liches
Category:Wights
Category:Shadows
Category:Ffolk
Category:Royalty
Category:Princes
Category:Members of the Cymrych family
Category:Inhabitants of the Castle of Skulls
Category:Inhabitants of Callidyrr
Category:Inhabitants of the Moonshae Isles
Category:Inhabitants of the Trackless Sea
Category:Inhabitants of West Faerûn
Category:Inhabitants of Faerûn
Category:Inhabitants of Toril