Mari Amaster

## History

### Early Life

Born in Darkwall, Mari led an almost normal life. There was an oddity though, she seemed to always act older than she actually was and talk to beings that were not clearly visible. Her talent with necromancy was rather large, being very capable with the art of leading the undead. It was soon discovered that she was a Chosen, and the gift bestowed on her seemed to be something akin to a form of reincarnation. She had been promised by some old spirit of another realm to lead his followers and kingdom, promising that one day she would have full access to this Twilight Kingdom of spirits and comrades. Her capability with Necromancy stemmed from this manipulation of these spirits and companions that dwell within the Twilight Kingdom, seeing her as their rightful liege and friend of old. Her main method of using Necromancy was taking these spirits and implanting them into corpses, rather than shackling the previous bodies soul to the mortal plane against their will. This allowed her to more easily command even intelligent undead without having to impose her will upon them. Mari’s full capability as a Chosen and displayed loyalty towards the city of Darkwall, as well as the potential host of spirits at her command, earned her the place of Sanctioned Necromancer at a very young age. Perhaps it was just a play by the higher ups to see what this young upstart would do, or maybe a political move to stir things up.

### The New World

Establishing a the Explorer's Guild early on in her adventuring career, Mari set out to explore the upcoming New World. Primarily landing in Vaniya, she began looking for people to take her offer of Exploration for some amount of compensation so she could slowly build up her organization to be one that could help people in the future. Her initial and primary benefactor ended up being Liana Fox of Vulpendra, who built her guild an airship in exchange for some exploration. Slowly, she was making a bit of a name for herself, getting a few other brief clients, but her usage of Undead turned many away.

Mari eventually got into talks with Yurian of Risovia about her ambitions and what she eventually wanted to do. Her grand ambition was to make an international force on the power akin to a kingdom that could be used to assist all nations against potential threats that could shake the world. Interested, Yurian offered to sponsor her amibitons to form this kingdom. Mari, however, wanted to talk with her now friend Liana about it, since the leader of Vulpendra had expressed interest in a potential sponsor as well. She held a meeting between the three, which Yurian saw as insulting, and imposed sanctions and restricted access to Risovia for anyone apart of the Explorer's Guild and Vulpendra. This was a massive blow to Mari's ambitions, as anyone who could claim to be an Explorer being restricted in their movements was significantly impactful, and she decided to let go most of her guild with a severance package so they may continue their lives without the restriction of her political mistake. Liana was there to comfort her, and give her the sponsor so that Mari's ambition could continue. On th night of Dot Ravenflower's engagement, Mari and Liana began their secret relationship that they would keep hidden from the grander stage to prevent further political turmoil.

### The Voyager's

WIth the sponorship of Vulpendra, Mari went around and gathered those who would join her as a Council for her new kingdom. In the free land west of the Undermountain, she founded her capital city Genesis as the Voyager's Kingdom was established 19th of Erastus, Year 7. THe kingdom was a place Undead would be welcome as Mari worked on establishing the place as somewhere to be respected rather than looked at with a hand on your pomel. Ithaca was to the west, posing a potential threat to the safety of the overly accepting budding nation, but through missives between Ulysses Brokenrock-Hawall and Mari, conflict was avoided and peaceful borders were established for the future expansion.

Progress was slow as Mari was in no rush to force her people to expand faster than they needed to, maintaining moderate taxes and refusing to bring them higher, as they slowly continued to explore and colonize the region. Eventually they would strike far enough north to encounter the Free City of Lesy, a human controlled settlement that had an abhorent hatred of the Undead under Mari's employ, and reacted with stubborn and violent isolation. The siege of the settlement did not last long as Mari used the ideal's of the Imperium she was now apart of the teach the local biggots that hostility and disrespect to that extent would not be tolerated, and the city was conquered. Its addition to the kingdom, while violent, overal was smooth as they were allowed to be kept away from the Undead of the kingdom. Lesy became a city for those who felt aprehensive of any Undeath employed by the kingdom, a safe haven from the perceived corruption. The kingdom was smoothly operating with its slower but steady pace, while Mari and Liana's relationship continued in the shadows.

### The Dungeon Core

While the kingdom was dealing with Lesy, an amazing discovery was found within its borders. A Dungeon with an intact and functional core, keyed to Undead as well. The hostile forces from within that would pour out each month became a useful training tool for the armies of the kingdom as they preppared to assault the walls of the Free City, and when the city was captured, it was easily controlled with a larger army. This allowed Mari to take time and begin research on the Core, to try and see if it could assist in one of her long ambitions. She felt immense gratitude towards her Ghostly Retainers from her Twilight Kingdom, and wanted to give them a second chance at life after their millenia of service towards her and her previous incarnation. Raising 2000 souls was no easy feat, and even successfully finding them independant undead host bodies was a challenge. The Dungeon Core would hopefully provide some further insight into the very nature of the soul and undead, at least that is what Mari hoped for. She unfortunately did not get what she wished for.

During experimentation, a disaster happened. The Core fused with Mari, forming her into a Dungeon Lord of Undeath, and Undead being trapped in the core room of the Dungeon that wielded great power over the nature of life and death. The Dungeon expanded outward, claiming the entire region as a place where the boundary between living and dead was frayed. Those whose lives ended there would rise again as ghosts, and their corpses rising as zombies and skeletons to defend the land from the living. While this proved to heavily increase the danger, it gave even further insight for Mari as she approached ever closer to the end of her goal. Luckily, for a time, not many died in her lands as there was not much violence to be had, but slowly, more conflicts arose with bandits and raiders. The region was slowly populated with more mindless walkers that proved threatening and would claim the lives of more, adding to their ranks. Even if this gave everyone a second chance at life, the area was slowly becoming more and more hostile to life.

Mari had the city of Steadfast established during this time, a place where people could be safe and away from the dangers of the Dread Region, and a place she strived to make accepting of worshipers of any god who would be able to tolerate being around each other. Shrines of each of the Core Deities were established within the city, aside from the Rough Beast, who was determined to be too hostile of a cult to allow within the city. The city made trade and tolerance with other nations a bit easier, as it helped to show one of Mari's other goals and objectives she now had with the kingdom. One being trying to form a place of acceptance for everyone who could work together with each other, and the other being trying to elevate the common person to a state where they could survive in the harsh World that Chosen stood atop of.

Time slowly passed, while Mari's mind and soul slowly and steadily were being corrupted by her nature as an Undead, and one of extreme potency. She made active efforts to maintain her links to humanity, decorating the room she was trapped in to be like a bedroom and office, pretending to sleep, sharing meals with her Magister Chika, and spending time with Liana whenever she could arrive. Her love for her girlfriend was one of the core tethers that kept her grounded, and the two even pledged to get married in this time, making rings out of a Mithril-Adamantine alloy they each had found from a recent meteor shower. A member of her guild even returned to her in this time, having gone through a lot in the time they had been apart. The concern for her well being among those around her was only growing, for good reason.

Eventually that concern even reached to Claude Tavitar and Ignatius, both of Athreya, partially due to one of Mari's newer council members being a follower of the Prime Minister himself. The two devised a plan, and along with Liana, went to go enact it in a near spur of the moment attempt. With the combination of Claude's connection to Irori, a flask shard, and a highly skilled creation of Ambrosia, they had devised a way to give Mari's Ghostly Retainers the second chance at life she wanted them to have, and went about doing so. Mari herself was stunned at the act of kindness as the trio came to her inner chambers to propose the idea, and she accepted, taking her best chance at finally finishing this long goal even if it meant relying on the power of a God. An attonement was even given to her to allow her to fully get a fresh start, now seperated from the Dungeon Core and with one of her life goal's accomplished.

## Appearance

A young woman of average height, possessing striking white hair with a red highlight. Her eyes posses a soft amber color, with a hint of arrogance in them. She moves with the arrogance of a leader, despite her young age, with the light in her eyes of someone who has seen more than her age lets on. She generally wears a military uniform, or a nice black dress depending on her mood. There is a faint pressure around here, as if she were constantly exerting influence on her surroundings.

## Personality

A woman of purpose and freedom. She speaks and acts like she has seen a few lifetimes worth of experiences, yet her physical and spiritual age only seems to be that of a young woman. She carries herself with the air of a noble and someone who has a higher standing in society.

She has gained experience as a leader, and cares about her people and those around her to a great degree.