Heralds of Mother

## The Heralds of Mother

The Heralds of Mother are an Organization created by **The Mother**. Although technically they are a sub-branch of **Necrotech Industries**, they are unique in that they answer only to the Mother, and often serve as her eyes and ears in the world, leading large amounts of her Undead and utilizing them with little direction or input from Mother. Each one is intelligent, powerful, and well-equipped with weaponry, and surrounded by equally powerful and elite Undead.

## History

The Heralds of Mother were created in response to the increasingly large gap of power between Mother's average minions, and the foes that she faced - she needed individuals who could truly contend with the most powerful of individuals in the world. She worried of a growing complacency among her minions, and has taken the necessary steps to ensure she can stand against any party of enemies who comes for her head.

Although she had exhumed, obtained, or found a great many number of bodies over the years, she had never put them to use, saving them for a 'rainy day', so to speak. But with new techniques, new prowess, and new abilities, she realized that she could utilize these corpses, and so, she created her Heralds - each one serving a different role, but each one being as potent, skilled, and equipped as any Adventurer of a sufficiently high enough rank as to challenge her.

## Holdings

Each of the Heralds have their own Holdings - a Castle, dedicated to their specific brand.

* **The Castle of Conquest**: A Castle located on the outskirts of the Dragalla Alliance's borders, outside of the Forest of Zha, this Keep is a mighty holding, dedicated to the art of conquest. It is highly defensible, with large stores of supplies for an extended siege, as well as significant amounts of lodgings for an enormous army of soldiers, should it be necessary. It is the seat of **The First Emperor**, the Herald of Conquest, and it is a testament to his drive for conquest.
* **The Castle of War**: A Castle located in the far north, near the **Barbarian Kingdoms**, but outside of their borders. The Castle of War is a keep of bloodshed, constant combat, and blood games. **The Red King** himself rules from this keep, and he encourages his warriors to raid the Barbarian Kingdoms, seeking worthy foes to bring back to the keep as prisoners, forcing them into blood sports against one another, as well as against the minions of the Red King.
* **The Castle of Death**: An eerily silent Keep sits on a swampy island off the coast of **Darkwall**, south of the Murky Gate. Untouched for so long due to how unappealing it is as a colonization point, it serves as the Castle of Death - mindless, uncontrolled Undead roam the swamps, constantly seeking flesh to devour, and from within, **Vala**, the Herald of Death rules. Ever the enigmatic, calm, but depressed presence, Vala rarely leaves her keep unless commanded, although she has been shown to have a special desire to seek out Good-aligned Outsiders for Harvest.
* **The Castle of Pestilence**: Located on a Mountain on the sub-continent of **Anathis**, the Castle of Pestilence is a thriving, beautiful hold, filled with the deadliest of flora, as well as breeding pits for a wealth of diseases. Yet, the Herald of Pestilence remains hale and healthy, without even the hint of a cough. It is here that his own warriors are bred, filled with their own pestilent diseases, yet they too, are unaffected within the Garden of Pestilence. Kisko, the Herald of Pestilence, dwells here, and ventures out frequently to find new diseases for his collection.
* **The Castle of Famine**: Located within the Sea of Sand, in the center of the Rimalharu Desert, the Castle of Famine is a desolate wasteland. Difficult to assault purely because bringing a large force across such a great distance is near-impossible, it is dry, desolate, and inhospitable, if only for the lack of water and heat, not to mention the great many beasts lurking beneath the sand. **William Helmont**, the Herald of Famine dwells here. Although he was once a mighty knight of Catania, Lord Helmont now dwells where none may venture, preferring the peace and quiet, and the howling winds.

## Membership

Membership is exclusive to the Heralds - but there is a secret that few know. Each Herald is equipped with a deadly, and powerful, Fabled Artifact. An item of tremendous power, and expert craft, by The Mother herself. The items have an intelligence themselves, and when their Owner is defeated, they will seek a new Owner, and will attempt to turn them towards the Mother's rule, pushing them to pledge themselves as one of her Heralds.

The Heralds do have their own minions, granted to them by Mother, but these Minions are ultimately beneath the Patron herself, and only heed the Herald's commands due to the command of Mother.