Stheeok Yorddrum

This character is from the Rise Of The Merchant Breakers campaign, which has concluded.

> *"I am the scourge of this world. I am the pestilence of old. I am the hunger for knowledge, the greatest intellect, the last scholar of The Lich. My magic shall burn this world until it is naught but a charred stone, and from its blackened ashes, my great empire shall rise anew."*
> -Stheeok Yorddrum
>
>

Stheeok Yorddrum was the overarching antagonist of the Rise Of The Merchant Breakers Campaign. He is an undead necromancer, who was sealed inside the Overseer's Eye during the Great Cataclysm in 101 BS. After being freed by the players, Stheeok possesses a guide and escapes, where he is not seen again until the Assault Of Carn Fortress.

After forming the Faded Sun Merchant Company, he began to use his extensive knowledge of business and trade to form connections and gain control over many other companies, slowly increasing his power until he became the wealthiest and most powerful man throughout the Islands. Later in the campaign, his influence even spread overseas to other continents.

## Stheeok Yorddrum

Stheeok Yorddrum before the Great Cataclysm

### Aliases

The Dark One, Vesper, The Viper, Personification Of Revenge

### Affiliation

The Lich Lord's Empire (Formerly)The Faded Sun Merchant Group

## Appearances

### Debut

Session #1

Despite his appearances being minimal, Stheeok's influence can be felt throughout the course of the campaign. Most events that occur are due to his connections and constant meddling in other affairs. An example would be how he paid various pirate crews such as Black Mast to attack opposing merchant ships, which led to their altercation with The Merchant Breakers.

## History

In 252 BS, The Lich Lord's empire had grown to encompass half of the continent. Its undead forces had spread across the lands, wreaking havoc amongst the other countries. With this, his power grew until it eclipsed even that of the gods. However, to keep his soul from fading and turning him into a mindless one, he had to consume more and more souls. After feeling the overpowering amount of souls he consumed every day, the Lich Lord began to contemplate just how long he could remain in the mortal plane. While immortality was something he had longed for, he realized that he required a fallback plan in case his soul faded before he could discover eternal life. One of his solutions, was to pass his knowledge on to students.

### A Powerful Apprentice (252 BS)

A total of five students were taken in and taught personally by The Lich Lord. After decades of his lessons, prodigies began to emerge, one such prodigy being Stheeok. Unlike his collogues, Stheeok was less of a violent warlord and more of a cunning strategist. He would often be found in the library studying subjects such as business and trade, while also dabbling in the art of magic. Among The Lich Lord's students, he was considered a shut-in, more interested in his books than expansion or warfare. As such, this put him at odds with the other students, especially the war-loving Kor Lharos and the expansionist Giles Ketting.

   Despite this, Stheeok managed to earn himself a position as one of his masters strategists. After accepting the position he rarely ever left the castle, save for rare occasions. While this was not much of an issue for him, it helped to even further disconnect him from his collogues and maintain his reserved and quiet demeanor. This meant that Stheeok often was by himself, and as such, he became engrossed in the Library Of The Withered, a library said to store all the knowledge the Lich Lord has collected throughout the ages. After reading an innumerable amount of books on countless different subjects, Stheeoks understanding of the world around him grew, and so too did his power.

### The First Campaign (199 BS)

After half a century, Stheeok managed to master most forms of magic save for holy magic. Seeking to test his power, Stheeok requested that his master put him at the forefront of the war, and make him commander of a small army. After much debate, the Lich Lord agreed, and Stheeok was put in charge of a small amount of undead and sent them to assist another undead battalion that was currently locked in a siege at Lopus Manus. When Kor Lharos heard that one of his peers was going to the front lines of the war instead of him, he was angered greatly, although it is possible that Stheeok was only chosen to lead the undead army because Kor was away on a conquest at the time. Despite his great anger, the Lich Lord managed to calm his pupil by telling him that this was simply a test to determine just how strong Stheeok has become. Although most of the scholars and students of the Lich Lord assumed that Stheeok would be soundly defeated, he managed to not only break the siege, but completely and utterly massacre the entire population of the city in just under five days. Survivors of this battle note that Stheeok could be seen on the front lines using two scimitars made of pure magic or simply his own bare hands to tear his enemies apart.

With the siege concluded, Stheeok returned to the palace triumphant and with minimal casualties. This greatly pleased his master, who began to discuss the possibility of Stheeok being put in charge of other campaigns. This enraged Kor, who then demanded that Stheeok return to his library and never show his face outside of the palace again. In response, Stheeok began taunting Kor, mentioning his failed campaign in the east. Kor was blinded by his rage, and he swung his war mace at the undead scholar, sending him flying across the room. Stheeok then used lightning magic to electrocute the warmonger, and began to summon more and more destructive spells. The fight lasted only a brief few minutes, but the result was a badly damaged war room, ten undead servants destroyed, and both students exhausted. In the end, Stheeok relented, admitting that his peer's battle prowess in melee combat succeeded his own, and that he did not have enough magic energy to keep up. Stheeok stated that he will return to his work in the library, and that Kor could continue handling the warfront. Aftarwards, when confronted by fellow student Thairne about why he relented so easily, Stheeok simply said "I did not lie. I do not have the magic required to keep up with my brutish compatriot. Yet."

### The Withered Crypt (196 BS)

While enjoying spending his time alone in the library engrossed in his studies, Stheeok has on occasion been known to take long strolls throughout the Palace Of Decay's gardens. Usually, he would encounter Ratara on these walks (usually with Thairne close behind). Ratara and Thairne would invite him to join them, and after some hesitancy on Stheeoks part, he would begrudgingly agree. Such was the way most mornings went at the palace. Despite his reservations about the two, Stheeok would come to tolerate the walks with his colleges, and occasionally even enjoy them. This fact, however, Stheeok never shared. But one day, Stheeok found himself to be alone in the palace. All of the other students were attending to business, and so he walked through the gardens on his own and enjoyed the quiet he rarely received. Towards the end of his walk, he spotted an odd lever on the side of an old stone wall. Despite his cautious personality, he pulled the lever and opened a small door into a crypt beneath the palace gardens.

When Stheeok entered the crypt, he was greeted with faded stone walls and a rough and mossy floor. The crypt was completely dark, so he cast a light orb in order to see. The light revealed intricate yet ancient carvings depicting the old gods that decorated the walls, and an almost maze-like layout of the crypt.