Ohris Dehjmal

the Sea King, Just a Head Without Even Both Eyes

### Associations

Assassination, deep ones, military action, necromancy, people who've lost an eye, religious outcasts, sorcery, undead, vengeance, villainy

Ohris Dehjmal was a human sorcerer from the Hyperborean Age known over the world for his villainy. His followers would become regular foes of King Kull of Valusia after he had their master executed. Through his magic, he was able to survive his beheading, existing as a living severed head after having used a spell of containment (which was wearing off in the third day after his beheading, although it seem to have lasted for a long period afterwards).

## History

### Early years

A man of dark invention, Ohris studied and tried to access the resonance power the elder things left behind them when the majority of them left to a world of their own making, a power he described as "an echo of a death scream".

At his service were his cult or disciples, followers, and even hordes. They also called themselves the "sons of Lord Ohris Dejhmal". They were active in Valusia, and even had a sanctuary within the City of Wonders.

### Execution

As he didn't suffered Ohris Dehjmal's malignancy, King Kull of Valusia had him captured and sentenced him to death, and half of Valusia came to the City of Wonders to witness his beheading. Before losing his head, Ohris threatened Kull, stating that that wouldn't stop him.

To prevent a possible return from Ohris, Kull had his body dismembered and scattered throughout the realm, while his head was kept in the palace under guard.

Two days later, the legionaries who guarded one of Ohris's arm at the Commoria-Valusia frontier were attacked by Ohris' disciples. All parts of him save his head were gathered before the next night, when they attacked the palace dungeon and stole the living talking head. The spell of containment which Ohris had used was wearing off, and so his disciples took him to their sanctuary, where the rest of the body had been gathered. Before they could reassemble him, Kull burst in with Brule (who had found a trail to the sanctuary) and the Red Slayers. All disciples there were slaughtered and his cult subsequently scattered.

### The Sea King

Kull and Brule sailed for days on the Western Sea, to the deepest part of the sea, where they threw Ohris Dehjmal's boxed head in the waters. Ohris then disappears from the *Chronicles of Magnus Tel Shek* and the *Book of Ages Past*, two of the few surviving sources for the events of the Hyperborean Age.

There, he was found by deep ones inhabiting a city that was ancient before humans walked the Earth, whom he managed to convince to worship him as a god. Sensing that Kull, who was inspecting his coastal defenses to be prepared to oppose the Lemurians' raids, was close by, Ohris had his new worshipers infiltrate the fort manned by Zardis in order to assassinate Kull. Kull was able to fend the attack. Brule and Alecto soon joined the brawl and slaughtered the assassins, while the remaining deep ones attacked the whole fort. As the assailants were chanting his name, Kull deducted that they were in service of one of his many enemies. Regrouping and leading his forces, Kull was able to push back the deep ones into the sea.

Returning to the city, the beaten deep ones grabbed Ohris' head from the box and threw it in the lair of a giant squid, vowing to never again worship and obey him. Somehow, the head was returned to the box in the city.

### Legacy

Ohris Dehjmal's followers kept on trying to avenge him and destroy Kull. One night, they decided to infiltrate the palace and assassinate him. That same night, the followers of the Keeper of the Laws and worshippers of Kodatha (both of whom had been killed by Kull) also decided to do so. Dehjmal's followers soon stumbled into those of the Keeper of the Laws, and after a bloody skirmish, united. The group was then attacked by the worshippers of Kodatha. Only one of those survived the brawl and, heading to Kull's bed, stumbled on a shoe and broke his head on a chest a few feet from Kull, unaware of the events of the night.

It was seemingly considered for a time that his cult was no more, but hordes of Ohris Dehjmal later attacked Kull in the Valusian countryside, wounding him with an arrow, and laying siege to his troop. Leading the Red Slayers, Brule preferred to hold the ground (and guard Kull, whose wound was infected) instead of following Bakas' advice to take the initiative. The next day, Ohris' hordes attacked the camp. As the Red Slayers were weakening against them, Kull emerged from his tent and, sparked by fever, bloodlustily slaughtered the assailants, rallying his troops in doing so. The last of Dehjmal's followers later took camp in the outskirts of Valusia, where they encountered an impostor of Kull, whom they slayed before being themselves slaughtered by the Red Slayers.