Morvudd Coven

The Mark of the Ancient, on the hand of a Morvudd follower

he Morvudd Coven was a cult of wizards who served the ancient being Morvudd in the Blackwood Forest in the Lesser Kingdoms. Their coven was destroyed by the Witch Hunters during the Great Hunt.

## History

### Origins and activities

It is not known for how long the Morvudd Coven existed, but their notoriety and power grew during the light wars when their operations remained unchallenged as the Lesser Kingdoms were forced to commit most of it's forces to fight Kodan and his dark armies.

The coven served a mysterious being known as Morvudd, the ancient warden of blackwood. How old Morvudd is and where he came from remains a mystery to this day, but his followers divulged that "He is an ancient being who has been the lord of these lands since before there were any men."

What is known is that Morvudd had extraordinary powers. He was able to influence the growth of the forest and the will of the creatures living in it. When the kingdomers begun expanding into his domain he became furious and used his powers to kill anyone who would dare infringe on his lands. Mages and mercenaries were sent into the cursed forest of blackwood to deal with this monster, and when they didn't return folk concluded that they too had fallen to the beast. Nothing could be further from the truth as Morvudd had promised dark powers in exchange for servitude. Those who agreed lived to serve while those who didn't were killed.

With a army corrupted by dark magi to do his bidding, Morvudd instructed his soldiers to kidnap people and bring them to Farrow hill where he had his temple. His dark wizards and witches would then use techniques that Morvudd had thought them to siphon their victims life energy and feet it into the woods. For every soul, the forest became more twisted and corrupted while Morvudd became stronger and his influence grew.

### The Great Hunt

Morvudd and his coven met their end during the Great Hunt, when Merhaven Witch Hunters assaulted the forest, killed or captured his servants and located his temple in Farrow Hill. Knowing that Morvudd had become too strong and could not be killed, the Witch Hunters resorted to blowing up the structures and tunnels in Farrow Hill, imprisoning Morvudd in a his own tomb.

While his coven was eradicated, his influence over the forest and it's creatures could not be reversed. To this day, ordinary folk shun blackwood, calling it the cursed forest where evil dwells and feeds on the souls of the living.

## Practices

Some would argue that Morvudd was not inherently evil, and that his actions were only perceived as evil when studied through the lens of morality. His followers said that Morvudd was connected to the forest and that for every tree felled and animal killed he would be in physical pain. He used his powers to influence his servants to do his bidding, to collect tribute for what the kingdomers owed him. The price for ravaging his lands and causing him harm would be paid, and the currency was the souls of the living. His servants would siphon the souls into the forest, replenishing it using dark magi so that Morvudd could better defend it.

Morvudds wizards and witches began looking more earthen the more corrupted they became by the power he bestowed upon them. Their skin shifting colors, turning into bark, leaves and fathers growing from their wooden shells. His soldiers did not change appearance, and used this to perform the kidnappings. Being very strict, any who infringed upon his domain would face his wrath and be taken away. First it was only those who ventured into his woods, but as his power grew folk began disappearing from villages and the roads.

Morvudd especially preferred witches from the Lythrefang Coven, as their bodies and souls were already corrupted by dark magi and would yield him more power. The witches of Lythrefang would venture into blackwood to cut down trees to make staves out of. The cursed trees were ripe with Morvudd's corruption and were highly sought after for this. When Morvudd was still weak, they could come and harvest as they saw fit. Now, however, with his strength a considerable factor, only the most powerful Lythrefang witches carry blackwoods staves. It has become a trial of sorts, and the witches say that "Cunning and a strong will must be exercised if you are to steal from Morvudd and live to tell about it."