Laq Rutther

*“I expect nothing of man, and disown the race. The only folly is expecting what is never attained; man is most contemptible when compared with his own pretensions. It is better to laugh at man from outside the universe, than to weep for him within.”*

-Laq Rutther

## History

A powerful and ancient mage, Laq Rutther came from the dying future. A Duke in Alba Coralis, he was obsessed with arcane study, and transformed his fiefdom into a secretive haven for magical research. Before long, he had ejected the clergy from his lands, in favor of surrounding himself with mages and other like-minded thinkers. Agriculture and craft languished under his rule, as more and more of the peasantry were dispatched to mine rare crystals and search the woods for rare magical fauna and flora. Other noblemen distanced themselves from Rutther, who was convinced that he could sway his brethren with a grand discovery. As he grew older, he began to realize that he was not immortal, and had no heir. To this end, he devoted the final years of his life to the ritual of lichdom. Once successful, his harsh rule became a tyranny. Lawbreakers were brought to him so that he might sustain himself upon their souls, and others were sacrificed in heinous acts of human experimentation. Soon enough, he ran out of the guilty, and expanded his pool to include the elderly, the lame, and others who he deemed unworthy. It was not long before his actions were discovered by the clergy, who dispatched a force of paladins to bring him to justice. His pride was wounded, for he had always viewed his actions as being in the service of the Empire. Seeking vindication, he negotiated surrender on the terms that his research not be destroyed, and instead preserved for the Empire’s use. These terms were granted, and Laq Rutther left his lands behind and traveled eastward. Determined to continue his research and deeming it time to choose an apprentice, he decided to find an appropriately powerful wizard. He would slay them, take over whatever project they were working on, and claim their apprentice for himself. He soon found an archmage named Romarich, whose mission it was to preserve the independence of the arcane tradition. His personal research centered on immortality and the soul, and he had developed methods to reverse age and transform mortal souls into blank templates for new life. In addition, he had a promising apprentice by the name of Jotunheim. At first, Laq Rutther decided that he was willing to work as an equal partner with Romarich, but the archmage scorned his offer, deeming the infamous lich a depraved pretender to any notions of real study. Incensed, Laq Rutther tried to kill him, only to be defeated and sent back to his phylactery. Laq Rutther would return a year later, having taken greater time to prepare. He killed the archmage and devoured his soul as fuel for his immortality, before informing the horrified Jotunheim that he was his apprentice now. The lich continued Romarich’s research for a while, forcing Jotunheim to help him. Their lives were put in danger when the ruling Emperor of their part of the world learned of a prophecy of his own head by the hands of mage. The ensuing crackdown forced Lich to go into hiding. Jotunheim, incensed at the Empire’s tyranny and eager to escape his master, left to become a part of a growing rebellion. Laq Rutther made no attempt to stop him from leaving, for as before, he was insulted that another mortal nation refused to recognize his work. During the time of the rebellion, he opened his abode as a refuge for neutral mages who sought to escape death or imprisonment. When the world was brought to the past, many of those mages joined the Illuminated. Laq Rutther did not join them, for he distrusted the new nation of Arendur, and knew that Tolumvire would be inclined to favor Jotunheim.

## Personality

An inhuman creature by design, Laq Rutther was cold-hearted and misanthropic before his embrace of undeath. He has no regard for his fellow man, and lives within the cold domain of his own mind. His only desire was for others to recognize the dubious profundity of his work; to match his self-regard for equal admiration. As he did not view anything in the world as truly external to him, the fear and contempt shown to him by fellow practitioners of the arcane disturbed and offended him.