Dungeon Keepers

Dungeon Keepers are evil overlords by design who draw much of their power from a huge evil artifact called a Dungeon Heart. They are, almost without exception, despicable villains who have long since went beyond and form of morality. Blessed with unnaturally long lives (and simply refusing to stay dead at times) they lead armies of monsters and evil humanoids recruited from the Underworld against the forces of The Light or their rival Keepers in their struggle for even more power.

## Dungeon Hearts

The bond with a Dungeon Heart is what distinguishes Dungeon Keepers from common Overlords. They draw mana from the Dark Realm and enable their Keepers to perform magic of the highest grade. They also provide a wide range of unique powers and abilities that typically only work on a Keeper's property.

While they are the source of a Dungeon Keeper's powers, these room sized magical artifacts are also their greatest weakness. Destruction of the Heart results in the banishment of its owner to the Dark Realm. If a Keeper's last Heart was destroyed, this banishment also is final. Thus Keepers dedicate much of their resources to the defense of their Hearts, building their dungeons around them and turning them into underground fortresses and death traps.

But the most evil aspect of a Heart is that to form the first bond, the new Keeper has to sell his soul, which then resides in the Dark Realm until the day he dies.

## Dungeons

Dungeon Hearts are too big and heavy to be moved around easily and are thus vulnerable to enemy attacks. To protect them Dungeon Keepers typically hide them in underground caves and build a network of corridors and rooms around them full of traps and hired monsters – the name giving dungeon.

But a Dungeon is more than simply that. It is permeated by the Dungeon Heart's power that offers the Keeper additional abilities. Core of it is the Claim a Keeper has on the terrain. A Keeper has a sensory bond with his Dungeons, that allows him to see any corner of it at will and that will warn him if its defenses are breached.

At a cost payed in gold a Keeper can also magically turn empty space within the Dungeon into fully furnished rooms, some of which have special properties.

The inside of the Dungeon is also protected from the destructive effects of Corruption that slowly changes and destroys the environment around it.

Some Keepers have explored the possibilities of mobile Dungeons, so far with little success. Most vessels are simply too small to house a full Dungeon, but Dungeon Hearts without the protection of a Dungeon are generally too vulnerable.

## Powers and abilities

The Dungeon Hearts grant their Keepers a variety of powers and abilities, some are on the level of master wizards or even above. The list of powers and abilities includes:

* Access to **Keeper Magic**
* A sensory bond with their Dungeons
* The ability to form a **Minion Bond**
* Control over the **Keeper Hand**
* The ability to create **Imps**
* The ability to create Rooms

### The Claim

Many of a Keeper's abilities suffer a distinctive weakness as they are restricted to things the Keeper owns or may fail outside their claimed domain. So many Keepers try to expand their territory as quickly and as fast as possible. The standard method for that is to have imps perform a short ritual dance that figuratively stomps the claim into the ground one square meter at a time.

What Keepers have a claim on is regulated by a set of rules and the Dungeon Heart's inner workings, but often enough these rules and the exceptions to them appear vague or even arbitrary. The ground the imps have claimed in their name, their dungeons and everything within, their contracted minions, restrained prisoners and everything they carry on their person are the most common examples.

Long ago inventive Keepers have discovered a method that makes the Dungeon Heart recognize other forms of claim, such as birthright, to speed up the process of acquisition.

Claimed territory and the surrounding area will suffer from corruption that is an indirect consequence of the Dark Energies that power the dungeon.

## Subordinate Dungeon Keepers

Dungeon Keepers who have accepted (or were forced into) a Minion Bond to another Keeper and serve as that Keepers Minion are referred to as "Subordinate Dungeon Keepers".

## Notable Presently Active Keepers

### ***Merlin***

"Keeper of the Misty Isle", "Vanquisher of Mordred and Galakatath" or just "That guy with a Horned Reaper".

This Keeper is shrouded in mystery. Since making his debut he is responsible for besting the weakened Mordred and the Keeper Galakatath during their attempted invasions of Albion.

### ***Aphel***

The possibly strongest Dungeon Keeper currently on Zyreema is a follower of the Mighty Tyrant and the caretaker of Azzathra's favorite pet: **the Eldest Dragon**. This veteran seems to have risen to such a position that nobody dares to challenge her.

### ***Arachne***

A Dungeon Keeper active along the borders of Vonderwald that possesses a strong love for the use of Giant Spiders. A follower of the Vermin Lord that has been operating for over ten years.

### ***Grasthurasa***

A spiteful and mean Keeper who has out-performed her enemies more often than not. Has been fighting against Mordred before he disappeared into the Mist.

### ***Malleus***

A Dungeon Keeper who is living below the Sandarra desert. Once a devout worshiper of Mordrul the Devourer but, after his patron was slain and eaten by the Mighty Tyrant (talk about irony), has decided to simply lay low and wait for a better time. He has turned his last remaining dungeon into a single death trap so hopefully nobody would waste the resources to seek him out.

### ***Midori***

Preferring to take care of of her problems trough clever political maneuvering rather then trough military might, this Keeper that is based in the north of the former Yuihon Shogunate has her fingers in many noble courts and purses in both Zyreema and the Underworld.

### ***Siegfried***

A Keeper that emphasizes military might. His territory borders that of Sooloaveli and he has been making moves to take away the other Keepers lands recently. Used to be a minion under Moslyeas.

### ***Sooloavelli***

A dark elf who started out as a common minion of *Grasthurasa* who got promoted to Subordinate Keeper by his mistress to perform all the tasks she considers too risky to do herself. Somehow he has managed to stay alive despite that.

### ***Shiu Long***

A Dragon and the son of Xian Chilan, The Wisdom of the Empire. He has spurned his kin, The Light and those who venerate it in return for power and immortality. Became a Dungeon Keeper in the years after the fall of Avatar Island.

### ***Umbra***

True identity only known to the 5 Lieutenants that serve directly under him/her this Dungeon Keeper makes it a point to work trough proxies at all times and is almost fanatical about safeguarding his/her identity.

### ***Zamild***

A Keeper infamous for his use of stealth warfare. Former leader of a guild of assassins and known for his ability he became a Dungeon Keeper for unknown reasons. He now leads his assassins as a Dungeon Keeper and has ties to many influential people both into The Underworld and on Zyreema. Was the Dungeon Keeper that assassinated Moslyeas.

### ***Asmodius***

A Dungeon Keeper whose dungeon is connected very close to where The Band operates via the Portal Network. Prefers to possess a Bile Demon minion's body outside of his Dungeon. The Bile Demon in question has had his odor smell permanently removed.

### ***Hemestis***

A Dungeon Keeper operating in the territory of Yuihon, a worshiper of Crowned Death with close ties to his church.

## Notable Deceased Keepers

### ***Galakatath***

A vain, perverse, sadistic and fairly dull-witted Keeper who serves Azzathra. He is tall with a heavily muscled body he likes to show off. Only hires females.

Defeated by the combined forces of the Raventhorns and Silver Eagles (with the somewhat-clandestine support of The Party).

### ***Jarlwick***

The creator of Kalandra and Ogin as well as the former employer of Thomas Garl. A brilliant mind whose work in golem creation is considered revolutionary even to this day, 250 years after his death. He was often called "Jarlwick the Vile".

### ***Lestra***

Known by some as "Lestra the Stone Queen", she was a powerful Dungeon Keeper during the time of Jarlwick the Vile and Mukrezar. Infamous for her neigh-impregnable Dungeons and her Magic which was capable of petrifying even Demons of the Higher Circle. She was part of the Keeper alliance led by Mukrezar that took down Jarlwick the Vile.

Was defeated by a band of Heroes some time after that, but some of her trap-filled Dungeons still remain on Zyreema. The automatic defenses and the Demonic Beasts within so difficult to overcome that some of those Dungeons remain unexplored to this day.

### ***Mordred***

Hailing originally from Ein Sof, this Master Warlock was a sworn enemy to *Grasthurasa* who fled from Zyreema and attempted to conquer Albion. However his invasion fell trough and he died on the island after his altercations with the forces of Baron Leopold and with Keeper Merlin.

### ***Moslyeas***

A former Dark Mistress now Keeper, she was killed in a battle with another Keeper as a part of a scheme made by her minions at the time: Count Shambles and Herveus the Resilient. She had 4 daughters of some renown.

### ***Mukrezar***

One of the most famous Keepers in the World and the Underworld. He proved his mad genius and earned the title of **Greatest Keeper** because he succeeded in the one task that was thought impossible: The invasion of Avatar Island and the defeat of the Avatar. He created the Dungeon where Ril Veius became a Keeper around the same time he initiated the Winter War of Albion.

### ***Salieri***

One of the most long-lived Keepers in recorded history. A brilliant strategist, tactician, and politician. He was the first to conquer and unite all of Vonderwald. He joined Mukrezar in his assault on Avatar Island, necessitating the full attention of the Avatar of Light to defeat him.

### ***Zastros***

A former high ranking minion of "*Lestra the Stone Queen*" that claimed a Dungeon Heart became a Dungeon Keeper in the chaos that followed the fall of Jarlwick. He was killed and usurped by Aphel.

### ***Zarekos***

The self proclaimed "Emperor" of the once-mighty Avatar Island, the Vampire ruled the dead land and was incapable of leaving due to the Shining Concord Empires sea blockade and all the Underworld Portals being blocked off from the other side. He attempted to corrupt the Mantle of The Avatar and become a new Dark God but was vanquished.