King Robert Blackwood

## Pre-Campaign

Robert Blackwood was born in the time before the Five Kingdom's of the Livoutian continent were unified. As a boy he was fascinated by the nature of magic and while his father was more concerned with raising him to be a diplomat he would frequently sneak away to the hills of Mt. Doom, the home of the giants. Although they were not quick to share their knowledge, Robert became friends with a young Grimlock and and began learning the ways of Giant's Magic.

Eventually Grimlock grew to be more of a father to the boy than he own ever was, going so far as to give him his old wand to use as a wizard's focus. However, Robert's hunger for knowledge of the magical world grew less academic more strategic as time went on. While he disagreed with his father on a great many things and he was paying attention in all of his lessons on diplomacy. He soon began to see the, not the ways to maintain peace among the Five Kingdoms, but the weaknesses among them that could be exploited.

## The Conquest Begins

After years of planning and consolidating power, the day finally came when Robert's father passed and he inherited control of the Blackwood Kingdom. It was a matter of weeks before the Blackwood forces were marshaled to invade the Hornhill Mountains. While they held out for a time, the Abbot of the Amsaran Monastery at the time, Abbot Andanass, bent the knee and with the monks on his side, Blackwood soon took control of the Hornhill Mountains. Pennsylvania and District 12 fell soon after, with the lone hold out being the Northlands. The Northlandian King David Blane brought all of his troops to the capital and brought the citizens into the castle to keep them save. However, with the full force of the Livoutian armies behind him, and a weapon that has not been spoken of since, the castle was demolished and all those within killed. With that, Robert's conquest of the Livoutian continent was complete.

While King Blackwood was crowned king of Livoutia, the power was purely political. There were still many pockets of rebellion throughout the kingdom. A party of heroes quickly became a thorn in his side that contained Illyrio and Adriana and as much as he tried to deny it, the giants stood against him. Although it waited on his heart, but not enough to make him not do it, King Blackwood ordered the extermination of the Giants, Grimlock included. While this order was carried out he began to make plans to stamp out the rebellion. He captured an artificer known as Gibbly Snoots and commissioned the creation of an automaton body that would be capable of casting Grimlock's Bane without getting exhausted. He also married Maralyn of the Three Sisters and had a child named Edric.

## The Story Begins

Edric would eventually chose to betray his father and steal Grimlock's staff, eventually giving it to Calliope. This would put the party directly in the crosshairs of the King. On top of that, his robotic soon to be body was with them as well so the king set his sights on taking the party off the board. He sent soldiers after them, kidnapped their friends and relatives and even resurrected Illyrio to use as a spy. They part would first meet the king in the dead of night when he blew up their bus, used Illyrio to kill Grimlock, and gave them an ultimatum to turn themselves in.

They would narrowly miss crossing paths with them again during the breakout of the ruins of the old Northlandian capital, where he teleported into the battle, and took Beeps away from them. They party attempted to take Beeps back by sneaking into the capitol and things did not go well. The King had already transferred himself into Beep's body and was at full power. He knocked Frey out was preparing to kill her when Zia transported him to the Fae Wild. He unfortunately had plane shift and teleported back leaving Zia there for another round. Before he was able to make a move however Calliope broke her staff, killing herself and also Frey, and to her dismay the king still alive. Post Nuke, Yabbie used Geas to make to tell the King, "TO be nice and not do anything that would kill, endanger or make any of her friends sad." This baught the party a year of real time stalling.

## The Crown Falls

When the King's geas ended he was able to start killing again and kill he did. He destroyed the Amsaran Temple killing most of the monks and began a path of destruction to take out all who opposed his reign. The party however, "jumped" into action, luring him back to the castle where they used a beholder eye to de-power him long enough to rip off both arms and legs, pull out Beep's soul and kill the shit out of his body. Did this mean they had finally done what they have set out to do, and create a better and more just world? Yes! Did this complete the prophecy and release the squid? Also yes! Either way this brought the story of Robert Blackwood to a close.