Neverwinter Nights Hordes of the Underdark Character Builds Epic Character Builds - Chaos Harbinger

Epic Character Builds - Chaos Harbinger

Written and Created by: Imna Lias

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After a century of war that, through attrition, had reduced the once proud kingdoms of Khorsa and Marduk to wasted specters of their former glory, peace was at hand. Regent Torin of Khorsa and Emperor Hessek of Marduk declared an armistice, putting aside their latent enmity, to forge a peace accord that would bring prosperity to the two kingdoms. For many, this was a joyous occasion. However, this would not do for the Chaos Harbinger. He would offer these two kingdoms as grist for the wheel of time. In the beginning there was chaos, and in the end there would be chaos. All the unnatural order that man strove to create must be destroyed. That was his goal; that was the cause to which he had devoted his life. If he could disrupt the peace accords, the two empires would crash against each other and crumble, vanishing forever from the face of Faerun.

The Harbinger cloaked himself in the shadows of the woods as he looked out upon Khareb Keep, the site of the peace talks. In the dying sun of the evening, the once smooth alabaster walls of the fortress were bathed in shadow. The shadows magnified the numerous flaws and breaches that time and war had wrought upon the keep. At the base of the keep was a weed-choked moat that connected to a lake that guarded the southern half of the keep. The rich garden that once surrounded the keep had grown fallow and had been reclaimed by nature. Had he not known better, he would have thought the keep deserted. It had been difficult to find this place; the accords were strictly sub rosa. After making several tacit enquiries, he eventually had to abduct and persuade a high-ranking Khorsarian officer to reveal the location. He was always surprised at how much of the human body could be excised before a man died. He felt nauseous at the memory of the officer's torture and death, but he calmed himself. Far more blood would be shed before his mission was complete. The sun was beginning to sink and, as the darkness grew thicker, a fog began to roll in off the lake.

Sensing his moment had come, the Harbinger called upon chaos itself to conceal his form and he set out across the moor to the keep. Though he was not a large man, he was blessed with exceptional strength, and despite the heavy plate armor he was wearing he moved quickly and silently through the undergrowth. The armor was covered with prayers to his god and had a surface that shifted color to match the Harbinger's surroundings, the edges of the plates were padded to prevent noise as they slid past each other; it was the perfect defense for one with his skills. Over the armor, the Harbinger carried a great sword in a scabbard that was looped over his shoulder and across his back. From the same belt that supported his weapon was a large black leather pouch that held the Harbinger's supplies. As he neared the drawbridge of the keep, he called upon the power of his god again, this time to magnify his senses. With his enhanced hearing he could detect the breathing of the guards in the gate room. He cursed his luck, his mission depended on stealth and if there were any mages among the guards he would surely be detected. He reached into his pouch and withdrew a scroll. As he read the symbols on the scroll he watched the motion of the ripples in the water in the slow and then stop. He ran across the drawbridge and entered the keep.

As he entered he paused for a moment to peer into the gate room. It was a strange sight to behold. There were 20 guards in the room all frozen in mid stride, half wore the livery of Khorsa while the other half bore the Mardukian colors. If his information was correct, each side had brought 20 guards and 5 retainers to the conference. The Harbinger counted two mages amongst the guards, the rest, judging by their arms and armor, appeared to be conventional warriors. He could sense the tension in the room; the guards seemed more intent on watching each other than watching the door. He smiled as he hurried down the corridor out of earshot of the guards; rekindling their hatred would not prove difficult at all.

As time returned to normal, he looked down the corridor. He guessed that the accords were being debated on one of the upper floors of the keep in a central location. He began the slow process of exploring the keep. Except for the gate room and the main stairway leading up to the second level, the first floor was deserted. The other stairways had been collapsed to aid in the defense of the keep should the need arise. The drapes and furniture, having been left uncovered, were covered in dust and mold and filled the keep with the stench of mildew and decay. This, together with the presence of cutlery, curios, and des objects d'art suggested the keep had been deserted in a hurry.

The second floor had been converted into a makeshift barracks. The main stairwell leading to the third floor had been barricaded; a long hallway that bisected the floor ran from the main stairwell to the northern stairwell, which was guarded by two guards one from each kingdom. All of the corridors leading off this main hallway had been blocked except for one leading to the east and one leading to the west. These corridors led to the camps of the Khorsa and Marduk and were each guarded by one of the soldiers. Still concealed by the power of his god, it was a simple matter for the Harbinger to enter these camps. Due to the symmetry of the keep, the two camps were quite similar. There was a large common room that was serving as a barracks for the guards and retainers, and another room that had been converted into a kitchen. Not far from the kitchen were the rooms of the rulers of the two kingdoms. He found all of the retainers on both sides busy preparing the rooms for their lords. There were six guards on both sides who were resting in their barracks. Unfortunately, there were two more mages among the twelve guards. The Harbinger was not worried about the warriors, he could handle them; the mages would be a different problem.

The Harbinger decided to put aside his concerns for now and explore the third floor. At the top of the staircase another hallway led to a small room that was guarded by four guards, again two from each side. From the sounds coming from the other side he guessed that the rulers were within. The harbinger invoked the name of his god and the four guards froze, held in place by divine providence. Through their helms he could see the fear in their eyes. They wanted to call out and alert the others, but all they could do was blink helplessly. The Harbinger would kill them, but first he had a war to rekindle. He drew his great sword, pushed open the doors, and stepped into the conference room.

The room was barren except for two leather chairs that sat at opposing ends of a great table that was draped in rich brocade. Upon the table were several maps and papers, strewn about in a haphazard manner. It was these maps that were the focus of the two occupants of the room. They were standing side by side at the far end of the table arguing over the borders of their respective kingdoms. They both looked up and locked gazes with the Harbinger. The one on the left was a good foot shorter than his counterpart and stood at the same height as the Harbinger. He was clad in beautifully detailed mithril full plate that seemed cumbrous on the man's slight frame. In addition to the armor, a fine long sword was girded about his waist and a rich, fur-trimmed, red cloak was draped around shoulders. He looked to be in his early thirties. His well-trimmed light blond hair framed a thin gaunt face that was prematurely lined with worries. The bright blue eyes that regarded the Harbinger showed a wisdom and intelligence that belied his years. By reputation, the Harbinger recognized this man as Torin. Torin was quite a contrast from Hessek. The latter was a great muscular man, clad in gold inlaid steel armor. Like the Harbinger, he wore a great sword slung over his shoulder. He was younger than Torin and his jet black hair was pulled back in a pony tail, his face was still filled with the impetuousness of youth, but the Harbinger could sense a keen mind behind his smouldering black eyes.

The Harbinger leaped onto the table and struck the head from Torin's shoulders with one swipe from his great sword before the latter could react. Blood spurted from the headless corpse, which then jerked itself upright and fell back twitching. The Harbinger didn't need Torin for his plan; the man was too thin for his purposes. The Harbinger feigned a loss of balance and fell off the table. As he fell forward he tucked into a roll, coming up on his feet. Hessek called for his guards and drew his weapon, but the paralysed guards could not respond, and as the negotiations had been rather raucous his muffled cries did not register with the guards on the floor below. The Harbinger crossed his great sword with Hessek's blade and pushed hard. As Hessek pushed back, the Harbinger gave way and, pivoting on his right leg, he let himself get pushed back against the wall. As Hessek leaned in, the Harbinger said another prayer to his god. He pushed back with his full strength, knocking Hessek off balance. As Hessek fought for balance, the Harbinger reached out and grabbed his arm. He felt the divine energy surge through his body and into the body of his enemy. Hessek dropped to his knees as his life essence was disrupted. The harbinger invoked his divine power again and a bolt of dark energy shot from his palm, killing the prostrate emperor. It had been a tedious form of combat, but the Harbinger needed his opponent's cadaver unmarred if his plan would succeed.

The Harbinger picked up Hessek's blade. It was a fine weapon, its hilt was made of platinum, its quillions and guard were forged of mithril, a ruby the size of chicken's egg adorned its pommel, and the grip of the weapon was covered in fine black leather. The beauty of the hilt was eclipsed by the blade whose edge was as fine as a razor and whose entire length was etched with arcane runes that radiated power. It was a pity he couldn't keep it, but sacrifices had to be made for chaos. The Harbinger re-entered the hallway and cut down the Khorsarian guards with Hessek's weapon. He then took the sword from one of Torin's guards and slew the two Mardukian guards. The Harbinger returned to the chamber and knelt over the corpse of Hessek. He withdrew a talisman from his pouch and placed it around the neck of the fallen emperor. He began to chant prayers to his god. As he did, tendrils of shadows from the recesses of the room snaked through the body of Hessek that began to twitch and move. As he ended the chant he stood up, dusted off his knees, and helped the zombie emperor to his feet.

The Harbinger touched a talisman around his neck and spoke. He watched carefully as the zombie repeated his words. He had to fight down his excitement; while his plan had succeeded brilliantly to this point, there was still much to do. He adjusted the talisman and placed it under Hessek's gorget so that it was concealed. He replaced Hessek's great sword back in his lifeless hands and ordered him to kill any of Torin's men that came up the staircase. He went to the head of the staircase that led to the second floor. From his pouch he retrieved two wire-connected vials filled with a mixture of alchemist's fire and the powdered phalanges of an undead skeleton. He stretched the wire across the hallway and wedged the vials under loose floor tiles at either end. With a chant, the wire faded from sight. He chanted again, causing himself to fade from sight as he passed down the staircase to the second level.

The guards were still standing where he had left them;the carnage on the floor above had gone unnoticed. He snuck past them and into the Mardukian camp. He went straight to the common barracks and found their mage. He was lying in his bed peering over his grimoire. The harbinger knelt by his bedside and placed a glyph of warding on the floor. He snuck out of this camp and hurried into the Khorsarian camp. Once again he entered the common barracks. Their mage was pacing back and forth in deep concentration; he was staring at the ceiling mouthing arcane words as he cradled his grimoire against his chest. The Harbinger drew his great sword and cut the man in two.

Blood sprayed across the room and the mage went flying in two different directions. The guards rose to their feet and grabbed their weapons as the Harbinger ran for the door. One of the guards moved to block him, placing his body in the Harbinger's path, thrusting with his longsword. The Harbinger knocked the guard's weapon aside with his sword and rammed his shoulder into the latter's body. As the guard stumbled back, the harbinger hooked his leg, knocking him to the ground. The Harbinger leaped over the guard, and as he left the barracks he called divine invisibility upon himself again. He hurried back to the main hallway, Torin's guards raised a battle cry as they ran after him.

As the Harbinger entered the main hallway he heard the screams from the other camp as his glyph of warding went off. The guards in the hallway had already begun to fight, but he wasn't worried about the guards of the camps. However, the staircase guards were another matter. As he had suspected, the Khorsarian guard was stronger than his Mardukian counterpart. He had already disarmed Hessek's guard and, before the Harbinger could reach him, he disemboweled his opponent. The guard hurried up the staircase, disappearing from sight. An instant later, the Harbinger heard his trap go off and he heard the gasps of the guard as he inhaled the essence of the undead. As the Harbinger reached the staircase, he heard the sound of metal on metal as the zombie Hessek delivered the coup de grace to the weakened guard. The Harbinger looked back down the hallway and saw that guards from both camps had entered the hallway and were fighting each other. The sound of sword on sword filled the hallway and he could hear the sounds of spellfire from the floor below. Several guards had fallen already from both sides and they appeared to be evenly matched. As the fighting continued, their passions would wane; they would organize and consider what had transpired. It was time for Hessek to make his entrance.

Touching his amulet, the Harbinger called Hessek down the staircase. As the corpse descended the staircase, the Harbinger used his amulet to command Hessek to speak. The corpse proclaimed, "The duplicitous mongrel, Torin, betrayed us. He now lies dead by my hand. Send runners to our troops!" At this proclamation, Hessek's guards redoubled their efforts, and the Khorsarian guards were hard pressed to hold their ground. The Harbinger ordered Hessek into the fray. As the zombie attacked a Khorsarian guard, the Harbinger ordered Hessek to drop his guard. As the guard ran Hessek through, the Harbinger released the enchantment on Hessek's corpse, letting it fall to the ground. The Khorsarian guards began to regain some momentum and the two sides seemed equally matched again. The Harbinger snuck past the combatants and descended to the first floor. He could see men from both sides running from the keep to spread the flame of war. The Harbinger would stay here to slay any survivors and remove all signs of his presence. As the battle raged around him, he knelt and gave a prayer of thanks to the very power of chaos itself.

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