[hider=Realm of Azzsar]
Faction Name: The Realm of Azzsar

[img]https://i.imgur.com/LKQNqRj.jpg[/img]

[i](Old banner hanging with Azzsar's throne room, a tattered remnant from Old Strygos)[/i]

[u]Held territory[/u]: A deep cave system within the Grey Mountains which serves as the Court of Azzsar. The tunnels and side passages that make up Azzsar’s realm are dark and twisted, with paths that lead both to the Underway and to the deep warrens and brood nests of the verminous Skaven. Some passages lead to great cavernous openings, like the one that serves as Azzsar’s great ‘throne room’ while others meander and wind through the mountains, take deep vertical dives, or simply end abruptly forcing explorers to backtrack miles.  Few dare to brave these passages and none who do come back out alive. Safe paths through his realm are known only to those of his court: namely the ghouls, spirits, and wights that are his devoted servants. The Ghoul King constantly wars with the Skaven, Dwarfs, and others over these tunnels, and skirmishes and battles are fought deep within this hellish underworld beneath the mountains completely unknown to the wider world. 

[u]Ruler[/u]: Azzsar the Dreamer, Blood of Ushoran and Prince of Mourkain. Azzsar is a vampire of the Strigoi bloodline, and a former lord of the once great land of Strygos. After the fall of Strygos and the flight of its broken people, Azzsar made his way into the lands of the Old World. Constantly hunted both by humans and by vampires of the other bloodlines who wished to see the Gets of Ushoran wiped out, Azzsar was driven deep into the Grey Mountains, where he took to hiding within its many deep caverns. There he found a tribe of degenerate ghouls living within these same caverns and quickly bent them to his will, becoming their lord and master. Following this, Azzsar carved out a territory for himself within this underground world, and set up a court of his own from which he might continue to act the part of a noble of Strygos. This act is just that however, and is a pale imitation of his former glory. No longer can he command legions of disciplined warriors, instead the beastial ghouls of his realm are his to lead. His former princely robes are exchanged for ghoul and Skaven-hide garments, and his throne of gold is now one of bones and stone. Here, deep within his new realm he waits, and has slept for years on end as he dreams of past glories and the promise of better days yet to come.  Yet recent stirrings in the mountains and beyond has led him to awaken and become more active within his dark kingdom. 

Azzsar as a Strigoi Ghoul King is an immensely strong fighter, even more so than a vampire of the Blood Dragon bloodline. What the Strigoi lack in grace and skill in their fighting style, they make up for with sheer strength and raw power. The body of a Strigoi is heavily muscled, monstrously large, and with long sharp claws which might rip and tear apart any who would dare disturb him. 

[img]https://whfb.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/7/73/400px-Ancient-Blood.jpg[/img]
(Ushoran, first of the Strigoi and sire of Azzsar)

In addition to brute strength he is also a gifted caster. Like many of his kin, he is adept at Necromancy and the Lore of Death, and can wield great power in this regard. Raising new servants into unlife and imbuing himself with unholy power. He is a dangerous foe by any measure and only the strongest or the most foolish would ever dare to challenge him directly in battle.  

However he is not without his weakness. Like all vampires Azzsar has an aversion to the sun, but in his own case this is particularly egregious. As is the case with many Strigoi in hiding, Azzsar has spent so many years cloaked in almost total darkness that his body, were it to come into contact with the rays of the sun, would almost assuredly begin to burn his skin instantly. Some vampires, especially those of the Von Carstein and Lahamian blood can resist or even completely overcome their weakness to the sun, but this is not the case with Azzsar and his Strigoi kin. It would be almost impossible for him to ever return to the surface without the shielding blackness of night.

[u]Economy[/u]: The Strigoi Lord rules over a primitive undead kingdom of ghouls and ghosts, not merchants and traders. His economy is almost non-existent but despite this there is still some opportunity for trade. Great seams of warpstone run throughout his realm and when he is not actively at war with a Skaven clan over them, he might trade with them for trinkets or human slaves from the surface to sate his bloodthirst. In addition when he fled from Mourkain Azzsar brought with him a trove of treasure that he keeps hidden within his throne room: a small horde of gold and jewels from Strygos. While he would be loath to use what is left of his old wealth in barter, he might still use a small sum of it to bribe humans or otherwise part with it in a time of great need.

Of course for those who desire it, Azzsar can also offer the unbridled promise of necromantic power and even the kiss of unlife should he deem them worthy to be sired. More than one necromancer has tried to seek Azzsar out so they might learn secrets he offers, only to be horribly dismembered by his servants or hopelessly lost within the labyrinthine passages of his realm.

[u]Resources[/u]: Azzsar’s realm despite its rather primitive state is rich in natural resources. Veins of precious minerals and even warpstone run readily throughout the passages and caverns which he lords over which cut deep into the bowels of the earth. This makes his holdings attractive and eminently desirable to the greed of Dwarfs and Skaven. In the case of the Dwarfs, this is a matter of reclaiming their lost mines and Underway holdings which their ancestors once held. For the Skaven: this is purely greed and taking what should rightly be controlled by the Children of the Horned rat. 

Of course for a Lord of Mourkain there is also limitless potential within these cavernous depths. Passages which tunnel under graveyards or into ancient barrows that provide thralls aplenty to serve in the Strigoi King’s armies along with ancient weapons and tomes he might make use of. Even the ghouls, bestial as they are, are valuable: they provide a valuable source of blood for the vampire as they are still technically living. Obviously whenever possible, Azzsar would much prefer to capture and drink the blood of untainted humans. 

[u]The Teeming Undead[/u]: Azzsar has at his disposal thousands of ghouls and undead creatures. The bulk of his army are indeed made up of ghouls, the tribe of which he has dominated since his arrival in the grey mountains. Ghouls are not particularly reliable fighters, but they are fierce, quick, and deadly in swarms. Their weapons of bone and rock are also more often than not poisoned by decay and filth, which can lead to a slow and painful death to an enemy even if they survive an encounter with them. They are also actually living creatures, being humans that have devolved into animalistic creatures due to indulging in cannibalism. While this means they do need to eat, drink and sleep: it also means they will breed and grow without need of expending magic to raise them. And moreover, it means that they can sometimes go places where other undead creatures may not. Such as in some cases: holy ground. 

The rest of Azzsar’s servants are made up of either undead zombies (mostly Skaven but also dwarfs and humans), a number of wraiths and ghosts ( summoned or created from wizards or necromancers unlucky enough to come into Azzsars clutches) and a small number of Wights. The Wights are Azzsars favored servants as unlike the zombies or ghouls, they have some semblance of intelligence and military tradition about them. They consist of the remains of ancient human soldiers raised from the barrows deep within the mountains. Unlike other undead, they retain a small aspect of their soul and thus retain the martial prowess they once held in life. Accordingly, Azzsar uses them as commanders and captains of his undead hordes. 

Deep with the darkest caverns of the mountains, there also lurks the potential for other beasts to be raised into service. The mighty Terrogheist is one such creature that, when killed, could be raised into unlife and pressed to serve the Strigoi King.  

[u]
Regiments of Renown: [/u]“The Horrors in the Deep '' a number of Crypt Horror “honor guard” that Azzsar has raised to his service from the teeming masses of the ghouls of his realm. Crypt Horrors are created in a bastardization of the blood kiss, in which a vampire will open their veins and let a ghoul drink of his vampiric blood for some amount of time. Upon which the ghouls grow larger and larger until they become a monstrous mass of flesh and muscle many times their normal size. These abominations guard Azzsar’s ‘throne room’, and protect his person when he slumbers within his stone sarcophagus.  Allowing a creature such a ghoul to drink of their blood is considered completely abhorrent by almost all vampires. Only one of the Strigoi would likely ever consider such an act unless the need was great indeed. For Azzsar however, it is but a small price to pay for having such powerful creatures to guard his tomb. 

The Horrors of the Deep are a particularly brutal batch of Crypt Horrors, and carry large clubs of stone and mammoth bone. Azzsar has allowed them to drink so many times of his blood, that they have gained particularly enhanced healing and regeneration abilities, giving them an even more dangerous aspect. 

[u]Foreign Policy:[/u] A Strigoi has few friends and many enemies. Even amongst other vampires the Strigoi are considered outcasts and undesirables. Other bloodlines, especially those of the Lahmian brood, consider them foul and uncouth: the spawn of Ushoran who stole the elixir of life from Neferatra and did not ‘earn’ it as their sires did. Even the Necrarchs, dark and twisted as they are, tend not to associate themselves with a Strigoi, for fear of bringing down the wrath of other bloodlines onto their secret lairs and towers. 

And yet there is still some hope for the Strigoi to navigate that wider world. Azzsar has the loyalty of many wandering Strigany caravans: the exiled peoples of Strygos who yet still hold to the old ways and the old tales. Tales of how the vampires once ruled over them beneficently and gloriously, drinking only the blood criminals while defending them from all manner of threats. Rumors abound amongst those who seek Azzsar that he yet might be contacted through the Strigany....

As for the verminous Skaven: Azzsar is not opposed to working with them when it suits his purpose, but he must be careful not to favor one clan too much: for the rat men are notoriously treacherous. Better to let them fight amongst each other and battle them when and where the opportunity presents itself within the deep warrens of the mountains. 



[u]Culture: [/u]Azzsar still clings to the noble concepts and ideals of Strygos. Although that empire is long gone. He lords over his ghoulish and undead servants like a true king, and expects utter deference and respect in return. He constantly drills his “soldiers” and trains them for war, although the ghouls can do nothing but obey his every order regardless and have little in the way of thoughts of their own. 


[u]Notable locations:[/u] The deep tunnels of the Northern Grey Mountains, the Realm of Azzsar, Azzsar’s Throneroom, and the Great Pit (a great chasm within the mountains which is one of the deepest locations in the region). 

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