[hider=The Overlord's Night Kingdom] [hider=The Overlord] [img]https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/death-knight-hooded-title-Cropped.jpg[/img] [/hider] [hider=Rise to Power] [hider=Origin] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2a/e2/2b/2ae22b547a79fabd09afceefff197b65.jpg[/img] It is unknown just where the Overlord came from, or how old he is. What is known is that he appeared one day several centuries ago during a general period of strife and chaos, seemingly out of nowhere. He wandered the lands freely, plague following him wherever he went. He has a naturally dreadful and corrupting aura, and various Hero's sought him out to slay him and prove their own worth. None ever succeeded, and slowly he grew both in strength and power. He wields a blade of black that is capable of resurrecting those that he slays as his pawns, and is considered the most powerful wielder of the arcane to ever live. As his reputation for slaughter grew, various bandits, cutthroats, and criminals began to flock to his banner. After having slain every so called Hero that ever challenged him he had truly begun to earn a reputation as a waking nightmare, as a portent of doom. He used his dark powers to resurrect the heroes he had slain and enslave their minds and wills, creating the first of the Voidborn. Indeed, none living have ever even see him bleed much less bested him in single combat, and his voice is said to be like that of thunder. It is whispered among the people that those who displease him fall dead with a mere glance, though it is unknown if this is true. [/hider] [hider=Defiance Wars] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/5e/ec/50/5eec50a42a1481977f2ccb6300fa6d2f.jpg[/img] After slaying the vast majority of Heroes, the Overlord began to conquer territory in his own name. This forced various Kingdoms to acknowledge him and attempt to stop him by using a vast multitude of alliances and armies of both close allies and bitter rivals. One after another however each in turn would crumble and capitulate, before being absorbed into the Night Kingdom. During these wars the Overlord would hunt down beings with Greater Souls to form the Archons; living mortals who willingly bended the knee to serve him who had managed to impress him. These Archons would be added to his ranks as the best and brightest of different kingdoms fell before his armies. Eventually the Defiance Wars would culminate in the Battle of Twilight in which all surviving Allied forces massed together for a single decisive battle. It resulted in the deaths of several crucial Alliance Generals and Kings, as well as the destruction of the majority of the Voidborn. The war lead to the so called 'defiance lands' formally retaining their independence, though with much of their leadership wiped out and without a common enemy to rally against they have fallen into chaos in recent times. Now, ironically, many refugees flood into the Night Kingdom from these lands. [/hider] [hider=Foundation of Onyx] [img]https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-31a67eed1f4b04beeb05fee9f1f3d84a-lq[/img] Returning back home to his Night Kingdom the Overlord would focus his efforts on the foundation of a capital worthy of his Kingdom. Massive amounts of resources would be expended during construction, primarily overseen by his new Archons and surviving Voidborn. Large numbers of people began to immigrate to the city of Onyx in the hopes of a better future, as it is truly the shining jewel and most prosperous city of the Night Kingdom. [/hider] [hider=Gods War] [img]https://external-preview.redd.it/eDiqyPDow7yrzR29dIivf_nUcg8j4msFMVQAG_6AR68.jpg?auto=webp&s=bdd1facf380c7be34e148edd5a1bf7acd263582f[/img] Numerous godlike beings have appeared and begun to wage war on the Night Kingdom, denouncing his lands as cursed and in need of cleansing. Now the Overlord and his Archons march to war once more in order to destroy this divine pantheon. These strange beings have begun to rally the shattered defiance lands in order to renew the old bonds of the Alliance. Will they successfully manage to defeat the forces of the Overlord? [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Nightmare Realm] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/f8/68/2c/f8682c8a5cb4368fcbd5547a84effbdf.jpg[/img] This is a hidden pocket dimension that the Overlord has created himself. It is a desolate land with howling winds and jagged mountainous terrain. It is said that time flows differently while in this realm, though it is unknown if it is faster or slower. Death in the material realm will send him here, where he can rest and regenerate until taking form once more in the physical world. Death in this realm is the only true way to kill him. [/hider] [hider=City of Onyx] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/0e/76/70/0e767055109ff2c57dee81cbe63baab9.jpg[/img] The capital city of the Black Kingdom, it is where the Overlord reigns from. It is so massive that even from it's tallest spires one can only see the endless city lights stretching out in all directions. It is nearly always night in the city, and rains frequently. It is home to millions of citizens and slaves. It's inhabitants are pale and gangly. The entirety of Onyx has been constructed out of an oily black stone which is known for it's incredible durability. So much stone was used in constructing the city that it created massive canyon quarry's on the outskirts of the city. An additional property of this stone is it being light absorbent, making the infrequent light posts in the city seem more like candles than proper light posts. [/hider] [hider=Dark Forces of the Overlord] [hider=Voidborn] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/68/52/1f/68521f4c133c98c283d2b947fbb39d74.jpg[/img] These once legendary Heroes now serve as the Overlord's personal and most feared agents. These servants of the Overlord are unique in that they operate outside the authority of any Archon, and as such report solely to the Overlord. They serve now in a permanent state of Undeath, and while their hearts do not beat their flesh also does not decay. They do not need to sleep, eat, drink or even breath. They do possess memories of their prior living life, but do not retain control over any of their actions unless gifted this by the Overlord. It is whispered that he has trapped their very souls within his blade. Their numbers both ebbed and flowed during the Defiance Wars as various Kingdoms destroyed them but also lost their own Heroes to the Voidborns ranks. Things have changed during the Godswars however, as during the Battle of Twilight the majority of the Voidborn were destroyed, thus now making the few survivors a rare sight in the Overlord's wider realm. [/hider] [hider=The Archons] [hider=Archon of War] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/47/55/10/475510e5be90823533499e098bd242f6.jpg[/img] The Archon of War is a man who excels on the battlefield, who seems born for it. He wields a massive greatsword that is capable of cleaving three men in half with a single swing, and lives for the thrill of a decent opponent. He leads his own small but elite company of skilled knights and grizzled veterans who he would die for and each of which would die for him. It is said that the Archon of War originally crossed blades with the Overlord during the Defiance Wars before being convinced that he could earn more glory and would have many more battles fighting for the Overlord than against him. The Archon has served him faithfully ever since, acting as the tip of the spear during invasions with his soldiers being used as shock troopers. [/hider] [hider=Archon of Necromancy] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/1c/43/3d/1c433d8bc3257bfdcd72804248cc3ea3.jpg[/img] The Archon of Necromancy had originally attempted to create an army of skeletons to conquer his own local kingdom before being defeated by meddling Heroes. They surprisingly spared his life as they were worried even his very death may be trapped. Instead they imprisoned him in which he rotted away until the Kingdom which had stripped him of his freedom fell to the Overlord, and he was freed. Now the Archon of Necromancy has restored his army of skeletons and leads massive hordes of the undead in the Overlords name. Each enemy foot soldier that is struck down inevitably becomes part of the Archon of Necromancy's forces. While the Archon of Necromancy still privately harbors desires for his own global domination, he knows that he is currently incapable of matching the Overlord in power, and as such he waits and bids his time. [/hider] [hider=Archon of Shadow] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/9c/48/c6/9c48c632ce88103b6e1673a14edc98e4.jpg[/img] The Archon of Shadow is a distant Archon, and is known for being the silent yet deadly blade in the dark which resolves delicate matters for the Overlord. Very little information is known about him other than that he also has fought and lost to the Overlord during the Defiance Wars before pledging his service to him. It is rumored that the Overlord placed an Edict upon the Archon of Shadow's village during the Defiance Wars which drove everyone in it into a blood frenzy of neighbor killing neighbor. The Archon of Shadow was the sole survivor of his village massacre, and impressed by skill the Overlord made him an Archon. The Archon of Shadow's acolytes act primarily as assassins and archers, they specialize in ranged combat. [/hider] [hider=Archon of the Wild] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/5c/dc/f5/5cdcf558787cb46f4c647ad3e2014f43.jpg[/img] The Archon of the Wild was discovered in a remote location during the Defiance wars. He appeared to have been raised by wild animals, and had no loyalty to any government or faction, other than his animal pack. The Overlord decided to make an Archon of the curiosity, as his ferocious and feral nature impressed him. In return for this the Archon is allowed to oversee his traditional territorial grounds as he sees fit, without question. Acolytes of this Archon are known for their animalistic nature, preferring to fight using sharpened teeth and makeshift claws. They fight unarmored, and rage like berserk when wounded. [/hider] [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Edicts of the Overlord] Unimaginably powerful magic that only the Overlord can harness, it can be cast directly or placed into scrolls to be transported and used by his trusted Voidborn at specific locations or in specific situations. These Edicts require considerable time and power to create, but are limitless in capability, able to rewrite the very fabric of reality. [b]Active Edicts[/b] [b]Edict of Greater Souls -[/b] This Edict was declared during the Defiance Wars and allowed for the Overlord to be able to determine the location of Greater Souled beings, allowing him to more effectively hunt them. This Edict is still in place today, and whenever a Greater Soul being is born or brought into existence, it is brought to the Overlords attention. [b]Edict of Night -[/b] This Edict was declared during the construction of the capital city of Onyx. This Edict gives the Overlord complete control over the weather of his entire domain, allowing him to both leave it in a perpetual raining night as well as still allowing the crops to still grow and the land not to flood. [b]Edict of Authority -[/b] This Edict was declared during the construction of Onyx. It allows the Overlord a psychic link to both his Archons and Voidborn, allowing them to communicate instantaneously no matter how far apart they are. Not only this, but it allows the Overlord to see through their eyes and even listen to their thoughts or peruse their memories. [b]Edict of Flame -[/b] During the Defiance Wars a democratic republic had managed to hoard vast amounts of knowledge into the greatest Library on the surface of the planet. The arcane secrets that they had hoarded allowed them to successfully repel the Overlords attempted subjugation of their Capital Library. After several months of failure to negotiate their surrender or take it by force, the Overlord issued an Edict of Flame in which the entire Library city was incinerated in an instant, with its arcane secrets charred and lost forever. The fire still rages to this day, with it's dissipation command being every last scrap of arcane knowledge within the city needing have been destroyed. [b]Inactive Edicts[/b] [b]Edict of Wind -[/b] During the Defiance Wars a particularly troublesome kingdom that was filled with skilled warriors who were proud of their martial traditions. They managed to grind the campaign to a halt. After several months of deadlock, the Overlord declared the Edict of Storm over the entire nation. This caused a tornado to form in the country which raged for an entire year. It decimated both the enemy capital and it's military forces, effectively breaking the stalemate. After the formal surrender of the kingdom in which they were required to surrender their swords, did the tornado dissipate leaving the survivors to rebuild. [b]Edict of Earth -[/b] During the Defiance Wars a hundred primitive tribes had gathered together onto what they considered a holy plateau that was the most defensible location in their region. After refusing to surrender their independence and several months of failure in attempting to militarily take the plateau, the Overlord issued an Edict of Earth in which great tectonic movements caused earthquakes which destroyed the plateau, burying the hundred rebelling tribes alive. It was only with the complete destruction of their sacred plateau did the tremors cease. [b]Edict of Water -[/b] During the Defiance Wars there was a series of wealthy island nation that formed an alliance against the Overlord. They believed their combined wealth would be enough to finance a large enough mercenary army to defeat him. They were correct in that their mercenary horde managed to slow and even stop the Overlords forces for several months, however, then the Overlord issued the Edict of Water. This Edict caused the seas to turn against the islanders, with massive waves destroying their fleets and entire islands being engulfed by the ocean. It was only when every last gold coin on their islands was tossed into what is now known as the Golden Sea did the Edict dissipate. [/hider] [hider=Soul System] [hider=Greater Souls] [img]https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/045/507/976/large/kannon-updated-souls-0001-background-copy-4.jpg?1642885606[/img] Greater Souls are rare souls that are possessed by beings of exceptional qualities. They are known as the Fateless because their destiny is unwritten, and because of this they have often played crucial roles in historical events as they are some of the few capable of altering the flow of history. [/hider] [hider=Lesser Souls] [img]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JK_QJ56KzqQ/maxresdefault.jpg[/img] Lesser Souls are the default life force of all living creatures. Their abilities can vary wildly, from rudimentary to even potentially being able to challenge a Greater Soul being. Beings with Lesser Souls have their fates written before they are born, and while they may not know the details of their future they effectively lack free will. [/hider] [/hider] [/hider]