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2 | THE UNDEAD GENESIS

The rise of the Beasts did not go unnoticed in the UnderRealm. In these new creatures, Salamanzar saw a future in which they could vex him as he carried out his Dark Lord's will, and was troubled. Our love, compassion, courage, and kindness were evident, but so also were our greed, hatred, violence, and fear. Here were beings that, unlike the Amanita, the Treekin, or Salamanzar himself, were possessed of both good and evil natures, something not seen before. Djall commanded Salamanzar and he, in turn, pledged that the Beasts, who quickly came to outnumber the Amanita or the Treekin, would either be brought to heel as his walking cattle or must be wiped out. Retreating to his abode, he dwelt for many years, communing with Lord Djall and preparing.

The Abyssian Locus

When he deemed himself ready, he descended into the deep places of the Earth and there sought out the Abyssian Locus, the very place where the hand of Djall was first felt. Only here would even Salamanzar, who was now the most powerful being to walk the Earth, be able to command the power necessary to set his plan in motion. Here, at the place on Earth where Djall's influence had longest been felt, Salamanzar was able to exert his immense might and create unlife, as his Lord had done to bring him into existence.

First formed was Abidan, which means "My father is judge" in the Old Tongue, and then Abiel, or "God is my father." These were the Archliches: dark beings of great arcane power whose loyalty to Salamanzar could not be questioned. Salamanzar looked upon what he had wrought, and deemed it good. There in the Abyssian Locus, he taught his cruel new captains how to form unlife, and commanded them to create an army with which to scour the sun‐lit world of all those who may oppose him.

The Host of Salamanzar

For centuries the undead lords practiced their art in secret, using the evil energy of the Abyssian Locus to craft foul beasts of great power and wicked intent. Many were the lesser liches formed in their image, and many abominations too terrible to name were birthed and chained in the black pits of the UnderRealm, awaiting Salamanzar's war.

Still, the armies of the UnderRealm were unprepared for a direct conflict with the sons and daughters of the Earth, the Beasts. Fearsome liches and great mindless fiends they had, but even the powerful magic of the Archliches could not conjure a host of unliving soldiers to match the sheer numbers they must face should the Beasts prove incorruptible, for the Beasts had truly multiplied quickly. For years Abidan and Abiel labored within the Locus, honing their skills and seeking a way to create a nigh‐endless army of undead, while Salamanzar communed with Djall and sought even greater power.

How terribly ironic that it was the Beasts themselves which provided the solution to this problem. It was during these dark times that a small band of curious travelers stumbled across the entrance to the UnderRealm and cautiously began to explore it. Their names and origins have long since been lost to history, but their tale is timeless in its horror and depravity. All too quickly, the liches sensed the presence of intruders in their demesnes, and in a few short days the small band of intrepid Beasts found themselves caged in the very heart of those black caverns: The Abyssian Locus itself.

For ten long years these Beasts were subjected to trials best left undescribed as the Archliches sought ways to pervert and twist their very essence. In the end, none of them could endure the constant assault upon both flesh and spirit, and each Beast breathed his last breath in that dark pit.

Suten‐Hamu

But the Archliches had learned what they needed, and discovered the secrets which would allow them to match the children of Gaia in battle. Two races of great evil, easily bred, were raised from the corpses of the beasts. From Abidan arose the Mummies, beings of great strength and great magic, corpses preserved by finely cured wrappings and dark incantations. Suten‐Hamu, first raised, was named lord among them and given the secret of their further creation. In time, he and his high priests were to raise a great army of mummified warriors.

Vinga

From Abiel arose the vampires, wicked creatures long of tooth and fleet of foot, hearts burning with hatred and instilled with a ravenous desire to feast on the blood of the living. The first-formed was called Vinga, first Palatine of the vampires, and he ruled his Broods with an iron fist as they raided the living to increase their ever‐swelling ranks.

Sheol

As time passed and the Beasts grew ever more numerous upon the face of the Earth, so too did the forces of darkness in the UnderRealm. Salamanzar saw great potential in the creations of his captains, and was pleased. By his command, the dark legions began construction of a massive city in Golgotha, the largest and deepest of the UnderRealm caverns. Here, near the Abyssian Locus, was to be the seat of undead power. After three centuries under the watchful and unwavering eyes of the Archliches, their labor was completed and the city was finished. Naming it Sheol, Salamanzar took the throne and continued in his preparations for war with the children of the Earth.