Exemplars of Evil

Illus. by E. Widermann
128
he lich-queen tolerates no rivals, no one that might
threaten her stranglehold on our society. It is not
out of a desire to rule that I commit myself to the
study of necromancy, but rather out of a desire to
survive—to defy a tyrant that is no better than the
illithids that oppressed our people so long ago.”
—Kastya Zurith-Movya
Formerly an advisor of Vlaakith, the lich-queen of
the githyanki, Kastya Zurith-Movya renounced his
allegiance and fled to the Negative Energy Plane.
There, he desperately searches for a way to restore
the great lich Acererak and gain his assistance to
help him usurp the githyanki tyrant.
BACKGROUND
For over one thousand years, Vlaakith the lichqueen
(Planar Handbook page 150) has ruled the
githyanki race with an iron grip. Through her
guidance and wisdom, the githyanki secured a
truce with the red dragons, spread their influence
across the Astral Plane, and became a considerable
force for evil throughout the multiverse. Within
Vlaakith’s militaristic society, each githyanki
strives for excellence, hoping to achieve perfection
and the admiration or envy of its peers.
Although ambition is encouraged, it is tempered
by the obedience demanded from the race’s dreaded
undead mistress.
Kastya Zurith-Movya held a place of prominence in this
tyrant’s court. A gifted necromancer, he advised the lichqueen
in matters of war, governance, and espionage. The
fact that Vlaakith tolerated his arrogance astounded the
other members of the court, leading many to wonder what
magic Kastya had wrought to remain in her good graces. In
truth, Kastya had seduced the lich-queen, appealing to her
vanity and pride, and used his status to delve into forbidden
treatises on magic, pursuing a treacherous aim. The necromancer
knew that he would eventually grow mighty enough
for Vlaakith to see him as a threat, and that she would not
hesitate to devour his essence once that day came. He hoped
to protect himself against his mistress by becoming a lich,
and it was not long before he had stolen enough supplies
and information to complete his transformation.
The lich-queen saw that act as a supreme betrayal and
ordered Kastya’s death. The palace swarmed with githyanki
knights as Kastya fled through its cavernous corridors, heading
for his vampiric red dragon steed and ally, Albrathax.
Amid a spectacular exchange of spells and dragon breath,
the new lich escaped the great githyanki city of Tu’narath
(Planar Handbook page 147) and fled through the vast emptiness
of the Astral Plane. The wing of dragons and knights
that pursued might have captured them, but the precipitous
appearance of a shimmering black portal enabled Kastya and
his mount to escape into the leaching void of the Negative