The lich known as Azalin Rex stands out among the other Darklords of Ravenloft; unlike the others, he knows he’s a prisoner of the mists.
One thing that ties most of Ravenloft’s Darklords together is the fact that they are imprisoned by the very mists that also trap their victims within. Every Darklord is ruler of their own domain, but they are also tormented. And by and large, they are not aware that they are trapped by the Dark Powers.
Not so with Azalin Rex, the lich-king of Darkon. Over the years, he befriended Strahd von Zarovich and established a sprawling, populous domain. However, Azalin desired, above all else, an escape from his prison. And in pursuit of this escape, he nearly destroyed Ravenloft.
Mortal Life in the Earldom of Knurl
But before Azalin Rex was a fiendish lich-king, he was the second son of a noble lord in Greyhawk. Born Firan Zal’honan, the one-day lich-king was the second of three sons, and faced an early childhood staring down a dim political future.
However, Firan was both keenly intelligent and skilled at magic. This was both a blessing and a curse, because his father was superstitious and banned magic of any kind in his household, leading Firan to join an underworld of mages. In their employ, he learned magic and awoke a thirst for power and control, regardless of the consequences.
To that end, he dabbled in forbidden magics and ended up summoning a demon. The demon broke free from Firan’s control and in the ensuing demonic rampage, killed Firan’s beloved youngest brother, Irik. Not long after this, the outcast son went into exile.
In exile, he learned a variety of darker magics that most could never master. He could steal the life force of others, using it to extend his own life. He could read minds and steal magical information. All of this led him to heights of magical power that were made worse when he assumed the throne his elder brother had taken. For a time, he ruled as Azal’Lan, a word meaning wizard-king. And under his reign, Knurl clawed its way back out of economic depression. But prosperity and growth were only one side of his reign. The other? Violence and dissent from conquered tribes.
Azalin Rises, Sheds Mortality
Firan married at 60 when his life-extending spells started to fail. It took 18 years before this loveless marriage produced a son and heir, whom Firan named Irik. Irik was kind, whereas Firan was cruel. And this weakness could not be tolerated. When his son Irik was caught freeing prisoners whom his father was torturing, Firan was faced with the choice of pardoning or executing his son. To symbolize his devotion to the laws he enacted, Firan wielded the executioner’s blade himself and cut down his own son.
This act would drive him to obsession. He desired to return his son to life and to find a means to live forever. These dark desires attracted the attention of the dark and nameless forces that rule over Ravenloft. Some say it is the Mists themselves that whispered the secrets of lichdom to him. Thus did he shed his mortality and rise as Azalin the lich.
With a lich ruling it, Knurl became a major power in the Flanaess, fending off assassins and armies alike. It took treachery to bring down the lich-king. Lured out of his defenses by a means to resurrect his son, Azalin was ambushed. He fled the mercenary attackers into a dense fog and was never seen in Knurl again.
Ravenloft Beckons
Azalin passed through the fog and emerged in Barovia. There he drew the attention of Barovia’s master, Strahd von Zarovich. Azalin’s magical prowess brought him grudging respect and taught the vampire what he knew. In exchange, Azalin sought Strahd’s aid in escaping the misty border of Barovia, hoping that if he left the land, he would escape the strange malady that seemed to plague him.
For though the lich was all-powerful, while in Barovia, it seemed he could not learn new spells. Azalin attempted to escape the barriers of Ravenloft many times. The first attempt took them to another pocket plane, but after disaster struck the attempt, Azalin and Strahd fell out. And Azalin fled into the mists of Ravenloft and emerged in a realm all his own.
Darkon was a realm created by the Dark Powers of Ravenloft for Azalin. It is a realm designed to torment the lich-king. This domain was his to rule, but it was also his prison. Azalin could reign absolutely over Darkon. His magical might brought the nobles into the land under his power.
But Azalin wept, for his kingdom was docile. And he could still not learn new spells. He once again tried to escape Ravenloft. This time, he tried to manipulate a Grand Conjunction of planes by sending heroes back in time to steal artifacts from Ravenloft’s formation. And though he split the Demiplane open, Azalin’s hatred for Strahd undid any chance of permanent escape. As the lich turned to confront his enemy, Ravenloft was reformed by the heroes and imprisoned once more in the Mists.
A second escape attempt merely shattered his body and scattered his spirit across Darkon. Azalin eventually reconstituted, possessing the corpse of his son, but now he experiments. Seeking to escape Ravenloft, but also to be able to once again learn new magics. For now, he seems content to unlock the mysteries of his Demiplane, but who knows where these dark experiments will take him next?
Be on the lookout for Azalin in Ravenloft: The Horrors Within!
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Source: Bell of Lost Souls
