Notes

Infuriated by such display of disrespect and xenophobia, the Oglodi left the wretched city to devise a plan of utmost skill and cunning. Soon enough, Níaix returned to the dark metropolis under the guise of the night. While possessing a rather miniscule knowledge of the arcane, he still managed to enter one of the city's biggest libraries undetected. Inside, he was surrounded by thousands of tomes, each depicting forbidden rituals and infernal incantations. Níaix could almost hear each tainted book calling out to him in a fiendish, supernatural language. Níaix was forced to awaken from his blissful trance when he remembered that time was of the essence. He quickly grabbed every tome he could fit in his ragged backpack and carry in one hand and ran for the exit, still certain that his seemingly perfect plan did not fail. He ran away from the city until dawn, not wanting to take any chances. Níaix felt no fatigue; he had a feeling that this was truly the first day of his glorious new life. As soon as he felt secure in being an appropriate distance from Devarque, Níaix sat under a giant, dead oak and opened the book previously clenched in his left fist. The dark mages of Devarque were immediately alerted of this act. Unbeknownst to Níaix, every magical artefact and document from within the cityís walls was enchanted with a spell that sent out a signal to the cityís Vile Council whenever their magic is learned or practiced outside the city. A cavalry was immediately dispatched to apprehend the lawbreaker and Níaix, still awestruck by learning so many arcane secrets, only snapped out of his mental journey after being bound in shackles within the darkest cell of the Devarquian dungeon. The cell door closed before he could utter a single word. Níaix was left there alone, to rot and repent for his crimes against the Vile Council. As centuries passed, his body shrunk and rotted due to malnutrition and dehydration while his mind drifted into madness because of loneliness and despair. One day, Níaix got a visitor in what was now his only home, a middle-aged wizard was thrown into the cell. Despite this being the first person heís seen in years, being the lifeless sack of festering flesh and bone, Níaix was unable to react in any way. His mind was completely gone, leaving no trace of the curiosity and passion it showed in the past. The mysterious wizard saw an opportunity in his cell-mateís predicament, a way to escape the dungeon and get vengeance on his captors. The spellcaster started channeling a spell that would transfer his consciousness into the lifeless body of Níaix. Overwhelmed by the vortex of agony and madness that was the mind of Níaix, the wizard went completely insane. On the other hand, the fresh dose of life awakened a small part of the tortured Oglodiís mind. The wizardís descent into madness made him lose memory of his original intent, all that mattered was getting out of the cold, dark cell. Níaix received commands from his new master to take control of or slaughter anyone in their way. Upon taking the lives of countless guards, the disfigured creature felt invigorated like never before, its power growing with the life of every man, woman, child and animal it took while executing the great escape from the city. To this day, the monstrosity now known as Lifestealer roams the land, slaughtering everything with extreme prejudice. The last sound its victims hear is the rattling of chains still attached to the shackles around Lifestealerís wrists. Níaix left them on intentionally, to remind him of how he will very soon regain full freedom. Until that day, he will pretend to obey his insane lordís commands. And with every life devoured, the slave is one step closer to overthrowing the master.