Ahimoth, the collector of skulls. A name spoken through whispers at inns and taverns amongst even the bravest of adventurers. He's the lord of the City of Bones, a dungeon hidden deep inside the dead wasteland of Penumbrae.

A powerful lich who has lived for more than a millennium collecting the remains and the souls of those who had fallen in the multiple battles ever since the many races living in the Silver Continent started forming their own kingdoms. He built his own “castle” and its surroundings with thousands upon thousands of bones, forming a gloomy necropolis of horrors that he oversees from his mausoleum, which is guarded by an army of undead and malevolent spirits.

Unlike the many stories told about him as an instigator of discord amongst nations in order to bring wartime and boost the carnage so he can claim more souls for his own, he's in fact just minding his own business. He couldn't care less about becoming powerful, he had never been interested in that. As a matter of fact, he finds it distasteful how living beings become so obsessed with being so superior to each other that they would snuff thousands of lives because they're in the way to reach the top. The only good part about all that is how he gets to increase his own collection of beautiful skulls. He doesn't just pick any though, he chooses the ones that he feels are holding the biggest grudges or regrets.

By possessing the skulls he has within him, he's able to bring forward the souls of the warriors who fell in combat, their own set of impressive skills at his full disposal, and boosted even further by his own magic. It's a self-serving act, it's like him telling those who witness that, “Here, look at my pretty toys and be jealous!”; But for many of those fallen warriors, it's like a second chance to showcase their might and serve their new lord since they couldn't fulfill their roles before they perished.

Ahimoth is mostly an introvert, so for him to somewhat become a king with servants and subjects is a little too much for him sometimes. But after centuries of this, he can't go back to the dead silence of living in his own secluded chambers. So he'll roam around his realm, followed closely by his eerie entourage. The small bells wrapped around him being the only sound being made. Those who have witnessed it have compared it to a funeral procession, with death itself leading the way.

As previously stated, he likes to keep to himself. He doesn't even fraternize with other dwellers of death realms unless he has to or is forced into. This is the reason why he despises glory-seeking adventurers who dare trespassing his territory just so they can lay claim on his head. He makes quick work of them, not even bothering to collect their souls for their annoying behavior. Sometimes though, a few of them will catch his attention, the ones who still have the flame of life burning bright within them and noble hearts worthy of champions. He will spare them and lead them to safety, keeping an eye on them, and even offering assistance from the shadows while they are in danger. And when their end time is approaching, he will appear and bear witness to the event. Claiming their skulls and their souls along with them.

They end up becoming part of his elite guard, and according to some rumors, the reason why he fancied them in life was because they became his lovers and their undying devotion towards him remained within their souls, swearing to protect their lord and love for eternity… Just don't call it a harem, he gets very defensive about the subject.

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Spooky and gorgeous design I adopted from   tvirnum a while back. I meant to post it during the Halloween season, but oh well, here he is now. Give him a warm welcome.