Undead Research Institute

"September 14, Year 1786 of the New Calendar: Reanimated seventy thousand skeletons on the Okagral Plain for His Majesty Cassius." "September 16, Year 1786 of the New Calendar: Reanimated the remains of two hundred frost giants on Storm Heights for His Majesty Cassius." "September 16, 1786: Reanimated six thousand skeletons on the... Plain for His Majesty Cassius." "September 18, 1786: For His Majesty Cassius..." "..." Inside Soulweep Castle, the bone pen was still scratching away across the journal of the great and immortal Orestes. Orestes had always kept a journal. He had bound this bone pen to his own soul, turning it into an undead creature akin to a living thing, capable of sensing and chronicling the lich's moods at any given moment. "Imperial Special Operations Unit!" "Undead inside, do not move! Stand down, or we will scatter your souls to the winds!" Suddenly, a squad of tieflings armed with specially crafted necromantic weapons battered down the main gate and stormed into the utterly defenseless Soulweep Castle. Terrified, the bone pen stopped writing at once and hopped away to hide upon a shelf, while the human-skin journal slowly snapped shut. Wizards dispatched by the Ministry of Magic inspected the spell circles and traps throughout Soulweep Castle, systematically dismantling them. Though Cassius had neutralized most of the enchantments when he broke in earlier, a few subtle remnants still lingered in obscure corners. Once the tiefling guard confirmed the area was secure, officials from the Imperial Ministry of Engineering filed in, most of them human. They paced across every corner of Soulweep Castle, pointing and passing judgment on everything they saw. "These severed-head ornaments are far too bloody—bad for the Empire's image." "And this human-skin chair—far too sinister. What will the Starfallen think if they see it? Get rid of it!" "The Chief Minister personally said that this place must showcase the majesty of the Empire! Don't let that lich's repulsive taste contaminate the premises!" Outside, the Empire's construction crews stood ready at the entrance. Ogre and bugbear laborers wheeled in massive construction equipment, while frost giant thralls hauled heavy steel rebar and carried raw materials for concrete. Having built Isdalia, the Empire's construction crews had grown increasingly skilled. Even without the players' assistance, they could handle the job with ease—to say nothing of the heavy machinery supplied by the Machine Cult. Without a doubt, Soulweep Castle, with its centuries of history, was about to undergo an earth-shattering transformation. Boom! A heavy iron wrecking ball swung from a crane, smashing the stone gate etched with skull crests to pieces. "Careful! Don't hit the load-bearing walls!" *** Within the Empire's borders, on the Averton Plain. Orestes, who was preparing to animate more undead, suddenly felt a jolt in his soul, and his expression turned grim. Through his soul link, he caught glimpses of bizarre occurrences in Soulweep Castle—like a colossal iron ball smashing through walls. Yet those were scenes from a few days ago. After a moment's hesitation, he tentatively probed, "Master, my Soulweep Castle..." "Your Soulweep Castle?" "Didn't you dedicate the Valley of Bewilderment and Soulweep Castle to the Empire?" Cassius asked in mock confusion. The lich nodded vigorously, not daring to show the slightest hesitation. "Of course, of course. Everything in the Valley of Bewilderment belongs to the Empire." "I merely meant the Empire's Soulweep Castle—are renovations underway?" "After all... that will still be my workplace in the future." Cassius glanced at him and said flatly, "That is now a public imperial facility. Dedicated imperial personnel will arrange it as needed. You do not need to concern yourself with such matters for now; your only task is to reanimate undead for me." "As for the changes to Soulweep Castle—you will find out when the time comes." "Yes, Master," Orestes replied, bowing his head once more. After days of brutal exploitation, the once-mighty legendary lich, who had commanded vast reserves of soul energy, had been reduced to a state of utter exhaustion. The ghostfire in his eye sockets flickered as faintly as dying embers, and his body no longer radiated a thick aura of death—not out of choice, but because he could no longer afford to waste energy, forced to conserve every scrap just to maintain his existence and avoid degenerating into a demilich. Cassius said calmly, "Orestes, you have made significant contributions to the Empire recently. I have noted them all. This batch on Averton is the last of them." "In two days, you will be able to return to work in the Valley of Bewilderment." "Yes, Master!" The lich dropped trembling to his knees, suddenly overwhelmed by an urge to weep tears of joy. Over these past days, the number of undead Orestes had reanimated had exceeded one hundred thousand. The soul power he had hoarded over centuries was virtually exhausted, leaving only the barest dregs to sustain his very existence. It was finally coming to an end! At least he could return to the Valley of Bewilderment, freed from the perpetual dread of walking on eggshells around a tyrant! Yet Cassius spoke again. "However... your soul power seems somewhat depleted." "Tell you what: for this reanimation, I will allow you to keep five hundred undead as your personal property." "Th-thank you, Master!" Under Cassius's relentless conditioning and subtle subjugation over the past few days, the command that "all undead belong only to His Majesty" had nearly been etched into the marrow of his soul. The undead he raised belonging to him should have been a matter of course. Yet now, the lich felt an overwhelming rush of excitement and disbelief. Excitement, because for days he had not tasted the sweetness of soul feedback or commanding undead thralls. Disbelief, that his greedy, stingy red dragon master was actually permitting him to possess undead of his own! "Master, is... is this truly so?" The withered skeletal hand holding his scepter trembled slightly. He almost wondered if he had misheard, deeply flattered by the sudden grace. "This is an exception." "As I have said, the Empire will never mistreat anyone who makes a contribution." "Now then, get to work." The lich nodded and eagerly raised his scepter, chanting with practiced ease. Another ten thousand skeletons broke through the soil, awakened by his call to form a vast skeletal legion—only this time, five hundred of them belonged to the lich himself. "Very good..." "The quota has been met." Cassius gazed at the skeletal undead and nodded slightly. Back in the Valley of Bewilderment, there were already one hundred thousand skeletal undead. Given the Empire's immense military might, there was no need to deploy them as soldiers. These skeletons could undertake labor in lightless environments such as underground mines and the Underdark—mining, haulage, exploration, and the like. They were dirt-cheap, low-end labor, expendable consumables that could be run into the ground without hesitation. Once the players advanced their tech tree far enough, these skeletal undead could even be used to generate electricity. *And then there is Orestes.* *Such a valuable lich must not go to waste—naturally, he must serve the players well for sustainable exploitation.* A sinister grin crept across Cassius's face once more. Under his designs, these undead would integrate seamlessly into the imperial system—and so would the lich. *** Once the work was complete and he received Cassius's verbal permission, the lich was finally allowed to return to the Valley of Bewilderment. Yet Orestes stood frozen before the brand-new "Soulweep Castle," staring blankly at the familiar yet utterly alien structure. It was no longer the ancient, sinister fortress of old. The severed limbs and mottled bloodstains that had once littered the castle had vanished without a trace. In their place were cold metal doors, clean and smooth walls, and everywhere permeated with that sleek, imposing industrial aesthetic unique to the Empire. Even now that night had fallen, the interior was brightly illuminated by modern electric lights. A metal placard beside the entrance stood out prominently: —Undead Research Institute. "Where is my Soulweep Castle..." Staring at the words on the metal plaque, Orestes could not help but mutter to himself.