Countess Lix

Even among Demonspawn, there are few denizens of Anathraad that mortals hold in as much fear as Countess Lix, for the matters which she holds hellish sovereignty over – disease, plague, and infection – are ever-present curses upon the living. Whenever a pandemic sweeps through Teleria, wherever crops wither with blight, when water stagnates and boils fester, there the dreaded countess draws her strength. Her particular affinity for disease is a fortunate trait for a being of evil to possess, for Teleria is always experiencing an outbreak of some form of plague or another, and these are a source of strength to Lix. She does not merely act as a harbinger of infection, however. As far as her fellow Demonspawn are concerned, Countess Lix is a figure of tragedy and a cautionary tale for those who find their thoughts lingering on anything that is not service toward Siroth, or devastation wreaked upon Teleria. In the great wars that raged as Siroth sought to exert control over Teleria, she showed herself a deadly fighter and, above all, a wickedly sharp strategist and general. Great were her victories, and great were the rewards Siroth bestowed for them. Most notably, she was raised up within the blasphemous nobility of Anathraad, granted the title of countess and corresponding fiefdoms in that terrible dimension. It seemed as though Lix would carry on and secure a place as first among the Demonspawn, Siroth’s favored general and dealer of death. But Siroth could not have anticipated the fate that eventually befell the cursed countess. Lumaya fought back against Siroth’s depredations, her own heroes, warriors of Light, taking the battle to the legions of darkness. Lightbringers, those who had sided with Lumaya during the Great Divorce, soon led the resistance against the Demonspawn in Teleria, and none were more potent when it came to matters of tactics or strategy than Astralon, the Crimson Angel. It was not long before the armies of Countess Lix and Astralon clashed, first at the Battle of the Seven Passes, then again, indecisively, at Mordrun. Yet more engagements followed, at Silver Ford, Melchien Fields, at Morrowburn, Castle Strevax, and Holdmire. At Red Mount the countess seemed to have the advantage, only for her forces to fall into a deadly trap laid by Astralon. At Iqane, this happened in reverse, as a wide outflanking movement by Astralon’s cavalry was preempted and cut-off by Lix’s reserves. Again and again, the armies of the two great generals clashed, and again and again the battles ended in stalemate, or a pyrrhic victory for one or the other. It could not continue forever. Finally, at the Battle of the Twin Spires, Lix and Astralon met in personal combat. Their clash was so furious, so potent, that those nearby were cast aside by the outpouring of power. Back and forth the pair strove, until Lix took flight, seeking advantage in the air. Astralon pursued, the pair hurtling into the heavens before he was able to catch her. The skies were filled with thunder, and viridian and crimson energies lit the clouds as the remnants of both armies broke off, looking upwards in a vain attempt to follow the titanic duel. For a night and a day the duo fought, uninterrupted. Countess Lix eventually returned to her followers. She said nothing of what happened, nor even if she had been triumphant. It appeared that her mind was occupied by other matters. Her campaigns petered out, and even the plagues that followed her lost their potency. Then news arrived that Astralon’s army was on the march once more. A terrible determination entered the countess. Fate, however, would keep her from meeting Astralon on the battlefield again. The war for Teleria was going poorly, and Siroth had need of Lix’s Demonspawn elsewhere. And so, with a heavy heart, she marched away, swearing as she did that she would one day see Astralon again. Most fellow Demonspawn assume Countess Lix seeks the destruction of her Lightbringer nemesis, but there are some scurrilous rumors that there is something more to their rivalry, a particular bond born out of their mutual enmity. If that is the case, it would bring Siroth’s terrible wrath upon Lix, yet it seems the countess is willing to run that risk for her opposite number. For to this day, she strives to encounter the Crimson Angel once again, and will not rest until they are reunited.