Skullcrown

To the minor acolytes in the Cult of K’Leth, the Knights Revenant portray themselves as stalwart guardians and virtuous warriors, battling to share the blessings of immortality regardless of rank. There are some, however, who do not bother with the theatrics. Among them is the woman now known only as the Skullcrown, a figure seen not as a noble savior, but as a harbinger of terror and death. The adherents of K’Leth are sworn to secrecy regarding the organization. The nature of its rituals and the identity of its members are closely guarded, as are its military, political, and financial activities. The secrecy enforced on new members from the beginning is absolute, and it falls to the Skullcrown to ensure it is maintained. The Skullcrown acts as judge, jury, and executioner. She enforces the internal laws of K’Leth unstintingly, hunting down those accused of even minor of infractions. This discipline does not extend to the actual Knights Revenant themselves – if ever the concept of a rule for one and one for another has held true, it is for the Cult of K’Leth and its deceitful hierarchy. With other members, however, the Skullcrown is merciless, and the mere thought of her taking interest in a particular follower or cult cell is enough to ensure obedience. Few remember a time before the Skullcrown’s role as the cult’s grim enforcer. Once named Almira, she was the child of Ulrath, a Human necromancer. She served as her father’s apprentice and assistant, guarding a centuries-old Demonspawn skull that Ulrath used as a focus for many of his rituals. The cursed relic whispered to its owner, telling them of lies spoken in its presence. While Ulrath made advances in his work, the immortality he sought always came with a price. Even though he cheated age and disease, his body suffered, always lingering on death's precipice. Almira, now a full-grown woman and a talented sorcerer of her own, grew sick of the rancid nature of most necromantic magics, of the endless festering cadavers and unquiet spirits. She yearned for what she thought of as a purer form of immortality, one that didn’t turn both the body and soul rotten down the ages. The Cult of K’Leth was the answer to Almira's quest. After discovering the shadowy organization and their soul transference, she swore herself to the organization, and stole her father’s Demonspawn skull and handed it to them to prove her loyalty. Quick-witted, she soon realized that only those at the top had the greatest chance of receiving new bodies. She began proving her worthiness by informing on her fellow cultists, exposing one who was selling soul gems as magical trinkets and another who often spoke far too publicly at the local tavern. She was not the first Knight Revenant to take such a route, but she quickly proved herself among the most ruthless. When another member of the Cult known for rooting out sedition, Markar, was himself exposed by Almira and executed for misusing his station, senior Knights Revenant chose to return her Demonspawn skull to her, after having it fashioned into a fearsome helm. Aware of the importance of reputation, Almira renamed herself the Skullcrown, after her helm. Even since, she has worked tirelessly to ensure absolute loyalty toward the cult. Indeed, so fearsome has her reputation grown that rumors persist she is now the leader of a band of enforcers, garbed in identical armor with helms crafted in the likeness of the Demonspawn skull, enhancing the idea that she is everywhere at all times, forever ready to punish dissent.