Magroth the Mad

Emperor Magroth, also known as Magroth the Mad, is the main antagonist from the 4th Edition era novel the Mark of Nerath. Once emperor of Nerath, Magroth the Mad is the ruler and darklord of Darani, a Shadowfell Domain. Once merely a lich, he later became a vampire as well, due to a cursed magic item. He was formerly served by the brothers Kalaban and Krondor in his Imperial Guard, but they both eventually betrayed or abandoned him.

Biography

Some five centuries before the events of the Mark of Nerath, Magroth ruled the entirety of Nerath, an empire on the Material Plane of the Points of Light world that was the 4th Edition implied setting (the world that holds Netir Vale). Having sold his soul to Orcus at an early age, he stayed in power through multiple pacts and regular sacrifices to the demonlord of undeath. His rule was not without controversy, for several political dissidents worked against his wills. As punishment for the actions of only a few, Magroth decided that everyone of Darani was to suffer. He insisted that every family give up their first born child to be killed.

As Magroth gathered everyone together to enact the punishment, he was assassinated by Krondor, mystically empowered through a pact of his own with the Raven Queen. Kalaban in turn killed Krondor. With Magroth's fall, a terrible calamity struck Darani, all the citizens were killed and reanimated as undead as Darani slipped into the Shadowfell. Several centuries passed with Magroth stuck as any of his subjects in Darani, a domain with essentially always closed borders.

Finally, after 500 years, Magroth was given a temporary reprieve from his curse as part of a deal with Orcus made through the demonlord's death priest Barana Strenk. In order to make the reprieve permanent, Magroth had to perform a series of tasks for Orcus, including arranging the deaths of the last living descendant, Falon and a vampire lord named Sareth whom had welshed on a deal with Orcus. Taking Kalaban with him, Magroth left to the Material Plane The death of Sareth was readily accomplished. However, Magroth became enamored of the magical amulet the vampire wore, for in his thirst for power Magroth wished to have add vampire powers to his own. However, by donning the amulet, Magroth the Mad became cursed with vampiric weaknesses such as sunlight. He also had to contend with the amulet for domination of his will.

The list of tasks also included enacting a ritual to animate the masses of undead in a lost necropolis. Magroth the Mad sought to pervert the ritual to his own ends to free himself from Orcus and take command of the undead. In order to do this, he would have to sacrifice Fallon. However, he was thwarted by the revenant Erak and a band of adventurers. Erak, whom was actually Krondor returned from centuries of slumber, struck Magroth down. Magroth was recaptured by the Mists and was presumably dragged back to Darani. Without Darani around, Kalaban abandoned his former duties to find his own place in the world.