NPC: Belkor, Champion of Death

Another image from De_Vermis_Mysteriis. I rather like this concept for an antagonist, as he could be a more direct threat to a group of PCs rather than a contrived encounter.


Name: Belkor, Champion of Death
Race: Undead
Alignment: Lawful Evil

Appearance:
This creature is tall and slim, and armored lightly. It wields a curved sword in one hand, and leaves it's other hand free. It's armor is a pale yellow, and bears skull icons. It's hair is a pale white, and builds up like a mane.

Profile:
  Belkor was once an elf who stood against the undead hordes. He was a renowned sword-mage among his people, and had led many victorious battles throughout his life. When he confronted Wraithlord Panack's army, however, he was ultimately defeated. His elves had sought to fight the undead in an open battlefield, where they were easily outmatched. He personally dueled against the Wraithlord, only to be crushed by the undead's superior martial skill. He is, however, a very skilled swordsman and magician, and was seen as highly valuable by Panack.
  Belkor is intelligent but impatient. He has a tactician's mind, and often counsels Panack with regards to conducting their war against the living. However, he is often rash and will jump to faulty conclusions. While he may lay intricate plans and create genius battle strategies, he is oftentimes too inflexible and careless to make them succeed. Belkor is arrogant and foolhardy, but his natural brilliance makes him feel superior to all of Panack's other underlings. He views himself as being the most valuable of the Wraithlord's inner circle, and has a cutthroat rivalry with Nora.
  Belkor unlives for battle. He is overcome by bloodthirst and the desire to see his enemies driven before him. Unlike the other servants of the Wraithlords, he has been known to disobey Panack if he feels that he has a better idea. This makes Belkor somewhat of a rogue agent, but he remains useful enough that he has not been dealt with yet. For as long as he has been undead, he has completely defeated each of his enemies, and taken the initiative to expand his destruction. His mistakes are mostly minor, though sometimes they could have been fatal if not for chance. He views it as his purpose in the universe to lead battles and glorify his name in the oncoming age of undead domination.
  In combat, Belkor lives up to his title. He is not as agile as Panack or Nora, and prefers to duel his opponents individually. He uses a combination of magic and swordplay to overcome his foes, mostly focusing on bringing their death as quickly as possible. He is skilled and deadly, but almost never plans beyond his next move. He is entrusted with the command of a large number of undead, who rigidly follow his exact orders. He is, more often than not, sent as an advance party to raid and terrorize an area before the main invasion force can enter.