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*****
I nodded. I am not afraid of a human mage at the highest level of twelfth.
Come to deliver food.
"Then let's get started!"
Elise nodded and then started the summoning.
Black magic power surged from her body, gradually forming a magic summoning array.
After a while, a humanoid green-skinned creature with a height of two feet, a barbed tail, and a pair of long horns came out of the summoning array.
This creature had a bat-like head, big ears, and black eyes.
"You just summoned this thing for me?"
I felt a little annoyed when I saw this little creature standing only two feet tall.
A Quasit.
Don't be misled by the name—it may sound tricky, but it's actually cannon fodder, plus food.
Such demons are abundant in the Lower Planes of the Abyss.
Their bodies are very weak, and they are generally used as messengers for some demons or as food for demon armies.
Some demons even tear Quasits apart just to pass the time.
The Quasit that emerged looked at its summoner, Elise. Suddenly, its gaze turned to me, sitting on the huge stone chair.
The Quasit suddenly sensed danger.
It ran towards the summoning circle that hadn't disappeared yet.
But how could I give it a chance?
No matter how small a demon is, it is still a demon.
A black chain, as thick as a human thumb, locked the Quasit in place, and then a huge spider web enveloped it, rendering it immobile.
It was Elise beside me who took action!
She looked at the immobilized Quasit and explained to me:
"Master, although the Quasit is weak, it also has unique features."
"Compared with other demons, it is easy to summon, and it will actively serve the summoner. It can create a spiritual link with the summoner. After the link is complete, when the distance between the two is within one kilometer, the summoner can communicate with the Quasit and even share vision with it!"
After hearing this, I began to observe the creature carefully.
It indeed seemed unique.
This creature wasn't as simple as I had initially thought.
"Can it exist in the plane permanently?" I asked.
"My magic can maintain its existence by constantly supplying power, but if I do this, I can no longer summon other demons."
"And summoning demons is a dangerous act; even powerful mages are extremely cautious."
Elise looked a bit puzzled.
Generally, the purpose of summoning demons is to assist in combat.
No one typically wants these creatures to remain indefinitely. For one, the magic drain is considerable. More importantly, if a demon remains in the material world for too long, unforeseen issues could arise...
I wasn't concerned.
After all, the Voltan family has already become a den of devils; adding another demon hardly makes a difference.
It seems that this material plane has a high tolerance.
It should be fine.
"Let it exist for a few days. I need to use it to verify some matters. As for the treasure house, we'll take a look now!"
I said. I wasn't sure if such mind-based abilities would persist after the Quasit's death.
So, it's better to keep it alive for now.
"Follow me, Master!"
Elise blinked.
It's just a Quasit.
With her magic, she could keep it on the material plane for over ten days.
I followed Elise to a huge palace.
As soon as I entered, piles of gold coins and silver coins greeted me. These treasures were far more than what my mother had before she became queen.
But I felt nothing.
These treasures were like piles of potatoes to me, and I felt no excitement.
Elise kept an eye on my expression.
She seemed puzzled; most true dragons would have rushed to embrace and roll around in such wealth.
Why was this black dragon unmoved?
Does he have more treasure than this?
"Master, this is fine gold!"
After passing the pile of gold coins, I looked at a large pile of black metal.
I went up, picked up a piece, put it in my mouth, chewed, and swallowed it.
This metal was of good quality—better than magic iron and quite satisfying.
After checking the drow elves' treasury, I was a bit disappointed. Apart from the fine gold and some coins, the staves and such were completely useless to me.
After all, as a true dragon who loves treasures, I possess some appraisal ability.
I had a plan.
The ingredients are nearly ready.
The corpse of a beholder, a living Quasit, a spider elf, and adamantine.
It's nearly time for my next feast.
As I grow larger, ordinary ingredients can no longer satisfy me.
Although certain ingredients play a big role, valuable resources like ore and gold coins are still necessary.
Fortunately, Menzoberranzan's adamantine can provide ample supply.
"Elise, which drow city is closest to ours?"
After the attack on Menzoberranzan, I had a clearer understanding of my strength.
Now is the time to seize the opportunity, plunder resources, and prepare for the feast ahead.
I'm worn out from running around all day in search of food.
"Master, the closest city is Charles City, which is far richer than ours!" Elise said with a cunning smile.
She had long suspected that my goals extended beyond this one city.
Are you really going to bare your fangs so soon?
But she seemed eager.
"You need to discipline your city guards so they understand their loyalty," I said.
Though I find their fighting abilities mediocre, they're better than nothing.
At least they can serve as cannon fodder.
And as a true dragon without an army of my own, it would be a disgrace.
After all, I can handle the weaker opponents, but for the more powerful ones, I might need to intervene personally.
The role of these underlings is merely to support my hand.
"But Master, to attack Charles City, we must pass through Death Canyon, where a Death Knight dwells. That creature is somewhat unhinged..."
Death Knight?
Elise explained further, and I learned that Menzoberranzan and Charles City are not far apart.
Trade between them is frequent, but at some point, a powerful Death Knight took over the canyon between the two cities, cutting off their trade route.
The underground world considers this canyon the only passage between the two cities.
Thus, reclaiming it is essential.
Reopening the route isn't simple.
The Death Knight is said to be intelligent and communicative.
When Menzoberranzan was under the control of the Yisen family matriarch, she sent messengers to negotiate with the knight, bearing gifts and offers of cooperation.
However, this creature slaughtered the messengers as soon as they arrived.
No one survived.
The corpses were even infected by the Death Knight's aura, turning into low-level undead.
In the end, the matriarch was furious and led part of her army to eradicate the Death Knight.
But something strange happened.
After the matriarch and the Yisen army entered Death Canyon, they vanished.
It is said that a drow who had remained outside heard sounds of battle, but suddenly, everything went silent.
The remaining drow sent scouts to investigate, but none returned.
Elise saw an opportunity in the Yisen clan's weakened state and accumulated power.
Half a year later, with the Yisen matriarch still missing, Elise seized control and wiped out the Yisen family in a single stroke.
Then, she claimed Menzoberranzan for herself, intending to make her mark.
Until I came along...
I immediately understood why the city's defenses seemed so fragile.
It turns out it was my own doing.
I looked at Elise sympathetically; she was lucky to have met me.
As for this Death Knight, I began to ponder.
"Do you know what the Death Knight looks like?" I asked, wanting to clarify a point.
"The witnesses didn't get a clear view, but from reports, it seems to ride a mount with four flaming hooves!" Elise recalled.
Apparently, only a few guards had glimpsed it from a distance, and they were terrified away.
Naturally, Elise hadn't dared to provoke the knight again, so she didn't know its exact appearance.
---
Four flaming hooves... I had a vague idea of what it might be.
A Death Knight is a general term for a class of undead.
Ordinary people think a skeleton riding a skeletal horse is a Death Knight.
But that's a misconception; a skeleton on a skeletal horse is still just a bony skeleton.
A true Death Knight is far more complex!
Their creation requires exacting conditions.
There are usually three types of Death Knights, each distinguished by how they became one.
First, there are fallen paladins cursed by their gods to suffer eternally until redeemed, at which point they are finally allowed to die.
Next are those who actively sought power, willingly choosing to become Death Knights.
And lastly, fallen paladins who were deceived by a devil into damnation.
These Death Knights were once paladins overcome by dark forces.
To transform successfully, they must harbor intense negative emotions at the time of death, often under the guidance of a powerful devil or lawful evil being.
This ritual, distinct from other undead transformations, gives Death Knights their unique power.
This kind of transformation is usually guided by some kind of very powerful devil or lawful evil/chaotic evil alignment being, such as Demon Lords, particularly Demon Lord Orcus and Demon Lord Demogorgon. Death Knights have existed for a very long time, and because of this, the term 'Death Knight' is used very broadly to encompass a large number of undead knights.
So the question is, what is the difference between a really powerful undead knight, a really powerful wight, or a really powerful vampire in plate armor?
What makes a Death Knight a Death Knight?
Why is this particular undead stronger than other kinds of undead?
It all has to do with the ritual that turns them into these undead warriors.
If you're a fallen paladin and your god is turning you into a Death Knight, then they will enact these rituals.
If you're seeking to become a Death Knight yourself, then it's all in your hands to perform the necessary acts to make it happen.
The important thing here is:
Commit an act of great evil. This is very similar to the dark power required to grow a dread domain in the 'Shadowfell' and become a 'Dread Lord.'
The act must be so evil that even the most heinous cultists of the worst gods would refuse to do it.
It has to be something truly evil.
For instance, murdering normal people might not suffice, but murdering someone you truly love and who would never betray you… might?
Whatever heinous act you commit, it has to be done by your blade—the sword that marks you as a warrior, as a knight; your emblem of office, so to speak.
This sword will become everything to you, and you will lose everything else.
At the end of the ritual, you will be burned in unholy green flames that scorch and mark your armor. The cursed hellfire will sear off and burn your flesh, leaving nothing but blackened bones behind.
The green flames, the soul-tearing fire, cast your soul out of your body and bind it to your weapon, like a phylactery.
From that transformation arises the soulless bones of the living person, guided by an evil intelligence that no longer needs a brain for its twisted thoughts, with endless hatred that no longer requires a heart to drive its dark passion.
The soul weapon is similar to a lich's phylactery.
For a lich, its phylactery is a weakness that allows for its permanent destruction. However, the soul weapon is the Death Knight's greatest strength. A Death Knight literally wields its soul as a weapon.
This is the answer to the question of why Death Knights are so special.
So, why does it deal a huge amount of necrotic damage upon striking with its longsword? A soul weapon, when it strikes, burns with death. This is also why Death Knights are skeletal and not fleshy undead, and why they are always described as having charred armor as if they had just survived a fire.
Now, the soul weapon that the knight wields is its most important possession, since its soul is literally in it. Unfortunately, for those who seek to stop a Death Knight by destroying the weapon, it actually does nothing to hinder the presence of the monster.
A Death Knight can restore the weapon to completeness with a mere touch if it were ever destroyed. However, it does become weakened when the sword is not in its possession. A Death Knight need never fear its soul weapon's destruction, for with a thought, the knight can restore the weapon to wholeness and unwholesome power.
If the weapon is taken, a Death Knight becomes weakened and distracted, distraught by the loss of its soul, and consumed by the need to recover it. However, no other creature can wield a Death Knight's soul weapon without feeling despair, so few can withhold a soul weapon from a Death Knight indefinitely.
It is, however, very interesting that one incredible power Death Knights attain by attaching their soul to their weapon is the ability to turn their weapon momentarily immaterial and perform a ghostly strike, where the weapon can actually pass through armor and shields to strike at its foe's unprotected flesh.
To kill a Death Knight, you will have to do it traditionally by simply tearing away at the body of the creature. Once the body of the Death Knight has been destroyed, the weapon will break, and the soul will move on to the afterlife. At that point, it is up to either the gods or the fiendish lords to determine what happens next. If the gods wish for the fallen paladin to be punished further, then he or she shall be sent back to the mortal realm to continue its undead life.
On the other hand, any of the Demon Lords or Devil Princes may wish to claim the soul of the great warrior for whatever evil purposes they might have, which might entail a second undead life in the mortal realm.
*****
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