It is not great. But here it is.

Your role is:
Added Wed Jan 12 05:49:00 2000 at level 51:
Summary of Background:

Zaulael Ihledrin was born a farmers' son in the lands near the city of Ofcol.
His parents dreamed of greater things for him and sent him as a youth to Tar
Valon to be trained as a paladin. In time he completed this training and gained
divine power through the Lord of the Maran. Roaming the land as a knight-errant
he hunted evildoers and defended the common man. Giving up his life that they
might not. Giving up his dreams that they might know peace and realize theirs.
A life in which he felt unloved, unappreciated, unrespected. Able to look at
the things others had, the life others had. Look but never touch. Never have.

His favorite prey, his specialty, wizards of the darker arts. With passion
otherwise unequalled in his empty life he pursued them. The slightest rumor of
one's work enough to begin the hunt. When possible he studied the forbidden
tomes with the teachings of their way. The better to destroy them if he knew
them, or so he told himself. But. One day he was given to understand that he
did not pursue the evil sorcerers with such fervor because he loathed them.
It was his life he despised, and theirs he envied. He coveted the power,
freedom, respect they had. He realized in his deepest heart he wanted truly
to be one of them. In specatular fashion he betrayed his former value system,
his brothers, the people, and his lord. His fall from grace was swift and
painful. Burned horribly by the fires of the Phoenix for his transgression
and hunted by his former allies he tried to hide and begin his new life.
He called himself now Zorszaul, a cruel twist on the meaning of the name his
parents had given him. His new standard a similar twist on that of the Maran's.
Too badly burned by the phoenix fire to continue his former regiment of weapons
training and exercise his physique and combat prowess atrophied. In time he
was healed or scarred enough to continue them, but by then was already well set
on a more studious course than the path of the anti paladin some might expect
from this fallen angel. Completing his studies in Seantryn Modan he was ready
to face the world anew.


Added Fri Jan 21 05:00:38 2000 at level 51:
History, from Apprentice of Magic to Lich

Some have said that Zorszaul rose through his guild quickly. Zorszaul would
say he did not waste time. When he could not train he hunted. When he could
not hunt he gathered. Between gatherings he practiced.

Many of his early companions later became Arbiters. He led them to think he
either cared for the law or was indifferent to it. And thus used them to his
purpose. Deceived, many of them even called for his aid in dealing with
criminals or recovering the book of law from the village throne. In Zorszaul's
mind, being the enemy of the arbiters is a trap for the entropic-minded.
Choosing to oppose a thing they become defined by it. He kept his secret from
some of them even up until after his Becoming. One exception of note is
Jafarlin, an invoker in service of Twist. Advancing with a fellow mage was far
from easy, but Zorszaul found him to be skilled and reliable enough to be worth
joining whenever possible. Though both are evil and chaotic mages, they
conflict often, yet. If Zorszaul is capable of friendship, then Jafar would be
one of his best friends.

Zorszaul was inducted into the Barons of Chaos by the elf-goddess Eyllivea, who
he desires for some irrational reason. In her presence he is likely to act
less violent and less intellectually chaotic. Without understanding why he is
driven to seek her approval. He thought Barons Jagaub and Neblarkan clever and
powerful. And worked with each whenever the opportunity presented itself.

He was friendly with many of the Troupe and avoided fighting them. Telling
them that he thought the Troupe was very powerful and didn't want to incur
their wrath. He may believe this is true but it is more likely that it amuses
him to pretend he does. He befriended (after killing) a felar assassin of the
light, Kleea, who later sought Entropy at his suggestion. In her he saw the
carefree innocence that Zaulael fought to protect before his fall. He also
befriended Iemanja, a deceptive and twisted conjurer of the balance who in many
ways was a kindred soul to the darker sides of Zorszaul. She prophecised
Zorszaul's survival of the Becoming and eventual reign of terror while he was
still considered a nobody. Master, she called him. Her potential as a
powerful ally for Zorszaul soured when she made the mistake of falling in love
with him. As she resorted to more and more extreme acts to elicit an emotional
response from him, he became cold and distant. Not unfeeling, but unwilling to
display his emotions, even anger. An unspoken power struggle hidden from the
world.

After one fruitful night of hunting to hone his skills, Zorszaul had his undead
servants place the things he took from his victims in the shrine of his new
hopeful lord, Vilhazarog. Zorszaul wanted to have an evil power on his side as
a spiritual counterweight to the good power he had betrayed. In time he may
attempt to win the favor of other immortals, driven by his unconcious fear of
the wrath of Shokai. And seeing a buffer, though he will not serve them as he
serves Vilhazarog. He felt the Black Conclave's philosophy fitting his in many
ways. He prayed to his would be new god, offering the things if he should want
them. But. Not hearing an answer to his prayers, decided that his god didn't
want the paltry offerings and sold them to another. A poor choice earning him
disfavor he would not easily erase.

His elixir items were an onyx statue of a panther, a glass ball full of humming
pink energy, an eighteen inch tarnished brass wand, and a weapon crafted by a
duergar weaponsmith from which a hollow shrieking would eminate when it
pummeled its foes. He gathered the latter three quickly and began to hunt for
the first, a unique statue. Finding it in the possession of the renowned
killer Palan he despaired. He tried to bargain with Palan for the statue, but
once Palan heard that Zorszaul had obtained the other three objects, he simply
gave him the statue. After some difficulties the elixir was his and the
becoming complete.

Added Thu Jan 27 11:19:53 2000 at level 51:
Roleplaying:

If there is a single central theme to Zorszaul's life, it is that you can always
change your mind. Most people wake up each morning and do the same things they
did the day before because they are used to it. They don't truly think about
what they are doing or why. Zorszaul believes people have the potential to
change their entire lives in a moment. In his more benevolent moods he may try
to impart this lesson to others. It would be unlikely, but not out of character
for Zorszaul to change a second time. Zaulael felt trapped and hated his life,
but because he saw the world in extremes of black and white, there was nothing
for him to become but the most total opposite of what he had been. After living
Zorszaul's life, he has come to see that there are other choices. Right now,
he is unlikely to abandon his current way of un-life. Something he sees as
providing him with enlightenment, power over others, and freedom.

As a Baron of Chaos, Zorszaul seeks to push the world towards randomness. His
ideal world might be one in which everyone's speech is unintelligible to anyone
else. And all are afraid to organize or associate with each other, for fear
that any friendly face might hide a monster. The structure of the world
destablized and what might happen at any moment unpredictable. He believes an
extremely chaotic world would favor strong quick thinking individuals. Such as
himself. In this world it would be easy for him to take whatever he might
desire. His use of the powers of entropy are reigned in by two things. First,
he does not want to become too dependant on them. He knows that the future is
uncertain and these powers could be gone temporarily even permanently at any
time. He has seen members of other factions depend too greatly on the powers
granted by their item and become fearful and powerless without them. The
second reason is a subconcious one that Zorszaul would not likely admit. He
has heard stories of others who abused the powers of chaos, using them to merely
kill or for personal gain rather than promoting entropy, and he is deathly
afraid of losing the doppelganger power. Cloaked in the flesh of the living,
even if it is false, he feels connected again to the living world. He can
move about that world anonymous, doing what he will without being instantly
known for what he is. He can pretend for a time that he is not a dead thing.
This helps him to retain his link to his humanity and resist the mental illness
associated with being a lich.

Envy: Ordained by fate or the stars, the same flaw that broke Zaulael haunts
him still. Zorszaul may at any time begin to want something he doesn't have.
The harder it is for him to get, the more likely he will want it. Be it an
elf goddess, a Tome of Knowledge, or a blade of grass held by a shade he will
pursue whatever he desires. Attempts to dissuade him are likely to fail. He
is not incapable of giving up and wanting something different, but it is not
common. Flawed but not stupid, it is difficult for others to prey upon this
weakness and gain power over Zorszaul by convincing him to want something.
He is also capable of wanting intangible things, especially the respect of
specific others. Though he tries to hide this. This desire to have what he
lacks and be liked by those who should not like him may at times drive him to
acts that on the surface seem benevolent.

Killing: Even when Zorszaul might not otherwise choose to kill. He is driven
by his dark lord, always demanding sacrifice. And his need to create
phylacteries for future battles. It also pleases him to be feared.

Maran: Zorszaul-self loves to kill them above almost any others. Zaulael-self
secretly wants them to succeed in their goals. The friction between the need
for Zorszaul to kill can both drive him to hunt his former allies. And drive
him to hunt the evil wizards Zaulael lived to destroy.

Knowledge: Any necromancer who creates an elixir must realize the value of
knowledge. All things being equal he will try to learn and explore.

Other liches: Zorszaul hates being compared to them. He hates the shadow cast
by those that have come before him. Destroying them is one of few things the
whole of his being can agree about.


Added Thu Feb 17 04:23:22 2000 at level 51:
More History, Lich to Present

Vilhazarog offered Zorszaul a chance to redeem himself. The price of his
redemption would be the sacrifice of the dread killer Palan's axe of souls.
He would later learn that other evil powers were demanding Palan kill him.
The two began a dance of deception and betrayal, ending with the lich
triumphant and the axe offered to the Dark Knight. Palan took his own life,
and Zorszaul was marked with the unholy tattoo of Vilhazarog. Thera was freed
from the duergar's reign of terror and Zaulael defeated his most powerful black
sorcerer yet, but at what cost?

Zorszaul came to covet the Master Tomes of Knowledge. Every Master claimed that
these objects were worthless. But none would let him have one. This inflamed
his desire for Tome. He tried asking them for Tome, begging them for Tome,
and offering mighty gifts for Tome. He even embarassingly tried to seduce Tome
from them. He tried idle threats. But still they denied him Tome. He saw no
choice but to take Tome by force. After slaying many Masters and earning the
Tower's Eradication Mark, he finally managed to obtain Tome. Tome made him
happy until it crumbled. Zorszaul still likes to hold the Tomes, but having
done it already they mean less to him. During this time Zorszaul also decieved
the Tower with an intricate web of lies. Some of the Masters began to believe
that Zorszaul was one of the key people in a prophecy relating to the Tower.
He knew he was not this person, but strongly encouraged this belief and by
spreading misinformation threw the Masters into blind speculation and confusion.
He is proud of these events, believing them to be some of the greatest entropic
deeds ever committed.

Zorszaul's first trip into the infernal realms earned him a reputation as the
"Outlaw of Dis" after he ran into some trouble with the devils in power in that
infernal city, then escaped their "justice". He told Pidray, one of the devil
Baal's daughters that he would return. Perhaps in time he will. While in the
city of Dis he also met a devil bartender named Rotwing, who told him many
things about the city and its power structure. This devil also told Zorszaul
that he had "the stench of the Abyss" after he plotted to goad the two ruling
devils of the sixth circle and Dis into destroying each other so he could claim
power in that realm for himself. An epitath the lich finds fitting.


Added Thu Feb 17 04:39:46 2000 at level 51:
More Roleplaying:

Fantastic predictions of the future, such as promising to be instrumental in
Zorszaul's destruction or such as citing some prophecy that claims you are meant
to be his greatest ally: With an overwhelming number of others doing similar
things, possibly the most certain way to insure that Zorszaul will not take you
seriously.

Power: Zorszaul is beginning to believe that the quest for power, if that power
is to be placed in the control of a single being, can be a way of increasing
chaos in Thera. He has seen that he is treated very differently because of his
power. Maran or warders or villagers who would strike at any other necromancer
give him a wide berth because of his power. Many who would otherwise try to
destroy him seek to befriend him. Many speak to him who would otherwise not.
And in many other ways power and fear concentrated in one being distort the
normal behavior of Therans. Chaos is promoted again when those who act
differently as a result of that distortion come into conflict with those who act
as they "should" act.

Ego: Zorszaul is not truly humble. He is among the most powerful mortals in
Thera and he knows it. But. Neither is he even nearly as arrogant as he
appears. His displays of ego are more often just one more tool in his arsenal
with which to stir the pot of hate and malice, inspiring the emotions desired
by the Lord of the Black Conclave.


Added Sun Jun 25 03:05:11 2000 at level 51:
Update:

On one of his journies into the hells Zorszaul became marked by the Prince of
Darkness. The Prince asked Zorszaul if he deferred to his power, and Zorszaul
finding himself in awe of that presence, his mind filled with the overpowering
desire to submit as he looked upon the fallen angel could only say yes. This
marked no great change for Zorszaul, who had felt unappreciated by his former
god and really only sought his patronage as a way of averting the hunting of
the phoenix. In a sense it can be said that Zorszaul sees himself as like the
Prince of Darkness, a once noble angel fallen, and so is content with the
arrangement, though the Prince probably would not see things the same way.

Zorszaul took an apprentice, an evil elf maiden named Avendella. He felt
uniquely qualified to teach her the art of necromancy for she had once been
a priest of the light as he once had been. She excelled at the technical
parts of the profession but lacked the killer instinct of Zorszaul himself,
something which both intrigued and disappointed him. Clearly, she grew very
dependant upon him, both for guidance and emotional support, something with
which Zorszaul was never truly comfortable. Various forces prophecied that
if she Became, it would result in Zorszaul's destruction, yet he never
attempted to prevent this. In part this may be skepticism of the veracity
of the prophecies. In part it may be that some part of Zorszaul sought
destruction. Even the Prince of Darkness' right hand devil, Asmodeus,
attempted to get Zorszaul to turn on his apprentice, but he did not. This
last is more because Zorszaul secretly loathes Asmodeus more than anything
like loyalty to his apprentice. The devil claimed to read his mind and then
casually sipped some wine in front of Zorszaul, who took this to mean that he
understood that the lich hated to be reminded of the shortcomings of his
undead form and chose to mock him.

In the end Avendella yielded to destruction as Zorszaul looked on, reigniting
the spark of determination in him to not do the same. Seeing his protege
offered a chance of redemption but not offered the same, Zorszaul has begun
to long for his former life as a champion of the light, though it seems that
this can never be. This does not necessarily mean that he is currently kind
or pacifistic, for he is still very unbalanced and prone to emotional
outbursts. Ultimately he is still defined by his flaws despite his wishes.
He is increasingly troubled by the inability of mortals to believe him
sincere under any circumstances.


Added Wed Sep 20 03:28:52 2000 at level 51:
Feeling rejected by both his former Lord Shokai and the powers of Chaos,
Zorszaul is once again consumed by envy and backslides into evil. Although
made a generous offer by the Phoenix Zorszaul is unable to see it as good enough
while he feels others have been favored higher. And he can but fume as his
soul is filled with jealousy. The small part of Zorszaul that is still Zaulael
begins to wonder how it can ever be free of the flaw that defines them.

Added Mon Jan 22 05:04:06 2001 at level 51:
Update:

Zorszaul was contacted by Valguarnera, a lich Leader of Master. Who pardoned
Zorszaul for his mark of Eradication and recruited Zorszaul to be part of a
secret group of dark wizards who would perform an evil ritual and gain power.
But Zorszaul discovered that the total number recruited was at least eight and
became angry. He was not willing to split power with so many. How dare he be
asked to lower himself to work this little herd. He betrayed this coven to the
Maran. This he was sure would seal his redemption. Had he not done a great
service for the Light that no other could? Would not any other paladin, those
less dedicated than he in their study of the dark magics, have been unable to
infiltrate the group and expose them?

As the Fortress of Light was built and the Maran ventured into the world in
force Zorszaul assumed he would be called home. But this was not the case.
Instead he was still refused and many he considered unworthy of the honor were
named Maran. Zorszaul was outraged. How dare even the Great Lord refuse he
who was most worthy and name fools and cowards in his place. He could not
imagine a greater insult.

Once again a nearly pacifistic and almost goodly Zorszaul descends back into
envy and evil. Abandoning once more his hopes of wielding his holy sword,
Redeemer, in the service of the Light once more. Perhaps for the last time?