Lord Xanzaphil
Lord Xanzaphil is a NPC created by The Bitter Coast Quest Guild for use in the ongoing Bitter Coast Quest Campaign, which has been told over several reigns.
Lord Xanzaphil, Demon Prince of Flame, is a horrifyingly powerful demonic agent bent on the fiery destruction of Amtgardia. Unlike most Demon Princes, the fiery lord cares little for groveling mortal followers, preferring to instead torch their world and claim their souls. He is rumored to command legions of infernal demon soldiers, and has tried on at least one occasion to personally lead them into the material plane. However, his plans of invasion were foiled thanks to a mysterious prophecy discovered in the village of Ulrenth by a pillaging Drow Force.
The prophecy reads (when translated from Arcane):
And so spake the Prophetic One,
And on the Tenth and Fifth day of the Eleventh Month, in the Year of the Stag, it is told that Lord Xanzaphil, The Demon Prince of Flame, would descend accompanied by the infernal ignan legions of the damned to destroy Amtgardia and all Souls who upon it live. And He shall feast upon the blood of all who stand against Him, His eternal evil growing across the land. And the grinding chariots of hell, set loose upon the land, will cut down the last heroes of Amtgardia. For shall it be noted, the only method by which this plane may be saved from Fiery doom is to call the Fell Lord forth from the Unholy Pit and slay him and his legions before his power culminates in the unapproachable crescendo of doom, lest all who live in this cursed land suffer the Wrath of the Flame. Though armies may march, the world will fall unto the shadow. Bathed in blood shall be its shores, sown with salt shall be its fields, barren shall be its forests. The charred ashes of the ironically named Burning Lands will be the only testament to the great civilization of that once stood in this forsaken, stygian plane.
Word of this prophecy was passed up the Drow chain of command, and a small contingent was tasked with rectifying this issue. Lead by a powerful Drow Wizard, the contingent of Drow and Orks worked for over a year trying to perfect a summoning ritual that would call forth Lord Xanzaphil before all of his power could be called upon in the material plane. About a month before the forecasted time of invasion, the contingent met success.
Meanwhile, the army of the Bitter Coast was marching back home, having been informed of a massive Drow retreat from Egoku. Under the command of their champion, Tylemeth "Thrash" Auldrenthaka, the army took a detour through the ruined village of Ulrenth. (This was likely for sentimental reasons, as Ulrenth was Thrash's home town, however Thrash still does not admit to this.) Upon arriving, Thrash and a couple of soldiers left to search the town vault for any artifacts that the Drow may have left behind. Without warning, a patrol of Drow and Orks encountered the standing army and attacked with orders not to let anyone interfere with the summoning of the Lord of Flame. The patrol was quickly dispatched, and Thrash soon returned. All that had been found was the torn bottom half of the prophecy, which spoke only of the fiery doom that awaited Amtgardia. Disconcerted but undeterred, the army was ordered to march further into the village.
In short time, the Bitter Coast encountered the encamped contingent of Drow and Orks, barricaded in front of a shimmering blue portal. Infuriated that his plans may about to be foiled, the Drow Wizard ordered the contingent to attack this new threat. In the battle that ensued, the wizard was killed, and the top half of the prophecy was taken from his corpse. Their foes defeated, the Bitter Coast army now understood the entire prophecy, and the fate that would soon emerge from the portal. Soon, waves of Blade Demon foot soldiers and fiery imps poured forth from the portal. The heroes of the Bitter Coast stood their ground, and eventually Lord Xanzaphil himself stepped into the material plane. Though a mere shadow of his true self, he still commanded great power, and slew many before finally falling, thus banished back to the pit. His great fiery blame was claimed by Sir Haggis, and though many fought for their own chance to wield the mighty Sword of Flame, he held fast to it and wields it to this day.
Though Lord Xanzaphil was weakened by his encounter in the material plane, he is by no means through with his mission of destruction. It is likely that this world has not seen the last of the Lord of Flame.
