Lorgalis: Difference between revisions

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===Second Era===
===Second Era===
Lorgalis was primarily focused on subverting the Six Crowns and conquest of Jaiman in the Second Era. His plans were ironically sabotaged by the Wars of Dominion, where he was forced to side with the Dark Gods as a "Captain of the Unlife", ultimately bringing him into direct conflict with the Light Gods who ordinarily are indifferent about what happens on the world below.
{| class="wikitable" {{prettytable}}
{| class="wikitable" {{prettytable}}
!Year || Event
!Year || Event
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|-
|-
|'''6825 S.E.:'''|| End of the Wars of Dominion. Lorgalis flees from the avatar of Jaysek ([[Jastev]]) as the Lord of Orhan (Liabo) finally intervene directly and end the conflict, banishing the Dark Gods to their moon and keeping them relatively trapped on it. His citadel on Ulor is destroyed. He is presumed dead but is actually in hiding.
|'''6825 S.E.:'''|| End of the Wars of Dominion. Lorgalis flees from the avatar of Jaysek ([[Jastev]]) as the Lord of Orhan (Liabo) finally intervene directly and end the conflict, banishing the Dark Gods to their moon and keeping them relatively trapped on it. His citadel on Ulor is destroyed. He is presumed dead but is actually in hiding.
|}

===Third Era===
In the Third Era he is primarily involved with the Jerak Ahrenreth and engages in an even more subtle and finer tapestry of deceptions and manipulations. This brings him into various rivalries on a global scale rather than his prior narrow focus on a single continent. Beyond its practical usefulness, corrupting the Ahrenreth is revenge on Andraax. His role is the Phaeniis Rhyn ''([[Iruaric]]: "Traveller Afar")''. Unknown to the other members of the cabal, except Schrek who is suspicious, he is seeking out the Vault of Crowns which powers the Six Crowns. This vault may have other valuable things than just destroying their power.
{| class="wikitable" {{prettytable}}
!Year || Event
|-
|'''0 T.E.:'''|| Lorgalis travels to a hidden place of the Lords of Essaence to recover from his mortal injuries. Eventually, he travels back to Ulor, and begins reconstructing his keep.
|-
|'''405 T.E.:'''|| Ondoval decides to reform the Ahrenreth, corrupting its original purpose, which was to guard the Eyes of Utha. He sets out to find other cabal members, and invites Lorgalis to join him. The earliest members of the Jerak Ahrenreth were: Ondoval, Lorgalis, Schrek, Oan Lyak, Shanarak, Churk Ta, Dari Holvir, and A'kesh who is the son of Tethior with a Dark Elf.
|-
|'''888 T.E.:'''|| Ondoval convenes the Jerak Ahrenreth. He corrupts the Crystal with blood sacrifices, turning the crystal fragments red and into powerful channels of Dark Essence. The eight crystal fragments are placed in distant fortresses. Lorgalis uses his influence to make his own Citadel one of the fortresses, now re-named the Ahrendiir ''([[Iruaric]]: "Secret Shackle")''.
|-
|'''1500 T.E.:'''|| The White Mage reappears in Haalkitaine, the capital of Rhakhaan. He convinces the line of rulers to wear their crown less and to aggressively expand their territory.
|-
|'''3988 T.E.:'''|| The Magician returns to the court of Haalkitaine and is welcomed.
|-
|'''4578 T.E.:'''|| Jerak Ahrnreth members Lorgalis, Oan Lyak, and Iaen Shiin (the former Loremaster Dari Holvir who was seduced by Lorgalis into studying dark magic with good intentions late in the Second Era and became corrupted by the Unlife, joining the forces of darkness after being censured by the Loremasters, quite possibly a partial inspiration for the Loremaster character Uthex Kathiasas) conspire to murder the Royal Seer of Urulan and replace him with Iaen Shiin ''(Iruaric: "Crystalline Death")'' which is instrumental to the realm's Third Era downfall.
|-
|'''5090 T.E.:'''|| The Magician appears in the Haalkitaine court. He is ignored by Queen Ajkara, but finds other listeners in the court.
|-
|'''5347 T.E.:'''|| King Ilred of Rhakhaan is wary of old tales and listens to his friend, the Loremaster Uli Tarka, and turns away the Magician who has reappeared offering counsel.
|-
|'''5899 T.E.:'''|| The Magician is welcomed by the new king of Rhakhaan, but his voice is balanced out by other advisors.
|-
|'''6020 T.E.:'''|| The High Priest of Athimurl moves his seat to the throne of the Ky'taari capital in Mur Fostisyr after sacking it with snow demons. Lorgalis travels to the Aaalk Gaath, fortress of Oran Jatar, to confront the Priests Arnak of Gaath and Athimurl over their plans subverting his own. They rebuff him and he storms out, recognizing his loss of influence in this cabal.
|-
|'''6043 T.E.:'''|| The Gaath and Athimurl meet again in Aalk Gaath. Lorgalis hears of it and crashes the meeting again, but manages to work out some sort of alliance with them, presumably along the lines of them backing off on Xa'ar and undermining Sulthon Ni'shaang in the east with him focusing on U-Lyshak instead of Saralis. Saralis at this point would be an easy conquest regardless.
|-
|'''6049 T.E.:'''|| Prince Kier Ianis of Helyssa, heir to U-Lyshak, escapes and seeks the Sea-Drake Crown, which happens to be in the possession of the Dragonlord Sulthon Ni'shaang in Ja'miil Targ. This throws the plans of Lorgalis for western Jaiman into chaos, and forces the High Priest of Yarthraak to openly exert authority in U-Lyshak like in the Second Era.
|-
|'''6050 T.E.:'''|| The Priest of Yaarth incorrectly asserts Prince Kier is dead, declaring himself permanent regent of Helyssa. Their forces secure the region and Lorgalis invades east into [[Rhakhaan]].
|-
|'''6051 T.E.:'''|| Prince Kier Ianis shows up wearing the Sea-Drake Crown, single-handedly devastating the legions of the Yarthraak priest, who is forced to flee to his tower just outside the borders influenced by the Crown. Ly-aran is also hit with tremendous storms and earthquakes.
|-
|'''6053 T.E.:'''|| The armies of Ulor are in disarray as Lorgalis has vanished, taking up his role as the White Mage in Haalkitaine. The Priests Arnak return to the shadows rather than open dominion due to their various defeats.
|}
|}


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===(D) The Council of Light===
===(D) The Council of Light===
The [[Council of Light]] was clearly a front organization for one of the Orders of the Priests Arnak, most likely the Cult of Gaath which controls what we call Upper Trollfang and the [[Red Forest]]. The High Priest of Gaath was subverting Lorgalis in Xa'ar, while Lorgalis exerted direct control over the High Priest of Yarthraak, and interacted with the High Priest of Dansart in the guise of their false identities with mutual suspicion. In principle, this would make Lorgalis the most obvious identity for the "adversary" of the Grand Poohbah, where [[Kelfour's Landing]] was the staging ground for the invasion of Saralis.
The [[Council of Light]] was clearly a front organization for one of the Orders of the Priests Arnak, most likely the Cult of Gaath which controls what we call Upper Trollfang and the [[Red Forest]]. There is also the possibility it is still the Order of Athimurl which destroyed [[Quellburn]]. The lesser priests form sub-cults, so the Grand Poohbah is not necessarily the High Priest, who resides in a tower by the Black Forest of Dir. The High Priest of Gaath was subverting Lorgalis in Xa'ar, while Lorgalis exerted direct control over the High Priest of Yarthraak, and had mutual suspicion with the High Priest of Dansart in the guise of their false identities. In principle, this would make Lorgalis the most obvious identity for the "adversary" of the Grand Poohbah, where [[Kelfour's Landing]] was the staging ground for the invasion of Saralis.

This would have been a collision of Lorgalis from Xa'ar in the west, the forces of Gaath and the [[Ditmar's Tale|Dragonlord Oran Jatar]] from the northwest, and the [[Dragonlord]] Sulthon Ni'shaang from the east. This is a relatively subtle issue as the relevant background lore has gradually evolved. It was later established that Lorgalis came to some arrangement with the Gaath and Athimurl in 6043 Third Era, the Gaath are now said to act openly, and the Athimurl are still secretive in Quellbourne and the Blue Forest expanding eastward. Oran Jatar's newly formed alliance with the Kral only existed in GemStone III.


This would have been a collision of Lorgalis from Xa'ar in the west, the forces of Gaath and the [[Ditmar's Tale|Dragonlord Oran Jatar]] from the northwest, and the [[Dragonlord]] Sulthon Ni'shaang from the east. However, the Council of Light is only very loosely inspired by the cults of the [[The Iron Wind|Iron Wind]], and the "adversary" may not refer to the strategic situation. This messaging may refer instead to the Lord High Cleric of the local temple, putting adventurers beyond his reach because of soul corruption through the Unlife. Similarly, Bandur Etrevion plays off this as the "Lord High Sorceror" of his theocracy, where the spelling "sorceror" refers to [[Rolemaster]] conversion tables for the Necromancer profession. The "Grand Poohbah" name and spelling originates in a Gilbert & Sullivan character who was "Lord High Everything Else".
However, the Council of Light is only very loosely inspired by the cults of the [[The Iron Wind|Iron Wind]], and the "adversary" may not refer to the strategic situation. This messaging may refer instead to the Lord High Cleric of the local temple, putting adventurers beyond his reach because of soul corruption through the Unlife. Similarly, Bandur Etrevion plays off this as the "Lord High Sorceror" of his theocracy, where the spelling "sorceror" refers to [[Rolemaster]] conversion tables for the Necromancer profession. The "Grand Poohbah" name and spelling originates in a Gilbert & Sullivan character who was "Lord High Everything Else".


===(E) The Vvrael===
===(E) The Vvrael===

Revision as of 19:45, 6 January 2018

Lorgalis the White ("The White Mage") is a very powerful warlord in the Shadow World history, implicitly important as the background villain for several stories in the I.C.E. Age of GemStone III. Lorgalis is half Dark Elven, half Lord of Essaence by birth. His father was a surviving servant of the Empress Kadaena who was not slain until 450 Second Era, which caused Lorgalis to become the blood nemesis of Andraax and his Loremasters. Lorgalis was born in the early Second Era, though sometimes thought from the First Era, surviving the purge by appearing to be Elven. Following the death of his father at the hands of Andraax, he would eventually take up his mantle by forming his own hordes of evil monsters. His ire was always the conquest or waste of Jaiman as it was the favorite continent of Andraax.

Lorgalis is sometimes described as the most dangerous warlord of the Unlife. While it is true that he uses Evil spell lists, such as demonic summoning, and controls one of the cults of the Iron Wind as well as an Ordainer, his will and mind have not been dominated by the Unlife. He reluctantly sided with the Dark Gods when they launched the Wars of Dominion to pursue his own interests. He wishes to conquer the world rather than destroy it, similar to the Dragonlords who also use dark magic. In manner he is haughty, imperious, and hateful. He was forced into hiding at the end of the Wars of Dominion.

Lorgalis

Lorgalis takes the form of two identities on Jaiman. In his unconcealed guise as "Lorgalis the White" he is the bloodthirsty warlord of Ulor, with deadly pale skin and black hair, wearing black full plate armor. His alter ego is a powerful magical advisor to the various rulers of Jaiman known as the gruff but sometimes charming Magician, or "the White Mage", whose skin is fair with white hair and a long white beard. The Magician has worked with some of the Priests Arnak historically in seducing rulers into not wearing the Six Crowns of Tethior so that it becomes possible to destroy and conquer their kingdoms. The crowns were made to prevent Lorgalis from conquering Jaiman, but the mannish kings resented Iylari interference, and the forced passivity they impose on the wearers to prevent them from warring.

He is also a member of the Jerak Ahrenreth (Iruaric: "Cult of the Secret Circle") in terms of his global scale ambitions. This is the most powerful cabal in Shadow World, consisting of members similar in power to himself. These include the former bodyguard of the Empress Kadaena, the Ordainer Morloch, who is himself dominated by the member Schrek. Other members have included Ondoval, a full blooded Lord of Essaence, the Dragonlords Ulya Shek and Voriig Kye, and various other dark forces. His citadel possesses one of the Ahrenreth crystal fragments, which pierces the Eye of Utha barrier for the Unlife.

(A) Abilities

In terms of raw power Lorgalis is between an Ordainer and a Dragonlord, weaker than a full blooded Lord of Essaence. This means he has at least some of the Lord of Essaence innate abilities, and he takes damage as a large creature rather than a humanoid. His profession multi-classes are Seer, Mystic, and ArchMage. He knows all of the Mage, Cleric, ArchMage, and Sorcerer base spells, all of Open and Closed Essence and Channeling (which are minor/major Elemental and Spirit), all the Evil Essence and Channeling lists, and all of the Navigator base lists. His statistics are all around 100 and he has 1680 power points (mana) after enhancements. His health consists of 350 hit points and he has an array of skill bonuses. On top of this he wields extremely powerful artifacts which are very dangerous.

(B) Possessions

Lorgalis the White wears black full plate of keron, which only encumbers him as full leathers. His small round shield actually defends as a superior wall shield, and his robes provide a steep hiding bonus, changing between white and black at will. The following are what he carries on him, not everything he might possess, such as the Ahrenreth crystal that was turned red with blood sacrifices.

(1) Blade of the Void: Lord Implementor blade that stores up to six souls of anyone it instantly kills, which can then be converted into a Nether bolt or ball that does 12d6 damage to the target. It has a +45 enchant bonus and forms an aura of utter darkness up to sixty feet in radius. When Lorgalis is struck down the sword will summon a spectral image to fight for him with it.

(2) Amulet of Darkness: Amplifies his power points (total) by 8x and allows him to cast Dark Absolution at will, which annihilates the soul of the target. It is also a powerful mind control artifact.

(3) Ring: His obsidian ring is a very powerful blocker of mentalism and telepathy, replacing his thoughts with indecipherable or benign ones when probed.

(4) Staff: Stores up to 100 levels in spells simultaneously and changes in size between seven feet and a wand.

(5) Ahrenreth Ring: Controls many of the automations of the Jerak Ahrenreth fortresses. Lorgalis' is his citadel on Ulor.

History

Lorgalis began forming hordes of orcs and trolls when he built his citadel on Ulor, and he commanded legions of men with pale skin and black eyes. When he began posing too much of a threat in the Second Era, the Loremasters finally intervened and convinced the mannish kings of Jaiman to wear the Six Crowns, which were built by Tethior and Andraax. The Iron Wind was formed as six Orders shortly later, with the goal of destroying each of these six kingdoms. Lorgalis in his guise as the Magician was close with the Priests Arnak in this period, but would later come to have frayed relations with them.

In the Wars of Dominion his citadel was destroyed and he was forced to flee from Jaysek (Jastev) himself, being no match for the avatar of a Lord of Orhan (Liabo). He was presumed to be dead for centuries. Ondoval invited him to join the newly formed Jerak Ahrenreth in 888 Third Era, whose goal was supposed to be unleashing the unfettered power of the Flows of Essaence, without the suffocating blanket of the Eyes of Utha. In effect the artifact they use to do this is punching holes in the barrier which allows more access to the dark power of the Unlife. His forces are now in chaos in the year 6053 Third Era.

Second Era

Lorgalis was primarily focused on subverting the Six Crowns and conquest of Jaiman in the Second Era. His plans were ironically sabotaged by the Wars of Dominion, where he was forced to side with the Dark Gods as a "Captain of the Unlife", ultimately bringing him into direct conflict with the Light Gods who ordinarily are indifferent about what happens on the world below.

Year Event
-100 S.E.: Andraax awakens to discover the world recovered from the First Era cataclysm. He hides his true identity, pretending to be Iylari.
Early S.E.: Lorgalis is born to a Dark Elven mother and a Lord of Essaence father, who was a surviving follower of the Empress Kadaena. He was in "barely adulthood" when his father was killed.
450 S.E.: Andraax slays the father of Lorgalis upon discovering he is in Mulira building a dark host of evil creatures. Lorgalis flees and swears vengeance, seeking in vain to entrap Andraax over the years. Eventually he chooses to destroy his favored continent of Jaiman instead.
3400 S.E.: Lorgalis begins construction of his citadel on the western isle of Ulor, and gathers a following of orcs and trolls.
3750 S.E.: Lorgalis sends his fleet south to the western peninsula of Ly-aran, beginning his conquest at its northern tip. His armies sweep from castle to castle, killing and replacing the lords with his own servants, who are cruel men with pale skin and black eyes. The wives and daughters are imprisoned or raped. Other men are taken to Ulor as slaves.
3800 S.E.: Lorgalis stops his invasion at a narrow bottleneck where Ly-aran meets U-Lyshak. He begins planning the conquest of the northern peninsula of Xa'ar.
3833 S.E.: Lorgalis begins his invasion of Xa'ar, as his conquest of Ly-aran is completed.
3835 S.E.: The Men and Elves of Xa'ar are utterly defeated, the indigenous population scattering.
3835-3840 S.E.: Lorgalis now controls all sea trade in western Jaiman and is amassing forces on the borders, while Loremasters have witnessed the construction of his fleet. After many debates they finally decide he must be stopped before conquering the mainlands. Saralis and U-Lyshak spend the next 70 years preparing for war.
3840 S.E.: Tethior and Andraax begin work on the Six Crowns, pendants, and swords at the request of the Loremaster Council. They study an ancient powerful Orb at Norek 10 years later. The Orb of Rebirth was built by Oyan, cousin of Utha, producing powerful indifference and apathy within a two mile radius. This works to such an extent that most beings do not even notice it exists, and effectively amounts to a form of defense that leaves Norek unscathed in all the conflicts that follow. Tethior adapts this passivity propensity for the Crowns.
3907 S.E.: The Loremasters reveal their plan to the six major realms, who bristle at the High Elven interference, but they know they have no choice. They recommend Saralis and U-Lyshak stall with surrender negotiations.
3910 S.E.: The Six Crowns are completed and worn, channeling from an extreme hidden power source. The Flows of Essaence themselves alter creating sea lanes that block out the Ulor ships. This prevents Lorgalis from invading entirely. He comes to take on the false persona of the Magician or White Mage, an advisor to the royal courts the Loremasters warn is dangerous.
4000 S.E.: The Six Orders of the Iron Wind are founded to destroy the six realms now guarded by the Crowns. They subvert the civilizations by pretending to be lovers of knowledge, attempting to make their way into high positions to corrupt rulers so their realms can ultimately be destroyed.
4000 - 6000 S.E. The Magician has gradually used twisted logic and reasoning to convince the various rulers to not wear their crowns, while his obsidian ring shields him from the crowns identifying him as a wicked intruder. This leaves the realms ripe for the Priests Arnak, who come in the kindly form of healing the sick and teaching the ignorant.
5899 - 5905 S.E. Plague sweeps Saralis and northern U-Lyshak. By 5905 S.E. over half the population of Saralis is dead.
(~6000 S.E.) Lorgalis may have been the master of Muylari, mining for silver in the northern peninsula of Claedesbrim Bay (Darkstone Bay). Controlling this land as well as Xa'ar would give him domination of this Bay just as he had with Bay of Ulor. The miners awaken a sleeping Terrorite demon and the land becomes cursed with undeath. This may have been as late as 6440.

Lorgalis begins his assault on U-Lyshak. Within two centuries it is split into a northern and southern kingdom, with the north ruled by the High Priest of Yarthraak and the south by an indirect heir of the king. This is a conflict of interest that grows into a power struggle between the evil priest and Lorgalis.

6010 - 6030 S.E. In the guise of the Magician, Lorgalis convinces the King of Rhakhaan to annex much of fallen Zor, and declare war on the Elven kingdom of Urulan. This causes a several century migration of Elves from Urulan to the Blue Forest, who will suffer mannish conquerors and Shards under the Priests Arnak in the Third Era.
6200 S.E. Under the influence of the White Mage and the Priests Arnak, every kingdom on Jaiman is at war on at least one front.
6201 S.E. The king of U-Lyshak dies and the country splits in civil war. The prince chooses to wear the Sea-Drake Crown against the advice of the Magician, who murders him and steals it the night before the coronation.
6203 S.E.: Lorgalis summons an Ordainer to lead an army of evil creatures through southwest U-Lyshak. This is probably Kharuugh.
6210 S.E.: The army of Lorgalis seizes the capital of U-Lyshak after a three month siege.
6215 S.E.: The Cult of the Sea Drake and its High Priest come under the subjugation of Lorgalis and his superior might as all of U-Lyshak falls.
6400 - 6450 S.E.: Governments destabilize, criminality rises, cultural and racial hatred festers. Goblins and orcs openly walk the countryside looting and burning farms. The Dark Gods bid the undead to rise and demons to rape and kill. Civilization is collapsing. The Navigators stop most of their commercial services in 6441 because it is too dangerous and instabilities in the flows of essence.
6450 S.E.: The comet Sa'kain returns and causes massive chaos in the form of rifts and portals in reality, terrible meteorological events, and earthquakes. The Dark Gods unleash a sudden invasion with dark forces built up over millennia to overthrow the followers of their rival pantheon. Lorgalis reluctantly sides with the forces of darkness and the Unlife.

Kestrel Etrevion serves in his military forces and comes to be awarded a fiefdom after a partly failed invasion of northern Saralis. In time this fiefdom is usurped by his older brother Bandur Etrevion, who transforms it into a theocracy in homage of the dead Empress Kadaena. It is unclear what relationship he came to have with Lorgalis.

6521 S.E.: The Ordainer Kharuugh breaks through the weakened magical barrier of Saralis and destroys the Wyvern Crown by cleaving through it and the king's head. Lorgalis seizes the region. The theocracy of Bandur Etrevion, who was probably already dead, is probably destroyed. It would have no independent existence from Lorgalis. The hooded figures are all that remains.

Uthex Kathiasas is killed by his fellow Loremasters in the Broken Lands, whose portal is in the Seolfar Strake (Lysierian Hills). Secret monastery hides it from Lorgalis.

6521 - 6820 S.E.: Refugees from Zor fleeing the forces of the Order of Dansart hide at some point in the High Plateau, but apparently survive unnoticed until the end of the Wars of Dominion. They end up founding the city of Quellburn.
6825 S.E.: End of the Wars of Dominion. Lorgalis flees from the avatar of Jaysek (Jastev) as the Lord of Orhan (Liabo) finally intervene directly and end the conflict, banishing the Dark Gods to their moon and keeping them relatively trapped on it. His citadel on Ulor is destroyed. He is presumed dead but is actually in hiding.

Third Era

In the Third Era he is primarily involved with the Jerak Ahrenreth and engages in an even more subtle and finer tapestry of deceptions and manipulations. This brings him into various rivalries on a global scale rather than his prior narrow focus on a single continent. Beyond its practical usefulness, corrupting the Ahrenreth is revenge on Andraax. His role is the Phaeniis Rhyn (Iruaric: "Traveller Afar"). Unknown to the other members of the cabal, except Schrek who is suspicious, he is seeking out the Vault of Crowns which powers the Six Crowns. This vault may have other valuable things than just destroying their power.

Year Event
0 T.E.: Lorgalis travels to a hidden place of the Lords of Essaence to recover from his mortal injuries. Eventually, he travels back to Ulor, and begins reconstructing his keep.
405 T.E.: Ondoval decides to reform the Ahrenreth, corrupting its original purpose, which was to guard the Eyes of Utha. He sets out to find other cabal members, and invites Lorgalis to join him. The earliest members of the Jerak Ahrenreth were: Ondoval, Lorgalis, Schrek, Oan Lyak, Shanarak, Churk Ta, Dari Holvir, and A'kesh who is the son of Tethior with a Dark Elf.
888 T.E.: Ondoval convenes the Jerak Ahrenreth. He corrupts the Crystal with blood sacrifices, turning the crystal fragments red and into powerful channels of Dark Essence. The eight crystal fragments are placed in distant fortresses. Lorgalis uses his influence to make his own Citadel one of the fortresses, now re-named the Ahrendiir (Iruaric: "Secret Shackle").
1500 T.E.: The White Mage reappears in Haalkitaine, the capital of Rhakhaan. He convinces the line of rulers to wear their crown less and to aggressively expand their territory.
3988 T.E.: The Magician returns to the court of Haalkitaine and is welcomed.
4578 T.E.: Jerak Ahrnreth members Lorgalis, Oan Lyak, and Iaen Shiin (the former Loremaster Dari Holvir who was seduced by Lorgalis into studying dark magic with good intentions late in the Second Era and became corrupted by the Unlife, joining the forces of darkness after being censured by the Loremasters, quite possibly a partial inspiration for the Loremaster character Uthex Kathiasas) conspire to murder the Royal Seer of Urulan and replace him with Iaen Shiin (Iruaric: "Crystalline Death") which is instrumental to the realm's Third Era downfall.
5090 T.E.: The Magician appears in the Haalkitaine court. He is ignored by Queen Ajkara, but finds other listeners in the court.
5347 T.E.: King Ilred of Rhakhaan is wary of old tales and listens to his friend, the Loremaster Uli Tarka, and turns away the Magician who has reappeared offering counsel.
5899 T.E.: The Magician is welcomed by the new king of Rhakhaan, but his voice is balanced out by other advisors.
6020 T.E.: The High Priest of Athimurl moves his seat to the throne of the Ky'taari capital in Mur Fostisyr after sacking it with snow demons. Lorgalis travels to the Aaalk Gaath, fortress of Oran Jatar, to confront the Priests Arnak of Gaath and Athimurl over their plans subverting his own. They rebuff him and he storms out, recognizing his loss of influence in this cabal.
6043 T.E.: The Gaath and Athimurl meet again in Aalk Gaath. Lorgalis hears of it and crashes the meeting again, but manages to work out some sort of alliance with them, presumably along the lines of them backing off on Xa'ar and undermining Sulthon Ni'shaang in the east with him focusing on U-Lyshak instead of Saralis. Saralis at this point would be an easy conquest regardless.
6049 T.E.: Prince Kier Ianis of Helyssa, heir to U-Lyshak, escapes and seeks the Sea-Drake Crown, which happens to be in the possession of the Dragonlord Sulthon Ni'shaang in Ja'miil Targ. This throws the plans of Lorgalis for western Jaiman into chaos, and forces the High Priest of Yarthraak to openly exert authority in U-Lyshak like in the Second Era.
6050 T.E.: The Priest of Yaarth incorrectly asserts Prince Kier is dead, declaring himself permanent regent of Helyssa. Their forces secure the region and Lorgalis invades east into Rhakhaan.
6051 T.E.: Prince Kier Ianis shows up wearing the Sea-Drake Crown, single-handedly devastating the legions of the Yarthraak priest, who is forced to flee to his tower just outside the borders influenced by the Crown. Ly-aran is also hit with tremendous storms and earthquakes.
6053 T.E.: The armies of Ulor are in disarray as Lorgalis has vanished, taking up his role as the White Mage in Haalkitaine. The Priests Arnak return to the shadows rather than open dominion due to their various defeats.

Behind the Scenes

Lorgalis was the purely implicit background factor in several stories and areas of the I.C.E. Age period of GemStone III, which lasted between the years 1990 and 1995, using a different historical timeline and world setting. In some cases such as the stories of Bandur Etrevion and Uthex Kathiasas this is indisputable, while others such as the Shadow Valley story are less clear without sufficient logs. The character is apparently loosely based on Gandalf and Saruman from Lord of the Rings. In the form of the White Mage he acts like an evil Gandalf, and in his orcish horde conqueror form he is like Saruman.

(A) The Graveyard

Lorgalis controlled the peninsula of Xa'ar at the start of the Wars of Dominion, which was the time period of "The Legend of the Necropolis of Etrevion". Xa'ar was located immediately west of what is called the Coastal Cliffs, not existing as a land mass in the modern history of Elanthia. Consequently, Lorgalis controlled the flow of access in and out of Claedesbrim Bay (Darkstone Bay) at the time of these wars, just as he had controlled the Bay of Ulor for centuries which was most of the west coast of Jaiman. Roughly 70 years into the wars he conquered Saralis, whose northern edge is the foothills by Zeltoph.

These factors necessitate Lorgalis being the warlord of the Unlife whom Kestrel Etrevion had sworn fealty, and who would have given Kestrel the fiefdom along the Bay to serve as his viceroy. Kestrel Etrevion is implied as having led a failed invasion of Saralis from the north, which was guarded by a powerful essence barrier formed from the crown worn by its king. This was the nearly catastrophic defeat which was avoided only by the sorcerous intervention of his brother. These forces were run under the Cult of Yarthraak, who were subjugated to Lorgalis, which is represented in the game with black sea drake symbols.

These occur in the burial mound with his battle throne of ebon and bellacorn ivory, as well as the cemetery on the Coastal Cliffs which has a mausoleum of the same style as the crypt in The Graveyard. The underground stronghold nearby is implicitly one of the dark cults Bandur purged in the formation of his theocracy, and seemingly may have been run by one of Kestrel's sons, who would have had likely found his fealty to Klysus (Luukos) through their service to Lorgalis. The leapers in this area were used as hunting hounds by Dark Elves, which may in this case be a poetic transformation curse by Bandur.

Bandur Etrevion helped his brother ascend through the ranks of "the warriors of the Unlife" through shadowy interventions, while acquiring understanding of these forces from behind the lines. When he was recognized by the Loremasters at the College of Karilon for his book "Servants of the Shadow: Power through Thralldom", it was because he was illustrating the methods of Lorgalis for them. "Servants of the Shadow" is a very specific phrase which refers to the former followers of the Empress Kadaena who were wielding Great Demons. When Bandur Etrevion usurped the fiefdom his brother and forming his theocracy of Kadaena, he was effectively executing a coup against Lorgalis, who in turn would have conquered the whole region after the fall of Saralis under the Ordainer Kharuugh in 6521 Second Era.

(B) The Broken Lands

Uthex Kathiasas was killed by his fellow Loremasters in 6521 Second Era. Loremasters who conducted field research would often go a whole year at a time without reporting back to their order. However, his refusal at this point would have made it clear to them that something had gone horribly wrong, as he was now known to be residing in a region controlled by the forces of the Unlife. His corruption is implied to have been at the hands of theocracy of Bandur Etrevion, whom he would have known through Karilon and shared research interests in the Lords of Essaence and the methods of Empress Kadaena.

The Broken Lands was particularly about the relationship between the Dark Gods and forces of the Unlife, as well as seemingly the artificial fabrication of extra-planar entities, including the dark gods or spirits and the demonic. Lorgalis controlled a branch of the Priests Arnak, had some relationship with the Dark God Klysus (Luukos), wielded an Ordainer servant, and had several Heralds of Night as body guards. It is worth noting that he used the influence of Klysus to make an Ahrenreth fortress of the site of the sarcophagus of the Empress Kadaena, which clearly influenced the design of the crypt in The Graveyard.

(C) Shadow Valley

While the story of Muylari is now poorly documented, it was said the lives of his wife and himself were saved by a Dark Elven rider. Muylari was forced to become his servant, running silver mining in what would eventually become Shadow Valley. When the dormant serpent demon was awoken by the miners and cursed the lands, Muylari fled but was cursed with immortality for what is said to have been thousands of years. When he returned to tell his story there was a wolf familiar who was speaking on behalf of his master. This might have been implying the master of Muylari was Lorgalis.

Lorgalis had designs on this region in both the Second and Third Eras. The journal of Selias Jodame refers to the region as "northern Jaiman" rather than Quellbourne, implying the story of Jaron Galarn took place prior to the Wars of Dominion. This journal may have even been the motivation for Bandur Etrevion to discover the portal to the Broken Lands under what is now called the Lysierian Hills.

(D) The Council of Light

The Council of Light was clearly a front organization for one of the Orders of the Priests Arnak, most likely the Cult of Gaath which controls what we call Upper Trollfang and the Red Forest. There is also the possibility it is still the Order of Athimurl which destroyed Quellburn. The lesser priests form sub-cults, so the Grand Poohbah is not necessarily the High Priest, who resides in a tower by the Black Forest of Dir. The High Priest of Gaath was subverting Lorgalis in Xa'ar, while Lorgalis exerted direct control over the High Priest of Yarthraak, and had mutual suspicion with the High Priest of Dansart in the guise of their false identities. In principle, this would make Lorgalis the most obvious identity for the "adversary" of the Grand Poohbah, where Kelfour's Landing was the staging ground for the invasion of Saralis.

This would have been a collision of Lorgalis from Xa'ar in the west, the forces of Gaath and the Dragonlord Oran Jatar from the northwest, and the Dragonlord Sulthon Ni'shaang from the east. This is a relatively subtle issue as the relevant background lore has gradually evolved. It was later established that Lorgalis came to some arrangement with the Gaath and Athimurl in 6043 Third Era, the Gaath are now said to act openly, and the Athimurl are still secretive in Quellbourne and the Blue Forest expanding eastward. Oran Jatar's newly formed alliance with the Kral only existed in GemStone III.

However, the Council of Light is only very loosely inspired by the cults of the Iron Wind, and the "adversary" may not refer to the strategic situation. This messaging may refer instead to the Lord High Cleric of the local temple, putting adventurers beyond his reach because of soul corruption through the Unlife. Similarly, Bandur Etrevion plays off this as the "Lord High Sorceror" of his theocracy, where the spelling "sorceror" refers to Rolemaster conversion tables for the Necromancer profession. The "Grand Poohbah" name and spelling originates in a Gilbert & Sullivan character who was "Lord High Everything Else".

(E) The Vvrael

Lorgalis was a nemesis of Schrek in the Jerak Ahrenreth, who in composite form with Ondoval are partial bases of the Vvrael quest character Terate, where the Vvrael is an analog of the Unlife. Lorgalis wielded a powerful sword called the Blade of the Void, which is the obvious inspiration behind the void blade of Terate. There was no information given on the deceased father of Terate, but his kingdom of Castle Anwyn in principle would have been part of the conquered lands of Lorgalis several thousand years ago, except for the fact that Wars of Dominion never happened in the modern history.

The void blade of Terate was apparently influenced by other things, such as the Knife of the Void held by Ondoval, and the Grail sword of Arthurian knights such as Perceval and Gawain which seemingly was also an influence on the Griffin Sword. The Griffin Sword in turn was clearly inspired by the Gryphon sword of Shadow World, which had special powers of slaying constructs such as the Shards and what we call Vruul, and had assorted history in the wrecking of Jaiman by Lorgalis and the Priests Arnak. Thus, while Lorgalis is not immediately relevant to the Vvrael quest, he is a proxy influence on it.