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Hellacaster, the Somber

Alignment: Evil
Domains: Greater God, God of Death and Destruction
Symbol: Skull and Scythe
Appearance: Hellacaster has always appeared on the mortal plane as a floating skeletal figure covered in a black robe and wielding a large scythe.

History: A favorite of Phykrell's, Hellacaster is a master of death, and possesses great powers of destruction. With a wave of his hand, Hellacaster is able to turn a valley of life into a valley of death, and to raise the fallen into a state of undeath to follow his will. On the mortal plane, Hellacaster floated among the mortals, instilling them with a great fear of death and the unknown, and sharing with some the pain and suffering involved in becoming one of Hellacaster's instruments of death.

Hellacaster has always been a supporter of Phykrell, for Phykrell is the only god who encouraged Hellacaster to continue with his morbid pursuits, and showered Hellacaster with praise and gifts when he succeeded in causing pain and suffering to others. When Crest approached the gods with his knowledge of magic, Hellacaster jumped at the opportunity to learn it. He was especially interested in the dark magic Crest had to offer, for Hellacaster wanted to further master the powers associated with death. In return for Crest's dark magic, Hellacaster provided Crest with the ability to control life and death on his moon fortress, a power which Crest received with a great deal of delight.

During the Second War of Fate, Phykrell's army suffered a great defeat at the hands of Veldex and his army. As Veldex and Daeder began to build a second great army to fight him, Phykrell called upon Hellacaster for assistance. When Hellacaster saw the bodies of the dead scattered throughout Timeshatter Pass, he cackled with glee and, with a wave of his hand, the bodies of the dead rose to fight again. With amusement, Phykrell watched as the bodies of the great Magilone and his knights also rose to fight for his cause. Aided by the darkness provided by Tilsman, Hellacaster's undead army marched upon the land, leaving death and destruction in its wake. As the army of darkness marched on, the dead rose from the lands, and zombies of trolls, ogres, and other vile creatures soon added to the evil force. If not for the unfortunate interference of Allanbay, who convinced the undead Magilone to turn upon Tilsman and wound him, the army of darkness would have succeeded in defeating the great Army of Valdor. As it was, Tilsman became distracted and the darkness fled the land, weakening Hellacaster's control over his undead army, resulting in Phykrell's ultimate defeat.

His army defeated, Hellacaster returned to the heavens to further his own pursuits. It mattered not to him that Phykrell was to be imprisoned for his deeds on the mortal plane. Until he could prove useful to Hellacaster again, the fallen god was no longer any of his concern.

Followers: Followers of Hellacaster are found throughout the various races of the mortal planes. The largest followings, however, are found among the humans and dark elves. The dark elven mages who swear allegiance to Hellacaster and his dark magic call themselves the Conclave of Death, and this conclave is ruled by a dark elven female called "The Black Drow." It is said that this group of followers also hold elaborate ceremonies where young children are sacrificed to Hellacaster in exchange for his blessings.

The humans who follow Hellacaster's path of dark magic are often referred to as necromancers, and are governed closely by the Shroud, which encourages Hellacaster's followers to use their dark magic to assist in freeing Phykrell. Additionally, the evil Dwarves of Jasper Peaks, who are led by the evil Wizard Delrox, also possess a sect of Dark Mages who swear their allegiance to Hellacaster.

Hellacaster's greatest enemies are found among the Witchwood Halflings who dwell in the Deadwood forests. Before Hellacaster left the mortal plane, he cast a spell upon the deadwood forests which caused an endless cycle of his undead minions to emerge upon the land. In response, the Witchwood Halflings, who refer to themselves as "Hell Hunters," have made it their lifelong pursuit to hunt down Hellacaster's undead minions and destroy them. As a result of their endless battles with the undead, the Witchwood Halflings have built up immunities to Hellcaster's dark magic. At present, the greatest concern of the Witchwood Halflings is the Lich who resides in a magical tower in the forest. It is believed that the Lich has a pact with Hellacaster and means to destroy the Witchwood Halflings.