Icelia
In centuries past, a female wizard named Icelia held a position as one of the Witches of Rashemen, a group of powerful spellcasters who functioned as the true leaders of their land. Though the Witches wielded considerable power in Rashemen, Icelia's ambitions extended far beyond the boundaries of her homeland; she longed for nothing less than domination of the entire world. When her colleagues learned of Icelia's schemes, they expelled her from the ranks of the Witches and exiled her from Rashemen. Undeterred, Icelia abandoned her mortal existence and consummated her lust for power by becoming a lich.
Icelia knew that other liches before her had tried and failed to establish enduring kingdoms, and she was determined not to repeat their mistakes. Icelia concluded that the ineptitude and cowardice of these would-be conquerors minions led to their downfall. If Icelia's dreams of conquest were to bear fruit, she would need the support of an army far more formidable than the ineffectual hordes commanded by those who came before her.
As Icelia searched for a suitable location to establish a base, she stumbled upon a keep in the desolate region of the Veilstone Peaks. The keep belonged to Amry Wolover, a wizard of impressive talent who was engaged in agricultural experiments meant to benefit the poor farmers of the surrounding villages. Icelia murdered Wolover, assimilated his knowledge, then constructed an elaborate stronghold beneath the mountains where she would create an army of minions from the flesh of her own body.
Years passed, and Icelia evolved into a demilich of staggering power. She eventually transformed her original body into an immense incubating husk to spawn her minions: a multitude of insectile lichlings that she would some day lead on a conquest of the world of the living. She also retrieved the spirit of Zhorach, a loyal aide from her days as a Witch of Rashemen, and reincarnated him as a ghost. Zhorach now serves as the guardian of her skull, which is disguised as a spectral vessel drifting endlessly on a lake deep in her stronghold.
Like all developing creatures, the lichlings need nourishment to grow. But instead of organic food alone, the supernatural lichlings also require a diet of emotions. Specifically, they feed on the fear generated by living victims, along with the emotional trauma of victims suffering physical damage; the lichlings transform this fear and trauma into nourishing energy.
To generate that fear, Icelia devised a deadly labyrinth filled with lethal traps and vicious minions. Lured by promises of great fortune, treasure hunters entered the labyrinth and met ghastly fates. The enchanted walls and surfaces of the labyrinth absorbed the fear and trauma generated by the doomed intruders, magically dispersing the negative emotions throughout the stronghold to nourish the hungry lichlings.
For centuries, Icelia has been spawning infant lichlings and luring a steady supply of human intruders into the keep to feed them. The lichlings continue to thrive and grow, and soon they will mature. When that time arrives, Icelia's dreams of conquest seem almost certain to come true.
