
Vaelreth Morvane - The Wight
The king beneath the barrow still sits on his throne. He speaks no oaths, takes no coin… but if you kneel in his court, you’d best stay dead.
Role in Its Society:
Vaelreth Morvane was once a tyrant-king of Hollowmarsh, a nobleman-turned-conqueror who bled his people dry and demanded deathless obedience. Though he fell in rebellion, his oath to “reign until the rot took the stars” was heard by something darker than gods. Now a Wight, Vaelreth sits enthroned beneath his ruined castle in a stone-choked barrow, commanding a court of undead retainers and skeletal knights.
To the world above, he is a dark legend; to the dead around him, he is king eternal. His presence poisons the land with undeath—nearby villages suffer stillbirths, and no birds sing where his name is carved in stone.
Appearance Description:
Vaelreth appears as a regal yet rotting corpse clad in ruined noble armor. A tarnished circlet is fused into his skull, forming a jagged halo of corroded gold. His eye sockets burn with ember-like light, and his skin is stretched parchment, drawn tight over exposed bone. A regal crimson cape still clings to his shoulders, torn and soaked in long-dried blood. He carries a blackened sword etched with the names of those he personally executed.

Backstory:
Vaelreth ruled Hollowmarsh with iron and blood. When his people rose against him, they succeeded only in death—his, and their own. As he lay dying on the steps of his throne, Vaelreth whispered a final vow:
“No blood shall spill in my court but by my hand.”
That night, the dead rose—soldiers, courtiers, and traitors alike—drawn to their former king’s oath. He was crowned again by death, and the marsh swallowed his palace.
Now, twice a year on the equinoxes, his court hosts “feasts” for the dead. Travelers who wander too close vanish, only to be found months later, dressed in court finery and missing their tongues.