Kelvur’s Shade

Following the collapse of the Second Mageocracy in 2836 the warlord Kelvur Yemo proclaimed himself King of Ghalid, and was able to maintain his power through brutal force and terror. Kelvur’s realm extended along the Nyrda from the Siora River to Palnio Keep. During the Interregnum, Kelvur and his minions indulged every degenerate whim at the expense of a cowering populace, earning the sobriquet “Ogre.” Although the Naventhülian rituals over which he presided grew ever more “creative” as his sanity crumbled, he retained his military brilliance.

In 2844, after surviving what appeared to be a crippling stroke, Kelvur claimed to be The Necromancer, the Befouler of the Dead, titles used by Korönians to describe Pürshok Vindu, the greatest of the Chained God’s servants, defeated over three centuries earlier. Two years later he began excavating the Hukaro barrows, a nearby ancient burial site, and was said to be fond of meditating among the grave goods of the ancient chieftains. He is alleged to have devoured even the bones in the barrows.

In 2846 Kelvur was killed in combat with Dorikon I of Arushal, as that monarch expanded his realm. He was entombed in the barrow now known as Kelvur’s Hill. Within a week the grave was found open, with no trace to be found of Kelvur or of the dozen of his lieutenants buried there. The new commander of Palnio died within the year, apparently of heart failure, and his successors for the next 13 years seemed cursed with violent and unnatural deaths. All attempts to re-seal Kelvur’s barrow were futile; on every occasion it would be found open within a few days. Tales sprang up that the barrow was accursed, and there were frequent sightings of Kelvur’s limping ghost.

The death of Eres Janor in 2920 was commonly attributed to Kelvur’s shade. Eres was a Caelite cantor who performed the ceremonies of exorcism over the ruins of the Naventhülian temple, the castle chapel, and Kelvur’s barrow. Thirteen days later, his dismembered body was discovered on the Ivlan bridge, and Kelvur’s grave was found open.

No attempt was made to close the barrow, which has remained open since 2920. Trees were planted on the hill in 3003 but they withered and died. The barrow now is covered by dense, thorny, brush. The curse on the castle’s lords seems to have faded, but locals still blame strange events and accidents on the Ghoul of Kelvur, whose shade is still occasionally sighted. Some say the spectre isn’t a ghost, but the undead form of Kelvur.

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