Conclave of the Wizards

1

The so called Conclave of the Wizards appeared in 1766 for the first time.  

It was composed of seven poweful magicians who went against the empire for creating their own realms. Their plans eventually ended in the Last Wizard War. Although it was no long war and the number of victims was quite small, the enormous mass of used magic and mysterious events created many legends and made the Last Wizard War one of the best known events in Assiah's history. 

Enlil Marduk

He was the leader and founder of the conclave.

Before the war he had been the headmaster of the Great Academy for Magical Arts in Kaidalon and the most respected magician of his time. 

But behind the mask of a good-hearted magus, he was searching for power and learned all forbidden arts of magic where he was mostly attracted by the dark teachings of necromancy. 

It's unknown for how long he planned the war but he successfully covered his actions from the world and secretly built up an army of undead soldiers in his personal tower near Zojira.

Additionally he used his influence to weaken and confuse the empire's military even before the war began.

During the war he transformed himself into a dark warlord, a dreadful knight two times bigger than an average man, and attacked Empyres itself with his giant army of undead warriors, regiments of beweaponed zombies bound to his will. Even today its a mystery how he was able to transport his army unseen from Zojira to the Empyrian peninsula. His army was overwhelming and conquered the province town by town, easily breaking through each single line of defenders. 

During the final battle in front of Empyres' gates the defender's chances were quite low although all Paladins had joined the front. But fortune was on their side. In the end Marduk was surprisingly beaten by a young Paladin and the love of a girl. The story of that man, Zephon, and his heroic lover, Laila, became a legend and famous love-story. Durinf the battle's climax Marduk was killed by Zephon's sword in an desperate fight and his army disappeared into dust.

Garamor Dendo Hungor

Before the war Hungor had been a famous expert for all sorts of monsters and beasts.

He was possessed by the idea of creating the perfect species and so he mastered some of the most dangerous and forbidden magical and alchemical arts of mutation. His dark experiments did finally result in the creation of the first orcs although almost all of today's orc tribes descend from Hungor's less satisfying results. He wanted to create a race of perfect and fearsome warriors and thus he had banned hundreds of orcs into the wilderness before he was finally satisfied. 

When Marduk searched for familiar minds to form the conclave, Hungor was the first to join him. He saw his chance to get enough freedom for working on his experiments without having to fear that the government could stop him by force. With his successful orc-warriors, bestial and strong monsters supported by an huge number of troll-like creatures, he headed to Kaidalon. He was certain that Angbroda's army would be there at the same time. But Angbroda never arrived and the city's defender were to strong for him alone. Hungor's army was completely destroyed while he died in the flames that the city's magicians summoned. Only his faulty orcs were left.

Xeriah Quetzacoatl

There are not many information about Xeriah Quetzacoatl (probably it was not her real name) except that she was a very powerful sorceress who lived in the south of the province Ondora.

Although she joined the conclave, she never supported Marduk during the war.

Instead she probably gave him some information he somehow needed. What kind of information that could have been is unknown. 

Historians are sure that Quetzacoatl used forbidden magic to transform herself and to create a harem of transformed servants. When imperial soldiers attacked her tower during the war, they had to find out that it had been abandoned. Rumours tell that she became an avatar either of Freya or Karma. 

Angbroda van Janeri

While Hungor was obsessed with his experiments on animals, she was obsessed with her experiments with golems. Golems have never ever been popular in Assiah. The creation of a golem is a sub-form of telekinesis, the magician just moves a doll with his mind but at the end it just costs too much concentration to use it properly.

But Angbroda was eager to master this strange kind of magic. She trained her mind and combined the usualy golem-related spells with elements of necromancy. In the end she was able to controle hundreds of golems. For the war she created special war-golems, giant armours made of thick steel plates and equipped  with dreadful swords. Historians know that she headed towards Kaidalon for joining Hungor's troops but neither she nor her army ever arrived. Nobody knows what happened to her especially because there have never been found any traces of her or her golems.

Inanna Benethor

Inanna had once been a respected sorceress in the Great Academy for Magical Arts in Kaidalon and Marduk's personal assistant. Although she was very close to him (some historians even believe that there had been an affair between both magicians), she found out about Marduk's plans very late. Loyal to her master she joined the conclave and learned all forbidden magic it offered her.  

She was a willing student but the her mind was not as strong as that of the older wizards and so she was slowly driven mad by the dark arts of magic. When Marduk headed towards Empyres, Inanna stayed in Marduk's tower. She created a number of deformed monsters which were meant to support his undead troops. The reasons are unclear but after the war her tower was empty and Inanna has never been seen again. There is a legend that during Marduk's absence her uncontrolable magical powers mutated her into a hideous monster and completely destroyed her already broken mind. If the story is true, she probably was able to escape from the tower and vanished into the nearby forests.

Duke Esmaiil Batraal

Batraal is probably the most infamous wizard of the conclave.

Once he was the high-mage of Empyres, somesort of adviser and personal healer, today this position doesn't exist anymore in this form. When Marduk began the war, Batraal joined him and went back to his hometown Athla. He transformed all young women into his personal toys or so called "chosen ones" wild beasts comparable to the Ellyrian Wraiths, the rest of the citizens were able to flee or were transformed into mindless warriors.

He attacked and conquered many of the surrounding regions and distracted a big part of the imperial troops from Marduk's major assault. When the war was over the town disappaered into nothing together with Batraal and all of his slaves. Some historians believe that Batraal did hide something in Athla due to old reports about an forbidden tomb in the centre of Athla's graveyard.

Shen-Nung

Shen-Nung had been a famous and very old magician before the war. He was Marduk's best friend and high-mage of Wao. When the war began he killed Wao's governor and conquered the town with his army of undeads. Because of his actions Wao's troops were kept in the province for fighting against him and unable to join the battles in Empyres. All attempts to defeat him failed and many poor soldiers had to die. But during one night in 1767 Shen-Nung disappeared. It's still a riddle. Some legends tell that it was his former assistent, the young magician Ki'lin who betrayed him and defeated him in a silent battle.