I don’t think I posted these over here and I’m half gonna post them so I can find them in my tags later maybe but. I spent way too much time playing in hero forge awhile back making characters.
Arrogath Merrough was not the sort of individual Valmara expected when she conjured up the word ‘lich’ in her mind, nor was his home the sort of place she expected from such a creature. Her understanding of liches were that they were cold and cruel-hearted wizards that strived for greater power, turning themselves into withered corpses to slink in dark ruins and moldering sewers. Arrogath so far had not been any of that. He had been kind and calm mannered, offering her a surprising amount of hospitality given that she’d been trespassing on his property. And his lair was really rather homey, with decorations fit for the king he seemed to have once been, all well-lit by plenty of sconces and even a ever-burning fireplace. It left the rather sheltered woman with a lot of questions, and a ever-abundant sense of curiosity.
“Do you always keep it this well lit?” Valmara asked, turning her head as she took in the lich’s main study.
Arrogath seemed to keep most of his living space between just a handful of the rooms in the castle, all of which at least were hidden below the ground level. They certainly weren’t the normal sort of tunneling or structure a castle would have, but they matched what Valmara could only assume the rest of the castle had looked like. He seemed to spend most of his time in the central study - a large room supported by beautiful carved pillars and a lovely dome. Velvet and plush chairs gave the uncommon visitor a place to sit amongst packed shelves and beautiful tables, settled on finely woven rugs under ornate chandeliers. His beautiful desk sat at the far end of the room, backed by a large fireplace that never seemed to extinguish. The light level was comfortable for even a human like Valmara, which was far from the murky darkness she’d been anticipating.
Arrogath chuckled, lacing his fingers together under his chin as he gave the young woman a bemused smile. “I do, in fact. I prefer to keep things lit as they always have been. It keeps things from being so... dismal,” he explained, eyeing the study around his desk.
Valmara leaned back on the love seat, hands folded awkwardly in her lap as she followed the man’s gaze. “I always thought liches preferred dark places.”
“Some do,” Arrogath replied. “Some prefer to live out their undeath in places of ill-repute, skulking in the shadows to do their dirty work. I think that is a waste of such potential. Why live out such a long existence if you plan to live so miserably?” Arrogath questioned with a scoff, making his peppered brown hair bounce before he leaned back into the large, carved back of his desk chair. He rested his hands on the arms before waving one hand at his surroundings. “While all of my belongings were with me in life, I see no reason why I should discard them now. I may not need the same physical comfort as I had when I was alive, but it does not mean I need to step back on my luxuries,” he chuckled.
“So the light doesn’t bother you?” Valmara questioned.
Arrogath shook his head. “Hardly. Many undead are sensitive to light, even if it isn’t to the degree vampires are, but liches are rarely bothered.”
“Then why did you decide to live underground?”
A frown tugged at the lich’s tired features. “I preferred not to be bothered. Most people don’t bother with the ruins when they see that it’s obviously abandoned and empty.”
Valmara’s face flushed a bit as she leaned back on the chair. “Well, I guess I’m the one who didn’t get that memo.” She paused for a moment. “Am I... bothering you?”
Arrogath shrugged, tucking a hand under his chin in thought. “Bothering? No. I wouldn’t say that you are. But I must admit that I haven’t had any company in... well, Ladies could only say how long. I haven’t exactly been keeping track of time. I have no reason to,” he shifted, leaning forward in his chair again. “When I initially found you camped outside, I won’t say I was pleased, but I was also aware that you weren’t the usual squatter or irritating explorer that comes through here. But I also haven’t decided on how I feel about you.”
Valmara managed a peevish and somewhat guilty grin. “I guess I’m not. I’d say I’d leave, but I don’t exactly have anywhere else to go, and you’re the most interesting person I’ve met so far.”
The lich leaned forward against his desk once more, tucking his hands under his chin as his glazed-over eyes fell into a half-lidded look of contemplation. He let out a long hum, narrowing his eyes at the woman. “Have you considered what sort of danger you might be in?”
Valmara blinked, before her grin faded. Folding her arms, she looked away. “I know. But honestly, I don’t really care. If you kill me, then...” She trailed off, before shrugging and looking back to him. “So be it. I don’t really have anything else right now.
Arrogath’s lips upturned a bit in thought, before he chuckled. “Well, perhaps you can provide some life to these halls for awhile then.”
