A Precursor to the Prime Dominion – Rashida’s Former Life
Rashida once was an Idoneth Deepkin in Shyish who had a desire for gold and glory instead of the constant struggle to search for souls to save their kind. To fulfill their deepest desire for gold and glory, they knew they needed to find a cure for the soul sickness. All of the Idoneth in Shyish knew of the soulblight but it wasn’t until they learned that Radukar, a former pirate, sought out the blood kiss and was rewarded with it that they considered it as a cure for their own blight. Why would one need a soul if you were already undead? Necromancy could be a way to save their enclave. Teclis already betrayed their kind, could it be possible that his hatred of necromancy also blinded him from the powers to save their people?
The glory-seeking Idoneth began a personal quest to search out a vampire to force them into giving them the blood kiss and teach them the ways of Necromancy. They began hunting the seas of shyish for pirates to learn more about Radukar and how he received the blood kiss. His tales spread far and wide and it wasn’t long before Rashida learned of the Cursed City. They learned that Radukar shared the blood kiss with those loyal to him so they began to plot a way to earn his favor.
Rashida began to attack various coastal villages for souls as usual but they also began amassing gold to make an offering to Radukar. It just so happened that a series of villages that her hunting party had raided had been controlled by a vampire. They eventually came across a port city manned by races of all kinds. This city was sure to be full of great wealth from all the trading that occurred. It just so happened that the vampire whom they had been raiding happened to be manipulating things from this same city. Rashida didn’t learn this fact until they were face to face with a vampire in the middle of the raid. The vampire was quick and there was no time for bargaining as it would take all her wit and will just to survive. The fight felt like it lasted hours but it likely lasted seconds.
It was all a blur but they came to as the vampire was draining her blood, without a second thought they grabbed a sword that was near her and stabbed through herself into the vampire behind her. Whether it was luck or fate, the sword they shoved through them went through their shoulder went through the skull of the vampire. The vampire went limp and then they pulled the sword out and crawled toward the sea only to see their hunting party killed.
Rashida was then overcome with an insatiable bloodlust as they saw the ogors cleaning up the beach of the corpses from her dead allies. They managed to fight them off and drain them of their blood shortly after the fight; they blacked out while searching for any survivors.
Rashida awoke in a corpse cart within a necromancer’s lair and felt that her connection to the aether sea had been lost but it had been replaced with a thirst for bloodthirst and a vampiric strength. They rose from the corpses with ease only to realize they were three times their original size and that their hands were as large as Idoneth shields. They knew they needed to escape from the lair, they were within if they were to survive. Rashida’s increased size made sneaking almost impossible, so they were likely going to have to fight their way out.
They only had one path forward, as they moved forward through the halls they now could feel the powers of necromancy being used. They feared they were going to have to face off with another vampire but all they found was an aristocrat standing over a boiling pot with zombies shambling about. They caught the necromancer off guard who quickly fumbled over themselves only to bow before Rashida apologizing for the death of his master.
The necromancer assumed Rashida was another vampire sent to punish the necromancer for the death of his master. Erkstine Deathwind introduced himself to Rashida and quickly swore loyalty to avoid death. Rashida didn’t appreciate the cowardice but they did understand survival. Rashida took advantage of this situation and assumed the identity of a vampire sent to replace the previous lord. Rashida learned that the previous vampire was a pirate queen but operated from the shadows using Erkstine as her puppet. Rashida shed this facade and took direct control of the pirate empire known as the Crimson Fleet.
Rashida quickly put the necromancer to work raising their old allies as zombies so they could still be surrounded by their old allies forevermore. They were not without vengeance though, Rashida utilized her new powers to curse the ogors and grots that fought against her that first night under the guise as punishment for letting the previous vampire lord die. In reality, they punished these ogors and grots for the death of their allies and forced them to serve them as spirits in the afterlife.
Rashida was now free of the burden of the Idoneth and free to fulfill her desires for blood and glory with their newly gained Crimson Fleet. They still believe that necromancy could save their people and that Teclis is hiding this knowledge from their people.