“In the dim torchlight of the cavernous chamber stands a figure cloaked in shadows, its form obscured until it steps forward, revealing a grotesque visage. Atop broad shoulders rests a head devoid of flesh, its bone structure twisted into a macabre grin that seems to mock the living. Hollow eye sockets gleam with an eerie luminescence, piercing through the darkness with an otherworldly intensity. Beneath this skeletal countenance lies a sinewy body, muscles rippling beneath light blue skin like waves upon a chiseled shore. Every movement exudes an unsettling grace, as if the very air recoils from the presence of this spectral figure.”

Within the lineage of the Grasp family, lies a legacy steeped in darkness and infernal heritage. Born of noble drow lineage, Tenebrous Grasp bore the mark of his ancestry, yet it was the dormant infernal blood coursing through his veins that would shape his destiny. Descended from a union between a chaotic evil Greatwyrm and a drow matriarch, Tenebrous inherited a legacy of power and malevolence that lay dormant within his lineage for generations.

The union of dragon and drow bestowed upon Tenebrous a unique heritage, blending the arcane might of dragons with the cunning and treachery of the drow. The infernal blood that pulsed through his veins granted him resilience and potency, yet also bound him to the darker impulses of his ancestry. It was this infernal legacy that awakened within him, fueling his ambition and thirst for dominion as he embarked on a path fraught with peril and corruption.

Though born into nobility, Tenebrous's infernal heritage set him apart from his kin, marking him as both a scion of power and a harbinger of darkness. As he ascended to become a being of unparalleled malevolence, the legacy of his infernal bloodline cast a shadow over his every action, shaping the course of his destiny and leaving an indelible mark upon the realms.

Origins and Early Years: Tenebrous Grasp's tale begins amidst the opulence of the Grasp dynasty, nestled within the shadows of the drow. But beneath the veneer of nobility lurked the seeds of ambition and infernal heritage, as his father's chaotic blood coursed through his veins, awakening the dormant infernal power within. From his birth, he was marked by destiny's hand, destined to walk a path veiled in darkness.

The Fellowship and the Dark Ring: Drawn by the allure of adventure and the promise of untold power, Tenebrous embarked on a fateful journey with the Fellowship of the Door. Yet, it was amidst this fellowship that the whispers of the Dark Ring first insinuated themselves into his consciousness, sowing seeds of temptation and corruption. In a moment of weakness, he succumbed, allowing the malevolent influence to take root within his soul.

The Temptation and Betrayal: As the fellowship approached their final destination, the temptation of the Dark Ring grew ever more potent, clouding Tenebrous's judgment with promises of dominion and conquest. In a pivotal moment, he chose the path of betrayal, forsaking his companions and embracing the dark power that promised ultimate sovereignty over the multiverse.

The Ascendance and Conquest: With the Dark Ring's power coursing through his veins, Tenebrous Grasp ascended to heights of power previously unimaginable. His form twisted by infernal energies, he became an archlich of unparalleled malevolence, commanding forces beyond mortal comprehension. From the ruins of Atlantis to the halls of Pandemonia, he left a trail of devastation in his wake, his name synonymous with fear and dread across the realms.

Appearance and Powers: Tenebrous Grasp's form, once that of a tiefling bearing drow features, transcended mortal constraints to become an abomination of demonic visage. His blue-skinned form, adorned with neon-purple draconian remnants, exuded an aura of dread and decay. Mastery over dark magic and necromancy granted him command over legions of undead and infernal minions, while his very presence radiated with the palpable essence of death and destruction.

In the realms of darkness, Tenebrous Grasp emerges as a quintessential embodiment of chaos and evil, reveling in his role as an irredeemable monster. Unapologetically power-hungry and perpetually draped in the cloak of villainy, he embodies the essence of malevolence without reservation.

The Essence of Villainy: Tenebrous Grasp wears his alignment of chaotic evil like a badge of honor, a proclamation of his disdain for order and his embrace of darkness. With each nefarious scheme and malicious deed, he solidifies his reputation as a true villain, unbound by the constraints of morality or conscience.

Grisly Humor: Tenebrous Grasp’s killing jokes are not necessarily funny to their victim, but they offer a grim finality in combat. A killing joke may be absurd, such as “Here is your final pineapple soul, a parting gift, goodbye” or a meta-game related, such as “I remember the days when finger of death killed people” or sheer braggadocio such as “Your footwork is atrocious, your spell’s lost its focus, your party’s no match for my hocus pocus.” Others may be high-flown, such as “Mortal, your time has come, the bell within your skill does ring, ding, dong, dead.” Tenebrous Grasp is famous for grim, bitter mockery, such as “Your blood on fire, your pumps its last, now show me a hero's last gasp (that’s the one! Goodbye!)” or “Odin’s raven has come for you; the Valkyries were busy. You lose, mortal.” Rarely does Tenebrous Grasp’s mockery entertain the living - but gods of death, chained angels, and most demons find them quite amusing.

Jerkiness Personified: As a denizen of the shadows, Tenebrous exudes an aura of unrepentant jerkiness, relishing in his disdain for others and delighting in their suffering. His interactions are laced with sarcasm and cruelty, a reflection of his utter disregard for the feelings or well-being of those around him.

Power-Hungry Despot: Fueling Tenebrous's malevolent nature is an insatiable thirst for power, a driving force that compels him to seek dominion over all he surveys. He craves control and authority, viewing manipulation and betrayal as mere tools to further his own ends, heedless of the chaos and destruction left in his wake.

Pride in Monstrosity: Far from harboring any semblance of remorse or regret, Tenebrous wears his status as an irredeemable monster with pride. He revels in his own depravity, finding satisfaction in the terror and despair he instills in those who dare to oppose him. To him, redemption is a notion reserved for the weak, and he stands unyielding in his commitment to darkness.

The Unrepentant Villain: In the annals of villainy, Tenebrous Grasp stands as a testament to the depths of depravity to which sentient beings can sink. Proudly chaotic evil, he embodies the very essence of malevolence, a force of darkness that brooks no redemption and shows no mercy

Plane Wander: Every once in a while, Tenebrous leaves the Material Plane to wander through distant planes—seeing them through magical scrying was not enough, so these aboleth used astral magic and bodily travel to see far beyond normal realms. But eon-long exposure to alien realms and the space between changed him, restructuring his life force, making him into something even more nightmarish— but better able to withstand both strange hells and golden realms of eldritch delight. He returned even more corrupt and powerful than when he left, and Tenebrous returned to the mortal world intent on spreading the influence of the Void and the utter evil he found in the vast darkness between worlds.

Undead Servitors: Humanoids, giants, and monstrosities that succumb to the nihileth’s corupting energies  transform into servitors for the twisted aboleths. Most humanoids transform into nihilethic zombies, while the larger giants and monstrosities transform into nihilethic dominators. While the creatures retain much of the general shape they had in life, these servitors have translucent and slimy skin, and are adept swimmers, able to function in water or on land in service to their nihileth masters.

Other Minions: Tenebrous Grasp often employs cultists and warlocks of various types for most tasks, as he finds them expendable and easy to replace. Those who survive the missions and tasks that they are assigned usually rise trough the ranks, becoming fiends and undead. Some examples of this are his right-hand man Damon, originally a Warlock of the Great Old One, he rose through the ranks and eventually found himself Tenebrous’s greatest warrior as a Risen Reaver. Tenebrous favors Mask Wights, Death Knights, Ghost Knights, Molydeus, Balors, Archmages, Grim Jesters, and Oath of Conquest and Oathbreaker Paladins to serve as his generals and leaders of his armies and hordes.

A Lich’s Lair

Tenebrous Grasp makes his lair in the fortress city of Havok, which is on Mordor, the layer of the Abyss that he rules. Surrounded by a moat made from the blood of his fallen foes, Havok is an eerily quiet and cold city, its streets empty for hours at a time. The central castle of bone has interior walls of bone and carpets made of humanoid flesh. The city contains wandering Undead, many of which are engaged in continuous battles with one another. Everything about he central castle reflects Tenebrous Grasp’s keen mind and wicked cunning, including the magic and mundane traps that secure it. Undead, constructs, and bound demons lurk in shadowy recesses, emerging to destroy those who dare to disturb the lich’s work. However, there are many extensions leaking into the Martial Plane, for Tenebrous Grasp needs to be near civilization for ready access to the blood and power he craves, the extensions are in a city’s catacombs, sewers, or other underground complex with easy access to the city’s streets at night. Tenebrous Grasp leads secret cults within the city, building its followers while drinking in the blood of the victims the cult brings to it. Due to the pact vampire’s more direct link to the extensions, the lair takes on aspects of Tenebrous Grasp and is subtly shaped by the his will, filling the lair with hellish heat, eldritch lights, sourceless screams, and similar effects pleasing to that him.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Tenebrous Grasp can take a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects; he can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:

• Spell Regain. Tenebrous Grasp rolls a d8 and regains a spell slot of that level or lower. If he has no spent spell slots of that level or lower, nothing happens.
• Negative Tether. Tenebrous Grasp targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of him. A crackling cord of negative energy tethers Tenebrous Grasp to the target. Whenever he takes damage, the target must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, Tenebrous Grasp takes half the damage (rounded down), and the target takes the remaining damage. This tether lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round or until the lich or the target is no longer in Tenebrous Grasp’s lair.
• Raise the Dead. Tenebrous Grasp raises the spirits of creatures that died in his lair. These apparitions materialize and attack one creature that Tenebrous Grasp can see within 60 feet of him. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw, taking 52 (15d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a success. The apparitions then disappear.
• Open the Void. Up to three points in water Tenebrous Grasp can see within 90 feet of him become conduits to the Void. Each creature within 10 feet of a point must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or take 7 (2d6) necrotic damage.
• Void Absorbance. Tenebrous Grasp can pull the life force from nearby Nihilethic Zombies and dominators to replenish its own life.Nihilethic Dominators and zombies within 30 feet of the Tenebrous Grasp take a total of 21 (6d6) psychic damage, divided evenly between them, and Tenebrous Grasp regains hp equal to that amount. If a zombie or dominator is reduced to 0 hp from this damage, it is destroyed.
• Void Shuffle. Tenebrous Grasp calls on the power of the Void within its lair to rearrange its servitors. Tenebrous Grasp can teleport each nihilethic dominator and zombie he can see within 60 feet of him to an unoccupied space within 15 feet of the target’s starting location.
• Deadly Utterance. Tenebrous Grasp voice booms throughout the lair. His utterance causes one creature of his choice to be subjected to power word kill. Tenebrous Grasp doesn’r need to see the creature, but he must be aware that the individual is in the lair.

• Grasp of the Dead. Tenebrous Grasp causes skeletal arms to rise from an area on the ground in a 20-foot square that he can see. They last until the next initiative count 20. Each creature in that area when the arms appear must succeed on a DC 23 Strength saving throw or be restrained until the arms disappear or until Tenebrous Grasp releases them (no action required).

• Undead Servants. Tenebrous Grasp causes up to six corpses within the lair to rise as skeletons, zombies, or ghouls. These Undead obey his telepathic commands, which can reach anywhere in the lair.