Baelnorn Lich

Baelnorn Lich

Elves who choose a path of Prime-bound duty beyond death can be turned into baelnorn lich, sometimes simply called baelnorn, and these undead defenders unswervingly protect their clan and its holdings for centuries. The majority of baelnorn are spellcasters, and they maintain their mental and magical abilities in this state, though exceptions occur.

Ecology

The choice to embrace undeath are allowed and considered only on rare occasions, when a clan or settlement has need of lorekeepers or defenders beyond the norm. Even if an elf truly wants to become a baelnorn for their clan's benefit, the Coronal, the High Mages, and the elders of the particular clan must all be of one mind to allow this sacrifice to be made. To the surprise of some elves, these transformations have occurred a few times in the past five millennia at the will of the Seldarine. Baelnorn, the willing undead elves, are the elves equivalent of liches, though they are hardly as disturbingly 'wrong' as the corrupt undead and they do not project the fearsome aura of those wicked creatures. Sustained by magic and granted life of a sort beyond nature, baelnorn appear largely as they did in life, though an immediate clue as to baelnorn is the existence of shriveled and wrinkled skin turning slightly translucent over time. Some of the oldest of baelnorn seem little more than the hint of body, hair, and skin around their skeletons. Unlike liches, this is the extent of their degeneration, and they do not fall into loose piles of bones.

Basics

The method of becoming a baelnorn is a High Magic or divine ritual. In some cases, baelnorns do not need to use phylacteries, as their undeath is gifted to them by the Seldarine, but alas this process is uncommon. Less fortunate baelnorns store their souls in a magical receptacle called a phylactery, like liches. Unlike most other forms of undead creatures, the baelnorn retains all of the memories, personality, and abilities that it possessed in life - but it has a virtual eternity to hone its skills and inevitably becomes very powerful. Like other powerful forms of undead (such as a vampire or mummy), a baelnorn has unnatural powers owing to their state. For example, they can put mortals in a paralyzed state of hibernation with a touch, making them seem dead to others, and can, through their typically powerful magical spells, summon other lesser undead or fey to protect themselves. Unlike liches, baelnorn do not radiate an aura of horror which can send weak-willed would-be foes to flight. The baelnorn is capable of sustaining tremendous physical damage, and is immune to disease, poison, fatigue and other effects that affect only the living. However, despite all their undead "gifts", a baelnorn (like a lich) counts their vast intellect, their supreme mastery of wizardry and limitless time to research and plan, as their greatest resources.

The Baelnorn Phylactery

Some baelnorn do not use a phylactery, as their undeath can be also gifted to them by the Seldarine. These baelnorn can use clones of itself to avoid destruction. Its soul wanders to an unharmed mortal shell when killed.

Some baelnorn's soul is mystically tied to its phylactery, in that case destroying its body will not kill it. Rather, its soul will return to the phylactery, and its body will be recreated by the power keeping it immortal. Thus the only way to permanently destroy a baelnorn is to destroy the phylactery as well. Therefore, the baelnorn will generally be extremely protective of the priceless item. The phylactery, which can be of virtually any form (usually appears as a valuable amulet or gemstone), will often be hidden in a secret place and protected by powerful spells, charms, monsters and/or other servants; the phylactery itself is usually of magical nature, meaning its destruction will generally be little easier than attaining it.

Role

Some choose to identify baelnorn by their motivations and occupations chosen in undeath.

• Watchnorns (for lurking observers and lesser guardians of public places or family lands, especially Castle Cormanthor)

• Lorenorns (for those choosing to act as tutors, librarians, or merely students of Art beyond their normal span of years)

• Guardnorns or Wardnorns (for powerful guardians of crypts and other secret places or as the sole protector of particularly powerful items).

In truth, the baelnorn are all capable of as much action and activity as a live elf, though their personal attitudes and motivations (and the social unease over the continued public presence of baelnorn) limits them to particular activities. In her time as a baelnorn, the Srinshee had acted as Wardnorn of the Vault of Ages and as the Lorenorn for the armathors and Court Magi, a great amount of activity despite her relatively hidden existence.

While the demilich type exists among liches, there is no equivalent type among baelnorn. Though some revolutionary changes are recorded in the history.

A Baelnorn Lich’s Lair

A Baelnorn Lich's lair varies depending on its task. One may reside in an ancient burial chamber guarding the relics and history of ancient elves well another may live within an elven city and serve as both guardian and archivist.

The lair of a Baelnorn lich resembles its quarters when it was alive and not much has changed. They tend to keep mementos of friends and family they have outlived or lost over the ages. Much of the space is dedicated to the individuals personal hobbies. One may have a large alchemy lab dedicated to researching new cures for various illnesses well another may have a smithy where they forge deadly and powerful weapons.

A Baelnorn lich encountered in its lair has a challenge rating of 22 (41,000 XP).

Lair Actions

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

• The Baelnorn lich rolls a d8 and regains a spell slot of that level or lower. If it has no spent spell slots of that level or lower, nothing happens.
• The Baelnorn lich targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it. The target is bathed with energy channeled directly from the Feywild and must succeed on a DC 18 Charisma saving throw or be overcome with awe and is paralyzed until the start of the Baelnorn lich's next turn.
• The Baelnorn lich calls forth spirits form the Feywild. This has the same effect as casting Conjure Fey at 9th level. The summoned creature acts on the same initiative as the Baelnorn Lich and lasts until the start of the Baelnorn lich's next turn. The spell does not require concentration.