LARENDIL, THE MIDNIGHT DIRGE
Created by Andrew Van Pernis

BIOGRAPHY

he citizens of Neblus in Necropolis speak one word with a mixture of reverential awe and unparalleled terror: Larendil. Though this terrible name alone is enough, many ascribe another sobriquet to him: The Midnight Dirge. A noble and brilliant elf from another world, Larendil was corrupted by his hubris into undergoing a terrible transformation. He believed that it would make him a god in the eyes of his race. Instead, he has become one of the most feared beings in the entire domain.

APPEARANCE

In life, Larendil was a tall and exceptionally slim gray elf. Although he is hardly a hideous monstrosity, his current undead nature is readily apparent. His skin is shriveled into a fine network of creases and lines, and his eyes glow with a brilliant white-hot fire. His pale golden hair remains beautiful, however, falling rod-straight down past his shoulders. He wears no armor, but is dressed in elegant funeral finery of white, black, ash gray, blood red and midnight blue.

LARENDIL, THE MIDNIGHT DIRGE
12th-Level / 13th-Level Baelnorn Bladesinger (Fighter/Mage), Lawful Evil

Armor Class Movement Level/Hit Dice Hit Points THAC0 Morale No. of Attacks	0 9 12 60 9 18 1 or 2	Str Dex Con Int Wis Cha XP	13 17 13 19 13 11 10,000
Damage/Attack:	1d10 (touch) or 1d8+4 (longsword)
Special Abilities:	Chill touch, spells, sending, turn undead
Special Defenses:	+1 or better weapons to hit, undead immunities, immune to 1st-level illusions
Special Vulnerabilities:	Cannot attack elves
Magic Resistance:	Nil

Spellbook
1st-Level: alarm, armor, burning hands, cantrip, charm person, color spray, comprehend languages, dancing lights, detect magic, detect undead, feather fall, hold portal, identify, jump, light, magic missile, phantasmal force, protection from evil, read magic, shield, sleep, spider climb, spook, unseen servant, wizard mark.
2nd-Level: blindness, blur, continual light, darkness 15’ radius, deafness, detect invisibility, ESP, glitterdust, hypnotic pattern, improved phantasmal force, invisibility, knock, levitate, locate object, mirror image, ray of enfeeblement, spectral hand, Strahd’s baneful attractor†, wizard lock.
3rd-Level: blink, clairaudience, clairvoyance, dispel magic, fly, haste, hold person, minor malison*, protection from normal missiles, slow, spectral force, wizard sight*.
4th-Level: bone seize‡, confusion, dimension door, fear, fire charm, fumble, greater malison*, illusionary wall, improved invisibility, minor globe of invulnerability, minor spell turning, Otiluke’s resilient sphere, rainbow pattern, wall of fire.
5th-Level: advanced illusion, chaos, domination, feeblemind, Knoslira’s crypt‡, lower resistance*, mind fog*, passwall, telekinesis, teleport, wall of force, zone of despair‡
6th-Level: contingency, control weather, enchant an item, globe of invulnerability, guards and wards, mass suggestion, permanent illusion, programmed illusion, veil.

* - Tome of Magic
† - Domains of Dread
‡ - Van Richten's Guide to the Lich

BACKGROUND

The elf named Larendil Eveningsong originally hails from Myth Drannor, on the world of Toril. He was raised in an elite society of elven warrior-mages, the Bladesingers, which left a deep impression on him. At an early age, the highborn elf left his homeland to work for the good of his race everywhere. Shortly thereafter he was drawn into the Land of Mists with a group of adventurers, including his ranger companion Garth.

Larendil went his own way not long after he found himself in the Demiplane, eventually settling in Necropolis among other elves. Over the years, the elf devoted himself to expanding his magical knowledge and protecting other elves from their enemies. Eventually, Larendil become renowned throughout the northern Core as a stalwart foe of the undead and all creatures of the night. Though the more reserved elves of the Demiplane admired Larendil’s bravery and loyalty, his extremely arrogant nature made them uneasy. The humans and other demi-humans of Necropolis were annoyed and more than a little frightened of this zealous elven crusader.

Eventually, Larendil stumbled upon a forbidden secret that inevitably led to his downfall. Elven legends spoke of the baelnorn, the undead state endured in extremely rare cases by powerful elves. Such noble souls underwent the agonizing transformation as an eternal sacrifice to their people, to forever guard against foes of elven lands. In his hubris, and perhaps nudged just a touch by the Dark Powers, Larendil believed that he might best serve his race in this form. He partially persuaded and partially extorted a more powerful mage to assist him in achieving the undead state. The transformation destroyed what little doubt and humility had held back Larendil’s delusions of grandeur. Convinced of his own perfection, Larendil severed himself from his old life and lineage. He believes that he is destined to attain a kind of demi-godhood among the elves of the Land of Mists by serving them for all eternity.

Currently, Larendil dwells is an elaborate mausoleum located on the fringe of the forest east of Neblus. Every sane individual, including elves and other undead, avoids the area. Most of the time, Larendil simply dwells in quiet solitude in his crypt. Intruders, however, are destroyed without a shred of mercy. Periodically, Larendil emerges from his resting place on a one-elf crusade of sorts for some incomprehensible reason. Whenever the elf feels that his “people”—the elves of Neblus, primarily—are threatened, he sets off to eliminate the problem, whatever it might be.

PERSONALITY

The two most significant characteristics of Larendil’s personality are his frightening intelligence and unwavering arrogance. He is, quite simply, a genius, capable of operating on many mental levels at once and engaging in the kind of long-term scheming that would shame a vampire. Only Larendil’s ego is perhaps more impressive than his mind. The elf knows fundamentally that he is a master warrior and a brilliant mage. He is the pinnacle of elven breeding and culture, and those who deny it are obviously idiots.

Larendil suffers from the delusion that all other elves admire and respect him for his sacrifice and service to their race. If he should encounter an elf who has never heard of him (or worse, holds a bad opinion of him), Larendil will become irritated. He will immediately seek to do something that he believes will impress his elven audience, such as brutally slaying every non-elf in the vicinity. Insults, however, do not faze the undead elf. Larendil is so arrogant that a lack of proper respect does not enrage him; he believes that anyone who does not recognize his greatness is like a madman who denies that gravity exists. Such a person is to be pitied, not reprimanded. Of course, those who become too much of a nuisance will be destroyed with less thought than it takes to swat a fly.

COMBAT

Even in death, Larendil fights as a bladesinger, an elite elven fighter/mage. He receives a +1 to his attack and damage rolls when wielding his particular longsword, Crescendo, which is a vorpal sword. As an elf, he also receives a +1 to his attack roll when wielding a long sword, short sword, or any sort of bow other than a crossbow. Thus, Larnedil receives a total +5 bonus to his attack roll and +4 to his damage rolls with Crescendo. He may attack twice in a round with the sword, dealing 1d8+4 points of damage. When attempting special maneuvers, Larendil receives a +6 bonus. If he elects to parry, he receives a +13 bonus to his AC.

If he is not armed, Larendil may attack by simply touching his victims. This chilling attack deals 1d10 points of damage, and victims must save vs. paralysis or be utterly unable to move. This paralysis lasts until dispelled. Larendil is completely immune to 1st-level illusions. He may only be harmed by +1 or better magical weapons, magical beings, or creatures with 6 or more Hit Dice. Like most undead, he is completely immune to charm, death, disintegrate, enfeeblement, hold, mind-affecting and sleep spells. He is also immune to cold, electricity, disease, poison and suffocation. Larendil may be turned as a lich (though he cannot be turned while in his lair), and can himself turn undead as a 14th-level priest.

Three times per day, up to five turns at a time, Larendil may use a project image power to send a wraithlike likeness of himself, called a sending, up to a mile distant. He can see through this image with his normal 90 foot infravision, and even into the Ethereal Plane. He can also hear and speak through it, and can even cast spells (the image serves as the source of the spell). This link transcends physical and all known magical barriers. The sending is AC 0, MV Fl 9(A), and has identical hit points to Larendil himself, but it lacks the ability to carry solid objects (including weapons or items), turn undead, or inflict damage by touch. Only half the damage (round down) suffered by Larendil’s sending is borne by him. The sending vanishes at Larendil’s will or when it is killed; it cannot be turned or magically dispelled. The sending can push against or move small things, so it may push its finger through sand or ashes to write a message, or turn a page of an open book, but it has insufficient mass to carry things. Larendil can have only one sending at a time.

Larendil even retains some others abilities inherent to his elven heritage. When he is unaccompanied by other creatures, Larendil’s opponents suffer a -4 penalty to their surprise rolls. If he must open a door or screen to attack, this penalty is reduced to -2. Larendil possesses infravision up to 90 feet. He has a one in six chance of noticing a concealed door by merely passing within 10 feet of it. He has a one in three chance of detecting a secret door and a one in two chance of detecting a concealed door if he is actively searching. At will, he can move through forested surroundings completely invisible and silent.

Due to his astounding intelligence, Larendil has a vast compliment of spells at his disposal. He does not employ many spells which deal direct damage, as he believes that such a method for dealing with foes is dishonorable. However, he is not above utilizing spells which incapacitate, hinder or confuse opponents. Larendil’s elaborate magical methods as a bladesinger extends all of his casting times by 2.

Larendil’s only known specific weakness is his complete inability to initiate combat against another elf. He will defend himself if attacked by an elf, but will fight to incapacitate and will never pursue his opponent.