Mauglurien

Mauglurien
The Black Dragon
Race	Dwarf
Lifespan	Died 2959
Character Class	Death knight
Patron Deity	Orcus
Status	Deceased
Alignment	Neutral Evil

Mauglurien, the Black Dragon was the leader of the Ebon Riders, an elite mercenary company dedicated to the demon lord Orcus. He is savage, bloodthirsty, and remorseless, and values glory in battle as much as he does the spoils that come from it. He wields a battleaxe named Boneshredder, which has earned a legacy just as vile and bloody as its wielder.

Mauglurien was exiled from his clan long ago after murdering another dwarf in cold blood; from there, he joined a particularly brutal group of bandits known for butchering townsfolk and putting villages to the torch. Initially favoring Kord, the god of battle, Mauglurien switched to the worship of Gruumsh after witnessing the savage ferocity of a group of orcs.

Mauglurien eventually killed the bandits' leader and took over, fashioning the bandits into a band of mercenaries with a notable lack of scruples regarding the jobs they took. Eventually some of the mercenaries, feeling that Mauglurien's leadership was too brutal, broke away, taking all but the most loyal of Mauglurien's mercenaries with them. Furious at their betrayal, Mauglurien sought out darker powers in order to get his revenge. It is unknown whether Orcus found Mauglurien or vice-versa, but the dwarf pledged his service to the demon lord and performed a vile ritual to transform himself into an undead death knight, binding his soul to his axe. With his newfound unholy strength, Mauglurien tracked down the mercenaries who had left the Ebon Riders and brutally executed them to a man.

Now a loyal servant of Orcus, Mauglurien built the Ebon Riders back up with a number of liches, death knights, and other undead willing to serve the Demon Prince of Undeath. Though they largely continued to operate as vicious mercenaries, they ultimately followed the will of Orcus. When the wizard Tephra allied herself with Orcus, Mauglurien led the Ebon Riders to Estorium to fight against the Brightstone Heroes, who had arrived to stop Tephra's plans. It was the Challengers of the Unspeakable who would prove Mauglurien's undoing, however; during a battle, the half-orc ranger Harthur managed to steal Boneshredder. Robbed off the source of his power, Mauglurien was forced to retreat through a portal to the Abyss. He ultimately faced Harthur once more during the latter's crusade through the White Kingdom. Greatly weakened without Boneshredder, however, Mauglurien's body was destroyed. Harthur then shattered the axe with the longsword Nightbringer, which devoured Mauglurien's soul.