Myzrym

Appearance:

Myzrym superficially resembles a variant Beholder, or Eye Tyrant in that the creature/arch mage is a floating head with eye stalks protruding from it. Closer inspection reveals that the Myzrym has two eyes, and rather than being the typical rugose asexual monster, it has features that mark it is both female, and dark elven. Myzrym has ash gray skin, a pair of small pointed ears and two normal (if overly large) eyes, and a mouth that is several times smaller than the typical beholder.

Lore: The Drow sorceress Myzrym fled the Underdark more than three centuries ago escaping persecution by the clergy of Lolth. After reaching the surface, Myzrym became a dark lieutenant for hire and worked for a number of evil warlords, necromancers, and others of ill repute. During this time, she perfected her magical prowess and began research into transcendent magics.

Abilities:

Tier 1/Innate

Darkvision, Low Light Vision, Levitation at will, Immune to poison, half damage from bludgeoning weapons, half damage from cold, Regeneration (high) Necrotic Aura (inflict minor wounds to all living things with 10', cannot be negated) High resistance to Necromantic/death magic, charms, illusions, and sleep magic.

Tier 2/Activated Abilities

Main Eye - Sight Beyond Sight, Myzrym can use clairvoyance, true seeing, infravision, or see invisible at will through her main eyes, at will, but only one at a time (cannot use two vision modes at the same time). This replaces the typical Anti-Magic field created by a typical Beholder.

1. Searing Ray - can generate a strong fire beam for moderate damage, can be used in creating objects, starting fires, and arcane energy can be channeled through this eye stalk for manipulate fire, summon fire elementals and fire type creatures, or once daily for a Delayed Blast Fireball spell.

2. Withering Ray - can generate a strong necromantic beam causing major injury through a gangrene like affliction. The Eyestalk can also be used as a focus for Drain Life, Drain Magic, and other vampiric type spells. Undead targeted by this eyestalk are affected as if Myzrym were a cleric of similar level attempted to turn undead.

3. Sleep Ray - A deceptively dangerous ray, this eyestalk can put victims to sleep, in which they are vulnerable to dream manipulation and mental reprogramming. Myzrym will use this eyestalk to create unknowing or unwitting minions to do things for her.

4. Telekinesis Ray - A strong ray capable of exceptional feats of strength, including acts of exceptional manual dexterity. Myzrym has such control over this ray that it can be used for something as complex as playing a musical instrument. The eyestalk can be used for casting manipulative magics, with Dancing Sword/weapon being a personal favorite.

5. Hold Ray - A potent paralysis ray, this eyestalk is also used to create wards, palings, and other abjuration magics.

6. Confusion Ray - This ray causes disorientation and confusion (obviously) which typically results in groups turning on each other through hallucinations. The eyestalk is also used for magics that control the mind, control creatures and monsters, and creates illusions.

7. Shadow Ray - Deals a moderate amount of damage, as well as extinguishing light sources, creating darkness, and summoning shadow creatures (less powerful versions of normal creatures, but it is easier and often more effective to summon three shadow trolls than it is to summon one regular one)

8. Stone Ray - A powerful ray that causes petrification, the eyestalk can also be used to cast the Animate Objects spell, which Myzrym uses to turn intruders into stone, and then into soldiers for her.

9. Death Ray - While not the most powerful eye ray, the death ray causes death in weak opponents, and weakens stronger ones. The greater power of the eyestalk is to cast variations of the Animate Dead, and Create Greater Undead spells.

10. Disintegrate Ray - This eye ray is one of the most powerful, destroying with ease. The more frightening use of this eyestalk is that it can be used to restore things that have been destroyed. It can restore anything it disintegrated, but anything disintegrated by another source is beyond it's ability. This can restore destroyed items, repair damaged items, and even pull things back together that were destroyed long ago if a large enough piece can be found.

Tier 3/Special Abilities

Myzrym is an archmage of exceptional skill and power, having had centuries to perfect her understanding of arcane principle and theory. As such, she has the full complement of spells that would be expected of a magic user of sufficient power to purposely turn themselves into a Beholder for greater magic power, and then again into a liche for immortality.

Necromancy - Not Myzrym's favorite, but her most powerful ability. The liche commands a fearsome arsenal of spells including her own grimoire of Drow inspired black magic.

Transmutation - Myzrym's specialty is Transmutation, as in her early years she augmented her spell arsenal by collecting magics that allowed her to shapeshift. She retains these spells and if pressed into combat, and the army of single use golems, freshly raised undead, and portfolio of magic spells fail, she can use her greater transmutation spells to turn herself into a giant Dracolich, (the imitation of one of her most powerful mentors, Xanovius the Shadow of Annihilation and Destroyer of Worlds) to unleash the terrifying payload of said undead winged reptile.

Summoning - As a sorceress among the Drow, Myzrym is well versed in the Elfin concept of Vlos Mzil Abbanen, or the Blood of Many Allies, and has spent a good deal of time perfecting her ability to summon and control monsters and minions to do her bidding. Seeing that specialization breeds weakness, Myzrym uses her summoning magics to counter the weaknesses presented by her undead nature, and typically retains a number of neutral or lawful celestial level summons. A group of warriors armed to fight a necromancer are usually not equipped to fight a Celestial/Angel.

Personality and Facing the Drow-Holder-Liche

Myzrym has long ago transcended many basic notions of mortality, and the weaknesses of organic life. The creature rarely if ever speaks with those who confront it, instead typically butchering everything, and then extracting the information from the scavenged brains of the deceased. Facing the monster is an arduous task, as it keeps it's location secret, retains a number of dungeon fortresses and laboratories, can teleport almost at will between these places, and has a moderate sized cadre of minions, many of whom are magically inclined. It has also made alliances with powerful beings, such as the previously mentioned dracoliche, as well as a number of evil celestial entities and outside beings commonly termed demons and cosmic horrors.

Finally, if the misdirections are overcome, if the minions are defeated, if the spells and eyerays are survived, and a group of heroes manages to actually destroy Myzrym's form, there is the matter of it's phylactery. Most liches will hide their soul gems in obscure places, in forgotten fortresses, or at the bottom of a dungeon, or some other impossibly remote location. Indeed, the head of Myzrym has seeded a number of fake phylacteries in such locations, sending those who would destroy it on long arduous journies to weaken and kill many of them.

Myzrym's phylactery is a rather unassuming jewel set into a sword of some power, which the liche forged in the past and quietly slipped into a royal collection. The soul gem of one of the most terrifying monsters in the world is most commonly used in ceremonial fashion, a high elfin blade worn by the first princess of a small but formal nation.

Background

Myzrym was a Drow dissident, dislike the Cult of Lolth, and refusing the join into it's ranks. After fleeing the Underdark and Drow Assassins she made her way to the surface and spend a long time working as a lieutenant for hire, functioning as a sorceress and seductress while doing her own magical research on the side. After a series of personal calamities (failed attempt at living a normal life aka finding a spouse and having children) she decided that the only thing of true and lasting value was magical power and focused her time and energies to this end. Through greater understanding of transmutation, and capturing, experimenting on and dissecting several Beholders, she turned herself into one. She did not make herself into a perfect copy of a Beholder, but decided to retain her personal and racial identity, and was functionally a giant Drow head with eyestalks and the typical assortment of beholder eye ray abilities, albeit with extensive modification.

As her power increased, she was increasingly alienated from her old sphere of influence as many of her former associates preferred her female form, and disliked her floating head of horrors form. Those she did not murder, she forced into slavery to her, creating her first round of minions. During this time her power increased through arcane research and experimentation as well as acquisitions including many wondrous and magical objects and relics of magical power. She found the limits of the mortal frame, even one as durable as a Beholder and decided to take the next logical step, immortality. She bribed and flattered demons, devils, dragons and a dracoliche into tutoring her on such things, until she was able to create the spell that turned the once beautiful Drow sorceress into a floating indestructible undead beholder Drow head thing.

Plot Hook:

Find Myzrym, destroy the monster, take it's treasure, find the phylactery and destroy it before the monster reincorporates and starts the horror show all over again. Gain XP. Level Up. Profit.