The Todesgraf–not to be confused with the corpulent Toad Graf–also known as the baron of death, was a minor noble whose name is not recorded in the annals. After a minor squabble with a fellow nobleman broke out into open warfare, he found that his opponent had Imperial favor, and as a result his lands were largely overrun and he was reduced to a single besieged stronghold. Retreating there, it seems that some sort of dark bargain was made–or perhaps the culmination of a long secret dabbling with necromancy.

In either case, the assault failed–the men sent into the breach were slain by the tireless undead, and soon rose to join the defenders. Six more attempts resulted in the dead defenders now outnumbering the attackers, and the attack was called off. A flag of parley was flown, offering terms, but no response was received despite a figure being clearly visible on the topmost balcony. A sortie from the castle soon followed, but the undead were beaten back through the knowledge of the imperial inquisitors, who were able to light them on fire. Those who fell outside the walls of the fortress were not raised, suggesting that whatever baleful enchantment cloaked the place had a limited range.

As a result, the Imperial Diet declared the Todesgraf a necromancer and an outlaw, revoked all his titles, and claimed all his lands as an Imperial fief. The fortress was surrounded by anti-undead fortifications and left standing, the last bastion of the nobleman’s former power. There it stands to this day, gradually crumbling into ruin, its garrison of the dead enlarged only by the occasional treasure hunter or madman.

High Inquisitor’s Note:
There were those in the Imperial Diet who thought that the Todesgraf could be a powerful ally if his ire could only be turned on the heathen Taeni or Sarsen. A proposal to this effect was offered three times: first by messenger, then wrapped around an arrow, then finally by carrier pigeon. The messenger never returned, and his body was later seen manning the battlements. The arrow, its missive still rolled and unread, was shot into the kneecap of one of the blocking detachment a week later. The pigeon is still occasionally seen preening its rotting feathers on the battlements, its message still attached and unread.

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