NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dogbrain" data-source="post: 1531551" data-attributes="member: 14980">Here's a nasty twist.The lich began as a Good aligned priest of a powerful cult ("cult" used in the technical sense of "worship or veneration specific to an individual within a religion", not in the pejorative sense) within the main culture's dominant religion.  Over time, and so very slowly, he was corrupted by an evil force of--corruption!  Since this is a force/deity of societal corrpution, it specializes in concealing its activities, even from other deities.  Thus, its adherents appear benign to all forms of magical/divine/psionic/whatever detection unless specific and special measures are taken.As age catches up to the now thoroughly debauched and corrupt Highest Hierarch, he turns to the lich's path.  His final cunning stroke is his phylactery:  He arranges to have the central great edifice of the cult "improved".  This happens from time to time, especially at the behest of a wealthy and influential benefactor, who foots the bill.  This Hierarch has managed to be remarkably fortunate in that regard.  In his dwindling years, out of his great charity, he bequeaths nearly all his wealth and arcane items to this process.So, at the end, he is entombed with much mourning and hullaballoo.  After the funeral, he rises as a lich from his coffin and starts enlarging his secret power base.  He may even be momentarily destroyed from time to time--no matter.  His phylactery is very safe and very well concealed, and if it is destroyed, his revenge will be magnificent.  If his phylactery is destroyed, it will destroy the link between his former Good divine patron and the mortal world.This should be a deity without whom it would be pretty darn tough to get along, like the Grain Goddess in a world where grain will not grow without her specific blessing.Clever goody-good-guys will figure out various ways around the problem, of course, but it's still fairly twisted.(One work-around:  Imprison the lich--tough, but theoretically possible.)</blockquote>

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