Sammaster

Lich Founder of a Dracolich Cult

Sammaster founded and led the Cult of the Dragon, a secret, evil organization dedicated to transforming living dragons into undead inheritors of a world blasted of life. Sammaster was slain centuries ago but now exists as a lich with his essence tied to a powerful dracolich form.

History. Sammaster was a keenly intelligent wizard born centuries ago. A quick study throughout his itinerant apprenticeship, Sammaster primarily studied magic relating to dragons. After learning all he could from other archmages, including Elminster and Alustriel Silverhand, Sammaster delved into new frontiers of necromancy and enchantment. He created the process to transform dragons into dracoliches, magically bound dragons to his service, and learned how to drive dragons across Faerûn into a berserk rage. He considered his intellect beyond morality and became paranoid, resentful, and megalomaniacal.
Sammaster's travels brought him into contact with people who revered dragons as icons of primeval might. Masquerading his desire to dominate dragonkind as devotion, Sammaster established himself as leader of these disparate zealots, whom he named the Cult of the Dragon. He perverted their fascination with his necromantic lore, revealing that dracoliches were destined to rule Faerûn. His Cult of the Dragon devotes itself to helping evil dragons become dracoliches to bring this evil new age to fruition.
Sammaster was killed in battle, but had prepared contingencies for his demise. He drew on the warped resurrection of dracoliches to become a lich himself. He continues to lead the Cult of the Dragon from the shadows, developing new ways to control and corrupt dragonkind.
Using Sammaster. Sammaster makes for a fearsome adversary in a campaign featuring the Cult of the Dragon. He frequently travels the Realms to check in on cult cells, which presents opportunities for the characters to interact with the lich, even in lower-level adventures. Sammaster's looming presence throughout a campaign foreshadows greater machinations behind smaller-scale cult activities.
A direct confrontation with Sammaster makes for an epic climax to a campaign. However, Sammaster is notoriously difficult to defeat even once, and thanks to his soul gem, he can keep coming back to plague Faerûn unless the characters can find a way to destroy the gem.
Personality. Sammaster presents a charming and handsome facade, but he can't conceal his morbid fascination with undead dragonkind for long. His only true allies are the inner circle of the Cult of the Dragon, from whom he commands obedience.
Sammaster rarely remains in one place for long, as he thinks no one can oversee the Cult of the Dragon activities across the Realms as efficiently as he can. Sammaster personally checks in on the cult's most important plots, often surprising his minions with his presence.
Rather than keep a soul jar as liches do, Sammaster keeps a magical soul gem in the same fashion as dracoliches. When destroyed in his lich form, Sammaster revives in the form of a dracolich with his soul gem as its heart. He can be permanently destroyed only by vanquishing this dracolich form and then destroying the soul gem before it reconstitutes him as a lich once again.
Would-be heroes have believed themselves victorious against Sammaster in the past, but the clever wizard returns each time to steer the Cult of the Dragon into more desperate and sinister plots.