(a.k.a. Thomas Dunn)

Taegar the Animator is an honest man turned necromancer holed up in The Banshee Badlands.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Thomas Dunn started off as a normal family man, he and his wife were expecting a baby in the small town of Hollowford, when the baby arrived the birth was extremely strenuous for his wife and she did not survive it. His new baby boy was the only family that he had, however, it was clear from birth that he was deformed and would never live a normal life. In fact, the people of Hollowford were very close-minded and Thomas feared the worst, they wouldn’t let him live at all.

To protect his child Thomas ran off to The Forsaken Wharf an abandoned port southwest of Hollowford where he could find shelter and develop a plan. While hiding in The Forsaken Wharf an apparition came to him and proposed a plan for Thomas to protect his son. Thomas would use the apparition’s power to raise the dead in the surrounding fields between Astraloth and Hollowford. This would drive the townspeople away from the area and keep a protective barrier between his son and any intolerant townsfolk. The apparition lead Thomas to a Tome and a NecroOrb and he began his studies, to protect his son.

Accomplishments & Achievements

With his near-limitless time and fervent motivation, Thomas was able to become an extremely powerful Necromancer. The Forsaken Wharf was always said to be haunted so Thomas started there. He began by summoning wraiths, banshees, rusalki, and other spirits to patrol the Wharf and wail out in the night so that if anyone got close they would hear the moans and cries and stay at bay. As people started to keep their distance and he improved his skill he expanded his territory venturing farther from the Wharf and controlling more undead. He moved on to reanimating animal corpses in the lands near the Wharf bidding them to roam farther and farther out.

As the undead animals encountered the small farms between Astraloth and Hollowford ghost stories became more prevalent and there were even tales of attacks from undead animals. At first, most thought these stories were just tall tales but as occurrences became more common people started to abandon their farms for the safety of more urban areas. Eventually, Thomas gained access to the small cemeteries of the townsfolk that had run off and he raised skeletons, ghouls, and zombies. At this point, he had taken over all of the land between Astraloth, Hollowford and Anglers Port this forsaken land became known as The Banshee Badlands and no one dared venture into it or those who did were quickly dispatched. Thomas and his son moved deeper into The Banshee Badlands to get more of a barrier away from Hollowford.

Morality & Philosophy

Ever since the loss of his wife Thomas’s sole obsession is protecting his son. He knows the world is cold a cruel and cares not for the abnormal and macabre and thus he feels he owes them no debt or civility. He will do what he must to protect his son even raise the dead.

Social

Contacts & Relations

As Thomas and his son forged a new life in The Banshee Badlands he found himself needing more resources and from time to time Pirates from Smuggler’s Cove would use the Badlands and The Forsaken Wharf as a hideout when he didn’t have as many undead roaming those areas. They would never go too far inland for fear of the undead but if they were careful it was usually a safe place to set up camp without fear of being spotted by the law or townsfolk. Eventually, Thomas resolved to make contact with them and contract them out to gather supplies for him.

For a while, he drew his spirits away from The Forsaken Wharf until the pirates became more comfortable posting up there. Then one night he dawned an extra concealing and menacing cloak and dubbed himself Taegar the Animator to protect his identity and made off for the Wharf with a troop of undead. He made contact with the pirates and after an initially tense introduction he was able to convince them to bring him supplies in exchange for a safe hideout in The Forsaken Wharf, his only warning was that should they let slip his whereabouts or venture deeper into the Badlands they would most assuredly join his undead army in the most unpleasant of manners.