Eliphas Grisham Melcantis

= Melcantis, The Unliving Gentleman =

"Though an overused phrase, I find that knowledge, does indeed, indicate power in some fashion. The question is whether or not the powerful have the wisdom to wield it." - Eliphas Grisham Melcantis

A somewhat decrepit, yet well-preserved, this Forsaken's first notable physical characteristic is the fact that he seems to have a slight limp, perhaps due to the slow decay of his ligaments. This, however, only seems to cause him to push his body further, walking at speeds slightly exceeding others, as if to compensate for this flaw. At times, the creak of his very skeletal structure can be heard faintly, beneath the clank of armor or soft whishing of his far softer clothing. At all times, whether bearing simple Mage's finery or almost ceremonial armor, he carries a number of artifacts upon his person. Almost every section of clear space has been devoted to the placement of some strange object, some mundane, others clearly magical, many of them possessing some level of morbidity. His facial expression, at most times, seems to indicate either slight discomfort, as if he has been walking with a far too heavy object weighing him down for some time, or a constant dislike of everything he views. Whether talking to an ally, reaching a compromise regarding business, or engaging in deadly combat with a hated foe, his expression remains unchanging. At times, however, he manages to remember that he retains control over his facial muscles, and forcibly makes use of them, though often to varying degrees of success.

His personality seems to be a combination of a learned individual, crossed with an extreme need to maintain civility and politeness at most times. To those unfortunate few that have experienced the excruciating experience of being skewered upon his blade, he seems ruthless, yet without any kind of vehement hatred. Regardless of the individual's personal relationship to him, he will act with some level of respect towards them, in all but the most extreme of circumstances. At the very worst, he may inform a person that he has a fierce need to attend to his personal experimentations, before taking his leave of them in the most non-offensive manner available to him. To those whom manage to overcome the initial hurdle of introductions, which are occasionally a strained experience, they may find he is somewhat helpful in explaining whatever field of expertise he is currently engaging in.

Regarding his personal motivations, his primary concern seems to be the accumulation of knowledge, experimentation to confirm it's veracity and finally, the divulgence of such information to the Forsaken, to further their goals and ambitions. Indeed, his very existance seems to be solely for the betterment of the Forsaken, with his own advancement coming as a secondary benefit. His devotion to the cause of the Forsaken is, at times, suspect, though his belief in the Dark Lady is unwavering in most regards. To any whom know him well enough, if he flees from a significant battle for the Forsaken, it is not due to cowardice. It is most likely in an attempt to formulate a strategy to minimize the severity of the imminent defeat, or perhaps even completely turn the tables upon them. Tactically, his skill in commanding is negligible, though at times he seems to have access to rare moments of insight that, in the near future, are extremely beneficial, assuming that his advice is taken.

His skills, when compared to that of a genuine Death Knight, are actually far less potent. His true potential in combat lies in careful planning, along with overwhelming superiority in numbers, thusly his fighting styles reflect this, as he will gladly decapitate an unarmed foe, but at the first sign of a worthy battle, he will retreat while his undead minions delay and harry his enemies, so that he may arrange some kind of trap, or gain an advantage through magical means. Previously, he became offended upon being greeted as one of the Acherus Death Knights, however, he now gladly allows others to call him thusly, without correcting them. Doubtlessly, to assist in his ability to bluff enemies within earshot, of his own combat skills.

= Background AKA Wall Of Text = "A sad life you had, Grisham. A far worse unlife awaits you, I hope." - Vectir Bhiragh

Prior to the Scourge Invasion of Lordaeron
Eliphas Grisham Melcantis claims that, in life, he was a Magus of the Kirin Tor. There is some truth to this, as he was indeed counted among the Magi, however, he was not officially a member of the Kirin Tor, though he did spend a brief period within the city of Dalaran. His magical skills were far outstripped by others of that place, though he was adequate at his chosen field of magic. Though his skills in most combative magical fields were, at best, negligible, and at worst, dangerous, he managed to excel in the art of enchanting objects with various magical effects. Not strictly an 'Enchanter', but closer to a Warder. His skill lied within creating magical Wards, preventing people from opening that which they did not earn. This led to some notable mischief, and his consequent expulsion from the city, after a series of books, doors, even simple household objects such as jars, became impossible to open without serious personal injury on the unfortunate.

Whether or not he was responsible remains irrelevant, however, as Dalaran was considered his last chance by his family to become a worthwhile contribution to their family line. At this point he returned to his ancestral holdings, to find an enraged father whom had recieved word of his supposed mischief, along with the resulting consequences. Fortunately for Grisham, the Scourge prevented any kind of punishment from his family. Unfortunately for Grisham, his death would soon come, in a most unexpected form. Like many of the people whom lived, and died, within Lordaeron, the end was painful. His family, like others, fell prey to the tainted grain, which served as the trap that was ultimately sprung upon the now-dead kingdom. He, too, ingested his share, though very little. His death came slower than most, and fearing that he would join his family in their mindless undeath, he barricaded himself within his room, then proceeded to Ward the entire area. Over the span of three days he exhausted himself, mentally and physically, in attempting to lengthen his lifespan. In the end, however, his resolve wavered, resulting in him taking a blade to his own throat. This ended his life, but only began his unlife.

March of the Scourge
Like many unfortunates, Grisham returned, enslaved to the will of the Lich King. His room, however, was so well-defended by his previous magical incantations, that he was unable to escape the room for some considerable time. In the end, he managed to tear apart the very floorboards in his mad frenzy, freeing him to do the will of his new master. Time passed quickly for Grisham in his new form, as his mindless onslaught on the few survivors began in earnest. Time passed and he was forgotten, as he was left behind to decay into nothingness, as a silent guardian of the lands he once lived in. The future Banshee Queen, Lady Sylvanas Windrunner, however, had other plans in store, though perhaps not for Grisham specificially. Grisham's role in the Forsaken's creation and uprising was minimal, even non-existant. Sheer chance allowed his salvation from the frigid grip of the Lich King's enslavement, as one of the many Wardings he had once weaved upon his own clothing drew the attention of the magically-inclined among Sylvanas' devoted. They kept Grisham safely stored away, in 'cold storage', as they called it, sealing him within an empty crypt in the hopes that the grip upon his mind may eventually wither and fade.

Uprising of the Forsaken


His inprisonment proved to be the crucial component to his salvation. The logic behind his imprisonment and subsequent abandonment by his future brethren was simple. Should he fail to be freed from the grip of the Lich King's enslavement, he would pose no threat within the crypt.

However, should he awaken, logic would prevail and allow his escape. Failing that, he would spend the rest of his unliving existance imprisoned within the crypt, thus weeding out an unfit member of their ranks. Fortunately, the mental hold upon Grisham faded, leaving him with no knowledge regarding

anything that had come before. He remembered only his first name, along with all the knowledge of magic that ever held any significance to him. For the next three days, he was held in the pitch black embrace of the darkness, with not a soul to talk to. The first day was spent in terror, unsure of what had happened to him. Awakening in a place of pure blackness, with no forseeable escape, caused great distress to him. Eventually, however, this terror subsided, allowing him to explore his surroundings. The next day was spent exploring the crypt, eventually working his way up to the central entrance. Luckily for him, a small gap in the locked door remained, allowing in the slimmest tentacle of torchlight from outside. Reaching for this light, he realised his hands had become thin, pale remnants of what a healthy individual would possess. This, however, quickly left his mind. He focused his energies into creating a magical flame, using it to find something as a fuel source. Within an hour he created a burning bonfire within the crypt, though the smoke became an annoyance.

The final day within the crypt was spent mustering his energies and imbuing them within a single pebble, no bigger than a child's tooth. The process was exhausting, moreso than the Warding of his previous home, but after hours of concentration the pebble finally ignited with a pale blue flame. In his shock, he nearly dropped the precious stone, though he regained his composure before calamity befell him. With a single motion, he flung the tiny pebble at the door, causing a blazing immolation of flame to consume the wood which it touched. Within seconds, the door had been reduced to a pile of ashes and melted metal. He had earned the right for freedom, and to join the ranks of the Forsaken, though he did not yet know it. After finding his brethren, he gladly joined their cause, if only to learn of his own condition, and what came before the crypt. His desire burned within him, a cold, painful ache, driving him to excel.

Renewed Purpose
The entirety of the uprising of the Forsaken was a process of enchanting the weaponry and armor of his kin, granting them superior strength and resistance to damage. This conflict went without any notable events, beyond the procurement of a single Necromancer's Grimoire from a battlefield. This would prove vital in Grisham's eventual profession of choice, though again, he did not realise this at the time. Eventually, with the liberation of the Forsaken from their previous enslavement, the gruelling task of assigning missions and jobs to the newly risen began. Grisham was assigned to Vectir Bhiragh, a then-fledgeling Deathstalker, to seek out camps of Necromancers and eliminate them, to hinder the creation of further troops to join the Scourge ranks. Over the length of several months, Grisham and Vectir performed their task with extreme efficiency, often with the pattern of Grisham performing Warding upon Vectir's blades and armor, allowing him to slaughter the camp, then pilfering their belongings.

Upon their return, they were rewarded for their excellent work with a further task; to seek out wayward Necromancers dotted throughout the Eastern Kingdoms, whereever they may roam, and to destroy them to prevent any pockets of Scourge rising up and creating new strongholds for the Lich King. As they performed this task, with similar efficiency to their previous task, Grisham continued to 'liberate' the belongings of the Necromancers, though without the knowledge of Vectir, he took their magical implements, tomes, grimoires, anything he could find to further his studies in Necromancy. He found that the magic within Necromancy was, in fact, remarkably similar to his Warding magics, in some ways. Thus, he suspected that he may be capable of attaining some level of skill as a Necromancer. It wasn't until their arrival within Duskwood, and subsequent assassination of an entire coven of Necromancers and Necromagi that Vectir discovered these objects within Grisham's belongings. Enraged at this secret, Vectir accused Grisham of planning to rejoin the ranks of the Lich King, but this time, as a willing servant. The truth could not be more different, but Vectir refused to listen to reason. Eventually they began to fight, with Grisham being at a severe disadvantage.

Faced with an opponent wielding Warded weaponry and armor, far his superior in combat, even without the magical augmentation of his battlegear, Grisham drew all his energy into a single, last-ditch blow. He knew that, given the opportunity, Vectir would eliminate him with the same cold, quick efficiency that he had witnessed, as he garroted countless Necromancers. This thought fuelled the flames, both within his mind and his hands. A blazing conflagration spewed forth, severely harming Vectir, leaving him at Grisham's mercy. Vectir refused to listen to Grisham's words, spitting out vengeful words, claims that when the Dark Lady discovered his treachery, he would suffer the consequences. Left with no other choice, Grisham immolated Vectir, leaving behind nought but bones and ash, along with his twin blades. Grisham buried what remained of his former comrade, before heading back north. He informed his superiors of what had happened, and professed his desire to still aid the Undercity in any way possible. He was placed into confinement, whilst his fate was decided. Eventually, after several days, they came to the conclusion that his words were truthful, and his desire to continue his role in the Forsaken society was in earnest. Thus he began a new assignment, to seek out and kill any Necromancer he could find, remove their belongings, decipher their purpose and, ultimately, increase the knowledge of the Forsaken, regarding the magic that was used in their very creation.

A Knight Is Manifest
Not having the resources to spare another partner to Grisham's new task, he was coupled with a rapidly-decaying former-Paladin, Sir Garik Blackwood. Blackwood's purpose was simple; to train Grisham into becoming a formidable force against any foe he encountered, to ensure that he was not such a soft target. Not having the magical prowess to become a Battle Magus, the path of blades was opened to Grisham. For three weeks, Garik taught Grisham what he could, before he succumbed to the chill. Unfortunately relapsed under the control of the Lich King, Grisham was sent out with what little knowledge he had gained, in the hopes that he would survive in a trial by fire. The next few years were spent travelling, not just the Eastern Kingdoms, but, eventually, to Kalimdor. The Forsaken's alliance with the Horde opened new possibilities of travel for the aspiring Necromancer-Knight, as well as opening new avenues of research. No matter how many Necromancers fell to his blade, how many Foci he acquired, Grisham was never satisfied, and, indeed, perhaps never will be.

Weeks rolled on, became months, and as they too passed, became yet more years. The passing of time was malleable to Grisham, seeming to slow down as he found and researched new prizes, speeding up in his pursuit of them. Eventually he began to devote himself to other paths, retraining his skill in the blade, to compensate for his lack of skill in battle. Despite his prowess with whatever weapon he procured, he still preferred to allow his personal minions to do the work for him, to reduce the risk of personal harm. Eventually, he turned back to the path of the Magi, where his studies originated. Before he could devote himself entirely, however, war arrived, once more. The conflict of Outlands had passed him by, in his pursuit of knowledge, but the call of the Lich King from the distant northlands could not be ignored, nor the promises of knowledge attained from his fallen subjects.

On Wings Of Ice And Bone


Grisham gladly joined in on the bloody campaigns within Northrend, eagerly assisting both Forsaken and his Horde allies, as best he could, when it came to the Cult of the Damned. His knowledge of their hierarchy began to build, and eventually, a great boon. During the campaign in Northrend, however, Grisham discovered the potency of the Scourge's Dragon forces. Scholomance had been an infant's steps in the art, with it becoming perfected in the frozen mountains of Northrend. Proto-Drakes, the primal ancestors of the proud Dragonkin, dominated the wildlife of Northrend, so it was but a logical step to draft them into the Lich King's service. Grisham felt the need to try his hand at procuring one of these creatures for himself, though it was a difficult achievement, solely because an untamed Drake would not be suitable, much less stealing a tamed one from the ranks of the Cult of the Damned, and their Vrykul allies.

Difficult, but not impossible. Grisham, through interception of messages, trickery and deception, eventually arranged for one of the Proto-Drakes to be left alone for but a few minutes. The creature had been recently bathed within a pool of Plague Mist, which was necessary to allow them to retain all of their strengths, and prevent decay, but also having the side-effect of making them very hard to remain near, without being affected by the Mist itself. Grisham, however, had no fear of becoming undead, due to the fact that he was already among their number. With a few choice bindings, he broke the creature from it's previous master, quickly forcing it under his will. With the task complete, he leaped upon the creature's frost-armored hide and flew off, laying down a withering conflagration of dragon-flame and mage-fire, much to the distaste of the Cultists and the Vrykul.

Soon after this impressive feat of trickery, however, the Lich King was laid low, leaving Grisham without any particular cause beyond the further accumulation of knowledge, allowing him free reign in his personal activities and experiments. Thankfully, the Cultists of the Damned, in disarray and without their previous supply lines, or the co-ordination brought by Arthas' existance, lost their ability to function. Isolated Cultists became desparate, willing to trade their most precious secrets and even some of their possessions, for little more than a week's supply of food. Though Grisham was less than agreeable to the individuals responsible for the Forsaken's predicament, he was willing to set aside their previous sins, until all their knowledge was his. The next period of time was spent doing nothing more than finding such desparate individuals, befriending them for their secrets, then killing them once they had divulged all that they knew.

= Present Day =

Now a powerful Necromancer in his own right, Grisham has begun to experiment with variations on the concept of Lichdom, though these experiments remain secret and most likely incomplete. However, he has succeeded in creating a far more simple process of drafting an undead minion to his service, the secret of which, lies within a combination of his Arcane studies, Warding skills and the commonplace Necromancy used to create such creatures in the first place. Though the creature itself is rarely as powerful as those risen by the chosen of Acherus, he has become proficient at summoning one after another, affording him the ability to send minion after minion at any pursuing enemy, giving him time to unleash a veritable army of the same creatures upon anyone unfortunate enough to not stop him in time.

Beyond this, he has renewed his dedication to the Forsaken, believing that his self-interest serves little grand purpose. To aid in this endeavour, he has joined the ranks of The Shadarim, pledging his service to their cause, and rededicating his gathering of knowledge to the advancement and betterment of all those who are Forsaken, regardless of the subject involved, be it Necromancy, ancient Relics or Artifacts, or just magical knowledge on it's own.