The Hollow Veil Warlock Coven

The Hollow Veil is a warlock coven that has long lurked in the shadows of Ebonhart Forest, a thick woodland nestled between sea and mountains. After the Demonic Wars, the surviving warlocks of the Hollow Veil sought refuge in the depths of the forest, carving out a domain where they could hide and rebuild their strength while they rekindle their connection to the abyss.

The forest, diverse and expansive, is home to many creatures and factions and mostly remains shrouded in mystery. Over centuries, the coven has spread their influence, drawing in new initiates from the coastal city of Freeport and the scattered countryside beyond the forest’s edge.

The Pact of Twelve

Despite being a powerful warlock coven, they number only twelve at any given time. This is a sacred requirement of their pact, forged in the ashes of the Demonic Wars. The Hollow Veil believes that as twelve, they are bound by a greater infernal power, amplifying their dark magic beyond the sum of their individual strength. When one of them dies, a replacement must be found, ensuring the cycle continues.

The pact is kept in a scroll written in the warlock's blood. When one dies, their name is absorbed by the scroll making the pact stronger and more binding. A ritual is performed when a new warlock joins the pact where all warlocks gather and focus for 36 hours as their magics intertwine with one another.

Only warlock ever broke out of the pact, Nehr’ix. He severed the bond by betraying two of his kin, stealing their soul-bound scrolls, and reading their names aloud during a demonic possession ritual that deceitfully had ulterior motives.

In doing so, he sacrificed them to a mysterious demon on the other side and bound a greater demon within himself. With the pact broken, chaos erupted, and Nehr’ix, now an abomination of power, fled into Ebonhart Forest and beyond, never to be seen again.

He is deeply hated by the Hollow Veil, and should he ever return, he would be destroyed on sight for his treachery.

The War for The Gem of Xor

Those who know of the Hollow Veil, fear them. Their true adversary is the necromancer An’cax, who controls a blighted land at the edge of Samazin Lake within the depths of Ebonhart Forest.

The Hollow Veil desires an artifact in his possession—the Gem of Xor, a relic from the Demonic Wars that once allowed a Demon Lord to open rifts between realms. The warlocks seek to claim this artifact, not just for power, but to weaken the barriers keeping their infernal masters locked away.

An’cax has refused to surrender the artifact, and while the warlocks do not know his true intentions, they understand that he will not relinquish it easily. With direct battle against him proving costly, they instead work to corrode his dominion, pushing their demonic corruption ever deeper into his land.

The warlocks of the Hollow Veil seek to break through An’cax’s defenses not only through magical corruption but also through the use of demon incursions that clash with his undead forces. Their growing influence has spread across the borderlands of his realm, and where the two forces meet, something far worse has begun to manifest—chaotic magic that neither side fully understands.

The blight of necromancy and the abyssal corruption of the warlocks do not blend, but instead collide violently, tearing rifts in the channels of power. These unstable Arcane Rifts create pockets of distorted reality—where time fractures, illusions become real, and even lesser demons and undead struggle to maintain their form as pure arcane magic distorts their existence.

Magic cast in these areas warps unpredictably, and spells can have unintended, often disastrous, effects. This chaotic storm of arcane power has attracted beings of ephemeral radiance that flicker in and out of existence near the rifts. Sometimes causing immense destruction and other times imprisoning demons and undead alike in arcane light, like frozen statues.

The Coven's Relations

The Hollow Veil’s Expansion: While the warlocks are more powerful as spellcasters, they rarely engage directly. Instead, they send their acolytes and demonic thralls to wage battle against An’cax’s undead minions, ensuring that their corruption spreads further with each skirmish.

The Necromancer’s Resistance: Though unable to push the Hollow Veil out of Ebonhart, An’cax has thus far been able to keep the warlocks at bay, preventing them from fully overtaking his land or seizing the Gem of Xor.

The Silvanthar Druids: While the Silvanthar Wood Elves do not seek to invade the Hollow Veil’s territory, they refuse to let its influence spread unchecked. Their druids have formed a defensive line, purging abyssal corruption from the land and attacking any warlocks who venture too far into unclaimed territory.

The Skragglin Goblins: The forest goblins that roam the outskirts of Ebonhart Forest are a prime resource for the warlocks. Rather than seeing them as a threat, the Hollow Veil treats them as fuel—both for their demons and for their dark rituals. While the Skragglins can sometimes fend off lesser demons, they are ultimately being displaced or exterminated as the coven's influence spreads.

The Hollow Veil’s True Purpose

The Hollow Veil coven does not seek mere survival; they wish to return a Demon Lord to Anuheim. Their war for the Gem of Xor is their last hope, for they are losing power with each passing decade. Though bound as twelve, each new replacement is lesser than those who came before, as much of their hidden knowledge is lost with every death. Warlocks are secretive by nature, and even among themselves, they do not share the full extent of their power.

With each fallen warlock, the coven inches closer to oblivion, but if they can claim the Gem of Xor, they may yet see the return of the demonic conquest of old. For now, their war rages on, but the stakes have never been higher, and the Hollow Veil knows that if they fail, their legacy will be erased from history.