Velsharoon – The Ambitious God of Necromancy and Undeath

In the war between cosmic good and evil raging across the fantasy multiverse, necromancy occupies a uniquely controversial position – shunned by many as an "evil" school of magic, yet still practiced in secret by ambitious mages tempting fate with mysterious powers over life and death itself.

And in the center of the necromantic web sits an intriguing figure – Velsharoon, the Faerûnian demigod who clawed his way to divine status through mastery of the forces of undeath. As the patron of liches and the ultimate prize for mortal necromancers, Velsharoon offers a case study into the temptations and true costs of the darker magical arts.

From Humble Roots to Dark Divinity

According to scattered legends, Velsharoon began his arcane career as an ordinary human wizard named Mellifleur who lived many centuries ago. Already obsessed with longevity and defeating death through magic, Mellifleur voraciously researched necromancy and soul-binding rituals, making several unsuccessful attempts at lichdom. While other liches destroyed themselves through careless preparation, Mellifleur took a more measured path by patiently gathering resources and undead followers.

This patience paid off – around 1500 DR, Mellifleur finally completed his intricate soul-binding rituals and arose anew as Velsharoon, the first of Faerûn‘s great liches. As Velsharoon, heMASKed his former identity, only leaving behind his old moniker "Mellifleur" as a reminder of his cunning rise to power.

Over the next several centuries, Velsharoon constructed an empire of undead followers, toppling regional rulers and absorbing their lands. His name soon spread far and wide, striking fear into mortal hearts. Other ambitious necromancers flocked to serve him, which further magnified his reach.

By 2000 DR, Velsharoon commanded entire nations of skeletons and zombies, with lich lieutenants ruling local regions. So great was his influence that he began accumulating actual divine power derived from the worship and sacrifice of his followers. Despite lacking the cosmic portfolios of greater gods, Velsharoon‘s mastery of necromancy and the forces of undeath itself granted him demigod status – placing him firmly above even the most legendary mortal spellcasters.

The Portfolio of Death and Undeath

As the divine embodiment of dark necromancy, Velsharoon claims an array of sinister powers tied to manipulating souls and subverting the natural order of life and death:

• Necromancy – Velsharoon possesses near-complete mastery of necromancy, outpacing even archliches. All necromantic magic across Faerûn stems partially from his divine portfolio.

• Undead Mastery – As the god of undeath, Velsharoon shares control with daemonfey deity Nerull over souls trapped in undead forms like skeletons, zombies, ghosts, and vampires. He can influence or override any undead not specifically protected.

• Liches – All liches ultimately derive their soul-bound immortality from pacts with either Velsharoon or his arch-nemesis Orcus. Velsharoon created the first ritual for lichdom and views liches as his rightful children and chosen proxies across Faerûn.

• Secrets of Death – True to his former identity as Mellifleur, Velsharoon craves access to hidden magical knowledge – especially long-lost rituals for manipulating life, death, and souls. Many warlocks and wizards selling their souls for dark secrets unknowingly bind themselves to Velsharoon‘s service.

Compared to greater gods like Mystra or Lathander with broad cosmic responsibilities, Velsharoon‘s portfolio centers tightly on necromancy and the forces of undeath. But within that narrow domain, Velsharoon reigns supreme, backed by an empire of deathless undead fanatically loyal to their grim lord and master.

Schemes and Ambitions

Unlike other prominent Faerûnian deities focused on maintaining cosmic balances or fulfilling clear agendas derived from their alignment or ethos, Velsharoon harbors grander visions for further elevating his own status and bringing all undead under his sway. The matching goals of his portfolio expansion efforts and mortal followers create a powerful feedback loop, with each new cultist or dark ritual feeding Velsharoon more magical essence and divine reach. With enough accumulated power, he could shed his demigod status and ascend to the circles ofintermediate or greater gods.

Velsharoon advances these ruthless ambitions through several methods:

Undead Empire-Building – Velsharoon dispatches lich high priests and death knight commanders to conquer strategic regions rich in necromantic magic that can be exploited to spawn new undead armies. Questlines in D&D expansions like Ravenloft see players striving to liberate lands from the grasp of Velsharoon‘s undead hordes.

Cultivating Followers – Through deception, coercion, false promises, and thermal dynamics of his portfolio, Velsharoonconstantly works to swell his follower base by recruiting apprentice necromancers, desperate souls looking to cheat death, or the eternally damned like vampires and vengeful ghosts. More followers channel him more essence.

Hunting Lost Secrets – Obsessed with expanding his magical knowledge, Velsharoon offers dangerous rewards to warlocks and wizards who recover long-lost necromantic rituals for him. These faustian bargains produce new undead transformations or soul-harvesting magic items that further magnify Velsharoon‘s powers.

So while Velsharoon clearly sits at the apex of Faerûn‘s necromancy hierarchy currently as a demigod, he remains eternally dissatisfied and constantly plots to reshape the multiverse according to his desired vision of necromantic supremacy. Only fools would take their safety from undeath for granted while this devious death god still grasps for more cosmic power!

Bitter Rivalries with Other Powers

Unsurprisingly, Velsharoon‘s sinister history and dark goals spawn no shortage of supernatural rivals and enemies seeking to curb his schemes:

Orcus – As the demon prince inheriting the original 5e portfolio of undeath, Orcus ranks as Velsharoon‘s most prominent nemesis. Their rivalry fuels the NO-cross necromancer doctrine debate over souls claimed through undeath properly belonging to deities vs demon lords. These bitter enemies contest control over notable undead like vampires and death knights.

Kelemvor – The current 5e god of the dead Kelemvor, along with his merciless judge of the damned predecessor Jergal strongly oppose undead as perversions of the natural death process they oversee. Velsharoon in turn views Kelemvor as his main obstacle to claiming full divinity over death itself. Followers of Kelemvor like the Eternal Order of Kelemvor Paladins lead crusades against Velsharoon‘s cults and liches.

Mystra – Mystra generally takes a more neutral stance toward necromancy as just another school of magic, but strongly opposes mortal or divine figures upsetting cosmic balances by amassing excessive power – a profile Velsharoon clearly fits. As his schemes progress, direct confrontation with the Goddess of All Magic looms as an inevitability.

Despite accruing his share of detractors and rivals over many centuries of intrigue, Velsharoon has so far leveraged his formidable magical talents and patient cunning to evade any direct comeuppance…for now, at least. But with future D&D storyline developments and magical arms races never ceasing, this dark god’s next steps toward furtherEnrollment certainly promise to reshape Faerûn’s landscape in dramatic fashion!

Velsharoon in Your Games

For Dungeon Masters, Velsharoon provides a ready-made patron and backstory hook for villainous NPC necromancers and their undead creations plaguing a campaign. And if you decide tie in an apocalyptic plotline involving Velsharoon openly declaring war against the rest of Faerûn‘s gods, entire arcs or even full campaigns could easily spin out this framing device!

Even players running heroic-leaning parties can incorporate Velsharoon elements through several angles:

• Necromancer PCs who view Velsharoon as their patron deity and ultimate end goal for mastering dark magical forces

• Mixed-alignment warlocks who made poorly-conceived pacts with Velsharoon seeking lich rituals or lost magical secrets

• Clerics/paladins devoted to Kelemvor or other anti-undead deities directly opposing Velsharoon

• An overall looming villainous presence similar to Vecna who serves as the shadowy hand behind various undead threats the party faces

However your table elects to incorporate Velsharoon‘s lore, his position as the preeminent god of necromancy clearly gives DMs abundant material for crafting engaging stories and adventures!

Conclusion – A Dead God Still Seeking More Life

In a realm like Faerûn steeped in lively myths and clashing deities, even niche magical fields like necromancy spawn their own patron powers. And from his early days as the wizard Mellifleur obsessively chasing immortality through the darkest arts to present status atop Faerûn‘s necromantic pyramid, Velsharoon‘s sinister saga of ambition serves as a cautionary tale on the costs of upending natural orders…while also whispered examples of the intoxicating ends ultimate arcane mastery can achieve for those bold enough to risk everything.

Through Velsharoon‘s prominence, players can explore rich roleplay opportunities and story hooks tied to manipulating destructive undead forces and the tempting secrets lying buried behind the veil of death itself. For what true limits exist on possibility when even mortality proves negotiable to one clever and driven enough?

Velsharoon stands poised to remind Faerûn the full implications of that dangerous question in his coming schemes. Only time will tell whether the ranks of deathless undead shuffle forward or stumble toward ruin when this consummate undying necromancer-turned-god makes his next gambit for greater power!