Sorimmar the Necromancer; commonly known as the "Dark Lord," is a former member of the Council of Sorcerë and the ruler of Drakhara.
Sorimmar was expelled from the council and exiled by Empress Ravinia for his radical views. Following his expulsion, Sorimmar was banished into the wastelands of the East.
For centuries, Sorimmar plotted revenge against the West for what he felt was a humiliation. He was responsible for the fall of the Ravinian Empire and to this day, remains the single greatest threat to the good people of Corwyn.
By the beginning of the Fifth Age, Sorimmar was said to be the greatest mage on Corwyn, second in seniority only to the Saar Council leader; Thromm the Invoker. His views on the role of magic in the world of men differed from those of the other Saar, and he was later expelled from the Council.
Sorimmar left Erôn-Mystarë to dwell far in the East, at Erôn-Mored, where he soon took control over a group of evil knights that ruled a small barbaric realm from that same fortress. Embittered by his expulsion from the council, he swore revenge. Over time, Sorimmar grew ever more powerful in sorcery and influence. Eventually, he gained dominance over the rulers of all seven eastern realms, as well as the desert nation of Vilzar.
For centuries, the Dark lord plotted and waited for a traitor to emerge. Then he met Lord Malachar of Gwynne, with whom he made a pact to steal the Orenthir from the Empress and destroy the Empire once and for all. In the year 621/5, Malachar stole the orb and murdered the Empress. Sorimmar then unleashed his orc hordes on the Empire.
This conflict, called "the Cataclysm," caused the Ravinian Empire to collapse and destroyed much of western civilization on Corwyn. Ultimately, Sorimmar lost the Orenthir as well as his right hand at the Battle of Harkalad, and once again fled into the East. However, his legacy remained; the Empire was gone and the Dark lord’s goals had been achieved.
Throughout the Sixth Age, Sorimmar has rebuilt his strength, and today, the Dark Lord is the single most most dangerous enemy of the West.
History
Sorimmar’s legend goes back to the founding of the Council of Sorcerë in the early days of the Third Age. When the council was founded, there were to be nine members. These Saar, or ‘wisemen,’ represented each of each of the nine schools of magic.
As one of these nine arch-mages, he participated in the creation of such wondrous artifacts as the Itharils, the Var-Illümen, and the Elanthir. He even helped forge the Orenthir.
What no one knew was that Sorimmar was actually Alokkair; the oldest enemy of the West. His spirit had arisen and taken a new physical form in that of a human wizard
But his views on humanity and desire to dominate the empire, and someday rule it himself, soon saw him ostracized from the Council of Sorcerë and exiled from the empire. In a controversial display of mercy, Empress Ravinia pardoned Sorimmar, but banished him to dwell forever in the East as an outcast or ‘Saugreth.’
Sorimmar never forgave this slight and vowed revenge on the empire and all the peoples of the West.
Through cunning and brutality, Sorimmar soon united the factions of the East into a new realm called Drakhara. He created seven copies of the Elanthir swords and gave one to each of the seven kings of the East, binding them to his will.
These seven kings became the dreaded "Faceless Ones," the most feared lieutenants of the Dark lord. Sorimmar then raised huge armies of orcs and men, and repeatedly assaulted the Ravinian Empire until it was destroyed in the Cataclysm.
Sorimmar was not ultimately victorious, for he too was defeated and forced into long exile. Now, he has risen again and is preparing to invade the West and destroy it once and for all.
