Warden Ælle

Appearance:
Warden Ælle is the horrifying corruption of the long dead keeper of this castle, cursed by the gods to its terrible form as punishment for betraying the code of honor it held in life. Warden Ælle resembles a hulking knight, tall and slender, weighing more than 300 pounds. Its face is a blackened skull covered with shards of shriveled, rotting flesh. It has two tiny, glowing orange-red pinpoints for eyes. Its armor is scorched black as if it had been in a fire. The demeanor of Warden Ælle is so terrifying that even kender have been known to become frightened. Warden Ælle's deep, chilling voice seems to echo from the depths of a bottomless cavern. Warden Ælle converses in the language it spoke in its former life, as well as up to six additional languages.

Combat:
Warden Ælle retains the fighting skills it had in its former life. Since it has little regard for its own safety and an intense hatred of most living creatures, it is an extremely dangerous opponent. Still, Warden Ælle retains a semblance of the pride it held as a good warrior and fights honorably: It never ambushes opponents from behind, nor does it attack before an opponent has an opportunity to ready his weapon. Surrender is unknown to Warden Ælle, and it will parley only if it senses its opponent has crucial information (such as how to lift it from it's curse). Warden Ælle has a strength of 18(00). It usually attacks with a sword; 80% of the time, this is a magical sword. When a magical sword is indicated, roll 1d6 and consult the following table: Warden Ælle wears the same armor it wore in its previous life, but regardless of the quality of the armor, it always has an AC of 0. Hit points for Warden Ælle are determined by rolling 12-sided dice. If Warden Ælle is defeated its physical form disintegrates into ash, leaving no loot to be gathered. 1d4 hours later Warden Ælle is born again from a phylactery wherein HP and weapon are rerolled. To fully defeat Warden Ælle its phylactery must be destroyed. Warden Ælle's magical abilities make it especially dangerous. It constantly generates fear in a 5-foot radius, and it can cast detect magic, detect invisibility, and wall of ice at will. Twice per day, it can cast dispel magic. Once per day, it can use either power word, blind, power word, kill, or power word, stun. It can also cast symbol of fear or symbol of pain once per day, as well as a 20-dice fireball once per day. All of its magical spells function at the 20th level of ability. Warden Ælle cannot be turned, but it can be dispelled by holy word spell. It has the power over undead of a 6th-level evil priest. Its magic resistance is 75%, and if an 11 or lower is rolled on the percentile roll, the spell is reflected back at the caster (the magic resistance is rerolled each time a spell is cast at Warden Ælle).

Habitate/Society:
Warden Ælle is a former good warrior who was judged by the gods to be guilty of unforgivable crimes, such as murder and treason. (In life, he killed the Lord of this manor and his heir, took the seat of power, and ruled over the people he governed with extreme cruelty.) Warden Ælle is cursed to walk the halls it once ruled. It is further condemned to remember its crime in song every night; few sounds are as terrifying as Warden Ælle's chilling melody echoing through the moonlit countryside. Warden Ælle is likely to attack any creature that interrupts its song or trespasses in its domains.

Ecology:
Warden Ælle has no physiological functions.