TEXT: a dozen malevolent villains • page 1
  A Dozen Malevolent Villains © 2020 Philip Reed, all rights reserved. 
  Artwork copyright Claudio Casini, used under license.
  a dozen 
  malevolent villains
  by philip reed
  Operating from the shadows and fog of the game world, 
  manipulating underlings and the unknowing alike, re-
  curring villains can add depth to any campaign. Hints 
  and clues of the villain’s existence builds to a climactic 
  battle against an opponent that the PCs may have nev-
  er met before the final scene of the campaign.  
  For those gamemasters who seek to stitch a common 
  thread through multiple game sessions, the twelve vil-
  lains that follow may provide inspiration that transforms 
  what could have been a few weeks of lightly-connected 
  adventures into a powerful narrative that the players 
  are unlikely to forget.
  I have presented each villain as a rumor that you, the 
  gamemaster, may use to determine how you wish to 
  include the villain in your campaign. As with all of the 
  entries in the A Dozen . . . series of PDFs, A Dozen Ma-
  levolent Villains is not a collection of worked exam-
  ples but, rather, twelve springboards to spark your own 
  imagination. It is my opinion that every gaming group 
  is different, making it important that the GM tailor the 
  specifics to suit the needs of the group. Personally, I pre-
  fer concepts and ideas to fleshed out stories.
  As always, the characters are without game statistics. 
  You will need to provide the necessary stats. 
  
  a dozen malevolent villains • page 2
  anatomy  
  of a 
  villain
  using the villains
  1. A title, to help set the mood.
  2. A little descriptive text to help set the 
  scene and give the GM some understand-
  ing of the villain.
  3. An overview of the situation, including 
  what minions the villain may have and 
  the villain’s base of operations and usual 
  actions. This is, of course, all suggestions 
  that the gamemaster may use or disregard 
  as the GM feels is appropriate to the cam-
  paign. As always, make the work fit your 
  own needs.
  4. An illustration of the villain.
  Every villain that follows is presented as a bit of a rumor 
  – that is true! – for the gamemaster to use to either add 
  some background noise to the campaign or as bait for 
  the player characters to latch onto and pursue. The vil-
  lains shouldn’t be confronted immediately, though, and 
  will be more fun if the PCs hear about the exploits of a 
  villain over the course of a few different game sessions.
  Maybe they first hear the name of a villain when at a lo-
  cal tavern. Nothing with too much detail, just the name 
  and a mentioned crime that has been associated with 
  the villain. The PCs then set off on adventure and leave 
  the situation behind them. After they complete the ad-
  venture, and return to the tavern – or to a different town 
  altogether – they again hear the name of the villain and 
  of a new crime.
  By building up the villains in this way, the act of con-
  frontation will have a lot more meaning to the PCs than 
  if the situation were played out in its entirety in a single 
  game session. Part of what makes a campaign memora-
  ble are those NPCs that return again and again, and no 
  NPC is as exciting as a recurring villain.
  Perhaps more than any other rumor or type of character 
  that I have created for the A Dozen . . . series of PDFs, vil-
  lains are those who demand the most attention by the 
  gamemaster. A good villain is one that the PCs are aware 
  of and, over time, choose to act against. That means the 
  villains will need to continue taking villainous acts in 
  the campaign’s background over several sessions, and 
  only the GM can identify exactly which crimes will spur 
  the PCs to action against the villain.
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  a dozen malevolent villains • page 3
  fuchsia, lady of woods
  “She is one not to be trifled with, so I’ve heard said, because her 
  powers are greater than any such as you may dream of pos-
  sessing. I hear that she were the one responsible for the mur-
  ders in Torkertown two weeks ago and that she is also who has 
  been ambushing the merchants on the road to Damazkus.”
  The adventurers hear of the once-elf Fuchsia who now 
  lives in the dark wood outside of the city. The woman is de-
  scribed as an evil cultists and spellcaster, and the PCs are 
  warned to stay away from her and her forest home. 
  Fuchsia spends her time attacking the smaller villages and 
  towns that lie within a few miles of her forest, choosing to 
  move in at night and kill random citizens of the city. The 
  city and towns have banded together to offer a reward 
  of 1,000 gold to anyone who delivers the head 
  of the woman to the town dungeon.
  “She uses magic as well as might in 
  her attacks, with those who escape 
  telling of how she is both a danger-
  ous warrioress and a wizard more 
  powerful than any they have seen be-
  fore. Do not misjudge her if you choose 
  to try and confront her.”
  The woman sometimes hires thugs to 
  aid her in her pursuits.
  In battle, Fuchsia prefers to stand back at a distance and 
  launch spell after spell at her opponents. If pressed into me-
  lee battle, though, she attacks with her magic staff and her 
  deformed, clawed hand.
  Fuchsia is more powerful than the par-
  ty and capable of destroying them 
  the first time they hear of her. Keep 
  her in the background for a few ses-
  sions, teasing the PCs with her exploits, 
  before they confront her.
  The sorceress Fuchsia was transformed by a magical disaster that both granted her 
  greater arcane powers and forever changed her into a monster unlike any other crea-
  ture in existence. Once an elf, Fuchsia is now  shunned by her former friends and feared 
  by all those who have heard of the monster’s evil nature and vile acts.
  
  a dozen malevolent villains • page 4
  broghi the trapped
  Trapped in the forest and forever secured to a single lo-
  cation, Broghi has been forced to use his magic to secure 
  mindless agents who can be sent out into the world to 
  act as his eyes, ears, and hands. The transformed wizard 
  has managed to enlarge his area of control over time, 
  with the creature’s root system pliable enough that he 
  can move anywhere within a 20’ radius of where he was 
  trapped by the devil.
  “It was while collecting fallen branches to chop and sell 
  to others that I saw the thing. It was a treeman of 
  sorts, of that I have no doubt, but there was an evil 
  about it that scared me so much that I dropped 
  my findings and ran. I will not go back to 
  that part of the forest again.”
  Broghi’s agents are plant golems 
  that he builds from the vegeta-
  tion that grows nearby. He mod-
  els them to look as much like 
  men as possible, using leaves 
  stitched together with mag-
  ic as cloaks to conceal the 
  wooden and unnatural look 
  of the golems.
  When 
  possible, 
  Broghi’s 
  agents only go near civiliza-
  tion in the dark of night, to 
  better mask their true appear-
  ance from others. The crea-
  tures are incapable of speech 
  and each is programmed by 
  the wizard before setting off 
  on its assignment. In battle, 
  the golems are quick to flee, 
  preferring escape over con-
  flict of any sort.
  Broghi’s ultimate goal is to reverse the power that has 
  trapped him in his current state. He has learned of 
  a magical ring of undoing that may prove powerful 
  enough to free him from his captive state. The ring is 
  currently being held at one of the city’s many magic 
  shops and the wizard is now preparing to send his go-
  lems to steal the item. Will the PCs learn of the situation 
  in time to act against the evil wizard?
  Once a powerful wizard, Broghi Balfarch’s life was forever changed the day that he 
  betrayed a minor devil. He made a deal with the devil – a trade of a captured spell-
  book in exchange for an amulet that would give him unending life – but then Broghi 
  tried to manipulate the devil and worm his way out of the deal. As punishment, the 
  devil cursed the man and transformed him into a wood beast that was planted in the 
  forest. Broghi is unable to move from his new place in the forest.
  
  a dozen malevolent villains • page 5
  phandax darksoul
  “Unlike the friendly 
  innkeepers and livery 
  men who may people 
  your campaign, villains 
  motivate the player 
  characters to action.”
  – Kirk Botula,  
  The Complete Book  
  of Villains
  In life, Phandax was a human knight who devoted his life to combating evil in all its 
  forms. Unfortunately for the man, his encounter with a necromantic spellcaster end-
  ed in brutal failure that stripped his flesh and blood from this world, destroyed his 
  heart and soul, and infused the skeletal bits of the man with the dark cosmic force of 
  an ancient evil that now controls Phandax’s remains.
  “Live in the caverns beneath the ruins of Zhentall Keep, they say he does, 
  though I’m not one foolish enough to go and check for myself. The thing is 
  cursed and no longer the man that it once was. I fear that Phandax is for-
  ever gone and now the only way to give him peace is to murder this thing 
  that he has become.”
  The transformation of Phandax from a knight to the beast that he is now 
  happened recently enough that elders of the city remember the time 
  when the man was a force for good. Every now and then, one of the 
  elders will suggest that – just maybe – someone can find a way to undo 
  the curse and release the knight to his proper place in the afterlife.
  Phandax now exists only to cause chaos and destruction. Once every 
  few months, the creature comes out of its home beneath the ruins of a 
  once-great fortress. When on the surface world, Phandax searches for 
  the innocent so that he may murder them and consume their life 
  force. From time to time, the thing’s attack changes the victim 
  into a skeletal warrior that follows Phandax back to the cav-
  erns. It is unknown what happens to those skeletons.
  The best course of action is to attack Phandax in the caverns 
  beneath the keep. Of course, that’s where the skeletons are 
  waiting and will protect their master from assault.
  
  a dozen malevolent villains • page 6
  danyel etherkan
  In his early years, Etherkan was a warrior, a mercenary in the employ of the Heart’s 
  Force. Under the command of the elven general Xerxes Heart, Etherkan became a 
  skilled and powerful fighter and one of Heart’s finest bodyguards. It was the discovery 
  of the Axe of Blood that forever changed Etherkan into the villain that he is today.
  Etherkan’s axe is the true source of his power. An intelligent entity all its own, 
  the Axe of Blood is an ancient artifact that injects its own desires and thoughts 
  into the one who carries it. A powerful mind is required to resist the Axe of 
  Blood’s commands . . . and Etherkan failed in resisting the item’s power.
  Constructed centuries ago by orc mages, the Axe of Blood takes its 
  name from the item’s ability to drink the blood of victims. The ob-
  ject must kill daily or its powers begin to weaken; if the axe doesn’t 
  murder an intelligent being at least once every day, its hold over its 
  carrier grows weaker. After a week, the one under the control of the 
  axe may again resist its mind control power and try to escape.
  Unfortunately for Etherkan, the murderous nature of the man 
  plays right into the strengths of the intelligent axe. Danyel 
  Etherkan wants to kill others, so the axe is stronger than ever 
  before and now has an unwavering command of the man’s 
  mind and body.
  These days, Etherkan travels from city to city and offers 
  his services as a killer to any who will pay him. The axe 
  has decided that it is time that it own a fortress home 
  of its own, so it is sending Etherkan out again and again 
  in an attempt to secure enough coin to buy a tower. 
  If the opportunity ever comes up to take a tower 
  by force, the axe will most certainly change its 
  plan from purchase to conquest.
  The PCs may find themselves up against 
  Etherkan when they are hired to protect a 
  merchant or noble from the killer. Gold of-
  ten attracts the attention of adventurers, 
  and what better source of gold than play-
  ing bodyguard for a rich merchant?
  The Axe of Blood will only release its hold 
  on a victim if it encounters one it consid-
  ers to be a more powerful carrier. In a con-
  frontation between Etherkan and the PCs, 
  what happens if the axe decides that one 
  of the PCs is a more suitable carrier?
  
  a dozen malevolent villains • page 7
  elinora rosamond 
  Ever since the planar accident ripped the flesh of her face from her body, Elinora Rosa-
  mond has worn a metal mask to hide her faceless form from the world. Beneath the 
  mask is nothing but scraps of flesh clinging to bone, everything held into place by the 
  spell of a healer who tried to save her. The accident twisted Rosamond, changing her 
  into an unfeeling monster that wishes only to make others suffer. 
  “What I heard is that her face is gone, completely wiped 
  from her head when the planar gate collapsed as she was 
  trying to escape. I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but 
  it is what everyone says. And regardless of 
  what did happen, none will deny 
  that the mask she wears 
  is terrifying to look at 
  and a magical item 
  of power.”
  Rosamond has 
  recently made her 
  home in the city, her 
  reputation as a brutal 
  killer and assassin pre-
  ceding her. She has enough 
  wealth and power that she has 
  already bribed many of the upper 
  levels of the city watch, which is giv-
  ing her the freedom to walk the streets 
  even though many are aware of her back-
  ground as a wanted criminal.
  The woman’s home is in a small block house that 
  she has rented that sits on a dusty, stench-riddled 
  alleyway in one of the worst parts of the city. It is only 
  a matter of time before her home becomes a battlefield – 
  too many other towns in the land have offered a reward for 
  her scarred and grotesque head – and that has led many who 
  lived near her to move (so long as they could afford to). Now, only 
  the poorest of the poor and most hardened of the criminals of the 
  city live within a few blocks of her home.
  “She’s paying gold to thems that brings her gems and valuables. 
  I heard she is using these to power some dark ritual or other, and 
  while I’ve not sold to the woman, you can bet I will if I see the chance 
  to snatch a diamond or other stone and make off with it.”
  Rosamond’s acts of crime become more blatant with each pass-
  ing week as she openly bribes city officials, pays off guardsmen, 
  and hires criminals to do her bidding. If left unchecked, there’s 
  a danger that the woman will gain so much power that she 
  runs for the town council and, very likely, buys so many votes 
  that she wins and starts her climb to assuming control of 
  the city.
  Only those brave enough (or foolish enough, some 
  would say) to face her can stop the fiend.
  
  a dozen malevolent villains • page 8
  iolas jojeon
  Murderer and fiend, 
  those are the two 
  words most of-
  ten used to de-
  scribe the elven 
  warrior Jojeon. 
  At a young age, 
  Jojean was a cru-
  el and brutal indi-
  vidual who enjoyed 
  making others uncom-
  fortable. As he grew, 
  he embraced his dark 
  side and today causes 
  pain to all he meets.
  “Killed several just last week he did. Two at the Baited Hook 
  out by the docks, because they refused to quiet down when 
  Jojeon were drinking and didn’t want to hear their sing-
  ing. Another two later that night in the alley who made 
  the mistake o’ asking for a few copper. One watchman 
  because he demanded that Jojeon get inside since it were 
  after curfew. Them’s all I know of, but I’d be shocked not to 
  hear there were more.”
  One thing about Iolas Jojeon that should not be forgot-
  ten is that the man lives to kill. Nothing brings him as 
  much joy and satisfaction as taking a life, and he will use 
  any perceived slight or threat as permission to slaugh-
  ter the one who offended him.
  Most inns and taverns in the nearby towns and cities 
  know of the villain and pray that he not visit them. Hav-
  ing Jojeon as a patron is a sure way to lose business; 
  once the others hear that the elf is in the establishment 
  they start to trickle out, one by one, and they warn oth-
  ers outside to avoid the place.
  There’s a price on Jojeon’s head of 200 gold, even if 
  none have yet been willing to try and take in the elf. Pro-
  fessional bounty hunters feel the reward is too low for 
  the risk involved, and those without the experience of a 
  professional bounty hunter have – at least so far – had 
  enough sense to not confront the killer.
  “He insisted that we join him in a round of drinks, his treat, 
  and though we were afraid to drink with one such as he, 
  we were more afeared of turning down his offer and an-
  gering a man so quick with his sword.”
  Jojeon has been in the city for well over a week now, 
  moving from tavern to tavern and drinking away what 
  coin he has stolen over the last few months. He is even 
  quicker to anger than ever before, and members of the 
  town watch are trying to stay a step ahead of the man to 
  warn citizens to leave the area before the elf gets there. 
  Why Jojeon isn’t confronted by the watch and arrested 
  is a mystery that may never be solved. Are they afraid of 
  him, or is someone in charge covering for the elf?
  
  a dozen malevolent villains • page 9
  krizhar  
  crystann
  An elemental creature from another 
  world, Krizhar is trapped in this 
  realm after being forever ban-
  ished from his home plane. The 
  evil, powerful beast is more 
  than just a monster; Krizhar 
  has established a network of 
  thieves since reaching this 
  world and is doing all he 
  can to collect power 
  and wealth.
  “Thieves say they’re working for 
  someone new, not of this world, 
  and that this new leader of theirs is 
  a strange sort of fellow.”
  The city underground network of criminals is 
  buzzing with news that someone has been 
  knocking off competition and taking con-
  trol of different thieves’ operations 
  and guilds that work in the city. 
  Word is, this new criminal leader 
  is from another world and con-
  sumes the gems and jewels that his 
  new minions steal and deliver to him.
  “You heard the news, yes? That the town watch has cap-
  tured and broken a thief, forcing the scoundrel to tell of his 
  new master. It’s a rock beast of some kind, walking on two 
  legs but made of stones. I’d hate to run into a monster such 
  as that day or night.”
  If the PCs investigate the situation, they soon hear that 
  the town watch has offered a reward of 200 gold for the 
  capture of this new ringleader. As days pass, the story 
  of the monster grows and spreads and it isn’t long be-
  fore everyone is speaking of the rock beast that is com-
  manding the city’s thieves and murderers. 
  Of course, the story is soon far from the truth.
  As the crimes increase in frequency – every night, two 
  or three people report being assaulted by thieves and 
  the merchants are finding that their shops are being 
  broken into – the town watch puts more and more men 
  on the streets to watch for thieves. 
  In their hurry to capture the reported monster and put 
  an end to the thefts, the town watch starts confronting 
  everyone they see on the streets after dusk, making it 
  difficult for honest citizens to go about their business. 
  Soon, the bars and taverns lose their regulars as more 
  and more people choose to stay home at night.
  Before long, the reward for the monster reaches 500 
  gold coins. If someone does manage to capture this 
  beast, they’re going to be well rewarded.
  
  a dozen malevolent villains • page 10
  zhazhul corpsemaker
  Beneath the armor, Zhazhul is a human warrior who was left 
  for dead by his companions several years ago. Wounded 
  by a wizard’s attack, Zhazhul was thought dead by the 
  members of his adventuring party and it was only luck 
  that kept him alive. Since escaping the dungeon, Zhazhul 
  has sworn to take his revenge on all dungeoneers.
  After being left by his friends in the dungeon, Zhazhul managed 
  to crawl to the safety of a small, narrow hallway where he lived 
  off of his remaining rations and the steady drips of water that 
  he collected in his shield. After a few days, the man had healed 
  enough to stand and slowly – cautiously – started searching 
  the rooms nearest his location. It was the discovery of the armor 
  that he wears today that allowed him to survive.
  The armor is a suit of healing, magic armor that grants the wearer 
  the power of near-instant healing and has the magical strength 
  to even regrow lost limbs. Zhazhul felt better within hours of 
  pulling on the armor and he soon was strong enough to es-
  cape the dungeon and return to the world above.
  To this day, Zhazhul suffers from “spell shock” and must 
  fight against his own fear whenever 
  he confronts a mage. There’s a 25% 
  chance that going up against any 
  mage, regardless of the spellcast-
  er’s true power, will cause the vil-
  lain to flee the scene. If forced to 
  fight more than one arcane spell-
  caster at once, the spell shock 
  check must be made once for each 
  wizard in the combat. Any one fail-
  ure causes Zhazhul to run; a second 
  failed check reduces the man to a cataton-
  ic state and leaves him unable to act.
  The villain is aware of his fear of spellcasters and will do all that 
  he can to avoid them. Before setting off to explore a dungeon 
  or take on any assignment, Zhazhul seeks out information on 
  the situation and chooses to skip the opportunity if his intel 
  reports the presence of a wizard.
  Whenever he meets adventurers, Zhazhul’s anger at those 
  who abandoned him often drives him to attack the strangers. 
  His blind desire for revenge will lead to his death.
  
  a dozen malevolent villains • page 11
  zhekis, 
  keeper of
  the frost
  Through the magic of a Gem of Frost 
  Control, the towering giant Zhekis 
  Gosarn has connected a demiplane 
  of ice to an abandoned tower on the 
  outskirts of the city. Those who come 
  close to the tower report that the 
  area is unnaturally cold, but none 
  have so far been brave enough to 
  investigate what may be causing 
  the odd shift in temperature.
  Over time, the area surrounding the tower grows 
  colder and colder, with every passing week push-
  ing the affected space out a few more feet. After 
  a year, the tower’s frost effect is starting to make 
  metal objects near the tower difficult to hold with-
  out gloves . . . and still the town watch takes no ac-
  tion and doesn’t investigate.
  “I’ve seen ice on the tower walls in the hottest days 
  of summer, and there are times when you can feel a 
  freezing wind blowing as if it originates within 
  the tower itself. Something unnatural and 
  evil is happening there, and it is a sin that the 
  city does nothing to put an end to whatever 
  evil lives inside the cursed tower.”
  Zhekis Gosarn keeps the tower closed tight during 
  the day, with every window and door sealed and 
  bolted shut to prevent anyone from entering the build-
  ing. At night, a few times each week, the giant sends 
  his minions – frost golems, creatures built from the re-
  mains of people and brought to life through the power 
  of the Gem of Frost Control – out into the city. These 
  minions have no will or mind of their own, with each 
  instead controlled by Gosarn’s thoughts. He sees what 
  the minions see. Any words they speak are those of the 
  giant. And each will die rather than betray the giant.
  The minions are murderers and thieves, seeking out 
  fresh bodies to feed Gosarn’s need of new parts to con-
  tinue crafting new minions. The creatures should be 
  treated like zombies, (they’re slow to move and react, 
  because of the delay between the giant’s commands 
  and the minion’s actions), and Gosarn usually sends out 
  only two or three at a time. 
  If the PCs break into the tower, they find an ice-covered 
  dungeon just waiting to be explored.
  
  a dozen malevolent villains • page 12
  smaghed, orc warlord
  The villain Smaghed is a brutal dictator in command of a force of 30+ orc warriors 
  who follow him out of fear. Smaghed, in addition to being a violent and powerful 
  fighter, wears a Belt of Devastating Fear that has captured his soldiers and twisted 
  their minds to the point that they will follow him blindly into any battle.
  “They’ve no home, instead choosing to travel with all of their belongings on their 
  backs and in carts that are pulled by the youngest and strongest of the group. 
  Word is, the warlord is seeking to build an army of hundreds so that they can 
  smash their way through the gates and take the city for themselves.”
  Smaghed was terrifying before 
  he discovered the magic belt, 
  and now that he has the item he 
  is scarier than ever before. The 
  belt casts a spell of control over 
  those who fail to resist, driving 
  them to follow the warlord’s 
  commands out of fear.
  Few orcs who have met the 
  warlord have managed to re-
  sist the powers of the belt, and 
  its effect holds so long as the 
  victim is within a few hundred 
  feet of the magic item. It is that 
  limitation that should prevent 
  Smaghed from growing his num-
  ber of followers much more.
  “Smaghed and his soldiers were last spotted a 
  week ago in the mountains to the south. They were 
  turned back by the king’s private guard and forced 
  to seek shelter in the mountains, but who knows 
  when they’ll next attack.”
  The warlord may be encountered by 
  the dungeoneers when they are 
  on adventure and not expecting 
  such a large band of orcs. The 
  gamemaster may wish to use 
  Smaghed and his orcs in a “ran-
  dom encounter” when the PCs 
  are least expecting it, throwing 
  the monsters at the party for a 
  large battle.
  
  a dozen malevolent villains • page 13
  xorror the undying
  “A villain can be anything from a 
  lowly pickpocket street urchin to 
  a dragon criminal mastermind.”
  – Paul “Wiggy” Wade-Williams,  
  Savage Worlds  
  Fantasy Companion
  Servant of the snake gods of old, Xorror is an undead snakefolk wizard who lives in the 
  deep caverns beneath the city. Through necromancy, the snakeman has kept himself 
  in an unliving yet active state for decades, slowly building an army of snakefolk fol-
  lowers who climb to the surface late at night to search for supplies, gather informa-
  tion, and to please their master.
  “We saw them two nights ago, at least a dozen of them, and 
  managed to get a good look before they fled into the sewers. 
  Each were a man or woman, yes, but they were warped and 
  twisted with skin like that of a snake and eyes that glowed 
  as red as any evil you can imagine.”
  Xorror rarely leaves the safety of the caverns, in-
  stead choosing to send his followers to search the 
  city for supplies and information. If the PCs try, 
  they should find one or two of the snakefolk in 
  the city late at night and, if they’re careful, follow 
  the creature back to its lair.
  The snakefolk followers and Xorror have made 
  a town for themselves in the caverns. Homes, 
  shops, services, and anything you would ex-
  pect to find in a small human settlement exist 
  in the snakefolk underground town.
  The creatures will do all that they can to pro-
  tect their home and leader from the surface 
  world, even sacrificing their lives in battle.
  If the snakefolk town is attacked, Xorror will 
  flee and avoid battle. If pressed into combat, 
  treat the creature as a powerful lich that is 
  capable of protecting himself using magic 
  spells. His people only try to escape if half 
  their number are killed in a fight.
  
  a dozen malevolent villains • page 14
  cragson, fallen knight
  Once an honorable and just knight, Cragson 
  Hephmar spent his waking hours protect-
  ing those people of the lands who had 
  no defense against evil. It was discov-
  ering and donning the magical ar-
  mor that he wears today that was 
  his undoing; the cursed armor sucked 
  the good from his soul and filled the 
  knight with pure evil.
  “Fear his swords is my advice to you, dungeoneer. Those twin 
  blades are as sharp and horrible as you may imagine and each 
  is infused with the power of a thousand suns.”
  Cragson today lives in the ruins of Castle Omen, the former 
  home of his king who the knight murdered shortly after he 
  was consumed by the cursed armor. Calling an army of evil 
  from the mountains and forests, Cragson led goblins, orcs, 
  trolls, and other foul beasts on a rampage that terrified 
  the king and his people.
  It has now been centuries since the fall of Castle 
  Omen, and only those scholars who look to the past 
  are even aware of Cragson’s place in the destruction 
  of the small kingdom. The people were driven out 
  of the land, forced on marches to distant towns 
  and cities where they were taken in and eventu-
  ally became citizens of their new homes.
  To this day, some who are descended from 
  the refugees speak of reclaiming Castle 
  Omen and rebuilding their fallen land. It 
  is all talk, though, because none have 
  proven courageous enough to at-
  tempt an assault on the castle and its 
  evil master.
  Cragson devotes his time to pa-
  trolling his lands and castle, some-
  times taking a band of evil nonhumans 
  to raid a town or village to claim supplies 
  and, at times, slaves. He keeps no permanent 
  army, but he can summon a force 100 strong within a few 
  days if he needs soldiers to deal with intruders.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/A Dozen/A Dozen Malevolent Villains.pdf