Updated: Aug. 14, 2024, 6 a.m.
Szass Tam, the dread lich and Zulkir of Thay, stood atop a windswept crag in the heart of the Desertsmouth Mountains. His skeletal fingers clutched the Chalice of Eternal Youth, its surface gleaming with an unholy light. The ancient artifact, wrought from obsidian and inlaid with veins of pure silver, pulsed with the life energy it had stolen across countless centuries.
The peaks of the Desertsmouth Mountains jutted into the sky like the jagged teeth of some long-forgotten beast. Below, the desert winds howled through the canyons, carrying the whispers of spirits long dead. Szass Tam ignored the haunting sounds; his focus was on the ritual he was about to perform.
Setting the chalice on a flat stone altar, Szass Tam began to chant in a tongue older than the mountains themselves. The air around him seemed to thicken, heavy with the weight of ancient power. His voice, hollow and echoing, carried the incantation to the very fabric of the world. As he spoke, the chalice began to glow brighter, casting eerie shadows upon the rocks.
From the chalice, a thin tendril of smoke rose, twisting and writhing as if it were alive. Szass Tam's eyes, burning with unnatural light, followed its ascent. The smoke expanded, forming into a vortex that crackled with energy. Within moments, the vortex solidified, revealing the towering form of an elemental, its body composed of molten rock and swirling flames.
The elemental's eyes, twin orbs of searing fire, locked onto Szass Tam. Though it did not speak, its rage and power were palpable. Szass Tam raised a skeletal hand, commanding the elemental with his indomitable will. The creature bowed its head, acknowledging the lich's mastery over the dark arts.
"You are bound to my service," Szass Tam intoned, his voice resonating with authority. "By the power of the Chalice of Eternal Youth, I command you to do my bidding. The realms of men shall tremble before us."
The elemental roared, a sound like an erupting volcano, and the ground beneath Szass Tam shook. The lich reveled in the display of power, his hollow laughter echoing through the mountains. With the elemental at his side and the chalice's dark magic coursing through him, Szass Tam felt invincible.
As the first light of dawn crept over the horizon, casting a crimson hue upon the peaks, Szass Tam and his new servant descended from the crag. The Desertsmouth Mountains, a place of desolation and mystery, had just become the birthplace of a new era of darkness. The lich's ambition burned as fiercely as the flames of the elemental, and with the Chalice of Eternal Youth in his possession, there was no limit to the power he could attain.
As they vanished into the desert below, the winds carried away the last echoes of Szass Tam's laughter, leaving the mountains to their ancient, silent watch. The world would soon learn to fear the name of Szass Tam once more.