Word of what had happened to the most notorious lich in Partum spread quickly. There weren’t many corners of the continent that hadn’t heard of the Diosian Lodge and among those that had suffered from the atrocities the liches unleashed on the region nearly everyone could name the foul entity that had brought them such misery. The Viceroy was the sort of villain that not only left his mark figuratively and literally on those he hurt, but that instilled fear in his victims that he might one day return to dish out even more of the same horror. Now, at last, the threat of the Viceroy had been removed and jubilation was the reaction all across the realms.

The first to learn of the deed were the foreign ambassadors that had been sent to represent their respective nations in the court of the Archduke of Maelonbourg and the Wenigzustand. They had been milling about in the throne room of the Archduke when the Prime Minister, a kobold by the name of Jandle von Normand, gave the word to charge ahead and seize the moment. An hour after that word was sent that the Archduke’s wife, Lersha von Slothjem-Kovak, was on her way back to the capitol with the “Magnificent Seven” and their prize: a jewel that had been used to trap the physical and spiritual essence of the Viceroy. Immediately these ambassadors and consuls sent word home to their own lords that the Viceroy had been vanquished. From there the word spread even farther afield.

Soldiers and aspiring heroes from all across Partum were quick to realize that Maelonbourg was indeed the place to be for anyone seeking adventure, fame, and fortune. This was as big of a draw as the defeat of the Ash King had been, and that lich had been destroyed by adventurers from Maelonbourg, too. They may not have been the same heroes, but heroes all the same and everyone with a taste for thrills was now giving serious consideration to heading to see if they could get in on that action, too. Mercenaries from Söldnerland and Weintäler were among the first to respond. Fanolanian and Sachsen freemen, and those from Ange Déchu all began to make their moves too.

Rumors began to spread just as quickly that there were entire towns and villages in Maelonbourg that were empty and just waiting for people to show up and move in. Although there was some concern among the nobility in the countries that neighbored Maelonbourg that they were at risk of losing some of their most capable citizens to the allure of quests and adventures it was also a consideration that upsetting the Archduke of Maelonbourg by denying emigration requests wasn’t the wisest move, either. Certainly, if he had the kind of people in his service that could dispatch the Viceroy then he might well turn that kind of force against anyone that crossed him. Regardless of the reality it did cross the minds of kings and barons alike.

Not all was celebrations and plans to join in the adventures of Maelonbourg, though. The Diosian Lodge had also gotten word that another one of their members had been brought down by the cunning fiends of this central Partum backwater nation. And far from being thrilled by the Viceroy’s downfall, although it would be a lie to say that there wasn’t some delight at this result, there was more of an attitude that something was going to have to be done about this trend. None of the remaining liches were keen to be next, and each of them had a scheme to make sure they wouldn’t be taken without a damn good fight.