DARK SENTINEL
INTRODUCTION
As a Gilded, Alistair's mind pulls his Mark of Control towards rulership and command. He reigns as the feared overlord of a cabal of skittering, fiendish Husks, who attend to his every need at the end of a leash, or a syringe dripping with addictive contaminants.
Apprentice: Morghuls
Alistair has the ability to designate up to three Husks as Morghuls, an undead typing and classification distinct to him. He becomes able to summon a black, three-flailed whip which attaches to his Nightorch, and whichever Husks he whips with this object will begin to twist and contort, their body being molded over with flesh until they form a new body, with bent legs that allow them to both walk upright and crawl, and long faces wielding open, snout-like jaws at the end. Morghuls are easily terrified, initially fleeing at the first sight of conflict. In order to properly wield them, Alistair generally must lash forward with the whip, with its three arms snapping to the necks of each Morghul. He will pull back, hard, restraining them until they calm. Even as he holsters his Nightorch, the whip will continue to collar his three Ghouls, and they will fulfill their duty.
Morghuls are not impressively strong. They are little stronger than the average Husk, reanimated from any waylaid corpse. Their ability lies in their incredible sense of smell and taste, their senses keener than any natural animal on Atharen. Morghuls can also sing and howl, with their voices able to override the imperative of any Husk, issuing them precise commands that will be fulfilled with utmost urgency. While Husks do tend to follow the will of their master, Alistair's Morghuls make his Husks an incredibly effective force, turning them into disciplined soldiers that can maintain defensive lines, hold battle formations, and fulfill his every instinct. Morghul are able to transmit orders from his brain directly, with the leashes collared around them appearing to synapse directly from his mind.
Journeyman: Black Bannermen
Alistair is able to manipulate the carbon in the air and within the body of his Husks to form a carapace of black armor, as well as rudimentary weapons. Doing this costs a very small amount of ether, though this can become an exceptionally large amount of energy if performed on many Husks simultaneously. Nevertheless, this allows him to reinforce his undead Legion.
Expert: Perpetual Purgatory
Alistair's Husks, taking after their Corvo master, have all become addicted to the drug known as Purgatory. While it only takes a small amount to satisfy each Husk's barely-held-together brain, the more Husks Alistair controls for longer periods of time, the more difficult this addiction becomes to manage. While his Husks are aware of his possession of the drug, they will crawl and beg in desperation, withering hands clasped in prayer, scattering around the powder like hungry dogs once it's tossed to their feet. Those who do not receive Purgatory within hours of becoming reanimated will enter into a rage, and must be commanded by Alistair's Morghuls in order to remain loyal and disciplined. The larger the number of Husks under Alistair's control, and unsated by Purgatory, the more Morghuls he must have deployed in order to maintain their sanity. If Alistair is controlling a large number of undead who have not been sated by Purgatory, and his Morghuls are dispatched, they will quickly enter into a state of anarchy and seek to inflict untold mayhem until they can find the powder they are begging for.
Master: Darkrider
Upon becoming a Master Engraver, Alistair undergoes great change. He loses the ability to perform any of Grave's healing abilities save for on himself and his Husks, foregoing the ability to mend any other allies or bystanders. In exchange, he becomes something known as a Darkrider, morphed into a pseudo living-dead by his Mark of Control. Alistair will become much more enduring -- his physical energy will rarely deplete, and he will able to suffer through much greater trauma, pain, blood loss and injury. This will allow him to perform Necromantic surgeries on himself, given his ability to stay conscious through great physical trauma. Finally, his blood will turn a charcoal color and his cells will no longer enter senescence, allowing him to age much more gracefully.
