The Broken Lord
The Unkillable
“Steel does not forget. Neither do they.”
The Broken Lords are unlikeBlightborn the other Blighted. They do not wander aimlessly through the ruins, nor do they mindlessly lunge at the scent of the living. Instead, they march, armor rattling softlyfound in the stillremains air,of followingsoldiers, roadsguards, that no longer lead anywhere, standing guard over fortresses long abandoned. They fight with purpose, though they have none,officers, and theyother followtrained orders, though none remain to give them.fighters. They are relicsdistinguished not by unusual anatomy so much as by the disturbing persistence of ahabits warlearned thatin ended long ago, soldiers who never laid down their arms, even when the flesh rotted from their bones.life.
Appearance
Unlike the shambling dead, theMost Broken Lords retainstill fragmentswear of training, enough to make them far deadlier than the uncoordinated massespieces of the Blight.equipment they died in. Rusted mail, split gambesons, cracked helmets, belts, shields, crossbows, and serviceable weapons are common. Armor may be fused to swollen flesh or held together with cord and corrosion.
Their bodies are visibly dead, but their posture is often different from that of a Shambler. They parrystand attacks,with weapons ready. They turn toward movement without the usual stagger. Some appear to resume old watches or hold ruined positions long after the people they flank their prey, and, most disturbingly, they fight as a unit. Some travelers have reported seeing them form ranks before attacking, shields raised in a display of discipline that should have died with them. Others swear they have witnessed them standing motionless, as if waiting for orders, only to strike the moment a weapon is drawn against them.
Theyguarded are most often found on the sites of old battles, standing over the rusted wreckage of war, as if still waiting for their commanders to return. Their armor is battered and rusting, their tabards faded beyond recognition, their once-proud weapons dulled by time. But steel does not forget—and neither do they.gone.
Retained Training
The Broken Lords fight with morefragments thanof justpracticed instinct—theyskill. fightThey parry, use reach, change targets, and employ ranged weapons when available. A veteran soldier facing one may recognize drills, guard positions, or habits associated with discipline.a Unlikeparticular othermilitary Blighted,tradition.
This is both their strength and their weakness. They are predictable, following strict formations and structured combat styles. Disrupt their coordination, and they become significantly easier to handle—separating them from their unit, breaking their lines, or forcing them onto uneven ground can throw them off. If heavily armored, strip their protection first—their defense is what makes them formidable. Fire may weaken them, but it does not scattermean themthe asperson itsurvives doesinside otherthe Blighted.corpse. IfNo corneredreliable byaccount describes a Broken Lord patrol,speaking remembercoherently, this:recognizing theycomrades, door notacting retreat,from an intelligible personal motive. What remains appears closer to trained motion than memory.
Groups of Broken Lords are particularly dangerous because the same habits that once kept soldiers alive can continue after death. They may occupy choke points, fight beside one another, or make use of fortifications almost by reflex.
Behavior
Broken Lords are most often reported around battlefields, forts, barracks, checkpoints, ruined estates with armed retainers, and theysettlements dowhere notorganized surrender—youdefenders mustdied commitin to the fight, or you must flee before they surround you.place.
Some claimremain therenear the position where they fell. Others join nearby Blighted movement while retaining their martial behavior. Their presence can transform a loose group of Shamblers into a far more difficult threat simply because a skilled combatant now stands among them.
Field Knowledge
Travelers who recognize armor or military equipment on a Blighted corpse are wayswarned not to avoidassume them.slow That uttering the right command,reactions or raisingclumsy an old sigil, might cause them to hesitate. But those are rumors—whispers of desperate men trying to explain why they survived when others did not. What is certain is this: Theattacks. Broken Lords doare nottreated run.as Theyexperienced dofighters, noteven falter.when Andthe ifbody they fall, they will rise again, formations closing, weapons raised, waiting for an enemycarrying that neverexperience left.is badly decayed.
IfSilver you find yourself standing on a battlefield long since abandoned, andremains the windmost carriesreliable permanent answer, but surviving the soundapproach ofoften metalmatters shifting in the mist—leave. Do not call out. Do not draw your sword. And for the love of whatever gods still listen, do not step between them and their forgotten duty.first.
Stat
See Block
Medium Undead, unaligned
Damage Resistances: Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't SilveredDamage Immunities: PoisonCondition Immunities: Charmed, PoisonedSenses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 10Challenge: 1 (200 XP)
Traits
Also
MartialRotmireRemnants:GainsBlight