"For now, we sleep, and we dream. But one day we will rise, and we will make our dreams real again."
- —Urzen the Unrelenting[1a]
The Strigoi Urzen the Unrelenting has followed Vorag's example by amassing a great army of Ghouls, camped around his ruined fortress deep inside the Forest of Shadows. His agents are spreading throughout the graveyards of the Empire, conscripting the Ghouls and commanding the Zombies to follow them back to his great staging ground. Each day, his army grows more massive, and Urzen, ever the general, drills them relentlessly each evening.[1b]
Urzen isn't building his army to take over the Empire, however, but to attack the Silver Pinnacle and get his revenge on Queen Neferata herself. Urzen was Ushoran's military advisor, and he has spent more than three thousand years dreaming of his redressing the wrongs done to his master. The only thing that might hinder this is if the Lahmians discover his plans and send Human agents against him before he can bring the full numbers of his troops to bear. To that end, Urzen has instructed his mortal servants to do everything they can to help Vampire hunters—guiding them to Vampire lairs, providing them with the location of great magic weapons, informing them of an individual Vampire’s weaknesses—whilst taking care that his hand in things is never discovered and that the hunters target only Lahmians.[1b]