Vordakai

At the height of his power well over 10,000 years ago, the original Vordakai was among the most powerful necromancers of the land. When this cyclops tyrant was defeated during the chaos following Earthfall, one of his apprentices claimed his name as well as his greatest treasure, the Oculus of Abaddon. Though he had been the least of the necromancer's apprentices, the new Vordakai was nevertheless a powerful wizard, but it would take more than power to claim the true Vordakai's mantle. Betrayed by followers of the original leader who refused to serve him, the new Vordakai was sealed into his own tomb, and over the passage of eons, the cyclops lich atrophied.

Although much weakened today, Vordakai remains a dangerous opponent who can devastate a poorly prepared party on his own. Don't be afraid to play Vordakai as arrogant creature-he has existed for longer than most creatures on Golarion, after all, and if he makes arrogant mistakes (such as neglecting to cast spells defensively or provoking Attacks of Opportunity), that not only gives the PCs a chance to survive but also helps to establish the ancient lich as both overconfident and a bit careless from his long period of quiescence. Keep in mind that Vordakai is the most powerful foe the PCs have encountered in the Kingmaker Adventure Path thus far, and in defeating him, they will accomplish something truly legendary.

If Vordakai has the chance to prepare for battle before combat, he takes 3 rounds to cast @UUID[Compendium.pf2e.spells-srd.Item.Truespeech], @UUID[Compendium.pf2e.spells-srd.Item.Resist Energy] (choosing an energy type he knows the PCs favor as a result of watching them via his familiar), and then @UUID[Compendium.pf2e.spells-srd.Item.Mirror Image] just before entering battle. Finally, he activates @UUID[Compendium.pf2e.spells-srd.Item.Truesight] using the Oculus of Abaddon before entering combat (doing so in the first round of a fight if instead he's caught by surprise by the PCs).

Once combat begins, Vordakai starts by casting @UUID[Compendium.pf2e.spells-srd.Item.Dominate] on the party's strongest healer; if successful, he commands the healer to his side to defend him by attacking anyone who attacks the lich in melee. On subsequent rounds, Vordakai uses ranged magic against the party, casting @UUID[Compendium.pf2e.spells-srd.Item.Vampiric Exsanguination] as soon as he's reduced to 100 Hit Points or fewer. When facing only one or two foes, he prefers to attack with Consume Memories followed by a hand Strike, opting to save his spells for an emergency.

The greatest diminishment of Vordakai's power is represented through the loss of his soul cage-the magical item he initially used to trap his own soul and enable his transformation into a lich in the first place. He cannot create a replacement as long as he remains atrophied, but his arrogance works against him here. Only if he's reduced below 20 Hit Points does he realize that the PCs have a very good chance to defeat him, and if he survives long enough to take a turn after this realization, he casts his 5th-rank @UUID[Compendium.pf2e.spells-srd.Item.Translocate] to flee to area C5 of his tomb. If he's able to escape in this way, he'll wait for a few days before returning to his tomb, infuriated if the PCs have released his prisoners and robbed him blind. At this point, Vordakai can become a recurring villain in your campaign!