Almost done with Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight. Had a few friends and family members talk about how great the Dragonlance books are, but I grew up reading The Legend of Drizzt books. So far I absolutely love it, and if you play DnD I suggest you get a copy.
Azalad the Black was born to a powerful hobgoblin warlord, but due to an inherited disease from his mother he was crippled. Azalads father only wanted a son to inherit his position, so Azalad was mostly neglected. Due to his condition, Azalad would spend most of his life studying and reading, and quickly became a devoted follower of Bane, and an accomplished necromancer. After attaining enough power, Azalad killed his father as part of a magic ritual that sapped his father’s vitality, curing his condition. Azalad now travels the realms as a necromancer for hire. His black iron armor, forged from scraps mined from the armor of Bane himself, has led to him earning the title of The Black.
He’s become the unofficial party leader. Although the rest of the party is mostly good alingned, they realize that Azalads tactics get the job done, despite how cruel he can be.
He is a Necromancer with the Death Knight subclass (from Valdas Spire of Secrets, a third party book).