The seventh, and final, installment of my series on memorable cultists to pit against your players will present a couple of worshippers of Ubbeth, the Outer Being whose domain is the watery deeps.  An overview of Ubbeth and His aims, as well as those of the other six major Outer Beings, can be found in a cosmology I wrote, which is available on Bruce Heard’s blog.

As with the other parts of this series, everything written here is set in the campaign setting known as “Mystara” in the year AC 1000.  Readers are, of course, welcome to modify the material to suit their own campaigns.

(image courtesy of Bruce Heard)

DEMETRIOS, APOSTLE OF DAGOS

Background:  Demetrios Sistovaris was born in the village of Klasomenai, on the fringes of Kastelian-controlled territory, in AC 946.  Most of the inhabitants of his village made their livelihoods from the sea, and his family was no exception.  He could swim before he could walk, and by the time he could run he was already helping his father bring in his catches.  Klasomenai had always been blessed with plentiful fish compared to its nearest neighbours, due (according to the faithful) to the reverence of most of its people for their chosen patron, Dagos (otherwise known as Ubbeth).  The other inhabitants of the region, although jealous of Klaomenai’s good fortune, shun its folk due to the prevalence of their strange deformities, which seem to grow progressively worse with age.

None of this had any meaning for Demetrios throughout his childhood, as neither he nor anyone he knew had any contact with outsiders, and thus the progressive changes that affected most of the locals seemed normal to him.  On his 18^th birthday Demetrios, along with all the other youths born on the same day as he, was rowed to a reef offshore and instructed to watch the waves for one day and night.  This he did, and in the dark of night a massive, scaled, tentacled creature rose from the waves and descended upon the cluster of youths who cowered on the reef.  After regarding each one, it grabbed Demetrios and tossed him about like a rag doll before dropping him in the water, and then sank out of sight.  The surviving youths (several had died of fright) were rowed back to the village the next day, but everyone gaped in awe at the mass of barbed sucker marks that covered Demetrios’s body.  The village priest disrobed at the sight, revealing his own markings.  Demetrios became apprenticed to the priest, and replaced him when the man died the following year.

Demetrios, as the priest of Klasomenai, soon began instructing the people to expand the temple to Dagos, and to venture farther out to sea for greater catches and to attack lone vessels belonging to other communities (and to bring any surviving crew to him for sacrifice).  Fish catches have grown under his watch, and more children are now surviving infancy; although some of the deformities that used to strike villagers in their later years are now starting to show up among the very young.  The minority of villagers who venerate other Immortals, such as Protius, have come under increasing pressure to convert, or leave.  Even though Demetrios governs the village on all matters spiritual, he also has a great deal of influence over the village elders, and hardly anything happens here without his permission.

Appearance:  Demetrios is fairly short (5’4”/162 cm) and has a stocky build (150 lbs/68 kg).  Like most of the people from this part of Davania, he has a light olive complexion, but much of his skin has a rough, sand-papery look, and is marred by purplish, saucer-sized sucker marks.  Webbing is growing between his fingers and toes, and long, deep wrinkles on each side of his neck mark where gills will emerge when his transformation is complete.  His dark brown eyes seem to bulge from their sockets, and he rarely blinks.  He has lost much of his dark brown, curly hair, and his now-exposed scalp has a decidedly scaly texture.  Normally Demetrios wears the voluminous sea-green robes of his faith, but on religious festivals he has begun the practice of wading naked into the sea to perform his rites.

Statistics:

Demetrios Sistovaris (18th level cleric of Ubbeth):  STR 12, INT 15, WIS 16, DEX 15, CON 13, CHA 6.  Hit Points:  61.  Armour Class:  8.   Alignment:  Chaotic.

Skills:  Ceremony – Ubbeth (WIS+2), Leadership (CHA+2), Nature Lore – Jungle (INT), Navigation (INT+1), Persuasion (CHA), Sailing (INT+1), Swimming (DEX), Outer Being Lore (13).  If your campaign uses the optional Weapon Mastery rules, Demetrios is “Master” in the trident.  Languages Known:  Milenian (Kastelian dialect) + 1 free slot.

Special Abilities:  Sense Tainted within 300’, ESP with Tainted within 100’.  Demetrios has access to the full list of cleric spells.

Special Equipment:  Trident of Ubbeth (see below)

Personality:  Demetrios is an egotistical despot who views Klasomenai as his personal fiefdom, and his fellow villagers as his subjects.  The fact that word of his belligerent stance towards outsiders, and accounts of his less reputable acts (as told by people forced to leave the village), will eventually reach the nominal authorities in Kastelios does not cross his mind.  He is confident that Ubbeth will watch over him, just as the Outer Being has watched over the faithful of his village for centuries, and should any outsiders try to crush him, they will be destroyed.

Demetrios is convinced that his mission in life is to turn Klasomenai into a holy site dedicated to Ubbeth.  To that end, he takes great joy in crushing the other faiths, and in reciting the ancient rituals that are accelerating the transformation of the villagers into semi-aquatic hybrid beasts.  Thus, he sees himself as Ubbeth’s personal champion, and has given himself a grandiose title to match.  In fact, Demetrios is so taken by his own perceived importance that he has begun to refer to himself in the third person, and has demanded that others do the same.  Almost everyone else in Klasomenai is too cowed to dispute his claim, and many of those who have expressed discontent have disappeared.

Roleplaying Notes: Although Demetrios is in many ways a small fish, he is in a rather tiny pond, so his influence in the region is actually considerable.  He could easily become a problem for local shipping if he becomes more organised, and as his followers venture farther from Klasomenai in search of sacrificial victims his shadow will grow.  Eventually the authorities in the city-state of Kastelios, which claims the region for itself, will need to step in and do something about Demetrios.  The player characters would be natural candidates for such a mission.

Should the player characters wish to purge Klasomenai of Ubbeth’s influence, they will have a long, but possibly highly rewarding, quest ahead of them.  They will have to learn about Ubbeth, His methods, and how He came to influence the village.  They will also need to learn how to neutralise Demetrios and eliminate him before Ubbeth realises that one of His champions is being attacked.

NICOLA THE RED-HANDED

Background:  Nicola Robbards was born in Minrothad in AC 968, to a merchant sailing family that had been living on both sides of the law for generations.  When times were good the Robbards family was reputed to be canny in business, but when their fortunes fell they turned their talents towards piracy.  The family avoided trouble for the most part by attacking foreign shipping, but Nicola’s father was the youngest of four, and knew he would never inherit.  He made piracy his vocation, and his only child learned from one of the best.  By the time Nicola was 16, she was commanding her own small sailing ship and raiding smaller cargo vessels.  She acquired her nickname from a particularly nasty duel with a ship captain.

Nicola’s first big score happened when she was 18.  Her ship, a two-masted schooner named the Zephyr, attacked two cargo ships en route to Thyatis from the southern continent of Davania.  She had the element of surprise and managed to cripple both ships before any serious manoeuvring could take place.  She and her crew pillaged both vessels and left their surviving crews to fend for themselves on the high seas.  The Thyatians had been transporting spices and other choice commodities (such as coffee) that would fetch high prices in Minrothad and Darokin, but one crate contained strange gold jewellery decorated with marine motifs that did not seem to have been made for humans to wear.  Her crew wanted to sell the jewellery to the first merchant they came across for some quick cash, but Nicola overruled them.  She had occasionally visited the more reputable, mercantile branch of the family as a child (the Robbards family sticks together), and knew enough about art to realise that the cargo they held would be worth far more to a collector.

Using her connections, Nicola tracked down a collector in Athenos, who paid a handsome sum.  Nicola was ambushed by a band of robed assailants that night, and taken to a swampy island in the Malpheggi Swamp.  There, her captors interrogated her about how she obtained the jewellery (which their cult used for religious purposes).  Since she had proven her usefulness in retrieving something of value to them, the cultists offered her a choice:  death, or eternal service to Ubbeth, their master.  Thinking the whole thing was a farce, Nicola pledged her allegiance to the Outer Being, but after a portion of His essence was implanted in her she realised what she had done.  Now she is bound to Him, and is compelled through dream messages to do His bidding.  However, she did not bend fully to Ubbeth’s will, and always looks for ways in which to reinterpret His wishes in ways that benefit her, or which actually harm the Outer Being’s plans.

Nicola plies the Sea of Dread and the Western Sea of Dawn on her ship, the Presumptuous, and regularly attacks Thyatian and Minrothaddan shipping – although she will not attack any vessels flying the banners of the Robbards family (in fact, she occasionally escorts her cousins on particularly risky runs).  Although she has a hideout in the Thanegioth Archipelago where she keeps her second ship (the Audacious), Nicola can often be found in the rougher parts of the Minrothaddan capital, Harbortown.

Appearance:  Nicola stands 5’8” tall (172 cm) and has a solid, muscular build (160 lbs./72 kg).  She has a tanned and weathered complexion from a life at sea, and her arms are a mass of black tattoos that resemble tangled squiggles interspersed with marine life.  She keeps her hair (dyed bluish-black with squid ink) short in the back, but long enough in front to conceal her eye patch (Ubbeth’s transformative influence had begun with her eye, which she plucked out – it seems to have stopped for now).  Her remaining eye is a deep emerald green.  Nicola is a practical woman; she wears a linen shirt and trousers, low boots, and a leather vest – finery would just get in the way.  Her one concession to piratical stereotypes are her rings – each finger has at least one

Statistics:

Nicola Robbards (10th level cleric of Ubbeth):  STR 17, INT 14, WIS 11, DEX 16, CON 15, CHA 12.  Hit Points:  54.  Armour Class:  5.   Alignment:  Chaotic.

Skills:  Bargaining (INT), Ceremony – Ubbeth (WIS), Drinking (CON), Intimidation (STR), Navigation (INT+1), Persuasion (CHA), Sailing (INT+1), Swimming (DEX), Outer Being Lore (2).  If your campaign uses the optional Weapon Mastery rules, Nicola is “Expert” in the short sword.  Languages Known:  Thyatian (Minrothad dialect), Makai.

Special Abilities:  Sense Tainted within 300’, ESP with Tainted within 100’.  Nicola has access to the full list of cleric spells.

Special Equipment:  Short sword +1, +3 versus servitors of the Outer Beings.

Personality:  Although Nicola is an unpredictable, dangerous pirate who occasionally consorts with outer powers for personal gain, she has not (yet) descended into inhumanity.  Her crew is her surrogate family, and although she is indisputably the captain and will not tolerate any insubordination, she will go to the wall for those who serve her well.  She also follows a code of honour, of sorts:  She always keeps her word (unless the other person has ever wronged her), she will not (unless provoked or instructed otherwise) abuse a prisoner, and she will give quarter to a vanquished opponent who fought with courage.

Nicola is someone who thrives on living life on the edge.  The greater the risk, or the greater the chance of being caught, the better.  She does not believe in laws or structures of any kind, and resents attempts by other people to constrain her activities; although she will accept offers of help – so long as the help is given on her terms.  Nicola is also very impulsive, and will set sail anywhere if the promise of loot and glory is great enough.

Nicola’s feelings about serving Ubbeth are complicated.  She knows that He is a very unpleasant, very powerful being who would destroy most of the world if He could.  She also knows that He would sacrifice her to advance His plans without a second thought.  The few times Nicola communicated with Ubbeth left her feeling disgusted afterwards – so much so that she chooses to interpret His dream messages in a way that suits her interests best.  At times, she has even hindered Ubbeth’s plans.  Yet she also revels in the power that He provides her.  To Nicola, playing Ubbeth’s game while using His power for her own purposes is living life on the ultimate knife edge.  Her crew has no idea where she gets her strange powers, and so long as the loot continues to pour in and she treats them well they will not care.  Thus, every additional day of life is something to be celebrated with wild abandon.

Whenever Nicola is in a port, she spends the bulk of her money on her ship and what is left on personal entertainment.  She is as aggressive and impulsive in her personal life as she is on the high seas, and does not care at all what other people think.  She does not believe in saving or planning – she always seems to hear a rumour about a juicy cargo vessel at just the right time (she chooses not to speculate as to whether Ubbeth is behind that or not).  Focusing on the fun aspects of life also distracts her from the unpleasantness that lies at its core.

Roleplaying Notes:  Player characters may run into her at a bar, spend half the night gambling and drinking with her, and walk away with emptier pockets and a smile.  Or they might wake up on the deck of her ship, sailing to parts unknown, not knowing that she had drugged their drinks because she needed a few tough-looking individuals for a job, and no one was volunteering.

Because Nicola’s ultimate loyalty is to herself, she can be an ally or a foe depending on how the player characters react to her.  It is unlikely that the source of her magical power will be immediately apparent, so if and when it does become revealed the party could have a difficult decision to make if they have come to know her.  Do they confront Nicola as a follower of the Outer Beings because Ubbeth provides her with spells, or do they consider that she has only used those powers for personal gain, and not to further her master’s goals?  Regardless of their views on the matter, Ubbeth will eventually become aware of Nicola’s activities and He will not be pleased.

NEW ITEMS

Trident of Ubbeth:  This trident is encrusted with barnacles, dried seaweed, and coral-like growths which sprout tiny white fronds that constantly wave about – even when there is no breeze.  No matter how long it is out of the water, it is always damp to the touch and none of the living creatures that have colonised its length ever die.  Anyone who wields the trident instantly becomes known to Ubbeth if they are within sight of a body of water – even a river is sufficient.  This weapon also always smells strongly of the sea, no matter how much one tries to clean it.

If used as a weapon, the trident functions as a trident +3; however, anyone stabbed with it in combat must make a save vs. Poison.  If the save fails the victim not only takes damage, they are also “injected” with polyps from the coral-like growths on the trident.  These polyps react with the victim’s bloodstream and begin growing.  The victim will begin to feel listless six hours after being injected (-3 to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), and after another 12 hours will become so weak that they will be unable to move.  Coral growths begin erupting from the victim’s flesh soon afterwards, inflicting 1d6 damage per turn until death.  Not long afterwards the victim’s corpse is transformed into a vaguely person-shaped coral formation.  The disease can be halted by a cure disease spell.

The trident also grants the wielder the following abilities:

• The ability to speak with marine animals (as per the spell speak with animals) five times per day.
• The ability to breathe underwater (as per a ring of waterbreathing).
• A reaction bonus of +3 when dealing with any of Ubbeth’s followers.

NOT QUITE A FINAL WORD

Although this series has run its course, I will be revisiting the Outer Beings and their interactions with Mystara over the coming months.  I will flesh out the magic used by the cultists I have been describing, and I will expand on what Bruce Heard and I developed on his blog – including providing more detail on the accursed city of Orzafeth.  I will also (because one can never have too many villains in their campaign) flesh out more followers of the Outer Beings.  The sky is really the limit, but I would be very interested in hearing what you would like to see.

So in closing (for now), I would like to send special thanks to Bruce Heard, Nicole Lavigne, and Megan Fulton for their unique roles in making this series happen.  You know what you did.  I owe you all.

The sixth installment of my series detailling some followers of the vaguely Lovecraftian cosmic entities known as the Outer Beings looks at a pair of worshippers of Rosheg-Kha, who is otherwise known as “She Who Provides” and “The Father of Lizards”. Readers interested in learning more about the Outer Beings are invited to visit Bruce Heard’s blog, where I wrote a cosmology for them (scroll to the bottom).

Although everything written here is set in the campaign setting known as “Mystara” in the year AC 1000, readers are welcome to modify the material to suit their own campaigns.

(image courtesy of Bruce Heard)

SLIZZESH (SLEE-zesh), VOICE OF THE MOTHER

Background: Slizzesh is a member of the Folkurat (“Shadow Hill”) tribe of lizard men, who live in the southern fringes of the Malpheggi Swamp, near Athenos. His tribe venerates Rosheg-Kha as a mother figure, and have given Her the name “Bringer-Forth of the Egg”. The Folkurat have always been an aggressive, expansionist tribe, but have historically been hemmed in by a loose coalition of rival tribes who tend to follow Ka or Protius. Slizzesh was steeped in the mythology of his tribe, and became a warrior once he reached adulthood. A hot-tempered representative of his species, he quickly acquired a reputation for being exceptionally brutal in combat. He became a celebrated warrior of the tribe, and earned the chieftain’s favour.

During the annual Festival of Renewal, during which the tribe’s eggs are laid and the tribal shaman performs auguries to determine fortunes for the coming year, Slizzesh was told that there were portents that indicated he was to undertake a great quest, and that he would have to venture into the deepest part of the swamp to learn what he must do. Naturally he could not refuse, and departed immediately. Slizzesh’s journey was arduous, and he was frequently beset by deadly foes – both living and dead. Finally, he reached a portion of the swamp where the mire was especially deep, but from which great carved stone blocks emerged. He immediately received a vision of himself meditating on one of these blocks.

Slizzesh sat for a week, constantly emptying his mind and imploring Rosheg-Kha to give him a sign. He received a vision of himself discovering a doorway in one of the blocks, which revealed a crumbling staircase leading down into a warren of half-flooded tunnels of dressed stone, which led him to a vaulted chamber whose walls were covered with fetid moss. A circular platform, on which rested a stone chest, rose from the muck. In that moment Slizzesh awoke to find himself in the chamber, on the verge of opening the chest. Knowing that he had been guided by Rosheg-Kha, he opened it, and was immediately attacked, and possessed, by the spirit that had been trapped within – Aron, the High Priest of Ardannon. A great mental battle ensued, but the fierce lizard man’s spirit was no match for a devious priest who had spent more than a thousand years plotting his revenge.

Slizzesh returned to his tribe weeks later, bearing a strange spear (the Royal Sceptre of Meruvar – see below) and proclaiming himself to be the Voice of the Mother. The shaman left the tribe immediately, and never returned. Since that time, Slizzesh has become chief in all but name, and has been guiding the tribe to become even more aggressive, to organise itself more, and become more settled.

Appearance: Slizzesh stands 6’5” (196 cm) tall and has a powerful build (270 lbs./122 kg). His body is covered with light green and dark yellow scales in a stripe pattern, and old scars cover his arms and back. His voice is sibilant, yet possesses a warmth and authoritativeness that compels most listeners to pay attention. When he speaks to others, his orange eyes hold their gaze with a penetrating stare. He walks with a stately, measured grace.

When he was still a warrior Slizzesh wore numerous pieces of jewellery taken from fallen foes, and he wore three necklaces of teeth (one tooth taken per kill) and took great umbrage if anyone threatened to touch his treasures. Now, however, he walks about undecorated.

Statistics:

Slizzesh (9th level shaman of Rosheg-Kha): STR 16, INT 16, WIS 14, DEX 15, CON 18, CHA 10. Hit Points: 62. Armour Class: 6. Alignment: Chaotic.

Skills: Alchemy (INT+1), Arcane Lore (INT), Ceremony – Rosheg-Kha (WIS), Ceremony – Yurrgh-Thal (WIS), Etiquette – Meruvar (CHA+1), Knowledge – Eraeda (INT), Knowledge – Meruvar (INT), Knowledge – Molharran (INT), Nature Lore (INT+1), Outer Being Lore (14), Survival – Jungle (INT), Survival – Swamp (INT+1). If your campaign uses the optional Weapon Mastery rules, Slizzesh is “Expert” in the spear. Languages Known: Eraedan, Hemkalss, Nithian (see DM note).

Special Abilities: Sense Tainted within 300’, ESP with Tainted within 100’. Slizzesh has access to the full list of shaman spells.

Special Equipment: Royal Sceptre of Meruvar (see below).

Personality: Before becoming possessed by the departed spirit of Aron, the High Priest of Ardannon, Slizzesh was a crafty, but thuggish, lizard man. He delighted in demonstrating his physical prowess and his ferocity in battle, but was not above using trickery to gain an advantage over his enemies. However, his reputation all but assured that any criticisms directed against him were made very quietly, and behind his back. Slizzesh also took great delight in looting the corpses of his fallen foes for trophies, and displayed them proudly for all to see. He was especially fond of teeth.

Since his transformation, Slizzesh has become more subdued – at least on the surface. He no longer boasts about his abilities or challenges rivals (real or imagined) to feats of strength and skill to prove his dominance. He has also rid himself of all of his grisly trophies, and instead walks sedately about his tribe’s territory with no adornment whatsoever. He speaks calmly, and urges restraint when passions arise. In every sense Slizzesh has become the authoritative, yet nurturing, parental figure for his tribe – in short, Rosheg-Kha made flesh.

The calmer, gentler Slizzesh is but a guise. Inside, however, the spirit of Aron writhes with barely suppressed rage and impatience. He remembers clearly the power he once wielded, and the potential his lost realm once possessed. He had dreamed of being found by an ambitious, greedy human, whom he could twist to rebuild Meruvar under the glory of the Outer Beings. Instead, he is housed inside a brute of a lizard man whose tribe has no concept of civilisation. Focusing on the long view, Aron is quietly tutoring the tribe by showing them their potential and guiding them to become stronger by being more civilised. In so doing, Aron is slowly lifting the tribe out of savagery, and he dreams of one day using them to build Ardannon anew. It is a long-term goal, but Aron can convinced himself (with great difficulty) that he can bide his time for a few more years given how long he was imprisoned.

Aron has completely buried Slizzesh’s personality. Once he has determined that the tribe can acquit itself well in larger battles, he will drop all pretence of gentleness and drive the tribe mercilessly to overwhelm and enslave its neighbours in order to build his city. Once that is done, he will reign openly as himself, and turn that portion of the Malpheggi Swamp into a locus of power for the Outer Beings.

Roleplaying Notes: Slizzesh is the kind of villain that hearkens back to the action-packed pulp classics of the 1930s – the evil high priest in a savage land who possesses a dark secret. The player characters can be openly heroic in countering his plots, and while his strength is considerable a plot arc involving him can have a slightly lighter tone if the DM and players want it to.

Also, depending on the role lizard men play in the campaign (as a savage race or possibly as a degenerate remnant of a once-mighty civilisation), defeating Slizzesh could serve another purpose – eliminating a corrupting influence on lizard men.

DM NOTE:

By virtue of the fact that Slizzesh is possessed by Aron, he has considerable knowledge of people and places that have long since vanished. This is reflected in Slizzesh’s knowledge skills, which cover the vanished lands of Eraeda, Molharran, and Meruvar.

Eraeda covered the lands between the Streel River and the western edge of the Alfheim, from the region just south of what is now Corunglain to the lands near the town of Wrasseldown. Its people were fair-skinned folk of Neathar descent who organised themselves into largely self-sufficient petty city-states. These people formed the root stock of what would become the Darokinians – Ansel Darokin was an Eraedan chieftain.

Molharran lay to the west of Eraeda, and occupied a roughly triangular-shaped territory stretching from the Streel River to the shores of Lake Amsorak. It was a centralised kingdom ruled by the House of Kareth, whose capital city of Elstarath (Elstrich) was once one of the largest settlements on the entire Streel Plain. Although related to the people of Eraeda, the Molharraners had mixed with indigenous peoples thought to have been fey. They were known for being slight of build, with very pale skin and dark hair. Molharran collapsed before the rise of Thyatis, but a relic population still exists in the town of Elstrich, as well as the valleys to the north known as the Elstrich Vale.

Meruvar occupied the northern half of what is now the Malpheggi Swamp and lands immediately to the east, plus a stretch of hill country along the Molharraner frontier. Its people were closely related to the Molharraners, but had mixed with the folk of the city-state of Athenos. They were of a slightly darker complexion, and had embraced the Athenosian deity known as Yuranos (Yurrgh-Thal) as their own. Meruvar soon came into conflict with Molharran, and the former’s worship of the Outer Being was sufficient justification to mount a series of bloody crusades, which, although successful, bled Molharran dry (which ultimately hastened the kingdom’s demise). The Molharraners did, however, manage to raze the Meruvari capital of Ardannon, which soon faded from memory – until it was rediscovered many centuries later by Slizzesh.

More information is available from the following timeline, written by Aaron Nowack with my input.

“Eraedan” was spoken by the people of Molharran, Meruvar, and Eraeda. This was Aron’s native language; although he spoke the Meruvari dialect. Eraedan has long since been replaced by Thyatian as the common language of the region, and very little remains of it in the modern era, beyond a few relic words spoken by countryfolk.

Likewise, although the Nithian Empire had been recently erased by the Immortals, in Aron’s time there were still a few scholars who retained some knowledge of that nation and its language. Aron was one of those.

CONSTANTIN PETRIU

Background: Constantin Petriu, the youngest of three boys, was born in the hamlet of Stregoicavar in AC 967. Stregoicavar is located on the fringes of the Blight Swamp, just outside the Black Eagle Barony, and its inhabitants make their living through woodcutting and subsistence agriculture. Never a particularly sturdy or athletic child, Constantin was tormented by his peers and spent much of his time sulking in the woods or on the fringes of the swamp. He developed a deep appreciation for nature – especially the frogs, salamanders, and snakes he discovered on the murky margins of the Blight Swamp. They fascinated him because they lacked the combativeness and frenetic natures that people – and all mammals by extension – seemed to exhibit, and which he found unappealing by associating such behaviour with the actions of his peers. As time passed, Constantin sought out reptiles more and more, and soon developed a deep knowledge of their habits.

Constantin was well on his way to becoming a social outcast when, at the age of 20, he was attacked during a raid staged by bandits employed by the Black Eagle, Baron Ludwig von Hendriks. Although many residents of Stregoicavar were injured, Constantin’s lack of physical prowess made him especially vulnerable. The lion’s share of the few resources available to heal the injured were given to those who fought hardest against the enemy; Constantin received nothing, and was told that the people could not help those who would not help them. He did not see how his self-imposed isolation (merited or not) had effectively resulted in his own exile. Constantin left Stregoicavar as soon as he was able, and moved to the capital city of Specularum, where, he hoped, he could start over.

During his time in Specularum he worked in a succession of jobs – his antisocial nature did not ingratiate him to his employers. He returned home thoroughly disenchanted with humanity, and the frosty reception he received drove him back to the swamp, where he set up a rude hut for himself. Strange insights began coming to him then as he studied his beloved reptiles – that they were in many ways a simpler, but better, form of life in his view. He yearned to be more like them, to find fellowship at last with other living things. That yearning, unknowingly to him, drew Rosheg-Kha’s attention, and He saw the young man as a potentially useful (albeit mammalian) tool. Constantin discovered his magical abilities, and the transformation began soon afterwards. He attributed this change to his devotion and love for reptiles, and as a result his territory has become a sanctuary of sorts for all scaled creatures.

Appearance: Constantin is a fairly small (5’3”/160 cm) man with a slight build (120 lbs./54 kg). Before his transformation he had brown eyes, long, wavy brown hair and a ruddy complexion. Now, however, extensive patches of mottled green and brown scales are present on his limbs, back, and chest, and clumps of his hair have fallen out, revealing even more scaly flesh. His nose has flattened and broadened to resemble a reptile’s snout, and his eyes have enlarged noticeably. His once whiny voice has acquired a rumbling undertone. He sometimes wears a simple robe of coarse wool, which covers most of his body, but often he wears nothing; the powers granted to him by Rosheg-Kha have also made his territory warm and humid year-round, and it will remain so as long as Constantin remains there.

Due to his affinity towards reptiles, and the love they have for him (see Personality – below), Constantin always has 2d10 mundane snakes (DM chooses the variety) present on his body at any time. These snakes love their protector, and will sacrifice themselves if necessary to shield him. In game terms, this “living armour” gives Constantin an effective Armour Class of 7.

Statistics:
Constantin Petriu (7th level shaman of Rosheg-Kha): STR 8, INT 12, WIS 13, DEX 12, CON 10, CHA 6. Hit Points: 30. Armour Class: 7. Alignment: Neutral.

Skills: Ceremony – Rosheg-Kha (WIS), Knowledge – Blight Swamp (INT), Nature Lore (INT), Stealth – Swamp (DEX), Survival – Swamp (INT). Constantin has no expertise in any weapon; his reptilian charges will defend him should anyone threaten his safety. The DM should stock Constantin’s sanctuary with a variety of snakes and other reptiles. Languages Known: Traladaran.

Special Abilities: Sense Tainted within 300’, ESP with Tainted within 100’. Constantin has access to the full list of cleric spells.

Special Equipment: None.

Personality: Constantin is a highly introverted man who has little love or empathy for his fellow human beings, in large part because of the events surrounding the raid by the Black Eagle Barony. He found solace in the quiet study of reptiles because it relieved him of the burden of interacting with other people while occupying his inquisitive mind, and he enjoys the solitude of his sanctuary now because it allows him to commune with his reptilian charges. His years of voluntary isolation from other human beings have only accentuated his antisocial tendencies – to the point where he finds casual conversation incredibly difficult.

The progressive physical transformations Constantin has experienced, and their perceived benefits, has simply reinforced his view that reptiles are superior in every sense of the word, and that mammalian life is nothing more than an evolutionary aberration that will one day be corrected. He does not even consider himself human anymore. Despite the joy he derives from his altered state, as well as the kinship he has found with reptiles in all their forms, Constantin loathes his vestigial humanity and yearns to excise it entirely. This self-hatred manifests itself in occasional violent outbursts and attempts at self-mutilation. Most of the time, however, he exhibits the eerie silence and stillness that only reptiles can manage.

Constantin will be very cold towards any sentient mammal he encounters, and very little will provoke him to attack. An adventuring party whose membership includes a lizard man or similar creature will be treated more hospitably, but Constantin will focus almost entirely on the reptilian.

Roleplaying Notes: Constantin could be an interesting, if highly disturbing, encounter for an adventuring party because not only has he turned his back on his own kind; he has also willingly and enthusiastically transferred his affections to cold-blooded creatures that should not care at all for him, but in fact do – enthusiastically. His numerous reptilian pets flock around him constantly, crawling and slithering all over him while seeking his caresses and seeming to listen attentively to his gentle murmurs, but are also very visibly primed to attack at the slightest provocation or threat to their loving master. His visibly altered appearance emphasises the abnormality of the situation.

Constantin presents an interesting roleplaying challenge as well because anyone dealing with him for any length of time will soon realise that, while he has no love for his former people and would destroy them if given a chance, he does not actively seek the destruction of humanity and his desire to protect reptilian life is genuine. It is possible that Constantin could be sheltering rare species of reptiles in his domain, or providing sanctuary to a lizard man (who may not be evil). Thus, killing him and destroying his sanctuary may actually do more harm than good, over the long term.

The other complication is the fact that Constantin has no idea that he is actually a follower of Rosheg-Kha, and knows nothing about the Outer Beings; he honestly believes that his powers are a manifestation of his love of reptiles, and he sees himself as their protector.

NEW ITEMS:

Royal Sceptre of Meruvar: Although Meruvar did not long endure as a nation, it did exist long enough for its people to develop the trappings of nationhood that many take for granted – including crowns, sceptres, and other adornments of state. This sceptre measures six feet in length, and is made from polished ebony shod with silver and inlaid with mother-of-pearl cabuchons. Its decorative tip bears what appears to be an overly ornate spear head inset with a single, thumb-sized ruby. The sceptre weighs 40 cn (four pounds).

Slizzesh uses the sceptre as a spear, and as such it works like a spear +2. However, the sceptre contains a number of magical powers, all of which are also known to Slizzesh. The sceptre can cast every 1st- and 2nd-level magic user spell once per day, and renders the wielder immune to all scrying attempts. The sceptre can also cast summon lesser servitor three times per day. Any class can use this weapon.

NEW SPELL: SUMMON LESSER SERVITOR

Level: 3
Range: 0′ (caster only)
Duration: 1 turn/level of caster
Effect: Summons one lesser servitor for the duration of the spell.

This spell, when cast, summons a lesser servitor of the DM’s choice to the plane currently occupied by the caster. The servitor will, for the duration of the spell, obey the commands of the caster, as though it was under a geas. Any command may be given except for those that might endanger the life of the servitor, in which case the caster’s control is broken. Examples include ordering the servitor to kill itself, to attack anything whose hit dice or levels exceed its own (i.e.,: anything larger or visibly more powerful than itself), or to go somewhere that is obviously extremely dangerous. This is up to the DM. The servitor will also take commands literally, even if its Intelligence is high enough to make this normally impossible, just to spite the caster. As a result, the caster must word his or her orders very carefully. The caster also has no control over what kind of lesser servitor is summoned, and will not know until the servitor arrives. It should be noted that if a type of servitor is summoned, which cannot normally survive in the environment to which it is summoned, it will suffer the full effects of that exposure. Finally, if an intelligent servitor is summoned, it will likely remember its summoner, and take vengeance upon that person at some later date if it feels it was misused.

The fifth installment of my series detailling some followers of the vaguely Lovecraftian cosmic entities known as the Outer Beings looks at a couple of followers of a being known as Hrug, who as otherwise known as “The Traveller” and “The Keeper of the Way”. Readers hungry for more are invited to visit Bruce Heard’s blog, where I wrote a a cosmology of the Outer Beings (scroll to the bottom).

Although everything written here is set in the campaign setting known as “Mystara” in the year AC 1000, readers are welcome to modify the material to suit their own campaigns.

(image courtesy of Bruce Heard)

AMRETHINAR OF SKYREACH

Background: Amrethinar was born on the floating island of Ambelethmir in AC 976, to a modestly wealthy aristocratic family. Unlike his two older brothers, Amrethinar did not demonstrate the knack for arcane magic. His parents, however, were unconcerned because they knew enough high-ranking clerics of the various faiths practiced in Alphatia to guarantee their son a position in one of the holy orders – and with that training in divine magic and the granting of aristocratic status. Despite this guarantee, Amrethinar’s older siblings treated him like an inferior whenever they could get away with it – which was often, because their parents were both active astronomers and were largely focused on their research.

Despite these difficulties, or perhaps because of them, Amrethinar grew up to become a confident young man who was as fascinated by the stars as his parents. He was accepted into the Church of Ixion, which had a large, glass-domed observatory at its temple in Skyreach (which was one of the deciding factors). Although his duties filled up much of his days, Amrethinar still found time to gaze at the stars, and carried out a considerable amount of research that actually got published in a number of journals – some of them widely read. It was during one late-night research session that Amrethinar heard a voice. At first he thought it was a prank, but when he listened carefully he realised it was telling him in a very disjointed fashion to scan the sky over the northern horizon. He did so, and saw a glowing object plummet to the ground from the heavens, which caused a massive explosion that blinded him momentarily.

In a panic, he rushed to his master’s chambers to report what he saw. His master inspected the site with the telescope, but found nothing out of the ordinary and assigned several punishments to discourage such flights of fancy in the future. While carrying out these additional duties, Amrethinar began receiving strange sensory impressions. He occasionally heard voices, but the most common impressions were images that flashed into his brain – much of the latter were fascinating images of far distant worlds and other features, but occasionally he saw images of worlds being torn apart and of vast discharges of energy tearing holes in the fabric of reality itself – and from those holes emerged things that seemed so massive yet seemed so unlike anything he had ever seen before that for some reason he had great difficulty focusing on them, amid inexplicable feelings of intense anxiety. Yet, as he thought about those strange, vaguely repulsive entities he also felt drawn to them. He began dreaming about them, and one of them – a creature that resembled a misshapen cylinder of colossal proportions – seemed to “speak” to him, and in that moment Amrethinar realised that it was the source of the first strange vision that set him on the path of celestial discovery.

Appearance: Amrethinar is of “pure” Alphatian ancestry, with pale skin, shoulder-length black hair, and violet eyes. He is quite tall (6’/183 cm) and slim (140 lbs./64 kg). He has a soft, vaguely musical voice that many young women have found enchanting – not that he cares overmuch. He typically wears traditional Alphatian robes in blue and gold (the colours of his family), but of late has been sporting clothing of a more sombre hue, with patterns consisting of stars, planets, and other celestial themes.

Statistics:

Amrethinar of Skyreach (2nd level cleric of Hrug): STR 9, INT 16, WIS 12, DEX 13, CON 11, CHA 14. Hit Points: 10. Armour Class: 8. Alignment: Chaotic.

Skills: Alchemy (INT), Arcane Lore (INT), Astronomy (INT), Ceremony – Hrug (WIS), Singing (CHA), Outer Being Lore (2). As a cleric of Hrug, Amrethinar does not have any weapons, and therefore has no Weapon Mastery skills. Languages Known: Alphatian + 2 free slots.

Special Abilities: Sense Tainted within 300’, ESP with Tainted within 100’. Amrethinar has access to the full list of cleric spells.

Special Equipment: None.

Personality: Amrethinar is an abstract intellectual through and through. Ideas, particularly where they involve the heavenly bodies and how their transit through the skies affects the physical world, fascinate him to the exclusion of just about everything else. This is why the broadcasts from Hrug have made such a deep impression on him – the Outer Being is showing him worlds and galaxies that no one else has ever seen, as well as phenomena (such as giant gas clouds) completely unknown to Alphatian astronomy. Although the majority of Hrug’s messages make no sense, Amrethinar suspects that he will eventually receive enough information to actually locate these wondrous discoveries in the heavens directly, and once he does so he will receive the credit.

In the meantime Amrethinar is becoming increasingly closely attuned to Hrug Himself, and is already beginning to change in subtle ways. His intellectualism is coming out very forcefully in most conversations, such that he rarely pays attention to social niceties anymore. He is also becoming more preoccupied with his creative output and the largely nonsensical messages he receives from Hrug. It is only a matter of time before the strange messages become more frequent, and begin to occupy even more of his conscious mind.

Roleplaying Notes: Amrethinar is another example of someone who has just begun their journey into darkness, but instead of being driven by bitterness towards the world he is simply motivated by curiosity and a small measure of greed. Thus, if someone were to develop an intellectually (as opposed to morally) sound argument as to why he should abandon his faith, he might actually do so. Hrug would likely not notice, or care, if Amrethinar left the fold.

MENELIMNAR (“THE STAR ORACLE”)

Background: The being now known as the Star Oracle was once a pure-blooded Alphatian man named Menelimnar, who was an avid scholar who developed many theories about planar physics and alternate magics. Born in AC 917, he had grown up in an aristocratic household in Sundsvall, in which most of his family practiced traditional air magics. Although Menelimnar was proficient in the art, it did not long retain his interest. He had a strong desire to stand out from his contemporaries, most of whom were more concerned with completing their magical training and securing a comfortable existence for themselves. There was no value in magic, in his mind, unless it could be used to push back the boundaries of knowledge in every sense. Conventional magics, in his view, were for unimaginative people – and he had no time for those.

He explored alternate magics, pondered the utility of calculus in proving the existence of antimatter (and by extension, anti-magic – he was never able to prove this, however, and part of his mind remains irritated about it even now), and theorised that, if the duality of law and chaos should be taken as a “fact”, then a greater duality of reality and unreality might also exist. This last thought intrigued him as nothing had before, and he devoted 30 years to researching this very question. He became so absorbed in his work that he neglected his family and the few friends he did have, and before long all that existed in his mind was the Great Question. It consumed his every waking hour, and became so much of an obsession that he began to lose all perspective of reality.

Then he heard a voice, and that voice shared some of the secrets of the outer reaches of the universe. The more he listened, the more attuned he became to Hrug, and before long he felt a compulsion to seek out others of his new faith, and in time he became a living conduit for Hrug’s messages…and slowly transformed into the Star Oracle. He now resides in a temple of the Outer Beings in Sundsvall, where he is in constant communion with Hrug, dispensing His celestial wisdom to the faithful while listening for the Word that shall herald the dawning of a new era.

Appearance: Before his transformation Menelimnar was a “pure” Alphatian of average height and build, with black hair and dark blue eyes. Prolonged contact with Hrug has mutated him into a vaguely cylindrical, white pulpy mass measuring 9’ long (274 cm) and weighing 720 lbs. (327 kg). His limbs have withered away into vestigial stumps, and what is left of his face is scattered about on one of his ends – his features slowly roam about. His voice, once a nasal monotone, has degenerated into a wheezing croak.

Statistics:

Menelimnar (20th level cleric of Hrug): STR 1, INT 20, WIS 5, DEX 1, CON 9, CHA 1. Hit Points: 42. Armour Class: 9. Alignment: Chaotic.

Skills: Alternate Magics (INT), Arcane Lore (INT), Calculus (INT), Ceremony – Hrug (WIS), Inter-planar Physics (INT), Outer Being Lore (15), Trans-Dimensional Mathematics (INT). Please note that prolonged contact with Hrug has obliterated most of Menelimnar’s memories, such that most of his skills have been forgotten. Having no useable limbs and being essentially immobile, Menelimnar has no Weapon Mastery skills, and instead relies on his anthropoi to defend himself (see below). Languages Known: Alphatian.

Special Abilities: Sense Tainted within 300’, ESP with Tainted within 100’. Menelimnar can cast clerical spells as a cleric of his level due to his animus stone (see below).

Special Equipment: Animus Stone (see below).

Personality:  Before being transformed into an inhuman monstrosity, Menelimnar was a bookish man who was far more interested in abstract ideas than people – unless those people could somehow be helpful in exploring concepts that interested him. As Menelimnar found few people that he considered his intellectual equals, he tended to look down on most – even other aristocrats. He was also highly contemptuous of unimaginative people, regardless of social class, but he did not bother to insult them; he simply ignored them entirely. This calculated disdain extended to his family, as well.

Now than he is no longer remotely human, Menelimnar’s personality (or what is left of it) has become even more extreme. The fragment of his residual identity that is not devoted to broadcasting the utterances of Hrug concerns itself solely with exploring as far beyond the fringes of magical thinking as possible. Freeing the Outer Beings is little more than a mental exercise in probing the strength of inter-dimensional barriers, and in testing what is, in his view, the Ultimate Hypothesis: Whether there is a polar opposite to reality. His vestigial consciousness is so deeply absorbed in this thinking that it will not notice anything happening around it unless Menelimnar’s physical form is on the verge of death.

Roleplaying Notes: The Oracle/Menelimnar is intended to present the player characters with the ultimate example of how the influence of the Outer Beings can not only strip away what makes a person “human”, it can actually turn them into something else entirely. An adventuring party is unlikely to encounter him unless it is attacking a temple dedicated to the Outer Beings, and even so he is so deeply entrenched in the inner confines of the complex that only high-level parties would be able to meet him. Being so distanced from everyday reality, he would not even actively notice the player characters, even if they started to attack him. Instead, his subconscious will would direct spells at the party and create anthropoi to do the job.

NEW ITEMS:

Animus Stone: Animus stones were created in order to allow highly devoted followers of Hrug to better defend themselves, should the guardians of the temples in which they are normally found be unable to protect them. They are palm-sized balls of obsidian inscribed with tiny runes over their entire surface, which are then embedded into what was once the forehead of the cultist like a third eye. Followers of Hrug are, in fact, able to “see” out of these stones, but what they see are the ideas of their master given form, and then superimposed over “reality”. As such, they are not terribly useful as visual aids, but they are very effective focal points for the casting of spells – in fact, high-level worshippers of Hrug would be unable to cast spells without them because their minds are too scattered by their master’s mental broadcasts.

Animus stones also allow their wearers to project a portion of their subconscious into the Prime Plane as a physical entity under their control. This entity, known as an anthropos (plural: anthropoi), can pick up and use objects, attack, and otherwise perform any purely physical activity. The anthropos’s combat statistics are below.

Should anyone who is not a follower of Hrug decide to wear an animus stone (which must be embedded in the skull), they must make three halved Constitution rolls. If any one of those rolls fail, the person in question dies. If they survive, their minds will be in constant communication with Hrug – insanity is the likeliest result.

Anthropos

Armour Class: 0
Hit Dice: Special (see below)
Move: 120’ (40’)
# Attacks: 1 slash or one weapon
Damage: 1d6 or by weapon
No. Appearing: Special (see below)
Save As: Special (see below)
Morale: 12
Intelligence: 10
Treasure Type: None
Alignment: Chaotic

An anthropos is a physical manifestation of the subconscious mind, which is brought into existence through the use of an animus stone. They are misty, faceless, vaguely human-shaped forms that do the bidding of their originators. They are incapable of speech, and cannot be affected by sleep, fear, charm, hold, or illusion spells. A follower of Hrug can produce and control one anthropos for every two experience levels possessed, and once summoned they will remain on the Prime Plane for one hour per level of the caster, or until destroyed. In combat, they can slash with their vaguely tentacle appendages (which can become solid enough to inflict physical damage), or they can use a weapon.

Each anthropos has a number of Hit Dice equivalent to one-third of their originator’s level, rounded down. They save as clerics of one-third their originator’s level, as well.

As an example, Menelimnar can summon up to 10 anthropoi, each of which has 6 Hit Dice (20 divided by 3, rounded down), and saves as a 6th-level cleric.

The third installment of my series on detailed character profiles of evil cultists will focus on a couple of followers of the Outer Being known as Yurrgh-Thal, also known as “The Corruptor”. More information on Yurrgh-Thal and his plots, as well as those of the other six major Outer Beings, can be found in a cosmology I wrote, which is available on Bruce Heard’s blog.

Although everything written here is set in the campaign setting known as “Mystara” in the year AC 1000, readers are welcome to modify the material to suit their own campaigns.

(image courtesy of Bruce Heard)

HELENA TRISMEGISTUS

Background: Helena was born in Thyatis City in AC 961 to a wealthy, politically connected family. Her father (Cassius) was an influential Senator and staunch supporter of imperial expansion, while her mother (Julia) was a well-known socialite who was frequently seen in the Empress’s extended social circle. Although Helena was the eldest child, she was not male and therefore it was expected in her conservative social circles that she would one day marry and bring about a political alliance of benefit to her family. Helena’s mother took pains to educate her in courtly manners, as well as in other social skills that would benefit a woman in the often deadly world of Thyatian high society – such as detecting deception, determining a person’s weaknesses, knowing when to use blackmail, and how to get an opponent to divulge their secrets without them realising it. Her father, an emotionally distant man, did not concern himself with his daughter’s upbringing or the goings-on in his family; he focused on his career, and his mistresses.

Her mother’s instruction bore fruit, and by the time Helena was 16 she had acquired her own social circle at court, and her inherent grace, wit, and charm began to eclipse those of her mother, who pretended not to notice. However, Julia vented her bitterness in other ways – particularly at her own family behind closed doors. She succeeded in driving Helena and her younger brother, Theodorus, away from her, and her husband soon left his family for his mistress, whom he began to make very public plans to marry. Julia went mad upon hearing the news, and arranged for her soon-to-be-former husband’s demise. Helena learned of her mother’s involvement in her father’s death, and threatened to expose her plot unless she ceded control of the family’s finances (the one thing she cared about most). Julia balked, and strongly hinted that she would murder her own daughter rather than give in.

Helena withdrew and severed all ties with her mother, and immediately began campaigning to take over her late father’s position in the Senate. Although it was very rare for a young woman to do such a thing, many of her father’s colleagues, as well as more than a few citizens, admired her spirit. After a hard-fought battle, she won. This did not go unnoticed by the cult of Yurrgh-Thal, which had been trying to make inroads into the Thyatian government and was having limited success. The naturally charismatic Helena was seen as an ideal pawn. A representative approached her, offering money in exchange for certain political favours. Understanding that this was how business was done, Helena accepted and soon badgered her fellow Senators to support greater religious freedom within the empire – and to accord recognition to the Temple of Celestial Wisdom, which claimed to be a new, but persecuted, faith. The Temple won recognition, and Helena, already deeply enmeshed in Yurrgh-Thal’s web, was formally inducted as a worshipper.

Appearance: Helena is of classic Thyatian stock – she is of average height (5’6”/167 cm) and build (135 lbs./61 kg), with hazel eyes, curly dark brown shoulder-length hair, and a light olive complexion. Her natural, finely-sculpted features (many artists in the city have claimed that a marble bust of Helena would merely repeat what Nature had created) have been subtly enhanced by the power of Yurrgh-Thal (specifically, the Rings of Yuranos) to make her even more alluring. She walks with a natural grace, with just a hint of sultriness, that turns heads as soon as she enters a room, and her naturally melodious voice can disarm the most vocal opponent – and in fact it has done so. She wears the most tasteful, luxurious court attire, and after she makes a public appearance scores of women seek to imitate her.

Statistics:

Helena Trismegistus (11th level cleric of Yurrgh-Thal): STR 12, INT 13, WIS 14, DEX 10, CON 9, CHA 17 (19). Hit Points: 38. Armour Class: 7. Alignment: Chaotic.

Skills: Ceremony – Yurrgh-Thal (WIS), Allure (CHA), Bargaining (CHA), Detect Deception (WIS), Diplomacy (INT), History – Thyatis (INT), Intimidation (INT), Law and Justice – Thyatis (WIS), Persuasion (CHA), Outer Being Lore (7). If your campaign uses the optional Weapon Mastery rulers, Helena is “Expert” in the dagger. Languages Known: Thyatian, Alphatian.

Special Abilities: Sense Tainted within 300’, ESP with Tainted within 100’. Helena can cast clerical spells as a cleric of her level.

Special Equipment: Dagger +2, energy drain, Rings of Yuranos (see below)

Personality: Helena is an engaging woman who is perfectly at ease with being the centre of attention in any social situation. When she speaks to someone, she makes direct eye contact and makes the other person feel like they are the only person who matters at that moment. The friendly image she projects makes her seem approachable, despite her illustrious background. Helena makes a point of learning one or two facts about every person she meets, now matter how humble, so that she will have something to discuss with them later. In short, Helena is a consummate politician. Publicly at least, Helena is quick to proclaim her support for the empire and its expansion.

However, underneath the veneer is a woman who spent her childhood learning to be wary of everything and everyone, and to question everything she saw and heard. In truth, Helena divides the people of the world into two camps: those who are knowledgeable and dangerous, and those who are ignorant and potentially deadly. This suspicion is so deeply rooted into her psyche that she has a network of spies who investigate everyone in her social circle regularly, in the hopes of finding evidence that they are plotting against her, or of finding information that can be used against them if necessary. However, Helena has been so thoroughly schooled in court etiquette, and in the need to maintain appearances, that she keeps this side of her personality buried whenever she is in a public place.

The only certainty in her life at the moment is provided by Yurrgh-Thal, and she follows His instructions unquestioningly.

Roleplaying Notes: Helena could have a number of important roles to play in a campaign, depending on the DM’s interest. As a shrewd political operator she is well placed to act as an unexpected benefactor for the player characters, who could give them potentially lucrative missions that are ostensibly in the interest of the imperial government, but in reality serve her own aims – or those of Yurrgh-Thal. As a result, the player characters’ actions could inadvertently cause great harm in the medium- to long-term, which could result in a great deal of personal anguish if they ever learn how they had been used. Such a revelation could set the stage for a very dramatic encounter with Helena, at which time she would unleash her abilities to their fullest extent.

She is also an excellent example of a follower of a dark entity who operates as a sort of “covert agent”. To all appearances Helena has a normal life and does nothing that would indicate where her allegiances truly lie. In fact, uncovering her true nature, and the extent to which she and her supporters have infiltrated the Thyatian government, could be a campaign arc of its own. However, uncovering the rot and destroying the visible parts may only be the beginning of the player character’s problems, because Yurrgh-Thal takes an active interest in His followers, and has been known to seek vengeance when His plots are foiled.

GEORG HOLLWEG

Background:  Georg was born to a family of farmers just outside the village of Pflenzen, in the Heldannic Territories, in AC 975. As the youngest of four boys, it was understood from the beginning that Georg was unlikely to inherit anything of note from his parents. As a result, he turned his mind to other pursuits – including, at various times, rock collecting, local history, and music – whenever he was not helping out on the farm. Although these interests kept Georg out of his parents’ hair, they were at odds with what most of the other boys did whenever they had spare time (fighting, games of skill, harassing girls, and small-scale vandalism). Consequently, Georg had few friends, and spent increasing amounts of time by himself in the countryside.

As Georg neared adulthood, his parents decided to send him into the village in the hopes that he would pick up a trade. Unfortunately the young man lacked the interest in, and aptitude for, most of the available work in Pflenzen. As a last-ditch effort, Georg’s parents sent him to the town of Thurgau where, they hoped, the Heldannic Order might find a use for him as a common soldier. It would be a hard life, they told him, but at least he would be paid and there was prestige in serving the nation. Georg presented himself there, and was promptly enlisted. Although he lacked the religious zeal necessary to begin the long, arduous process to become a Heldannic Knight, Georg was commended for his discipline and focus, and his officers thought he would make a fine foot soldier – perhaps even a cavalry sergeant, someday. The young man found that soldiering, at least, was one thing he was good at.

While on a field exercise in the Mengul Mountains on the fringes of Denagothian territory, Georg and his unit came across a ruined shrine that seemed to be attached to some catacombs. The sergeant, who was familiar with the region, had never seen the ruins before and ordered his troops to investigate. Although the shrine had been ransacked long ago, there were fragments of idols that seemed to depict a man with branches or ropes coming out of his head. The catacombs had also been ransacked long ago, and the bones smashed beyond recognition, but Georg followed a sudden hunch and discovered a secret room that had escaped detection. There, they found skeletons of creatures that were obviously not human. While many of the soldiers fled, Georg felt drawn to one of the skeletons, and found an old pendant bearing the image of the idol. He pocketed his find and returned to camp.

Following that strange discovery Georg dreamed of a commanding man radiating wisdom and kindness, who offered to guide him to true greatness. Georg accepted and the man, who called himself Yuranos, began to instruct him in his dreams. The young man soon noticed his power and influence growing, and he began to use his new abilities to improve his lot. Yuranos discouraged him from helping his family – they didn’t help him, after all. Georg is now fully under Yurrgh-Thal’s influence, and is using his growing clerical abilities to further his master’s influence in the Heldannic Order, and by extension Heldann itself.

Appearance:  Georg stands 5’9” (175 cm) tall and weighs 180 lbs (81 kg). He keeps his light brown hair cut short and is meticulously clean-shaven (Yurrgh-Thal is savouring the notion that a veritable poster-boy for the Heldannic Order should be one of his tools in eventually subverting it). Georg always had a penetrating stare, but now his green eyes have a cold, calculating light in them – his superiors see this as the inner light of ambition. His chain mail armour is always immaculate, his sword is always razor-sharp and shining, and the tunic of the Heldannic Order that he wears over top is always crisp and white. So perfect is his appearance that he has been sent to remote villages and other gathering-places to act as a “living billboard” for the Heldannic Order. His deep, penetrating voice has an undertone that seems to attract people’s attention.

Statistics:

Georg Hollweg (3rd level cleric of Yurrgh-Thal): STR 15, INT 11, WIS 15, DEX 12, CON 14, CHA 15. Hit Points: 17. Armour Class: 4. Alignment: Chaotic.

Skills: Ceremony – Yurrgh-Thal (WIS), Intimidation (INT), Military Tactics (INT), Persuasion (CHA), Outer Being Lore (2). If your campaign uses the optional Weapon Mastery rulers, Georg is “Basic” in the normal sword. Languages Known: Hattian.

Special Abilities: Sense Tainted within 300’, ESP with Tainted within 100’. Georg can cast clerical spells as per a cleric of his level.

Special Equipment: Pendant of Yuranos (see below).

Personality:  Before falling under Yurrgh-Thal’s influence, Georg was a quiet, serious young man who had a habit of being overlooked. Ever since falling in with Yurrgh-Thal, however, he has acquired a level of confidence never before demonstrated. Although he still has a serious demeanour, he is now an active, engaging conversationalist who asks many questions. He takes pains to hide his clerical abilities, knowing that he would be severely punished if he was discovered, but is not above using those powers to advance himself within the Heldannic Order. When he is more confident and the time is right, he will try to pass himself off as a loyal follower of Vanya who has suddenly found enough favour with Her to be granted spells, and then conspire to become a Heldannic Knight. Should that happen, he will worm his way into the inner circles, and corrupt the Order further

Georg feels absolutely no guilt about what he is doing. Yurrgh-Thal has quietly reinforced the young man’s belief that he never truly fit in (while increasing his dependence on his new patron), and as a result does not owe his country or family anything. Now, Georg believes he is simply taking his due, and if others should suffer in the process it is no fault of his own.

Roleplaying Notes:  Georg is a minor player in Yurrgh-Thal’s plots right now, but he has the potential to become quite important if he continues to work behind the scenes to spread his master’s influence. Guided by Yurrgh-Thal, Georg has located people out in the country who might be open to private sermons on his secret patron. At the same time, his position on the frontier gives him access to ruins and other sites that are generally off-limits to his countrymen. He could easily cross paths with the player characters; however, as Georg is a cautious man his true allegiance will not be apparent.

What Georg does not know is that Yurrgh-Thal has not yet decided whether He will have a use for the young soldier – His plot to corrupt the Heldannic Order is new, and He has also become aware of Thanatos’ own efforts to twist the Order toward nefarious purposes. The Outer Being may decide to let Thanatos do the dirty work and attract the attention, and then sweep the Hierarch of Entropy aside and take over when the time is right. Or He may simply walk away from the whole thing and abandon Georg – which could be fatal if he manages to masquerade as a Heldannic Knight. Either way, Yurrgh-Thal sees Georg as an amusing, but ultimately disposable, toy – and He is happy to grant the young man spells as long as he remains amusing.

NEW MAGIC ITEMS:

Pendant of Yuranos: Centuries ago, when Yurrgh-Thal was able to operate relatively openly under the guise of Yuranos, He instructed His priests to craft special pendants that would permit communication across dimensions. These pendants also became, for lack of a better term, the “holy symbols” of Yurrgh-Thal, and were worn by the faithful in those regions in which He was worshipped. Eventually, however, the Immortals soon learned of Yurrgh-Thal’s plots and sent champions to dispatch His most powerful priests and raze His temples. Although many of the pendants were destroyed, some have managed to avoid detection and can now be found in forgotten ruins and other remote places.

For all intents and purposes, a pendant of Yuranos should be treated as an unholy symbol. If worn by a follower of Yurrgh-Thal, it acts as a magical focus and allows them to speak with Him in their dreams or when meditating. If worn by someone who is not a worshipper, there is a 30% chance per week that Yurrgh-Thal will find out. If He decides that the wearer is not worth His time, or could pose a threat to His plots, He will send a lesser servitor to deal with them. The creature materialises 1d100 feet away from the intended victim, and attacks. If the target flees, the creature will pursue tirelessly.

The Rings of Yuranos: This is a two-piece magic item comprised of two rings – one gold band featuring a small smiling face with ruby eyes, and a silver band with a frowning face with onyx eyes. Each ring possesses powers on its own, but when combined the wearer receives additional abilities. These abilities are outlined below.

Gold Ring: This ring increases the morale of all of the wearer’s henchmen by 2, up to a maximum of 12, as long as they are within 100 feet. Anyone within 50 feet of the wearer also becomes more well-disposed towards them (in game terms, this effect allows up to three reaction rolls to be re-rolled per day; the player accepts the better of the two rolls). When worn in conjunction with its companion, the wearer’s Charisma increases by 2 (up to a maximum of 20).

Silver Ring: This ring can create an aura of fear (as per the spell cause fear) around the wearer with a 25′ radius five times per day, and the morale of anything hostile to the wearer (regardless of alignment) is reduced by 2 if they are within 50 feet. When worn in conjunction with its companion, this ring also renders the wearer immune to all charm spells.

If the two rings are worn together, there is a 10% chance per week that Yurrgh-Thal will take notice, and begin observing the wearer. If He decides that the wearer is worth corrupting, He will send a portion of Himself to the Prime Plane as Yuranos to speak with them. If the wearer is deemed useless, of if they refuse His invitation to worship Him, He will send a lesser servitor to destroy them.