“Good morning Sister Marissa, how are you today?” the Priest of Pelor asked the beautiful blue-eyed brunette woman.
“Excellent, thank you. I hear we have another blessed child today,” she
responded in the melodious of voices, as she eagerly walked up the
church steps.
Nodding, “yes Sister, it’s a boy today, it appears to be half-elven.”
Shaking his head as he hands the child over to Sister Marissa, “I still
don’t understand how parents give up their children like this, leaving
them on our door step, but thank Pelor we have you to aid us.”
Smiling broadly, “yes, let’s thank him…this is another beautiful child
that will be put into service for the god. I have the perfect family
picked out for this child, they will be most pleased. I must be on my
way Father, may your day be bright.”
Nodding, “and may yours Sister.” With the child in hand, she turns and quickly heads down the street.
A younger priest walks up and says to the first Priest, “was that her?”
“Yes it was, one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen,” he said with a hint of sadness in his voice.
“The church, and city, is lucky to have someone like her, for the
children have a chance at a happy life,” the second Priest said.
“Yes, we are…so what’s going on?”
“We found another body, an elf this time, and the third one in the last month.”
“Same as the others?”
Nodding slowly, the younger priest softly said, “Yes, I’m afraid so…the tongue is missing.”
Sighing lightly and thinking of Marissa in ways he shouldn’t, he turned to the younger priest and said, “Let’s go and see it.”
They both turned and returned to the church.
Sister Marissa enters the city orphanage happily carrying the
half-elven child, saying softly as she walks down to the basement,
“yes, the god will be most pleased with this child” and the soft sugary
voice changed into a much deeper, crustily voice…what was the once
human beautiful blue-eyed maiden, now is a half-orc female, boldly
walking across the basement to the farthest most corner, touching a
small knot in the wood, a door slides quietly open. She walks briskly
down 13 stairs and tosses the child to a well muscled male half-orc.
“Prep that child; I want it ready to be sacrificed tonight, for our god is going to be well pleased.”
“Yes my sister,” and what could be taken as a sick laugh, the male began making preparations for the nights ceremony.
The Cult: The Ascendancy of Humans
History
Neoga and her twin brother Gull were half-orc babies found in a river
by some children. It appeared they were thrown into the river, but
miraculously survived. Nobody in the neighboring village wanted them,
for it was unheard of to see half-orc children. A caravan of men
heading into the city for supplies offered to drop the children off to
the church, which in turn put them in an orphanage, hoping beyond hope
that someone would take them in.
The orphanage reluctantly took the babies; being they were
“half-breeds”, especially half-orcs, they were sure nobody would be
interested in them, one of the ladies assisting in running the
orphanage even made the comment, “it would’ve been better if they had
drowned.” Little did she know, she would’ve been correct.
Six years went by, then one day, a middle-aged couple showed up and
offered to “take the children off the hands of the orphanage”. Being
grateful that someone, anyone, was interested, the leader of the
orphanage gladly handed the children over to them without doing any
background check. In their excitement to get rid of the children, one
of the ladies stated to another, “I’m glad we got rid of those little
beasts, they’re good for nothing if you ask me.” If either of them had
turned around, they would’ve seen a seven years old, half-orc girl,
staring at them with hateful eyes.
Taking them back to their home, the children were mortified at what
they saw: a filthy house infested with vermin, a torn up yard that was
over grown with weeds, and the smell of dead fish filled the air. “Here
you go, you unworthy brats, be grateful that someone wanted you, for
obviously your parents didn’t, now get to work,” the middle-aged man
said as he pushed them to the ground…and with that, the two siblings
found themselves “slaves”.
Over the next six years, Gull quickly grew in strength and Neoga was
wise well beyond her years. The old man and woman began worrying about
Gull, for he had grown to almost six and half feet tall, and was
solidly built. They knew they could no longer control him with
strength, so they came up with a plan: They took him aside and told
him, “if you do not do as we say, we will have your sister killed…but
not until after she’s been turned over to some ‘friends’ of ours. And
if we should die, our ‘friends’ will find you both and have their way
with her before they kill her.” Gull loved his sister, he was not smart
and he knew it, and he worried about what he would do if he didn’t have
her, so he obeyed their warning.
Neoga quietly seethed with anger and hatred at the two old humans, and
prayed to any god that would help her to escape the situation she was
in, she offered her soul if she and her brother could be released from
their ‘prison’. She also never forgot the two women from the orphanage,
for the first thing she wanted to do when she left this place, was to
go and pay them a visit.
One night, shortly after Neoga offered her soul, the god Nerull came to
her in a dream, promising her freedom and great power, if she would
promise him an unholy devotion. Gladly accepting, she felt her soul
burn and she felt power surging through her…she heard a voice, telling
her what was now expected of her, and she contentedly agreed.
She told Gull what had happened and wanted his undying loyalty to her.
Though she loathed her brother’s complete lack of intelligence and
common sense, she needed his strength, for he had become remarkably
strong. She had plans for him. He promised to follow her and when Neoga
said they were going to sacrifice the old ones to their new god, Gull
informed her of what they had threatened him with…she prayed that night
to her god and he responded,
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Nerull
“they
lie…make their deaths slow and painful and I will grant thee your
desires…give me my sacrifice as we agreed and you will be my high
priestess.”
|
That night, the old man and woman became the first sacrificial
victims, in honor of Nerull. As they began the ritual, Neoga felt the
god’s power course through her body…the unheard screams of the humans
echoed through the entire night, for Neoga made sure to keep them alive
until she removed their hearts…then her and Gull feasted on them. “Come
my brother, we have a mission. The extermination of “half-breeds” and
those who create them will begin.”
Gull, not the brightest of any race, asked, “we not of half breed?”
Neoga, knowing her brother’s lack of sense, slapped him, “
never
talk of such again. May Nerull be praised, for he will provide for us
ways to walk among the humans. We will use their weaknesses to bring
glory and power to Nerull…we will use their hatred of others to have
them do our bidding. Trust me brother but if you
ever question me again, it will be
your heart that will be offered to Nerull…understand?”
Gull nodded. He loved his sister and would do anything to please her
and though he knew he was stronger than her, he feared her. That night,
Neoga had a visit from Nerull,
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Nerull
“you have done well, I find great favor in you…I want you to return to Greyhawk first thing when you awake, you will find certain items that will aid
you…I trust you will know how to use them, do not fail me. As you have
longed for, you will want to visit a certain orphanage...and bring me
honor.”
|
Waking up, Neoga found some items next to her. Getting up Gull,
she told him to follow her, and he did so without saying a word.
Current:
It’s been six years since Neoga returned to
*city*.
When they first arrived, she worked herself into a position to be hired
into the orphanage, as Marissa. After a short period of time, the two
women that worked there “left to another city” for any that asked…the
truth: Neoga, with Gull’s assistance, sacrificed both of them to
Nerull.
Using the items that the god had given her, Neoga goes by the name of
Marissa, to everyone but her brother. She uses the hat of disguise to
change into a human female when she’s doing business with the churches
and public appearances. She transforms her cloak of charisma +4 into a
shawl, the circlet of persuasion into a hair clip, her ring of
shielding looks like a cheap silver band, and her clothes appear
“normal”, a common habit that many of the “sisters” of the city wear.
She has built quite an amazing reputation with everyone who is
important in the city.
She doesn’t ever wear any form of armor, even when she’s Neoga, for she
doesn’t ever believe she’ll be in any combat, for her brother protects
her…and she has full confidence that Nerull will provide her any help
she might need. When asked, she finds families for the children in
other cities, and many times, she finds them homes in *city*, so it
seems all is in order.
At night, she oversees
The Ascendancy of Humans, the cult that she has built up. Her first few months in
*city*,
she went to the poor, homeless, and less then “holy” humans and made
them an offer they couldn’t refuse: respect, food, coins, and someone
who admired them. The person “saved” them and gave them meaning is a
man known as
“The Cloaked One”.
Using the hat of disguise, Neoga disguised herself as a human male,
though no one has ever seen her face; they know “his” voice. She was
able to put together a group of competent men, who swore they would
faithfully follow The Cloaked One. They currently have 10 in the group.
They’ve been brainwashed into thinking that only humans should walk
this world…that others, weak willed creatures, should die, starting
with the
“half-breeds”
and the filth that brought them into this world. The neophyte’s would
become the “eyes and ears” of the cult and they get well rewarded if
they bring the proper information to The Cloaked One.
They keep an eye out for “
half breeds” and their parents. When the time is right,
The Ascendancy of Humans
kidnap the child, and sacrifice it to the Death God…they let the
parents grieve for several weeks, then they sacrifice them too. They
meet on the full moon, every month, in an abandoned warehouse, to
exchange information. The one who aids The Cloaked One the most over a
period of a year or so, gets a “special reward”, they get a night of
pleasure with a special female.
Neoga’s deal with Nerull: She is to offer at least one child a
month in honor of the Death God, which she does through the
orphanage…and other deaths are most welcomed by Nerull…but most
importantly:
every other year, she must offer her own child up as a sacrifice to him and in exchange, she gains more power.
She masks herself as a human female to the lucky neophyte, and when she
becomes pregnant, the neophyte is sacrificed to Nerull. (though none of
them know about where the neophyte has gone, they are not allowed to
ask questions.)
Membership Requirements
1. Human, Male
2. Willing to sacrifice any impure breed child and their scum
called parents. Tearing out their vile tongues to prevent any of their
lies to come forth from the grave.
3. Follow The Cloaked One unquestioningly.
4. Do nothing to put the group into trouble: no getting drunk, no visiting brothels, no stealing, etc.
5. Must be willing to further the “cause”, even at the expense of your own life.
6. A tattoo of a skull and scythe will be on the inside of the
wrists of the left hand. You shall keep this hand wrapped; until you
come to the meeting, then you will show your hand to the guard to be
let in.
7. Any worship of any good god is a justified cause for your long, tortured death.
World Influence:
Current, they are focused on one major city, though she's starting to
branch out to any local cities. Her, and Nerull's, long range goal
would be to conquer the entire world with their beliefs.
Neoga/Marissa/The Cloaked One
Neoga uses her spells to torture her victims, especially her own child.
In some instances, she’s been known to raise the child back, just to
kill it again…Nerull has been most pleased with his priestess. He has
blessed her with a +2 ability increase in her wisdom. As stated, she
does not wear armor, for she has full faith in her brother…when she
travels, she has him as her “body guard”. She uses him as such to visit
other nearby cities to get sacrifices. She knows that if she focuses on
one city, eventually someone will get suspicious, but so far, she’s
been able to elude all notice.
If there was ever an emergency, she always has “Word of Recall”
memorized…it will take her to a safe place, which currently she has as
the secret room in the orphanage as it. She’s been given a +2 scythe
from Nerull, which she uses to kill her victims, otherwise, she never
carries it with her, it’s always left in the secret room.
Stat Block
Neoga/Marissa/The Cloaked One: Female Half-orc Clr12;
"Medium Humanoid; CR 12;
HD 12d8;
hp 81;
Init +0;
Spd 30 ft/x4;
AC 10
touch 10,
flat-footed 10;
Base Atk/Grapple +9/+10;
Full Atk +13/+8
Two-handed (2d4+3;20/x4, +2 Scythe);
AL NE;
SV Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +12;
Abilities: Str 12(+1), Dex 10(+0), Con 10(+0), Int 14(+2), Wis 18(+4), Cha 18/22(+4/+6);
+1 increase for levels on Int, Wis, and Cha. Items: +4 Cha for Cloak and a +2 Wis bonus from Nerull. Spell: +4
Skills:
Diplomacy +24/+26,
Disguise +14/+17,
Heal +19,
Profession
(Orphanage ) +14, Appraise +2, Bluff +9/+11, Climb +1, Forgery +2,
Gather Information +7/+10, Intimidate +8/+10, Jump +1, Knowledge:
(Arcana +2) (History +2) (Religion +2) (Planes +2), Listen +4, Search
+2, Sense Motive +6, Spellcraft +2, Spot +4, Survival +4, Swim +1.
[Neoga
will always cast “Eagles Splendor” just before having to speak to
someone important, so that’s a +4 to her base, which is the +2 that has
been added to the respectful Skills]
Feats: Leadership, Martial Weapon Proficiency (Scythe), Negotiator, Persuasive, Weapon Focus (Scythe)
Important Items: Ring of Mind Shielding, Hat of Disguise, Cloak of Charisma +4, Circlet of Persuasion
Cleric Spells: 6/6/5/5/4/3/2
Domains: Death and Evil 1st Cause Fear (Death), 2nd Death Knell
(Death), 3rd Magic Circle against Good (Evil), 4th Unholy Blight
(Evil), 5th Slay Living (Death), 6th Create Undead (Death)
Prepared: 0: Inflict Minor Wounds (6), 1st: Deathwatch; Inflict
Light Wounds (3); Sanctuary (2), 2nd: Eagle’s Splendor (2); Silence;
Undetectable Alignment, 3rd: Bestow Curse; Inflict Serious Wounds;
Magic Vestment; Obscure Object; Summon Monster III, 4th: Divination;
Freedom of Movement; Sending; Tongues, 5th: Commune; Scrying, 6th: Wind
Walk; Word of Recall
Gull:
Stat Block
Gull: Male Half-orc Ftr5;
Medium Humanoid; CR 5;
HD 5d10+10;
hp 56;
Init +0;
Spd 20 ft/x4;
AC 18 (+5 armor, +3 shield),
touch 10,
flat-footed 18;
Base Atk/Grapple +5/+10;
Full Atk +12 Two-handed (2d4+8;20/x4, +1 Scythe), +11 One-handed
(1d8+5;20/x3, Masterwork battleaxe), +5 Two-handed (1d8;19-20/x2, Light
Crossbow), +11 One-handed (1d8+5;19-20/x2, Masterwork longsword);
AL NE;
SV Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +0;
Abilities:Str 20(+5), Dex 10(+0), Con 14(+2), Int 8(-1), Wis 9(-1), Cha 10(+0);
Skills: Intimidate +8.
(main)
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Power Attack, Cleave, Great Cleave, Weapon Focus(Scythe)
Standard Neophyte:
Stat Block
Male Human Rog1;
Medium Humanoid; CR 1;
HD 1d6+1;
hp 7;
Init +3;
Spd 30 ft/x4;
AC 13 (+3 dex),
touch 13,
flat-footed 10;
Base Atk/Grapple +0/+1;
Full Atk +1 One-handed (1d6+1;20/x2, Club);
AL NE;
SV Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +0;
Abilities:Str 12(+1), Dex 16(+3), Con 12(+1), Int 11(+0), Wis 10(+0), Cha 10(+0);
Skills:
Balance +7, Climb +4, Gather Information +4, Hide +9, Jump +3, Listen +4, Move Silently +9, Spot +4, Tumble +6, Use Rope +7.
Feats: Stealthy
