Incabulos
|
Incabulos |
|
(Black-Rider, Lord of Pestilence, Master of the Bitter Cup, Lord of Evils Greater Power of The Grey Waste By Russell S. Timm Aliases: Sevelkhar the Waster (Bakluni) Domain Name: The Grey Waste/Gholgorahk, The Socket of Woe Superior: None Allies: Nerull Foes: Geshtai, Pelor, Phyton, Rao, Sotillion, St. Cuthbert, Zodal Symbol: Eye of Possession Wor. Align: LE, NE, CE Incabulos (in-CAB-u-loss)is the power of evil sendings, feared by good and evil folk alike. The black-cloaked rider of the nightmares delights in woe and wickedness, and enjoys being feared as much as being revered. Incabulos has few worshipers in the Flanaess, but many seek to propitiate him with offerings. This is especially true in lands ravaged by famine, where disease has spread from unburied bodies on battlefields, and where fear grips the common people. Despicable folk of all sorts venerate Incabulos, respecting his power and malignancy. Religious depictions of Incabulos only begin to approach the true hideousness of his horrible visage, deformed body, and skeletal hands. Incabulos despises Rao and Pelor, and maintains a loose alliance with Nerull for the purposes of opposing these two Greater Powers. The other deities he considers foes are of little consequence to him. It should be noted that Incabulos is known to the Bakluni as Sevelkhar the Waster, Master of Famine and Drought, the Poisoner of Wells. In the Bakluni culture, Sevelkhar is the eternal opponent of Geshtai, and both are viewed as subservient to Istus, Our Lady of Fate. This is contrary to the common belief of the Flanaess, where Incabulos is one of the few Greater Powers, an equal of Istus, and vastly more powerful than Geshtai, a Lesser Power.
Incabulos' Avatar (Priest 35, Thief 20, Necromancer 35) Incabulos appears as a horrible looking man of indeterminate age, with skin tinged a sickly blue. He has a twisted, nightmarish visage, deformed body , and skeletal appendages. His pupilless eyes of dull yellow cast a harrowing gaze upon all he views, and the smell of death and decay linger in the air wherever he goes. Clad in filthy, ragged robes of dead black lined with cloth of sickly orange and trimmed in nauseating moss green, he roams the Astral, Ethereal, and Prime Material Plane, the last during darkness only. He rides a huge nightmare of maximum hit points when it pleases him to do so, and he is accompanied by six of the strongest night hags likewise mounted. Incabulos may cast spells from all schools and all spheres. He detests the presence of bright light, and will not use any spells which create light as their primary effect (e.g. continual light ) and is loath to use spells which create intense light as a side effect (e.g. fireball and lightning bolt) AC -9; MV 15 Fl 45 HP 393 THAC0 10 #AT 2; DMG: 1d6+6 or 2d4+6; MR: 95% SZ M (7 feet); STR:18 DEX:25 CON:21 INT:20 WIS:20 CHA:-3 (24 on the Grey Waste); Spells P: 14/14/12/11/10/10/9 W: 9/9/9/9/9/9/9/8/8; Saves: PPDM 2 , RSW 3 , PP 5 , BW 7, Sp 4 Special Att/Def: Although Incabulos rarely enters melee combat (perhaps considering it trivial and a waste of time), it is not due to any lack of ability. He delights in causing fear and misery, and amuses himself with those foolish enough to challenge him. He often toys with mortals, imparting a lesson in wisdom that is often the last one such lesser beings ever learn. Incabulos has the abilities of a specialist necromancer, including one additional spell per spell level, a -1 penalties to opponents saving throws versus his necromantic spells, a +2 to saves versus necromantic magic, a special speak with dead-like spell ability that may be invoked at will, and a +2 to saves versus undead attacks. He has none of the weaknesses of the common necromancer, however, and may cast spells from any school or sphere. Incabulos may only be affected by +4 or greater weapons, and he regenerates 2 hp per round. Incabulos has several other specialized attack forms in addition to his considerable spell capabilities. Once per day he may cast an improved sleep (W1) spell that affects twice as many HD/levels of creatures as the wizard spell, and may also affect up to 8HD/8th level creatures. Once per day he may also cast permanent sleep spell upon any creature he touches ( a successful save vs. spells negates, mind affecting bonuses apply). Only an exorcism, limited wish, wish or similar magic will awaken the creature so affected. If forced into melee, Incabulos is more than capable of making his opponent regret such action, being a master of the quarterstaff and bastard sword. His favorite weapon is his staff of wounding and withering, said to be made of a petrified piece of the infinite tree Yggdrasil and covered with the screaming faces of tortured souls. Combining the powers of a staff of withering and a reversed staff of curing, this staff has no fewer than 60 charges, and only Incabulos may recharge it. This weapon is extremely powerful, affecting any creature be it animal, plant, or extraplanar in nature. It is not known if another being may wield it, for there is no recorded instance of anyone or anything doing so. Incabulos may also brandish a great bastard sword in battle if necessary or advantageous. Known as Evil Edge, this odd looking blade of enchanted flint from Hades is equivalent to a bastard sword of wounding +4; any creature struck by it must save vs. poison at -4 or die within 1 round from an insidious and horrible wasting disease. Should Incabulos deign his opponents not worth the effort, or in the extremely rare cases he is being overwhelmed, he may gate in 2-8 night hags or 5-20 hordlings once per day (but not both, or any combination of the two). These creatures serve willingly. Other Manifestations Manifestations of Incabulos are much more commonly seen than his avatar, especially since Incabulos will not send his avatar to a Prime Material Plane world during daylight hours. This is not to say that his manifestations are that common, though Incabulos will not hesitate to remind his priests of the price of failure, afflicting them with horrible nightmares, or rarely, a disease of some sort. (An interesting side note to this is that any priest of Incabulos who has renounced their worship of him has died within one year of a horrible wasting disease. Such priests are said by others of the faith to have "Evil Edge hanging o'er them"). Incabulos will also manifest as a bronze Eye of Possession, through which he may speak or cast spells. Incabulos is served hags of all kinds, particularly night hags, and hordlings. He may dispatch other creatures as his ambassadors, including incarnates of covetousness, envy, gluttony, lust, and sloth; maruts; dust and salt mephits; nightmares; tanar'ri (bulezua, succubi); vargouille; yeth hounds; vaporighu; wastrels; bats (common, large, and huge); cloakers; feyrs; ghouls; formorian giants; grimlocks; lycanthropes of all species; mummys; gibbering mouthers; magebanes; marrashi; parasites (all); ghost (ker); great ghuls; ghul-kin; dream-spawn (all); dreamweavers; dream stalkers; and boowray. He sometimes show his disfavor with defaced coins or scarred gems, upon which the victim can make out the symbol of Incabulos in the scratches. The Black-Rider sometimes endows these with the ability to cause disease if they are given away as currency. The Church Clergy: Clerics (30%), Mystics (5%), Shamans (5%),
Specialty Priests (60%) All clergy of Incabulos receive the religion (common) proficiency for free. Those who worship this power are intensely secretive; many clergy members are paranoid to the point of insanity. Fear and threats are used to maintain secrecy and the obedience of junior priests. Priests of Incabulos revel in suffering, slow torture, and inflicting disease and misfortune (the grander the scale, the better). Many priests also become afflicted with lycanthrope on purpose, considering it advantageous to their position in the church. Worship of Incabulos is certainly not common, though one might be surprised at the number of people who plea and propitiate him to avoid the attention of the Master of Disasters. Temples dedicated to Incabulos, be they in enlightened or forsaken lands, are always subterranean affairs, and usually in desolate areas. It is the opinion of most members of the faith that " out of sight is out of mind", as even other evil priesthoods (notably Nerull's, who occupy a similar niche in the food chain, so to speak) revile their existence. Clergy members are known as Incabulites, both within the faith and to outsiders. Clergy are as likely to work alone as they are to work in a group, and a group of clergy in a given area are collectively known as a coven. Another similarity between Incabulites and hags is the ability of higher level clergy members to create eyes of possession; these items are similar in power to hag eyes, and given to agents of the priesthood. Such items are not bestowed casually, and great care is taken to ensure that the bearer cannot reveal the source of such an item, through means both magical and mundane. Members of all sexes and races are welcome to join the faith. Humans dominate the clergy, and comprise almost all of the specialty priests (who are known as Pathogens) and mystics who venerate the Lord of Evil Sendings. Most clerics are also human, though there is the occasional half-orc, half-ogre, orc, or hobgoblin. Specialty priests are addressed as Ambassador by peers and by the title "Your Malignancy" by juniors. Clerics are addressed as Emissary by peers and by the title "Your Virulence" by juniors. Within a coven, senior members address initiates as Larvae, with higher ranking clergy members usually awarding themselves the titles (in ascending rank); Acolyte, Deacon, Vicar, and finally Bishop. Heads of covens are referred to as Patriarchs or Matriarchs, regardless of level. Such titles may be expanded with self-important add-ons, and therefore one might hear a high ranking cleric referred to as "His Most Dreaded Virulence, Patriarch of Pestilence and Famine, Bishop So-And-So.." Many of these titles are not official bestowals by the faith as a whole, and recognition of status by other clergy members can lead to deadly internecine strife. Dogma: Clergy of this power are taught to spread as much evil as possible in the world, and be vigilant in opposing those who seek to do good. Priests are also instructed to prey upon the weaknesses of body and mind of other beings, and utilize these weaknesses to their advantage. Clergy of Incabulos derive great satisfaction in formenting fear and hate, and making others commit evils for them. Members of the faith are told to always seek to "put a dark shroud", as it were, over the true cause of great natural disasters, to ensure that Incabulos receives his due tribute. Day-to-Day Activities: Most priests spend much of their time increasing their personal power, influence, and material wealth coupled to acts of evil in the name of Incabulos. Such acts include kidnapping, slave-running, arms-dealing, and undead-brokering. Priests of this power also love manipulating people for their own use, using threats as well as magically interfering with the integrity of people who might be of use to them. Many priests also devote much time to researching diseases; what causes them, how they can make them more effective, and how they can best be delivered to large populations. To this end, such priests often work with insects and animals, such as pigeons, bats, and of course, rats. More inventive priests may work with exotic vectors such as slimes, oozes, and even non-sentient undead. Clergy of this power are always plotting schemes to cause misery among the masses, and are quick to capitalize on any natural disasters of the region, spreading rumors and encouraging placation to the Lord of Evils. Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: Services to honor Incabulos have weird humming and droning chants in the background. Multiple evils are celebrated by the faithful, while flickering black candles dimly light the altar areas, sending a continuous thick and wretched smelling smoke into the air. All vessels used in these ceremonies are of old bronze, bloodstone, or carnelian. There are no set times for daily or weekly worship, as Incabulos encourages his worshipers to commit acts of evil with as high of a frequency as possible. Many devotees keep their faith secret, and such secrecy is encouraged by high level clergy members. Therefore, holy days and ceremonies celebrated by the faith as a whole are few and far between. Like many other evil faiths in the Flanaess, Incabulites celebrate the Festival of the Blood Moon, which occurs on the 11th of Coldeven. Incabulites usually make a point of spreading their particular brand of evil, while worshiping in long ceremonies involving sacrifice and the like. An interesting addendum to this is that Incabulites also take particular pleasure in engendering the hate felt by other faiths during this time; it is generally held by members of the faith that one may receive the blessing of Incabulos by taking the life of worshipers of another faith who actively oppose what Incabulos stands for, be they good or evil. The Feast of Famine also occurs during the winter months in some isolated regions of the Flanaess. Clergy members go without food on this day, and certain ascetics may fast for a week. During this time, when surplus food is low, even the poorest farmer is wise to set aside an offering of food to please Incabulos. If not, clergy members in the area may receive a vision, commanding them to visit those villages not paying proper respect; such visits often entail burning granaries and killing livestock, along with painting the symbol of Incabulos on some buildings, a sober reminder to the greedy and foolish. Another important holy week in the faith of Incabulos only occurs once every decade, and is known the Eye Convene. Here all the higher level priests of Incabulos meet in several areas throughout the Flanaess to contemplate in the presence of a manifestation (or rarely an avatar) of Incabulos. The purpose of this is to coordinate region-wide plots and schemes, to result in a disaster of some type on a grand scale, be it a plague, famine, or drought. Major Centers of Worship: The priesthood of Incabulos is scattered throughout the Flanaess, with no major recognized hierarchy. Major centers of worship only remain so for as long as their exists opportunity to sway the hearts and minds of common folk in places of despair. Affiliated Orders: There are no knightly or military orders dedicated to Incabulos. There does exist, however, a group known as the Bronze Cabal, who work with and communicate with clergy and representatives of Incabulos. Consisting of some sages, as well as some mages who have interests in areas of necromancy and disease, members work more towards the knowledge of disease and the causes behind catastrophes such as famine and drought. The use of such knowledge, however, is up to the one possessing it. In addition, many hags work with agents of Incabulos in spreading mayhem, and the odd werecreature may also work with a priest or priests of Incabulos. Priestly Vestments: All clergy wear vestments of dull black embroidered with the Eye of Possession in verdigrised bronze, repeated in dull orange on the robes of higher level clergy. Name level specialty priests have orange trimming, whereas name level clerics have green trimming. All priests possess special robes known as soulshrouds awarded by a superior. Once a priest has been given one, he or she will keep it until death (and possibly beyond!), unless lost or destroyed. Many priests often wear ritual masks with horrid visages as well. Adventuring Garb: Incabulites, being practical and cautious to the point of paranoia, are masters of disguise and try to blend in with the culture of the area they live in. To this extent they wear simple clothing, never trying to draw attention to themselves if possible. Some priests do have a penchant for acquiring jewelry and art objects which are made of bronze or feature carnelian or bloodstone. Priests of Incabulos don't possess the greatest hygiene and are generally a dirty and unkempt lot. Although Incabulites are not inclined to be drawn into open combat, they are careful to wear armor and take any other protective measures necessary.
Specialty Priests (Pathogens) Requirements: Constitution 13, Wisdom 11
Incabulite Spells It should be noted that, in addition to the following spells, Incabulos also grants transmute cloud of pestilence (P4, F&A pg.154), plague (P4, FtA card #6), water to dust (P6), earthquake (P7), and tsunami (P7, PO:S&M) to all of his clergy, regardless of sphere restrictions. Wierding Sleeptouch (Enchantment/Charm) Sphere: Thought By means of a simple gesture and a word or two, this spell enables the priest to touch the intended victim with devastating effect. If the victim fails a save vs. spells at -3 , he or she immediately goes unconscious, and enters a deep sleep. This sleep is permanent until magically dispelled, and creatures do age normally, and may even waste away while under this spell's effect. Such passing is far from peaceful though, as the victim undergoes horrible nightmares and visions of the worst sort; this is readily observable to others as the victim rolls around, perspires, and even talks in their sleep. This spell also ignores armor, and therefore only magical protections and Dexterity bonuses to Armor Class apply. |
 |