There are magics which are perverse distortions of divine intent, twisted in large part by the Dark Consortium―ancient beings of power who have set their wills against God and his peoples. The Storm Queen, the Skeleton King, the Swollen Mother, the Spider Queen, the Fire King, the Briar Queen, the Ogre King, and the Dragon King are believed to have once been free to roam Schön, but each was locked away into the Gloomward.
The Spider Queen was banished by the Archmage Archidemus during the early years of Alaria. She was driven through a portal which is now half-buried in the center of Ridgehaven.
The Dragon King was banished by the elves at the end of the Dragon King War. After Erishel and the Elven Host of the Waking Wood drove the Dragon King to Dargaul, Ovelis, Gladriselle, and ten others banished him. This site was called Wyrm'Dwayin by the elves and Drak'Nar by the orges and is now the capital of the Dargaulian kingdom.
The Storm Queen was defeated by the Prophetess Sothis in Lochland High. Legend says that her bones became High Mountain and her blood became the great lake.
The Ogre King was slain by Gaul through treachery, having learned the secret to banishing him from the Dragon King. This granted his army the advantage they needed to defeat the ogres and win their land.
It is not known how or even if the Fire King, the Skeleton King, the Swollen Mother, or the Briar Queen were banished. They are the powerful denizen of the Gloomward worshiped by their sects in Dargaul and by others with wicked hearts.
The religious hierarchy of Dargaul places the Church of Gaul at the top. While these priests have no supernatural power, they are powerful influences of noble birth.
The Sect of the Dragon King
Order Alignment. Neutral Evil
Follower Alignment. Any non-Good
Leader. The High Priest of the Dragon King
Symbol. A coiled, winged dragon with a crown.
The Sect of the Dragon King includes dragons and mortals. They worship through acts of ambition and deception, hoarding wealth, practicing magic, gaining knowledge, exercising influence, and advancing the agenda of the Dragon King.
Within the sect are a number of cults, often with their own agendas or tasks. The Dragon Brothers or Wyrs, for example, seek to return the Dragon King to the mortal world. The Blessed Three are agents who capture rogue dragons and bring them to the Tower of Wyrms in Draknar where they will turn to the Dragon King or die. The Draconic Order or Nals are sorcerers who serve the Dark Lords and other nobles. The Winged Shadows or Tetherack are spies and assassin serving as Dargaulian special forces, but loyal to the Dragon King.
The Dark Lords of Dargaul are, in their own way, a cult of the Dragon King. While their loyalty is ostensibley to the throne of Dargaul, they receive power from the Dragon King due to a deal struck by Gaul nearly five-hundred years ago.
The Dragon King speaks to his followers through dreams at his leisure and can visit the dreams of others, attempting to seduce them to his agenda. He often appears as a massive, black dragon or as a man with long, black horns and draconic eyes, but he may take on a less threatening form, but there is always an oppressive sense of dread.
Followers of the Dragon King come from many classes.
Clerics
Clerics of the Dragon King choose one of the following domains:
Rogues
Rogues who serve the Dragon King as Winged Shadows choose one of the following archetypes:
Sorcerers
Sorcerers of the Dragon King choose the following origin:
Paladins
Paladins of the Dragon King swear the following oath:
Warlock
Warlocks of the Dragon King take one of the following pacts:
The Sect of the Fire King
Order Alignment. Chaotic Evil
Follower Alignment. Any non-Lawful and non-Good
Leader. The High Priest of the Fire King
Symbol. A flaming crown.
The Sect of the Fire King worships through fire—burning sacrifices and igniting their enemies in effigy. They revel in chaos and destruction.
There is little organization within the sect and therefore few cults as roles and objectives are not often clearly defined. The largest exception are the Forge Keepers of Angaar. These dwarves strive to contain the power of the Fire King to craft weapons, armor, and other instruments of war.
The Fire King speaks to his followers through visions they receive during trances while staring into fire and chanting.
Followers of the Fire King may become clerics or warlocks.
Clerics
Clerics of the Fire King choose one of the following domains:
- Fire Domain
- Forge Domain (Forge Keepers)
Warlock
Warlocks of the Fire King take the following pact:
The Sect of the Ogre King
Order Alignment. Chaotic Evil
Follower Alignment. Any non-Good
Leader. The High Priest of the Ogre King
Symbol. An axe or spear and a crown.
The Sect of the Ogre King worships through violence—grotesque blood sacrifices, cruel hunts, and murdering their enemies. They revel in the chaos and destruction of battle.
The Sect of the Ogre King is deeply integrated into the military of Dargaul, lead by their strongest members. Among their own members, dissension is seen as part of the strength of their order, but within the Dargaulian military, they have learned not to openly question the authority of the Dargaulian warlords.
Humans and ogres worship the Ogre King and he speaks to his followers through dreams, taking the guise of those whom they have slain in battle.
Followers of the Ogre King may become clerics or paladins.
Outside Dargaul he is sometimes called the Giant King or the Ent Cyning in Hargaden.
Clerics
Clerics of the Ogre King choose one of the following domains:
Paladins
Paladins of the Ogre King swear the following oath:
The Sect of the Skeleton King
Order Alignment. Neutral Evil
Follower Alignment. Any non-Good
Leader. The High Priest of the Skeleton King
Symbol. A skull and a crown.
The Sect of the Skeleton King worships death and performs burial rites meant to keep the dead from rising and guards the crypts of Dargaul from unauthorized entrance and exit. As experts on death, they are well versed in weapons and poisons.
The Cult of the Veil is often sought to commune with those who have passed on. While charlatans exist in their ranks, there are some who have been granted power by the Skeleton King, particularly those in service to the nobility. The Bonemasters are a mystery cult of necromancer among the Angir dwarves who serve the same functions as the sect, but profess to know rituals which guarantee passage to the afterlife. The Death Greeters are feared assassins who do the bidding of the High Priest of the Skeleton King.
Humans and ogres worship the Ogre King and he speaks to his followers through dreams, taking the guise of those whom they have slain in battle.
Followers of the Ogre King may become clerics, rogues, warlocks, or wizards.
Clerics
Clerics of the Skeleton King choose one of the following domains:
Rogues
Rogues who serve the Skeleton King as Death Greeters choose the following archetype:
Warlocks
Warlocks of the Skeleton King take the following pact:
Wizards
Wizards of the Skeleton King choose the following arcane tradition:
The Sect of the Spider Queen
Order Alignment. Neutral Evil
Follower Alignment. Any non-Good
Leader. The High Priest of the Spider Queen
Symbol. A spider and a crown.
The Sect of the Spider Queen includes giant spiders, humans, and goblins. They worship through acts of treachery, deception, feasting, manipulation, and advancing the agenda of the Spider Queen.
Within the sect are a number of cults with their own agendas or tasks, some beyond the borders of Dargaul. The Spider Sisters of Alaria seek to return the Spider Queen to the mortal world. The Webbed Shadows or Tethereen are spies and assassin serving as Dargaulian special forces, but loyal to the Spider Queen.
The Spider Queen speaks to her followers through dreams and can visit the fever dreams of others who have been poisoned, attempting to manipulate them to her agenda. She appears as either a massive, black widow surrounded by webs or as a woman in black.
Followers of the Spider Queen become Clerics, Rogues, or Warlocks.
Clerics
Clerics of the Spider Queen choose one of the following domains:
- Death Domain (replace necromantic damage with poison)
- Order Domain
- Spider Domain
- Tricker Domain
Rogues
Rogues who serve the Spider Queen as Webbed Shadows choose the following archetype:
Warlocks
Warlocks of the Spider Queen take the following pacts:
The Sect of the Storm Queen
Order Alignment. Chaotic Evil
Follower Alignment. Any non-Lawful, non-Good
Leader. The High Priest of the Storm Queen
Symbol. A lightning bolt and a crown.
The Sect of the Storm Queen includes humans, ogres, and goblins. They worship through praise of natural disaster, sacrificing the weak to the elements, and advancing the agenda of the Storm Queen.
Within the sect are a number of cults with their own agendas or tasks, some beyond the borders of Dargaul. The Witches of Drya of Montega seek to return the Storm Queen (who they call Drya) to the mortal world and to punish the Baridorians and rid the land of their influence. The Storm Riders are ogres who seek to insight disaster on any who come in their path.
The Storm Queen speaks to her followers through dreams during storms. She appears as either a thunderhead or as a wild woman.
Followers of the Storm Queen become Clerics, Druids, Paladins, or Warlocks.
Clerics
Clerics of the Storm Queen choose one of the following domains:
Druids
Druids of the Storm Queen choose one of the following circles:
Warlocks
Warlocks of the Storm Queen take the following pact:
- The Storm Field (replace fire damage with lighting and fireball with lightning bolt and flame shield with storm shield)
Paladins
Paladins of the Storm Queen swear the following oath:
The Sect of the Swollen Mother
Order Alignment. Neutral
Follower Alignment. Any
Leader. The High Priestess of the Swollen Mother
Symbol. A baby and a circlet.
The Sect of the Swollen Mother includes humans, ogres, and goblins. They are midwives and healers seeking life over death and one of the few refuges for those seeking to do good within the Dark Consortium. That is not to say that the leaders within the order are good. They are devoted to the goals of Dargaul and simply see life as a means to those goals.
There are few cults within the sect, through various medical specialties exist.
The Swollen Mother speaks to her followers through dreams, but only when they are with child, so the vast majority of her priesthood is female. She appears as an elderly, expectant mother.
Followers of the Swollen Mother become Clerics.
Clerics
Clerics of the Swollen Mother choose one of the following domains:
The Sect of the Briar Queen
Order Alignment. Neutral Evil
Follower Alignment. Any non-Good
Leader. The High Priest of the Briar Queen
Symbol. A tree and a crown.
The Sect of the Briar Queen includes humans, ogres, and goblins. They maintain the hanging gardens of Dargaul and worship through praise of natural life and selection, and advancing the agenda of the Briar Queen.
The Briar Queen has few cults within Dargaul, but she has a number beyond. The Witches of Woe of southern Montega and the central Ragnar Mountians seek to drive all humanoids who do not worship the Briar Queen out of the forests.
The Briar Queen speaks to her followers through visions induced by drinking the sap of a black briar tree. She appears as a tree-like woman with barky skin and leaves for hair.
Followers of the Briar Queen become Clerics, Druids, or Warlocks.
Clerics
Clerics of the Briar Queen choose one of the following domains:
Druids
Druids of the Briar Queen choose the following circle:
Warlocks
Warlocks of the Briar Queen take the following pact:
