The Cult of the Dragon
Alignment: Any evil.
Members: Evil cultists, merchants, clerics, necromancers.
Allegiances: Many evil dragons.
Enemies: Harpers, churches of Mystra, Lathander, Torm and Tyr.
Base of operations: Rumored to be near the Battle of Bones, in the Western Heartlands.
Symbol: A flame with eyes burning, above a dragon's claw.
No longer can the members of one of the most infamous clandestine organizations in all the Realms lurk in their comfortable shadows. No more can these men, women, dragons, dracoliches and ... others ... scheme to subjugate all that is good and true while the rest of Faerun waits unaware. For centuries the evil secret society founded by the mad mage and Chosen of Mystra, Sammaster, has labored secretly. Well no more!
The CultThe Cult of the Dragon, also known as Keepers of the Secret Hoard or, more recently, Wearers of Purple, is a semi-religious evil organization venerating undead dragons, or dracoliches, founded by Sammaster, a powerful wizard. Sammaster possessed great power, in a manner similar to Eliminster and Khelben 'Blackstaff' Arunsun. In Sammaster's case however the additional power brought delusions of godhood and madness and he came to believe in time that "dead dragons shall rule the world entirely" and began to work towards that goal, fighting the several Chosen of Mystra and even the god Lathander along the way. While Sammaster has died, risen as a Lich, and fallen again, his cult lives on and continues to threaten the Western Heartlands. (He died in 1373 DR so he may still be alive in our time frame).
ReligionThe Cult of the Dragon venerates dragons, evil dragons in particular, and specifically dead evil dragons. The Cult reveres dragons to an extend resembling divine worship (and in fact some dragons are worshiped as gods, although they are not deities and cannot grant spells). Cult members serve the dragons by giving them treasure, acting as an information network, offering healing, exchanging spells, modifying lairs by adding mechanical traps, and tending eggs and hatchlings. In exchange, the Cult members are allowed to hide in the dragon's lairs in times of crisis and receive promises of aid from the dragons. Above all, the Cultists handle the preparations for transforming a dragon into a dracolich.
While they are devout in their appreciation of dragons, few actual clerics serve within the ranks of the Cult. Those who do are typically worshipers of Shar, Talos, Talona or Velsharoon (Myrkul in our case). A smaller number worship Cyric, Gargauth, Malar, or Tiamat. Because of their many conflicts with the church of Mystra, many of the Cult wizards choose to avoid paying lip service to the Lady of Mysteries. (I have included a list of domains for these deities below).
Domains and favored weaponsI have included a full list of the domains below, this includes domains that aren't in NWN2 for completion (these are marked in red). If you are a cleric follower of one of these gods please choose your domains from this list. The favored weapons are just there if you wish to further tie your character to your deity.
Shar (short sword):
Caverns, Darkness, Evil, Knowledge.
Talos (spear): Chaos, Destruction, Evil, Fire,
Storms.
Talona (unarmed strike): Chaos, Destruction, Evil,
Suffering.
Myrkul (scythe): Death, Evil,
Fate, Law,
Pestilence, Travel, War.
Cyric (longsword): Chaos, Destruction, Evil,
Illusion, Trickery.
Gargauth (dagger):
Charm, Evil, Law, Trickery.
Malar (unarmed strike): Animal, Chaos, Evil,
Moon, Strength.
Tiamat (heavy pick): Evil, Law,
Scalykind,
Tyranny.
OrganizationThe Cult is organized into independent cells that work together toward their greater goals. Some rely upon legitimate business to bring in wealth, including trade, selling information, and hiring adventurers to investigate ancient sites (Myth Drannor in particular) in exchange for a share of the profits. Other cells rely upon smuggling, kidnapping, blackmail, protection rackets, selling illicit or dangerous goods, usury, gambling, or brigandry to support themselves. The Cult's information-gathering, illegal acts, magical research, and alliances with evil dragons all help it acquire power and wealth. With these tools the Cult fortifies its holdings and proceeds toward its goal: converting dragons to the most terrible form of undead, the dracolich.
Each cell has a hierarchy of individuals, with the lowest being those serving the Cult without knowing it and the highest being the Wearers of Purple, so known for their ceremonial purple robes. Most of the important members of the Cult are wizards, particularly necromancers, who enchant magic items, prepare the dracolich transformation potions, and create undead. This does not mean that only wizards join the Cult, members of all professions can find reasons for doing so.
The group's symbol is a flame with eyes burning above a dragon's claw, displayed only in the few places where the Cult gathers openly -- many groups such as the Harpers and the churches of Mystra, Lathander, Torm, and Tyr attack Cultists on sight.
SammasterSammaster was the former Chosen of Mystra who discovered the process through which to become a dracolich. This was achieved after re-translating The Chronicle of Things to Come by the prophet Maglas.
As one of Mystra's Chosen, Sammaster possessed great power. In addition to his own skills he also possessed a fraction of Mystra's essence like Elminster and Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun. In Sammaster's case, however, the additional power brought delusions of power and madness, which consumed him and triggered a series of events that, in the end, cost him his life. With help he rose from the dead and sought out knowledge. He came to believe in time that "dead dragons shall rule the world entirely" and spent his undeath working towards the realization of his goal. Often he has crossed paths with the Chosen of Mystra and even the god Lathander in his quest.
In 1373 DR, he bound his phylactery to the Dracorage Mythal, causing it to no longer have a connection with the King-Killer Comet and effectively causing all dragons on Faerun to go mad in an effort to turn all Chromatic dragons into dracoliches without interference from the Metallic dragons. His plan was eventually foiled by Dorn Graybrook and his group of Dragon-Hunters, Brimstone, Karasendrieth, Tamarand, Nexus, The Talons of Justice, and a group of Thentian Mages. His phylactery was destroyed and he then died for good.
DracolichMore than a powerful form of undead, a dracolich is a dragon who has voluntarily tied its soul to a phylactery, freeing itself from death. A type of lich, the creature's spirit can possess any dead serpentine body, usually their original form, and retain all the powers and abilities of the former body. That means a dracolich has the fear aura, spells, and breath weapon it had in life, plus the terrible might of the undead.
The process of becoming a dracolich was discovered by Sammaster the Mad, a fallen Chosen of Mystra, who was inspired after re-translating The Chronicle of Things to Come by the prophet Maglas. He was convinced that Toril would suffer a great apocalypse and "naught will be left save shuttered thrones with no rulers. But the dead dragons shall rule the world entire..." Sammaster's first success was with the great red wyrm Shargrailar the Dark in the Year of Queen's Tears (902 DR). Since then Sammaster and his followers, the Cult of the Dragon, have created many more, preparing for the apocalypse they "know" will come."
A dracolich has the strange ability to inhabit the body of any reptilian corpse upon death, though they are at their most powerful when inhabiting the corpse of a dragon. When killed in its corporeal body, the dracolich doesn't "die". Its spirit runs and hides in the phylactery, awaiting another suitable body to animate and inhabit. Like other types of lich, a dracolich is truly annihilated when its phylactery is destroyed.
