10
Chaositech
life—namely, kidnapping young people for use in the cult’s horrific ceremonies of mutation. Slowly, however, Tach is learning more about the spells his chaotic masters can grant. Eventually, he knows the other cultists will allow him to get involved in their ceremonies and in the cell’s leadership. If they don’t, he’ll have to figure out which ones he needs to kill to attain his goal. The Lords of Chaos spoke to him directly. He does not question his path. Tach is a smelly, disheveled individual. He is overweight and unshaved, with bad teeth and a lazy eye. His social skills are horrendous and almost everyone hates him, even his fellow cultists. Tach, male human Clr3: CR 3; Medium humanoid; HD 3d8+3 (24 hp); Init +0; Speed 30 feet; AC 17 (+5 armor, +2 shield; touch 10, flat-footed 17; armor check penalty); Base Atk +2; Grapple +4; Atk +5 melee (1d8+2, critical 20/×2, light mace); Full Atk +5 melee (1d8+2, critical 20/×2, light mace); SA Spells, rebuke undead; SQ —; SV Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4; Str 14, Dex 10, Con 12, Int , Wis 13, Cha 9 Skills and Feats: Knowledge (arcana) +5, Knowledge (religion) +5; Brew Potion, Lightning Reflexes, Toughness Possessions: Masterwork light mace, breastplate, medium shield, wand of divine favor (45 charges), potion of cure light wounds, scroll of dispel magic Spells Prepared (4/3+1/1+1; DC 11 + spell level): 0—detect magic, detect poison, guidance, resistance; 1st—doom, magic weapon, protection from law, random action; 2nd—hold person, mark of chaos†
The Night of Dissolution In all chaos cults, change is regarded as a good thing. Cultists always speak of the “coming changes”: revolt, revolution, a rejection of the status quo, a reorganization of society, and punishment for those who do not see the truth of chaos. Their raving goes on and on. The coming changes, and the goal of every cult, is ultimately the actualization of the Night of Dissolution, as mentioned in the book Imminentize the Eschaton. The Night of Dissolution is the theoretical night when chaos overwhelms the world. Most cultists, of course, have no real idea of when such a thing is going to happen, other than vague references to “sooner than you think.” They also predict a multitude of scenarios in which this will happen: •The Lords of Chaos will return together and destroy all who oppose them and
possibly the entire world, remaking it in their own image or at least somehow rewarding those who helped them. •The world will destroy itself in conflict, revolution, and natural disasters, because that is the natural way of things (and why chaos reigns supreme). •Ever so slowly, through the workings of those loyal to chaos, the world’s order will fall apart. The Night of Dissolution is merely the very end of that process. •A cosmic event sent by the Lords of Chaos—like the fall of a meteor, the appearance of a new moon, or a single, terrible earthquake that rends the world asunder—will end it all.
Cultists and Chaositech Almost all chaos cultists lust after chaositech the way a glutton covets delicious desserts. They crave the power that chaositech can grant, the destructive nature of the energy within it, and the gift from the Lords of Chaos that it represents. An encounter with a group of chaos cultists very likely involves at least one chaositech device. Surprisingly, chaositech weaponry is not always the favorite such device. Often, devices that allow one to use chaos to perform otherwise far more difficult tasks—getting away from the authorities, spying on enemies, disguising oneself, and so on—is just as important, if not moreso.
The Cults of Chaos It is technically incorrect to refer to the “Cult of Chaos,” for, in fact, there are many cults. While they are unified in overall belief, the cults are actually quite fractured. The different cults of chaos do not necessarily compete but often work together, trade members, and occasionally wholly subsume one another. The following short descriptions cover each of the main cults.
The Ebon Hand The cult of the Ebon Hand worships physical deformity. If a member is not deformed naturally (many are), he or she seeks mutation (as described in Chapter Four). The cultists refer to mutation as “the touch of the Ebon Hand.” Cells of this cult operate in cities, usually within chapels hidden underground. Somewhere within it the chapel always features a large stone hand, palm exposed and painted black. This is the heart of the cult. Cultists of the Ebon Hand kidnap adolescents and magically
