Kilkorin: Secrets
Secret info and story hooks.
Lady Sabrisse Krembo-Simos
Sabrisse is way into gods—specifically, into finding out how to achieve godhood herself.
Having amassed wealth and power on the temporal level, she feels godhood is the next natural step. Sabrisse is from a lineage that traces all the way back to the ancient half-/tieflings that ended up cursing the city upon which Kilkorin was built.
She learned this particular secret shortly after adulthood, when she found herself changing. She came to terms with it soon enough—indeed, Sabrisse sees it as only right and proper. She comes from a place of supreme entitlement and influence, after all, and feels kinship with her ancient ancestors who clearly felt the same in their pursuit of power.
Sabrisse has no specific love of Kilkorin or its people; her "altruism" is all about pursuing any avenues that might advance her toward the goal of godhood. In fact, of late she's been taking secret meetings with notables amongst the tiefling occupation forces, in hopes of finding areas of mutual interest.
Sabrisse wears an enchanted ring that mimics the effects of disguise self—though it can only project her (youthful) halfling appearance. It must be recharged each fortnight (by Viktana, her childhood friend and personal wizard).
Based on the meeting with the PCs, Sabrisse is very interested in Brother Simon. He might be useful in her pursuits. She'll plan on trying to manipulate him.
SECRET
Malbert Botha
Botha is a warlock whose patron is the Judge (WBoS p14). The contracts that he draws up with his clients are truly binding—in the supernatural sense specifically.
Acting against or resisting the terms of the contract as-written brings dire consequences (this goes for Botha as well):
Spirit Drain. The creature’s hit point maximum decreases by 1d4 each day. This reduction can’t be removed until the creature makes amends. The creature dies if its hit point maximum drops to 0.
If the creature dies before making amends, they rise as an indentured spirit or sometimes as a vampirate (don't actually use those terms, though…). The undead that results is under the control of whoever holds the contract. (Botha has been known to bestow a contract to someone else—after first drafting an addendum that removes Botha from the terms of the original contract, though maintaining similar terms to the new contract-holder.)
SECRET
Huli Verla
She presents only as an artificer, but actually multi-classed as a wizard. She's responsible for the "living statues"—she discovered the invisible stalker roaming the area and studied it to learn enough of what it's doing. More out of curiosity than anything, she crafted soulcatcher orbs to extract souls from the stalker and has used them to create golems.
The PCs destroyed the 3 she'd made thus far. Still, Huli has crafted 2 new ones and has 9 orbs remaining.
Soulcatcher Orb
Functions much like the soul-storing aspect of a ring of mind shielding. By default, the orb draws in the nearest loose spirit within range (let's say 500 feet). It can also be "programmed" to draw in a specific soul.
SECRET
Invisible Stalker
The invisible stalker is a construct created by some nameless wizard before the ancient city fell. The stalker endured, trapped in the ruins.
It was programmed to find useful subjects and extract their souls for some unknown purpose (why was lost with the nameless wizard). It hauls the extracted souls around via etheric "chains."
Extracting the soul is a process. It's simplest to kill the victim first. Otherwise, the stalker infects the target when it attacks. If the victim survives an attack, they're infected. After each long rest, roll 1d6:
1–2 The creature is blinded until it finishes a long rest
3–4 The creature’s hit point maximum decreases by 5 (2d4), and the reduction can’t be removed until the disease ends. The creature dies if its hit point maximum drops to 0
5–6 The creature has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls until it finishes its next long rest.
If the victim rolls the same effect twice in a row, the effect is permanent; re-roll any future results. Once the victim rolls each result twice, they die and their soul is extracted automatically to wander until the invisible stalker (or someone with a soulcatcher orb) picks it up.
The infection remains until removed by magic—either via remove curse or a paladin using their remove disease ability.
SECRET
Cursed Ruins
Turns out, the elder races are kinda right: the ancient tiefling city is cursed.
The "glittery" residue that the PCs noticed in the abandoned temple is dust of corruption, and it litters the entire undercity to varying degrees. Prolonged exposure will transform the victim into something… other.
The PCs have seen this already in Marius, who's essentially mid-transformation.
Big secret is that tieflings are the result of ancient halflings who fell victim to the curse—the entire populace was transformed due to the dark delvings of a powerful few. It's such a closely-held secret that few tieflings even know the truth.
Stay in the undercity long enough without protection and you'll change into… something else. Halflings do become ersatz tieflings, while other races and animals become all manner of monstrous beings.
Don't piss off the gods.
SECRET/STORY HOOK
Floatstone Conscripts
Malbert Botha has learned that Tvordal dwarves from Dockside are conscripting residents to dig for floatstone—specifically clearing out neighborhoods in the Low End. Subjugated and exploited workforce.
STORY HOOK