The pendant cultist (Session 23)

Stub-class article · First seen: s23 · Last seen: s24
The pendant cultist (Session 23)
Portrait of The pendant cultist (Session 23).
Character
StatusDead
First seens23
Last seens24

The pendant cultist was the unnamed woman who led the manacled Kole into the ridge temple north of Greysmere in session 23, with a skeleton, a ghoul and two zombies at her back [2][3]. She ordered him taken “to the executioner” as a sacrifice, fought with a necrotic dagger and a conjured sword, and twice spoke of “the master” [2][37][10][32]. Caelumn’s Chromatic Orb left her “a singed pile of bones, almost giving the sense that she is still smiling” [29], though in session 24 the DM says of her remains “Yeah, it was turned to dust.” [34]. The DM has not said whom she served.

Overview

The pendant cultist was the woman who brought Kole into the ridge temple in manacles in session 23, and the first of the temple’s cultists the party met face to face. She died in the sixth round of the fight at the temple entrance, to Caelumn’s Chromatic Orb [29].

She is never named. “The pendant cultist” is this wiki’s title for her, taken from the pendant with which she opened a hidden wall [3]. The DM’s own words are “this cultist”, “the human” and “the fanatic, the cultist” [2][30][31]. She spoke of “the master” twice and “God” once, and carried a holy symbol of Vecna, but the DM has not said whom she served [2][10][32][33]. Session 24 adds one remark about her remains: “Yeah, it was turned to dust.” [34].

Appearance and demeanour

The DM describes almost nothing of her. She is a woman and human [3][30], wore more than one pendant [3] and fought with “her rather sizable daggers glowing with necrotic energy” [10]. Twice he gave her a smile, “a slight smile at the fact that distraction worked” and “a sly smile” [35][36]. She is sure of herself, promising a “worthy sacrifice” and to “deal with” Caelumn “in a moment” [10][36]. In death “her flesh and her clothes melt away”, yet the DM’s loot list gives her leather armour and the players later strip “robes” from the body, a word the DM never uses, and in session 24 her remains were “turned to dust”; the wiki records all four as played [29][31][25][34].

Abilities as played

  • A bolt at Kole. She cast a spell at him; he saved on a natural 20 and the DM named it Hold Person [5].
  • A conjured sword. She waved her hand and “behind you spawns a sword”, which struck beside her. It needed her concentration, and she held it through three Constitution saves until Kole’s second Eldritch Blast broke it [37][38][13][39][40][18].
  • A necrotic dagger. A 22 hit Father Thomas for nine slashing and eight necrotic damage, a natural 20 for ten slashing and 14 necrotic [41][42].
  • Command of the undead. She snapped her finger and pointed to where Caelumn hid, and her skeleton went after him [43][44].
  • A strong mind. Kole’s Mind Sliver failed against her save of 18 [4].

Her ghoul, two zombies and greatsword skeleton are covered by the combat log and The greatsword skeletons (Session 23).

Relationships

  • Kole: her prisoner, taken for sacrifice, who got free in the first round [2][45]. In session 24 he is “still dressed as a cultist” in what he took from her body [27].
  • Caelumn: her killer [29].
  • Father Thomas: the target of her heaviest blows [41][46].
  • “The master”: her unnamed superior, whom the DM identifies with no one [10][32].
  • Rime: told that the party had fought “a female cultist”, he still asked “Are you ready to face Mother Sarah?”, so she was not Mother Sarah [47][48].
  • The charcoal-robed kidnappers: no link is stated. Those were three people in charcoal robes [49]; she was one woman, and the DM gives her no robes.

Notable quotes

“a female commanding someone take him to the executioner and make him a sacrifice for God” — Nick (DM), [2]

“this is how a real magician does it” — Nick (DM) as the cultist, [50]

“I will gladly die for the master, but you first.” — Nick (DM) as the cultist, [32]

“You see a small chromatic orb fly towards her as it expands violently. You see her engulfed in flames as her flesh and her clothes melt away. She falls to the ground as a singed pile of bones, almost giving the sense that she is still smiling.” — Nick (DM), [29]

“Yeah, it was turned to dust.” — Nick (DM), [34]

History in the campaign

Session 23: The Changeling in Manacles

Main article: Session 23

The DM restated the sighting from outside, “a group of six people”, one “definitely human” [1]. Terry, Caelumn and Father Thomas crept back and heard her order a prisoner taken “to the executioner” as a sacrifice; she was holding a pendant to a wall that slid aside, with a skeleton, a ghoul, two zombies and the manacled Kole beside her [2][3]. The party ambushed her group. She stabbed Father Thomas twice and held her sword through three saves, until Kole’s Eldritch Blast broke it, and Caelumn’s Chromatic Orb burned her to bones in the sixth round [42][18][29]. Her body held a dagger, leather armour, a little coin and a holy symbol of Vecna [23].

Session 24: The Knight of Smoke

Main article: Session 24

The cultist is not seen, but her remains come up. Father Thomas proposed taking blood from the cultists the party had already killed, rather than their own, to feed the vampire-lord statue, and of the one Caelumn burned the DM said “Yeah, it was turned to dust.” [28]. In session 23 the DM had narrated “a singed pile of bones” and a body that held a symbol, armour, a dagger and coins [29][31]. The page records both accounts as played. Kole was still wearing what he took from her body [27].

Status

As of session 24. Dead, killed by Caelumn’s Chromatic Orb in the sixth round of the fight at the temple entrance [29]. Her remains are “a singed pile of bones” in session 23 and “turned to dust” in session 24, and the DM has not reconciled them with the symbol, armour, dagger and coins found on her body [29][31][34]. Not known: her name, who “the master” and “the executioner” are, which god she meant by “God”, whether the holy symbol on her body is the pendant that opened the wall, and, a question for the DM, whether bones or dust is the account that stands [2][3][10][31].

See also

References

  1. ^ Session 23, line 181: What was seen from outside: "a group of six people", one of them "definitely human".
  2. ^ Session 23, line 310: Overheard at the door: "take him to the executioner and make him a sacrifice for God"; the DM to the new player, "Kole, you've been captured by this cultist".
  3. ^ Session 23, line 347: She holds "one of her pendants to the wall" and it slides aside; behind her "a skeleton and three zombie-looking creatures" and a man in "rough-looking iron manacles".
  4. ^ Session 23, line 464-467: Kole's Mind Sliver breaks on her save of 18: "you just meet a steel wall".
  5. ^ Session 23, line 472-474: "this is how a real magician does it"; Kole saves on a natural 20 and "a black bolt" hits the wall; "a Hold Person spell".
  6. ^ Session 23, line 601-608: "the human is going to run up and take a stab at Caelumn" (a nine, a miss); "behind you spawns a sword" (a nine, a miss).
  7. ^ Session 23, line 621: Her zombies: "we're going to see if it dies because it's a zombie. Sadly, it manages to stay alive with one HP.".
  8. ^ Session 23, line 637-639: "it's just every single time it dies basically"; against critical hits, "No, it just dies straight.".
  9. ^ Session 23, line 648-650: The second zombie is last seen under Father Thomas's Word of Radiance; its end is not narrated.
  10. ^ Session 23, line 652: "her rather sizable daggers glowing with necrotic energy"; "you be a worthy sacrifice for the master".
  11. ^ Session 23, line 685-693: Her "slight smile" as the ghoul's distraction works; "She's going to go for Father Thomas." "And so is her sword."; "She's concentrating.".
  12. ^ Session 23, line 701-703: A 22 on Father Thomas: "nine slashing damage as she brings her blade into your back" and eight necrotic; the sword misses on a 15.
  13. ^ Session 23, line 772: Her first concentration save, after Father Thomas's staff: "That is a nat 20.".
  14. ^ Session 23, line 780-782: "I'll deal with you in a moment."; a second concentration save, "That's 12.".
  15. ^ Session 23, line 794-796: A third save of 20; "we just made her roll three con saves and she saved them all".
  16. ^ Session 23, line 797-803: She "snaps her finger in the air and points to the corridor where Caelumn is hiding"; a natural 20 on Father Thomas, "10 slashing damage and 14 necrotic damage"; the sword misses on a 19.
  17. ^ Session 23, line 818-823: KILL (a zombie): Terry's natural 20; "And he falls slumped to the floor against the wall.".
  18. ^ Session 23, line 882: Kole's Eldritch Blast breaks her concentration: "the sword dissipates into thin air"; "You'll pay for that.".
  19. ^ Session 23, line 885-888: KILL (the ghoul): it bites Kole through his Armor of Agathys, turns to ice and "shatters into a million pieces".
  20. ^ Session 23, line 891-893: "I will gladly die for the master, but you first."; a two-handed stab, 23 and then 11 at disadvantage, turned by Father Thomas's shield.
  21. ^ Session 23, line 936-944: KILL: Caelumn's Chromatic Orb at second level, 18 to hit, 22 fire; "a singed pile of bones, almost giving the sense that she is still smiling".
  22. ^ Session 23, line 1442: The DM: "the very south room was where the cultist was leading Kole to be sacrificed. It seems to have been a secret entrance.".
  23. ^ Session 23, line 1453-1457: On her body: "a holy symbol and leather armor and a dagger"; "23 copper and 57 silver"; "It seems to be a holy symbol of Vecna.".
  24. ^ Session 23, line 1493-1495: Kole takes the dagger: "It definitely has runes inscribed on it, but it's hard to tell.".
  25. ^ Session 23, line 1570-1576: Kole strips the body, has the robes cleaned by a cantrip and wears them with the hood up (the robes are the players' word).
  26. ^ Session 23, line 1641-1647: Told that the party "fought a female cultist", Rime still asks "Are you ready to face Mother Sarah?".
  27. ^ Session 24, line 441: Kole is "still dressed as a cultist" in what he took from her body.
  28. ^ Session 24, line 1281-1283: Blood from the cultists already killed is proposed for the vampire-lord statue; of the one Caelumn burned, the DM: "Yeah, it was turned to dust.".
  29. ^ Session 23, line 944: Inline citation.
  30. ^ Session 23, line 601: Inline citation.
  31. ^ Session 23, line 1453: Inline citation.
  32. ^ Session 23, line 891: Inline citation.
  33. ^ Session 23, line 1457: Inline citation.
  34. ^ Session 24, line 1283: Inline citation.
  35. ^ Session 23, line 685: Inline citation.
  36. ^ Session 23, line 780: Inline citation.
  37. ^ Session 23, line 605: Inline citation.
  38. ^ Session 23, line 693: Inline citation.
  39. ^ Session 23, line 782: Inline citation.
  40. ^ Session 23, line 794: Inline citation.
  41. ^ Session 23, line 701: Inline citation.
  42. ^ Session 23, line 801: Inline citation.
  43. ^ Session 23, line 797: Inline citation.
  44. ^ Session 23, line 847: Inline citation.
  45. ^ Session 23, line 442: Inline citation.
  46. ^ Session 23, line 799: Inline citation.
  47. ^ Session 23, line 1641: Inline citation.
  48. ^ Session 23, line 1647: Inline citation.
  49. ^ Session 21, line 289: Inline citation.
  50. ^ Session 23, line 472: Inline citation.
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