Cult Of The Dead three

The Dead Three are evil adventurers named Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul who long ago quested to become gods. They succeeded but grew even more ambitious. They tried to seize the Tablets of Fate from the overgod Ao and use them to rule over Faerûn and its gods. They failed and were slain during the Time of Troubles. Since then, a variety of contingency plans they had in place allowed them to be reborn.

While the Sundering saw the other gods of the Forgotten Realms withdraw their direct influence from the world, the Dead Three remained behind in mortal form as quasi-divine beings. While their power has diminished, they remain a formidable trio and play a malevolent role in influencing events on Faerûn.

Bane is a god of tyranny, and both he and his worshipers seek to rule the world. Bane grants power to those who strive to rule with an iron fist. By imposing order on the world, Bane’s followers ensure that those who are clever, strong, and ambitious rise to the top while the weak languish in slavery.

Regardless of the form he takes, Bane is always marked by his jet-black right hand. He usually wears a gauntlet or glove over this hand to conceal his identity, revealing it only when the time has come to display his true power. He is always well-dressed, donning the fine clothing of a noble or wearing the armor and gear of a successful mercenary general. His preferred weapon is a mace.

Bane overpowers those who display any weakness, bullying them into submission or crushing them with his physical and magical power. His charisma is such that he can sway the mighty to pledge their loyalty to him in return for power over others. He finds the hunger for power that exists in every mortal heart and awakens it with carefully crafted promises and flattery. He is the mastermind of the Dead Three, the one whose ambitions drive the group’s efforts.

Bane’s devoted followers are warriors who seek to rule through martial strength and intimidation, cruel tyrants who use threats and gifts as needed to ensure loyalty. They enslave those too weak to resist them and shower the strong with gifts and promises of power to turn them into loyal vassals.

Cruel Tyrants. Whenever Bane’s followers gain power, they institute draconian measures to ensure that their rule is unquestioned. They stamp out all opposition while richly rewarding those who swear fealty.

Warrior Cult. Cultists of Bane are warriors who wear heavy armor and wield maces, swords, spears, and crossbows. They paint the right gauntlet of their armor black in honor of their patron. Bane’s clerics wield black maces with heads shaped to look like a closed fist.

Cult Ranks. Bane’s cultists operate according to strict military hierarchies. The lowest rank consists of the fists of Bane, foot soldiers who obey all orders without hesitation. They are led by iron consuls, cunning field officers who excel at coordinating the fists in combat. The black gauntlets are the priests who command the consuls.

Bhaal and His Followers

Bhaal is a god of murder who lends power to those whose killings invoke fear and dread. The act of murder is only half the equation. The second half is the suspicion, paranoia, and fear that a seemingly unstoppable killer can evoke. Bhaal seeks to inspire fear by slaying those seemingly beyond the reach of death.

Bhaal always carries a red handkerchief somewhere on his person. He can take on an alternate appearance regardless of his current form, that of a hulking brute armed with a long, curved dagger that drips blood. In this form, he wears only a tattered loin cloth, is hairless, and is covered with bleeding wounds caused by a slashing blade. His face is a skull flayed of its flesh and surrounded by a halo of blood.

Bhaal is a vicious bully who enjoys killing people in gruesome ways. He’s brought to heel only by the combination of Bane and Myrkul.

Bhaal’s cultists emulate their deity, carrying out gruesome murders to spread fear and horror. They are charming and disarming when they wish, but in combat their true, bloodthirsty nature comes to the fore.

Bloodletters. All cultists of Bhaal learn to call upon their god’s power to leave their victims vulnerable to their long-bladed knives. When Bhaal’s magic works its power, stab wounds erupt in terrible gouts of blood. Seemingly minor wounds plunge deep into a victim’s body and cause terrible pain and bleeding.

Killers from the Shadows. Bhaal’s followers are cunning murderers who kill to strike fear and thrive on sowing terror in the cities they inhabit. They can call upon their god’s power to blend into the shadows with ease, or even turn invisible for a crucial moment.

Cult Ranks. Low-ranking cultists of Bhaal are called night blades, whom Bhaal blesses with darkvision and superior stealth. Reapers are the next rank up. They gain the ability to turn invisible and can use Bhaal’s magic to evade suspicion. The highest rank are the death’s heads, who can take on the skull-faced guise of their deity to terrify their prey. In combat, they intimidate foes by shrugging off the deadliest attacks with ease, showing that resisting Bhaal’s schemes is futile.

Myrkul is the Lord of Bones, claiming power over corpses and souls. His cultists are those who seek to claim lore, power, and even fealty from the deceased.

Myrkul has the power to call forth the soul of any slain creature and bind it into a wax skull. Myrkul can use this ability only if he claims some part of a creature’s physical body, grinds it up, and creates a skull that includes the resulting dust. So long as the soul remains inside the skull, the skull’s eye sockets burn with cold blue flames. While the skull is intact, Myrkul can compel the soul trapped within to answer his questions and share its knowledge. The skull degrades with each service rendered, eventually collapsing and releasing the soul. The soul can also be released by dousing the wax skull with holy water. 

Myrkul is calculating, distant, and self-centered. He cares only for the acquisition of knowledge and finds that managing the daily affairs of life is at best a tedious distraction. He is happiest when surrounded by his tomes of lore and the undead he has called forth to do his bidding.

Those who follow Myrkul are either wizards or those who seek to master the necromantic arts.

Delvers into Lore. Cultists of Myrkul study rituals that allow them to force the souls of the dead into service, compelling them to answer questions and share forgotten lore. They seek out arcane secrets in ancient ruins, and attempt to steal spellbooks and other tomes from wizards outside of the cult.

Cult Ranks. A follower of Myrkul wields a flail that has a skull replacing the normal flail’s striking head. Necromites are initiates who have not yet mastered arcane magic and rely on their flails in battle. Skull lashers are spellcasters who use magic to augment their combat abilities. The masters of souls delve deep into Myrkul’s secrets, allowing them to animate the dead and perform other grave magic.