Red Watchers

The deadgrim are an elite faction within the Red Watchers, a new organization of undead hunters within Karrnath. While all watchers dedicate their lives to cleansing their homeland of undead, the deadgrim range beyond Karrnath and go further in their purpose—adopting some of the powers of their hated foes to better understand and combat them. The deadgrim walk a tenuous line between becoming that which they loathe, endlessly struggling with the dark call of power represented by undeath. So far none have fallen, but the order is young.

Playing a Deadgrim

As a deadgrim, you are driven by one unwavering goal: to destroy the undead. A secondary goal shared by most deadgrim (and the primary goal of the Red Watchers to which they owe allegiance) is to cleanse the organization’s homeland of Karrnath of these creatures, but you prefer to take the fight to undead anywhere.

You know that the mindless creatures most common folk associate with the word “undead” represent only a fraction of the varieties that exist. The truly dangerous undead—liches, vampires, and their ilk—tend to work behind the scenes, and so you constantly watch for signs of undead presence, especially in positions of influence and power. You speak mostly in a terse, abbreviated fashion, because your mind is focused on your goal day and night. Should an undead reveal itself, you must strike instinctively. No one knows better than you how dangerous these creatures can be if you let them surprise you.

As a deadgrim, you are part of the Red Watchers organization. Founded only a few short years ago, the group seeks to cleanse Karrnath of the taint of the undead. The deadgrim are an even more recent addition to the ranks of the order, and only a few members have yet ascended to the pinnacle of the class’s power structure. Though the Red Watchers value your skills, calling on you for the most deadly missions involving your hated foes, you are also free to act independently. The Red Watchers know that any undead put to its final rest helps them in the long term, no matter where that creature is slain.

Advancement

The first deadgrim, an orc named Taarak Half-Ear (LN male), still roams Karrnath, and he has begun actively recruiting those interested in taking the fight to the undead for the Red Watchers. As a new organization, the Watchers do not have a strong presence in any one locale, and they are still somewhat disorganized. However, this lack of organization sometimes works to the order’s advantage in a land so thoroughly infl uenced by the group the Red Watchers deem their archnemesis: the Blood of Vol.

As a member of the Red Watchers, you are mostly expected to keep your eyes and ears open for evidence of undead activity. As a deadgrim, when you find such activity, you destroy it. This process might not be as simple as walking into a dank crypt and smiting the undead inhabitants (although that is certainly part of your job description). The way to go about a given task is the prerogative of each individual deadgrim, but those who have had the most success typically rely on stealth and negotiation as much as force of arms.

Most deadgrim serve a sort of apprenticeship under an older member of the Red Watchers, who may or may not be another deadgrim. This individual schools you in the basic art of tracking, identifying, and destroying undead. Once this basic training is done, each member is turned loose, although Watchers are encouraged to check in with the order as often as possible.

Most common folk don’t know that the Red Watchers even exist, let alone that the deadgrim are that group’s elite members. Though more than a few commoners have rejoiced at a timely deadgrim rescue, many see little difference between those who associate with undead for personal gain and those like the deadgrim, who seem to embrace the evils of undeath in order to better destroy it. Since the organization maintains a fairly low profile, however, most NPCs make their judgments on a case-by-case basis. The “red” of the Red Watchers refers directly to the Blood of Vol, and the Watchers have vowed to drive that loathsome order from all the lands of Khorvaire, starting with Karrnath. Though the motives of the deadgrim go beyond simple Karrnathi patriotism, they too seek out the cult’s plans and try to disrupt them whenever possible.

The Blood of Vol has not yet managed to link several successful deadgrim and Red Watcher missions against it as a common threat, and for now, the small size of the Red Watchers order keeps them from the larger, more influential Blood of Vol’s notice. However, it is likely only a matter of time before the Blood of Vol recognizes the genuine threat the Watchers present and takes steps to crush the deadgrim and their allies. Before that day arrives, the Red Watchers hope to grow strong enough that they might withstand the inevitable conflict.