Of all the inns in Stormreach, one of the most popular among adventuring parties—particularly those containing spellcasters—is the Ship’s Cat (page 50), a densewood building in downtown Southwatch. Few adventurers would patronize the place if they learned the truth about its proprietor, Harysh. The woman appears to be is a good-natured shifter with a genuine, if strangely obsessive, love for street cats. And that’s precisely what she is—or, rather, what she was.
Not long ago, an ancient evil arrived in Stormreach in search of its destiny. The rakshasa Kashurashan has long watched over the city. Recent reports he received suggested that a great power bound in the depths was finally stirring, so he sent for Lorishto, a rakshasa of the powerful ak’chazar caste, to establish contact with that entity, known as the Scar That Abides.
Soon after his arrival in Stormreach, Lorishto set his sights on what he felt was the perfect identity to assume: a local innkeeper named Harysh. Rather than kill the shifter, he chose merely to incapacitate her in the event he needed to use her as leverage at some future date. Her soul remains trapped in a Khyber dragonshard that he keeps in the care of his two most powerful mummies. Lorishto has probed her mind and searched his belongings at length, and he understands her more than well enough to “play” her convincingly. With the stage thus set, Lorishto was free to begin work on the mission for which he was born: the rebirth of his patron, Sakinnirot (see the sidebar).
Lorishto’s patron is widely believed to be the literal embodiment of the spite and the patient rage of the Dragon Below, birthed by the Dragon’s own meticulous hand. Those who worship the Scar that Abides say that Sakinnirot was the first Overlord conceived by Khyber but the last to actually be born, and that its protracted gestation partly accounts for its substantial power. It is patron to all those who plot bloody revenge, reveling in the gratification of a grudge satisfied. Its following is the cult of an injury savored, and wounds of both a physical and spiritual nature are left to fester in its name. Sakinnirot finds sudden or unfocused rage weak, and exhorts its supplicants to be patient in bringing a vengeful hate to a slow boil. In this regard, its primary rival is another of its own kind—the rajah known as Rak Tulkhesh, “the Rage of War,” whom it considers a savage fool.
Within the mortal realm, Sakinnirot bears a special loathing for the dragonmarked houses, and it grows stronger with each interhouse dispute that ends in violence. Any cultist responsible for singlehandedly driving two groups of dragonmarked mortals into mutual ruin is said to earn no small measure of favor from the Scar that Abides.
GETTING INVOLVED
In his time in Stormreach, Lorishto has learned a lot about the Scar that Abides. He knows that Sakinnirot is growing stronger, and although he has no direct knowledge of House Kundarak’s operation (page 65), certain passages in the prophecies of his line lead him to believe that the dwarves have a key role to play in the eventual awakening and ascension of his Overlord. Lorishto also knows the means by which he might commune with Sakinnirot: He must meditate over the corpse of a victim of a dragonmarked house member’s revenge. He is presently fomenting the type of discontent that will provide him with plenty of tools for communication, but he has yet to establish any meaningful contact. He has received only brief images and sudden sensations of dark emotion.
It is in this regard the PCs can intersect with Lorishto’s presence. Perhaps one of those killed by Lorishto’s intrigues was a relative or associate of one of the PCs, and the character begins to suspect that someone else is responsible for sending the houses into conflict.
Alternatively, Lorishto might be introduced into the campaign by way of its present impersonation. It’s unlikely that the PCs would ever know that they weren’t dealing with the real Harysh, but it would be a simple matter to introduce a character who has some legitimate reason to be suspicious of Lorishto’s otherwise convincing charade. Once such a character confesses his concerns to the PCs, the plot is off and running.
Lorishto’s activities might also be uncovered by means of his necromantic practices. Stormreach is a permissive city, but the presence of undead still sets off a few alarms, and if he’s not careful, Lorishto’s otherwise insignificant undead minions might lead his enemies right to him. In addition, Lorishto needs fresh corpses to commune with his Overlord. Dragonmarked houses are not happy to find out that they are victims of grave robbing. Even if Lorishto covers his tracks, the PCs might be set on his trail by evidence of the missing bodies.