Shargon's Talon
  1. Locations

Shargon's Talon

Temple

The city’s temple to the Devourer, Shargon’s Talon is a stone tower jutting from the harbor. Two priests preside over its rituals: an elf and a sahuagin.

Cult of the Devourer in Stormreach

 
 
 
 

Those who seek proof of the exotic nature of Stormreach need look no farther than the harbor, where a slender stone tower rises out of the water. Its shape is more reminiscent of a stalagmite than a worked building, but the continual flames illuminating its narrow windows suggest otherwise. This is the temple of the Devourer, known to the locals as Shargon’s Talon. Followers of the Sovereign Host occasionally make sacrifices to the Devourer when natural disasters threaten, but the congregation of the Talon places the Devourer above all other gods. The doctrine of this sect holds that it was the Devourer alone who defeated the fiends of the first age, and that the force of this battle raised the lands above the sea. The faithful are taught to embrace the fury of nature, preparing for the time when the Devourer will scour the earth and draw all back beneath the waves. The holy texts also speak of devouring the strength of fallen foes; though it’s possible to read these literally, most of the faithful would never go so far as to practice cannibalism.

One of the more unusual aspects of the cult of the Devourer is the fact that emissaries from the local sahuagin often participate in the sacred rituals. These priests consider humans to be flawed cousins, stripped of scale and weak of lung, but they pity these humans and consider it an act of charity to help them find the right path.

Members of this sect are expected to be skilled swimmers, and although some take rowboats out to the Talon, swimming the distance is considered an act of devotion.

Although the Devourer is the primary deity of this sect, the faithful are also taught to respect the Fury. Clerics can choose their domains from either deity, and the favored weapon of the sect is the trident.

The two high priests of the sect are the sahuagin Khalaash and the elf Seryssa. Neither sells spellcasting services, and the extent of their mystical abilities—if any—remains a mystery

Children of the Devourer?

The doctrine of the Devourer maintains that one must consume an enemy to understand him and that through this act it is possible to take his strength and his knowledge. Perhaps this is only legend. Or perhaps the priests of Shargon’s Talon are not humans or elves, but rather a variant of the malenti. When a member of the congregation is deemed worthy, he is brought to the top of the Talon and devoured by a sahuagin acolyte, which takes on his form and his memories. It is up to the DM to decide whether the newborn malenti combines the skill ranks of sahuagin and victim, or if he merely has sufficient memories to pass as the victim. Alternatively, the victim must be a willing participant in the process, giving his life in the belief that he will live on in the new form. In either case, this event could form the basis of an adventure, should a Devourerworshiping acquaintance of the adventurers suddenly become a cold fish.