Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

 Adherents of Nergal

Illustration by Luis Perez

Nergal  – the real world deity – has so many aspects to his being that Paizo split it into two entities. Last week we looked at the Demon Lord Nurgal, this week we will explore the Infernal Duke Nergal. The fiendish Nergal takes atrocities, pestilence, and war as his spheres of influence, but even less is written about the Infernal Duke’s followers than there is about the Demon Lord’s.

As always, let us imagine we are sitting at our theoretical gaming table. Our imaginary GM sets out the rules for the game we will play. In this game, we are to make a follower of Nergal. The character does not need to be a divine caster, just a devotee of the Slow Death. What character do you make?

For more information on Nergal

Nergal’s Pathfinder Wiki Page

Nergal’s Archives of Nethys Page 

Order for a New Varisia

When Korvosa was founded by the Chelaxians there was still much conflict with the native populace of the frontier nation. The Shoanti were especially aggressive against the arrival of newcomers, although that might have been because these settlers would make homes on their sacred sites. Many groups stood for the nationalism of Cheliax and lent aid to the battle against the Shoanti. Among these groups was the pro-Chelaxian Order for a New Varisia.

The Order was originally a group of isolationist politicians and military men who felt the Chelish were superior to all others. They were also dedicated to the Infernal Duke Nergal. They used their positions to push for atrocities to be committed against the native populace. One common tactic was plague-ridden items given to the Shoanti as a means of weakening them. The Order still exists today although they are much more covert. They are pro-Korvosian activists among the aristocracy who scapegoat the Shoanti and native Varisians who live in Korvosa as the reason the Chelish poor are so downtrodden. The violence that ensues, of course, is never their fault.

The Tightened Chain

Although Asmodeus is the most commonly worshiped deity in the Chelish Empire, Diabolism is actually the state religion. Many folks worship the forces of hell in general with Asmodeus as the leader of that hierarchy, but some take to claiming one of the other Archdevils or even one of the Infernal Dukes as their Patron. The Tightened Chain is one such group that has taken Nergal as their fiendish patron.

The Tightened Chain is a sect within the military forces of the Chelish army. They work as a special forces unit used to get what needs doing done. They excel at torture and are used to help root out enemies of the state. When left to their own accord they tend to practice their craft even on the civilians in towns that the army occupies. It’s not uncommon for citizens to mysteriously disappear when the Tightened Chain is in the vicinity on a mission.

The Affliction

The River Kingdoms tends to attract two kinds of people; those who want freedom from tyranny and those who want freedom from the laws that restrain their evil impulses. The Affliction is a group comprised of the latter type of people. These followers of Nergal are alchemist beyond compare, but instead of using their talents toward noble ends they seek to invent new plagues and pestilences in the name of their infernal master.

The group is small and incredibly secretive. Recruitment is done when an individual member of the sect finds someone who he believes is a suitable applicant. The entire group, which currently only numbers seven, decides to accept or reject approaching the possible recruit. The would-be member of the sect is tested, which usually leads to the gruesome and slow death of some innocent bystanders, and if he is deemed worthy he is brought into the fold. All members are infected with a disease to which the cure can only be obtained from a devil loyal to Nergal. Should one decide to leave the sect he or she would die their own slow and painful death.

“By any means necessary”. For followers of the Infernal Duke that means with whatever despicable tortures one can imagine. Who is your disciple of Nergal? Why have they chosen to dedicate themselves to the Slow Death? Where does their devotion come from? Let me know in the comments.

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The opening illustration was created by a fine artist Luis Perez. You can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, and on Instagram at luisperezart.