Copyright © 2001 by Robert J. Hall

Priests of this cult worship Festur, the Dark Lord of Decay. The totem of the cult is the Worm, and this is also the primary focus of many of the spells. The cult worshippers wear hooded, pale-yellow robes, with a dark- brown, spiralling worm symbol centered on the back. Worm-shaped, intertwined rings around each oversized sleeve indicate rank within the clergy.

The cult headquarters is usually located in a secret site within a decaying area of a city, usually in a garbage dump, the sewers, or inside an abandoned building. Many farmers also secretly placate the God of Pestilence once each year through a suitable sacrifice, if only to spare their crops for harvest. Since cult followers are almost inevitably hunted down ruthlessly by authorities, much care is taken to conceal and protect the places of worship.

True followers of Festur usually suffer from lycanthropy, and this is often the means by which more recruits are brought into the cult. Packs of cult followers roam the streets at night in Wererat form, looking for hapless victims to rob, torment, and kill. Such activities peak during the full moon.

Misuse of the spells of Festur will cause the priest to be permanently transformed into a wererat, from whence he is unable to return to his human form. Once this transformation is complete, additional misuse will complete the transformation of the priest, turning him into an enormous rat. In this final form, the priest is incapable of using his priestly powers, and his human identity will quickly be swallowed by the rodent mentality.

Common Limitations: Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), Requires Magic Skill Roll (-1/2), OAF Live Worm (-1), Side Effects (1d6+1 Cumulative Major Transform) (-1/2), -1/2 Variable Limitations* (-1/4), Religious Restrictions (-1/2).
Total: -3-1/4

* Typical variable limitations include: OAF Requires Significant Sacrifice (-1/4), Reduced Charges (-1/4), 1/2 DCV Concentrate (-1/4), x2 Extra END (-1/2), Extra Time: Full Phase (-1/2), No Range (-1/2).

There are some who believe Festur is actually a powerful demon who has assumed the mantle of a Deity to recruit followers. Nobody knows the truth of the matter, and Festur is, for all intents and purposes, a powerful member of the Dark Gods. His spheres of influence include Decay, Pestilence, Weakness, and Vermin.

This package is intended primarily for non-player characters, as a potential enemy to the heroes and a source of much concern to the local authorities.

Basic Spells

Bolt of Decay

The cast fires a bolt of pure entropy at a target, causing it to begin decaying rapidly. The caster can maintain the rotting effect by continuing to supply END each phase.

Mana Maggots

Dozens of maggots will appear on any nearby sources of magic. The maggots quickly turn into flies and depart the area looking for food.

Spell Rot

The caster creates a sickly-yellow miasma that dissipates the first magical spell it encounters.

College Spells

Age

This spell causes materials within the target hex to suffer the effects of rapid aging, becoming weaker and often crumbling into dust. This spell has no effect on life forms, or materials that withstand aging well, such as ice and gems stones. Multiple applications of this spell will ruin most objects.

Arthritis

Those caught within this pale yellow cone suffers from temporary Arthritis. The painful swelling of the joints greatly reduces the mobility of the victims for a period of several days.

Blight

A wave of blight spreads through the vegetation in the area of effect, causing leaves to turn yellow, fruit to wither, seeds to crumble, and plants to wilt. Farmers are particularly fearful of this spell, as it can completely destroy the labors of a season. It can also be used to ruin a garden, or destroy the habitat of a beast.

Blind

This spell creates cataracts in the eyes of the target, inducing permanent blindness. The spell must be cast on a being, rather than a hex, and has no effect on other creatures in the vicinity. In addition, this spell is somewhat unreliable in practice as the target can resist the effects with a CON roll, and it is relatively easy to cure the condition by using suitable magic. Obviously this spell has no effect if the target is already completely blind.

Call Scavengers

Upon casting this spell, the victim will emit the intense odor of a fresh corpse. This odor will be intensely attractive to any scavengers in the vicinity, and will usually attract a pack that will hound the victim unless he can find a safe place to hide. The odor will fade with distance from the target, but will still be perceptible to most scavengers for up to a kilometer away.

Deafen

This spell clogs up the inner workings of the targets ear, inducing permanent deafness. The spell must be cast on a being, rather than a hex, and has no effect on other creatures in the vicinity. In addition, this spell is somewhat unreliable in practice as the target can resist the effects with a CON roll, and it is relatively easy to cure the condition by using suitable magic. Obviously this spell has no effect if the target is already completely deaf.

Debilitating Disease

By means of this spell, the priest can touch a target and inflict a debilitating disease. The muscles of the victim will wither and he will suffer gradual loss of strength, usually becoming as weak as a child. It will require several weeks for this spell of weakness to pass.

Decay

This spell will make an area appear to be suffering from lack of use and proper upkeep. Surfaces will be covered in dust and dirt, cobwebs will hang from corners, walls and ceilings will appear to be crumbling, tools will look corroded or broken, and so on. Although this spell will hide visual signs of recent passage through the area, it will not prevent tracking by scent.

Drought

The air within the radius of the spell target is turned bone dry, causing plants to wilt and animals to rapidly dehydrate. It requires several minutes for those caught in the area to recover, unless a plentiful supply of drinking water is available.

Dirt Cloud

A thick cloud of dust and debris is raised in a swirling mass, blinding any who attempt to peer inside. Large amounts of dirt and dust must be available for this spell to function. The spell requires concentration to cast and is exhausting to maintain for lengthy periods. It also requires a full phase for the debris to rise and begin swirling.

Enfeeble

The target is overcome with the weakness of old age, often being barely able to move as a result. Fortunately, the character's strength gradually returns after a few minutes. This spell is unusual in that it takes longer than normal and is more fatiguing for the Priest to cast, but it has no verbal component or power effects. This makes it a useful spell to strike against a well known figure in a public place.

Entropy

This spell summons chaotic forces to cause random failures of the next four magical powers the target attempts to employ. Each time such a power is used, the activation roll is used to determine if the dispel attempt is made. Regardless of the result, a single charge is used up for each such activation roll.

Food Poisoning

This curse will cause a meal or drink to become infested with toxic bacteria. The victim will become horribly sick for several days and in need of bed rest. The odors from this spell are well hidden, so the victim is unlikely to believe he is eating bad food unless a careful examination is made.

Forget

This spell will completely suppress all memory of the past hour from the victims mind. The portion of the brain that holds the memories will wither and become dormant. It is possible that the memories could be recalled some time in the future, but it is more likely that they will permanently fade. This condition can not be maintained by the caster through further expenditure of END. In addition, this spell is much less effective when cast at a distance from the target. This spell is often used when an untrusted individual is brought into the cult temple. The knowledge of the secret passage can then be erased from the person's mind before they are released.

Fungus Spores

A cloud of fungus spores appears about the target hex, causing those caught within to choke and gag with nausea for a few moments. The spores will cause a debilitating cough that lasts for several days afterward.

Hunger

The target of this spell begins to suffer from intense hunger pangs, causing him to eat any available foods to the exclusion of all other activities until fully sated.

Infestation

A swarm of vermin crawl through any holes in the armor of the target, producing a number of nasty bites and stings until they are removed. The vermin will continue their attack for as long as the caster pays the END cost. The insects can also be removed manually, but this requires a half phase action per pest.

Malediction

This spell will cause an individual to suffer an unfortunate accident some time in the near future. A malevolent spirit is called upon to stalk the victim and inflict the accident at an especially bad moment (hence the Penetrating advantage.) The total number of dice rolled depends on how successful the Priest was at targeting the victim during the spell casting.

Malodor

The subject of this spell will emit an unpleasant bodily odor for several hours that will make him very undesirable company. During this time, his abilities with several social skills will be greatly diminished.

Putrid

This spell will cause any pile of garbage or decaying matter to emit a powerful putrid odor, causing revulsion and hiding any fainter scents that may be in the air. The odor can be sensed from outside the effective area, and hence avoided.

Pyosis

This spell will cause wounds to fester - swelling painfully and filling with pus. This will leave the victim feeling tired and sickly for several days.

Rat Spy

This spell can be used to recruit a rat to serve as a spy for the priest. The rat will be favorably disposed to perform this mission for a follower of Festur, although it will usually flee at the slightest hint of serious risk. (See the HERO Bestiary for stats.)

Rot Wood

Any non-living wood in the target hex will becomes infested with termites, ants, mold, and other sources of rot. The wood quickly becomes weak and brittle as a result, losing the ability to support large loads or effectively block an opening. Note that this spell can reduce a large number of paper scrolls to dust, but it has no effect on vellum parchment or stone tablets.

Rust Iron

This spell will cause any iron within the hex target to rust, becoming weak and brittle. Multiple applications of this spell will be required to weaken larger iron structures. This spell has no effect on other metals or rust-proof ferrous alloys.

Summon Vermin

This spell will summon a swarm of indigenous vermin. The pests will be under no compulsion to serve the Priest, but they are likely to be annoyed at being disturbed from their nests and can serve as a dangerous distraction. The Priest must concentrate while summoning the swarm, and it requires extra turn to complete the spell.

Swamp Gas

An clear gas is emitted by a pile of garbage, poisoning those caught inside and providing an explosive mixture if a source of flame is available. The cloud will quickly dissipate, leaving an unpleasant odor in the air.

View Decay

Upon casting this spell, objects that have suffered from the effects of time will be limned by a unpleasant yellow mist. The tendrils of decay will be especially pronounced in areas where materials have softened or grown brittle. This could be useful, for example, if the cultist needs to enter an old building or other structure.

Wall of Garbage

Trash arrives from every direction, accumulating into a huge pile of disgusting garbage. This barrier can be penetrated with sufficient time, but passers-by are certainly not going to be impressed with your activities.

Weaken

The target of this spell is attacked at its weakest point by a sickly-green bolt of disruptive energy, causing higher than normal damage. When the caster is unsuccessful in locating a weak spot, this spell is less effective.

Weeds

The targeted area of ground becomes overgrown with weeds, as a result appearing disused or poorly maintained. The weeds will continue to appear even if plucked, until the magical effect is dispelled. This spell has little practical use, other than to hide a trail or embarrass a proud gardener.

Wither

The victim of this spell suffers premature and drastic aging of a single limb, making it effectively useless. The limb can only be restored through magic, either from a powerful spell, a magical fountain or an act of a god. The Priest must touch a limb of the victim for this spell to take effect. If completed, the Physical Limitation is Greatly and Frequently Impairing (-15 points). A successful Dispel, if cast in time, can serve to undo the damage.

Unique Spells

Call Rataga

This spell calls forth the material form of a Rataga, a member of the personal retinue of Festur himself, to perform a mission for the priest. The Rataga will need to be immediately appeased by a suitably impressive bribe, or he will seek to dispatch the priest as a sacrifice to his Lord.

Plague

This is the spell for which the priests are most notorious, and the primary reason they are hunted down relentlessly by all good and moral people. Casting this ritual creates a highly virulent disease that will spread by contact until the entire population is infected, or all the diseased hosts have cremated. Dead victims of this plague can still serve as carriers, and if a corpse is later dug up the disease can spring to life once more. For this reason, most plague victims are cremated en masse.

Some of the beings will be naturally immune to this disease, while others acquire immunity only after surviving the disease. During the first 3 hours the disease is in effect, a victim can attempt a recovery roll to try and shake off the infection. Once the illness has passed, the victim will still require several days of bed rest before he has returned to full health.

The priest who casts this spell has no immunity to the disease and he will likely flee the area immediately after the ritual is completed. The disease effects only members of a single species, determined when the spell is first mastered, but can be spread by a specific type of vermin, such as a rat or insect. A worthy sacrifice on the altar of Festur is required to initiate this spell, along with a member of the target species to serve as the initial plague carrier.