Nerull the Reaper (NEH-rul)
Greater Powers
(The Reaper, Foe of all Good, Hater of Life, Bringer of Darkness), NE greater god of Death, Darkness, Murder, and the Underworld
The dreaded Nerull is the Foe of all Good, Hater of Life, Bringer of Darkness, King of All Gloom, Reaper of Flesh. He is the deity of all those who seek greatest evil for their enjoyment and gain. Nerull appears as a skeletal figure. His body is a dull, rusty-red color. His skull-like head is adorned with thick strands of black-green "hair." Nerull's eyes also are of lambent green the color of verdigris, as are his teeth and taloned nails. With cowled cloak of rusty black and staff of red-veined sablewood, Nerull stalks the many planes — particularly the Prime Material when it is shrouded by night. This horror will cut down any living creature encountered, and send an undead monster howling off to its doom should it be of lawful bent. The staff Nerull bears is a magical scythe which only he can employ. At his whim a huge blade of red-hued force appears at the tip of the shaft — the Life Cutter.
This scythe is particularly dangerous to creatures which draw energy from or are of the Positive Material Plane. It can strike even creatures which are astral, ethereal, or gaseous. Even undead creatures are drained of their negative energy. Nerull also is fond of carrying and using such evil magic items as a necklace of strangulation, bag of devouring, rug of smothering, etc. He employs them as would an assassin, silently, from behind.
Nerull has the ability to summon three demodands (q.v.) of greatest strength, and will do so at any time their aid or services are perceived as useful to him. These demodands will instantly obey Nerull, or attack obvious foes, for although they hate him, their fear of his power outweighs all other considerations. Nerull also can create a large clump of blackness, from which shoot forth tendrils which grope and search for any living thing within their considerable reach. Their touch causes almost certain death, and corrosive injury if the victim survives. These tendrils can be destroyed only by holy water, blessings, or by having their evil dispelled.
Nerull can travel any of the lower outer planes, the Astral and Ethereal Plane, and the Elemental and Prime Material Planes as well. However, most of the time he does not venture from Tarterus save to wreak havoc on the Prime Material Plane. He can fly merely by so desiring, so he not only tends to travel alone but seldom uses any form of steed. Magical darkness or various clouds which obstruct vision do not do so with regard to Nerull.
Many humans of evil nature, and some humanoids as well, pay homage to Nerull. Assassins and thieves often regard this deity as a patron. In wicked lands, temples and cathedrals of Nerull are openly operated. In other places the rites of Nerull are conducted in subterranean shrines and sacred vaults. His clerics dress in rust red or blackish-rust garments, carry staves, and somewhere bear the unholy skull and scythe symbol. All of Nerull's clerics are trained to use sickles as weapons. Prefects and superiors are trained to fight with scythe-like polearms similar to hook-fauchards.
The worship of Nerull is done in full darkness. The litany is ghastly, being of death and suffering. Human sacrifice is common. Altars are of rusty colored stone. Service pieces are usually of copper and malachite.
Nerull (NEH-rul) is an ancient Flan god; few any where do not know and fear his name. He is a rust red skeletal being with thick, blackish-green hair, a cowl and cloak of rusty black, and eyes, teeth, and nails the color of poisonous verdigris. His sable wood staff Lifecutter forms a scythelike blade of red force that slays anyone it touches. Fiends answer his call out of fear rather than loyalty, for he hates all life and is not above destroying servants out of displeasure or spite. His symbol is a skull and scythe. Of all other divine beings, the only one he tolerates is Incabulos, whose gifts send many to his realm.
All are equal in Nerull's cold realm. Every living thing is an affront to the Reaper, and every death brings a dark spark of joy to his long-dead heart. Those who pray to Nerull to appease him only attract his attention and their own doom. Those who kill in his name shall be rewarded.Clerics of Nerull are secretive and solitary, as few sane people would tolerate their presence. Except in the most evil lands, no organized church of Nerull exists. Nerull's clerics commit murder as offerings to their god; when their actions are dis covered, they flee their hiding places and move far away to carry out their evil deeds, appearing inno cent while occasionally killing wayfarers on their long journey.
Domains Death, Evil, Trickery; Weapons scythe(m), dagger, quarterstaff, sickle
Foe of All Good, Hater of Life, Bringer of Darkness, Reaper of Flesh—Nerull's formal titles bear eloquent witness to the horror of this cold, cruel, hateful Power. Nerull is not a god who sees death as ease, release, or quiet passing; he brings bloody slaughter, and is the deity of many who seek evil for their enjoyment and gain.
Nerull appears as a skeletal figure with a dull, rusty-red body and a skull-like head adorned with thick strands of blue-green "hair." His eyes, teeth, and nails are a putrid green. Known to fly at night, black-cloaked and cowled, his terrible reaper's staff-scythe strikes down all it sweeps through. Nerull is summoner of fiends, conjurer of darkness; his touch withers men and turns them to dust.
The worship of Nerull always occurs in complete darkness. The litany is ghastly, full of death and suffering. Bizarre and terrifying offerings are made on altars of rusty-colored stone. Nerull is known to have hidden temples in the lands of the former Great Kingdom and in other evil lands. A scarce few well-hidden, subterranean temples may befoul the foothills in more civilized lands.
Even in times of war and death, the common folk do not try to appease the Reaper. Any form of beseechment is thought to attract his fell green eyes to the supplicant, with life-ending results.
AL Neutral evil; WAL Any evil; SoC Death, Darkness, Underworld; SY Skull and scythe; CR Rust-red; PN tarterus
Nerull, the patron of covert activity, is known as the Reaper, Foe of all Good, Hater of Life, Bringer of Darkness, King of all Gloom, and Reaper of Flesh. He is the deity of all who embrace evil for enjoyment or gain. Many evil humans and some humanoids pay homage to Nerull. In wicked lands, such as the Great Kingdom, temples of Nerull operate openly. Elsewhere his temples operate secretly in subterranean vaults. Services to Nerull are conducted in darkness, with a litany glorifying death and suffering. Blood sacrifices are common. Altars are made of rust-colored stone; service pieces are copper and malachite.
Nerull's Priests
Nerull's priests are murderous, psychopathic, cold, cruel, and utterly evil. They are highly secretive, for obvious reasons. Priesthoods tend to be individual capsules without an overall hierar chy, except in evil lands.
Clerics of Nerull dress in rust-red or black garments. All carry the skull and scythe either openly or cleverly hidden somewhere on their persons. All of Nerull’s clerics are trained to be alert, and are surprised only on a roll of 1. At 1st level, clerics are trained to use small sickles (equal to daggers). At 5th level they learn to use scythe-like pole arms (treat as hook-fauchards). These weapon proficiencies are in addition to the cleric’s normal weapons. Nerull’s clerics never share secrets or confide in anyone.
Requirements: AB Std; AL any evil; AEx 5%; WP dagger, knife, great sickle (treat as hook fauchard), staff*, staff-sling; AR any; RA rust-red or black garments; SP Astral, Charm*, Combat, Divination*(minor), Guardian, Healing (rev), Necromantic , Sun (rev SPL none; PW 1) surprised only on a 1, 6) Evard's black tentacles (W4), 12) destruction (reversed resurrection) 1/ week; TU command; ADD ebony tendrils, command, pass without trace, sanctuay, hold person, bscurement, withdraw, dispel magic, meld into stone, quest, part water, aerial servant, word of recall, succor.
Link to explanation of Priests abbreviationsNerull’s Avatar
HD 20; THACO 12; SpA CLMU 14/14; MV 15“/45“; AC -4; hp 90; #AT 1; Dmg 5-30; MR 50%; SZ M; Str 15, Int 16, Wis 19, Dex 18, Con 18, Cha 14
Nerull appears as a skeletal figure with dull rust-red skin. His skull-like head has locks of dark green, ropey hair. His eyes are a green, suggesting verdigris; his talons and teeth are the same hue. He wears a black cowl and carries the Life Cutter, a red-veined sablewood staff. He appears on the Prime Material Plane only during darkness.
Nerull can fly. All his senses-including infravision and ultravision-are twice as effective as the human norm. Furthermore, his vision cannot be obscured by darkness or clouds, magical or otherwise. This makes him, for all practical purposes, immune to surprise, except through some extraordinary means. Once per day, Nerull can summon three demodands of the same type. The summoning takes three segments, and the creatures appear ld8 segments later. The creatures serve willingly.
His most common avatar is struck only by weapons of + 2 or better weapons, and has the abilities of a 17th level thief.
Nerull generally carries one or more cursed magical items. Among his favorites are a necklace of strangulation, a bag of devouring, a rug of smothering, and a poisonous cloak. Sometimes, he simply leaves these items lying about where they can hurt the greedy or unwary, but usually he uses these items offensively, preferably from behind.
The Life Cutter is actually a scythe. At Nerull’s com- mand a huge blade of red force extends from its tip. The blade is equal to a + 5 weapon. With it, Nerull can sweep a 180-degree arc 10 feet long and 2 feet deep. Each creature within the arc is subject to attack (normal to hit roll required). Even creatures in Astral, Ethereal, or gaseous form are affected. Victims struck must save vs. death or expire instantly; those saving suffer 5d6 points of damage. Creatures from, or drawing energy from, the Positive Material Plane suffer double damage. Undead struck by the blade crumble to dust unless they, too, save vs. death. The double-damage and death effects are negated by a successful magic resistance roll, but the base damage is not.
Additional Spell
Ebony Tendrils (Conjuration/Summoning)
Level: 5
Components: V, S, M
Range: 10 yards
Duration: 5 rounds
Area of Effect: Special
Casting Time: 5 segs.
Saving Throw: Negates
This spell summons a lump of blackness five feet in diameter with four 10-foot arms radiating from it, 90 degrees apart. Touching the central lump causes death unless a save vs. death is made. The arms attack with the same chance to hit as the cleric casting the spell, inflicting d10 +2 hit points of corrosive and constriction damage. Creatures struck have one chance to break free, which is the same as the chance to open a door. (If the chance to open doors is unknown, assume that smaller than man-sized creatures escape on the roll of a 1 on ld6, man-sized creatures on a roll of 1 or 2 on ld6, and larger than man-sized creatures on a 1,2, or 3 on ld6).
The round after scoring a hit, an arm retracts into the central lump, where the victim in its grasp must save vs. death. Thereafter, the victim is held fast, and continues to suffer corrosion and constriction damage, but continued contact with the lump does not cause additional saves vs. death. Broken arms retract into the central lump without making further attacks. Arms holding dead creatures continue to hold them until the spell duration expires.
The material components for this spell are Nerull’s unholy symbol (the skull and scythe) and a small, rusty iron ball.
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