What Does the Cult Do?

Specifics are left to the DM, again to allow flexibility. However, the following are some examples of what the cult does to spread evil in Greyhawk.

1) Slaying of Knights. The cult works tirelessly to kill those few Knights of Holy Shielding in Greyhawk, who are trying to raise support for their aims. This is not done through the Guild of Assassins; rather, Andrade Mirrius and Jamir Kellstar (see below) do the spying, often through at least two hierarchical levels of intermediaries (petty thieves, urchins, those who owe Jamir money), to follow their targets. They may use deception (pleas for help, lures, etc.) to get these people off guard and alone and then kill them or use hold person spells and the like, taking them to be sacrificed to Nerull later. Jamir has a special advantage here; see below.

2) Slaying of the Good. Priests of Pelor (especially hated), Heironeous, and Rao are prime targets. Procedures are much as described in #1 above. The cult will not risk slaying a senior priest of Greyhawk, preferring to kill juniors and outsiders. PCs may well be at risk on this score. Whenever the cult manages to dispose of someone of this sort, the act serves a dual purpose. In addition to eliminating the specific advocate of Good, the cult causes rumors to spread among the local people that it is dangerous to follow the path of the dead priest's deity, which has the effect of cutting down the supply of new initiates to that faith.

3) Disgracing the Good. Again, flexibility is important here. Jamir has many people in his pocket because of debts they owe him, and can use this as pressure to get people of power in the city to frame decent and honest men for embezzlement, fraud, and crimes they did not commit. An NPC who is disgraced in this way may beg the PCs for help in clearing his name.

4) Disrupting Greyhawk. While this activity is a poor second to slaying people, the cult likes to spread rumors which disrupt trade. Superstitious riverfolk are ready to believe that there is a vampire in the docks after the cult has killed a sailor and ripped out his throat there, and this may lead to them being too scared to work at night, leaving goods rotting and ships unloaded. This is but one example of how the cult would wish to disrupt Greyhawk, leading to poverty, unrest, and possible chaos, so that their evil work could go ahead more easily as the authorities become preoccupied with the social and financial troubles of the city.

5) Espionage. Nerull is held in high esteem by the depraved Hierarchs of the Horned Society, and the Shriven Sickle supplies information (often from Jamir's pressured victims) to these enemies of Greyhawk, usually via Zoran Sarraith (described in the Rhennee section earlier in this chapter). For this transfer of information, the Shriven Sickle is paid, funds being brought back from across the Nyr Dyv by Zoran (who dares not cheat his masters).

6)Making money. Whether accomplished by murders and theft, blackmail, or other means, this goal is also important to the cult. The funds are used to support temples of Nerull in those lands depraved enough to allow them to operate, including (but certainly not limited to) the Homed Society and the Great Kingdom.