[Note: the following takes place before the Traveler’s Rest was burned down.]
Thomkin Ballyforth sat at one of the tables in the bar about an hour after midnight, muttering to himself and shaking his head as he leaned over the inn’s ledger. “I’m just going to have to advertise more,” he said under his breath as he re-added the figures for a third time.
Engrossed as he was with the state of the inn’s finances, Thom didn’t notice when an old-looking man entered the inn and glided slowly over to his table. The old man wore a black robe with the hood pulled up over his head and held a long, wooden staff as he moved silently along. He stood glaring at Thom for a long moment before he finally rapped his staff loudly on the table.
The halfling jumped about 10 feet. "Huh? What? What's going on? Oh heavens, my good sir, you scared me half to death," he said as he finally saw the old man.
Lifting his hood slightly so that his scarred, leathery face could just be seen in the dim roomlight, the old man flashed a strange grin at the halfling’s comment. "Where is Gwydian?" he said in a low voice.
"Gwydian who? You mean that elf in the deluxe room? He’s upstairs. Second door to your right. He's asleep, I’m sure. He had a rough night last night, if you catch my meaning. Perhaps I could take a message and...."
Not waiting for Thom to finish, the old man turned and went upstairs. Thom stared after him for a few moments, thinking there was something odd about the way he moved. Not being able to figure out what it was, he shrugged and stuck his nose back in his ledger.
On the second floor of the Inn, Gwydian heard a faint rapping at his door. "Who the hell is that? I didn't leave a wakeup call for this early!"
A faint creaking sound emanated from the door. After a few seconds, the door disintegrated into a pile of rotten wood fragments. Framed in the doorway, was the outline of robed figure holding a staff high above his head. At the staff's tip was a brightly glowing skull. "I bring you the gift of Sutekh," he whispered as he stepped into the room.
Gwydian had no time even to scream as the life force was sucked from his body into the pulsating eyes of the skull. After a short moment, there was nothing left of the elf but a dried out husk of skin.
The same smile that Thomkin had seen moments before flashed across the old man's face as he turned to leave the room. Down the stairs and out the front door he went, without a sound and without a trace.
Ebmioz
Neutral Evil, 12th level priest of Sutekh
(Sutekh’s portfolio: Chaos, death, disease)
Human Male, 49 years old
6’3”, 158 lbs.
Str 12 Con 11 THAC0 14 Wis 18 Dex 16 Hp 52 Int 16 Cha 6 AC 8
Weapon Proficiencies:
Club, Footman’s flail, Footman’s mace, Quarterstaff, Staff sling.
Non-Weapon Proficiencies:
Ancient History, Astrology, Ancient Languages, Direction Sense, Engineering, Read/Write Common, Religion, Spellcraft, Swimming, Weather Sense.
Special Powers:
Immune to fear, Immune to all poisons, Can summon an Aerial Servant (once per day)
Languages:
Common, Orc.
Spells:
1st - Cause Fear, Curse, Command, Cause Light Wounds, Detect Good, Detect Magic, Pass Without Trace, Protection from Good.
2nd - Aid, Augury, Charm Person or Mammal, Fire Trap, Hold Person, Obscurement, Withdraw.
3rd - Animate Dead, Call Lightning, Dispel Magic, Meld Into Stone, Speak With Dead, Stone Shape.
4th - Cause Serious Wounds, Divination, Produce Fire, Spell Immunity.
5th - Flame Strike, Plane Shift.
6th - Word of Recall.
Magical Equipment:
Continual Light Coin, Hat of Disguise, Ring of Monster Control (Beholder), Ring of Water Walking, Staff of Sutekh (to be described in a future issue of the Ink Blot).
Equipment:
(Clothing is all black-colored) Hooded robe, vest, breeches, belt, belt pouch (containing 22 gp and 2 rubies), soft boots, water skin, iron rations, scroll tube (three pieces of parchment, ink bottle and quill).
Background:
Born in the foulest area of the City of Abont, Ebmioz was orphaned and left to his own devices at a very young age. During his rough times trying to scrap out a living, he stumbled across one of the many hidden priesthoods within the city walls - that of Sutekh, the Destroyer. However, he was never quite able to work his way up within the rankings of the Temple of Sutekh, and ended up leaving the city in search of his own followers.
During his travels, he came across an abandoned manor near the outskirts of Abont. Here, he stumbled across one the Skulls of Chaos (also to be described in a future issue of the Ink Blot - so you’ll just have to wait), from which he learned of the Staff of Sutekh.
Forced to leave his home by a group of adventurers, he roamed northward into the Dead Swamp and managed to locate the Staff. However, the adventurers who forced him from his home caught up to him, and nearly destroyed him. The Staff of Sutekh saved him by teleporting him to safety, but in the process badly burned his entire body. Since that horrible accident, he has been obsessed with destroying the adventuring party that nearly killed him. However, even this vendetta must not get in the way of his main goal, which is, of course, to destroy all life that will not bend to the will of Sutekh.
With the use of some magical items he has stolen from various sources, he has managed to build a base deep in the caves that lay under the Dead Swamp. From here, with the help of some formidable allies, his plan to raise an army of the undead begins. Only those of strength and courage can possibly stop Ebmioz before it is too late.
(c) 1999 by Erica Woollums and David Flemming