The Various Forces Operating in Clavicle

The following is expanded material based on the Necromantic community described on pgs. 94-95 of Rifts Aftermath. Enjoy.

The Brotherhood of Bone: Five Necromantic brotherhoods reside in Clavicle. Four of them are considered “lesser” orders and each consists of fewer than a dozen members. The Brotherhood of Bone is the “greater” order. Almost always referred to simply as “The Brotherhood”, this society of Death Mages founded the hamlet of Clavicle thirty years ago. It is comprised of 36 Necromancers of various races, types, and levels. They are the de facto rulers of Clavicle, and have final say in all major decisions that affect the community. Membership in the Brotherhood is by invitation only, and members are considered the “elite” of Clavicle. However, Brotherhood Necromancers go out of their way to treat non-members as equals because they understand that all inhabitants play an important role in the town’s welfare. Consequently, there are no issues of jealousy or resentment between Brotherhood members and other Necromancers or town folk. Though only Necromancers may join the Brotherhood, members welcome all fellow practitioners of magic with open arms. Occasionally, Brotherhood Death Mages have been known to take promising individuals as apprentices to teach them the ways of Necromancy, even practitioners of other Magic Schools. The Brotherhood’s undead make up most of the undead working and defending Clavicle.

The society is led by a black-furred, red-eyed Minotaur named Morketh the Reaver (9^th level). He is a fearsome, but just Death Mage who leads by instinct and dark wisdom. It was he who Ravendark sought out in order to use the town of Clavicle as a launching point for war against the Federation. Morketh hates Dunscon with a passion, so he has agreed to help Ravendark, whom he respects and admires. However, he worries for the safety of Clavicle during the coming war.    

The Undying: The first of the “lesser” Necromantic brotherhoods, it is comprised of 10 members, all of which are Necromancers seeking to turn themselves into undead. The head of the Undying is a Deathwalker Necromancer named Jertuuk Al-K’tey (Ultrovian, 7^th level). He is a pompous mage who is more concerned with proving himself to other practitioners of magic than furthering the Art of Necromancy. He is jealous of Ravendark’s magical might and O’Negis’ precognitive abilities. He instructs his group to interact with the Old Guard as little as possible. As far as their goal, the Undying have been unsuccessful in achieving undead status without having to be killed and raised.

The Necrotic Union: This group is the most powerful of the lesser brotherhoods in Clavicle, even though it only has 6 members. Each member is between 7^th and 9^th level, and the Union’s goal is nothing more than to practice Necromancy in peace. Ravendark has found this group to be very competent and frequently works with them to improve their magical skill, something the members consider a dream come true. The Necrotic Union has no leader to speak of.

The Cackling Skull Brotherhood: Another lesser brotherhood of seven Necromancers, each with a large cackling skull tattooed upon his or her forehead. All members are Deathwalker Necromancers and the group focuses its time on the construction and creation of various undead monstrosities. The leader is Aurora Van Helden (human, 8^th level), a heavily tattooed and pierced woman with a penchant for cackling wildly and making nightmare zombies. The group has been reprimanded on more than one occasion by the Brotherhood of Bone for losing control of their creations, which subsequently posed dangers to residents in Clavicle. They have toned down their rituals and taken more precautions, but show no signs of slowing down. In addition to its members, the Cackling Skull has an entourage of 25 deformed zombies who act as both servants and protectors.

Sanmir’s Death: This brotherhood is dedicated to the worship of a long dead demi-god named Sanmir, a being who may or may not have existed. The group is 10 strong and led by a Pythonan named Uryl Ketri (5^th level Necromancer, 3^rd level priest), known more commonly as “Coil”. Coil and his followers strive to live according to Sanmir’s supposed teachings, which are written in a book called the Corpicum. Sanmir’s teachings consist of certain Judeo-Christian-like beliefs (particularly that Sanmir will once again rise and bring a Time of Great Judgment with him) combined with the cynicism and dismalness of Death worship. Members of Sanmir’s Death are somewhat preachy, but tolerable.

The Grim Reapers: A sect of Grim Reapers resides in the Temple of the Darkest Eyes. The group is 18 members strong, six of which are Murder Wraiths. The rest are Necromancers who use the basement of the temple as their home. These Grim Reapers are a splinter sect who have rejected Federation leadership. Instead, they have chosen to live in Dark Woods where they can follow their own path (not Alistair Dunscon’s) and practice their magic without fear of reprisal. The sect is well-behaved, and they use their creations to help with Clavicle’s protection. They avoid conflict with the Brotherhood of Bone, even though they are the only group in town with any chance of challenging the Brotherhood’s power. Brotherhood Death Mages are slightly covetous of the Grim Reaper’s Necromantic knowledge (particularly the ritual for creating Murder Wraiths), but know the Death Cult won’t share such lore. The Grim Reapers are the most reclusive of the town’s inhabitants, rarely ever leaving their home in the temple. Juicers who come to Clavicle after hearing rumors of the group’s existence (usually one or two every few months) are directed to the temple by the townsfolk. The sect has no apparent leader. Rather, they seem to make group decisions and use Father Dreosan as their representative. The Grim Reapers have an excellent relationship with the Darkest Eyes Cult and are dedicated to the protection of the community.

Dragon Juicer Contingent: A group of 20 highly trained and disciplined Dragon Juicers, on loan to Clavicle by Lord Carathrax of the Federation. They are all expert soldiers and each is provided with equipment produced by Carathrax himself. The leader of the contingent is named Commander Graaxt (Kelesh, 13^th level). He is a no nonsense, tough-as-nails warrior of incredible combat prowess (specializes in pole-arms). He is always serious and takes a military/strategic view on all topics, even social situations. He despises weakness and shows no pity or mercy. He follows all orders without question and to the letter, and expects his men to do the same. Insubordination is NOT tolerated (instant execution). Graaxt possesses an alchemically made Dragon bone pike containing over a dozen spells and magical abilities, some of which have yet to be seen. 

The Darkest Eyes: A death cult dedicated to the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Death. There are ninety members, most of which are ordinary townspeople with no remarkable skills or abilities. The high priest of the cult is a Death Weaver Spider Demon named Father Dreosan (5^th level), also known simply as the “The Father” by cultists. They have their own temple, which is the largest building in Clavicle. The temple is shared by the Grim Reaper sect and is presumably where they make their Murder Wraiths. The Darkest Eyes hold several morbid religious observances and festivals in the town each year. These events are often assisted and participated in by the various other inhabitants of Clavicle (even though they are not members of the cult). Father Dreosan and his followers have masses a few times a week and the temple is open to anyone who wishes to enter. The basement level, however, is only open to Father Dreosan and the Grim Reapers. Dreosan is an aloof but courteous being who usually appears in human form when outside of the temple. Yet, there is a disturbingly cold and distant quality about him that is wholly inhuman.   

Witch Coven: A group of 7 witches, known locally as “The Coven”. They all have pacts with the same being, though the nature of this being is unknown. They collectively pursue the agenda of their benefactor, which seems to be the protection of Dark Woods. The witches carry out their rituals in public for all to see and play an active role in the defense of the community. Their leader is named Sinesia (Catyr, 10^th level). She is a mysterious woman who volunteers very little personal information. However, she is cooperative and polite to those acting in parallel with her coven’s goals. Those who act against her agenda receive her scorn and disrespect. Since most inhabitants of Clavicle want what’s best for the community, she and her coven get along with pretty much everyone. O’Negis has taken the coven under her wing and works closely with them. The Coven, particularly Sinesia, distrust the three Shifters and make no secret of it.

3 Shifters: Their names are Vincent (human, 3^rd level), Drayfus (ogre, 5^th level), and Lucia (human, 6^th level). They came to Clavicle a year ago from Kingsdale in order to perform magical experiments which were deemed “questionable” by Kingsdale authorities. Their experiments involve the binding (and usually destruction) of entities. No one knows exactly what they are trying to accomplish. Generally, they keep to themselves and are tight-lipped. Lucia is the unspoken leader of the trio.

Vosh-Holeth: A creepy Great Horned Dragon Hatchling (5 years old) who is a Bone Mage Necromancer of 4^th level. He is absolutely obsessed with death and it’s pretty much all he ever speaks about. He is quite insane (talks to himself, inspects people for future Necromantic parts, has an intense phobia of cats, etc.) but is also very intelligent. It was he who constructed the stone and bone pyramid in the center of Clavicle. He makes many townspeople, even some of the Necromancers, a little uncomfortable, but he’s tolerated because of his contributions to the town. He enjoys shapeshifting into frightening forms to scare people (rarely works anymore) and adamantly comes to Clavicle’s defense when the community is in danger. Vosh-Holeth is intensely infatuated with the Grim Reaper sect that resides in Clavicle, but besides a moderate interest in his Bone Magic, they want nothing to do with him. He avoids the Dragons Juicers whenever possible.

The Old Guard: Ex-members of the Federation, all of which are arch-mages. They consist of Ravendark (human, 18^th level Necromancer), O’Negis (human, 17^th level Witch), Lasura (Cyden, 20^th level Ocean Wizard), Vektriss (race unknown, 16^th level Illusionist), Ithazorn (human, 17^th level Song Mage), and Iya Ta’Shia (human, 16^th level  Voodoo Shaman and Priestess). The residents of Clavicle all view these powerful practitioners of magic with a mixture of awe, respect, and fear. Initially, many people did not want the Old Guard around because of the trouble they would inevitably bring to their sleepy little town. However, the arch-mages are now viewed as staples of the community and many mages in Clavicle find them to be invaluable sources of magic knowledge and advice.

Cromwell the Black: A 16^th level human Shadow Mage. Though not considered one of the Old Guard, he spends most of his with them, specifically Ravendark. He is a former Federation Lord who lost his title and political power upon leading a doomed coup d’etat against Alistair Dunscon’s regime. Now he works with the Old Guard as a chance for vengeance and to prove himself. Cromwell is a skilled mage and highly intelligent, but is also impulsive and hot tempered. He is haughty and condescending to those whom he does not deem equals (which is most people). A majority of townsfolk dislike him, but know to stay out of his way. When not in Clavicle, Cromwell spends his time in the Realm of Shadows. He has alliances and agreements with several of the powers in that dimension, particularly two Shadow Lords and their kingdoms, a band of Shadow Giants, three other Shadow Mages who frequent the Realm, and the Cult of Anthelios (comprised of 19 Silhouettes who all worship Cromwell like a god). He has provided the town with over 70 shadow creatures who prowl the territory just outside of Clavicle. Also thanks to the Shadow Mage are various shadow-related booby traps and defenses around the town.

Cromwell’s Shadow Army: This is a collection of creatures from the Realm of Shadow who were summoned and bound to Clavicle by Cromwell the Black. They all serve him (not necessarily willingly) and are charged with endlessly patrolling the territory around the town. The army is comprised of 20 Shadow Beasts, 20 Shadow Stalkers, 20 Shadelings, 10 Mordd-Sith, and 5 Shadow Elementals. They are relatively inactive during the day, but come out at full force during the night.

Aranor Aelsavideth: A 16^th level Battle Magus arch-mage of Dweomer. Aranor is a high elf of unsurpassed attractiveness. He is a close consort to the Old Guard (particularly Ravendark and O’Negis) and is one of the major players in the brewing resistance against Dunscon’s Federation. He is the main person responsible for the fortification of Clavicle and the increased militarization of its forces. Aranor is an incredible swordsman with a strong grasp of strategy and an incomparable leadership capability. When he speaks, others listen. He is a positive chi user and has a multitude of powerful contacts across North America. Aranor is a strong-willed soldier with a highly developed code of honor.  The high elf is working to defeat Alistair Dunscon’s regime primarily for the future of Dweomer and its people. He dislikes many of the unsavory elements in Clavicle, but has decided to put his personal feelings aside for the greater good. Though not one of the Old Guard, most residents of Clavicle treat Aranor as if he was one.  

Independent Necromancers: There are Necromancers residing in Clavicle who are not involved with any of the above magic groups. These Death Mages operate on their own terms and practice their magic without bothering anyone. They number 12 total, seven of which are currently disciples of Ravendark. He uses these seven to assist him in rituals and other tasks. In return, they receive training to improve their magical skills.

2 Blood Shamans: These two go by the names of Fortigan Hoak (Quorian, 4^th level) and Silas the Bloody (Dragonman, 3^rd level). They arrived in Clavicle several months ago from somewhere else in Dark Woods. They claim to have traveled to Clavicle after hearing about Ravendark’s resistance. For reasons known only to them, the duo seem to have a vendetta against the Federation and have subsequently offered the Old Guard their services. Most inhabitants of Clavicle welcomed them, and the two Blood Shamans have taken up residence in an old, dilapidated shack on the outskirts of town. Both are coldly polite and are known for acting suspiciously. They are prone to long, scrutinizing walks of the town and carry a large assortment of blades on them at all times. Silas is heavily scarred and missing two fingers, but Fortigan is strangely scar-free.  

Crooked Scar Goblin Tribe: A small tribe of 30 goblins makes its home in the woods just half a mile south of Clavicle. These little troublemakers used to sneak into Clavicle at night and steal livestock, food, valuables, and whatever else they could get their grubby hands on. The Brotherhood of Bone punished them repeatedly by sending undead to attack their camp grounds. However, the goblins were mostly just an annoyance and never did anything severe enough to warrant destruction. It wasn’t until Ravendark’s arrival in Clavicle that the goblins ceased their escapades altogether. After he and Vektriss paid a visit to their territory, the goblins agreed to never bother the town again. Ravendark brokered a deal with the chief of the tribe, a female Cobbler Goblin named Kesk. In return for the tribe’s promise to behave itself and help the town from time to time with particular tasks, Ravendark would consider them a part of the community and, consequently, under the protection of the Old Guard. This truce has worked favorably for last eight months, and the goblins of the Crooked Scar Tribe have engaged in all sorts of undertakings for Clavicle, primarily spying on nearby communities, passing on valuable information they’ve collected, and alerting the town to potential dangers in the vicinity.