Khâmul Ghânshal - Khâmul the Eastling

## Khamûl Ghânshal - Khâmul the Easterling

Name: Khamûl Ghânshal

Title: Durgoth (Grandmaster), Khamûl the Easterling

Origin: Wômaw

Domain: knowledge, charms, research, magic

typical spells: magical analysis, classic witchcraft (damage magic, etc.), otherwise any kind of spell possible

Khamûl is the second highest of the Ringwraiths and the governor of Dol Guldur. A dark terror wrapped in an impenetrable veil of robes and armor. The knowledge of how he came into the service of the Shakh`bûrz has long been lost, but some believe that he once ruled over a land far beyond Murdur's eastern borders. As an emissary of the Easterlings, a lieutenant under the Witch King and Second of the Nine and as a mighty warlock all his life, Khamûl is now and forever committed to the cause of Murdur. In the Second Age, he served the Shakh`bûrz in the Tower of Barad-Dur. During the first millennium of the Third Age, he was the first whose spirit the Shakh´bûrz recalled from the void and forced back under his rule. In secret, the power of the necromancer in Dol Guldur grew steadily - and with it the power of Khamûl. He was at the side of the Dark Lord as he wrapped the Greenwood in deeper, darker shadows. When the Shakhbûrz returned to Murdur and continued to rule as the Dur Hont, Khamûl went with him and strengthened the walls of the newly built Barad-Dur with sinister spells and secret, perfidious witchcraft. In return for his loyalty, the Shakh`bûrz sent him once more to Dol Guldur to make the former cradle of his power to his main base outside Murdur and to prepare as governor the war against the Elven people and Rohan. Khamûl is the master of magic and his ability to direct the vortex of magic is only surpassed by the First one. Even the other Nine can only keep up with him in their own aspect of magic. Only with his help, the Evergreen Forest became a Mirkwood and the last flickering light of the resident Elves is a thorn in his side. He and his servants spend much of their power to destroy Thranduil's Elven breedings. He shares the hatred he feels against the Elves with his followers. The goal of the cult is to catch the Elves and to deprive them of their power and to watch them slowly pass away. Collecting knowledge and magical things is their life's work, and followers rigorously pursue it.

## The faith

#### ***Reasons for an Uruk’s belief in this Nazgûl***

Most devotees are gifted with magical abilities or want to be spellcasters. If someone wants to learn how to control the vortex of magic and the dark arts, the cult would be the perfect place. Furthermore, many of his followers live in a personal hate towards the Elves of Mirkwood. Since Khamûl is conducting a personal war against Thranduil, even servants who show no magical abilities are welcome to his followers.

#### ***Distinctive features of believers***

The devotees are usually gifted with magical powers or want to learn them. They are often on the verge of survivability due to the application of dark magic. Their bodies are drawn to the magic and often they are pale and physically weak. But they are intellectually superior to most, and their will-power keeps them living longer than the mostly well-trained Uruku.

#### ***The Uruk and his faith, and what he does for it***

The followers of the cult of the Easterling are usually smarter and more confident than the average Uruk. They direct the duller Uruku to serve their cause and to strengthen their cult. They always keep an eye on finding new knowledge or magical artifacts that they can send to the cult. For this, they use all available methods.

## the Cult of Khamûl Bos'Khamûl

### Structure of the cult

After the reconquest of Dol Guldur in 2951 D.Z. and Khamûl's appointment as governor, his cult completely changed a few years ago. The refuges of the order are still small and provisional, but the goal is to expand the cult in the next few years to a school of magic whose graduates can even match the magic of the Elven people. Those cultists, who received their education in Minas Morgul before they moved, are considered to be the most knowledgeable and educated Shatraugu of Murdur, and therefore enjoy a tremendous reputation throughout the world, thus they occupy a variety of positions and ranks. The Eastlings always surrounds himself with a many-headed entourage of these sorcerers, which he has named the Durgoth of his cult. While the written knowledge in Dol Guldur is small, since only a few copies could be transferred from the Dushgoi, the knowledge and abilities of this Shatraug team give them great importance. This fact makes the cult strong and makes him see beyond the loss of his resources in the heart of the kingdom. In almost all kinds of witchcraft, but especially in their arts of divination and using a damaging spell, the Shatraugu from Dol Guldur is considered to be exceptionally well trained. However, their numbers are low and knowledgeable offspring are rare. The Uruku in Mirkwood, as most of the local recruits, are mostly from wild Hora clans, who are familiar only with the natural magic and ghost calls of
their Dushatâru and are denied access to more learned forms. However, since Khamûl began to force the renegade Hora princess of Taubûrz under his rule, more and more surviving Dushatâr, who have sworn eternal fidelity to the Shakh`bûrz, are also being added to the cult. Thus, a hybrid of wise witchcraft of the veteran Shatraugu and the untamed rites of the native
Dushatâru is emerging.

## ***Professions and training***

So far, only highly qualified Shatraugu are trained. Recently, however, some Dushatâru of the tribes of Mirkwood have been taken to the ways of the Shakh`bûrz and of the Ghânshal. After the basic training, the special training is in the responsibility of the Bos'ghânshal itself.

## ***Attitude to the other cults***

#### ***Shatraug-Goth - the Witch King of Angmar***

The Eastling knows that he is more powerful than the Witch King and only
the favor of the Dur Hont to the First of the Nine does not allow Khamûl to
an open confrontation with the Shatraug`goth.
But secretly he and his servants look forward to gaining the throne and the
position of the First.
Khamûl patiently waits for The Witch King to fall in favor of his Master to
seize his position.
His followers support and manipulate the Witch King's followers to corrupt
them, but never openly oppose him.

#### ***Burgûl-Goth - the Shadow King***

Shadow King's Thrugs are seen as a useful tool to make prophecies come
true. They are not considered a threat because you can usually buy them
with money or clever words. The followers avoid them and as long as no attack on one of the cult has taken place there are no disputes.

#### ***Maugoth'mor - the Black Marshal***

This cult is also seen as an “easy-to-use tool”.
Although the cult is known to do everything for power, the Black Marshal's followers are too dull in their senses to understand the power of the Eastling in any way. There are no disputes between the two cults.

#### ***Ghadhûmûrzal - the Stained***

It`s a tiny cult, but more dangerous than most of the other cults, and its servants are hardly ever drawn into the Easterling-Cults plans. They cannot be bought or advised. Also, their short-lived nature does not allow for any major planning. Their destructive power exceeds anything the cult of Khamûl has to offer. So, they will be observed with watchful eyes.

#### ***Narkû-Mat- the Immortal***

A bunch of wretched cowards which are so eager to stay alive that they have
not noticed that they are already dead. Their abilities to stay alive are considerable, but they haven`t got more to offer. Disputes are common, but never too serious.

#### ***Quûral - the Traitor***

A dangerous tool that can cut your hand just as quickly as the face of its enemy. Many of the intrigue games are performed along with the cult to achieve the goals of the Nine. But the cult can`t be trusted in any case, because they mostly serve only for coin and for their own goals.

There are no scripts which describe the attitudes to the cults of Mautark and Dushgor