The Followers of Bhaal Expansion

**{ The followers of Bhaal cultists member expansion }**

IC: Bhaal, Gatekeeper of the underworld

156Aby

// Demir, The unknown regions //

Prologue:

Having spent several weeks in Dromund Kaas searching for a lead in the whereabouts of his former Master, Lady Manea Nephthys Bhaal had only one answer. She was never here, or at least if she was she didn't want it to be known.

Frustrated at the lack of progress Bhaal returns to his Commandeered Galactic Alliance Command Frigate “The Saving Grace” and sets course to his stronghold on Demir in the unknown regions.. He needed to regroup and formulate a new plan....

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“My Lord, it is good to see you again,” said Saravok, the leader of the Followers of Bhaal cultists on Bhaals return. “As per your instructions we have removed the Morningstar from the catacombs and relocated it here.. to the stronghold.” he continued as the hooded black-robed man kneeled in the great entrance of the Demir stronghold. Saravoks voice, although male was not deep as one would expect from a Demirian man. Instead, it sounded out in a scratchy, raspy tone as though he had previously suffered grievous wounds to his voicebox.

Bhaal, dressed in a dark robe of his own but sith his hood down slowly approached the kneeling man stopping just meters away. His undead eyes noticing more now all dressed in similar garb, cowering in the shadows of the room. Only some of them with the regular black face and neck tattoos, the wolf head surrounded by depictions of death and dark spirits. The marks of Bhaal.. Through the power of the force, Bhaal feels at least twenty were present and most of them he did not recognise their lifeforce. He sensed judgment and uneasiness..

The Necromancer's alter image spell to make himself look like he had when he was known as Ryder, had been withdrawn the moment he stepped foot onto the dropship to take him up to the Saving Grace high in orbit above Dromund Kaas. His black eyes, in stark contrast to his pale and battle, savaged skin.

“Very good my servant..” whispered Bhaal to Saravok, his voice sounding like the eerie echoing chant of a hundred souls trying to speak at once. He didn’t know how it had come about, but it seemed the more he used his arcane magic’s of Necromancy the more his voice had begun to change like this.

“Our numbers seem to have grown Saravok, what has happened?” Bhaal enquired. “Indeed my lord. Soon after you departed some of the…” he stuttered, still not daring to look up.. “some of the risen escaped the fortress and entered the nearby town.”

“How is this possible?” Replied Bhaal, “They have never disobeyed before, even when I was in meditation.. it was only time that turned them to dust in the keeps hall. Perhaps my leaving the system caused my control of them to waiver.” he wondered. “I...I know not my Lord..” Replied Saravok shakily, “but we dispatched several small groups of loyal followers to quell the disturbances.”

“You may rise.. my servant. And then tell me how this explains our new members?” Bhaal asked motioning his hand for the cultist to stand, his echoing voice carrying over the emptiness of the large dimly lit room.

Saravok stood slowly, still not making eye contact with Bhaal “Several followers were forced to hide in a large feed shed to avoid being caught by the local guard. Inside the old barn where they hid was also many squatters, spice junkies and petty criminals who were living there. Those who would willingly pledge their lives to your service in order to be allowed into the safety of the fortress and also the underworld my Lord.” The dark-robed man explained.

“I see,” Said the undead necromancer thoughtfully “you've been out recruiting numbers,” Saravok says nothing as Bhaal turns his gaze to the many robed figures hiding in the shadows. “You, child.. Come here!” Said The White Wolf pointing to one of the robed figures standing next to an iron statue of a Kathhound. Slowly the robed figure emerged from the shadow and stood before him..

“Remove your hood” commanded the necromancer. He could feel two dozen sets of fearful eyes on him as the cultist removed their hood revealing themselves as a young woman with blond hair. Her eyes were bloodshot and her teeth were severely damaged.. the call signs of a spice addict.

Bhaal addresses her again, his voice now more than loud enough for all those gathered to hear. “You are new here.. and you wish to serve me.” He asked, the young woman nodded her head. Are you afraid of me? He asked again and the young woman looked up to him, “no my lord, you are my saviour. I was promised that serving you will allow me to get to the afterlife, where I can be with my parents.” She said, her face calm and totally without fear.

“Then that is where you are mistaken,” Bhaal said out loud, his eyes changing from a stark black to a bright blinding white as he pushes out with the might of the force, casting drain life onto the woman.

Immediately she screamed and fell to her knees as the Necromancer started draining the very lifeforce out of her. Using levitation Bhaal holds out his hands on each side of him and raises them slowly lifting the woman off the ground and into the air. The stunned gasps and frightened whimpers of those watching the display were audible throughout the open entrance hall… “You should be frightened girl… as should you all! I am not your saviour..”

Bhaal presses again, casting a Sith illusion of her deepest darkest nightmares into the girl's mind.. They manifest as hundreds of dark crawling and biting bugs, buried just centimetres under the skin in her neck and face.. All the while Bhaal spins her slowly in the centre of the room for all to witness, about four meters up in mid-air..

The girl screams a deathly, blood-curdling scream and starts ripping at her face with her own fingernails tearing strips of flesh off trying desperately to rid herself of the creatures eating her face from under her skin.

Blood pours out freely onto the floor below like an overflowing downpipe as she frantically rips her face and neck to shreds cutting a major artery in her neck in the process.. It was only after she had ripped out her right eye completely from it's socket, that her body finally gave in and she passed out from the extreme pain and loss of blood..

Bhaal lowers his hands immediately and her body falls to the pool of blood atop the stone floor with a sickening and bone-crunching thud.. Her blond hair was now matted and stained red, her face shredded with pieces of skin only barely connected. Her breathing was shallow and gargled, blood bubbles forming on the corner of her mouth as she took her final painstaking breaths. Her left eye was cut in half and her right, hanging only from some stretched veins still connected to her skull, had popped as she had hit the floor. Its jelly now oozing slowly from the ruptured eyeball.

More frightened gasps from many of those gathered as the girl's mangled body finally ceased breathing lay still on the cold floor. Bhaals relinquishes his use of the force and moves closer to the lifeless body, his eyes now returned to their normal black.

Bhaal turns and looks around the room to those surrounding him.. “This is just a sample of the arcane power I have,” he says, his eyes turning white once more as he uses altere image and changes himself to look exactly like Saravok who had backed up but was still standing near him. After a few moments, Bhaal relinquishes the force power, changing himself back to his natural state.. “You will serve me in life.. and also in death.”

He then turns his gaze back to the dead girl at his feet and casts Reanimate Dead on the nearly unrecognisable corpse of the blond woman, his eyes once again a blazing white as he commands the dark side of the force to bring her back from the beyond.

A swirling bright blue dark energy pours from Bhaals hands and towards the body lying on the ground, surrounding it. “Rise…” says Bhaal. “RISE AND SERVE ME!” he commands..

His words hung in the air for only a moment before the body started to twitch.. And then slowly raise from the ground. The sound of broken bones and dislocated joints clicking and crunching as it stands, blood still oozing freely from its open wounds. Bhaal lowers his hands, his eyes returning to black once more as the blue energy dissipates entirely from the area.

The undead woman now stands next to her maker, swaying slightly on the spot but otherwise silent in a pool of her own blood then smiles a wide, disturbing, broken toothed smile. Her split left eye was fixed on Bhaal and her right eye hung loosely, resting against her heavily shredded cheek. Waiting for her masters instructions..

“Fear me… Serve me well, and your time among the living will be long. Fail me.. and you will serve me as this you see here...” he says pointing to the undead girl who continued to stand next to him, undead eye staring at Bhaal and grinning ear to ear.

“I swear to serve in life and in death.” Saravok says as he kneels and bows his head, swearing his fealty. Then slowly one by one the other robed figures in the room also step forward from the shadows and also kneel, repeating the words of the cult leader.

Satisfied, Bhaal then dismisses them. “Good, now leave me..” he commands. He would now need time to meditate on where next to continue his search for the Dark Lady Manea Nephthys...

To be Continued…..