Kolbek Rhot

Kolbek Rhot

**Kolbek Rhot** was a human wererat raised in the Undercity beneath Veltear (born 358 P.A.). Originally a shaman for the Moss Burrow wererat clan, Kolbek was banished for dangerous practices and sought refuge with the Laughing Skulls Gang while he plotted his revenge against the clan. In his research, Kolbek fell under the sway of the Demon Lord Zuggtmoy, the Lady of Mushrooms, and was compelled to infect intelligent creatures with a strain of infectious fungus known as "bloodspores" in an effort to produce a portal to Shedaklah, Zuggtmoy's layer within the Abyss. On the 14th of Lirden, 406 P.A., the party foiled Kolbek's plans, destroying the portal and banishing him to the Abyss, saving Veltear from a potential demonic breach.

## History

### Shaman of Moss Burrow

On the 14th of Snow's Fall, 405 P.A., the wererat clan of Moss Burrow gathered together to declare a new leader, Tybalt, to determine the clan's survival. After decades of archaic traditions pushed the clan away from the rest of the Undercity, Tybalt determined that the clan would need to change its ways. No longer would they hide in the shadows to scavenge the remains of food and tools left by warring factions, nor would they remain neutral in the ongoing, multi-faction war for the region. If Moss Burrow was to survive, they needed to finally make allies.

Kolbek Rhot, shaman of the wererat progenitor Viesho, thought otherwise. The Rat King taught his progeny that survival was based on cunning and self-interest, and the belief that all other creatures were their enemies. For Tybalt to parlay with non-lycanthropes was to invite doom on Moss Burrow, in Kolbek's eyes. As such, he tried to gather a following of dissidents to overthrow Tybalt and take control of the clan.

Unfortunately for the shaman, Tybalt proved an effective and popular leader, and Kolbek ultimately failed to garner any support for his uprising. On the 27th of Snow's Fall, Kolbek was banished from Moss Burrow and threatened with death should he return to the clan. Furious at the ones he once called kin, the shaman swore to return to Moss Burrow one day, so that he might save them from their certain doom.

### Laughing Skulls Alchemist

On the 13th of Hillekine, Kolbek discovered the Laughing Skulls and earned a position with them as an researcher, demonstrating his knowledge of mycology, horticulture, and alchemy. Though he despised his position working with non-lycanthropes, he convinced himself that they were only a means to an end, and that they could be easily disposed once he took over Moss Burrow. Meanwhile, he hid his lycanthropic condition from the rest of the gang, heading out to gather mushrooms on nights of the full moon as an excuse to keep suspicion away from himself.

One night, on the 1st of New Bloom, Kolbek stumbled on a myconid community beyond the Undercity. The mushroom-like people possessed a reddish hue, and were clearly of a more sinister bent than their more affable cousins as they gathered prisoners to infect with bloodspores. Kolbek watched in equal parts horror and fascination as he watched one of his fellow wererats infected by the bloodspores, then fall under the sway of the myconids as a spore servant. When he tried to gather some samples to bring back to the lab, Kolbek was discovered by the myconids and bitten by one of the spore servants. Though he returned to the laboratory in time to brew an elixir, he was forced to imbibe it before completion, halting the infection before its fatal effects took hold, but failing to eradicate the fungus. As the infection began to affect his brain, Kolbek received telepathic messages from Zuggtmoy, who promised to share with him the knowledge of the bloodspores so long as he obeyed her instructions.

### Follower of Zuggtmoy

Between the 2nd of New Bloom and the 7th of Merend, Kolbek continued his research into the bloodspores as he hid his infection from his Laughing Skull cohorts, tasked with developing an alchemical mixture that could bolster one's fighting ability using the spores. During this time, Kolbek's sanity deteriorated as he fell further and further under Zuggtmoy's influence, while he learned more about the fungus's properties: namely, its ability to produce intelligent plant creatures and how he could use it to control others. On the 18th of New Bloom, he captured a group of wererat warriors from Moss Burrow that destroyed the myconid community in retribution for killing one of their own. Each of these warriors, including Tybalt's son, was implanted with bloodspores and poised to take over the Brewer District Laboratory.

On the 27th of New Bloom, Kolbek received a vision from Zuggtmoy, detailing plans to construct a portal into Shedaklah and allowing her servants to invade the Material Plane. Inspired by this order, Kolbek gathered his servants on the 7th of Merend and took over the Brewer District Laboratory, killing all but one survivor - a shifter scientist named Noster Wormtail, who would report the attack to the Laughing Skulls leader, Saval. The wererat cultist began work immediately, gathering the bodies of his fellow alchemists and useless captives and planting them deeper into the sewers of Veltear, where they became the mulch for the portal to Shedaklah.

### Death

On the 13th of Lirden, over a month after Kolbek took control of the laboratory, the party traveled to Veltear to complete a task for Bovark. A few weeks past, Bovark received a letter from Saval requesting Shark Head's assistance in exterminating a wererat infestation. Saval neglected to mention the bloodspore outbreak until the party arrived at the Laughing Skulls' hideout beneath the Drunken Whaler tavern.

The party departed for the laboratory on the 14th of Lirden, following Noster to the now-infested laboratory to remove the wererats and clear it of bloodspores. After accidentally provoking the laboratory's otyugh Gertie, who was curiously unaffected by the bloodspores, the party fought a horde of wererats and infected Underdark creatures, including Kolbek himself. After surviving the horde and slaying a massive fungal horror created by Kolbek, the party recuperated and made their way through the dungeon, confronting Kolbek a second time at the site of the portal. When Tybalt's men attempted to sabotage the portal through controlled explosives, Kolbek captured them and used them as the final pieces for the portal, sacrificing them before the party could stop him. Ultimately, the party was successful in destroying the portal, seemingly killing Kolbek as the vortex of the collapsing portal tore off his flesh and dragged his soul into the Abyss. If Kolbek's soul is still intact, it is likely undergoing unspeakable tortures by Zuggtmoy for his disgraceful failure.

## Description

### Appearance

The bloodspore infection took a visible toll on Kolbek's appearance. Patches of red warts and fungus grew over his appendages, neck, and face, causing his greying hairs to fall out where they grew. While his teeth remained intact, his left eye was perpetually bloodshot while his right eye wasted away, replaced by a cluster of red mushrooms resembling a mixture of cordyceps and some form of polypores. Much of his body was covered in a filthy, tattered robe, which did little to cover his horrifying features. Whether it was an effect of the bloodspores or a conscious decision on his part, Kolbek retained his hybrid wererat form, never switching to his humanoid or rat forms.

### Abilities

Kolbek's body gradually deteriorated as a result of his bloodspore infection, though his sickly appearance belied a supernatural durability; if anything, his infection made him stronger. He retained much of his physical ability, including his innate agility as a wererat and his ability to handle simple weaponry. Additionally, his lycanthropic gifts made him immune to nonmagical weapons not coated in silver, and his bloodspores allowed him to rapidly regenerate from his wounds, unless he was stricken with fire or radiant damage. Both fire and radiance are anathema to the fungus, halting their growth and arresting their regenerative properties.

Despite this physical protection, Kolbek much preferred to keep his distance from enemies, using druidic magic he learned from studying bloodspores to hinder enemies and afflict them with debilitating poison. He could use *entangle* to keep foes in place, as well as launch *rays of sickness* to envenom foes. If facing enemies with metallic armor or weaponry, he could use *heat metal* to punish them for their preparedness, knowing the regeneration of the bloodspores could easily make up for the trail of dead fungi left by scalding metal. When forced to fight enemies up close, he infused his disgusting quarterstaff with magic to make it a *shillelagh*, striking foes with hardened bloodspore fungi.

   Kolbek's greatest strength lay in his control over his spore servants. Having no regard for his servants' safety, and with his servants possessed by a bloodthirst that destroyed any sense of self-preservation, Kolbek freely threw both his mindless thralls and intelligent wererats at intruders in the laboratory. If needed, he could release a cloud of spores that would incite infected creatures into a frenzy, causing them to throw themselves at their quarry with reckless abandon. He even retained his gifts as a shaman of Viesho, allowing him to summon swarms of rats to cover the floors and drown slower creatures under a sea of hungry vermin.

### Personality

The bloodspore infection greatly affected Kolbek's mental faculties, causing his already-delicate mental state to fall apart into near insanity. Kolbek devoted himself to the worship of Zuggtmoy, to the point where any affront to the Lady of Mushrooms invited death. As a pariah to his clan and a lycanthrope in a city that loathed such creatures, Kolbek was truly alone until he found Her.

Even before his infection, Kolbek was self-serving and vindictive, and was motivated by his grudge against Tybalt. He believed that anyone who didn't revere Viesho the Rat King was either a fool or an enemy, and was determined to spread his master's gospel to his entire clan. After being infected, Kolbek's paranoia grew worse, to the point where he believed Tybalt conspired against him in every obstacle set before him. When the party arrived, he was convinced the party was allied with Tybalt, despite the party never having met or even known anyone by that name.

## Journals/Notes

**Prayer to Viesho**

“From your cunning, we learn.

From your cruelty, we live.

Beneath your blackened veil, we find solace.

We are your sons and your daughters,

Born of your blood, emboldened by your spirit,

Least of the lycans, blessed with the might of many.

We hide in shadows, furtive and forgotten,

Feasting on the corpses of the greater ones,

Growing stronger from their failures.

We rise on the mountains of our fallen foes,

Rising higher and higher until it collapses

Like a tide upon the shores, washing away all.

In coin and in blood, we give tribute.

In word and in deed, we honor you.

In dark and in silence, we wait for you.

So we pray,

Viesho, King of Rats.”

“*I am sorry, my King. I can barely hear your voice. She calls to me, even now.”*

**Journal Entries**

A journal kept by Kolbek Rhot over the course of five months. Some of the pages are damaged from exposure to moisture and fungus.

   Kolbek has the following passages written:

*27th of Snow’s Fall, 405 PA*

They have banished me from the fold.

   The heathens have pushed me out of Moss Burrow on claims of “insanity” and “threatening the peace.” If I am discovered in their territory, they will hang me for all the Undercity to see.

   When did we lose our way? Tybalt claims he and the council are only doing what is best for our people, but he has them consort with outsiders. I tolerated his behavior, in the belief that he would undermine the others, as you taught us. When he made trade with the deep gnomes, I kept quiet. When he negotiated with those unblooded shifters, I bit my tongue. When he began to deal with surface dwellers, of all the detestable creatures, I struggled not to protest, yet kept my words to myself.

   It soon became clear that Tybalt had no intention of weakening these creatures, these things that eat our food, that take our territory, that snatch away our plunder. Damn them all!

   I have remained loyal to you, my King, but the others refuse to see your wisdom. Many, it seems, have forgotten your name. They have forgotten what you have given us, the ingrates.

   Am I to be punished for my devotion? Am I to wander these tunnels, knowing that my people - OUR people - are doomed to destruction?

   One day, I will return. I will find a way to save them from their heathen ways. And they will thank me.

*13th of Hillekine*

I have been forced to do the unthinkable. I have made allies with a group of surface dwellers, criminals who call themselves the Laughing Skulls. Though it pains me to do so, I have no choice. No other community will accept me, and I cannot survive alone in these tunnels. It seems the people of Moss Burrow have spread the word of my exile.

   These Laughing Skulls know nothing of my true nature. They don’t suspect a thing. My knowledge of mycology and alchemical mixtures make me an invaluable asset to these dealers of poison. Dr. Moreau, the apparent leader of this laboratory, insists that I join two others, Martin Pendergast and Shaun Cuddy, in their work. I put on my best face, and acted as friendly as I could to these wretches.

   No one has any cause to suspect that I possess Viesho’s gift. That may grow more difficult as time passes. Tonight, a full moon will shine. I should be able to retreat to my old den, on the pretense of searching for fungal reagents. A half-truth, as I plan to bring back more samples for my experiments.

   I loathe this place. I can only hope I find what I need here. It is not enough to avenge myself against Tybalt. The people of Moss Burrow need me. Faith and alchemy gave me all that I had before, and through this path, I will win what I have lost.

*1st of New Bloom*

I found something.

I had to retreat again for another cycle last night. After my transformation passed, I found myself in a cavern deep in the Undercity, far from the eyes of civilized creatures. It was there that I found a garden of mushrooms, a diverse collection of shapes and sizes and colors. As I traveled further in, I discovered other creatures: humans, elves, troglodytes, rats, even others of my kind, each one having developed red fungal growths all over their bodies. They were shepherded by a single entity, a mushroom man with a rose-colored body and red cap. A myconid, but not like any I have seen before.

I hid behind a large mushroom as the procession marched towards a patch of red mold, from which tall, knee-high stalks stretched like bloody, outstretched fingers. From within the procession, I heard a man shouting. Another wererat. Gaspard, from Moss Burrow. He spat on my face as I was dragged out of the burrow. I remember his sneering face well. Now, he was the one being dragged by the mob, kicking and screaming and begging.

The myconid, apparently their leader, pointed to a spot before the patch, and Gaspard was shoved to his knees. As the myconid plucked one of the stalks and inspected it, two of the largest members of the procession grabbed Gaspard by the head and forced his mouth open. He looked up at his captors, wild-eyed, likely searching for sympathetic gazes, yet none could be found. They all held the same steady, emotionless expression, the two large ones unmoving, the rest standing in rapt attention.

I care not to describe what followed. That violent and frankly nauseating scene still haunts me, and would best be left to the imagination rather than recorded here, in the hopes that I might let it fade. I will say only that Gaspard’s suffering lasted only mere minutes. Moments after infection set in, he underwent convulsions, then went still. A minute later, he regained consciousness, his eyes blood red, and the fungus growing in patches on his limbs and head. He had calmed down, and stood at attention before the myconid.

I finally found what I have been searching for.

The procession left some time after, the myconid continuing to lead them deeper into the tunnel. When I felt they had finally left, I approached the patch to gather some samples to bring back to the laboratory. It seems, in my excitement, that I had neglected to recognize what was, in retrospect, an obvious patch of shriekers. I had only a few seconds to gather what I could before a mob of infected began to pursue me, screaming and howling. Never have I fled so quickly, nor for so long. I can hardly believe I made it, clutching this jar of fungus in my arms.

It is the key to everything, I know it. If I can find a way to control those afflicted with this fungus, I can reclaim my place in Moss Burrow. Tybalt and the rest will follow, as it was meant to be. Just as Viesho would want.

This venture did not come without some pain. I was wounded during my escape, as Gaspard managed to bite down on my arm. Luckily, I was able to shake him off, and get away with a tooth for further observation; however, I had no means of immediate treatment for the wound. The best I could do at the time was clean and bandage it until I could return to the lab. I have not been exposed to the fungus as much as Gaspard, so the effects should not be setting in as quickly. As I write this, the elixir I have begun to brew nears completion. Once imbibed, I shall…

[The writing trails off before continuing.]

Head hurts. Pain creeping from right arm up to neck. Veins red at point of injury. Infection certain.

Almost done. Coloration changing from violet to red. Red means done. Almost done. Almost…

[The writing trails off again.]

Elixir imbibed. Could not wait. Pain unbearable. Shivers beginning. Heart racing. Vision blurry. Convulsions were likely to follow.

   Pain receding. Slight soreness at point of injury, but veins no longer red. Will need to replace bandages.

Not good. Fungal infection remains at points of injury. Barely visible, but will need to be concealed. Unlikely to be contagious. Will prepare new batch for further treatment.

I hear voices. Moreau, maybe? I will continue later.

No, not Moreau. No one I’ve heard. This is new.

Who are you?

*2nd of New Bloom*

I have brought the bloodspores to Moreau’s attention. She asked questions, of course, but showed little curiosity beyond the effects I observed. It seems she had little concern for my person. In fact, I doubt she noticed I had disappeared last night. This is for the best. No one can know what happened - no, what is HAPPENING - to me.

   I heard Her voice last night. Her whispers intrude my thoughts even now, assuring me that She is a friend. A teacher, even. She promises to reveal to me everything there is to know about the bloodspores. That I am the only one fit to unlock its secrets and share Her blessing with the world.

   I cannot abandon Viesho now, yet I cannot turn Her away. For now, I shall accept Her guidance. His gifts shall prove useful to me as I learn more about Her bloodspores. Through the Rat King, I have a near limitless supply of test subjects at my disposal.

To call upon his servants and confer Her blessing upon them - is this sacrilege? I cannot help but worry about this, even now.

I cannot turn back. Not now. I can only push forward.

The wound itches. I will have to replace the bandage again.

Something is growing from the wound. Small, pink bumps. Concerning.

*12th of New Bloom*

They are beginning to suspect me.

   Martin has been more friendly to me recently. He seems to think there is something wrong with me. I have been trying to push him away, but he insists on handling my workload so that I may rest. At least he is enthusiastic about the bloodspores, though I suspect it has more to do with the fungus’s ability to spawn intelligent life. An intriguing development, but this is not the place to discuss such matters.

   Shanks, meanwhile, has been leery of me. He already seemed suspicious the first few times I left at the time of the full moon, but now he is watching me more closely. I have to be careful not to scratch myself when he has his eyes on me. I have been assigning him more tasks around the laboratory to keep him distracted.

   I cannot keep this charade up much longer. Thankfully, She has been good on her word, and I have learned more about the bloodspores. In accordance with Her instructions, I have not taken any more steps to treat Her blessing. And blessed I am. The soreness is gone, replaced by itching sensations around my arm and neck. Such irritations are negligible, though, in comparison to the gifts She has conferred unto me. I have never felt more focused, more healthy, more powerful, even.

   I must prepare to make my move. Thankfully, I have a potential supply of soldiers ready for collection.

*18th of New Bloom*

I have encountered an unexpected roadblock to my original plans. Regardless, I remain unhindered. In fact, this ‘problem’ has brought with it an excellent opportunity.

   The myconid colony has been wiped out. It would seem Tybalt and the rest of Moss Burrow have taken revenge against them for Gaspard’s disappearance. That they have discovered the bloodspore’s weakness is unfortunate, but will not deter me.

   I have managed to lure a few young warriors to the laboratory, under the pretense of wiping out any remaining batches of fungus. Thanks to the Laughing Skulls’ cooperation, we now have three new test subjects for the bloodspores, including Tybalt’s own wretched son. Truly, I am blessed by both King and Queen.

   I have already implanted within each of them a new strand of bloodspores. These ones should allow them to maintain some of their mental faculties, instead of rendering them nearly brain dead, like the others. Once the others are asleep, I shall test their effects with my own gifts.

   Soon, I shall see if my soldiers are ready.

It works. I have spread the rapport spores, and they follow my commands. They are mine. All mine.

   The time shall soon come.

The pain is returning. Itchiness in my skull. Pressure behind right eye socket. Bloodshot.

*27th of New Bloom*

She wants more. It is not enough for Her to speak with me. To speak with all of us. She demands to come to this world. To behold her new domain.

   She has shown me the way. In my dreams, I have seen a gate formed from fungus. A mass collected from Her followers, their hands gathered together to pull apart the fabric of space and reality to forge the path from this realm to Her kingdom.

   I have seen it in waking visions and restless dreams. I see it in the eyes of the blessed as they hear my words - Her words. I see it in the bodies of the kin that emerge from the bloodspores, when I pull their bodies open and behold the mycelia that tears apart like threads from a tapestry. I see it in the blessing that grows from my arm and through my veins and through the sockets of my very eyes.

   Shedaklah. I see it, even now. Great stalks of mushrooms which stretch like towers upon fields of murk and slime and fungus. A rainbow heap of beautiful waste, all gathered into one being, so great and expansive and terrible as to defy mortal comprehension.

   I see now the truth of this world. We are destined to join in the dreg heap of the multiverse, as all existence ultimately rots and decays. We grow from the rot, and return to it. A cycle with no end in sight, turning over and over and over as something new emerges. We are trapped in this cycle, trapped and unable to escape as we join in the Great Organism that emerges, at the end of it all. She will be there, at the end, to join in this conglomeration of life made from rot, and bring us into a grand, collective consciousness.

   This is the world as it should be. This is as it shall be.

   Moss Burrow is only the beginning. We will stretch across all of Kaldaran. We will save this godless realm from its own destruction.

   It starts here.

*7th of Merend*

The trap is set. Tybalt’s boy has been let loose to lure more warriors from Moss Burrow to the lab. They will come in droves, through hidden tunnels carved by my servants. And not a moment too soon.

   I overheard Shanks speaking with Martin when they thought I was out of earshot. Fortunately for me, I have ears everywhere. It seems he plans to bring up his suspicions regarding my behavior to Moreau tonight. By then, it will be too late for them.

   Before the attack begins, I will turn off the furnace. The bloodspores shall flourish in the cold, and Her following shall grow in darkness. This shall be our new den, defended by the warriors of Moss Burrow and the creatures we shall capture and bring to our fold.

   We are ready, O Lady of Rot and Decay.

## Trivia

* Kolbek's appearance and behavior, as well as those of his followers, are loosely inspired by the Skaven, of Warhammer fame.
* Kolbek is the first, and currently only, character considered 'irretrievable' by Nedeker's list, even after dying near Nix.