Vitiators of Quellada

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Vitiators of Quellada

The church of Quellada is an enigma in the world, because of the mysterious popularity of the God of Perversion. The Church of Quellada is almost entirely secret, with public shrines in the largest cities and in many Cathedrals of Domana. Other than those few outlets, the worship of Quellada is almost entirely secret. Quellada is a social vampire, and seeks out that most fragile of essences, innocence. Quellada and his Vitiators are all jaded and worn, but are possessed of a carnal hunger that gnaws at them incessantly. In Celegian society Quellada is tolerated only because in comparison to Puellor, Quellada is fairly benign, and because Quellada worship is practiced by so many in secret. The details are best left vague, but Quellada is worshipped by many otherwise upstanding citizens, and often by people you would never suspect. Worship of Quellada is not inherently evil by itself, but it often becomes so when it wanders into the darkest realms of perversion and depravity. Many of the secret congregations of Quellada have persisted for years, never harming anyone but themselves and occasionally the innocence of a passerby. When a congregation of Quellada turns bad, however, they often degenerate into nests of darkness worthy of the shuddering tales told of Quellada. This essential evil is Quellada's great weakness, and the source of her strength, as the ability to commit acts upon others is apparently rooted in that evil. It is an odd truth that Quellada worship is strongest where the good gods are also strongest. In the Grass Sea, among the fierce Arrakanza, Quellada is actually rare. This is due to the fact that Quellada is interested in innocence, a commodity promoted by the good gods and rare among the savage 'Kanz. In a perverse way, Quellada is the shadow cast by the power of good in the Empire. Quellada has been growing stronger in the Empire for centuries, an event viewed with despair by the short sighted, but indicative of the rise of goodness to those with the vision to see it. Another indicator of the fickleness of the church of Quellada is the broad range of affiliations Vitiators make with other faiths, often with knowledge and consent. Many bands of Revellers contain several Vitiators, and the two faiths are able to find some common ground in many ways. Tricksters of Lyreth often have dealings with Vitiators to the mutual enrichment of both. Ravers also have dealings with Vitiators, again to the mutual enrichment of both. Incredibly, Philiators are often affiliated with Vitiators, although relations are highly strained on both sides of those arrangements. The Philiates have trouble hiding revulsion at the behavior of the Vitiators, and the Vitiators have trouble keeping their sticky fingers off the Philiates. Wardens and Vitiators have many arrangements between them, and in some ways the vibrant health of the Empire has much to owe to Quellada.

There are several main sects within the church, the archetypical being the Perverse. When most Celegians think of Quellada, it is the Perverse that comes to mind first. The Perverse are those who delight in doing things that society considers different and disturbing. A definite part of their activities involves inflicting pain so they are particularly susceptible to the darkness of Quellada, and Perverse sects are ones which are often the worst. If a Perverse sect congregation becomes involved with a Raver, problems are sure to result.

Probably the largest sect of Vitiators is that of the Deceivers. These are the deeply secret woshippers, who practice their acts in private. The Deceivers are often perceived as grubby dabblers by other Vitiators, but their mania for secrecy is highly laudable in the eyes of Quellada and most Deceivers are among the most devout followers the God of Perversion can claim. Many Deceivers are also involved with Karena, but since most Deceivers are solitary it is difficult to trace how large a tie this may be.

The most active and vigorous sect of the Vitiators are the Revelers in Depravity. Through no accident, they are often affiliated with the Revelers of Corellan. The Revelers in Depravity are the agressive seekers of the next thrill, the next innocent life to "educate" in the secrets of carnal knowledge. Their frequent affiliation with Corellan keeps most Revelers safely far away from the excesses of the Perverse sects, but if they ever do drift they often fall in with Despoilers of Puellor. Some of the deepest and most scarring crimes imaginable occur when that happens, and the process of cleansing a nest of Revelers in Depravity is a terrible one, as the depth of their activities is discovered.

The largest sect of Quellada is also the most benign, thankfully. The Seducers are another solitary sect, each Seducer travelling a solitary path among their flock. Seducers are those who practice the most gentle of Quellada's arts, and their activities almost never involve pain or anguish. Seducers delight in showing new paths and vistas to those they seduce. Seducers rarely visit the same person more than once, as they delight in the freshness and newness of each encounter. Seducers wander far in their quest for innocence to ravage, and meet many strange friends along the way. Many Seducers are joined with Tricksters of Lyreth, or with Wardens of Daneth. Many Seducers actually have a set area that they patrol, educating and "enriching" the lives of those they meet. Incredibly, many Seducers are also affiliated with Lurain, adding their expertise to the Love of the Mother. After all, before you can love your children, you must make them... . There are numerous sects and heresies of Quellada, most of them of such a noisome nature that there is no need to go into details here. Thankfully, they are small and often do not last long.

The leader of the church is the Sated Vitiator, Alane Termes Killea.

Duties: Vitiators are required to plumb the darkest, most twisted parts of the human psyche, both their own and those of their followers. Vitiators are required to lie about every aspect of their lives to everyone, except other Vitiators. Lastly, Vitiators are required to assist anyone who seeks their aid in carnal affairs.

Other Limitations: Vitiators must indulge one aspect of their god every day, either by deception, depravity, or seduction. Coupled with their need to conceal their identities, this tends to keep their lives interesting!

Quellada's Colors: The "raiment" of Quellada is Purple, Brown, Burgundy, and Jade.

Hit Dice: d8

Requirements

Alignment: Pure Evil or Neutral Skills: 1 rank Knowledge:Quellada Spells: Able to cast 1st level Cleric spells. Special: Must have Quellada as patron deity.

Class Skills

The Vitiators' class skills (and key ability for each skill) are

Skill Points: 2 per level + Int Modifier

Advancement Table

Level BAB Fort Refl Will Special Spells per Day

Class Features Weapons and Armor: Vitiators are allowed to wear any leather or chainmail armor, but must pay an extra 50% for that armor, as special custom modifications are required (A Vitiator's armor must be titillating as well as protective). For weapons, Vitiators may choose between the Garotte, Staff, Sap, Dagger, or Scourge. The huge majority carry scourges, to take advantage of their special relationship with that weapon (see below).

Divine Domains: Animal, Charm, Community, Dream, Evil, Healing, Protection, Trickery

Vitiators are granted the ability to turn Undead, though they may not destroy Undead. Any result of destruction means that the Undead are under the control of the Vitiator for up to one day per level. The Undead will perform "life" threatening actions at the behest of the Vitiator. Another power is invoked only if the Vitiator is using a scourge. The scourge is Quellada's weapon, so if it is used by a Vitiator any successful hit gains a damage bonus of +1 per level. High level Vitiators have devastating attacks with their scourges! At 5th level, Vitiators are granted one Charm Person as a power per day, only usable against someone of the opposite sex. At 9th level, Vitiators are granted their most potent ability, the ability to Shapeshift (as Druids) but only to any humanoid form. They cannot imitate exact people, but they can always re-assume a favored form. By using this ability, a Vitiator can considerably enhance use of the Disguise proficiency. Vitiators may Shapeshift to any humanoid form, from as small as a Half ling to as large as an Ogre. By utilizing this Shapeshifting ability, a Vitiator may increase their Strength in order to improve their combat, but only up to a Strength of 18, never higher (no percentiles allowed). Please note that Vitiators can and often do change their sex with this power. Their 5th level power to Charm Person is based on their current sex. Followers: Given the nature of Quellada, all Vitiators have followers starting at 2nd level. These will be determined through roleplaying, in most cases. The level and classes will vary widely.