Engariel

The Queen of Disease

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History

Before Time

Like her sister, Klute, Engariel was a minor deity, looked to for healing by the siblings of the Broo-Mother. Then when the Devil appeared and took Klute and Engariel for his concubines and both became shot-through with Chaos, Engariel’s powers were perverted until she became a spreader of disease and illness. The Broos were the principal recipients of her powers but from them the new curse of the Plague spread until all races (save Dragonewts and perhaps newtlings), even elves became subject to disease. Engariel joined the Devil and Klute in their downfall in the Chaos Wars, but her spirit lived on!

Since Time

Engariel’s works and worship survived the creation of Time. Worshipped by all races in many places across the Earth, in fear to avoid the curse of the Plague and by others in a lust to spread the sickness Goddess’ power further. It has proved impossible to eradicate her worship and therefore sickness still pervades all walks of society. The Goatkin are her principal worshippers, almost all are at least Laymen but secret temples and enclaves of her worship can be found almost anywhere.

Life After Death

Engariel promises Life after Death as a Spirit of Disease to her initiates and eventually when She returns to the Mundane Plane, they will become one with her and sweep all others away. The Life rune insists that cultists can Divint to avoid Death and be resurrected, but only by the cult spell as no other healer would ever restore such a spirit to its body. Cultists bury their dead in shallow graves and such graves have been known to prove virulent hotbeds of infection for centuries.

Runic Associations

Originally Engariel’s runes were Beast, Spirit and Life, but then the Devil gave her Chaos and this warped the Life rune until "fertility" referred to the virulence of disease. She remains attached to the Spirit rune, but away from the Broos, she is no longer associated to the Beast rune. The Goatmen still view her as Beast, Spirit, Fertility and Chaos and also sometimes add the Man rune as well, but sages doubt that all these can be justified.

Nature of Cult

Engariel’s worshippers seek to bring their Queen back from the void. This would of course require immense Power and so they seek to gain such Power by a form of blackmail, spreading disease and then granting a certain degree of immunity in return for sacrificed Power. The cult has proven incredibly tenacious and furtive so that it is almost impossible to eradicate completely. Only in Lightbringer cities dominated by the Luciferans are the Disease-Merchants kept in check and only there by constant vigilance.

It is thought that the Fertility rune of Engariel is responsible for the Broos incredible fecundity. This is not certain but there is no doubt that this rune is central to Engariel and Broo society, such as it is.

Particular Likes and Dislikes

Engariel remains close to her sister and her sister’s son Uriah. She is opposed to all the anti-Chaos cults; Blueface, Typhon, Wraithe, Zorak-Zoran etc. and also to those cults rooted in the Death rune due to her possession of the Life/Fertility rune. However she is also hated by all the other Life/Fertility rune cults including Lucifer, Xenoire, Faerie and even Zadok and Banuril as her concept of the Life rune is anathema to them. Engariel cultists have shown an amazing ability to dissemble the prejudices and appear frank and friendly. Perhaps this is because they know that the Queen of Sickness can strike with but a light touch.

Organisation

Cult organisation is non-existent. Initiates defer to Runelevels for their power and lay members bow to both, primarily out of fear. Among Broos and barbarians, organisation is tribal, elsewhere it is regulated by the whim of the highest-ranking priest.

Centres of Power/Holy Places

Any hotbed of disease is a centre of power and holy to Engariel. The principal source of power can be found among the Broos and is therefore very fluid.

Holy days and High Holy days

Wildday of Fertility week is the seasonal Holy Day, that in Sea season being the High Holy Day as the warm, wet weather at this time of year is perfect for spreading festering disease. Hence many people fall prone to ailments in the spring.

Lay Membership

Lay membership is granted to anyone who has a disease or wishes to become immune to a disease. If someone has contracted a disease, then for every attack they must give one point of temporary Power to Engariel as an offering per level of severity. This does not cure it and the disease may still progress in severity to terminal, but the afflicted individual is spared any ill effects save that he may still infect others. A worshipper may gain permanent immunity to any disease by sacrificing one point of permanent Power for any one specific disease, this counts off racial maximum and effectively binds the worshipper to Engariel.

No lay member can receive any curing from any other of the healer cults vis-a-vis disease until he has forsworn all devotion to Engariel. To cure the disease completely requires one Cure Disease plus one extra spell for each attack avoided as directed above. Any healer encountering a person who refuses to forswear Engariel or take the cures is, of course, dealing with a great danger to his surrounding environment and others and so is permitted to kill him. Even a Luciferan will do this, though most would rather direct a fellow light-cultist than soil their own hands with blood.

Lay members must meet with an initiate to direct their prayers. They receive no other benefits, training or spell teaching.

Initiate Membership

Initiates are lay members who show special devotion to the Queen of Sickness and a desire to spread her worship (all cultists from initiate level upwards show this strong evangelical trait!) All applicants must find a temple member who will introduce them to a priest. This priest will bring forth a spirit from his ancestors who will infect the prospective initiate with a random disease (if he has not already got one). This will be at the mild level. The applicant then sacrifices two points of permanent Power to secure immunity to this disease (if he has not already done so). At the next Holy Day the applicant is inducted into the cult. He gains the gift of immunity to all disease and is geased to spread disease in all its forms.

He gains training in weapons and skills according to his tribe or place of origin (for Broos see Klute, Barbarians - Tribal Cults, Baboons - Blueface etc.), but the individual cannot initiate into any other cult. No healing from any outside cult in any form will function on him. Only healing derived from Engariel, Klute or Uriah will work.

The cult teaches Healing for free plus Countermagic, Ironhand, Protection, Spirit Binding and Spirit Shield for half price. Engariel spirit binding works only on spirits of disease. Cultists can buy all other battle magic spells at full cost provided that these are known to their priests. They can always gain access to the spells Curdle and Potency (see Klute) and the following battle magic spell.

Sneeze: Focussed, Passive, Instant: Range = 80m, 1pt, 500sh.
Upon a successful POW vs POW roll, the caster causes the victim to suffer a sneezing fit for the entirety of the next round. He may not move and can only defend and parry at half normal effectiveness. Fanatics and Berserkers ignore this spell!

Initiates can purchase half price training in Treat Disease and Prepare Disease Potion. Initiates gain all the normal benefits of their status except free room and board (tribal benefits only) and Divints are restricted by the requirement that a Chaos Feature is taken with each successful Divint, with all that this implies.

Initiates can increase the number of diseases for which they are carriers by influencing their priest who will summon a random Spirit of Disease who will infect them in return for two points of permanent Power. This is useful as much of an initiates power and abilities are directed towards spreading his own diseases. Initiates can also gain access to all cult special Runemagics (whether reusable or not) on a one-use basis. Any cultist sacrificing for Plague may add 1d6 to his Charisma for all dealings with Engariel cultists of any level (racial maximum applies for all races).

Initiates are expected to work on improving their disease spreading skills and infiltrate all walks of life, spreading sickness wherever they go.

Runelord Membership

Runelords of Engariel serve two purposes. Firstly, they are masters of spreading disease with their hands (the reverse of Luciferan Runelords). Secondly, they are the tribal chiefs of their society. In non-tribal sects Runelords are rarely found.

To qualify, an applicant must have 90% in two attacks and two parries with tribal weapons (these must be compatible with each other), 90% Treat Disease, 90% Prepare Disease Potion and 90% in any one other tribal skill. He must also have 15 POW and know Healing 6. Finally, he must pass a test by allying a summoned Spirit of Disease which will serve as his allied spirit. If he fails he will be cast from the cult in disgrace with the disease of the spirit added to his own and his immunity to disease withdrawn (see Cult Spirit or Reprisal).

Runelords gain all the normal benefits of their status. They can use iron but must find their own. If they become tribal chiefs then they will be given a complete set of iron weapons. A successful Divint still demands the acceptance of a Chaos Feature. They are expected to bind many spirits of disease in potions of disease, and to liberally smear all their weapons with such potions. To fight an Engariel Mallaise-Lord is to court death even if you win. A Runelord who is not a tribal chief and has 18 POW may take leave to become a shaman-runepriest. A tribal chief’s responsibilities mean he cannot do this, though if a shaman-priest already, he may remain one.

Runepriesthood

In common with many tribal cults, the Runepriests of Engariel are all shamen as well. Initiates and Runelords with 18 POW who know Healing 6 may take a year off to train and then pass a test by allying a fetch. Failure is unhealthy in its fullest sense! If successful, then the shaman-priest is subject to all the benefits and restrictions of both ranks. If he finds it, he can use iron. He must dedicate himself to spreading disease. Engariel shamen cannot (or will not) cure disease by laying on hands, however they can cause any individual to be infected with one of their own diseases by this method. Engariel Runepriests are known for binding many spirits into potions and leaving them to infect areas. They are disgusting repositories of festering pestilence. They do not gain Death Divints, instead, upon a successful Divint, all their Runemagics will be triggered simultaneously causing their bodies to become infected with a range of virulent diseases, including Plague if sacrificed for. They do not therefore gain the Shaman’s benefit of return from the Dead. Dexterity based skills are limited to DEX ×5%. A non-Runelord Shaman/Priest of Engariel may not become a Runelord as there is no release from a Runepriest’s responsibilities. A Shaman-Priest falling below 18 POW retains his Shaman abilities, but loses those of the Priesthood until he regains a POW of 18+.

Runespell Compatibility

Engariel Runepriests have access to all 1pt standard Runespells save Divine Intervention. They also gain the following Cult Special Runemagics...

One Point Spells

Cause Specific Disease: Range Touch, Duration Instant, Stackable, Reusable
The caster must select the precise disease required at the time of sacrificing for this spell. It is customary for a cultist to choose a disease of which he is not a carrier in order to expand his repertoire. Runelords frequently cast such a disease upon themselves and then sacrifice to make potions of the disease while they are carriers. When used, a successful POW vs POW roll inflicts the victim with the disease; this can be done surreptitiously. If the spell is reusable, then the disease is chronic and will recur until finally cured. If non-reusable, then only a single, acute, attack will result. Stacking increases the severity of the attack. 1pt of Cause Disease is mild; 2pts is serious; 3pts is severe; 4pts,terminal. Chronic diseases may of course increase in severity from attack to attack, but the initial casting is regarded as the base severity (it is never less than this).

Create Disease Potion: Range Touch, Duration Instant, Stackable, Reusable
Activates a potion created by the Prepare Disease Potion skill. Each point stacked dictates the frequency of the attacks. 1pt = acute (1 attack only), 2pts = 1 attack per season, 3pts = 1 attack per week, 4pts = 1 attack per day. Such a apotion can be used as blade venom (d4 doses), or to infect a source of water (1 dose), or as a receptacle for binding a spirit (1 dose). It is this spell that enables the non-priests to spread disease far and wide.

Two Point Spells

Blight: Range 160m radius, Duration Instant, Non-Stackable, Reusable
Causes one wood, field of crops, or part of a forest within spell range to become infected with a Disease of Plants, causing leaves and foliage to become blotched and discoloured and wilting. Such a wood etc. will be useless for cultivation purposes and all plants will be dead within a year. Can be used on individual Faeriekin when it functions as consumption, wasting and warts combined. Can only be countered with Sunripen. Lost characteristics can only be recovered by the Faeriekin standing in the sun, naked with Sunripen cast on him for the duration of a season. Can also be countered by the Zadok and Banuril spell Cure All Disease, but not by Luciferan Cure Disease.

Infestation: Range 160m, Duration Instant, Non-Stackable, Reusable
A successful POW vs POW roll causes the victim to become an attractant to all forms of parasite, fleas, lice, worms etc.He will lose 2d4 Charisma permanently until cured and 1d6 CON for the debilitating effects of the infestation. These points will be lost at the rate of 1pt per day, each, and will recover at the same rate when he is deloused. While suffering from the infestation, the character will defend against disease at half his current CON. Delousing requires that all the characters clothes be burned, his house fumigated with sulphur and receive a Cure Disease spell. This spell can affect all races save Dragonewts (who are immune to disease), and Elves (who are only susceptible to Blight).

Three Point Spells

Plague: Range Self, Duration Instant, Non-Stackable, Non-Reusable
This spell is cast by a cultist on himself when he is tired of life or if he wishes to die gloriously for his Goddess. It automatically infects the victim with terminal Plague and he will surely die from the effects. He will lose 1d6 from STR and CON every day and will remain infectious for centuries. Most cultists who choose to die this way find a quiet spot in a large town or city where their bodies can infect a wide area. All creatures save Dragonewts, Newtlings and Elves are susceptible to Plague even if they are Engariel worshippers. Only a Divine Intervention can cure the infection but almost all gods allow their Initiates and Runepriests a Runelord Divint as this form of death is so unpleasant and causes the victim to become a Spirit of Disease and therefore useless to any god but Engariel. The originally infected body may be neutralised by Cure Disease or Shamanic cure and deep burial. When left on the surface, the body is certain to infect a radius of at least a mile (5 miles in a town or city) within 1 week.

Subservient Cults

Cult Spirit Of Reprisal

Any cultist who angers Engariel or tries to leave the cult is summarily dismissed. The gift of immunity to disease is withdrawn and all the cultists diseases advance to the terminal stage. If a Runelevel, his Allied Spirit or Fetch turns on him. Lastly, all his Runemagic is triggered instantly and he is infected with those diseases, including Plague if he has sacrificed for it. Each disease requires one Cure Disease to arrest it. Treat Disease is useless in this situation.

Associated Cults

Klute

Engariel’s sister has long been her closest confidante and Broos form the backbone of the Queen of Mallaise’s minions. Klute offers the following spell to all Broo in the service of Engariel,...

Hammerhead: Range 160m, Duration 15 mins, Stackable to 4 pts, Reusable.
When cast upon a broo, acts as 2pts of Ironhand and 2pts of Protection on the head only. Has no effect on creatures which cannot butt.

Primal Chaos

Engariel has close links with the Devil and Chaos, therefore all her Runepriests have access to the 3pt Runespell Chaos Feature.

Uriah

Engariel is close to her nephew as well and is greatly aided by him. The Chaos-Shaman offers,...

Summon Chaotic Ancestor
As the Azrael spell Summon Ancestor, but summons an ancestor with POW×5 chance of possessing a chaos feature. When used by Engariel Runepriests, the spirit summoned will also be a Spirit of Disease, and so will possess one disease rolled randomly on the accompanying table.

Miscellaneous Notes

Diseases

Diseases can be divided into two types, minor ailments and major diseases. Minor ailments occur spontaneously without deliberate action by an outside party. These are four common minor ailments:

• Sniffles - causes loss of DEX-based skills. 5% per level (−5% for minor, −20% for terminal).
• Sneezing - nasal irritation causing sneezing. Mild = 1 per 10 rounds, Serious = 1 per 4 rounds, Severe = 1 per 2 rounds, Terminal = 1 every round. Sneezes are noisy, making stealth impossible in any round in which a sneeze occurs. They are not otherwise debilitating.
• Itches - contracted by sleeping in armour. A body part develops an itchy rash that forces the victim to scratch it every round in which he fails a POW roll. If mild, roll is POW×7; Serious = POW×5; Severe = POW×3; Terminal = POW×1. Character must spend 5 strike ranks not attacking or casting spells and scratching with one hand.
• Gutrot - The most serious of all minor ailments, caused by eating poorly cooked, or perhaps unfamiliar, food. Victim becomes afflicted with severe stomach cramps resulting in loss of 10% of skills requiring movement and 1d4 CON per level of severity. This cannot reduce T.H.P. to less than 1; 1 or 2 T.H.P. indicates total incapacitation.

Sniffles and Sneezing will pass away in 21−CON days. Itches requires total exposure to the warm sun and only light clothing for 1 week per level of severity. Gutrot will be cured with 2-5 days of total rest, in bed.

All the minor ailments are merely nuisances or only temporarily incapacitating and no Luciferan will waste a Cure Disease unless paid double cost, cash on the nail. However, all the following diseases are much more serious and most are potentially lethal. All are caused by an outside agent (Engariel cultist) as well as by contact with a carrier. All except Plague and Brain Fever can be cured with a Cure Disease. Brain Fever is cured by Cure Insanity, Plague by Divine Intervention.

• Aging Sickness - Each attack ages the victim by one year per day. The duration of the attack is dependent upon the severity of the disease: mild = 1 day, serious = 1d3 days, severe = 1d6 days, terminal = 2d6 days. Frequency of attacks is as normal. Aging effects as in Wraithe. Non-infectious.
• Bleeding Sickness - The character infected will bleed uncontrollably at the rate of 1 point per turn (mild), 1 point per minute (serious), 1 point per round (severe), 1d4 points per round (terminal). Similarly extra healing will be required to stop bleeding wounds: mild = normal, serious = Healing 4, severe = Healing 6, terminal = Healing 8. If chronic this disease will last 2d6 days and then recovery will result. All acute forms are permanent will no period. Non-infectious.
• Brain Fever - The victim will be struck by a random mental disorder which will visit him when he is under stress if the character should fail a POW roll based on the severity of the disease: mild = POW×7, serious = POW×5, severe = POW×3, terminal = constant. If acute the condition will spontaneously cure itself after 2d6 days. All chronic forms are permanent.Non-infectious. The mental disorder is determined by the table below,...

Insanity Table

D100 Roll	Mental Disorder
01-06	Apathetic Depression: Character is listless, will sit down, refuse to move or talk and will not even defend himself from attack.
07-17	Delusions: As Selenite spell Delusion.
18-37	Dipsomania: Occurs periodically if chronic as well as under stress. Character always carries large supply of drink. While drunk character loses ½ DEX and INT or 1d6 whichever is greater and takes 1 point of poison damage per day of binge. Binges last 1 day (mild), 1d3 days (serious), 1d6 days (severe), 2d6 days (terminal).
38-43	Idiocy: INT becomes 1d3, cannot cast spells.
44-63	Kleptomaniac: Must make POW roll to resist urge to steal when he sees any amount of money or jewellery, or when any friends have a full purse. Also check periodically - may attract attention of Ma Fear.
64-83	Megalomaniac: Character has inflated ego, arrogant, spends all his money on items to increase his finery. Violent if mocked.
84-89	Paranoia: Always edgy and cagey, sometimes refers to "them" as if they are watching/listening. If fails POW roll under stress, will attack nearest friend as a traitor. Totally irrational and violent.
90-100	Schizoid-Megalomania: Character believes himself to be a named V.I.P - usually a legendary hero (never a party member). Not necessarily violent but will ardently attempt to prove his identity, often by self-imposed, dangerous quests.

• Consumption - A fearful disease that ravages a characters CON. Normal periodicity and severity. Contagious.
• Convulsions - When in period, character must make POW roll when under stress or else will have a convulsive fit and writhe on the floor for a duration according to severity: mild = 1 round, serious = 1d3 rounds, severe = 1d6 rounds, terminal = 2d6 rounds. Normal periodicity and severity. Non-infectious.
• Shakes - As Consumption, but attacks DEX. Not as dangerous, as the disease itself does not damage the characters resistance to disease. Infectious.
• Soul Waste - As Shakes, but attacks POW. Infectious.
• Thunderlung - Causes racking coughing fits capable of causing real damage to characters chest. Normal periodicity and severity. Every day of an attack, a character will be racked with coughing fits with the combined effects of Sneezing and Sniffles. If required to do physical activity, must make POW roll to avoid a damaging coughing fit. If such a fit occurs, then the character is incapacitated for 1 round (mild), 1-3 rounds (serious), 1-6 rounds (severe), 2-12 rounds (terminal). At the end of this period, the character will cough so violently that a force of d4 per level of severity will attack his CON doing full damage to his chest if successful, ½ damage if not. Anyone taken to below −5 hit points in the chest, dies. If taken to below −6 hit points, then the character will burst and anyone inside 3 metres is exposed to the disease. Not otherwise infectious.
• Warts - As Shakes, but attacks CHA (reduces racial maximum by the same amount!). Infectious.
• Withering Sickness - Affects a random extremity. Each attack reduces the hit points of the location by 1. If reduced to 0 then the location is useless. If reduced to −6 then the location drops off and only Divint can restore it. If not actually shrivelled away then Regrow Limb will work. Attacks occur monthly (mild), weekly (serious), daily (severe), and hourly (terminal). Roll a D6 for location; 1-2 = left arm, 3-4 = right arm, 5 = left leg, 6 = right leg.
• Wasting Sickness - As Shakes, but affects STR.

All these diseases follow guidelines as follows unless stated otherwise.

Chronic Periodicity - Infrequent: Seasonally; Frequent: Weekly; Permanent: Daily.

Acute attacks occur only once.

If attacks would overlap, victim has galloping version of disease and each attack is concertinaed as a result. Such a disease is highly lethal.

Non-infectious diseases can only be transmitted by direct serum injection.

Infectious diseases require direct bodily contact for exposure.

Contagious diseases merely require the proximity of a carrier to count as exposure. Contact causes CON roll at ½ percentage as does prolonged proximity.

Plague: The most fearsome disease. Highly contagious, it attacks CON, STR and CHA in a similar fashion to Consumption, Wasting Disease and Warts. Anyone infected is incapacitated. All infected persons must roll CON ×1 every day or the disease increases by a level of severity. This disease is always acute and kills unless Divint is performed. The body is permanently infectious unless cremated. The "warts" caused by Plague are actually black pustules called "buboes". They make the disease instantly recognisable.

Cult Skills