al-Kathos - Desken Kebat

Desken is a tall, gaunt man wearing dark brown robes that are covered with dying vines. His hair, grey and matted, marks a heavily scared face with protruding cheekbones and one missing eye.
The empty eye socket, which Desken almost always keeps open, appears to be a rotting abyss. He carries a defiled holy stave, matted with various shards of glass. His teeth are sharpened to a point, and he wears a crown of thistle vine, causing slight trikles of blood to constantly flow down his forehead.

Desken was not born in al-Kathos, but in the domain of Pharazia.
A group of evil priests, originally banned from Hazlan, attacked his family of caravan traders and captured young Desken. Removing one of his eyes, they trained him in the church of Moander. Thirteen years later, the Caravan raiders entered the domain of al-Kathos. Entering the jungles, they found the City of Despair, and in a religious fury attacked the al-Kathosian temple to the Rotting Gods named Jekerstep.
Desken betrayed his brethern to the Rotting Gods, and in a ritual of vengeance removed his former comrade's eyes, a deed which caused him some respect in the eyes of his new allies.

Moander's faith fitted in remarkably well with that of the jackal-headed priests that head the temple, and Desken quickly moved up in the ranks of his new-found order.
While he is not under the enspelling of the Rotting Gods, Desken is not free of control. He has become the puppet to a unknown force, that talks to him at night. Desken whorships this force, who he believes to be the incarnation of Moander, sacrificing his own clergy to it. The force is not a god, however, but a powerful Tanar'ri trapped in Ravenloft. This demon was banished from the domains to the Mists, and he ahs set his unwitting slave Desken to the labour taht will open a portal, bit by bit, into Al-Kathos so the demon can enter the domain and assume control after killing Malbus.
Desken has no clue that his New God has plans to one day destroy the domain, and the Tanar'ri would like to keep it that way. If The Rotting Gods are aware of the scheme, they do not show it. Maybe they simply don't care.

Desken has started wandering the domain to further the plot of his god. He has killed a number of people as a sacrifice, and buried the bodies in the sand dunes arround the cities he visits.
Recently he has happened upon the Wounded city. He has been fascinated with it's ruler, abd-al-Mamat, who he believes must be a higher force in touch with his god.
He does not realize that abd-al-Mamat is something quite different indeed.

Desken is a Darkbringer, a specialty priest of Moander (See #9516: Faiths and Avatars or #1147: Netheril: Empire of Magic for more details) and as such he has all of the special abilities of priests of that god. In addition, Desken's club, named Wrencher causes those hit by it who fail a saving throw versus death magic to contract a terrible fit of madness that lasts 1d6 turns. People affected have been seen clawing out their own eyes (Causes Horror check to all who witnesses it, and a madness check to the person who actually experiences it). It also counts as a club +2. Desken has no turning or commanding ability.

Please send us any ideas, comments, or noticed mishaps by filling in this form.

Comments and suggestions regarding this site be sent to:
gomez@gryphonhill.com