Cultist of the Shattered Peak

"The pride of wizards and arcanists nearly doomed Faerûn once. Never again."

- Khemal Serist, Cultist of the Shattered Peak

The Cult of the Shattered Peak is a secret society whose members are all of Netherese descent. Their goal is to prevent Netherese secrets from being rediscovered, in the hopes of protecting present-day Toril from suffering a similar apocalypse.

Background
Cultists of the Shattered Peak are always humans of Netherese descent. These bloodlines are most prevalent in the Anauroch Desert, Halruaa, Nimbral, on the Sword Coast North, in the Ride, among the Uthgardt, and in the Western Heartlands. They're also required to speak Loross.

Most members were originally fighter/rogues, though single-class rogues and rogue/rangers have also been known to join the cult's ranks. Paladins are rare due to the cult's sometimes ruthless tactics, and arcane spellcasters are banned altogether.

Goals and Methods
The stereotypical Netherese cult consists of power-hungry wizards bent on either resurrecting the Empire of Magic or on exploiting its secrets for their own aggrandizement. The Cult of the Shattered Peak is the exact opposite; in their view, Faerûnians are better off leaving well enough alone. They recall the arcane hubris that was Netheril's downfall, not to mention its oppression of nonhumans, and fight to keep the old ways dead and buried. To this end they employ a myriad of tactics ranging from disinformation and theft to outright assassination.

From point of view of the Cult of the Shattered Peak, sorcerers and wizards are the ones most likely to disturb Netherese secrets; the cult's directive is to prevent this. This places cultists in direct or indirect conflict with many of Faerûn's arcane spellcasters. Of course, not all mages are opposed to the cause, but the cultist has little choice but to view a given mage as a potential opponent and power abuser until proven otherwise.

Cell System
Cultists mainly work independently or as part of a cell system. This protects the cult from reprisals. A given cultist gives and receives information to and from the one or two cultists they know, or via dead drops. They may also be assigned to protect and assist other members without said members' knowledge.

Above all else, cultists value information, and new members are given few orders besides "Keep your eyes open" and "Report back when you find information of interest, especially concerning powerful magic or mages."

Combat
Cultists normally favor stealth and guile over direct combat, but when forced they attack with ferocity and efficiency. Their prowess is equivalent to a rogue, and they strike fast and hard, preferably before their target realizes that the cultist is there. Their special abilities, particularly the Death Attack (see below) make such surprise attacks devastating.

Relationships with other factions
Few people know of the cult, and those who do tend to regard it as a group of mage-hating extremists. Arcanists generally dislike them, but most others individuals have little opinion either way. However, the cult has often interfered with Zhentarim wizards in the Anauroch, so members of the Black Network are almost always hostile toward known cultists.

Cultists regard magelords as cruel and dangerous (a not entirely unjustified sentiment), and magelords generally return the prejudice.

The Bedine nomads, however, are allies of the cult and regularly provide shelter to its members.

The cult may be active throughout Faerûn, because foolish, irresponsible, greedy and generally evil arcanists can be found nearly everywhere. It's known that the cult has had less-than-friendly relations with the Zhentarim, and the same could be true of the Red Wizards. Likewise, anywhere mages hold political power (Rashemen, the Vilhon Reach, Waterdeep, and so on), the cult may be working in the shadows.

Relationships with adventurers
Cultists of the Shattered Peak view adventurers by their actions. Opening Netherese tombs and unearthing magic is a good way to draw their ire. Conversely, a group in pursuit of those who would do so, or power-abusing mages in general, may find an ally in the cult.

Cultist Abilities

 * Weapon Proficencies: Cultists are proficient with martial weapons, light armor, and buckler shields.
 * Spellcasting: Cultists gain the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells based on their Intelligence ability.  They can use sorcerer and wizard spells from the schools of abjuration and enchantment.  They prepare their spells like a wizard, and may use any spell from those lists.
 * Ominous Presence: Cultists have a bonus to their bluffing and intimidation.  This is useful for dissuading adventurers from uncovering dangerous Netherese secrets.
 * Zeal: Cultists gain a morale bonus against arcane spells and spellcasters.
 * Sneak Attack: Like rogues, cultists do extra damage when flanking or attacking flat-footed opponents.
 * Smite Mage: Like paladins, 3rd level cultists can add their Charisma modifier to an attack once per day.
 * Death Attack: Like assassins, 5th level cultists can attempt an instant kill.