Kelemvor (pronounced KELL-em-vor, formerly Kelemvor Lyonsbane, also known as the Lord of the Dead and Judge of the Damned, is the god of death and the dead, and master of the Crystal Spire in the Fugue Plane. In his mortal days, Kelemvor was a skilled mercenary, with the heart of a noble paladin, concealed under rude manners and thwarted by his mysterious family curse.
Fair yet cold, Kelemvor is the god of death and the dead—the most recent deity to hold this position, following in the footsteps of Jergal, Myrkul, and Cyric. Unlike these other deities, whose rule as gods of the dead made the afterlife an uncertain and fearful thing, Kelemvor urges knowledge that death is a natural part of life and should not be feared as long as it is understood.
Kelemvor is one of the most unwilling and conflicted of the "New Gods." Although he has a fierce revulsion for undead, his hatred is reserved for "undead by choice" (such as liches). He has sympathy for haunts, apparitions, and revenants that exist because someone died without being able to finish a task, mission, or achievement that dominated their lives at the time of death, or so violently and "unfairly" that revenge or at least public identification of their slayer (as a warning to others) leaves them unable to "rest." So Kelemvor will turn a blind eye to "unfinished business" undead, but stand against those who seek to cheat death and achieve undeath thereby.
Kelemvor (and by his instruction, his clergy) ignore baelnorn. That is, they do not treat them as undead to be destroyed, and deal with them only as necessary; polite avoidance and minimal contact is best (and being as Ed is the creator of baelnorn, he's by definition the go-to expert on them). According to Ed, archliches are regarded as undead to be aided in achieving their task/mission and then cajoled to "pass on" into true death rather than hanging around; archliches who disagree, or who have established "unfulfillable" or really long-term tasks or missions for themselves, are to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis (i.e. Kelemvor, working through his servants as proxies, wants to truly understand the motivation and natures of each individual archlich before deciding on a policy towards each particular archlich).
Other Manifestations[]
Kelemvor prefers to send a translucent image of a floating skull enfolded bya hood and surrounded by the flapping tatters of the rest of a diaphanousgray robe. This image is accompanied by the mournful whistle of winds. Ifnecessary, a real wind can accompany this image, and a tangible skeletal armcan reach out from it to point, handle items, carry beings, or attack. The armpossesses a Strength of 24 and can chill touch as the 1st-level wizard spell, asif cast by an 18th-level mage. The image can speak with the voice of thegod, though Kelemvor prefers not to speak aloud, or it can speak directlyinto the minds of beings who are present. This shrouded skull can drift aboutat MV Fl 21 (A), dispel (permanently disrupt with no saving throw) all un-dead within 90 feet, or animate dead all corpses within the same range tocommand them or turn their control over to a mortal, usually one of hispriests. Commands given by Kelemvor to the animated dead cannot be bro-ken by any mortal.Kelemvor also indicates his favor or disfavor or sends aid through thepresence or actions of the demipower Jergal, pers, a few einheriar (whom hetransforms into minor deaths when his senior specialty priests summonthem) and watchghosts, but never any evil or corporeal undead.
Worshipers[]
The death clergy as they are known have many duties, most involve tending to the last wishes of the dying and provide burial services to those who die alone. They also set out to cure diseases and defend people from monsters so that folk do not die before their time. Their final and debatably most important task is the destruction of undeath in all its various forms as it is an affront to Kelemvor. Elite priests of Kelemvor are known as Doomguides. Servants of Kelemvor are usually clad in somber gray vestments and brandish hand-and-a-half swords, or Bastard Sword.
There is only one major centre of worship devoted to Kelemvor, the Tower of Skulls in Ormath.
Orders[]
- Most Solemn Order of the Silent Shroud
- An organization of gravediggers, embalmers, and other cemetary workers and crafters. Those of this order identify each other with a series of secret signs. Their task is to keep the church informed of undead sightings and gravesite desecrations.
- Eternal Order
- This recently established knightly order's purpose is to hunt and destroy powerful undead. They develop powerful undead-fighting powers by sacrificing other paladin abilities.
Spells[]
Kelemvorite Spells
2nd Level
Chilling Scythe
Necromancy
Level: Clr 2 (Kelemvor only) Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Touch Targets: One scythe Duration: 1 round/level Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: Yes
This spell creates an oversized but weightless scythe that can be wielded by any living creature either as a tool or as a weapon. The scythe appears in the hands of the spellcaster, but may be given to another to be wielded. The scythe is a two-handed, 7-foot-long device that is as a +2 enchanted weapon, dealing 2d4+2 points of piercing and slashing (Type P/S) physical damage (1d8+2 vs. L-sized or larger creatures) plus chilling for a further 1d4 points of damage (no saving throw). This chilling damage is caused by draining of life force, not by cold; however, the damage is not permanent as most types of life-force drain are, and it can be healed as normal. Its dweomer enables its wielder to use it with no nonproficiency penalties.
If a chilling scythe even touches an undead creature it deals the undead being 4d6 points of damage and hurls it helplessly 20 feet away from the scythe. The undead creature cannot advance again until the next round even if this repulsion is brought up short by the creature impacting a barrier before the full distance is traversed.
The material component for this spell is a fragment of bone.
4th Level
Dead March
Necromancy
Level: Clr 4 (Kelemvor only) Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: 15 feet/level Targets: 10 corpses or body parts Duration: 1 hour/level Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: No
This spell animates multiple corpses or body parts without making them undead. Up to 10 once-living objects per level of the caster can be raised up from 1 to 14 feet above the ground and sent in a single direction so that they drift along in a straight line on the indicated route at fly 15 ft. (average). The caster can redirect them at any time by concentrating, so as to allow them to follow a winding road or simply to change direction. The spell is not ended, nor contact lost, if the caster engages in other spellcasting. The spell works underwater, so that the animated army of the dead can march down into a river, across its bed, and up the far bank. The magic is not broken by long falls; an animated band that marches over a cliff continues on its way at the bottom.
The animated corpses can be dressed in uniforms to deceive observers or be used as light transport by strapping pouches or weapons to them, but the spell cannot keep single items that weigh even a trifle over 200 lbs. aloft, so pack trains of the animated dead are impractical. The spell can be ended before it expires if the caster so wills. At the spell's end the dead fall abruptly to the ground or sink gently down, as the caster desires. The animated dead have no sentience or hostile intent and cannot be affected by magic intended to affect or control undead, neither can they be turned.
The material components for this pell are a miniature or full-size drum stick or a chicken leg bone and a thread.
5th Level
Deny Death
Necromancy
Level: Clr 5 (Kelemvor only) Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: 90 feet Targets: 1 creature Duration: 1 hour/level Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: No
This spell places willing or senseless beings who have suffered injury within the previous turn into a sort of suspended animation. It does not work on hostile beings who are still conscious or who are under the effects of a magical or psionic charm or sleep effect. This suspended sleep prevents further loss of blood, vital fluids, and hit points and prevents foreign substances and poisons that are propelled through the body by the natural actions of breathing, blood pumping, or digestion from dispersing any further in the body. It can therefore serve to keep poisoned or sorely wounded beings alive for the spell duration.
Deny death also protects its recipient against additional damage from nonmagical attacks or handling. This allows, for example, the caster to drag a sorely injured companion over rough ground without causing further harm. The caster can end the effect instantly at will regardless of how much distance separates him or her from the affected being. Recipients of deny death cannot rouse themselves, nor are they awakened by attacks upon them.