The Sons of Marchanter has its headquarters within the abandoned Temple of Heironeous at the heart of the Dark City, and is actually much larger than the public believes with a population of well over 200 (only the leaders know for sure). Many of the members claim to be direct descendants of Marchanter though none have bothered to prove this to any others. The leaders of the Sons actually claim to be Marchanter's real sons and daughters by raped female slaves and thus have taken the Melkotia name. While all members will swear that this is true (even under torture), many if not most secretly do not believe it, but greatly fear their very real power. Some of the rank and file members, however, really are the children of people who once worked in the castle (castle guards, cooks, maids, servants, lab assistants and apprentices, etc.). A few of these original castle occupants are even still alive, though most had never even laid eyes on Marchanter during their stay in the castle (they always say they knew him personally of course).
All members of the Sons above 1st level are double-classed in one of two combinations: fighter-mage or thief-mage (either side can be the primary class). All must meet appropriate minimums in their important ability scores to reach certain levels, thus every member is quite skilled. The Sons recognize that although Marchanter may have been a very powerful archmage, he is not a god (at least, to their knowledge, not yet). Thus there are no priests (though they mislead the public into believing so) and the word "cult" is never used by the membership. All members must be human or mostly human.
Every member wears a special ring as an identifying emblem. The
rings
are supposedly a copy of a ring of great power created and worn by
Marchanter
himself. The original was rumored to be composed of a strange metal not
found on the Prime Material Plane and was set with a single red gem
also
not of this plane. Its powers are unknown. The faceted gem has
Marchanter's
emblem somehow carved into it. Sons of less than 6th level have silver
rings set with a garnet. Sons of 6th and higher have gold rings set
with
high quality garnets. The leaders have gold-platinum alloy rings set
with
rubies. All the stones have Marchanter's emblem carved into it. The
rings
look quite ordinary to the uninitiated unless closely examined with a
magnifier,
but members are trained to identify them from a range of 6 feet. The
punishment
for revealing this information to a non-member is well known to every
member
who receives a ring: what is left of your soul when the Sons' leaders
finish
with your body will be sold to a lower planar creature (baatezu,
yugoloth
or tanar'ri) in return for information useful to the Sons.
2. Research into the workings (structure and politics) of the multiverse - particularly the aims and actions of the Powers (gods, archfiends, etc.). As a result, the Sons do not follow the teachings of any one particular god, though individual members may. A handful of gods have the leaders' "seal of approval".
3. Investigations into the disappearance and present whereabouts of Marchanter, what he was working on, how to bring him back.
4. Take control of Melkotia Castle (sometimes referred to as the "Nexus" by the leaders, perhaps because of its importance to their plans), particularly to reach the Library (believed to be the largest in the world), Marchanter's quarters, his various labs, etc. to get a hold of the powerful magic items and spells that are rumored to be there, and to follow the previously stated aims.
5. To expand their sphere of influence and knowledge over as large a geographic area as possible.
Because of this obsessive quest for knowledge, the Sons have more detailed knowledge about Lord Marchanter Melkotia and Melkotia Castle than most any other sources. They also have a much clearer, less biased view of the aims and relationships of the Powers than any other organization, and their spy network have uncovered much of the inner activity of most western Flanaess governments, churches, cults and other organizations. Rumor is that even the Scarlet Brotherhood, an organization the personifies deception and duplicity, has been infiltrated. It has been confirmed that the Sons have even managed to penetrate the impenetrable Tower of the Silent Ones, although to what degree is unknown. The single known infiltrator was killed upon capture (Living Greyhawk Journal #4, pg 16), and caused even the Wyrd to sit up and take notice of a group that they had paid no previous attention.
You may ask "what is wrong with any of those ambitions?" They all
seem
quite harmless... well, with the exception of bringing back one of the
most dangerous tyrants to ever walk the Oerth. In their case, the end always
justifies the means. The Sons are willing to do anything that
moves
them towards their goals. While members may be any neutral or evil
alignment,
their leaders are as evil as they come. And what do most insiders
believe
will happen if the above is even partially accomplished (though it is
never
discussed)? - The power they will have once they have all this
information
and magic will enable them to take control of and rule a large area of
the continent, crushing any opposition. The creation of a new Empire,
in
Marchanter's name. In preparation for this, the Sons have spies placed
in many governments and most large wizards guilds in the Flanaess.
Marak Melkotia - human male; high level wizard; Supreme Leader of the Sons; very imposing, quiet, brooding personality; extremely intelligent; brilliant planner; obsessed with the secrets of Melkotia Castle; the intellectual force behind the Sons.
Kerene Melkotia - human (¼ elven) female; high level wizard; 2nd-in-command; very intelligent, expert diplomat; more outgoing personality, pretty face hides her ruthlessness; supervises wizard training; deals with internal problems.
Jarath Melkotia - human male; high level thief; very intelligent; spymaster for the Sons; quiet, average-looking; very little is known about him.
Jorak Melkotia - human male; high level
warrior;
Leader of the Black Guard; 6'6", very muscular, pitch black full plate
armor - a very imposing figure who strikes fear in everyone who sees
him;
death and evil seems to radiate from him, kills quickly and viciously
with
very little provocation - failure means death, no excuses; corridors
clear
when he strides by.
In 6081 the "Purging " occurred when several "Sons" were
assassinated.
Shortly thereafter (6082) the Sons became a fanatical cult, beginning
to
recruit and train followers. Forays were attempted into Melkotia
Castle,
but were all turned back or destroyed. The Castle had become thoroughly
overrun by strange and deadly creatures. With a large contingent of
cult
members, the Sons managed to take and hold the New Guard Tower (the
closest,
smallest part of the Castle that serves as the only entrance). On the
30th
anniversary of Marchanter's disappearance (6093) the Sons took control
of the Old Guard Tower and Barracks (the next building) after much loss
of life. The true number being known only to the higher level members,
a rumor among junior cult members is that fully half of the cult gave
their
lives in that assault. In 6096 (the 70th anniversary of the start of
the
Years of Dark Terror) a party of high level cult members attempted to
reach
the Laboratory building. They were never heard from again.
The single most important reason - free training of the highest
possible
quality amongst a brotherhood of people with similar interests and
similar
background (generally loners with no families or homes). Other members
become their only family.
Your new life has begun.
As stated earlier, the group is considerably larger than what is thought. The group's headquarters occupies the former Temple of Heironeous that was cleared out by Marchanter's massacre of 530 CY (6045 SD), and the buildings that line both sides of the short street just south of the Temple. The Temple of Heironeous is now referred to as the Temple of Marchanter (and the fiction of a fanatical religious cult is promoted through Melkot's "Dark City"), though the organization is not a religious one at all. There are well over 200 members in their headquarters, however a comparable number of members "in the field" are actually spread across the Flanaess, secretly infiltrating governments and other organizations, continually sending reports back. Because of their arcane knowledge mandates, the Sons are particularly active in the infiltration of the Seekers and the Silent Ones, the latter of which they have a particular disdain because of the Silent One's mandate of attempted control of and sequestering away of arcane knowledge. They feel that the Silent Ones contributed to the strangling of any post-migrations Suel resurgence by their beaurocratic control of the use of magic. For years the Sons managed to hide their existence from the Silent Ones, until one of their spies was caught. While the individual committed suicide before he could be questioned, the Silent Tower has now taken notice of this new threat. The Sons are also keeping tabs on the activities of the Scarlet Brotherhood. While impressed by the Brotherhood's skills at infiltration, they feel the Brotherhood has not lived up to their racial potential by not expanding enough (both geographic expansion and global influence) given the large size and age of the organization.
Arcane use is not only encouraged in the Sons, it is mandatory. Every member is double-classed as either a fighter-wizard or thief-wizard, with either side as their primary class. The 4 leaders of the Sons have taken on Marchanter Melkotia's last name, claiming to be his direct offspring, their mothers being a henchman/hireling or slave. While many of the cultists don't believe it to be true, all 4 leaders actually are Marchanter's offspring. All of them have special familiars that give them +1 on their primary level, magic resistance, regeneration, HP bonus, and other abilities determined by their specific familiar. See above for brief descriptions of their personalities. They are:
Marak Melkotia - human male; 16 (15+1) wizard, 5 thief; Supreme Leader of the Sons; imp special familiar.
Kerene Melkotia - human (1/4 elven) female; 11 (10+1) wizard, 5 thief; 2nd-in-command; nalg special familiar (see Dragon Magazine #86).
Jarath Melkotia - human male; 14 (13+1) thief, 5 wizard; spymaster for the Sons; nalg special familiar.
Jorak Melkotia - human male; 13 (12+1) antipaladin, 5 wizard; Leader of the Black Guard; quasit special familiar, rides a nightmare.
They believe it is their birthright, as the descendants of Marchanter Melkotia, to not only rule the region, but to lead a Suel resurgence to rebuild the Empire. They believe the means to that goal lie within Melkotia Castle.
After decades of collecting information from original survivors, divinations, and attempted forays into Melkotia Castle, the group knows more about the history of and current state of the castle than anyone. For example, they knew that Marchanter could control large numbers of inner and outer planar creatures, including the use of many elementals to build the twin towers, and those means may still be hidden somewhere in the castle. That one of the largest libraries of arcane information ever amassed exists in the 2nd tower. That Marchanter's research labs and personal quarters likely hold many powerful magic items, and spellbooks containing rare and unique spells. For those reasons, they've expended quite a lot of resources, including the lives of cult members, in attempts to reach those areas.
While the 4 leaders collectively would constitute a significant force that quite likely could reach some of those areas, none of the leaders will at this time dare enter the castle for several reasons. They know that some power isolates the interior of the castle from all planar contact, so planeshift, phasing, and etherealness does not function at all (ghosts become corporeal!), nor does access to any form of extradimensional space such as bags of holding, portable holes, Leomund's Tiny Hut, etc. The items are not damaged. They just cannot be accessed and related spells fail. Teleportation of any type as well does not function within the castle. Most importantly for the 4 of them, any other-planar creature that enters (and they can enter), is somehow blocked from exiting and is forever trapped within the castle. They are all loath to lose their special familiars! They of course have no qualms about sending others in, until they can resolve that one major problem. This disconnect from other planes is so complete that priests cannot contact their gods, and the spirit or soul of any creature that dies in the castle (including other-planars) is unable to leave, thus the creature's existence is permanently ended.
The Sons have come to realize that there are open gates somewhere in the castle where other-planars are entering, but then they all become trapped, unable to re-enter the gates, or leave the buildings.
Melkotia Castle has become a giant trap for non-prime material plane creatures, hence the reason why it is filled with a never-ending supply of deadly occupants from across the planes.
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