[D20] E is for Evil

The Ashford Valley has plenty of evil - the Necromancer, tribes of Bugbears in the forests, thieves in Sooton and bandits on the roads, even the Morlocks under the ground. But they aren't the only ones. There are deeper evils, more subtle evils in the Valley.

The Scions of Azrael are one such deeper evil. They are a cult who worship the demon-prince Azrael but their purview isn't death and destruction, it is corruption and temptation.

Only a few of the Scions, maybe a half-dozen or perhaps a few more than that, reside in the valley and they often hold positions of power and influence. Their ranks include rich merchants, skilled craftsmen, brave knights and even a holy cleric.

The holy cleric is Insidias, the High Priest to Angwish in Ashford town. He became corrupted a number of years ago and has so far been able to conceal his treachery. The other priests have no clue that he is evil as he uses his influence, with them as well as with others, very subtly. When he encounters an individual that may be of use to the Scions, he carefully grooms them, slowly leading them to corruption.

One young priest named Verum, however, has discovered his secret, quite accidentally. The priest is confused and has been trying to justify what he witnessed to convince himself that High Priest Insidias is not evil. Verum, however, has been receiving prophetic dreams from Angwish, warning him of the danger, that he is in as well as the Church. Insidias has learned of his liability and is formulating a plan to either kill, corrupt or discredit Verum. Can the PCs help? Or will the Scions of Azrael win?