Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Finder’s Archives.
In this column, we take some of the lands from Magic: The Gathering and turn them into something you can use for your fantasy games.
The stats given in each entry assumes that you’re using Pathfinder or 5e for your games, but they can easily be converted over into any fantasy system. This week we look at the collection efforts of the Cabal’s Headquarters at the Cabal Stronghold.
Cabal Stronghold
The Cabal Stronghold is the Cabal’s headquarters, where Belzenlok makes his lair while gathering the souls needed for his ascension to godhood. It is a desolate land, one where life doesn’t find purchase, and where you have to watch your every step. It is inhospitable to everyone except the members of the Cabal themselves, and it is highly advised to stay away unless you have a pressing need to go here.
Lay of the Land
The Cabal Stronghold consists of two parts, a mountainous area where the rest of Belzenlok’s minions live and work, and a pillar of arcane fire that IS (at least partially) Belzenlok. Within the stronghold can be found all the paraphernalia of a wanna-be god: A temple in his honor, arcane laboratories, fighting/sacrificial pits (though nowhere near as large as the Cabal Pit), reanimation rooms, and even a harem — though one that consists solely of monstrous creatures, including Belzenlok’s Favorite, a hybrid aboleth-kraken that seems to have lost its own name to the passage of time. How the creature even came to exist is unknown, but it is highly intelligent and seems to genuinely love the demi-god.
Dangers
Belzenlok himself is the most dangerous creature here (use the stats for a balor (PF 2 / 5e), but have him deal necrotic damage instead of fire with his aura), and Belzenlok’s Favorite is a close second. But there are plenty of other creatures here, abominations and monstrosities of all kinds. But the most influential is Belzenlok’s High Priest. A woman whose evil and depravity outshines the rest of the Cabal (use the following stats: PF 2 / 5e, except she is Lawful Evil and completely and utterly insane). She will do anything in her power to stop anyone who is attempting to curtail, slow down, or even mildly inconvenience Belzenlok. She’s also the secret puppet master behind most of the current plots that involve the Cabal, and seems to have developed a sixth sense for knowing when someone is out of line.
And with that, we hope to see you next week.
Kim Frandsen
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