Khaine, the Lord of Murder, has many cults following him, just as other gods do. One of the more widespread versions of his worship is the group known as the "Claws of Darkness" or 'Dunkelklaue' in Reikspiel. Description and Alignment: As per Warhammer FRP p. 205. Symbols: Wavy-bladed dager, scorpion. Khaine sometimes manifests himself as a giant scorpion to deal with those who have severely displeased him. Temples: Usually underground. Graveyards are another popular place to hold worship services, which is one fertile source of friction with the cult of Morr. The temples have an organizaton similar to that of an underground resistance movement, which is appropriate because that is how they tend to see themselves. Common worshippers and Initiates are not told of the locations of other temples; only at 1st-level cleric is a priest of Khaine given the right to communicate with other centers of the Dunkelklaue. Communication between temples is usually by coded letters, carried by mesengers who just know that Khaine wants them to leave the message in a particular place. Recognition signals do exist, resembling those used by secret societies in our own world. The main center of the Dunkelklaue is at Sartosa; worship there is almost open, keeping in mind that Pirate Law is much less merciful than that of the rest of the Old World. Other important centers are located at Talabheim, Altdorf, Marinburg, Mirigliano and Bilbali. Most large cities have at least one temple, and in cities where more than one exists, their existence is kept secret from one another so that the loss of one will not endanger the other(s). Friends and Enemies: The Dunkelklaue get along well enough with other Khaine cults. Khaine cultists, unlike Chaos cultists, cooperate easily enough across cult lines, while continuing to believe that they themselves are the true possessors of correct doctrine. Unsurprisingly, the cult of Morr is the greatest single enemy the Dunkelklaue faces; priests of Morr and worshippers of Khaine regard each other as deadly foes. Behind the serene facade of many cities, the underground struggle continues, wiht the priests of Morr hiring on adventurers to go up against the Dunkelklaue, which returns the compliment when cultists with the right talents are thin on the ground. Oddly, the next greatest enemy the Dunkelklaue faces is the worshippers of Chaos. The activities of Chaos-worshippers bring heat down on all outlawed cults, and the Chaos cultists regard Khaine with contempt. Bitterest of all is the feud between the followers of Khaine and Khorne. Khaine is a god of murder, subtle or open; Khorne is a god of wholesale mindless indiscriminate slaughter---sort of a Bosnian-Serb Chaos god, in other words. Where Khaine is best pleased by a perfect murder where the perpetrator got away clean, Khorne just wants to pile up more and more dead bodies. Other Chaos cultists are also hated: in rough order from most-hated to least-hated, the Dunkelklaue fights the worshipprs of the Horned Rat, Nurgle, Tzeentch, Malal and Slaanesh. Slaaneshi cultists are almost considered harmless by the Dunkelklaue, and unless they bring down official pressure or actively interfere with Khaine's followers, they will be left alone. Holy Days: Hexenstag and Geheimnistag, of course; local branches will gather at a member's house for a feast in honor of a particularly spectacular murder, preferably committed by a member, on the anniversary of the crime. Cult Requirements: Any person wishing to become an Initiate of Khaine in the Dunkelklaue must have successfully murdered at least one person. The more spectacularly and riskily the murder was carried out, the better. The murder must not only have been committed, but the murderer must have gotten away scot-free, or at worst been acquitted. To rise in rank, Initiates and Clerics must murder. These murders must be illegal (ie you can go out in the woods and kill Beastmen, mutants and Goblinoids all you want, and Khaine won't mind, but these activities aren't meaty enough to get you promoted in _this_ god's priesthood!) and the perpetrators must escape, preferably without being suspected. Audacity and style in murder please Khaine greatly. Coming up to a target in a crowded public place and killing him with some weapon that's incredibly conspicous or noisy, like a halberd or an arquebus, and getting away with it - now THAT's style. Killing in a grotesquely humorous way, or in a manner so complex that it becomes the stuff of legend, also pleases the god. As for audacity, any town has its wealthy merchants, its nobility, its high-level clerics and spellcasters. Taking one of them out pleases Khaine far more than any amount of anonymous back-alley beggar-bashings. The greater the difficulties faced and overcome by a cleric of Khaine, the more the god will be pleased. Even if thesedifficulties are self-inflicted, like committing a murder successfully in an incredibly conspicuous costume, or lugging a halberd through the Middenheim markets without the Watch taking an interest. Clerics: Clerics of Khaine in the Dunkelklaue have to live double lives. They cannot openly follow their god, even in Sartosa, and have to have some cover occupation. Since they are all literate and know the Classical arcane language, many of them become Academics of various sorts, or serve local governments as bureaucrats.That poor gormless wretch behind the desk when your PCs come in to pay taxes or get a license might BE a poor gormless wretch, or he might be something much darker. Just a cheery thought for the next time your players get tangled up with the bureaucracy - or could it be that all the delays and obfuscation are Khaine's way of driving folk to murder? Those who cannot or will not become bureaucrats or scholars often work as Footpads, Racketeers or Assassins. Unsurprisingly, they are extremely effective in these careers, and find pleasing Khaine and making a living quite compatible. Advancement for clerics of Khaine is more difficult than it is in othercults. The advance scheme is the same as in the rulebook, but required skils are as follows: Initiate: Read/Write Secret Language--Classical Scroll Lore Theology ID Plants Herb Lore Escapology Immunity to Poison Specialist Weapon---Blowpipe. (Notes: Initiates skills are laregly gained for the purpise of aiding full Clerics with their poison preparation and other religious duties.) First Level: Arcane Languages: Magick and Necromancy Cast Spells: Petty Magic, as listed below Meditate Public Speaking Cryptography Disguise Forge Specialist Weapon---Crossbow Pistol Prepare Poisons Second Level: Cast Spells---Battle Magic, Necromantic Magic, First Level (as listed) Identify Undead Magical Sense Arcane Language--Demonic Concealment (Rural and Urban) Shadowing Silent Move (Rural and Urban) Torture Third Level: Cast Spells: Battle Magick, Necromantic Magic, Second level (as listed) Cast Spells: Demonic Magic, First Level (as listed) Prepare Potions Magical Awareness Manufacture Scrolls Pick Locks Arcane Language--Illusionist Fourth Level: Cast Spells: Battle Magic, Necromantic Magic, Third Level (as listed) Cast Spells: Demonic Magic, Second Level, (as listed) Cast Spells: Illusionist Magic, First Level (as listed) Rune Lore Specialist Weapon (Net) Speak Additional Language Spells Available: Petty Magic: Curse Glowing Light Magic Alarm Magic Lock Open Reinforce Door Sleep Battle 1: Cause Animosity Immunity from Poison Steal Mind Strength of Combat Battle 2: Aura of Protection Cause Frenzy Cause Hatred Cause Panick Cone of Sanctuary Battle 3: Animate Sword Arrow Invulnerability Cause Fear Curse of Arrow Attraction Dispel Aura Demon 1: Bind Demon Dispel Lesser Demon Summon Guardian Demon 2: Summon Lesser Demon Zone of Demonic Nullification Illusionist 1: Assume Illusionary Appearance Clone Image Necromantic 1: Hand of Death Summon Skeletons Necromantic 2: Control Undead Extend Control Hand of Dust Necromantic 3: Annihilate Undead Life in Death The Gift of Khaine: Clerics of Khaine of the fourth level who have particularly pleased Khaine may, at the god's discretion, be transformed into vampires when they die. As vampires, they retain all their abilities as clerics of Khaine, and have in addition all the powers of a vampire as detailed in the WFRP rulebok. Vampires are helishly effective leaders for Khaine cults, and even vampires who have not had anything to do with Khaine or his followers during their lives find them extremely useful allies. To determine whether a Khaine cleric receives the Gift, they must roll d100 and give up 200 experience points. Any result above 90 on the dice roll means that the Gift has been given. Results may be modified so that a cleric who has been the embodiment of his faith has as much as a +25% extra chance. Recruitment: Khaine cults recruit largely from among those who feel rightly or wrongly that society and life have wronged them deeply. To them, Khaine is an angry god of venegance who will help them take revenge on those who have hurt them. Profile of a typical high-level Dunkelklaue cleric: Name: Sigismund Spassvoegel Alignment: Evil (Khaine) Profession: Racketeer and fourth-level priest of Khaine. M WS BS S T W I A Dex Ld Int Cl WP Fel 5 52 56 5 4 10 65 2 60 57 68 69 65 57 Skills: Silent Move (Rural and Urban); Strike to Stun; Dodge Blow; SpecialistWeapon: Fist Weapons, Incendiaries, Net, Crossbow Pistol, Blowpipe; Street Fighter; Strike Mighty Blow; Read/Write; Secret Language (Classical); Theology (Khaine); Identify Plants; Herb Lore: Escapology; Immunity to Poison; Arcane Languages: Magick, Necromantic, Demonic, Illusionist; Cast Spells: Petty Magic, Battle Magic, 1-3 level, Necromantic 1-3 level, Demonic 1-2 level, Illusionist 1 level (all spells listed above); Identify Undead; Meditate; Public Speaking; Cryptography; Disguise; Forgery; Prepare Poisons; Magical Sense; Concealment (Rural and Urban); Shadowing; Scale Sheer Surface; Torture; Prepare Potions; Manufacture Scrolls; Pick Locks; Rune Lore; Speak Additional Language-Tilean. Possessions: Ordinary clothes, ritual robes, mask and holy symbol of Khaine, clown suit (see below), disguise kit, picklock kit, bottles of assorted poisons, holy books of Khainite theology in Classical language, crossbow pistol, sword, blowpipe, 20 darts. Special rules: When killing in honor of Khaine, always wears clown suit and makeup or mask. Ruled by an elaborate macabre sense of humor. Subject to hatred of gnomes. If anybody refuses to find his elaborate practical jokes funny, Spassvoegel is subject to _frenzy._ Spells: 64 Magic Points---can cast all spells listed above. Notes: As you may imagine, this character is bad news on burnt toast. He is a powerful cleric of Khaine, and has been highly favored by his dark god.Wheile continuing in his ostensible career as a Racketeer, he has also established an alternate identity as the "Clown"---a maniacal killer who strikes completely at random and without warning. While in costume as the "Clown", he wears any of several extremely colorful, elaborate clown costumes, as well as eithr a mask of a clown face or clown makeup, and a green wig. This is to ensure that his victims know who killed them, and to make things a little more sporting---as you can imagine, the watch find him a little too much to deal with. As the "Clown", Sigismund Spassvoegel specializes in killings that appeal to his sense of humor. He sees himself as the Old World's greatest comedian. Unfortunately, nobody else, not even his subordinates, finds his jokes the least bit funny. Hence his hatred of Gnomes. Lately he has been working with an outlawed Alchemist to find a poison that will stretch the victim's lips into a smile. Spassvoegel could become a Vampire at any time, but prefers to stay human and mortal for now. If he is killed, he will rise again as a Vampire, andis first order of business will be to find the people who killed him and dispose of them in a particularly gruesome and humorous manner. -- First they got rid of the non-members, and I acquiesced---I'm a member. Then they came for the Tuchux, and I acquiesced because I'm not a Tuchuck. Then they got rid of the Hordesmen, and the cavaliers, and the OOP personae... and when they came for me, no one was left to protest.