The Thing That Should Not Be...Metallica

History: The Lunatics are a cabalistic order that has served Azeroth long before the

Paring. On that apocalyptic night, Azeroth manifested thousands of pseudopods and drew all of his loyal followers onto the massive moon that served as his avatar in Arkaelan-space. He then took them into deep space and disappeared from the grand scheme of things. In the ages that passed, Azeroth has slowly formed a crystal sphere in which to house himself and his satellite attendants. The descendants of his original followers live upon this grotesque planet, and it is assumed, through both whispered rumor and unsubstantiated scrying, that they are insane, animalistic savages, far removed from their original race.

This however is not the case with most. They are insane, but they do have moments of lucidity in which they advance the cause of Azeroth. A known case in point is a recent spelljamming ship of unknown origin and design that crashed on Arkaela. The Cult of Cthulu has studied this vessel and has concluded that it was formed of some unknown biological matter and powered by the primal forces of chaos, using a kind of ‘soul-forge’ powered by a form of a lower planar creature known as larvae. Whoever was in control the vessel escaped the wreckage and is believed to be a being of great power. Due to the recently built shrines to Azeroth, it is assumed that this unknown being is, in fact, the Ren-shal of the Lunatics. Recently, there have been a few covert attacks on lesser cabals of the Old Ones, in which the collected Ren-shals of the other orders have denied involvement of their members. Due to the apparent randomness of the attacks and seemingly insignificant seizure of cult trinkets, it is believed to be some mad scheme of the followers of Azeroth.

Current Sketch: The current Ren-shal leader of the Lunatics is, in fact, one of the attending satellite creatures that serve Azeroth, transformed by the god into a human form. This being is currently working on establishing a cult stronghold on Arkaela and gaining members. So far, it has been attracting members of other cabalistic orders of the Old Ones, which have been cast out due to extreme insanity. To the astonishment of the other orders, the satellite creatures of Azeroth have been seen again after eons of inactivity, coming close to Arkaela, and disrupting astronomic activities of other cabals by passing through the heavens at random. Interfering with power rituals in particular, these rogue lights in the sky cause unforseen conjunctions that can spell disaster for the other cabals.

While the recent attacks on the other orders seem to be insignificant, in actuality the seized "trinkets" are unearthed magical antiquities sacred to the worship of Azeroth.

Role-playing Notes: All members of the Lunatics are insane. When a P.C begins play, the DM must assign some form of insanity to the player. It is suggested that this have some direct effect on the PC’s game play, yet doesn't hinder the character too much. Members of the Lunatics like to pose as members of other organizations and infect lesser cabalists of the opposing order with insanity, either by direct magical manipulation, or the more subtle meathod of inspiring dangerous, insanity-inflicting activities. In particular, they attempt to espouse the casting of power rituals that rely heavily on astrological events, only to have a satellite creature mar the event and doom the participants. Lunatics always have a proficiency slot allocated for musical instrument: flute.

Weapon Proficiencies: Like all the other cabals, the Lunatics have a preferred small bladed weapon. It however is the most unique. On their flutes, there is a flanged piece of metal at the tip, underneath. They sharpen this to a razor sharp finish and can use it as an offensive weapon.

Flute razor- SPD: 2 TYPE: S DAM: 1d2/1d2

Familiars: For some unknown reason, the only creature that will serve a member of the Lunatics as a familiar is a rabid animal of a mundane type, which the cabalist must strive to keep alive despite its affliction {and thus prevent damage to himself}. If an individual DM has other sources with benevolent creatures known for their insanity, the DM may use the creatures as possible candidates instead.

Magic Items: Like their cabalist brethren, the Lunatics also have magic items unique to their order. They are created through magical research and power rituals.

Flutes of Azeroth: These flutes are made purely from star metal harvested from a meteorite. The cabalist begins the power ritual by infecting a town's livestock with a magical form of rabies. When the animals begin to go mad, the cabalist performs a power ritual. The cabalist must synchronize this on a night with a full moon. If proven successful they are rewarded with a flute of awesome power. Base powers are the following: the flanged razor has a +3 magical bonus, any musical proficiency checks are made with a +2 bonus. The main power lies in the ability for the cabalist to use spells from the school of enchantment/charm and spells from the priest spheres of charm and thought. They must research each spell from these sources as if the cabalist was creating a new spell, with the flute taking the place of the somatic and verbal components of the spell. Finally any spell cast via the flute forces targets to save with a –1 penalty to their saving throws, if applicable.

Weapons of Proficiency: These items are made with the intention of infiltrating another cabalistic order. They are most commonly made in the form of the chosen small bladed weapon of the other cabal, enhancing their own disguise. Already made of the finest material, they are inset with a jet stone on the hilt. The cabalist performs a power ritual that requires the sacrifice of a sentient being capable of using the weapon that is being created {ie., a cabal member}. If it proves successful, the cabalist is rewarded with a weapon that they are capable of using without spending the required weapon proficiency {thus freeing up a slot} and they don't suffer from the normal negative non-proficient penalties. In fact, they are able to use the weapon as well as the sacrificed being, for their soul is trapped within the jet stone; same THAC0, specialization bonus (if applicable), racial bonus, etc. Bonuses for strength only apply with the cabalists' strength. Note that such a weapon is, in effect, an intelligent weapon, and entrapping a high-level foe in such a way will lead to all sorts of personality conflict, as per the rules for weapon-vs-character events.