Helotry of Xiombarg

An idea that evolved from a concept for a D&D Prestige Class based on bondage into a full-fledged cult.

The Nameless Goddess

While Xiombarg is well known for her bloodthirsty warriors, there is a following of sorcerously inclined people that have formed a quasi-religious mystery cult dedicated to the adoration of the Queen of Swords. These witches dedicate themselves to those aspects of the chaos goddess which are magical in nature as well as a mystery based on an imprisoned lover of the goddess.

The tale goes that the Lords of Order, angered by the incessant disruptions the mad goddess inflicted upon the world, crafted a beautiful creature that was the epitome of all the goddess seemed to adore. This creature was a beautiful maiden that the goddess did indeed begin to adore. However, once the smitten goddess had begun to indulge her mate - driven thoroughly as mad as she herself was by the very nature of the realms of chaos - the Lords of Order released the trap, targeting not the goddess herself but her lover. Bound inside a crystalline prison of purest order, the bound demigoddess sleeps forever, as Xiombarg pines for her release, thus distracting the brother of Arioch and allowing the world to move on free of her terrible madness. But even imprisoned, the demigoddess lover of Xiombarg works her magic upon the goddess, gentling her enough that she does not destroy all that exists in a fit of awesome rage.

The Helotry of Xiombarg portrays the mystery of their cult by confining themselves in some manner, usually binding their arms or wearing manacles or chains. This is unusual in that all of the Helots are spell casters, a profession normally defined by the requirement of having their hands free. All of them have, at one time or another, been unwillingly bound and have managed to cast their spells despite this, and thus experienced a part of the mystery of the unnamed demigoddess who enthralls her lover still.

The Helots of Xiombarg emulate the demigoddess that their deity watches over by binding their bodies in some manner. Their arms are almost always bound in some fashion or another, and they often add manacles, severe clothing and other restraints and inconveniences. Piercings are acceptable but not the norm among them. The most advanced Helots are often decorous women and women who are little more than ornamental in appearance, bound hand and foot, even gagged and blindfolded. However, the appearance of helplessness is quite a different thing than helplessness. As their goddess' lover manipulates and guides Xiombarg, so does her Helotry guide, influence and command the world around them without hands.

All Helots are capable of casting magic without somatic components; it is a requirement and an experience they all share at some point in their lives. They learn to manipulate objects with their will, and to command and suborn the wills of others with a glance. The most powerful of them can slip free of their earthly bodies, exploring and manipulating the world in the form of disembodied spirits while their bodies are posed, immobile and senseless.

The Mystery Cult

By far the single most taxing problem for those trying to garner information about the Helotry of Xiombarg is the sheer variety of answers. If one were to ask a Helot about the source of his or her power, the chances of two answers being similar is very slim. The closest to a consistent answer seems to be that it is both a philosophy and a religion, or some bizarre mixture of the two. In truth, the answer is much more complex.

A mystery cult is a form of religious observance that takes one aspect or experience in a deity's life or growth or faith, and seeks to emulate it in act and deed. In the case of the mystery cult of the Nameless Goddess, most Helots who have found themselves unwillingly bound have sought to end their captivity with magical force. Usually, such unwilling captivity forces the spellcaster to be unable to cast spells; if they manage to do so, by subterfuge or sheer willpower, they gain some insight into the unwilling imprisonment of the Nameless Goddess who gently guides and controls the destructive, perverse goddess Xiombarg from within her Oder-inflicted constraints. Eventually, they will discover other bondage witches and cerebrectomists, who teach them what they have experienced if neither unique nor is it simply a show of power.

To a truly devoted Helot, the taking on of bondage is not simply to gain personal power or mystically unleash their inner power through constraint of the body. When they don their blindfolds, their bindings, and limit their body and flesh, they are actually emulating the essential nature of their deity. This act, this ritualistic affectation of their goddess' nature and legend, becomes a form of worship where they are no longer simply mortal but become as essentially divine as their own deity. Devout Helots have as many explanations for why their powers exist as there are Helots: sympathetic magic stimulated by the restraining of oneself to mimic the restraints placed on all magic by the Lords of Order, a philosophical journey of self-empowerment through denial and introspection, utilizing the mystical essences of the bound and Nameless Goddess through emulation of her binding....and many more explanations.

Many claim to know the truth of where the powers the Bondage Witches and Cerebrectomists stem from; many people can even emulate various abilities they have through long practice, careful study, and hard work, yet the power seems to flow easily to them. The magical energies themselves seem neither arcane nor divine in nature - most being supernatural in power -but you will get explanations that differ from arcane and divine casters alike and often receive answers that mix the two disparate forms of magic. This lack of unifying philosophy makes determining the motives and beliefs of the cultists difficult for those intent on learning about them or fighting them. All the Helots believe their own explanations, and this lack of unity makes the cult less of a threat than it would ordinarily be; generally, it is the presence of the worshipers of Xiombarg that turns the Helotry into a real threat by organizing others under the Queen of Swords' banner.

Members of the Helotry

Despite the fact that it is called the Helotry of Xiombarg, it is not truly known whether the power of the Helotry stems from Xiombarg or the Nameless Goddess whom they adore. It is well known that the Helots are avowed worshipers of the powers that the Queen of Swords represents - power over others and one's self, magical forces, pain, suffering, blood, and obscene forms of what can only by a far cry be called "love". Typical of Xiombarg's followers, they deface the beautiful, glorify the unsightly, vilify the rules and laws of their communities, and then turn around and do the opposite when confronted with claims of having done these things. Despite that, the Helotry of Xiombarg quietly adores a silent, unknown being, which they call a goddess. There was no recorded name for the being they say gives them their power as they emulate her mystery. Whether the Lords of Order struck their cats-paw from record, or the spells which imprison and ensnare her prevent her name from being discovered, no one can say.

It is rare for those who are members of the Helotry to speak of their induction into it, but by and large it seems almost by chance or divine will that they first enter into their power. Despite this, the Helotry is a growing concern in many cities. The more sophisticated and cosmopolitan the city, the more likely the Helotry will worm its way in to start eating at the souls and hearts of the youth or those who seek power without restriction upon its use. Sorcerers are by far and away the most common among the Helotry, with wilders maintaining a close second; however, wizards, psions, and disenchanted priests of other deities often find their way into the secretive temples and bordellos of the depraved worshipers of Xiombarg.

Strange creatures are attracted to the Helotry. They cannot truly be called 'allied' creatures, as the Helotry is not organized as such, and those creatures that find their way into the Helotry are generally doing so for their own reasons. In keeping with the capricious nature of the faith that they have, the Helots react in a wide variety of ways to these creatures and their responses are unpredictable. By far the most common alien visitations come from the undead jahi. These intelligent undead seek worshipers and adulation, and find that cults such as the Helotry (when they actually organize enough to be called a cult) suit their purposes to perfection. Most find that it is actually more cost effective to let the Helotry bring them cultists rather than trying to subvert the Helots themselves; in addition to being powerful psychics and spell casters most Helots do not take well to being controlled despite appearances. Slaadi are another (relatively) common visitor to Helots. Usually it is curiosity or summons that bring them, and being the insane creatures they are they will often stay to do various things with, to, around, between, beside, or away from the Helotry.

Needless to say, it is almost impossible to determine what any group of Helots will have among their numbers; they are equally likely to have local nobles, beggars off the street, guild members, heretics of other faiths, and monsters that make no real sense to have around when a cell of Helots is discovered.

Enemies

Ardarvia et al.

Prestige Classes

Bondage Witches

The first Helot was a delicate sorceress whose blood coursed with the taint of chaos, a Chaond by the name of Jeymradis the Coldhearted. After an ill advised affair with what she had innocently believed was a palace maid, King Uradhou of the Gellsipean Fortresses had her imprisoned in the dungeons, placed in stocks and flogged daily until the princess was married. The fact that his daughter was no longer a virgin is likely what prompted this particularly harsh punishment. Jeymradis went for three months of brutal torment before her battered soul began to cry for a way to end her torment.

Driven more than half mad by her enforced captivity, the free spirit that was Jeymradis sought an escape. It is said that she heard soft whispers when she was alone, and that the whispers became laughter at her bloodied flesh and aching muscle and bone when she was whipped. When she had resisted once too often, cursed the cruelty of her captors to vehemently, she was beaten near to death, and as she hung in her chains dying, she had a vision.

In her vision, she saw a beautiful woman-child, trapped in a glowing bubble caught inside a pyramid, trapped within a cube, placed within a dodecahedron. This girl slept, but it was not a peaceful sleep, for she felt the turmoil and pain of her beloved, trapped forever outside the prison where she slumbered. The spirit of this sleeping goddess sympathized with the agony of the sorceress, also trapped, also pining for her loved one. No one can say if the whispers Jeymradis heard were those of the demigoddess or of cunning Xiombarg, but it is very well known the bloodied sorceress offered her soul to free herself from the chains that bound her.

“Though you cannot be freed of your chains, you may be freed of your restraints.” The voice within her mind spoke sweetly, urging her, instructing her. And following those quiet commands, she discovered she could indeed break free of those restraints that have plagued sorcerers and wizards since time immemorial. With no word or gesture, she gazed into the eyes of her captor and struck her dead. But this was only the beginning.

Trapped as she was, she could not strike out at those whom she truly wished to punish, nor reach the one whom had brought her to this dreadful situation. She cast out her spirit, and with dire sorceries and strange power she laid waste to her enemies and released her companions and fellow prisoners, all from the cross of pain she suffered upon. When she was finally released from her bondage by her paramour she discovered her great powers were of little use when she walked free and unhindered. Yet by giving up that which made other free, she released herself from the most sinister bonds of all, those placed upon her magic by the Lords of Order to restrict magic wielder’s strength.

So the Helotry of Xiombarg was formed by a wayward princess and a blood-tainted sorceress. Together they explored the limits of bondage and magic, and how they could circumvent the limitations of sorcery by indulging in rites that other mortals and societies found perverse, heinous, and even disgusting. Slowly they discovered that others could be introduced to the wonders and freedoms of their strange rites; men and women alike. They discovered that while psychics could not benefit from the rites and rituals, their abilities provided strength to the Helotry of Xiombarg and were welcomed into the fold.

Helotry of Xiombarg - Bondage Witch

Hit Dice: 1d4/level

Weapon/Armor Proficiencies: None.

4 Skill Points per Level.

Class Skills: Bluff, Concentrate, Diplomacy, Craft, Escape Artist, Knowledge (Arcane), Knowledge (Religion), Profession, Rope Use, Spellcraft.

Lvl	BAB	FORT	REF	WILL
1	+0	+0	+0	+1
2	+1	+0	+0	+3
3	+1	+1	+1	+3
4	+2	+1	+1	+4
5	+2	+1	+1	+4
6	+3	+2	+2	+5
7	+3	+2	+2	+5
8	+4	+2	+2	+6
9	+4	+3	+3	+6
10	+5	+3	+3	+7

Requirements: Must successfully cast a spell while unwillingly bound. Still spell feat. Arcane caster level 5th. Knowledge (religion) 2 ranks.

1st Level: No casting ability increase; Binding hands grants (Su) Telekinetic Force (as the psionic power); Blindfold grants (Su) Blindsense 60' radius (note that this ability fails in antimagic areas but cannot be dispelled); Gagging permits the use of (Su) Telepathy in a 60' radius; Foot/Ankle/Leg binding = (Su) Levitation, but with the ability to move in any direction at 30', with a maneuverability class of perfect. No Caster Level Gain.

2nd Level: (Ex) Improved Still Spell: Removes level adds for the Still Spell feat. Caster Level Increase.

3rd Level: Xiombarg's Grace: +2 luck bonus on Reflex Saves versus spells and spell-like abilities. Caster Level Increase.

4th Level: +2 CL on any Compulsion spell cast while bound in some manner. Caster Level Increase.

5th Level: Bonus Feat from the following list: Combat Caster, Endurance, Eschew Materials, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Combat, Silent Spell, Skill Focus (Rope Use, Escape Artist, Bluff, Spellcraft, or Diplomacy), Transdimensional Spell. Caster Level Increase.

6th Level: (Ex) Improved Silent Spell: Removes level adds for the Silent Spell Feat. Caster Level Increase.

7th Level: Xiombarg's Blessing: The Helot may replace her dexterity bonus to AC with her casting ability bonus instead, if it is higher than her dexterity. The Helot looses this bonus if she is flat footed, but not while grappled, immobilized, or bound. Caster Level Increase.

8th Level: (Sp) Eyebite: The caster gains the ability to use the Eyebite Spell as a spell-like ability once per day, with a DC of 16 + casting ability bonus. The effect has a duration of 3 rounds + 1 round per casting ability bonus point. If the Bondage Witch is blindfolded, she must still have line of effect to the target.

9th Level: (Ex) Improved Eschew Materials: By placing expensive or other material components that the Eschew Materials Feat does not work with in a specially prepared spell component pouch, the caster can treat the components as if they were in hand for purposes of casting. The components are still consumed by the spell. Caster Level Increase.

10th Level: (Su) Unbound: When bound hand and foot, the caster may let her spirit slip free, creating an ectoplasmic body on the Ethereal Plane which may roam free. The ethereal body may roam up to 100' per caster level away from the Helot; it has hit points equal to the caster, an AC of 10 + the caster's casting ability bonus, and is treated as an incorporeal creature for purposes of effects and attacks that target it. It is not visible from the prime material plane without the use of True Seeing or See Invisible, although creatures which perceive into the Ethereal Plane can see it normally. The caster may only interact with the Prime Material Plane through her magics; she can interact with things on the Ethereal Plane as a standard incorporeal creature can. If it is destroyed the caster must make a fortitude save at DC 22 or suffer half her hit points worth of damage and 4 points of temporary ability burn to their casting ability. The hit point loss may be healed normally, but the ability burn can only be healed by natural means. If the save is successful, the caster still suffers 4 points of ability damage to their casting ability, but it may be healed normally. No caster level gain.

The Cerebrectomist

The legend of the first Cerebrectomist starts long after the Helotry of Xiombarg is established. While psions and wilders had occasionally been adherents, with some few freeing themselves of the bondage of flesh by becoming Uncarnate and others freeing themselves of the limitations placed upon them by the Lords of Order in the form of Metaminds casting off their dependency upon the psychic energies, by and large the bondage disciplines of the Helots were a rite and a ritual, not a significant blessing of their mad goddess.

Yragrae Nos Vaddic was an elven psychic of formidable power. He dedicated his life to the Bloodthirsty Goddess of Chaos, and to prove his dedication he carved an unhealing wound into his chest, the eight pointed star of the Lords of Chaos. Xiombarg smiled upon him, and granted him some small blessing, but he sought to prove himself further.

Promising his goddess blood as well as his soul, the Helots watched as he tied tourniquets about his upper arms, and used a blade of obsidian to remove the flesh form his arms, not all at once, but in bits and pieces, slowly cutting and carving his flesh away in small artistic ribbons. When he had finished the one arm, he was devastated to realize he hadn’t the capability to remove his other arm as well; it had gone partly numb, and the bones of his flensed arm remained.

A whisper of power drifted into the crazed cenobite’s mind, and he turned his gaze upon the slender blade. With a power he knew he had not possessed, he turned the blade against the flesh of his arm, and slowly carved it away, leaving bloodied bones. With an enraged scream he blasted the bone from his body with a shockwave of psychic hatred, leaving him armless, but not limbless – the very force of his will was able to move objects and people as he needed.

As he served the goddess, preaching the soft words of dedication and devotion, calling to the Helotry to observe the rites and rituals, he demonstrated his love of the mad goddess further, removing flesh and bone from his legs. Once again the goddess gave him the power to move freely, allowing him to slowly walk upon legless limbs of air and will. He was heralded as a saint among the Helotry of Xiombarg, proving that her psychic devotees were no less than her sorcerous ones. He drew upon his knowledge of flesh and blood to discard even those organs that would sustain a man more whole, casting aside the detritus in a bloody sacrifice, and gaining ever more power as he did so.

Finally, Yragrae Nos Vaddic discarded all but the core of his body and soul, becoming a mere living brain. He formed a crystal shell from astral matter and psychic ectoplasm, and became a living embodiment of the ultimate self sacrifice in the name of Xiombarg, emulating the powerful soul of her nameless love. A mind, imprisoned, yet free to act upon all the world by the love for his demanding, whimsical goddess.

Cerebrectomist of Xiombarg

Requisites: Willing Deformity ~or~ Evil Brand, contact with the Helotry of Xiombarg, Knowledge (Religion) 2 ranks, Manifester level 5th.

4 Skill Points per Level

Class Skills: Autohypnosis, Craft, Concentrate, Escape Artist, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (Religion), Knowledge (Psionics), Profession, Psicraft.

No Weapon of Armor proficiencies.

1d4 HD per Level.

1st Level: The Cerebrectomist gives up permanently a set of limbs - whether by removal, permanent binding, or even more gruesome means such as removing the bones to leave sleeves of useless flesh. If the arms are removed, the Helot gains the ability to use Telekinetic Force as a (Su) ability at will. If the legs are removed, he gains Air Walk as the spell as an at will (Su) ability. Caster Level Increase.

2nd Level: The Helot removes the other set of limbs, as at first level, gaining the appropriate power. Caster Level Increase.

3rd Level: The Cerebrectomist undergoes a strange form of self inflicted psychic surgery to remove certain internal organs, hollowing out his body partially. Doing so grants the Cerebrectomist 'space' to store more psionic energy; the Cerebrectomist gains a permanent increase in power points of +11, and suffers one point of permanent Con drain. Caster Level Increase.

4th Level: The Cerebrectomist again undergoes psychic surgery, though to a different end this time. By removing all but the most vital organs - a single lung and his heart - he gains the ability to sustain himself via rarified psychic energies. In doing so he gains a greater ability to focus, allowing him to have two psionic foci active. He only gains the benefit of having one psionic focus at any given time, though he can spend both foci, so long as they are dedicated to separate effects (he could use one to Empower a psionic power and the other to gain the 15 concentration check, but he could not spend both on the Power Penetration). This causes the Cerebrectomist to become one size category smaller with the benefits and penalties of the new size category. He suffers one more point of permanent Con drain. Caster Level Increase.

5th Level: The final excision is of the brain itself, leaving the Cerebrectomist a living brain. The Cerebrectomist becomes a Tiny Aberration, with the penalties and benefits thereof. In addition the Living Brain gains the following abilities: (Ex) Flight 30, perfect maneuverability. (Su) Grace of Xiombarg: The creature gains a deflection bonus to AC equal to the bonus of its manifestation ability score. (Ex) Blindsense 60' (Ex) Assimilate Item: By absorbing magical items into it's body, the living brain gains their benefits. The magic items that this can be done with include: 1 crown, headband, or helm; up to 3 magic rings (which al remain active); up to 3 amulets, periapts or scarabs; two dorjes (treat as items held in hand). Ioun stones work as normal for the Cerebrectomist. Other items must be considered by common sense.\

The brain maintains it AC base of 10 plus any adjustments for size and dexterity.