3 Years ago, the dark cleric, Ater Dominus, was a lieutenant of a prominent local warlord. At the peak of this warlord’s power, he was caught unaware by a band of elite heroes and his raiding group was destroyed, leaving only Ater and two other lieutenants alive.
The band splintered into three different factions and the rivalry began. Ater began quickly and forcefully recruiting any criminals or thugs he could into his band while crushing and enveloping small groups of highwaymen and orc raiders.
It didn’t take him long to gather up enough of a force to begin throwing his weight around in nearby towns. Warhammer in tow, Ater found himself in a small village, ready to force them to start paying “protection fees.”
Instead he found the town was on fire, caused by a mad mage and his two cohorts.
The dark cleric was impressed with this mages power and efficiency, and soon the pyromancer, Ash, joined the cause.
Dabbling in dark magics and necromancy drew the attention of a half-demon, Cezek, who brought word of a trapped demon within a paladin temple. The order of Sacra Mortis were demon hunters who were planning on permanently banishing this demon to the abyss… this demon was also Cezek’s father.
The power a greater demon held intrigued Ater Dominus. He, Ash, and Cezek broke into the temple, killed the paladins within, and freed the Greater Demon, Mephistopheles.
Mephistopheles granted Ater Dominus the title of Harbringer, and thus the dark cleric had found his patron.
Little known to any of them, besides maybe Mephistopheles himself… Ater had picked up a demon-trapped dagger in the temple from a crazed old paladin that was living in an old hidden passage within the temple. A dagger that would soon have long lasting consequences to the Cult of Mephistopheles.
Months later, Ater Dominus was struck with a vision from his patron. The vision was of a young boy, rising up from an ancient and long dead order to strike down the Harbringer at the height of his power.
Ater could not allow this.
He gathered up a group of bandits and set off at once to find this child and end him once and for all.
He didn’t realize he was about to meet a most profitable creature.
Chained up and being transported toward the capital city of Charroon was an Arogat. Arogats are the far northern cousins of the southern dwarves. Pale skinned with an affinity to ice… their hearts are as cold as the lands they live in. Slavers and black market traders all, he would be a perfect addition to the cult.
And so it was. One neutered troll and a dead caravan guard later. Fengrim Morhelm joined the cause and thus began the slave trade of the Cult of Mephistopheles.
Deep within an old abandoned sanctuary, the ancient phantom guards lay broken around the young child who would rise up and destroy the Dark Cleric.
As Ater was about to strike the child’s throat, the demon-dagger took hold of the cleric’s strike, and drove itself home into the boy’s heart…
Thus filling the child with the soul of the demon.
Now we find the group with it’s newest member, Patrick the El’Tarok (Elf for ease of wordage), and a mission from the Demon Child itself.
He claims he can give Ater Immortal life, and that’s just too hard to pass up.