10. Chapel of the Dying Light; Father Death

[girdnas]

"Two round mud-brick towers connected at the base and
roofed by stretched tarps form this building. The mud walls
have been stained a charcoal gray, and a large skull and scythe
above a setting sun have been painted on the door in red. "

This is a church of Nergal, an ancient and now largely obscure god
of death, and also the only religious establishment in
the Camp. The interior of this church is one
large dark room with ceilings rising 40 feet into the darkness above
where heavy thatching below the tarps ensures that no light can creep
in. Crude wooden benches face an altar to the death god, and the only
illumination is provided by red tapers that burn in black iron sconces
mounted to the walls. Running along the walls are prayers and obeisances
scribed in Infernal with red paint.

You first met an acolyte, a gaunt, pale-skinned women with hair bleached of color and skin painted white. She whispered the Father would be at the nightly worship ritual.

Upon returning that night, you sat through a surprisingly mundane ceremony, watching as Father Death spoke of the freedom that Death brings with it being a blessing from Nergal. Father Death is a hobgoblin with gray-blue skin and long, pointed ears. During the ceremony, he uses a symbol-covered scythe in his rituals and as a walking stick. Speaking briefly with him afterward, he warned you:

“The Desolation is beautiful. It provides death in more ways than
you can imagine: sudden death, slow, lingering death, death by
sword and tooth, death by poison, the wracking death of disease,
or the extended painful death from thirst. Think about it...what ways
must exist to meet death out there that haven’t even been discovered
yet?”

He looked delighted at the idea. He also mentioned that he does sell his services when needed, as well as Scrolls.