Typically, one who wants to gain the power of a Bone Acolyte must perform a profane ritual that involves the sacrifice of an elf, an ogre, and a human. The flesh is boiled from these victims to retrieve the true goal—the bone. A terrible craft is required to magically shape the skeletal remains into armor made specifically to fit the Bone Acolyte.
With the armor in place, the initiate must offer his life and his soul to Chemosh and adjure the Lord of Death to grant to him the powers of the Bone Acolyte. If Chemosh deems the candidate unworthy, the best that can be hoped for is a swift, yet painful death. Those who are deemed worthy are granted both dark secrets and divine magical abilities.
Chemosh might, however, grant a warrior in his direct service, such as Ausric Krell, the gifts of a Bone Acolyte without the need of special ritual and craft. But there is a price for anything, and the Lord of Death will claim his servant’s soul should he fall.
Appearance & Personality
A Bone Acolyte is still alive, and without the benefit of his armor he has all the same physical characteristics, strengths and weakness, as before. But when he dons the bone armor, he becomes a nightmare figure. His armor is made of whitish-yellow bone, with unnaturally long spikes protruding from the shoulders, elbows, knuckles and knees, serving to protect the joints. These spikes, being imbued with the divine magic, do not interfere with the Bone Acolyte’s movement. In some instances, they may even enhance it.
The exact appearance of the Bone Acolyte’s armor is specific to person, fitting his personality and history. The only thing all have in common is the symbol of Chemosh, the tattoo of a skull above the Bone Acolyte’s heart.
The Lord of Death provides direction for a Bone Acolyte’s actions, though the Acolyte’s own passions and agenda certainly play a part—as they do for all mortals. A Bone Acolyte might be found guarding a temple or stronghold of Chemosh or on the field of battle, fighting in the name of his god.
Powers
A Bone Acolyte’s primary power is related to his armor. Created with unholy magic, the armor can be summoned or discarded with nothing more than a simple prayer to Chemosh.
The armor enhances the strength of the wearer, making him a fearsome opponent without even considering his other abilities. It also provides nearly complete protection against mundane attacks.
But it is the Bone Acolyte’s ability known as boneshaping that makes him a terrifying enemy. The armor may alter, grow, and change at the direction of the Acolyte. A novice Bone Acolyte may grow a bone blade from his wrist if he is disarmed. A more experienced and powerful Acolyte may draw his opponent into an embrace, then grow a dozen bony spikes to impale the enemy.
Once a Bone Acolyte has acquired mastery of his true powers, he can use his power over bones and direct it at the enemy. By magically exerting his will against a foe, he is able to snap bones from a distance—causing a warrior’s sword arm to become useless or render a wizard unable to use the somatic components of a spell. This gruesome .ability can demoralize an entire enemy force. It is fortunate for Chemosh’s enemies, however, that those of great strength or exceptional will can resist this power of the Bone Acolyte.
The legends from the Age of Dreams state that a truly powerful Bone Acolyte in Chemosh’s service gains one final, terrible power—the ability to liquefy all of the bones of a single opponent in an instant. With no structure to support the body, the unfortunate victim dies almost instantly, leaving behind only a soft and fleshy mound. This dread power can only be used rarely.
Bone Acolytes gain an advantage over others such as dark clerics when attempting to control a Bone Warrior. In addition, a Bone Acolyte may choose his Bone Warrior from the undead army of Chemosh, thus enabling the Bone Acolyte to select a warrior to suit his needs. (A minotaur Bone Warrior who hates elves to fight elves, for example.)
There is one drawback. If the Bone Acolyte does lose control of his Bone Warriors, he will almost certainly be destroyed by them. Chemosh has no use for weaklings.
Though his Bone Acolytes and Warriors have been defeated for the time being, Chemosh was pleased with them and toys with plans to keep creating them. His goal is to supplant Sargonnas as head of the Dark Pantheon and thus his dark clerics will require the aid and protection of strong warriors, while his armies need generals and powerful troops.
With the destruction of Ausric Krell, there are now no more known death knights in Krynn. Chemosh’s Servants of Bone could become some of the most terrifying foes to cast their fearsome shadows over the world. They will undoubtedly be seen again.