Priest of Osybus

D&D 2024 monster: Priest of Osybus. Source: Ravenloft: The Horrors Within. challenge rating 6, creature type Humanoid, Small or Medium size, speed 20 ft., cl... Necromancer Cursed by Dark Powers The priests of Osybus are evil necromancers who steal souls to fuel their malevolent magic. Thanks to a foul bargain made with dread powers, these priests can defy death by transforming into undead. Centuries ago, Osybus, a mysterious figure of immense ambition and evil, founded the order of priests that now bears his name. Osybus sought to use others' souls to achieve immortality. He forged pacts with any entity that promised him more power, and he delved into any eldritch secret that could possibly prolong his life. He became a devotee of the Dark Powers and tapped into their immortal malice to fuel his apotheosis. As his power grew, he shared his secrets with disciples who wished to defy death in exchange for their worship. Osybus achieved his goal and became a lich of almost godly power. He rewarded his disciples with a trace of his power in the form of shadowy tattoos. Osybus's boon gave his priests the ability to steal souls and to cheat death by transforming into undead horrors. The threat posed by Osybus and his disciples raised alarms far and wide. The Ulmist Inquisition-which at the time counted then-mortal Count Strahd von Zarovich as an ally-faced Osybus in battle. Fearing that their master eventually would consume their souls, Osybus's disciples aided the inquisition by destroying Osybus's physical form. As Osybus perished, he cursed his former allies: Their immortality would fail them eventually, and he would become one of the Dark Powers. To rid themselves of this curse, Osybus's former devotees turned to the same Dark Powers with whom their master had communed. They received a mission: Provide a mighty noble to serve as an earthly vessel for the Dark Powers to enter the world and conquer it. They found a suitable vessel in Strahd von Zarovich. Working in s...