TEXT: Intriguing Organizations: House of the Reclaimed Soul | EN World EN5idEr
   
  WRITING Catherine Evans
   
  COLOR ART Marcel Budde,
   
   Claudio Pozas
   
  EDITING Mike Myler
   
  LAYOUT Frank Michienzi
  House of the 
  Reclaimed Soul
  
  Intriguing Organizations: House of the Reclaimed Soul | EN World EN5idEr
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  illustrations in the public domain), in-character and out-of-
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  S
  ometimeS the living end 
  up in Hell. Sometimes that’s 
  no fault of their own but over the 
  course of history many misguided 
  souls 
  have 
  made 
  dangerous, 
  desperate bargains for power and 
  suffered the consequences. The 
  House of the Reclaimed Soul is a 
  haven amidst the barren waste-
  lands of the first infernal level, 
  a place of redemption for those 
  who truly regret the choices that 
  brought them there. It is home to 
  a small order of penitents, many 
  of whom were formerly warlocks, 
  clerics, or other servants of devils, 
  now dedicated to purging the
   evil from their souls through ascetic practices and 
  acts of penance that they might one day escape the 
  plane. Saving other poor souls trapped in Hell is 
  their mission yet it puts them in a precarious posi-
  tion as their existence depends on escaping the 
  notice of infernal creatures, and one misstep or 
  gesture of misplaced trust could ruin them—and 
  no one in the House of the Reclaimed Soul would 
  risk their own skin for someone else.   
  History
  Time passes strangely in Hell, but the House of the 
  Reclaimed soul claim their story began a millen-
  nium ago. Celestial legions stormed the realm 
  infernal and at their side rode brave mortals pledged 
  in service to the higher planes—yet even the stron-
  gest mortal soul is not immune to temptation. The 
  paladin Lyrannis of the White Cliffs was one, lured 
  from her master’s side by a succubus that whis-
  pered sweet hints of power and eternal life instead 
  of a grim death in a futile crusade. Her heart turned 
  traitorous and the celestial forces were crushed in 
  the next battle they fought. Fiendish pacts are never 
  quite what mortals think they will be however, and 
  while the fiend had implied many things nothing 
  was promised. Lyrannis’ only boon was to be 
  spared death and left to wander on a battlefield 
  piled high with her companions’ remains. 
  She couldn’t go home so the fallen paladin dug 
  down into the hot, red, rock of Hell, crafting forti-
  fications  with the bones of angels and the pure of 
  heart. As Lyrannis engaged in this tortuous phys-
  ical labor it occurred to her that perhaps she might 
  be redeemed after all, that through toil, hardship, 
  and penitence she might once again be worthy of 
  the upper planes—or at least of returning to the 
  Material Plane. What she built became the House 
  of the Reclaimed Soul and even with the few bless-
  ings upon it, its survival under the eyes of legions 
  of devils (some with very personal interests in the 
  occupants) is quite an achievement.
  
  Intriguing Organizations: House of the Reclaimed Soul | EN World EN5idEr
  The Heavenly Bones
  The battlefield beneath which Lyrannis built her 
  fort is a beacon of celestial purity in the first level’s 
  hellscape and because of that most devils avoid it. 
  It is distasteful and ugly to them, ignored as much 
  as possible. Thus the House of the Reclaimed Soul 
  has, so far, escaped the notice of many devils. The 
  bones are decaying however, and their inherent 
  goodness and detestable light are growing weak. 
  At some point the fiendish powers will turn their 
  eyes to the former battlefield and as soon as they 
  do, this place of penitence is surely doomed. 
  The Infernal Stream
  When mixed with just a little dust from holy bones 
  before consumption, water from the River Styx 
  washes clean the stains of the penitents’ souls. 
  Otherwise it is a lethal poison that causes nausea 
  and vomiting with only a sip (DC 16 Constitution 
  saving throw; 2d6 poison damage on a failure), 
  or with a whole cup turns the drinker’s lips and 
  eyes black while their throat swells until they 
  can’t breathe (DC 18 Constitution saving throw; 
  50 points of poison damage, or half as much on a 
  successful save).
  Activities
  Lyrannis began her path to redemption with the 
  only gesture she could think of: saving other poor 
  souls lost in Hell. With a battlefield survivor here 
  and a misguided warlock there, over the centu-
  ries the fallen paladin found those in need or they 
  found her. People moved on from the House of the 
  Reclaimed Soul to Hell’s great cities, seeking to 
  assist anyone they could—and more importantly, 
  those they could trust. 
  A thousand years is a long time though and 
  fear gradually encroached on both the hearts of 
  Lyrannis and her followers. They are now more 
  preoccupied with maintaining secrecy and safety 
  than reaching out to others but yearn all the harder 
  for home as their attempts at penance become ever 
  stranger and more painful the further they sink 
  into despair. Agents of the House of the Reclaimed 
  Soul still send people in need back there with the 
  pass-phrase known by them all (‘White Cliffs’). 
  However, if they give Lyrannis and the others 
  any reason to mistrust them they are likely to be 
  permanently destroyed before they have a chance 
  at betrayal. 
  Motivations
  The occupants of the House of the Reclaimed Soul 
  wish to leave Hell but have no way of doing so on 
  their own, persisting and hoping that eventually 
  some greater power will take notice and stretch 
  out a helping hand. Some do not believe that they 
  can be free and that the stain on their soul will 
  draw them inevitably back to the realm infernal, 
  or act as a beacon for fiends to reclaim them. 
  Adventurers might very well be these benevolent 
  saviors—or at least convince Lyrannis and her 
  followers that they are. 
  Ondreth and Vale would leave if they truly 
  believed they’d be safe, and while Asco dearly 
  wants to be free he won’t consider it as long as 
  their erinyes master is still alive. Lyrannis and the 
  others, truly penitent, stay while there is still work 
  to do. The need to leave turns more urgent as time 
  passes, the atmosphere of Hell leeching the power 
  out of the celestial bones that obscure the House of 
  the Reclaimed Soul. Hiding becomes more difficult 
  every year and the members are aware that they 
  either need to relocate or find some other way to 
  avoid detection. 
  NOTE
  High level magic is required to return any of these 
  people to their home planes—a simple banishment 
  does not work as they have dwelled here so long, 
  well past mortal lifetimes. So much of their blood 
  has been turned infernal from the food they eat and 
  water they drink that they count as natives of Hell for 
  the purposes of this spell.
  
  Intriguing Organizations: House of the Reclaimed Soul | EN World EN5idEr
  Modus Operandi
  The House of the Reclaimed Soul has two major 
  focuses: saving others and treading a path to 
  redemption so that they can leave Hell. 
  Recruitment
  Agents are almost exclusively occupied with 
  finding more members (see Khorian, below) for is 
  their path to redemption. They lead a precarious 
  existence in infernal cities and legions, passing as 
  devils themselves while actively seeking mortals 
  who might be in need of their help. They can supply 
  information on power structures and offer advice 
  to those pursuing goals in Hell, although under 
  no circumstances do they risk themselves or their 
  cover, finding discreet ways to pass messages—
  such as sending, message, or anonymous notes. They 
  will only give out directions to the House of the 
  Reclaimed Soul and the pass-phrase to enter once 
  they fully trust someone, and only then if they are 
  in dire need. 
  Redemption
  New arrivals are rare and those who dwell within 
  the fortifications have a lot of time to reflect on their 
  situation—and come up with ever more bizarre 
  ways to purge themselves of their perceived sins 
  and debts. They are paranoid, fearful, and under 
  endless, unmitigated stress. Asco (see Membership) 
  makes the situation worse, stirring up their fears 
  and making sure they are mostly useless. Vale is 
  the leading source of new penances, but old favor-
  ites include: 
  • Exposure to the hot, arid, atmosphere of Hell 
  while rejecting food and water until they are 
  on the brink of wasting away.
  • Drinking unfiltered water from the River Styx 
  in tiny sips. 
  • Bloodletting, flagellation, or self-inflicted harm 
  using celestial bones. 
  All of these practices leave the occupants physically 
  and mentally fragile, contributing to the atmo-
  sphere of feverish fear that pervades the House of 
  the Reclaimed Soul. 
  Membership
  At any given time there are 6-10 residents of the 
  House of the Reclaimed Soul. With the exception 
  of those detailed below, they are all penitents. In 
  addition, there are a dozen agents (most using the 
  statistics of an assassin or mage) in various locations 
  throughout all of Hell. 
  Lyrannis
  This dark skinned, dark eyed, human woman holds 
  herself tall and wears the piecemeal remains of shining 
  platemail. She looks weary though, like the desire to 
  simply...stop...is always close at hand. 
  Traits: Lyrannis always looks tired but never lets 
  herself stop and relax. She rarely smiles. 
  Ideal: To atone for her sins. 
  Bond: Lyrannis cannot bring herself to consider 
  leaving the House of the Reclaimed Soul and the 
  remains of her fallen former comrades. 
  Flaw: Lyrannis has not left the fortifications for 
  many years and is profoundly agoraphobic.
  Statistics: Lyrannis is a lawful good human 
  knight with the maximum possible hit points (80). 
  Possessions: Lyrannis has a mace of disruption.
  Background: Lyrannis is the founder of the 
  House of the Reclaimed Soul, as detailed above. 
  Roleplay: Lyrannis is lost—she carries on with 
  her routine out of habit and faith, but her mind 
  wanders and she frequently defers to Vale. 
  
  Intriguing Organizations: House of the Reclaimed Soul | EN World EN5idEr
  Vale
  This short, slight, human man has 
  round, watery eyes and a network 
  of old scars covering every inch 
  of what little flesh you can see 
  beneath his heavy gray robes. 
  He leans heavily on a staff of 
  dull, gray wood.
  Traits: Vale talks to 
  himself, keeping up a 
  running commentary of 
  criticism of whatever is happening 
  around him. He rarely blinks. 
  Ideal: To cleanse the souls of himself and his 
  companions by punishing their flesh. 
  Bond: Vale is highly protective of Lyrannis. 
  Flaw: Vale’s first solution to any problem is 
  always the most painful and damaging.
  Statistics: Vale is a neutral human mage that 
  adds eldritch blast, vampiric touch, and blight to his 
  spell list. 
  Possessions: Vale carries a staff of withering.
  Background: A warlock brought to the realm 
  infernal by his patron, Vale escaped with Lyrannis’ 
  help. He sees himself as a failure and believes he 
  can only be redeemed through suffering—he has 
  over time come to believe the same is true of his 
  companions. 
  Roleplay: Vale believes himself to be in charge 
  since Lyrannis is no longer the leader she was. He 
  makes most decisions and assumes anyone who 
  opposes him is an agent of devils—he is extremely 
  paranoid about the House of Reclaimed Souls 
  being infiltrated.  
  Asco
  This round-faced halfling has a shock of sandy hair and a 
  smattering of freckles, and although he laughs easily his 
  smiles and chuckling never seem to reach his eyes.
  Traits: Asco bites his nails and nibbles at the skin 
  around them. He moves quietly and is known for 
  sneaking up on people. 
  Ideal: To please his fiendish master Antithea by 
  bringing down the House of the Reclaimed Soul 
  from within. The longer he spends in the fortifica-
  tions the more he considers switching sides, giving 
  Lyrannis and the others his true loyalty. 
  Bond: Asco serves his infernal master with 
  wavering loyalty. 
  Flaw: Asco finds the sight of blood repellent and 
  avoids hurting people as much as possible.
  Statistics: Asco is a Small neutral evil halfling 
  veteran with Speed 25 ft., Lucky (when Asco rolls 
  a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll, ability check, or 
  saving throw, he can reroll the die and must use the 
  new roll), and Halfling Nimbleness (Asco can move 
  through the space of any creature that is of a size 
  larger than Small).
  Possessions: Asco has a ring that summons his 
  erinyes master to his location when the command 
  word (‘Antithea’) is spoken. The ring can be used 
  once per day.
  Background: Asco is a former adventurer taken 
  captive by the erinyes Antithea. His loyalty is 
  borne of fear and when approached by an agent of 
  the House of the Reclaimed Soul he immediately 
  informed his master, who sent him to infiltrate and 
  eventually destroy the organization from within.  
  Roleplay: Asco is exceptionally good at manipu-
  lating Vale and has been fostering the old man’s 
  paranoia, leading him towards more dangerous and 
  destructive practices. He also encourages Lyrannis 
  to let Vale, “do the hard work.” He is observant, 
  frequently lurking to overhear conversations that do 
  not involve him, and is often assumed to be creepy 
  
  Intriguing Organizations: House of the Reclaimed Soul | EN World EN5idEr
  but harmless. If Asco thought he could safely escape 
  Antithea, he would serve the House of the Reclaimed 
  Soul loyally and undo a lot of the harm he has done, 
  allowing it to return to its noble purpose. 
  Ondreth
  This elven woman is sharp-featured 
  and imperious, with coppery skin and 
  reddish hair. Tattoos of infernal 
  script wind around her arms 
  and neck, and one encircles 
  her left eye. 
  Traits: Ondreth does 
  not speak.  
  Ideal: To forget her 
  past.
  Bond: Ondreth would do 
  anything she believed would 
  protect the House of the Reclaimed Soul. 
  Flaw: Ondreth judges others harshly, and judges 
  herself even harder.
  Statistics: Ondreth is a lawful neutral elf penitent, 
  with the darkvision 60 ft., Fey Ancestry (she has 
  advantage on saving throws against being charmed, 
  and magic can’t put her to sleep), and the Trance elf 
  racial trait.
  Background: Once a priestess for a god of death 
  and destruction, Ondreth sacrificed her entire 
  congregation in exchange for greater power but 
  when the deed was done she couldn’t live with 
  herself. She journeyed into Hell to try and restore 
  their souls—to no avail. She was eventually found 
  and directed to the House of the Reclaimed Soul 
  by Khorian.  
  Roleplay: Ondreth has taken a vow of silence as 
  part of her penitence—talking is a distraction from 
  contemplating what she has done. Her face and 
  gestures are highly expressive and she seems to 
  disapprove of almost everything said around her.
  Agent Khorian
  A sleek, androgynous tiefling stands before you, with 
  ash-colored skin under their loose, black, clothing and 
  eyes that smolder the deep red of banked coals. They 
  look warily over their shoulder before turning a wry, 
  humorless grin on you. 
  Traits: Khorian hides their feelings under a layer 
  of humor and constantly looks over their shoulder. 
  Ideal: They believes that anything and anyone 
  can be redeemed—even fiends. 
  Bond: Despite everything Khorian still craves 
  the respect of their fiendish ancestor. 
  Flaw: Khorian will turn tail and run when the 
  going gets tough—they’d rather live to fight another 
  day than play the hero.
  Statistics: Khorian is a chaotic good tiefling 
  assassin with darkvision 60 ft., resistance to fire 
  damage, and the Infernal Legacy tiefling racial trait.
  Possessions: Khorian has a potion of mind reading 
  and a feather of teleportation (which functions as a 
  helm of teleportation).
  Background: Khorian was a foundling who 
  became a career criminal. With no other family the 
  idea of a powerful, fiendish, parental figure was 
  always seductive. They came to Hell to learn their 
  heritage only to realize that if they ever did find 
  their ancestor it would have no interest in them that 
  they’d want.
  Roleplay: Khorian is eternally optimistic—Hell 
  exists but so do the heavens, and there must be a 
  way to go from one to another. They firmly believe 
  anyone can be saved and while they won’t do 
  anything that puts themself or the House of the 
  Reclaimed Soul in harm’s way, they passionately 
  care about helping those they believe will benefit 
  from it. Khorian is a breath of fresh air in the sulfu-
  rous pits of Hell: they laugh easily and sincerely, 
  and are good at putting on a brave face in adversity. 
  
  Intriguing Organizations: House of the Reclaimed Soul | EN World EN5idEr
  PENITENT 
  MEDIUM HUMANOID (ANY RACE), 
  ANY NON-EVIL ALIGNMENT 
  Armor Class 13 (pain tolerance)
  Hit Points 91 (14d8+28) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
   STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   14 (+2) 12 (+1) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 
  8 (-1) 
  Saving Throws Con +4, Wis +4
  Skills Medicine +4 
  Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
  Languages Common and one other language
  Senses passive Perception 14
  Challenge 2 (450 XP) 
  Do No Harm. Penitents cannot be magically compelled 
  to cause harm to another creature. 
  Pain Tolerance. Penitents are used 
  to deprivation and pain. As a result, 
  glancing blows don’t trouble them. While 
  it is wearing no armor, the penitent’s AC 
  equals 10 + their Dexterity modifier + 
  their Constitution modifier.
  Spellcasting. The penitent is a 4th-level 
  spellcaster. Their spellcasting ability 
  is Wisdom (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit 
  with spell attacks). The penitent has the 
  following spells prepared:
  Cantrips (at will): guidance, resistance, 
  spare the dying
  1st level (4 slots): protection from evil 
  and good, sanctuary, shield of faith
  2nd level (3 slots): calm emotions, 
  silence
  ACTIONS
  Multiattack. The penitent makes two 
  quarterstaff attacks. 
  Quarterstaff. Melee Weapon Attack. +4 
  to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 
  5 (1d6+2) bludgeoning damage or 6 
  (1d8+2) bludgeoning damage if wielded 
  with two hands.
  Shared Pain (3/Long Rest). Penitents can share their 
  pain with others. As a reaction when it is damaged 
  by a creature, the penitent projects the pain of their 
  most recent injury back onto the attacker. The target 
  makes a DC 12 Constitution save or takes an amount 
  of damage equal to the triggering attack, effect, or 
  spell. On a successful save, the target takes half as 
  much damage. 
  Many penitents are former spellcasters (usually 
  clerics or warlocks) who committed regrettable acts 
  in the service of evil powers. They retain a measure 
  of magical ability but turn it towards strength 
  and resistance, complementing it with minds and 
  bodies made resilient through ascetic practices. e
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/EN World EN5ider/EN5ider 302 - IO House of the Reclaimed Soul.pdf