Mystical One

The Mystical One is a mysterious, masked, human priest of an unknown god of death, perhaps [Wikipedia:Nerull|Nerull the Reaper].

Description
The Mystical One dresses completely in black. He wears a hooded cloak, and a black mask obscures his entire face. Though his face has never been seen, it is known that his skin was turned grey by drinking from a magical pool in the Dungeon of Pools.

The Mystical One wields a black staff, from which a scythe-like blade of scarlet energy springs on command.

Relationships
The Mystical One once employed Grimberth as a henchman, and has occasionally adventured with the Flamebringers. He and Almax also seem to know each other.

History
Little is known of the Mystical One prior to 579 CY. That year, he was first encountered by the wizard Carlon (after his departure from the Flamebringers), in the Keoish village of Redenbop (located in the southern Good Hills) Harvester 5, 579 CY. The Mystical One at that time led an adventuring party consisting of the gnome illusionist/ thief, Snort, the half-elven ranger, Golfer, the human mage Beska Miltar, the elven fighter Sho-Rembo, and Seeful the Unforgiving, a human priest of Boccob. Carlon joined this party, and the band destroyed a local cult of Orcus that had set up shop in a nearby ruin known as the Dungeon of Pools and was terrorizing the land (Harvester 5-6, 579 CY).

At some point prior to 580 CY, Grimberth of Veluna is known to have served as a henchman to the Mystical One.

In Fireseek 13, 580 CY, the Mystical One was encountered by the druid Earthramus of the Flamebringers in the city of Highport, Pomarj. Earthramus recruited the priest and his adventuring companions--the human thief Sinsower and the avariel fighter-mage Windsong--for a daring mission to rescue his fellow Flamebringers (Aladrin, Ballard, Dorak, Falarick, Roderick, Saldrom, and Tzarfine, as well as the dark elf Riff), imprisoned by the Slave Lords in their stockade (Fireseek 13-15, 580).

On Coldeven 22, 580 CY, the Mystical One was encountered in Shiboleth, Gran March, by the human fighter Roderick and the elven archer Brenton, both former Flamebringers. The three joined forces and made their way north, toward Highfolk and the Vesve Forest. The next evening, on the way to Hookhill, Brenton and the Mystical One got separated from Roderick in the heavy fog, and ended up entering the mists of the Demiplane of Dread, where they encountered the Flamebringers Dorak, Grimberth, Riff, Sinsower, and the flesh golem Number Nine. There, the group battled the vampire lord Strahd before returning to Oerth, though Brenton and Number Nine did not survive (Coldeven 22-24, 580 CY).

The Flamebringers (consisting of Aladrin, Disindat, Dorak, Drag-Mon, Iladrina, Riff, Sinsower, Steelwolf, and Glendor IV) next encountered the Mystical One five months later, on Goodmonth 25, 580 CY in the Underdark. The enigmatic priest was accompanied by a half-elven swordswoman named Gileah, an elven archer named Ironglade, and a dwarven warrior named Warth. The groups joined forces and descended into the depths of the earth, discovered the Shrine of the Kuo-Toa, entered the Vault of the Drow, and faced down the Queen of the Demonweb Pits (Goodmonth 25 to Harvester 5, 580 CY).

Creative origins
The Mystical One originated as a pregenerated PC from module B1 In Search of the Unknown, and was further fleshed out by DM Rob Vest.