Priest of Osybus

The Priests of Osybus belong to an old order of magic users that wield necromancy powered by the souls of other people. They are all marked by the the tattoos of their founder, Osybus, although they hate him because he has cursed them such that their immortality will fail them when their need for it is at its zenith.

History

On the homeworld of Strahd, Osybus attempted to tap into the souls of his victims to become an immortal and even came to venerate the Dark Powers in his rise to power. Osybus achieved his wish by becoming a lich of great power. In recognition of the role his disciples played, Osybus gave them a sliver of his power and with that immortality.

Strahd joined forces with the Ulmist Inquisition to take on Osybus and his followers. Osybus would have beaten his foes, but he was betrayed by his priests, whom ultimately feared he would consume them. In revenge, Osybus laid a curse upon them, such that their immortality would not last when they needed it to.

In response to Osybus' curse, the priests attempted to rid themselves of the curse through a pact with the Dark Powers, to bring them a worthy figure to work their will. As such, they played a crucial role in the corruption of Strahd and led him to the Amber Temple. However, this was for naught as they still bear their curse. Other Dark Powers had trapped Strahd in the Demiplane of Dread, thus wrenching from the priests the removal of their curse.

Goals

The Priests of Osybus hope to extract Strahd from the Mists, for they believe that will free them from their curse.