Character Creation Challenge: Day 18, Symgharyl Maruel and The Scaled Sisterhood

Photo by Tiểu Bảo Trương

One of the things I have been working on are new Witchcraft traditions. These are not necessarily ones tied to real-world witchcraft myths and legends, but ones that have sort of grown in my own writings and games. Among these are the expected High Order witchcraft tradition and the Draconic witch tradition. 

My oldest loves dragons. So it was inevitable that sooner or later, I was going to build a witch who has a dragon as a patron. I have been picking at the idea for a number of years, but never really sat down to define what they are. I have talked about Draconic warlocks, but these are different.

The Scaled Sisterhood

Daughters of the Coil, Speakers to the first Coil

The Scaled Sisterhood is one of the oldest witch traditions, possibly predating humanity itself. Its rites were whispered in the coiled tongues of ancient serpents and carved in scales of molten basalt. These witches revere the serpent as a sacred archetype, a symbol of creation and destruction, wisdom and hunger, immortality and renewal.

They see no conflict in paradox: the snake sheds its skin to live anew, the dragon brings ruin to fertilize the earth. Destruction and renewal as a continual cycle. Their tradition honors these truths. 

Witches of the Scaled Sisterhood are often feared for their intensity, strange tongues, and unsettling poise. But they are sought as oracles, poisoners, protectors, and keepers of long-forgotten power. 

The serpent is the first teacher, the dream-voice that teaches in silence. Witches of this tradition see time as a circle, death as transformation, and magic as the tongue of fire spoken before the gods learned speech.

Many Scaled witches dwell in ruins, hot springs, caves, volcanic mountains, or the overgrown remnants of pre-human temples. 

Symgharyl Maruel, The Shadowsil

I talked about Symgharyl Maruel, aka The Shadowsil, a while back as a potential witch in the Forgotten Realms.  Since one of my stated goals with my witch classes is to replicate any sort of witch, I figure I'll give her another try.

You see more about here from the ever-useful Forgotten Realms wiki and from Ed Greenwood himself.

Symgharyl Maruel represents the extreme end of what the Scaled Sisterhood would be. In fact, we have a name already for it: The Cult of the Dragon. 

Symgharyl Maruel
18th level Human Witch, Neutral Evil

Secondary Skill: Cultist

S: 9
I: 15
W: 15
D: 16
C: 14
Ch: 18

Paralysis/Poison: 7
Petrify/Polymorph: 7 
Rod, Staff, or Wand: 8
Breath Weapon: 10
Spells: 9

AC:  2 (leather armor +2, Ring of Protection +2, Dex 16 -2)
HP: 63
THAC0: 14

Weapon
Dagger +1 1d4/1d3

Familiar: pseudo dragon

Occult Powers
1st level: Familiar
7th level: Evil's Touch
13th level: Minor Hex

Spells
Cantrips: Alarm Ward, Chill, Daze, Ghost Sound, Inflict Minor Wounds, Spark
First level: Black Fire, Cause Fear, Charm Person, Endure Elements, Ghostly Slashing, Light/Darkness, Minor Fighting Prowess, Sonic Blast
Second level: Discord, Enthrall, Ghost Touch, Hold Person, Invisibility, Phantasmal Spirit, Spell Missile
Third level: Bestow Curse, Dispel Magic, Feral Spirit, Lifeblood, Toad Mind, Witch Wail
Fourth level: Analyze Magic, Elemental Armor (Fire), Intangible Cloak of Shadows, Phantom Lacerations, Withering Touch
Fifth level:  Blade Dance, Dreadful Bloodletting, Waves of Fatigue
Sixth level: Death Blade, Mass Agony, True Seeing
Seventh level: Death Aura, Greater Arcane Eye, Wave of Mutilation
Eighth level: Destroy Life, Mystic Barrier

Theme Song: Ever Dream

She compares well to her Basic-era version and her official AD&D 2nd Ed version. I guess the question I need to answer is this, "Is Symgharyl Maruel really a witch?" My go-to answer is always "why not!" but she really does feel like a witch to me. Either way, she is great, and in my games, she is still alive and still getting up to all sorts of trouble. 

I just need to figure out why she would go to Elminster and then later Manshoon for instruction. Maybe it is not that big of a deal, really. I don't need to hammer her into a "witch-shaped" gap.