Osybus

Tags:#lore (Oh-Sai-Bus)

https://www.fraternityofshadows.com/wiki/Category:Priests_of_Osybus

This is a lesser dark power that brought the players to Barovia.

His cult has still had a small level of activity. In Barovia over the past few hundred years. They plagued the death house and have had some influence in vallaki. Although they worship osybus. They worship Strahd had his sort of messiah. That will deliver them from their curse.

Death house cult is only loosely tied to osybus. They had some pieces of his lore but never had the whole picture. They had books of some cult practices and means which osybus gained power. Some of their knowledge would include.

• osybus was a power wizard once but ascended to become the dark powers themselves.

• They believe osybus brought strahd to Barovia. This is not true.

• They know osybus absorbed souls of the living to amass more and more power. They believe their rituals now feed strahd rather than osybus and will empower him to leave.

• They speak of osybus’ great power. He absorbed souls to become immortal and fuel some powerful Magic’s. Some books speak of a few powerful objects he imbued his power in. His staff, his mask and his ring.

The priesthood still remains and can travel throughout the domains of Dread freely. Some Cultists have even been able to manifest themselves outside of the domains of dread granting small boons to individuals. Hoping to spread a lasting influence in the material plane

Strahd killed Osybus while he was living and he was a powerful lich . strahd convinced his greatest Allies to betray him. Osybus as a result hates strahd, and their imprisonment is related but very different. Osybus ascended to near Godhood becoming a lesser dark power. But he has both hands tied behind his back. He persists but his power is restricted to the domains of Dread, but he has no domain of his own. Osybus seeks to escape the domains of dread. His clearest path is for his ring to make its way outside the domains of dread. Given that it is in Barovia this likley means killing Strahd.

Osybus has mastered what current power he has well enough after hundreds of years to properly sway events in his favor. He has a plan to bring forth a champion to bring his ring out of Barovia and kill Strahd.

To begin his plan he gave each of his priests a prophecy

In the lands of mists, a champion shall rise, To reclaim my ring, and bring about demise

Sacrifice of soul, a price to be paid, For the ring's power, it must be laid.

Tormented priesthood, their anguish shall cease, As liberation whispers, granting release.

The Father of Mists, his reign draws to an end, By champion's hand, his dominion unbend. In slumber eternal, he shall find his rest, While Osybus emerges, free and undressed.

Embrace this omen, heed its sinister call, For fate's entangled web enthralls us all. Through trials and darkness, our path is cast, Osybus unleashed, free at last.

Osybus has directed the characters to Barovia to hopefully lead them to claim the ring. With it they should be able to defeat Strahd, permanently potentially. But Osybus is okay with them claiming the ring and only doing enough damage to Strahd to be able to leave.

Osybus had visted the amber temple before strahd even had know and tried to bargen with the dark powers trapped there. He was desperate and attempted to make one last phylactery is his sacred ring, but could not before he had to flee the temple. He left the ring there where it remains to this day guarded by a corpse imbued with his power.

This corpse retains some of osybus memories but is not him. It’s been feeding off the small sliver of his soul within the ring. The rest of osybus is now a lesser dark power.