squelchers-of-the-flame

Squelchers of the Flame

The Squelchers of the Flame are a small religious organization based in Summergate, devoted to the worship of Partilox. Their core mission is to prevent any intrusion from the Nine Hells into the material plane.

History

The Squelchers have guarded a portal to a pocket dimension beneath their temple since the Age of Empires, when the portal was rediscovered. Within this pocket dimension, a Pale Devil named Gon was imprisoned, having been banished from Hell since the Mortal War.

The Fall

During The Fall, the Squelchers lost several members to the chaos. Some transformed into devils, and many more died in the ensuing battle. During the fighting, a towering devil emerged from fiery portals that erupted inside their temple. Folter, a wizard and Squelcher, was horribly burned. Valith, a female Tiefling warrior and Folter’s lover, tackled the great devil back through the portal, which then closed behind them.

In the aftermath, the stone golems that had aided Summergate’s infrastructure fell silent. While the rest of the city adapted by integrating nature into their architecture, the Squelchers did not — their temple fell into neglect as they mourned their losses and guarded their charge.

The Lantern Incident

Years after The Fall, Folter — still grieving Valith — hatched a plan to enter the Nine Hells to find her. He stole the Lantern, an artifact capable of opening portals to the infernal realms, and began negotiating a contract with Gon. The deal: Folter would free Gon from imprisonment in exchange for Gon’s guidance and protection in navigating Hell to reunite with Valith.

Folter’s theft of the Lantern sent the remaining Squelchers into a frenzy, searching for the artifact across the countryside — harassing travelers and farmers in their zealous investigations. Their increasingly aggressive behavior drew the attention of the Summergate city watch and eventually the Dragon Slayers, who intervened.

Fate

The Dragon Slayers confronted Folter and Gon in the Squelchers’ temple. Valar killed Folter, seized the Lantern, and used it to banish Gon back to Hell. The Lantern was later traded to Garland in exchange for a magic folding boat.

The Squelchers’ remaining members, the “Dark Darryl” and “Brown Darryl” brothers, continued harassing travelers — particularly drow — as far south as Foot, where they were ultimately killed by the Dragon Slayers.