Adventure Seeds for Stygia

[Aholibamah]

I thought some of us could share creepy Howard-esque/Lovecraft-esque scenes or ideas here. This is mine, though I admit I stole most of it from Steven Erikson's "Deadhouse Gates"

The Fang of Idris appears to be a sleek Stygian galley that may be encountered around the Black Coast, the Stygian Coast or possibly near Shem. It ships one hundred oars and has the image of the cobra goddess on its sails when they are unfurled.

When the ship puts in to port (which is rare outside of Stygia itself) the only people seen are priests of solemn grim aspect with painted faces wearing green robes trimmed with black. The priests have a spokesman named Rekh-Mara who is the only one who seems to speak though the others may under absolute duress or necessity. He is a hawk nosed cold eyed man of great courtesy whose smile never touches anything but his lips. (Stygian priest level 9) The ship always comes into harbour under oars only. It seems to have very skiilled oarsmen, doubtless perfectly trained stygian slaves. For cargo it mostly takes on food and water though always in strangely small quantity for such a ship. Rumor exists that the crew of the ship are searching for something--though what exactly is not known.

If any stranger were to manage to get past the priests and go to the rowers' decks they would find that all the crew are dead--and not merely dead but headless. Even the drummers are headless...powerful muscular forms naked but for loinclothes sitting motionless with sticks in hand, dry skinned and painted with strange symbols. In a special hold are trunks with the preserved heads, which mutter and turn their eyes now and then.

Another thing that is known is this: the priests are now and then wont to change their place with other stygian priests or scholars that meet them when the put into port.

It is said by those who have true knowledge that they are searching for an ancient text which was stolen from Stygia a number of years ago and that they are part of a broader search.

(any ideas on how to use this crew and ship would be appreciated, or how to flesh them out more)

 

[Brass Jester]

Interesting idea and I like the imagery. BTW didn't L Sprauge have some headless soldiers in one of his own works (the Goblin tower I think)

Now, my ideas:-
Below decks, in a locked cabin painted with dire warnings, is the head of a statue, made of a strange red metal (the fabled Orichalcum of lost Atlantis). Parts are missing and it is obviously being assembled like a jigsaw puzzle. The head is not human (think Moai of Easter Island here) The head has been broken off a larger work.

The cult is based around a prophecy that stated '...then smashed and cast into the seas the world over'

The galley is on a quest to find the missing pieces and to restore the statue. The original founders of the cult (hence the uniform robes) used fell sorcery to create the undying rowers; however every 49 years the spell must be renewed. The current priests are the descendants of the original cultists and will need to perform the ritual to renew the spell; to do this they need to be truebloods. The next 49 years is almost up.

However, one of the priests is not who he seems. He is actually an illegitimate son, who usurped his trueblood brothers rightful place on the galley and had his brother sold as a slave. Now he needs to locate him, get him back and persuade him to take part in the ritual

Cultists research in the great libraries of Stygia the possible whereabouts of pieces of the head. Armed with the knowledge the galley sails and investigates; any parts of the head are secured (by any means) and added to it in a private ritual for the priests only.


PC hooks:
1. They could find a piece of the head and become the target of the Black Galley
2. The ritual needs fresh bodies. Perhaps the PC's are shanghai'd?
3. The imposter needs to find his brother PDQ. Hires PC's to track him down and return him alive.
4. Recruited as mercenaries to help capture a piece. Mercenaries travel on a barge, towed by the galley
5. PC's are in a location when the Black Gelley turns up.
6.Where's the body to the head? Whay are the cult doing this, what do they hope to gain?

 

[Jeffreywns]

And speaking of heads, what happens when one of the heads in the trunk is replaced on the correct torsoe? Undead slave revolt? Eternal rest? Character party now dealing with Stygian Priests AND hungry/mindless crew? Thank you for a great story thread! Creepy

 

[CthulhuFnord]

I like the headless undead, a Pendragon adventure featured a tower infested with them. I could also see them as being fielded as an "invincible" army, asuming only a blow to the head kills them. That would give players a good reason to infiltrate the enemy camp so they could destroy the heads.

 

[Aholibamah]

I like the idea that if you put a head back on you simply have an uncontrolled and almost indestructible undead person who wants to tear you to pieces in outrage at its very existence and hatred for the living. Oops! However if you do the correct rites this will put the corpse to rest and it immediately begins to dry up and decay.

Jester I like the idea of the statue--it reminds me of a Call of Cthulhu adventure called "Horror on the Orient Express". I kind of like the idea of someone being abducted or tricked aboard the ship and the plotline you suggested unfolding as the pcs try to track it down/board it etc.

 

[Vortigern]

A rather interesting setting... whether for the group ( if Stygian-types ) or as adversaries.

One thing to consider is that fragments of this statue could be both spread about on different islands/continents/locales and potentially sunken in shipwrecks.

How would the mostly sorcerous crew of the vessel handle bringing up a fragment from the bottom of the sea? And what would it look like to any other ship that happened by and witnessed the occurence?

 

[Halfbat]

This was veyr opportune. I was just running a pirate-based plotline into Stygia and had the political plot meshed out: this now adds loads to the body.

Thanks!