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Arparrabiosa
Acolyte
Spain
8 Posts |
 Posted - 01 Sep 2020 : 16:34:07
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Hey folks!
First time poster. Don't bash me too much if I'm doing something wrong!
Anyway, I was wondering if you could help to flesh out an OSR adventure called The Devil in the Crypt and adapt it to Mulhorand (Mishtan) in the chronology of 2nd edition to 3rd even when we play D&D 3.5. I tried to post this on the Forgotten Realms subreddit to no avail but I hope you wonderful and knowledgeable people can help me.
Without further ado the plot in the adventure is simple:
quote:
[...] there lived a priest-king called Akhenseti, who abandoned the faith of his fathers and instituted a bloody cult dedicated to the sinister forces of the Outer Dark. With the help of these forces he strove to master the secrets of sorcery and thereby make himself an equal of the gods. Even after the evil priest-king had been deposed - either by a group of brave heroes or betrayed by the powers of darkness (the accounts vary) - many of his dreadful creations lived on. Mightiest of these was a ring by which the sorcerer-king could summon forth an enslaved devil, and a mirror that could be used to communicate with the infernal gods of the Outer Dark.
So I was thinking in making Akhenseti an incarnation of Horus-Re that was corrupted by the influence of Set, replacing all the Outer Dark thing. This is important as one of my characters is an Osiris priestess marked by Set that is trying to escape her fate and another one is tied to the chuch of Anhur, who is a enemy of Set too.
Is that possible and reasonable? Are there any case in history of something like that? If not, is it possible that Ankhenseti was removed from all record for his crimes, something like Imhotep in The Mummy?
Speaking of mummies, there is a mummy at the temple-tomb that is tasked with protecting the temple against all intruders. He controls animated skeletons and is currently at war with the Set cultists (so the players can have some faction play). I was thinking about making him a paladin of the Order of the Risen Specter. Would it make sense having him here, protecting the remains of Akhenseti or should I leave him as a mummy?
I also don't know what to do, exactly with the enslaved devil. In the module, there is a device that allows the cultist to control the demon to wreak havoc on the vicinity, attacking caravans and things like that. I guess it could make sense that the Set cultists are using him to disturb the City of the Dead and weaken the Osiris priesthood, but I'm not sure of the connection of Set to devils or demons. I would like to use this description because it's pretty badass although I have no idea of which monster I'm gonna use for that (they are lvl 5 characters):
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It has the shape on a vulture-headed warrior in a war chariot pulled by a black sphinx. The warrior is screeching wildly, while the sphinx talks with a majestic voice. The devil is always accompanied by a howling sand storm.
And to end with: the cultist. I have 3 options: leave them as humans, use jackal-weres and dire jacks (as Set is the Father of Jackals) and/or use a yuanti high priestess follower of Zehir.
So thanks for reading. Any help or insight is greatly appreciated!
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 01 Sep 2020 : 17:56:57
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Hi, nice to meet you. I'm not familiar with one acronym. OSR. What's that mean?
So, your basic premise is that an incarnation of Horus-Re becomes a priest of Set? Then said incarnation is cast out from the throne and is overthrown somehow after he tries to basically ascend to godhood. The body of this incarnation is buried and a mummy paladin of Osiris is charged with guarding it. Then you want to still have some ring that the incarnation-traitor had that controls some kind of fiend that would be a challenge for level 5 characters.
How about we change your story just a little bit. We know in history that a few things happened with the god-kings (replace your term priest-king with god-king). Now, god-kings weren't all incarnations of just the ruling gods. They could be incarnations of any god and still be a "god-king". So, what if he were simply an incarnation of Set, but perhaps the incarnation of Set from before Horus-Re was Horus-Re. By that I mean, what if he was an incarnation of Set when the manifestation of Ra was killed. We know that after Ra died, Horus didn't instantly become Horus-Re. In fact, prior to this, Set wasn't even an outcast yet. After Ra dies (-1071 DR), the Mulhorandi manifestations begin fighting over who is going to become the ruler of the pantheon. Set kills Osiris in -1050 DR by tricking him into a magic coffin. Horus drives the manifestation of Set out of Mulhorand. Isis resurrects the manifestation of Osiris in -1048 DR by mummifying his body (this is when he skin becomes green in our real world lore as well, so he's technically an "undead god").
So, in this story we're talking about the "manifestations" of the gods... basically their avatars. However, at the same time, they had incarnations active. Incarnations are simply mortals with some kind of divine ties to their deity via bloodline. So, in theory, when the manifestation of Set rebelled.... his incarnation, the god-king Akhenseti, was alive and active in Mulhorand. In theory, the government was in disarray, because Horus wasn't defined as the ruler yet, so the incarnation of Horus wasn't the pharaoh yet. Therefore, this god-king Akhenseti may have tried to serve his god by trying to seize control. Later, when the manifestation of Set kills the manifestation of Osiris with some magic coffin, maybe the result is the the incarnation of Osiris (unnamed person) also dies. Later when the manifestation of Osiris is brought back by the manifestation of Isis, perhaps so is his incarnation as a mummy. The manifestation of Set is chased out, but the incarnation of Set (Akhenseti) may have been left behind. I can see the new ruler, the incarnation of Horus-Re, commanding that Akhenseti be put to death, and the mummy-incarnation of Osiris be set to guard Set's temple to prevent anyone ever visiting it. Sound good?
On the "devil", I'd personally go with a demon tied to the ring, specifically a vrock based on description (as that's a vulture headed demon). That's a CR6 creature in the 5e monster manual, so it should be a challenge for a level 5 party. A real sphinx however will be a problem for a party of that level. I'd personally change the sphinx to a abyssally tainted griffin (so a griffin and then give it some abyssal weirdness, plus intelligence and the ability to talk). You may also want the sand storm to be some kind of actual creature as well (like an elemental). Old empires has a huge sandstorm creature called a skriaxit, but that would be too powerful, but adapting an elemental of some sort would work (calling it a "dust devil" works). |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Demzer
Senior Scribe
877 Posts |
Posted - 01 Sep 2020 : 18:06:40
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Hi and welcome to Candlekeep!
quote:
Originally posted by Arparrabiosa
So I was thinking in making Akhenseti an incarnation of Horus-Re that was corrupted by the influence of Set, replacing all the Outer Dark thing.
...
Is that possible and reasonable? Are there any case in history of something like that? If not, is it possible that Ankhenseti was removed from all record for his crimes, something like Imhotep in The Mummy?
I think it's completely possible and reasonable.
We don't have complete genealogies of incarnations and you can bet Set would spend an awful lot of time trying to corrupt the "relatives" of the rest of the pantheon. Having one of Horus-Re gone bad and entombed with all its evil possessions, guarded by a mummy devout of Osiris, and stricken from memory is something that seems plausible.
quote:
Originally posted by Arparrabiosa
Speaking of mummies, there is a mummy at the temple-tomb that is tasked with protecting the temple against all intruders. He controls animated skeletons and is currently at war with the Set cultists (so the players can have some faction play). I was thinking about making him a paladin of the Order of the Risen Specter. Would it make sense having him here, protecting the remains of Akhenseti or should I leave him as a mummy?
Personally I would keep the mummy as it fits thematically but it's really your call. Depending on how confident you are with the 3.5 mechanics you might want to swap some abilities with paladin-like features so you can have the best of both worlds.
quote:
Originally posted by Arparrabiosa
I also don't know what to do, exactly with the enslaved devil. In the module, there is a device that allows the cultist to control the demon to wreak havoc on the vicinity, attacking caravans and things like that. I guess it could make sense that the Set cultists are using him to disturb the City of the Dead and weaken the Osiris priesthood, but I'm not sure of the connection of Set to devils or demons.
Set is LE and like all LE deities it's completely believable he "outsources" some mayhem to devils from time to time, using them or having his priesthood used them as contractors.
quote:
Originally posted by Arparrabiosa
I would like to use this description because it's pretty badass although I have no idea of which monster I'm gonna use for that (they are lvl 5 characters) ...
You can make it a special form of narzugon (from Fiendish Codex II), add to it the vrock (Monster Manual I) stunning screech ability to keep in the description and substitute the nightmare steed with a hieracosphynx (from the Monster Manual I too). Those are both CR5 monsters so a party of level 5 players should be able to deal with them. Be creative with the chariot manuevers and maybe beef the monsters up if you know your players are good at combat and you will be golden.
quote:
Originally posted by Arparrabiosa
And to end with: the cultist. I have 3 options: leave them as humans, use jackal-weres and dire jacks (as Set is the Father of Jackals) and/or use a yuanti high priestess follower of Zehir.
Personally I've never liked Zehir (enough snakes in FR as is) but if it helps build the complexity of your campaign then go for it (or have both with the yuan-ti secretly exploiting the jackal-weres to run away with the magical goodies, she was really in it to plunder the tomb!). |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 01 Sep 2020 : 18:31:12
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Oh, and I just realized you said you were playing 3.5 and not 5e. Vrock should still work. Since there's more sphinxes in that edition, the hieracosphinx just mentioned also works.
You may also want to look at Sandstorm. There's a "desert devil" called an araton that's surrounded by whirling dust that would fit except for the fact of no vulture head. It's CR6. There's also a "dustform" template that you can add to creatures (a dustform griffon for instance). There's also some other options for sphinxes (there is a canisphinx which has a dog head and a saurosphinx which is "talkative" but with a reptilian head). |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3287 Posts |
Posted - 02 Sep 2020 : 03:36:50
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OSR means Old School Renaissance. Stuff like Swords and Wizardry, Labyrinth Lord, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Old School Essentials, and Basic Fantasy Role-playing are all OSR style games. Retro Clones of Original D&D, Moldvey/Cook B/X D&D, AD&D 1st Edition. Or 2E, and 3E fall under the OSR Umbrella now.
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"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 02 Sep 2020 : 04:06:41
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Ha, I thought OSR meant OSRIC. I even found this definition which I thought was pretty good. Learned something new (or rather, something old which is new again).
But to answer the OP question ... I don't think I understand the problem.
Just convert all the characters, monsters, and item stats into whichever ruleset you prefer.
And your storyline isn't any less plausible that all the juvenile and petulant problems the deities of the Realms have already caused in the setting. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Arparrabiosa
Acolyte
Spain
8 Posts |
Posted - 02 Sep 2020 : 11:16:24
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Thanks a lot for all the answers!
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Sound good?
Sounds really good indeed! I'm going to steal this.
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Personally I would keep the mummy as it fits thematically but it's really your call.
Yeah, probably not a good idea. I'll keep the mummy.
quote:
You can make it a special form of narzugon (from Fiendish Codex II), add to it the vrock (Monster Manual I) stunning screech ability to keep in the description and substitute the nightmare steed with a hieracosphynx (from the Monster Manual I too). Those are both CR5 monsters so a party of level 5 players should be able to deal with them. Be creative with the chariot manuevers and maybe beef the monsters up if you know your players are good at combat and you will be golden.
I think I will be fine. They are good at combat, specially dishing out damage, but I expect they will be already weakened by the combant with the cultists when they reach the demon.
I like sleyvas idea of making it an araton too... decisions, decisions.
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Personally I've never liked Zehir (enough snakes in FR as is) but if it helps build the complexity of your campaign then go for it (or have both with the yuan-ti secretly exploiting the jackal-weres to run away with the magical goodies, she was really in it to plunder the tomb!).
I think I'll leave the yuan-ti and Zehir idea, then. This is a DM Hotseat campaign, and the rest of the table don't know as much lore as you do so complexity is not that desirable in this case. I'll keep the cultists as jackalwere disguised as human scholars.
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OSR means Old School Renaissance.
Exactly.
quote:
I don't think I understand the problem.
Just convert all the characters, monsters, and item stats into whichever ruleset you prefer.
And your storyline isn't any less plausible that all the juvenile and petulant problems the deities of the Realms have already caused in the setting.
I wasn't worried about converting the characters and monsters, but about my storyline. Also wanted some help with fleshing it out or add little details.
Ok, one more question. The adventure features a little puzzle: seven black obelisk with an ankh in the top. Putting all the ankhs in the correct position leads to the funerary chamber of Akhenseti (with no corpse to be found). I was thinking in letting them ally with Apep-Kha (the mummy-incarnation of Osiris that protects the tomb) on condition that they don't plunder the riches of the pyramid. In they put all the ankhs upside down, the corridor leads to a "vast plain of whitened bones beneath an endless night sky" instead - some kind of plane meld with the aforementioned Outer Dark I guess. Is there anything we know about Set's realm in Heliopolis, both in aspect or inhabitants to change this part?
Thanks again!
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 02 Sep 2020 : 13:28:45
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glad to help with the backstory, and steal away. Lore was created for exactly this kind of purpose, so if it sees use, great. I just enjoy helping write a story.
By the way, I recommend changing that mummy's name. Apep is the name of a serpent enemy of the gods and the opponent of light and truth. Its like so "counter of Osiris" it is weird how they chose the name. Another name like Osiric-Kha or Osik-Kha or or Osep-Kha or somesuch would fit. Not a major deal. It was just jarring for me when I saw it.
To my knowledge, this is the extent of our knowledge of Set's realm in Heliopolis, and there's a description for each god's domain in the Player's guide to Faerun for 3.5 along with an overall description of the plane itself.
Set: The dark realm of Set, known as Ankhwugaht, is a region of desert that is completely closed to Horus-Re’s light and goodness. Harsh winds blow across its poisonous sands, serpents hiss in the endless night, and fi endish monstrous scorpions devour any who dare to trespass here. A great black pyramid rises high above the desert sands, seeming almost to scrape the blood-streaked midnight sky.
HELIOPOLIS TRAITS
Heliopolis has the following traits.
•Alterable morphic. Each divine realm is divinely morphic.
•Mild faith.
•Enhanced magic. Within Set’s realm of Ankhwugaht, spells from the school of necromancy are empowered and extended, as though the Empower Spell and Extend Spell feats had been applied, though they do not require higher-level spell slots or longer than normal casting times. This effect does not extend to the rest of the plane.
HELIOPOLIS LINKS
No known portals exist on Heliopolis.
HELIOPOLIS INHABITANTS
A variety of creatures native to other planes make homes in Heliopolis as well. Lillends serve some of the good deities of the plane, as do angels. In Set’s realm of Ankhwugaht, diverse creatures such as chaos beasts, howlers, night hags, and yeth hounds haunt the dark wilderness.
Deities and Demigods: Minion of Set.
Monsters of Faerûn: Nishruu.
Monster Manual II: Marrash.
Fiend Folio: Fire snake.
Heliopolis Petitioners: Almost all the petitioners of Heliopolis are Mulhorandi in origin. They appear as they did in life, at their healthiest and most robust. They have the following special qualities.
Additional Immunities: Acid, sonic.
Resistances: Cold 10, electricity 10.
Other Special Qualities: None.
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Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
Edited by - sleyvas on 02 Sep 2020 13:30:47 |
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LordofBones
Master of Realmslore
1536 Posts |
Posted - 03 Sep 2020 : 14:12:07
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| Set's connection to devils is fairly simple; Ankhwugaht, the Twelve Hours of Night, is in Baator. |
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Help me to adapt an OSR adventure to Mulhorand
