THE OBELISK OF FORGOTTEN MEMORIES - AREA 7g
7g. Sepulcher of Torpo the
Cannibal
A Pitch black chamber with massive
white marble walls and huge bronze doors. The doors have all been
recently resealed from the outside with white lead and their outer
faces marked with various holy and arcane symbols. A cleric or
magic-user may make a D20 roll under intelligence to recognize that
these symbols are meant to obstruct the passage of supernatural
entities, specifically ghosts and other non-corporeal undead.
Within the chamber the walls are carved
with scenes depicting an idealized version of the rise and triumph
of Torpo the Cannibal. The carvings show Torpo's humble beginnings
as a baby descending from orbit, his effortless struggles against
man, monster and beast and finally his benevolent rule over adoring
subjects. The center of the chamber contains a massive stone bier
carved into a single green rectangle wrapped with carved chains.
This is Torpo's Tomb and the thick stone is a relatively
indestructible, though entirely normal, 10-ton block of hard green
stone polished and worked with considerable skill. The lid can be
shifted (not lifted) enough to push it to the floor with a resounding
crash if 45 Strength is applied to it at once (three individuals can
push on the bier at once – so a block and tackle might be useful).
Within the tomb is Torpo's fanged 7' tall skeleton and his grave
goods. The skeleton wears rotted cloth of gold robes and a rusting
iron crown (robes are worth 2GP at best, the crown is worthless).
The skeleton's right hand holds a bone scroll case containing a
brittle scroll that details Torpo's draconian and cruel legal system.
The bottom of the bier is carpeted with electrum coins. There are
3,000 EP below Torpo's brittle bones, each oval coin is new from the
mint (they were specially minted for Torpo's death) and depicts the
slumbering, befanged and bearded face of the tyrant on one side and
three mourning robed women on the other. There's a small chance that
the coins will be recognized as dating from Torpo's reign, but
otherwise they are wholly unique.
The chamber is guarded by the spirit of
Torpo the Cannibal, a Hungry Ghost. Torpo's sickly blue
gelatinous ectoplasmic body will shimmer into existence almost as
soon as the party enters the sealed crypt, an 8' tall emaciated
figure with an exaggeratedly large head, thin elongated neck and
enormous fat belly. The shadows of human bones can be seen floating
in Torpo's huge, distended belly. He can speak, and will make some
asinine food related quip before attempting to attack and devour the
PC's. If the party flees from Torpo he is trapped in the room by
the magic signs around the door, unless he can talk someone into
defacing them. If a door is left open and Torpo is still trapped, he will stand at the doorway and invite, in a cultured and
malicious voice, any passersby to dine with him. He may also promise
great rewards if he is released. Torpo knows about and can freely
access the undercrypt by demanifesting his body and remanifesting
below or in his bier (takes 1d4 turns), so attempts to bombard him
with flaming oil or missiles while he is trapped in the sepulcher will
fail. In the event Torpo's moral breaks, he is turned or he is seriously injured Totpo will flee to below.
Were he released Torpo's spirit would
be able to haunt the entire graveyard and begin to gather other evil
spirits around him.
The Spirit of Torpo (Hungry Ghost) -
AC 5 [½ damage from normal
weapons], HD 6 [May be turned], (hp 36), #AT 2, D 1D6/1D6 (+ devour), MV ('40) Save
MU 6, ML 8.
1D4 | Torpo's asinine, 'tasteless' quip of the moment – roll or pick. |
1 | “Oh wonderful! I have always preferred my meat rare – very rare!” |
2 | “Staying for Dinner?” |
3 | “MAN BACON!” |
4 | “It has always been my practice to serve the people!” |
I like the obnoxious comments table!
ReplyDeleteThanks, I have trouble thinking of witticisms on the fly. Also I wanted to capture Torpo's character - he is/was a sadistic jerk who thinks he's smarter than he actually was, hence the terrible jokes. Mostly I just wanted to use the phrase MAN BACON!
ReplyDeleteAlso Torpo is basically an optional encounter, and the 1,500 GP in treasure he has is hardly worth the near insta-death utter ruination he can rain down on most 1st level parties. Not to mention his sneaky "Not Dead yet!" gimmick.
Well done adventurers- just how I like them!
ReplyDelete