The Shoal of Grey Bones

THE SHOAL OF GREY BONES

The the area the party was theoretically headed for when they decided to detour to the Obelisk of Forgotten Memories.  I would have given them 9-1 odds of dying on the way, but I like shipwrecks so I still wrote up a table or two. 

Küstenlandschaft - Michael Hutter 1994

The shoal of Grey Bones is a natural, and likely supernatural, magnet for shipping.  Its shallow waters appear to the unprepared mariner as a flat and safe sea while the ancient abandoned lighthouse complex, the 'Tower Plenary' perched on and in the rocks above exerts a malign influence, its abandoned lights reportedly flashing false symbols to vessels leading them onto the merciless crags.  Currents also push abandoned vessels an flotsam onto the grey rocks of the shoals,and over the years a layer of shipwrecks has virtually covered the beaches, sandbars and pools that make up the region.

Among the shoal's gritty grey beaches, jagged cliffs and sucking mud flats many intact vessels can be found.  Some contain treasures, but many are haunted, the lair to wreckers and mad hermits or inhabited by dangerous carrion feeding sea creatures.  Sometimes crews even survive the wrecks and form ad hoc tribes of creature and men from distant lands, hopelessly waiting for rescue.  Below is a list of some vessels that can be found stranded on the shoals.

The Obelisk - Boogeyman

THE OBELISK - NEW MONSTER, BOOGEYMAN

Boogeyman - The Caretaker

BOOGEYMAN

No Enc. (1) (1D4)

Alignment: Chaotic

Movement: (30')

Armorclass:4

Hit Dice: 4(turn as 5HD)

Attacks: 2 (Weapon/Bite/Spell)

Damage: 1d6/1d3 (+ special)

Save: MU4

Morale: 9

Hoarde Class: VI &VIII.

XP: 190

In many ways these creatures are simply stronger more cunning ghouls who often act as leaders of ghoul packs. They are much like ghouls in their motivations and appearance, though Boogeymen retain both more cunning and slightly more human features than most ghouls. They also retain the ability to wield weapons and cast spells, though a boogeyman's weapon attack does not paralyze their opponents, it does mean that powerful boogeymen may be encountered wearing magical armor an wielding dangerous weapons.

Boogeymen are capable of speech and thought, but their goals, insatiable ghoulish hunger and overwhelming self-loathing make them unlikely to negotiate and even more unlikely to keep any deal they have made. They are fond of treasure, but more fond of living flesh and the power they get from tormenting both the living and their ghoulish minions. 

Special Attack: Boogeymen have the ability to counter and cast several spells. Boogeymen may cast (and counter): Sleep, Magic Missile, Shield, Enlarge, Dancing Lights, Light and Burning Hands. They may also cast the clerical spells: curse (opposite of bless), fear, cause light wounds, Boogeymen are not proficient magic-users and are limited to casting only two spells a day off of the above lists. Individual Boogeymen may know more, less, or different sets of spells depending on their nature, past profession and DM whim.

Special Attack: Boogeymen may paralyze as a ghoul for 2D4 rounds if they hit with their 1D3 bite attack and are undead, immune to sleep, charm person and similar spells. Likewise the victims of a boogeyman will rise in twenty-four (24) hours as ghouls, or if spell casters over 3HD as boogeymen themselves. Boogeymen are far more likely to refrain from devouring their victims than normal ghouls, and instead kill to recruit minions, though new ghouls may be missing some bite sized chunks here and there.

The Obelisk - Hungry Ghost

THE OBELISK - NEW MONSTER, HUNGRY GHOST

Hungry Ghost - Torpo the Cannibal

HUNGRY GHOST

Hungry Ghost:

No Enc. (1)

Alignment: Chaotic

Movement: (40')

Armorclass: 5 (½ Damage from normal weapons)

Hit Dice: 6

Attacks: 2 Claw/Claw (devour)

Damage: 1d6/1D6/ (+special)

Save: MU 6

Morale: 8

Hoard Class: VII & XI

XP: 1420

A Hungry Ghost is the undead manifestation of the spirit of an evil and especially avaricious individual. It is also a spirit of hunger and is drawn to sites of tragedies relating to hunger and eating, such as places of cannibalism, starvation and poisoning. Hungry Ghosts are physical manifestations of spirit, human figures made of semi-transparent, glowing ecotoplasmic slime. They most often appear as spindly, grotesque humans or corpses with massively distended bellies and long thin necks, but may take other forms related to hunger and starvation (such as a pack of starving dogs or human body dressed for cooking).

Hungry ghosts are reasonably intelligent and may speak, but they tend to be enslaved by their obsessive hunger and rather unreasonable. They will not keep promises or otherwise negotiate in good faith, simply because they cannot resist their urges to devour living victims when they are available. This is not to say that they will attack without reservation or until destroyed, as they tend to place self-preservation only second to their hunger, and many are even somewhat cowardly.

The Obelisk - Contents of Graves and Sarcophagi

THE OBELISK - CONTENTS OF GRAVES TABLES

Within the Obelisk Grounds there are a great many graves and crypts that may be looted.  It takes 5 hrs for the average person to dig up a grave if equipped with a pick and shovel, but this is modified by the diggers Constitution bonus (-1 hour per point of bonus). Up to 2 people can dig up a grave at a time, but it will never take less than 1 hour.  Note that digging up a grave will result in earning the rage of Jackal-Mask Bonechewer and subject the party to attack by corpse fleas (immediately in some cases).

Most graves, even on the Obelisk Grounds are fundamentally boring and contain a cheap coffin (roll 1D10 below) and some bones. Every few will necessitate a roll on the tables below.  Graves closer to the Mausoleum and Shrine are more likely to have interesting contents.  All crypts within the Mausoleum will necessitate a roll on the tables below.  Roll 1D20 for contents and 1D20 for coffin if necessary.

A Special Tomb - Photo unaccredited

The Obelisk - Caretakers Cottage

THE OBELISK OF FORGOTTEN MEMORIES - AREA 3

3. The Caretaker's Cottage
This building appears to be of ancient ceramic polymer construction and was originally a storage shed for the obelisk's gardeners. It now looks like a pleasantly quaint cottage, with a thatch roof and several glass windows; however, on closer inspection it hasn't been repaired in sometime with dead decorative flowers in the widow boxes, peeling paint and moldy thatch. The cottage is shielded from the entry path by a line of thick trees, but at night a ghostly pinkish light from it's front window can be seen from the obelisk (Area 2).  The undead caretaker haunts the cottage at Bezonaught's command and leads Bezonaught's ghouls. He was killed by the cultists because he refused to run off and instead sniped at them from the trees with his crossbow and spells.

Bezonaught is strong here and he will speak through the undead within the cottage if the PC's actions appear to be helpful to him (they have already killed off several of cultists), otherwise the god will encourage his minions to slay any humanoid nearby, so they will rise as ghouls to help thwart the cultists. Even if Bezonaught decides not to kill the PC's the Caretaker and his minions will remain hostile and a reaction roll is required each time they are encountered.  The ghouls are generally frustrated as while they can easily overcome the cultists, even the whole pack as trouble with only a few zombies who are immune to ghoul paralysis.  Despite their strength and cunning they have been reduced to hit and run attacks, attempting to drag a victim or two off to bolster their numbers.

3a. Living Room

Medical Drawings from Edo period Japan

This room was once the main room of a cozy cottage inhabited by the caretaker, a lonely, learned and morbid hedge-warlock. The Caretaker's solid wood furniture and book collection have mostly been destroyed. Either looted by the cultists or smashed in the ghouls periodic rages. The Caretaker's books are now scattered about the room, many torn or defaced with obscene and enraged charcoal scribblings. The hearth is filled with cracked and burnt human bones, leftover form the Caretaker and his minions' meals.

The boogeyman Caretaker lairs here, and, if not killed elsewhere, will be here brooding, defacing books, and giggling disconcertingly. The Caretaker appears as a newly dead man (the right side of his face is obviously staved in by a club or mace) wearing stained leathers and ragged county-man's clothes. The flesh of his fingers and lower face have receded or been chewed away leaving a rotted black slime and turning his fleshless fingers and gumless mouth into boney weapons. He fights with a rusty hand axe and his paralyzing bite.

The Obelisk - Treasures of Note, from the Special Encounter Table

OBELISK OF FORGOTTEN MEMORIES - Treasures of Note PT I.

The Cursed Cannon - Actually a 1860 Jones Pepperbox Pistol

Cursed Cannon. Last know to have been carried by Mule Hearted Billy, the wandering massacre/gunslinger/Wizard, but having a history going back five hundred years. This weapon appears to be a ornate multi chambered pistol made of a greenish metal. It is both blocky and ornately filigreed. It is not a revolver, but rather a wand like item of unfathomable alien evil, useable by thieves and magic users. If used like a gun the Cannon will fire a gray blast of concentrated negative energy that strikes as a +3 pistol (roll to hit) and messily rip the soul from the target. The target may save vs. Spells, to suffer 1D4 damage and spend the next 1D4 rounds holding their soul close (accompanied by terrible visions of a gray-green alien hell-scape). If the save is unsuccessful the victim takes 3D6 damage as their soul or a portion thereof is torn from their body. Creatures without souls (like golems, demons or robots) are not effected.

The cannon starts with 1D6 charges when discovered and recharges itself with one charge for every soul taken. It gains 1D6 additional souls however from killing an innocent human and may be used as a club to do so if its charges are exhausted. The Cannon is intelligent and evil, it will attempt to take over its owner every time it is used (Roll D20 under wisdom – 1 [cumulative] per shot). It will also whisper phrases like “Feed the gun” into it's owner's mind incessantly when it is not being actively used to kill. 

The Obelisk - Wandering Campaign Killers

Roll a '3' and meet "Father Scapula"

OBELISK OF FORGOTTEN MEMORIES - SPECIAL ENCOUNTERS
 In the Obelisk of Forgotten Memories I have included a list of random encounters/event that is designed to stimulate wild and unpredictable play - basically if the PC's refuse to be the agents of change the encounters on the table are perfectly willing to pick up the slack.  Roll or pick when nothing is happening, the players flee back to town, or a diplomatic impasse need to be broken.


SPECIAL ENCOUNTERS

Daily “special encounters” is an optional table. If the PC's are sluggish goldbrickers, action has gotten bogged down or you happen to feel like throwing a serious plot twist in, roll on this table and see what nightmare, campaign ruining, TPK encounter occurs. All of these encounters have a fundamental ability to upset any balance in the memorial grounds and possibly your campaign.

The Obelisk - The Obelisk and Table of Memorial Offerings

THE OBELISK OF FORGOTTEN MEMORIES - AREA 2

2. The Obelisk

Ancient Georgian grave Goods - Fitzwilliam Museum

The obelisk is a massive black and green needle of protonium that climbs over 1000' straight up, well above the surrounding forest. 20' square at the base the obelisk, and midway through it's fourth millennium, is immobile and indestructible. It contains the machinery for relaying to and from the geosynchronous beacon satellite sealed within its peaked cap. Etched on the obelisk, in tiny print are a couple million names with military abbreviations before them. The obelisk is hollow, and will make a booming noise (roll for random monsters) if struck hard enough. A, 8' tall iron fence in an elaborate spike embellished style surrounds the obelisk and packed earth square it stands in. The Fence is rusted, but still quite strong and topped with wicked points. Two 10' long portions of the fence have fallen near the entry path and can each be lifted or carried by two or more strong humans.

Surrounding the obelisk is a litter of offerings, mostly desiccated or decayed flowers and food, with 29 sealed jars/clay pots or small wooden chests that each contain a funerary offering (roll on table below for each offering looted). The looting of these offerings will anger the deity Jackal-Mask and will occasion an attack by corpse fleas after 1D4 turns, if the PC's remain in the area.  Treat this attack as the random encounter appropriate to that time of day with +2 fleas added to the number appearing.

Wicked Interlopers

The soldiers of Feldmarschall Oberkommando are subject to a brutal training regimen.

Here's a table of random wizards that I am saving for later, Hexamacht will become important if the PC's keep heading into the wilds, but this lot represent his enemies and competition South-West of Denethix.

The Obelisk - Tomb of the Rocket Men

THE OBELISK OF FORGOTTEN MEMORIES - AREA 10B

Dead Astronaut by Carbine

10B. Tomb of the Rocket Men

Secret Door – The door to Area 10B (Tomb of the Rocket Men) is not a door in the normal sense, but the weakened wall of a capsule shaped ancient tomb. A secret door check (or possibly the efforts of allied corpse-fleas) will indicate that shared wall between the Hive(10A) and the Secret Tomb is too straight and seemingly not the same material as the rest of the crudely excavated, crumbling dirt cavern. Spending a few minutes clearing away the thin crust of dirt and hardened flea spittle will show pale blue wall with a slick porcelain appearance. Taps or rapping on the wall will reveal a hollow space behind it, and strong blows will produce cracking and crazing in its surface. Enough force (10 HP of blunt force damage against the AC7 wall) will crack open a 'door' big enough to climb or crawl through.

Tomb

A featureless pale blue ceramacrete vault containing four aluminum coffins now dull gray with age and splotched with white corrosion. The walls have worn down over the millennium and can be shattered with little effort. The coffins each contain the remains of an officer who died in the ancient war over 3,000 years ago. In addition to these mummified remains, which fall into gray dust the moment they are disturbed, the coffins contain the following items of note.