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| photo by mathyld Δ pyramids |
A sepulchral choir, or spectral chorus, is an incorporeal manifestation summoned to drive a victim to madness and perhaps suicide. The choir is an apparition of skeletons of small children, only visible to the victim (unless the choir wishes otherwise) without the use of magic. Their beautiful, and intensely unnerving, singing is likewise heard by the victim alone--in fact, it specifically relates to the them, referencing their deepest fears, and darkest secrets.
The choir visitations will come mostly at night, but might also occur in the day when the victim is alone, even for a brief period. The haunting will so distract the victim they will suffer a -2 to all attack rolls and saving throws for a period of an hour after experiencing one, unless they make a saving throw. The psychic and emotional assault causes a progressive -1 per day to Wisdom, and an inability to get restful sleep or concentrate. The end result is insanity (as the options given in the confusion spell) or suicide. The choir may be turned (though this is only temporary), or banished by a remove curse.
Only one complete copy of the ritual needed to create a sepulchral choir is known to exist. It was found in the City, scrawled on the back of a handbill and left inside a hymnal in the Our Ladies of Sorrows Church.
Sepulchral Choir
Number: 1 with 1d4+2 in the choir
AC: 0
HD: (1+2)x number of choir members
Attacks: 1 (haunting singing, see above)
Special: have typical traits of incoporeal undead
That's some more great stuff for any rpg!
ReplyDeleteThat's quite freaky and disturbing, I like it.
ReplyDeleteThe Choir, or whatever is behind it, seems to have its own agenda as well as appearing when summoned. It is believed to be responsible for the deaths of several priests, some of whom were later revealed to have engaged in various perversions.
ReplyDeleteMore worrying is that it seems to have starting to 'recruit' by haunting vulnerable choirboys . . .
Something about undead children that gives me the willies...
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing this one, I definitely have a manuscript to share with you sometime...
ReplyDelete@Chris - Thanks! I think it would particularly work well in a game with some sort of sanity/madness mechanic.
ReplyDelete@Angry Lurker - Thanks. Like so many of my posts, its the finding of a good picture that provides the inspiration.
@Seaofstarsrpg - Very nice--and a good adventure hook.
@Risus - I agree. Ever seen Guillermo del Toro's The Devil's Backbone?
@Netherwerks - Sure. I'd love to check that out.
That's a hell of a way to go insane. Why didn't Lovecraft ever think of this?
ReplyDeleteProbably not enough fish or frogs for Lovecraft. ;)
ReplyDelete