The Academy Obscura convenes only rarely but always to punish those who have made the unknown
known. What mysteries they hold sacred, what secrets inviolate, who can say? It’s rumored their punishment involves forever removing the certainty of the transgressor's existence, leaving them forever trapped between life and death, being and nonbeing.
You can even get the drop on a shadow assassin--if you’re packing the right ammunition. Bullets made from paraffin mixed with used candle wax (with right incantation applied when it was burning) do the job.
Such is the power of the brain invader that Colonel Gordon’s men didn’t notice his body was being ridden by one of the creatures until it was far too late. The corpses of his men were found in a mass grave; there was, of course, nothing left of the Colonel's skull.
"Charley Rictus is a trusted lieutenant and enforcer for the
Malbolge family. He's been killed and raised at least nine times on record: multiple shootings, stabbings, a couple of poisonings, an emasculation, and one total dismemberment. Now it looks like he wants to cut a deal. Maybe he wants to retire on a beach somewhere and rot in peace, or maybe he thinks he can break his Faustian pact and save his soul from eternal damnation. I don't know and I don't care. I just need him at the courthouse--with the important parts intact."
10 comments:
Wow! This stuff is always great and it gets me thinking... Thanks for sharing these ideas!
Awesome as always, Charley Rictus's writeup did make me chuckle.
Curious about the source for the pic of the Academy Obscura, it's a perfect fit for a group of NPCs I'm working on.
The more I read these posts, the more I would love to run (or actually, play in) a Strange New Worlds game. It'd be awesome to find someone down here in the Pasadena area who wanted to start a group.
This stuff is so creative and so different from the standard stuff we see all over the web.
@Jim - You're welcome, Jim. :)
@satyre - Thanks. The pic can off tumblr (where sourcing is haphazard to nonexistent--other than within tumblr) months ago. At this point, I don't know that I recall what tumblr site it came from.
@Martin - Thanks. Maybe when I get the book out (this summer-hopefully) it might be easier to get some folks to play. Hardcopy in hand and all that. I know I had a hard time convincing some friends of mine the idea had any merit until I was 10+ posts in on the blog, and they could really get a feel for what I was envisioning.
Nice! And good pictures. That mind-flayer/skull-parasite thingy is, for lack of a better word, awesome :)
I love the retiring to the beach to "rot in peace." I think that's pretty much what I do when I flail around all by myself in the water.
Can't wait to buy your book.
Nice!
I keep trying to find a term or word to describe this stuff... but keep coming up short. 'Anti-Horror?'
@Harald - Yeah, that's a great picture isn't it? I found it sometime ago and have been saving it for the right post.
@Christian - Thanks, Christian. I don't think you're rotting if your getting out there and trying it. :)
@scottsz - Thanks. I'm curious as to what you mean by "anti-horror." I think maybe you mean the sort of dry reportage or understatement of horrorific things?
@Trey: Exactly, but 'anti-horror' isn't clear enough... you describe it perfectly in your comment, but I can't seem to distill that into a 'term'.
Underhorror? Wry Horror?
Someone'll come up with something... outlying great ideas are best named by accident I suppose.
Oh my players are so screwed! If I get this book in my grubby little hands!
Post a Comment