Grave robbery?
No, that term is too dignified for what you propose. Corpse pillaging is what this is.
Were you listening to anything? Are you aware of the things your fellow Awakened have had to suffer through? The sanctity of one's death mask? The difference between collapse and perseverance embodied by the smallest of trinkets and sentimentals on one's person?
You are, and you just don't care?
... Smart. You'll go farther than most.
When one of you has just about had it, and all seems lost, the embrace of true death nonetheless remains elusive. Instead, you crumple under the weight of the Need as well as your own personal anguish, and turn inward. Without a body strong enough to carry you to a sarcophagus, your mind turns inward and consumes itself, slowly. You can look forward to weeks, months, even years as a tormented Husk, trapped inside of that desiccated head of yours. And after that, when you start to fall apart at the molecular level, the real fun begins.
Some of the damage can be reversed, if you were to be placed within an enchanted coffin of your own.
Of course most of the other travelers who come across your bleaching hide will be less interested in picking up and helping you, and more interested in helping themselves to the pickings of whatever you might have had on you when you went catatonic. If you're smart, you'll keep your eye-slots peeled too.
(Roll 1d40 whenever you come across a suitably lethargic-looking cadaver. Any rerolls ignore the same result twice in a row.)
1
|
Nothing But Dust
|
The Husk and any rags it has left fall to ashes at
your touch, its mask crumbling into nothing. Have a moment of
silence for this most grim of fates.
|
2
|
Tattered Clothes
|
Little more than a filthy, stained loincloth. Gain
one rag. If you are feeling particularly brave, gain one bandage
or article of clothing.
|
3
|
Encrusted Thing
|
This object is completely covered over in gunk,
grime, or dirt. You have no idea what it is or does. Gain one
crusty old... something.
|
4
|
Vile Trophies
|
This Husk must have been one sick puppy to collect
all these. If you are not Hunted, become mildly unsettled. If you
are Hunted, have a laugh.
|
5
|
Abused Rucksack
|
Spacious, but weakening in places. Gain a
medium-sized container. If it is ever filled to capacity, it
ruptures.
|
6
|
Ghostly Whispers
|
You find nothing, and the murmur of wind and ash
fills you with a sudden, dreadful urgency. You suffer one
additional day of Need.
|
7
|
Scavengers
|
Carrion-eaters and worse things have found the
Husk before you did. If you fight or scare the competition away,
reroll.
|
8
|
Noose Necklace
|
A piece of fashion commonly sported by alumni of
gallows the world over. Gain one short length of rope.
|
9
|
Snipped Sinews
|
Several of the Husk's muscles are still good. Gain
three uses of stitching, or one bowstring, cord, garrote, etc.
|
10
|
Old Child's Toy
|
A weathered wooden figurine or a threadbare doll,
probably kept as a memento. Gain one bitter reminder of your own
lost youth.
|
11
|
Rendered Human Fat
|
A jar full of fragrant adipose tissue. Gain five
uses of fuel or oil, and attract predators at twice the usual
rate.
|
12
|
Visceral Trail
|
Dried droplets of black ichor, the lingering reek
of death-smoke, and the occasional severed limb point toward
potential danger- and profit.
|
13
|
Shiny Rocks
|
Not even the dead are exempt from humanity's
fixation on shiny things. Gain a bargaining chip.
|
14
|
Befouled Liquids
|
These vials or skins once contained valuable
potions or life-giving water. Now they are spoiled and noxious.
They make you nauseous to drink, but could be used as a stink bomb
or olfactory concealment.
|
15
|
A Fistful of Coins
|
A few ancient coins of unclear mint and
composition. Flipping them into a body of water and wishing might
do something. Like poison the water.
|
16
|
Corpulent Swelling
|
Jostling the Husk causes its abdomen to burst and
shower you in insides which quickly become outsides. You can be
smelled from a much greater distance until you bathe.
|
17
|
Awful Poetry
|
In sanity, this Husk used poetry as a creative
outlet and coping mechanism. In catatonia, it serves to make you
groan. Gain one use of fuel.
|
18
|
Powdered Herbs
|
They might have been an apothecary's wares. Or an
old pressed flower collection. Gain two uses of medicine. Or
placebos. Or poison.
|
19
|
Rusting Fragments
|
Anything made of metal such as weapons or armor
has long since broken, but the pieces remain. Gain one use of
scrap.
|
20
|
Infestation
|
At some point this body became host to a den of
vermin or a squirm of large parasites. Gain one ration of food.
|
21
|
Infested
|
At some point this body became host to a den of
small vermin or a squirm of large parasites. Now, so have you.
|
22
|
Old Wagon Wheel
|
Some Nomad cart won't be going anywhere without
this. Gain a shield that breaks after deflecting three blows.
|
23
|
Mimicry
|
That isn't a Husk. That isn't even humanoid. And
whatever it is, it looks hungry.
|
24
|
Gnarled Branch
|
Someone tore the face off of a particularly old
Holt-Dweller, but didn't get around to working it yet. Gain one
piece of wood.
|
25
|
Weaponized Femur
|
Whoever this belonged to must have had legs like a
workhorse. Treat as a club that breaks after five successful hits.
|
26
|
Old Bone Dice
|
Bones for throwing, and a bit of idle recreation.
They're probably not cursed.
|
27
|
A Ghost of Warmth
|
For the briefest of moments you feel faint,
pleasant sensation that you'd thought dead for ages. Nothing about
the Husk or its possessions tells you why or how to replicate it,
however.
|
28
|
Crypt-City Brochure
|
An old flier both advertising for one of the
smaller, newer Crypt-Cities, and calling for the violent expulsion
of all Awakened. If you become lost, you may reorient yourself
toward your goal once.
|
29
|
A Spare Limb
|
Everything seems to be in working order for one of
the Husk's extremities. Randomly gain a spare left or right arm or
leg.
|
30
|
Dislodged Corpse Nail
|
This foot-long wrought iron spike is hammered into
the limbs and torsos of the Awakened by Hunters to affix them to a
Groaning Pillar. Treat as a dagger.
|
31
|
Moldering Pages
|
Scraps of some old tome or journal. They may offer
some insight into local dangers or past travelers.
|
32
|
Rot Blossom Sprout
|
Run. Run as fast as you can.
|
33
|
Sandals!
|
A marvelously underused pair of sandals. Gain the
ability to travel the Wasteland in almost-comfort for the next
hundred miles.
|
34
|
Passage of Death-Priest Psalms
|
These grim old hymns allow you to reflect upon
your struggle and the goal which lies at its end, bolstering your
resolve. You may ignore one day of Need.
|
35
|
Looted Mask
|
This Husk was once another corpse-pillager like
yourself. Gain one blank death mask to use as a backup, and don't
dwell overlong on this glimpse into your own future.
|
36
|
Map Fragment
|
Manic scrawling making use of parchment and ink of
questionable origins outlines the general area and points of
interest.
|
37
|
Mystery Cult Trinkets
|
Ritual tools and artifacts of ambiguous design and
purpose. Using them correctly might allow for the casting of a
single spell. Or they might explode.
|
38
|
Black Marrow
|
The bones of every Awakened become imbued with a
hint of death-smoke essence over time, and these are still juicy.
Become well-rested, if you can tolerate the grizzly, selfsame
feast. Just ignore the nightmares.
|
39
|
Smoke Pocket
|
A pocket of death-smoke hasn't yet left the Husk's
body. Split open the bubo-like protrusion in its flesh and huff
deeply to repair light damage or remove one minor debilitation.
|
40
|
Not A Husk!
|
The corpse you're scavenging isn't entirely
catatonic yet! Take light but unavoidable damage as it suddenly
bites and flails mindlessly at the rude awakening.
|
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