Pandora's Box

[DustBunny]

That's an interesting approach to the situation, but, I don't think the Bug Box would be able to contain a phenomenon as powerful as that.

No problem
Per your request, I am just throwing vague ideas out there as the muse strikes me.

And speaking of Muses, here is one based (very loosely) on the Leannán sídhe of Irish folklore.
Not quite up there on the power scale as the primordial, but still rather dangerous to catch the eye of.

****
The passions of mortals are powerful things, able to accomplish or create things both fair and foul. Undead are green with jealously of mortal passions, and the Dark powers themselves appear to have an interest in intense sources of passion. But with any source of energy, there are those things which feed on them…

The Leannán sídhe usually appears as a beautiful woman with dark hair and has a preference for red hued clothing (red being the colour of passion). Though as the fae is a shapeshifter they can conceivably appear in any form, though a touch of red is always present. The Leannán sídhe roams the world seeking a host to 'inspire' passion in.

Once a suitable host is found, the Leannán sídhe will ‘attach’ themselves. They may offer a bit of ‘friendly advice’, a pointer or two, or just a smile to get the host to take interest. If the host accepts this help a ‘transaction’ of sorts is made. The host is inspired to focus fully on their object of desire, to throw everything they have into creating or achieving it. The objective can be anything, provided it is a source of passion to the creator – a wizard composing a new spell, a priest writing a hymn to their deity, an artist painting, or even a peasant seeking that once nod of approval from their lord.

The Leannán sídhe inspires the host to work on their project, acting as an inspiration and muse, while on a supernatural level links the hosts life force to their passion – this allows the host to work well beyond their means. Sleeping is an unnecessary distraction, food and drink go untouched, and time becomes meaningless, and people become an irritating annoyance. Of course, as this is fuelled by the hosts life force, they rapidly age and by the completion of their project, so little life remains they resemble little more than a burned out, grey haired, husk to whom nothing matters anymore, and they rapidly expire.

The whole reason for this is the Leannán sídhe appears to feed on the miasma of passion surrounding her host, the energy supporting her supernatural existence. The greater the passion the greater the feast, thus the Leannán sídhe will nudge the host to fully commit themselves to whatever their focus of desire is. This of course has the effect of the host burning out sooner - possibly even in weeks - as their life force is consumed to fuel their mania.

The Leannán sídhe is not foolish, and carefully measures the amount of life force burnt to when the object of desire is completed. The final burst when the host achieves their goal is the icing on a cake, the most delectable part. But after wards the creator usually expires or descends into a melancholy as they know they will never create it’s like again. The Leannán sídhe leaves at this point, moving on to find a new experience – though in some cases where the feast of passion was extremely pleasurable, the faint linger of a kiss of thanks will linger on the creator’s cheek.

Breaking the sídhe’s hold over a victim is no easy thing. It is not mind control but an excessive and unhealthy stocking of passion. The sídhe itself has no ill will to the host, seeing it more as a business transaction which is beneficial to both. She gets to experience delectable new passions, while the host achieves what they most desire. If the price of their goal is their life, then that is not her call, but the hosts. The host of course is in a maniac state at this time and will see any interference to their work in a most hostile manner. Even trying to physically remove them from their desire won’t work and they will simply obsess on it even more. Only by having the host leave their work and cool their passions over it will the sídhe leave.

In some cases, the Leannán sídhe may not find a suitable host to inspire, and thus must resort to feeding on lesser fare. Inducing passions in a group of people has a lesser effect, but the outburst can provide a filling -if bland -fare for the creature. An example may be inspiring a village harvest to rise from a normal carnival to one inflamed by passion with people dancing and revelling wildly until they collapse from exhaustion. The negative effects are more spread out over the group thus it is more likely to be put off to a little too much alcohol or things getting a little out of hand than supernatural influence.
***

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

And speaking of Muses, here is one based (very loosely) on the Leannán sídhe of Irish folklore.
Not quite up there on the power scale as the primordial, but still rather dangerous to catch the eye of.

Very cool. I just looked up the leannán sídhe, and I can't help but think that these must have been the inspiration for the vampire muse in the 4e supplement, Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead. They are always elven in appearance, and they inspire mortals while stealing their blood. The similarity ends with the giant blood cauldron the muse stores it all in (which acts as a phylactery for the vampire).

[Baron Von Stanton]

And speaking of Muses, here is one based (very loosely) on the Leannán sídhe of Irish folklore.
Not quite up there on the power scale as the primordial, but still rather dangerous to catch the eye of.

Very cool. I just looked up the leannán sídhe, and I can't help but think that these must have been the inspiration for the vampire muse in the 4e supplement, Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead. They are always elven in appearance, and they inspire mortals while stealing their blood. The similarity ends with the giant blood cauldron the muse stores it all in (which acts as a phylactery for the vampire).

I remember that illustration: I thought she was called "leannán sídhe"

[Baron Von Stanton]

So I won't forget, here's a list of the names or descriptor designations of the 13 inmates of the Bug Box:

1. Avuul, the Wretched Sovereign
2. Ebdella, Devil Of Stagnation
3. "The Gardener"
4. Symbiote ß
5. The Liar's Lucky Potato
6. Megalovirus
7. Alphavirus
8. Iovirus
9. Dans, Fortune's Harpy
10. The Machine Ghost
11. Biophobia 4, The Cruel Emperor Of Enigmas
12. The Egg Of Eternity
13. The Artificial Dragon God

[DustBunny]

Very cool. I just looked up the leannán sídhe, and I can't help but think that these must have been the inspiration for the vampire muse in the 4e supplement

I looked up the Vampire muse page online and it definetly has a similiar MO - apart from being undead and the blood.
It also had two links down the bottom for the Leannán sídhe (3rd edition) and the 'Lhiannan shee' (the phonetic pronunciation of Leannán sídhe) for 2e.

And I thought I was being somewhat original.

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

And speaking of Muses, here is one based (very loosely) on the Leannán sídhe of Irish folklore.
Not quite up there on the power scale as the primordial, but still rather dangerous to catch the eye of.

Very cool. I just looked up the leannán sídhe, and I can't help but think that these must have been the inspiration for the vampire muse in the 4e supplement, Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead. They are always elven in appearance, and they inspire mortals while stealing their blood. The similarity ends with the giant blood cauldron the muse stores it all in (which acts as a phylactery for the vampire).

I remember that illustration: I thought she was called "leannán sídhe"

I don't remember that name in that particular book, but I don't have it on me right now. If I can remember in a few weeks, I'll check.

[The Lesser Evil]

Just as a note, a Lhiannan shee makes a Ravenloft appearance in the Tales of Ravenloft story, "Song Snatchers", if you weren't aware and wanted to look at it for reference.

http://fraternityofshadows.com/wiki/Cat ... annan_Shee

As for the listed contents of the bug box, some of the names seems to suggest a repeating sci-fi feel with three viruses, a symbiote, a machine ghost, and Biophobia 4 (which sounds a little to me like a robot's name).

[Baron Von Stanton]

As for the listed contents of the bug box, some of the names seems to suggest a repeating sci-fi feel with three viruses, a symbiote, a machine ghost, and Biophobia 4 (which sounds a little to me like a robot's name).

The 'Viruses aren't "viruses," they're "virusbeasts" having evolved from disease-themed greater feyirs, or rather, one specific, disease-themed greater feyir, and are trying to evolve into something beyond merely being disease-causing, emotion-eating horrors trying to figure out villainy like it's some sort of children's game. Beyond, and far worse, to be more specific.

As for Symbiote ß, *The* Machine Ghost, and Biophobia 4, those aren't their actual names, they're crude descriptors given to them by scholars and their captors trying to describe them.

[Baron Von Stanton]

Iovirus is a greater feyir deliberately budded off from Megalovirus, and serves as the commander, manager and nanny of its siblings as an evolution of its role as its parent's chief strategist. In contrast to its parent, and its elder sibling, Alphavirus, Iovirus is vaguely humanoid in shape, but with horns in place of arms, and covered in leering eyes that can easily leach away the intelligence of any eyed being that meets its gaze. Iovirus is so devoted to its role of guiding the course of Megalovirus' apocalyptic dream of conquest that it does not feed directly on negative emotions like normal feyirs do, instead, living vicariously on whatever energies its parent and siblings give it.
When the Cabal of 13 agreed to assist Alphavirus in its treachery, they were repeatedly warned that victory over Megalovirus hinged entirely on eliminating Iovirus, who served as Megalovirus' secondary brain. In their study and eventual defeat of Megalovirus and its offspring, the 13 came to the conclusion that Megalovirus' feyirs were not autonomous, but were colonial organisms, and that Alphavirus was actually a prematurely activated failsafe copy attempting to usurp control.
After the surviving cabalists and the Chuanguan were taken by the Mists, their conclusion was unfortunately confirmed.
In 742BC, two cabalists were attempting to take the Chuanguan to a safehouse in Paridon when they were assaulted by a devoratrix initially disguised as an overly inquisitive prostitute. The devoratrix demanded possession of the Bug Box and its inmates in exchange for sparing the cabalists' lives. The two cabalists, in turn, decided to release Iovirus to protect themselves, while hoping that its servile disposition would make recapture easier. However, after driving the tanar'ri away, Iovirus, itself, fled into the sewers of Timor. Since its release, Iovirus has been dividing its time between attempting to shepherd the feyirs of Timor and Nosos into a new colony, and scheming of a way to seize the Chuanguan in order to liberate its parent and perfidious sibling.

[Baron Von Stanton]

Ebdella, the Devil of Stagnation, is thought by some to be a baatezu, or possibly a very evil faerie. Infernalists have noted that there is an "Ebdella" mentioned as an auditor in the hierarchies of Baator, but whether she is a member of the courts of Dis, or of Mephistopheles, or an outcast among the Rabble of Devilkind is a quandary actual devils have never deigned to clarify.
Before becoming a prisoner of the Bug Box, Ebdella would conspire with certain devils, evil fae, and sometimes intelligent undead to have them assist her in kidnapping mortal children and others in order to provide experiment fodder for her byzantine schemes. What these schemes entail were unknown to her cohorts, though speculation about her plans abound about them being ways to extract the uniqueness of mortals to create either a delicacy for archdevils, or a new breed of servitor-larvae.
Unlike many other higher-ranking devils, Ebdella rarely elected to hide her true form when haunting the Prime Material Plane. She had a long, thin, legless body that ended in a a sinuous tail tipped with a bell. Her head was enormous, and her small face had only one eye in her chin.
The Cabal of 13 are extremely hesitant to discuss her, lest she seize yet another opportunity to escape her prison again.

[Baron Von Stanton]

The Machine Ghost appears to be a robot or a mechanical golem with three legs, a torso, and long, tentacle-like arms. It is called a "ghost" because its metallic body is actually made of ectoplasm.
What the Machine Ghost is is unknown. Most assume it is a rogue modron, but scholars in and of Mechanus are quick to note that no model of modron resembles the Machine Ghost. Demonologists note that the symbol on the Machine Ghost's torso, three circles in a triangle, with three rays intersecting a fourth circle in the center, is a symbol of chaos. These scholars posit it is actually from the Abyss, and may be one of the demon lord Haagenti's creations.
The Machine Ghost actively seeks out children, or more rarely, other innocents, to offer its services in the form of five tasks its potential master can give it. Payment varies, sometimes souls, other times, candy or a handful of fresh grass.
The creature will state what it can do (food preparation, necromancy, crimes, construction, etc) and not do (permanently altering laws of reality, creating puppies out of thin air, or granting wishes like a djinni), and will not influence its master's decisions unless specifically asked to do so. Having said that, the Machine Ghost readily, if not happily commits murder and wanton destruction in carrying out its master's five tasks, and has no compunction about using lethal force in defending its master, as well.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Iovirus is a greater feyir deliberately budded off from Megalovirus, and serves as the commander, manager and nanny of its siblings as an evolution of its role as its parent's chief strategist. In contrast to its parent, and its elder sibling, Alphavirus, Iovirus is vaguely humanoid in shape, but with horns in place of arms, and covered in leering eyes that can easily leach away the intelligence of any eyed being that meets its gaze. Iovirus is so devoted to its role of guiding the course of Megalovirus' apocalyptic dream of conquest that it does not feed directly on negative emotions like normal feyirs do, instead, living vicariously on whatever energies its parent and siblings give it.
When the Cabal of 13 agreed to assist Alphavirus in its treachery, they were repeatedly warned that victory over Megalovirus hinged entirely on eliminating Iovirus, who served as Megalovirus' secondary brain. In their study and eventual defeat of Megalovirus and its offspring, the 13 came to the conclusion that Megalovirus' feyirs were not autonomous, but were colonial organisms, and that Alphavirus was actually a prematurely activated failsafe copy attempting to usurp control.
After the surviving cabalists and the Chuanguan were taken by the Mists, their conclusion was unfortunately confirmed.
In 742BC, two cabalists were attempting to take the Chuanguan to a safehouse in Paridon when they were assaulted by a devoratrix initially disguised as an overly inquisitive prostitute. The devoratrix demanded possession of the Bug Box and its inmates in exchange for sparing the cabalists' lives. The two cabalists, in turn, decided to release Iovirus to protect themselves, while hoping that its servile disposition would make recapture easier. However, after driving the tanar'ri away, Iovirus, itself, fled into the sewers of Timor. Since its release, Iovirus has been dividing its time between attempting to shepherd the feyirs of Timor and Nosos into a new colony, and scheming of a way to seize the Chuanguan in order to liberate its parent and perfidious sibling.

I only just now saw your use of a devoratrix for this scenario. Fun! But what attracted her?

[Baron Von Stanton]

I only just now saw your use of a devoratrix for this scenario. Fun! But what attracted her?

*cough*
Another reason why the Red Haunt chose Paridon to meet with her daughter Clementine in 742 was because the former discovered information about the Chuangguan while infiltrating one of the Cabal of 13's safehouses that was disguised as an exceptionally seedy gentlemen's club. When she researched the Bug Box, the potential of studying both a baker's dozen powerful fiends and wannabe gods, and their tailor-made prison, together with the potential usefulness for her longterm plots were just too much temptation for her. So she manipulated the cabalists to have the Chuangguan moved to the Paridon safehouse, and personally intercepted those cabalists transferring.
The Red Haunt didn't anticipate that the cabalists would be that desperate to keep the device out of her sticky hands enough to parole one of the Box's prisoners to assist them.