Help ameliorate an end of story arc horror scene!

[Joël of the FoS]

In my campaign, I did send the PCs to Falkovnia. It is to advance the campaign plot, but also metagaming wise to have them away from Levkarest, so my Gargoyle plot can end (The Gargoyle of the Cathedral).

So when they are back to Levkarest, they hear shouts that Ivana was snatched on the road by a flying monster about an hour ago! It came from the Cathedral’s roof, and after it flew back to it.

So they will enter the Cathedral and find clues leading to a secret underground cavern that the Gargoyle has made.

It's been a while since they had an horror check to make and I want a great horror scene. Description to my players:

The passage is 30’ long, and it opens on a very large room (70’ x 40’. Ceiling is 30’). While in the passage, the PCs also hear moans from several women, in addition to Ivana’s screams!

There is a strong smell of blood and earth when the PCs arrive in the room. The room appears to have been be enlarged as if by large claws.

The Gargoyle is there, in front of a 7' tall statue of Ezra, with only the head missing. It’s on a pedestal, and at first glance, it is stunningly beautiful!

Around the room, there are 12 women partially immured in stone (b), most with limbs or body parts torn off! Many have a pool of dried blood at their feet.

Two of them moan in pain: these are are still alive! One misses a hand, the other a leg. There face expressions shows craziness from the horror and the pain....

When the heroes enter the room, one of these woman (b1) starts yelling prayers to Ezra with a mad voice (Diamanda Gallas sound effect)

(D) Ivana is on the wall, stone bonds holding her fixed there (when she sees the PCs, she screams and tries to get free, her face show absolute terror! “My head! It wants my head!”, she screams in terror)

The Gargoyle watches the PCs arrive in the room – its gaze is cold, but also so malevolent!

Horror Check! DC 20

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Also, during the fight, the Gargoyle has telepathis messages and will talk to one of the players, explaining his love of Ezra, the only that doesn't shy away from him, that this statue of the goddess will be perfect, etc.

Any cool ideas to add ?

[Five]

A long time ago back in high school myself and a few buddies were taking an early lunch, when, we happened to come up on a guy and gal arguing in the middle of the sidewalk. It was very heated to say the least. Anyway, buddy grabbed missus real hard by the arm and threw her to the ground. I stepped in and popped him and threw him to the ground. Next thing I know missy is on me smacking me in the back of the head. My buddy got her off me and I looked her right in the eye and said four words to her before continuing on to wherever it was we were heading. Somewhere downtown...

What the hell does that have to do with anything? Haha

Maybe something similar happens to your PCs. They step in to save the victims, but one of them doesn't want to be saved. Maybe, for whatever reason, tjey have fallen in love with the gargoyle. Maybe it's madness, maybe it's that they're in (twisted) "love" with the pedestal they were put up on. Sweet whispers of Ezra, etc. Who knows?

It's a complication (a very untimely one wink wink) that should have your PCs/players feeling a bit messed up (it did for young me IRL). If you can do it justice it might be one of those headscratch campaign memories that gets a mention every now and again.

Just a thought.

[DustBunny]

Hmm... a few ideas off the top of my head

Given the size of the area, instead of being an 'empty' cavern, have it a crude copy of the main cathedral area above (pews, altar, etc). G intends to 'hold mass' for the return of Ezra and at the 'communion' remove Ivana’s head for donation.

Seated in the pews facing the altar are hooded unmoving figures facing the altar - they are actually the remains of previous church leaders exhumed from the crypts and dressed up. G wants these priests to witness the glorious return of Ezra. On either side of the altar are two unmoving figures holding incense burners, the burners swaying slightly as they release the smoke. The figures were two altar/choir boys who G grabbed, stoned and posed for his 'high mass'. Maybe even have two more at the entrance to the cavern. G could have even excavated the sculptor who made him and set him up in a place of honour. Maybe there are even a few kidnapped Presadi who have been stoned (either fully or partially) and placed as curates to assist.

There are no windows, so G has 'painted' (don't ask what the paint is made of) stained glass windows on the walls. The quality is up to you, but while they resemble the glass windows above, the Gargoyle always features prominently with Ezra. Maybe even have something like the 'Catholic Stations of the cross' (The Trails of Ezra of the like), but again with G featuring prominently.

As for any carved reliefs on the wall/altar/etc. Well, they are actually more victims who are still partially alive somehow. The leering gargoyle head above the door is rolling its eyes, cry tears of blood, and almost appears to be begging for death. The women are all in the 'choir' area, set up to 'sing' hymns. Maybe the two live ones are insane enough to be babbling half remembered prayers and songs in response to the Gargoyles 'words'.

And definitely a lot of half melted candles flickering in the breeze, showing the swirls of incense in the air

Ivana is on the altar, held down by the stone bonds and is half paralysed with fright so is at first silent. G is standing at the altar dressed up as a priest (as best it can in stolen robes) and his stumbling through a childrens prayer book (stolen again) in a mockery of mass. As the PC's approach the cavern they 'hear' G telepathically going through the ritual with faint babbled replies from the remaining captives. If they creep in quietly G doesn't notice them at first and they get a front row seat.

When he does notice them, he welcomes them 'warmly' but insists they sit down and 'respect' Ezra's place of worship. But then Ivana starts screaming, the captives go full crazy reciting, the sculptor's corpse twitches, and maybe even an eerie moan seems to come from the deceased congregation on the pews at this blasphemy....

[Joël of the FoS]

Excellent, Five. One of the girls that are still alive will do that. They have a kind of connection with her as they investigated her vanishing.

OMG DB, how do you sleep at night?

That's a great idea. However some parts are a bit over the top IMHO, but I'll definetively add that it was building its own private Ezra shrine. The dead girls will be tied to the "church" pew, Ivana strapped on her usual bench in the front as in the Cathedral, the sculptor's corpse perhaps indeed, etc.

But I'll drop the mock mass parts. That could have come later, if the shrine was ever to be completed, but not for now.

Now I wonder what the clergy will do with such an horror room in their basement? Charge a fee to visit?
Or just close it and ask everybody to be silent about it, I guess!

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Dr. Hibbert: "I prescribe fire, and lots of it!"

[DustBunny]

OMG DB, how do you sleep at night?

Ha ha, well our group has raided a Tzimisce temple from World Of Darkness once. It was worse - but enough stuffed toys fix everything
I'll have a rethink on some atmospherics and tone it down a bit. Hmm....

Still, I decided to have a bit of fun with the AI art generator and see what I could come up with

Now I wonder what the clergy will do with such an horror room in their basement? Charge a fee to visit?

Have to agree with Professor Rock and Dr Hibbet here - "Take off and nuke fireball the site from orbit a good distance. Only way to be sure"

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

As for any carved reliefs on the wall/altar/etc. Well, they are actually more victims who are still partially alive somehow.

SEDLEC OSSUARY, SEDLEC OSSUARY!



I don't recall if you've referenced it in your campaign before, but it seems a good time to show off some pics of the real-life bone decor.


(I love Five's idea of a willing victim, btw...)

[Joël of the FoS]

Thanks everybody, game is Sunday, will be right back to let you know.

Dust, what did you enter as a prompt in AI to get such a precise thing? Is it from Craiyon?

[DustBunny]

Dust, what did you enter as a prompt in AI to get such a precise thing? Is it from Craiyon?

It was Stable Diffusion using the 'Analog diffusion' model.
The AI popped out a batch of 50 or so of varying quality (to put it mildly). I grabbed the one I liked the most and put it back into the AI as a 'base image' for it to refine a bit.

Prompt:
cavern, damaged, destruction, misery, (haunted, abandoned, weathered, candlelight, interior of gothic church in a cavern:1.3), benches, candles, incense, thematic background, beautiful environment, HDR, ((highly detailed)), portfolio piece, ultrarealistic, hyperreal, sharp, 8k unity render, very dark, heavy shadow, (photo realistic, realistic, dramatic, dark, sharp focus), (intricate:1.1), digital painting, octane render, concept art, smooth, medium close up shot, low cut

Unfortunatly, the original had a blue glowing crucifix where the statue is. So, using a mask, the AI was told to replace the crucifix with a statue. The blue glow looked nice, so I kept that.

Prompt:
full body photo, ((front view)), missing head, (stone statue of female knight with sword and shield:1.3), (extremely detailed CG unity 8k wallpaper)

Most annoyingly the machine didn't seem to understand 'missing head', so a quick use of the smudge tool in photoshop and G has his new BFF.

[Joël of the FoS]

Ok, I realise I'm still using crayola while there are much better drawing tools out there!

We should open a thread and share AI art method and results.

Joël

[DustBunny]

Ok, I realise I'm still using crayola while there are much better drawing tools out there!

The catch is though - the better the tools the more dials and buttons that have to be adjusted. Still, its fun to see what one can accomplish with machine assistance. And machine assistance is necessary, as my 'manual' drawings skills would make a stick figure beg for death.

We should open a thread and share AI art method and results.

Perhaps, but I this just do this for fun when the mood strikes and have a loooong way to go. Maybe a general area for any sort of Art? Not just machine, but everything. I am always impressed by the art you manage to find and put in your journals. Visual aids always a great help - especially for the more visual orientied types like me.

Speaking of which, I decided to do some for Herr Horstman and Atunia from your prior to last journal to keep myself occupied and test some new functions. I grabbed the 'head shot' images and played with them, to see what the machine could spit out while learning what all the afforementioned buttons do. (Using a combination of coaxing, cursing and a lot of help )

Herr Doktor


Atunia