Dark Liner: 13 Demon/Ghosts
The idea of this revision was the party would discover that a necromancer/demonologist of some kind was delving into some dark arts, using a specific arcane book found in the ship’s library. I felt that just throwing zombies at the players was boring and wanted to ramp it up a little. THe ritual required a talisman of some kind (a page from the book or a scroll with some runes) to be placed on the body of the 12 dead victims (that he ended up mystically arranging). The party had to find those talismans and destroy them to stop the final ritual.
Here are the 12 original demon ghosts that were summoned and the final one was going to be the necromancer/demonologist (or one of the players, which ever direction I decided to go in the end). I had pre-generated characters that worked into the list also, in case I wanted to make each of the characters part of the ritual.
The Poems would be found in the remnants of the book, which would clue the players on what to look for.
Fats
A deadly Sin once said
The Mass of One is Two
One’s soul consumed by consumption
Lie waiting for eternal corruption
Clues
Porter diaries; investigation into the death of the passenger – porter was investigated.
Porter Name: Terratious Morinard (personal servant to the man)
GM Notes
Obese passenger Gremlys Orkothan, never satisfied with his food; porter constantly called to his room bringing food. The porter, driven to insanity by the demonologist power, entrapped Orkothan and force-fed him to death.
The porter than made it look like an accident, or possible suicide.
Hammer
Punishment fits the crime
Hands severed, tortured, and death
Murder in a cacophonic hell
Hatred remains, soul undeath
Clues
Ships log notes a theft reported by noble/priest, who is very adamant about finding the item and punishing the thief one day, and then unconcerned about it the next.
GM Notes
Thief aboard caught stealing from a Kurgan noble or priest (due in part because the demonologist set the thief up). The guards, affected by the insanity, in their rage punish the thief severely. They take him down to a lower level near the engine room (cacophonic – chaotic sounds) and cut his hands off, replacing them with tools found in the shop they were torturing him in.
Juggernaut
Murderer, psychotic soul
Rage, Insane hate of those on high
Imprisoned, but escaped, on the run
Caught, and cornered, a blaze erupts
Death and flame the only result
Clues
Ships logs note the ship security finding a known criminal and hunting him down.
Ships logs show several Priests killed in several days, rumors of the return of the legendary serial killer.
GM Notes
Wanted Kurgan criminal; Known serial killer of Kurgan priests. Found by Kurgan ‘holy enforcers’. Cornered by Kurgan authorities in the lower levels (framed by the demonologist). A fight breaks out, few survive. The rage left behind keeps the soul alive to be corrupted by the Juggernaut demon.
The Hag, The Greater Sister
Great Sister, ancient in days
Dedicated to a life of purity
To be tempted by evil
Corrupted one night
Lost to eternity
Burned in the fires of fear and a furnace
Clues
Nun’s diaries of her doubting her faith, and meeting someone who agrees with her (demonologist)
GM Notes
Kurgan ‘nun’ found experimenting with demonology (tempted by the demonologist). The “holy priests”/leaders of the pilgrimage of the Kurgans punish her, and burn her in the fires of a furnace.
Silent Heart
Chained like an animal
Enslaved by exploiters
Escape only to be hunted
Freedom dies with her
Her silence now eternal
Her Changed body a vessel
Of Darkness and Chaos
Clues
Records of the freak show of Changed in the ships logs.
GM Notes
Where did she die?
Changed mutant, kept in cargo as part of a freak show for festivities later. She is severely deformed, but can not speak or hear. She escaped (with the help of the demonologist) but hunted down by her keepers. Driven by the insanity, she attacked, killed a keeper and then she was subsequently killed.
First Born
Youth ignorant to the death
Only living for the moment
Immortal in his own mind
Playing in places best left
Mother left lost, wondering why
First born had to die
Clues
Mother’s logs. Record of the death of the Child
GM Notes
A child’s death on board. Kid had an imaginary friend that he “followed” into areas of engineering that he shouldn’t have and died. Body was never found. (Demonologist created delusions with in the child about his imaginary friend)
Torso
One forgotten, destroyed by accident
Unknown to all, hidden below
Unsuspecting, stumbled into horror
Divided in half, only bottom was found
Clues
Ships Logs: Reports of the bottom half of the body found in the airshafts of the elevator shafts
GM Notes
Stowaway, lured into the bowels of the ship (by the demonologist’s work), trapped in an area with a lot of machinery – elevators or airshafts – divided in half by them. Torso still roams possessed by the demon.
The Virgin, the Dire Sister
Trusting, and naïve
Young and searching
Virginal and unblessed
The soul of purity
Violated, corrupted and killed
Clues
Ships Logs: A rape and murder reported, body taken to the morgue. It was later reported lost. Young girls diaries or logs.
GM Notes
Pre-gen PC Link: Cadyn Vin Ne’Desion or Demonologist decides to take care of this one personally and does the deed. Young girl, seeking spiritual guidance, is raped.
Suicide
Underlying, devouring fear
Masked by honor
Terror only to be realized
Ending one’s life the only way out
Ships Logs: Body found, assumed suicide
Clues
Victims log. Loved Ones’ log
GM Notes
Pregen PC Link: Korok Vong-Nekay (Fearing Kurgans and their evil ways, he would rather die than fall into their clutches) or Sir Horus Van Giner-Keddah (Fearing demon possession, he would kill himself before it could happen) or the Insanity drove a honorable Kurgan warrior to suicide.
Withered
Flame surrounding, consuming
Air too hot to breath
Body withering to a husk
Secrets dying with it
GM Notes
Pregen PC Link – Luiz de’Lagara Rivera-Eduardo – Fear of being burned alive or some one caught in a fire below deck, in one of the engineering compartments.
Jackal
Insanity at the heart
Tempest of Madness
Power of the Mind tearing
Torture and pain his prison
Consumed by the Dark Twin
The Mind Shatters
Torture to cleanse the sin
Ruin the body to save the soul
GM Notes
Pregen PC Link – Sir Maynard Goron-Brissly – Psionically talented, fearing the Dark Twin or Psionically talented individual, driven insane by his power, now enhanced by the demonologist rituals.
Torn Knight
Fear and hatred of the unknown
Consuming the soul
Fear of the strange
And the Unknown devouring
Protecting the soul from possession
Death the only choice
GM Notes
Pregen PC Link – Sir Horus Van Giner-Keddah (Fearing demon possession, he would kill himself before it could happen)