Post by bert on Apr 29, 2009 11:24:03 GMT -6
I have recently read the book for the first time, and have come up with this idea as an add-on. If you feel it is against the spirit of Carcosa as originally conceived say so.
‘Monks’ in Carcosa
The Brothers of the Skull are what answer for monks and paladins in Carcosa. Anyone can join the Brothers if they are lawful, are not a Bone Man, are not psionic, have no mutations and are willing to swear a dire oath never to use a sorcerous ritual not sanctioned by the order.
Applicants must present themselves at the Fortress of Skulls in groups of four; this is termed a ‘Receptacle’ for obscure doctrinal reasons. They may be of any level and of either existing class and must pass a physical examination (add Str, Dex, Con and 3 dice and get a score of 50 or over). If any member of the Receptacle fails, all are told to leave, though those who passed the physical exam can reapply in a new group of four.
Once admitted to the Fortress as Oblates, none can leave until two rituals have been completed. If one member of the Receptacle tries to leave at this point, all four are slain
The First Ritual of Infinity takes several months and involves a programme of self-criticism, self-denial, and ritual humiliation designed to drive the subjects to suicide. Once one of the four has killed himself, the remaining three consume part of his body and his cleaned and preserved skull is added to the fabric of the Fortress as part of the First Tower. (This can be role-played, or roll 1 dice plus Wisdom, lowest score kills himself.)
The Second Ritual of Infinity can be short or long, depending on the participants. One of the three surviving members of the Receptacle must be murdered by one or both of the others. Since no weapons and no armour are allowed to Oblates this means cunning and ruthlessness play more of role than weaponry. Again there is a cannibalistic ritual feast and the cleaned skull of the victim is added to the Second Tower.
The two survivors are now initiates of the Brotherhood and may leave the Fortress if they wish, may stay and persuade the hierarchy to teach them yet more of the Rituals of Infinity, and will become 1st Level Brothers of the Skull. They retain all their old hit dice and fighting ability, but do not progress until their Brother level passes their current class level.
The Third Ritual of Infinity occurs when a third member of the Receptacle dies. The last member must seek out and retrieve part of the deceased member’s body, preferably the skull, and take it to the Fortress to be added to the Third Tower. The cause of death may be anything, but no Brother may directly or indirectly procure another Brother’s death after the first two Rituals have been got out of the way. Once the Third Ritual is complete the last member of the Receptacle no longer ages, and shaves his head. He is immortal from now on, bar violence, poison, disease, being eaten by an Old One etc.
There are numerous other Rituals that may be learned, many requiring quests to be performed for the Order and knowledge of other more basic rituals. One may not teach the rituals one knows until 12th level is reached, and the Third Ritual completed.
Examples:
The Twelfth Ritual of Infinity: The Chromatic Transition. A Brother can learn to change his skin colour to any other except Bone by using this ritual over a period of three days meditation and fasting. To learn it he must spend at least one month living as each of the other colours, using a pint of blood from a person of the colour transformed to that has been given freely. Once a Brother has moved through all 12 colours and returned to his own he can change at will without the blood sacrifice.
The Fourteenth Ritual of Infinity: The Emulation of the Serpent. A Brother who has mastered the Twelfth Ritual may learn this one, which enables him to shed his skin like a snake. This refreshes the complexion, removes scars, even those involving the loss of tissue from a fleshy part of the body such as a cheek, ear or the tip of the nose and whole skin thickness burns. The new skin is very tender for a week after shedding and AC is reduced by 1 and rolls to resist disease and contact poisons are reduced by 2 until it matures. It also reduces the physical age of the Brother by one year to a minimum of ten years younger than his true age, or 18 whichever is the higher. Each use involves a save vs Death Magic or lose one point of Constitution permanently.
The Thirty-Second Ritual of Infinity: The Triumph of the Will. A Brother can use this ritual once per year at the Winter solstice to permanently reduce his Charisma by one in return for a gain of one Wisdom point. To learn it one must return the skull of a sorcerer of at least sixth level sheathed in lead to the Fortress for inclusion in the Chapel of Detestation of the Loathsome Traitors to Mankind, and then memorise the 32 verse Hymn to Harden the Cortex, found in the Black Book of the Skull and taught by some masters of the order. One must then make thirty-two successful saves vs Spells, following each one with a stanza from the hymn, and upon completion of the last stanza, one become able to enter the necessary trance state. The only limit to this ritual is when the Charisma reaches one – reducing the Charisma to zero will make the person a semi-catatonic schizophrenic with no emotional affect or ability to empathise. Wisdom may go as high as one pleases, with ever increasing benefits in resisting mental magic and the fear induced by supernatural monsters.
Further rituals all involve some form of personal transformation, rejuvenation and healing. The Elders of the Order are apparently physically perfect youths with detached and abstracted personalities and eyes that speak of millennia of warfare against sorcerers.
‘Monks’ in Carcosa
The Brothers of the Skull are what answer for monks and paladins in Carcosa. Anyone can join the Brothers if they are lawful, are not a Bone Man, are not psionic, have no mutations and are willing to swear a dire oath never to use a sorcerous ritual not sanctioned by the order.
Applicants must present themselves at the Fortress of Skulls in groups of four; this is termed a ‘Receptacle’ for obscure doctrinal reasons. They may be of any level and of either existing class and must pass a physical examination (add Str, Dex, Con and 3 dice and get a score of 50 or over). If any member of the Receptacle fails, all are told to leave, though those who passed the physical exam can reapply in a new group of four.
Once admitted to the Fortress as Oblates, none can leave until two rituals have been completed. If one member of the Receptacle tries to leave at this point, all four are slain
The First Ritual of Infinity takes several months and involves a programme of self-criticism, self-denial, and ritual humiliation designed to drive the subjects to suicide. Once one of the four has killed himself, the remaining three consume part of his body and his cleaned and preserved skull is added to the fabric of the Fortress as part of the First Tower. (This can be role-played, or roll 1 dice plus Wisdom, lowest score kills himself.)
The Second Ritual of Infinity can be short or long, depending on the participants. One of the three surviving members of the Receptacle must be murdered by one or both of the others. Since no weapons and no armour are allowed to Oblates this means cunning and ruthlessness play more of role than weaponry. Again there is a cannibalistic ritual feast and the cleaned skull of the victim is added to the Second Tower.
The two survivors are now initiates of the Brotherhood and may leave the Fortress if they wish, may stay and persuade the hierarchy to teach them yet more of the Rituals of Infinity, and will become 1st Level Brothers of the Skull. They retain all their old hit dice and fighting ability, but do not progress until their Brother level passes their current class level.
The Third Ritual of Infinity occurs when a third member of the Receptacle dies. The last member must seek out and retrieve part of the deceased member’s body, preferably the skull, and take it to the Fortress to be added to the Third Tower. The cause of death may be anything, but no Brother may directly or indirectly procure another Brother’s death after the first two Rituals have been got out of the way. Once the Third Ritual is complete the last member of the Receptacle no longer ages, and shaves his head. He is immortal from now on, bar violence, poison, disease, being eaten by an Old One etc.
There are numerous other Rituals that may be learned, many requiring quests to be performed for the Order and knowledge of other more basic rituals. One may not teach the rituals one knows until 12th level is reached, and the Third Ritual completed.
Examples:
The Twelfth Ritual of Infinity: The Chromatic Transition. A Brother can learn to change his skin colour to any other except Bone by using this ritual over a period of three days meditation and fasting. To learn it he must spend at least one month living as each of the other colours, using a pint of blood from a person of the colour transformed to that has been given freely. Once a Brother has moved through all 12 colours and returned to his own he can change at will without the blood sacrifice.
The Fourteenth Ritual of Infinity: The Emulation of the Serpent. A Brother who has mastered the Twelfth Ritual may learn this one, which enables him to shed his skin like a snake. This refreshes the complexion, removes scars, even those involving the loss of tissue from a fleshy part of the body such as a cheek, ear or the tip of the nose and whole skin thickness burns. The new skin is very tender for a week after shedding and AC is reduced by 1 and rolls to resist disease and contact poisons are reduced by 2 until it matures. It also reduces the physical age of the Brother by one year to a minimum of ten years younger than his true age, or 18 whichever is the higher. Each use involves a save vs Death Magic or lose one point of Constitution permanently.
The Thirty-Second Ritual of Infinity: The Triumph of the Will. A Brother can use this ritual once per year at the Winter solstice to permanently reduce his Charisma by one in return for a gain of one Wisdom point. To learn it one must return the skull of a sorcerer of at least sixth level sheathed in lead to the Fortress for inclusion in the Chapel of Detestation of the Loathsome Traitors to Mankind, and then memorise the 32 verse Hymn to Harden the Cortex, found in the Black Book of the Skull and taught by some masters of the order. One must then make thirty-two successful saves vs Spells, following each one with a stanza from the hymn, and upon completion of the last stanza, one become able to enter the necessary trance state. The only limit to this ritual is when the Charisma reaches one – reducing the Charisma to zero will make the person a semi-catatonic schizophrenic with no emotional affect or ability to empathise. Wisdom may go as high as one pleases, with ever increasing benefits in resisting mental magic and the fear induced by supernatural monsters.
Further rituals all involve some form of personal transformation, rejuvenation and healing. The Elders of the Order are apparently physically perfect youths with detached and abstracted personalities and eyes that speak of millennia of warfare against sorcerers.
