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Setting: The Planet Orcus, part one


Orcus, Plightpost, the Filth
Far removed from the civilized routes of the Solar System lies Orcus. It is a small, lightless world, shrouded in black vapors. No sun or starlight reaches the surface. Light sources only illuminate half normal distance. 

Lorenzo Mattotti, Hansel and Gretel
The surface is composed of a black sludge that is corrosive to metal and flesh (1 hp dmg per turn exposed). Travel time is reduced by half, and every turn there is a 1 in 8 chance of being sucked into the sludge, requiring a STR check to extricate oneself.

Gravity is weak. Characters can jump 30 feet in the air, plus an additional 5 feet for each point of STR modifier. There is a 1 in 4 chance of becoming stuck in the sludge when landing from such a jump.

The Broken Covenant
No one remembers who—demon, god, or mortal—committed what transgression. But to ensure it never happens again, Orcus has been set aside as an observation post. This post is held by Cacogen.

Born of Filth
Cacogen are beings from Solar Systems outside of our own. They are incomprehensibly alien. They are loathed. Any natives of our Solar System will feel an instant bond of fraternity in the presence of a Cacogen, united in their hatred of this abhorrent, impossible thing.

Every round spent in the presence of a Cacogen requires checks against Wisdom and Constitution, with a cumulating -1 penalty for every round after the first. If the Wisdom check is failed, you will attack, berserker-style. A fumble results in madness. If the Constitution check fails, you will be violently ill. A fumble requires a save vs. death.

If you die in the presence of a Cacogen, your corpse will raise up as undead and attack it.

There is no indication that the Cacogen have anything but a benevolent attitude towards all the inhabitants of our System.
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Comments

  1. Arnold KMarch 5, 2014 at 4:42 PM

    This is good. The last sentence was what made me love 'em.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PulpatoonerMarch 5, 2014 at 9:18 PM

      Thanks! I like the idea that it's not their actions or appearance sets people against the Cacogen, but on a cellular level you understand that they don't belong. A paladin and a beholder might be going at it hammer and tongs, but if a Cacogen walks into they room, they'd both immediately bond over how much they hate this guy.

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