Delourius Keep [Place & GMCs]

[Slimcreeper]

Delourius Keep

Impressions
There does seem to be one Landisian citadel that survived the Scourge, Delourious Keep. It sits atop limestone bluffs above the Greenhart river on the northern edge of the jungles of Landis. It has high walls of dressed stone on all sides. In the middle is the eponymous keep, rising 4 stories at its highest point, topped with a covered watchtower protected by 2 firecannon. There is an airship port, but it has fallen into disrepair. In fact, there are a lot of parts that seem to have fallen into disrepair. The roofs of several towers have collapsed in, one apparently as a result of a fire. There are active farms and cleared forest surrounding the keep, but they let the crops stay in the fields a week too long; the cows go unmilked and the chicken’s eggs ungathered. Nevertheless, there are signs of wealth. Even the farmers wear clothes of fine cut and cloth, if a little old. The moth-eaten tapestries in the keep use rare and brilliant colors and boast amazing details. At first glance, it is hard to know if they have fallen on hard times, or simply can’t be bothered to keep up with what they have. They trade with both Cara Fahd and what is left of the Therans, preferring neutrality.
All of the Astral Space surrounding Delourius Keep is Corrupt.

Evil in Earthtime
While Delourious seems to have survived the Scourge, this is only the surface truth. In fact, they fell to a Horror early in the Scourge, a powerful Named bloatform. It managed to keep nearly a sustainable breeding population alive until the magic dropped enough that the Horror needed to flee back to its home plane. While the folk that live in Delourious are no longer Horror-marked, or manipulated by Horrors, their long subjugation corrupted their society and spirits beyond redemption. In the weeks leading up to Earthtime, travelers would be well advised to stay well clear of the keep, though few know of the reason why. The traditional meat for feasts of Earthtime in Delourious Keep is Name-Giver flesh, and the members of the Delourious court will go to great lengths to both capture potential meals and also to keep the truth of their culinary preferences secret. They will eat their own farmers if no other main course presents itself, but they prefer to consume outsiders. In fact, the farmers will happily capture travelers to sell them to the nobles, and perhaps keep one or two visitors for their own table.

Residents of Delourious Keep
The residents of Delourious are all human, but they tend to be unusually tall and strong. They are quite friendly, and even the most rustic farmer affects courtly airs.
They are based on Panda’s Foul Folk (http://pandagaminggrove.blogspot.com/20 ... -folk.html)

Baron Delour
The Baron is the most handsome man in all of Delourious Keep. He wears luxurious snow badger fur-trimmed silks, woven with elemental air to keep him cool in the jungle heat. The fact that he is so beautiful is not lost on the Baron. He will pursue liaisons with attractive visitors, if there seems to be interest. He goes to great expense to bring in ice from the mountains for the delicate cocktails he prefers.
He is a Journeyman Foul Folk, with the following changes:
- Perception 5, Mystic Defense 10
- Charisma 6, Mystic Defense 12
- Skills: Etiquette, First Impression, Conversation, Empathic Sense, Romance at Rank 5, Step 11.
- Finely-worked Obsidiman Skin Armor. Physical Armor 5. Mystic Armor 7. TN 10 to identify the armor.

Chancellor Gordian
Chancellor Gordian is an elegant woman. If one were to try to pin down her age, most would guess a well-preserved 35, though she is actually more than 80 years old. She has accumulated a sizable library on magical lore, though she doesn’t have much in the way of grimoires.
She has studied nethermantic magics, though she is not an adept.
She is a Foul Folk Journeyman, with the following changes:
- Skills: Research, Knowledge Nethermantic Lore, Spirits & Horrors at Rank 5, Step 11.
- Skills: Etiquette, First Impression, Conversation, Empathic Sense at Rank 3, Step 8.
- Talent: Item History Rank 5, Step 11
- Major Spell-Draining Mask. Astral Empyrean Mask.

Captain of the Guard Hathor
The Captain is grim and quiet. He prefers to remain unnoticed in most situations. In fact, people are most likely to notice him because Baron Delour will chastise him for being such a wallflower. His skin is pale, pale, pale. His hair is icy blonde and he is even taller than the typical Delourian.
He is a Foul Folk Leader, with the following changes:

- Plate Armor. Physical Armor 9, Initiative 3
- Tiger Spring 3
- Huge Size Mask, Monstrous Strong Corrupted Mask.

Beedledee Delour
Beedledee is not often seen by casual visitors to the Keep. The family is somewhat embarrassed by this unfortunate man, who is the Baron’s uncle. Beedledee was one of the last living people to receive the direct attentions of the Horror, and the corruption has touched him in a terrible way. His body is swollen and tumorous, covered with coarse hairs and glistening in places with the rank oils his skin secretes. He is often kept chained in the burned tower, but occasionally escapes, sending the whole Keep into an uproar.
He is a 4th Circle Foul Folk with the following changes:

- No dagger; instead he has Unarmed Combat
- Horrifying Fast Corrupted Mask.

[Slimcreeper]

Edited to include full write-ups of the main characters, as well as a few plot hooks:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sB4 ... sp=sharing

[JetBlackJoe]

The material is excellently presented, and I quite like the idea of "not Horror-Marked, but still evil because Horrors". It's nice to switch things up once in a while to keep players on their toes.

My own campaign is situated close to Landis - actually in a new homebrew city founded by Landisian survivors in the Delaris Mountains. I might consider using the Delour family, perhaps as a chance for some social encounters and courtly etiquette. Have you used Delourius Keep in your own campaign?

[Slimcreeper]

Not yet! I just came up with them the other week, and my group is just getting started. Please let me know if you do use them! They are intended for social interactions, for the most part, so that sounds perfect.