Overview
The Dal Nastro ruins of the Mareb Dynasty are the permanent home of 13 statues that were imbued with sentient spirits before the end of the Marebs. Now trapped in their ruins, their creators dust and dreams, the statues remain.
Naburan, The Sorceress
Vested with a spirit wise in the ways of Mareb sorcery, Naburan could teach a willing student the basics of sorcery. Carved of pale white stone, she is among the most vocal of the statues and most desires to leave Dal Nastro. She is also one of the few that understand the fundamental reasons why they cannot leave the valley. She alternates between intense curiosity about the outside world and the history since the destruction of the Dynasty, and borderline hostility towards the PCs if they are Humans, indifference if they are not.
KuKorre, the Treasure Hunter
A slender statue of handsome gray stone, KuKorre was vested with a spirit gifted with a glib tongue and disarming charm. Loquatious in the extreme, he entertains female company as best an asexual chunk of stone can. While sharing the common hatred for humanity that his fellows have, his has been the most tempered as he knows that the treasures of the Mareb remain lost, but safe. He can speak several languages and can sing passably well. Lastly he has no compunction about taking things from PCs and examining them. If he can take something without being noticed, he will and will quickly hide it in a place that only he knows about.
Negaram, the General
A broadchested statue of imposing granite, Negaram remembers every battle fought, every defeat handed to the Dynasty and is among the worst affected of the statues. His ennui is quite deep and unless approached by non-human characters of strong martial persuasion, he will not speak a single word. It is only the compulsion of the magic that created the statues that he doesnt draw his stone sword and start hacking humans to pieces every time one wanders into Dal Nastro.
Dokura, the Assassin
Almost dripping with malice, Dokura was carved from a large piece of obviously imported black basalt. Tall and thin, this androgynous statue moves with alarming stealth and will be morbidly interested in the humans, asking them about their kills, wanting details in the extreme. The rest of the time, the black stone assassin will demonstrate it's ability to sneak up on people, such as standing menacingly over them until they wake up, his face inches from their own. After this he will give a chilling laugh.
Ronifi, the Monarch
The leader of the Statues, Ronifi strike a commanding presence with his lordly white marble countenance. When the PCs arrive, he is the first to speak, telling them of their conditions of their stay at Dal Nastro, and of the statues abilities and limitations. He is willing to speak with humans but only grudgingly, but becomes animated in the presence of elves, especially female elves.
Hurene, the Grappler
The largest of the statues, Hurene is a giant of a man with imposing muscles carved from native limestone. Despite his imposing figure, he is good natured, but can easily be provoked by humans. He is best company to dwarves and orcs, or half-breeds of a strong martial tradition.
Susheru, the Magistrate
A tall and commanding woman, Susheru is well versed in the law as well as the skills of spellcraft and alchemy. While Ronifi is the leader of the statues, Susheru is the enforcer of the leader's will. If a PC violates some tenet of Dal Nastro, or one of the statues does the same, it is this woman of jade infused quartz that stops them. Most of the time she directs the statues as they entertain themselves with their plays and dramas.
Gosuma, the Elder
A wizened old man seemingly worn from a piece of stone rather than carved, Gosuma is the most learned of the statues, but while the others have their focus, his wisdom is widespread and often chaotic in structure. If left to speak, he will rattle and prattle on, jumping from topic to topic with little connection between the two. He remembers everything that has been told to him, and for being an isolated piece of rock, knows a surprising amount about the outside world.
Muaron, the Child
The smallest of the statues, Mauron is an eternal child, perpetually locked into the wonder and petulance of a 10 year old. Of the statues at Dal Nastro, she is the least likely to hold a grudge against humans, but will be the most demanding and insistant of their ranks. When the PCs decide to leavem Mauron will protest loudly, stomping her feet and making sobbing noises. Gosuma the Elder plays the role of Mauron's 'Grandfather' which seems to have been intended when they were created.
Sagyabi, the Gambler
A lean and handsome man with a long flowing cape and noble demeanor, Sagyabi is a ladies man and a man of chance. Of course, the permanent isolation in Dal Nastro, lack of new companionship, and the general lack of interest in gambling among the other statues has left Sagyabi with the strongest desire to escape from Dal Nastro. The only comfort he gains comes from KuKorre and Dokura, who find him more interesting than the others.
Alchil, the Wild Youth
There is a single outsider among the statues, Alchil. PCs looking into the face of this teenaged statue will see a human face staring back at them. Much to their embarassment, he shows great interest in the human PCs but acts more like a gambolling monkey or over-excited dog than a human. His speech is broken, and the other statues frequently strike him to vent their frustrations. Alchil, who demonstrates disturbing mental deficiencies, actually encourages this behavior from his peers.
Dzu-Te, the Man of the Mountain
Carved from pure white stone, Dzu-Teh is almost as large as Hurene but has the appearance of a shaggy ogre or mountain troll. Unknown to the PCs the Mareb Dynasty was long allied to the Yeti of the region, who like the Marebs themself, were long ago exterminated. Dzu-Teh has surmised this truth and feels he is the last remnant of his kindred. Like Negaram he is afflicted with a strong bout of ennui, and disliked humans very strongly.
Ore, the Enigma
Never speaking, Ore is the strangest of the Statues, it's appearance seemingly resculpting itself to resemble any of the other statues, or a stone version of a visiting PC. This morphic ability keeps Ore looking the least damaged of the statues, and it can share this ability with the other statues as their rock bodies clip, flake, and erode away. If not for the constant nattering presence of this strange statue, there would bo nothing left of the others, or of Dal Nastro itself.
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? Responses (6)
Updated: Needs to be removed from the Quest, I hit the wrong button by accident.
Boredom, or ennui (pronounced "on-we," this French word comes from Old French enui, root of the English word 'annoy') is a reactive state to wearingly dull, repetitive, or tedious stimuli: suffering from a lack of interesting things to see, hear, etc., or do (physically or intellectually), while not in the mood of "doing nothing".
Just wanted to have that word defined, since it explains something crucial of these statues... NPCs, really.
Good add-ons to their main submission. I found the 'assassin' most entertaining, though all had their place here.
If a PC gets the wrong idea and starts attacking the statues, can they defend themselves?
They could stop someone from attacking them, yes. Breaking a sword or knocking someone down isnt inflicting lethal damage. As for disenchanting them, the wizard would have to locate the source of their enchantment and disenchant it.
Another solid peace. Love the tone!
I like this quite a bit, so they are humanish...elves, I thought from the other story that you might emphasize their non-human appearance. How much memory do you imagine these statues possess?