Tuesday, December 29, 2015

The Scornsmen

That which rots in the underworld is best kept in the underworld. Those that pry the filthy lucre, cursed  refuse, and grave-goods of forgotten tribes should be called out for their sins. - typical notions of The Scornsmen.

The Scornsmen are an association of anti-dungeon delvers that is just begging to be included in a megadungeon campaign. Put them in on the random encounter tables for your local dungeon or town, have the be a foil for your murder hobos, or a faction to join. the following are a few ideas on using a loose confederation of anti-dungeoneering activists in campaigns.

Scornsmen in the local tavern.
Seeing as “adventurers” like to frequent taverns that’s where you are going to find scornsmen. Scornsmen in taverns will typically be of two varieties the obvious rabble-rousing do-gooders preaching about the dangers of dungeon looting and the moral and spiritual decay that it inflicts on practitioners and spies keeping an eye on dungeon-looters. If the scorns men are busy in the local taverns adventurers will have half the chance of finding henchmen, patrons, and clues as they normally would.

Scornsmen in the Streets.
Some scornsmen will appear to be soap-box prophets, or stange cultists preaching about the danger s of dungeon delving but some will also be hit squads willing to act when the law will not or when the law find’s it convenient to not offend a bunch of psychotic murder hobos of undecided power. Having scorns men causing a ruckus in the streets will reduce the opportunities dungeoneers have in unloading less portable loot, scorns men have been known to report sales of illicit goods to the proper authorities.

Scornsmen in the Outdoors
Scornsmen encounter on the road iand in the fields will come off as much as they do in the streets and alleys of a town but sometimes they will draw up large crowds of rustic folk and work them up into a frenzied rabble that wouldn’t be wise for a band of adventurers with sacks full of freshly looted coin to bump into. Scornsmen have been none to host educational events to boost their ranks and warn the public and sometimes these encampments can last for weeks drawing in the curious for miles about.  There have been events all to similar to with-hunts/burnings sponsored by scorns men or taken to extreme by locals (many scorns men would be happy to shame adventurers onto a righteous path).

Scornsmen in the Courts of power
Scornsmen will constantly be trying to sway the opinions of nobles and royals to get them to pass laws and decrees that make dungeon-looting illegal or more difficult. when the scorensmen don’t; resort to violence but do have the ear of a prince or duke there will be tough times ahead for adventurers.

Scornsmen in the Dungeons
It would seem and unusual place for the scornsmen but the more militant of them and the hardier can be found in the catacombs and dark mazes of the underworld where they seek to save souls, stop the flow of dangerous contagion to the surface world, and purge the world of the unredeemed. Such wandering bands of scornemsen can be almost as well equipped as adventuring parties but they may lack some of the prized times that can normally only be found while looting dungeons.  Some scornemen chapters leave the goods heaped in dungeons, some trap and even guard illicit caches down in the underworld, some destroy what they can in the depths while others secret them away to vaults of dangerous goods kept safe by the scornsmen.

Scornsmen as Adventurers
They are no fools these scornsmen and they will recruit and employ those who may otherwise fall to drawing forth the tainted goods of the underworld and as such this offers adventurers a number of opportunities.  PC scorns men could gain exp for converting NPC dungeons, for treasure liberated from looters, for time spent guarding caches, and for times secreted away into vaults.

3 comments:

  1. That is totally cool! I will use your idea in my 3rd installment of my megadungon The Black Stairs for Back to the Dungeon RPG. I also invite you to my blog as well! http://backtothedungeon.blogspot.com/

    and here is a link to BttDRPG as well.

    https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BzYaSvmA-OpUaEp4aVpYZlRzN28&usp=sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've been keeping up with your site and RPG effort, it would be a delight for The Scornsmen to turn up in other folk's campaigns.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete