Castle Sirah-Mot

Background

Castle Sirah-Mot was once the seat of a minor dwarven lord. Many years ago the mountain fortress was overrun by a clan of ogres known as the Red Gnashers. Their clan name came from the prominent dark red stains around their mouths and teeth. The Red Gnashers were mongrel ogres with mountain giant blood far back in their family tree. This twisted ancestry gives the Red Gnashers an unnatural hunger for humanoid flesh. After defeating the dwarves they established themselves as the castle’s new masters. This began a reign of terror that neighboring towns and villages are still recovering from. Scores of heroes tried to deal with the scourge of the Red Gnashers, but none ever returned.

The indiscriminate rampage ultimately ended with the arrival of Alana, an apostle kyton. Alana was a follower of the kyton demagogue Te-zolor, the All-Knowing Flesh. She was able to convert the Red Gnashers into loyal worshipers of Te-zolor. How exactly Alanamanagedd to sway them is perhaps best left to the imagination. Other kytons soon arrived to help the Red Gnashers carry out the will of their new lord and master. Following Alana’s instructions, they began construction on a charnel colossus deep in the bowels of Castle Sirah-Mot. When this undead abomination is completed, it will serve as an avatar for the All-Knowing Flesh. It will be able to touch the material plane directly and spread it’s blasphemous gospel.

Inhabitants

The Red Gnashers inhabits the ground floor of Castle Sirah-Mot. They share the black greasy hair and tan skin of their ogre kin. Their mountain giant ancestry gives them smoky complexions and stockier builds. The Red Gnashers were once just as savage as you would expect from ogres. Their encounter with Alana has drastically changed them. They are now neutral evil rather than chaotic evil. To express their devotion to Te-zolor, they scar themselves with fiendish runes. These scars also serve as indications of an ogre’s standing within the clan. Higher ranked members have larger rune scars in prominent places. Red Gnashers are talented hunters and trackers. When not guarding the castle, they are often trailing carefully selected humanoids to add to the charnel colossus.
 
Alana and the kytons lurk in lower chambers below Castle Sirah-Mot. Evangelists directly oversee the construction of the charnel colossus. They are also prepared to surrender their lives to defend it from destruction. Ostiarius will join parties of Red Gnashers when they leave in search of new humanoids. Their shadow traveler ability allows them to travel very far very quickly to locate their victims. The kytons show their adoration of the All Knowing Flesh in a similar manner to the Red Gnashers. They will carve numerous phrases into their skin with serrated blades. Anything they write onto themselves is added to the accumulated wisdom of Te-zolor.

Both the Red Gnashers and kytons are loath to visit the upper floors of Castle Sirah-Mot. The presence of the castle’s original dwarven owners manifest strongly here. Dwarven phantasms are common and will possess the first creature they see. If successful they will charge heedlessly into battle with their new bodies. Other spirits become twisted with anger and are barely recognizable as dwarves. These clawed kadian will grab individuals in their ghostly pincers and pluck them away from groups. The former lord of the castle also stalks the hallways as a regal ghost shouldering a spectral hammer. He sings dwarven battle hymns to announce his approach and eagerly engages anyone he meets in a duel.

Recent Events

The brother of a local baron has been kidnapped and taken to Castle Sirah-Mot. He was seized during a local harvest festival, despite the presence of town guards. The baron wants to call together a militia to attack Castle Sirah-Mot and release his brother. The baron’s chief advisor has cautioned against this plan of action. He believes a massive assault could bring the full might of the Red Gnashers down on their town. The baron has allowed the advisor one week to mount a smaller rescue operation before he sends in the militia. The advisor has been making the rounds in taverns frequented by adventurers.

A band of snow giants from the far-flung north have arrived at Castle Sirah-Mot. They are on a diplomatic mission to forge an alliance between the Red Gnashers and their own kingdom. The snow giants are also a looked down upon by the more racially minded giant races. A major sticking point in the negotiations is the matter of the kytons and the worship of Te-zolor. The snow giants are unwilling to give up their own faith and the Red Gnashers are hesitant to convert again. A mighty snow giant priest has been dispatched to the castle to sway the Red Gnashers.

-The creation of the charnel colossus is a lengthy and arduous process. Only certain humanoids are considered viable additions and sometimes only portions of them. Alana issues extremely specific directions about what is to be included. If a humanoid does not meet her high standards the kytons discard them. Latent necromantic energy from the colossus has reanimated some of the unused remains. Animated hands and heads have been seen rolling and crawling down away from the castle. Worse yet clumps of flesh have been attacking the livestock in nearby villages. It is uncertain if the kytons are aware of the horrors they are unleashing.

Drag & Drop Encounter (CR 8)

Sickly vines cling to the walls, and the stone floor is cracked and pitted. The moonlight filters through the rotting wooden ceiling above. A shadowy figure covered from head to toe in minute writing stands in the doorway across the room from you. “You should have announced your arrival,” the figure intones in a smooth and silky voice. You can see three hulking shapes crammed into the hallway behind the figure. “Take them my brothers of the flesh. We shall see if they are worthy of the ultimate honor.” The figure steps aside, allowing the hulking shapes to enter the room.



About Michael Vail-Steele

Michael has been playing RPGs regularly since 2012. In addition to RPGs he's also a fan of puns and bad movies. He hopes you will enjoy these trips through his imagination, and asks you to please wipe your feet.

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