House Narcosa (Necromancer Order of Salt Shore)

Steel Realms

A Standard Steel Realms Occult Order with standard benefits
– Command of Occult arcane powers and entities. The institution maintains the Standard Occult Reliquary of the Steel Realms for members.

“Order of Narcosa, The House of Necromancy”: House Narcosa (sometimes referred to as a ‘guild’) is one of the only 2 major notable institutions to focus on Necromancy in the realms. Understandably so, as their livelihood deals with the undead mostly, and there is a lot of fear and misunderstanding of their order. The order also has a special relationship with the fallen death god Djerduth. The order promotes the old gods ways, carrying on the religious traditions of death as a natural part of life, and seeking its mysteries to better understand the living. Far from the “death-worshiping anemic” its enemies portray it as, its members are the most physically fit and robust of wizardly orders – they practice medicine and are adherents of physical exercise and know the body and its workings like few others. The order serves as healers even in some places, such as North Gate Garrison They are THE premier operators against the undead there and other places in the north, though they number few and ways are kept secret. The Narcosan Watchers is a sect in the order that learns to repair the worst bone and tissue breaks, and can even repair animations.

The small order has been around for thousands of years. It is a fortified tower atop a granite 120’ x 70’ shelf that pushes 20’ above soil level.

Resolute: The lands and city of Reedbed was sacked, it stood. The town of Salt Shore burned, it stood. The shipyards of Salt Shore burned and the city sacked… it stood. Pirates took control of Salt Flats for years… it stood. The purge of Hermenna ousted every malign master and apprentice along the shores of Lake Caolite in 9120 – it was left untouched. Each time the order survived and came out to treat the wounded and bury the dead. Every time some would-be ruler of the town surrounding it threatened the order, the threats quickly stopped. It is unknown what leverage the order has, but no one has tested it. The order is famous in the north, all around the massive Lake Caolite. Disease outbreaks, seasonal debilitations, crop death, clashes of armies, plague… always will they be there. The clergy of Aerna, even the White Sisters, admit to their prowess (albeit grudgingly). When possible, they maintain a fast sloop in Salt Shore, and can go anywhere on the shores of the lake to aid after any disaster – no questions asked, no port dues, no tithes.

  • Occult Theme/Motif: Red & White Feathers/Streamers
  • Presence Levels: Preeminent in northern heartlands; Order houses all over the north…
    • Major: Salt Flats, Lake Caolite (shores)
    • Minor: North Gate Garrison, Lim, Arminsted
    • Trivial: Twin Springs, Karolak, Soriano, Thurlow
  • Alliances: None
  • Occult Focus: Schools of Magical Study…
    • Major: Necromancy
    • Minor:
    • Trivial:
  • Familiar Specialty: Lesser Homonculous
    Fetus like flesh creation @6th (in addition to any other familiar!); AC 12, HD: 1/HP = 4 [Cost = 180 silvers] Dexterity/Wisdom 15, Strength (half creators current; 5), Charisma 3, All Others 10
    Never sleeps, never tires, cannot be charmed or slept; sees through illusions. Speaks with creators voice.
    Stealth +4, Perception +3, Athletics +3 & Gets creators proficiency bonus.
  • Potion Specialty: Detect Life [Major Cost Portion/unlimited (2 at a time) for Major Presence]; INT x 10′ range, per Detect Magic
  • Scroll Specialty: False Life- “Stolen Life”; Ritual (DC 13) practiced in the Heartlands using special oils and written on prepared skin of a fallen foe (150 silvers) gains an extra +1 HP and immune to Chill Touch until the spell ends or HP used.
  • Lore Specialty: +1 Lores when trained for Cleric 1: Undead, Animations/Constructs, Diseases, Poisons.

Sigaek’s Breath Variant: Breath of Bone (bone corset); 4 + D4 casting trinkets; +1 AC vs. undead and animations. Trinkets can also be used to deal an extra 5 damage to an undead or animation that is the target of the wearers spells. “Mantle of Death” – The bones will dig in and do 1 damage per 10 rounds (min 1) that the wearer wishes to be invisible to undead and animations.
> Chain of Authority: Often referred to as “The Shackles of Time” among guild members, it denotes the rank to which they have risen. Special honors and ‘medals’ are presented as chains in this chain. The chain is padded with different color links of “beyond the known” – filler until the ranks or honors can be achieved. Only the wearer or one of higher rank in the guild may remove it from the body, otherwise effort confound the person trying; tangles, twists, broken fingers, etc.

Standard Rank Links

  1. Apprentice: A character just graduating is given 4 apprentice chain links. This symbolizes the awareness of the living, the eyes that behold north, south, east and west and allow the apprentice to determine their direction; They are painted to look like an eye.
    > 5th Apprentice link; “Inner Eye”: If the apprentice can survive a test of physical endurance (DC 10 Constitution) while reciting the proper ritual seeking knowledge (DC 10 Arcana) they are given a 5th link -a black eye – to add to their Chain of Authority, and allow them to seek Eye of the Child.

Honors and Medals Links

  • Eye of the Child:
    • Square Link: Essentially 2 eyes. It allows the wearer to remove 2 of the apprentice links and use them in a Lesser Homunculus – where they transform into real eyes and allow the Necromancer double the bonded range.
    • Rounded Link: The Necromancer may have the guild tattoo an eye upon the palm of their hand. It requires a 1 HP sacrifice permanently. The eye can see as the dead see up to 60′ – even in total and magical darkness. When the Necromancer casts False Life, it grants them 1 extra HP.
  • Caress of the Dead: At 3rd level/2nd level Cleric, the character may Offer to Djerduth 1 hp permanently to transform one of their hands into a Crawling Claw that operates as a normal black hand but can detach. If it dies, it will reform after a Long Rest.
Threshold Offering
1st
4th
7th
11th

Death God’s Servants

The guild members can gain Piety from the death god; they must have Religion as a skill

D20 Institution Features

Incarna Core Institution Features

History

[9140] Corrigans Bane: A curse that spread a drying, parched disease in Fahyl. It is believed some necromantic experiment from the Houses of the Dead in Ados got loose, and the masters there care little for those outside the city. There was a great deal of animosity towards them and the city, and supplies began to run low in the city of certain items, as merchants and travelers stayed away. The Narcosa Guild sent in members to try and figure out how to keep it contained, along with the White Sisters. It was only after a Darkling plot was revealed as its source that the region’s civil unrest was averted. Orban was one of the two senior members of that delegation from Narcosa, and the one who finally slew the Darkling after tracing it to Corrigans Inn (at a major crossroads) – where it had poisoned/cursed the well and that was spreading the disease.

Typically a DC 15 or higher Check The sloop, always named Greymantle (in honor of the magus Marilon Greymantle), is crewed and launched after dark. People say so the necromancers can crew it with the dead. Other rumors say its grey sails are made from humanoid skin!
Typically a DC 20 or higher Check They have the severed hand of a vampire sorcerer that was once grafted to Marilon, hidden in their reliquary. It is still vibrant, fresh, and powerful as it is kept fed and contained, a constant source of study.

House Narcosa Materials

Adventures: Narcosa Cycle

Realm's Aptitude Powers: Divine, Occult, and Psychic