The Ancient Serpentyne Order of the Gormogons

Alpha Issue 4: Planned

The members of this faction are (largely) humans who, through training and ritual, carry the light of an ancient star within them for a period of 7 years, before passing it on to another worthy person of the order. During this time, they have the memories of all the light and its hosts have ever seen, which gives them great wisdom and power, and occasionally physical mutations.

Some members refuse to let go of the light after the 7 years. They continue to be powerful but their mutations grow too. Many of these have become famous as classical monsters such as the medusa, the sphynx, or the minotaur.

The light sometimes shines through, either through cracks or thin folds in the skin, or the eyes and mouth, and it can be many colors.

Names

Roll a d12 for each column, pick your favorite, or make up your own.

d12	First Name	Middle Name	Last Name
1	Bambi	Belatsunat	Sarpanitu
2	Hogart	Enhedu	Ashkudani
3	Elsben	Zarpanesh	Ishtumai
4	Ontark	Meddennon	Kashi
5	Giigi	Lutsame	Tenellamar
6	Nemah	Nennarrh	Inkunatat
7
8
9
10
11
12

Traits

Traits are extremely versatile: as long as you can describe how a trait helps in a given situation, it adds a die to a roll.

d12	Trait	Slots
1	Size [Appearance]	■ ■
2	Goddess [Appearance]	■ ■
3	xx [Appearance]	■ ■
4	Champion [Conviction]	■ ■
5	xx [Conviction]	■ ■
6	xx [Conviction]	■ ■
7	Gestalt [Desire]	■ ■
8	xx [Desire]	■ ■
9	xx [Desire]	■ ■
10	Hubris [Flaw]	■
11	xx [Flaw]	■
12	xx [Flaw]	■

Powers

Powers are extremely varied, and often open-ended. Each power describes roughly how to use it, but it’s up to the imagination of the player to fill in the details, so long as everyone agrees.

d12	Power	Slots
1	Metatronic Declaration. The antediluvian light carries the memories of truths long forgotten. When first entering a place, whether it's a forest, town, or dungeon, together with the GM and the other players, declare one surprising aspect or fact about it—this is henceforth canon.	■ ■ ■ ■
2	Light Abuse. Though it is your exalted duty to protect your light, you have learned to—and spend—part of its immense might. Make a Mind check to infuse your hands or feet with it for: critical success—1 day, success—1 scene, partial success—1 action. For hands, gain +2 Brawn and the heat of a dozen bonfires, for feet, gain +2 Agility and lightning speed. Each time you thusly violate the light and your station there is a cumulative 1% chance of replacing this gift with Gormogon Corruption.	■ ■ ■ ■
3	Color Out of Space. The light in you is a prodigious source of energy. Once per session you may produce a mote of it and feed it to an ally, healing 1d8 ability score damage 1d4 wounds. You may attempt this more often, but that is incredibly strenous and requires a Mind check that inflicts 1 Agility damage to you on success, 1d4 on partial success, or 1d8 on failure.	■ ■
4	Light of the First Star. The surviving light of the progenitor star lives on within you and grants you strength. Add 1 to Brawn and Agility and reduce Brawn and Agility damage to you by 1 before you apply it.	■ ■
5	Aegis of the First Light. The light within you is exceptionally strong. For 1d4 Mind damage you can shine it upon your nearby friends and allow them to reduce Brawn and Agility damage by 1 before applying, for 1 scene. If you also possess Light of the First Star, grant them +1 to Brawn and Agility too, for the duration.	■ ■
6	Prehensile Pelage. Your hair is a semi-beastly extension of yourself, fully under your control. It can take many forms, like snakes, tentacles, or spider legs. You can grasp with it like you would with your hand, move it as you would your finger, and grow or shrink it from shoulders to the floor. Until thusly used, it remains inconspicuous enough. Take 1d4 Graces damage and succeed on a Graces check to throw up your full mane in a beastly flail or hiss and leave those watching petrified in fear for 1 scene.	■ ■
7	Gormogon Corruption. Whether you foolishly or perfidiously chose not to give up your light after your 7 year term or simply abused your power too much, you have become corrupted and an outcast forevermore. But you also grow powerful as the light mutates your body, adapts and empowers it, and yes, also drives you somewhat mad. Choose a classic monster of myth like medusa or hydra, or invent a new one and become it, gaining all of its powers gradually, over the course of the adventure. Heal all damage and wounds. Become hunted by your own cult.	■ ■
8	Rhagades Fulgentes. Fissures in your skin, whether following geometric patterns or chaotic and random, are dimly glowing. You may adjust their intensity (up to a lantern) and color at will, but for 2d8 damage you may emit a sunlike burst of rays.	■ ■
9	Quadrifid Means of Manipulation. Each time you take this gift you gain an extra 2 arms, or appropriate arm-like limbs, over your form's basic ones.	■ ■
10		■
11		■
12		■

Equipment

Tradition dating back to the first stars. Tools of the office of the cult.

d12	Item	Slots
1	Primal Bowl of Lustration. Impossibly ancient receptacle for holding cleansing water for the chosen one's ablution before receiving the light. Washes away all sins and vices, perhaps, in a way priming the vessel for new ones.	■ ■ ■ ■
2		■ ■ ■ ■
3		■ ■ ■ ■
4	Flagelliform Amasthenicum. Long whip (1d4 Agility damage, target immobilized if brought to 0) of transparent fibre. Take 1d4 Brawn damage to infuse it with a mote of your light and set it glowing for 1 scene, during which it blinds the nearby unwary when it strikes and deals 1d8 + [number of your current wounds] damage.	■ ■
5		■ ■
6		■ ■
7		■ ■
8		■ ■
9		■ ■
10	Tabaret Vestments of the Chosen. Light, strong, magnificent. Its thinness allows it to be folded manytimes over, and thus, when laid out, is made of a startling amount of fabric.	■
11		■
12		■

Carousing

See Playing the Game for how and when to use this table. In any case, it assumes letting off steam in the way that only your cult can.

d12	Result
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12