1001 Mysteries...

[The_Warlock]

1001 Mysteries...

In the vein of a number of the old “101 X” posts, what I'm hoping for is people pitching in descriptions of odd, creepy, mysterious, unexplainable phenomena and scenes for use by GMs into their campaigns to add color and provide enigmas to their world.

The point isn't to detail what is really happening, how it came to be, or any mechanical stats. Just a scene for the PCs to stumble upon. A GM who uses one then can let it remain a hanging mystery, or if the PCs show great interest develop it into a true plot hook, encounter (whether a haunting or just a gnome with a weird taste in illusions), or adventure that meshes with his or her world and plots.

I'll start it off....


1) Faceless (Cross-posted from Creepy...)

On a lonely backwoods or frontier trade path, the group notices several sets of wagon tracks that dig up the dirt and damp earth and go off the road. If they follow them, the find themselves in a small dell not easily visible from the road, made of three or four low hills. The earth is churned and trampled by feet, hooves and wheels. One merchant's wagon is smashed and overturned at the base of the far hill. There are no horses, though the wagon's cinches are covered in blood.

About two dozen naked human/humanoid bodies lay scattered across the dell. While most are covered in mud, they don't appear to have any obvious wounds from a distance.

The first one the group approaches is contorted, face down in the mud, but it's nails are broken and it's hands covered in blood as if it was attempting to scratch it's attacker.

When they roll the body over, the body has no face, from forehead to chin, is solid flesh, ripped and torn by fingernails to reveal muscle and smooth bone beneath, with nary a socket or orifice. As if the poor soul, suddenly bereft of sight and breath was desperately clawing at their own head to make a way to breathe.

All the bodies share this faceless death.

Several sets of hoofprints and wagon wheel tracks leave the dell more sedately and return to the road, heading in the same direction the group was heading, and eventually lose distinction from the common ruts in the road about a mile on.


2) Blood from a Stone

When the group is within an underground area made of, or faced with, stone, they come upon a room where there is the sound of a slow dripping. From the ceiling, where no crack or hole exists, is a damp spot which slowly enlarges to a drip of a thick, crimson substance. It falls to a place on the floor where, similarly, there is neither crack nor hole. Yet only a tiny puddle of reddish fluid sits.

No matter how long it is watched, the pool never grows in size. The drips from the ceiling pass through any barrier or container placed in their way. Unless the object is the skin of an intelligent creature. If so, they find that their hands are covered in blood, and they hear a distant wail, as if from a man being tortured, that no one else can hear. AS the scream fades, the blood seems to soak into their hands.

If the blood is wiped away from the stone floor, it seems to evaporate as it is pushed away, briefly revealing a single brownish stain, which the drips quickly cover up.


3) From Behind

In a abandoned or secluded home, tower, or small ruin, the group comes across a room that looks like it was once a study of some sort. Rotted furniture and broken glassware litter the room, as do several books with many pages torn out and scattered.

A closer look will show brown stains on the floor in odd and irregular patterns, certainly not the expected splashes and splatters of injury or combat.

Investigation shows that many of the pages bear similar dark brown smears and stains, often lines and curves.

Dedicated investigation will show that some of the smears on the pages and the floor seem to line up.

Attempts to piece the puzzle together will eventually have the pages of the books laid out in the rough image of a Thaumaturgic triangle, the stains the boundaries of letters of a common language. The words say, “Fear beyond the door. Open and safety revealed. A (a blank area) S behind. Watching.”

The blank area in the words is in the center of the diagram, and from the looks of it, something was there when the writing was done, but is now gone.


4) Untreadable

In an ruin or other abandoned building, the group comes into a dust and cobweb covered room. While examining the room, locked away for years while furniture dry rotted, one will notice that there are “muddy” bootprints...on one of the walls. They appear to show someone having walked down the wall, then the continued apace diagonally across the room, and end with one print halfway in the far wall.

If examined closely, caked earth has dried and cemented itself to the wall, but the prints on the floor merely disturb the dust there, with no traces of other material.

No doors, secret or otherwise exist in the surfaces the footprints appears to come from or go to.


5) Whose Shadow

Wherever one or more of the group is, but when they are somewhere other people are in nearby rooms or such (at an inn, a noble party, etc), one of the party notices a shadow cross their field of vision from behind them. If they point it out without looking, others will see it, but as soon as they turn to look, they notice no one behind them. An NPC will approach them from where they were originally looking, for some mundane purpose, having noticed nothing.

This will repeat one or two more times. If one member watches the shadow, while another tries to “catch” a glimpse, the watcher will see the shadow move and disappear as if obstructed by some hard edged object which throws no shadow itself.

Sometime later, when the group is in a lonely or abandoned locale, the first to have seen the shadow will notice that wherever their light source is throwing shadows, there is one more shadow than the number of members of the party.

Any overt mention of the shadow, or pointing to it, will cause it to appear to leap sideways - “landing” in one of the group's shadows, and that person's shadow will fade away. Apparently forever gone.

The next time that person is in direct sunlight, they will feel suddenly and briefly weak, only to watch their shadow “fall” out of them onto the ground in a fetal position, shiver, and then stretch to normal proportions, and act in all ways normally henceforth.

[megamania]

6)

Find a small bag of old old ancient coins hidden in the rotted wall of a rotting shed/cottage PCs take shelter within. Any that touch the coins have dreams / visions of a murder of a noble. With minor research, one learns of a noble that was slain a hundred years ago by an unknown assassin. Rumored his payment was a pouch of coins now cursed as they represent blood money.

7)

Old Tavern with paintings on the wall. Paintings are marked and painted in a way to clearly show a passage of time. However, in the background, a person is visible that seems to be in each one... never aging.

[The_Warlock]

Cool. Thank you, Mega.

[Andor]

8) In an 10' X 10' room an ancient Orc skeleton holds a pie. Although the skeleton is dessicated and fragile with age the pie is somehow fresh and steaming hot.

[fba827]

The unaware soldier
9) Every night, at a particular spot, a ghostly soldier apprears. Some nights he appears to be sitting and reading a book, or sharpening a blade. Other nights, he seems to be walking as if keeping patrol. He in no way acknowledges anyone or anything, oblivious to everything - as if he is simply repeating actions. His uniform style suggests that he was a soldier from a long fallen kingdom. However, one particular night of every year, instead of his regular actions and appearance, his ghostly body is covered with burn marks on his unform, arrow shafts in his leg, and cuts slashed across his face, and he lays on the ground as if reliving his death, mumbling in whispers about the wizards and demons coming and how he must get back to the castle to warn them.

[The_Warlock]

Thanks folks. Looking good, this is exactly what I was hoping for.

I may have to use the dead orc/fresh pie in a silly run through of X2 Castle Amber I'm currently GMing.

[ejja_1]

#10 The pc's are traveling through the woods between 2 local towns, when they spy a little girl skipping through the woods humming to herself. Upon following the little girl they will come upon a depression in the woods where they will find several childrens corpses in various stages of decay. A vision will then come upon them of a local town official murdering the children. What will the pc's do? How will they stop the murders from happening again when the only proof they have is a vision and several rotted corpses?

[The_Warlock]

11) Winds of Arrival

When camping for the night in the wilderness, one of the group has a vivid dream of a beautiful, almost blinding red gold sunrise. As the Dream continues, they see dark vertical lines in front of the the sunrise. The lines grow more distinct, resolving into menhirs. One begins to crack and shudder, as the sunrise turns the color of blood. Shattering, the menhir reveals a clawed hand, the rips open the Sun to let blood and rotten bodies spill out over the land.

Any members on watch will see a storm at the edge of the horizon, with red flashes of heat lightning. Minutes later a brief, screaming windstorm rushes over the campsite bringing with it the smell of death and rotting bodies, and a spray of rust colored rain.

All is still for a few moments, then the normal night sounds return, though they seem now much fainter, and strangely ominous.

[The_Warlock]

12) Ancient Song
When the group is camping outdoors while travelling near or through a woodland, late at night, they begin to hear sounds of many people laughing and distant upbeat music.

Looking about, they will notice ripples of silver light in the dark woods around them, coming and going as if pushed back by the light of their campfire or torches.

If the group puts out their light sources, the silver light will grow, eventually covering their camp and the surrounding area with a translucent scene of a masquerade ball amidst manicured trees, simple but elegant decorations, and some few marble sculptures and a well. All the beings are all tall humanoids, elves or humans perhaps, wearing a variety of painted animal masks, as they dance, laugh and make merry while drinking and eating from small tables. The sounds of the party seem somewhat hollow, as if echoing from a distance.

The merrymakers will seem not to notice the group.

Any attempts to interact with them will prove them to be insubstantial, except for the food and drink. Those who partake of the food fall asleep to dreams of one partygoer sneaking away, and men in black coming from the night and slaughtering the merrymakers to the last. The sleeper can only be awakened by the dawn, or magic which wakes a target.

If, however, any member of the group attempts to sing or play music, the merrymakers will stop and look directly at him/her, as if listening. If the song is upbeat/joyous, the merrymakers will begin to dance, and at the end of the song, cluster about the musician clapping and patting them on the shoulder with ephemeral hands as the entire masquerade fades away.

The musician, however, will notice a tiny flickering in the distance of silvery light. Getting close the light fades away, and the character will fall into a deep, dried up well.

They will find literally dozens of bodies worth of ancient, broken bones and dust, and a single dust covered, but otherwise unblemished, lacquered wooden masquerade mask of a fox.

[The_Warlock]

13) Expedition

While the group is travelling somewhere (wilderness, in a city, via ship), a magic mouth comes into being by an unknown trigger and speaking in an old language with an odd accent.

If the group stops to listen, and can comprehend the language, they hear the following related.

"Day 10 score and 5. It is as if the woods are alive and hateful. Despite this, we make progress, and have been able to confirm that we continue in the direction provided by the Oracle. Savages beset us as we broke camp. Delshes and Hiskar were eviscerated before we could counter attack. In the end, magic and crystal prevailed, and we killed most before they fled. We have brought my bondsmens' heads should we still need their expertise before this journey is over. Soon, our goal will be in our grasp."

The magic mouth repeats it's entire tale once more, then disappears, it's magic finally expended.

[The_Warlock]

14) Who Watches

When the group is camping in a remote location, the night watches pass uneventfully, except for a regularly occuring, if odd sounding, night bird call across the region they are in. But if the sound is investigated, it is always off in another direction.

In the morning, when breaking camp, literally hundreds of sets of taloned, bird or reptile-like small foot prints can be found in the mud and earth surrounding the camp just beyond where the firelight reached.

If tracked, the tracks come from every direction, heading directly toward the group's campsite. However, the tracks simply start, as if from nowhere, a mere 100 yards from the camp.

[The_Warlock]

15) Deadwater

In a remote locale, the group comes across a beautiful spring-fed pool amidst crumbling rocks and renewed nature.

Animals will refuse to approach the pool, and familiars and magical creatures will feel skittish while in proximity to it. Those with natural lore will be able to determine that the water is perfectly safe to drink.

Perceptive members of the group will be the first to notice something wrong with the reflections in the pool.
Thinking, sentient beings (Int 3 or equivalent in a system of choice) cast no reflection.

Unless they have died and been brought back by some means. Such beings always show their true, original form (in the case of the reincarnated) as a reflection.

Returned individuals who drink from the pool always feel refreshed and without fatigue. Returned individuals who swim in the pool see a vision of something they desire.

Those who have not returned from death who drink the water note that it has a strange coppery taste, and see a vague but gruesome image of their own death, leaving them shaken until the next dawn.

If an individual who has not returned from death attempts to wade or swim in the pool, they are forcibly dragged under the waters by an unseen force, and then released moments before drowning. They are likewise shaken by the experience until the next dawn.

Should the group leave the area for more than a day, and return at some point, they will find the pool gone, replaced by fire blackened earth.

[The_Warlock]

16) Fractured Peace

Deep in an underground locale, multi-level dungeon or basement of some long ruined structure beyond the bounds of established civilization, the group will hear a gently melodic sound, not quite music, like wind blowing through some distant instrument.

If investigated, they will find, out of plain sight, but not truly contained or under cover, what appears to be a fracture in the air. Light refracts and reflects through odd "panes" hanging in mid-air, causing odd shadows on any nearby surfaces, while a calming windsong like sound emanates from the fracture.

While within about 30' of the fracture, no being, regardless of immunities or protection, is capabale of taking violent or aggressive action.

Additionally, all beings within 30' perfectly understand the languages of other beings within the area.

Unfortunately, creatures beyond the boundary of the Calm are fully capable of raining death and destruction down on those within it, and those within cannot retaliate while staying within the area of the Calm.

[The_Warlock]

17) Fragment with a View

In ruined room, or treasure, the group discover a shattered piece of silver just larger than a man's fist, that is as smooth as glass, with edges just as sharp and jagged as if it was glass. It seems unbreakable, yet cannot scratch or cut the softest materials, though it can draw blood if used to cut living flesh.

More disturbing is that despite it seemingly shiny surface, it reflects no images, just light sources.

If this is investigated at length, it will be noted that any light reflected off the shard onto another surface has strange, faint shadow forms in the reflected light, but nothing truly discernable.

In mere starlight or absolute darkness, those near the shard with sight beyond the norm will see images within its small surface which seem to shed no light into the real world, but still be visible.

The images are usually hard to place due to a lack of perspective, living flesh, twisitng impossibly hued crystals, bubbling gelatinous fluid and such. No matter what the visions, they are never the same with a new viewing, regardless of how much or little the viewer has moved, though during any one viewing, moving the shard appears to shift the point of view through some other otherwordly space.

If the shard is ever totally immersed in warm blood of a living (or just recently living) creature. It appears to dissolve into nothingness.

The last person to view the shard's otherworlds is granted a painful, but helpful, vision to some goal or quest of theirs, and finds a strange sharp-edged "drawing" on their left hand, both back and palm reminiscent of the shard's shape. It cannot be removed.

[Andor]

18) Anachronism

The party encounters a lost individual dressed as a wizard or psion. He asks them for directions to some mundane location, and if they help him he insists on paying them for their help telling them they have done more than they can know. If examined the coins he pressed upon them show an unknown but aged king whose name matches that of the ruleing king's youngest son.

[Andor]

19) Misplaced

While traveling (where is unimportant, but the farther from the sea the better) the party notices the overwhelming stench of rot. If the seek it they find the decaying carcass of a whale lying in an otherwise unremarkable field.

Possible details to add:

-Lying rushed under the body of the whale is a goblin shaman who appears to have been performing some magic ritual.

-The whale bears intricate tattoes about it's body and has a necklace of coral and glass.

-The stomach of the whale contains a human skeleton dressed in archaic armour.

-The head of the whale bears a shipping label in some undecipherable script.

[Andor]

20) Ancient Evidence

A landslide has revealed an ancient ruin. Within the complex contains the rusted, tripped and disabled remains of many deadly traps, some with skeletons still impaled on them.

A large central chamber bears the evidence of an epic fight although all that is left now is dust and bone. The rotted remains of great chests are along one wall, all empty. A still functioning magic circle holds the eternally trapped skeleton of a great demon.

[The_Warlock]

The whale is FABULOUS. Especially since I'm playing in a campaign with a goblin shaman of a sea god, and I could SO see that happening.

21) A Shooting What?

When in the wilderness, the group sees a flash up in the sky, and then a great whistling and thunder as a shooting star streaks overhead, but closer than any have ever seen. Just past a line of trees or hills there is a crack of thunder and second flash of light, followed by the earth bucking like a sea wave, knocking the group from their feet.

If they decide to investigate, it takes perhaps an hour and a half on foot to find the site of the impact. What they find is a blasted crater perhaps 200' in diameter. At it's center, however, there is an unblemished circle of land about 40' across. Upon it is a great stone obelisk, smooth carved and brightly painted as if erected mere days ago, depicting an ancient wizard-king's triumph over a terrible foe. If the area around the crater is searched, the smallest of extremely weathered hard stone foundations are found scattered on several of the surrounding hills and copses of trees.

If mapped out, the edges of the ruins bound enough space to be considered a small, but circularly laid out, village where no one has ever heard rumors of one, let alone a wizard's empire.

No names, writings, nor secret compartments are to be found.

[The_Warlock]

22) Land locked

While traveling through rocky terrain, such as foothills or a low mountain pass, the group hears the sound of a small bell ringing the watch.

If the sound is followed, they find a small box canyon.

Literally half-embedded in the stone of walls of the canyon, as well as partly in several boulders is a whole sailing ship of magnificent design. There is no sign of actual damage to the vessel, except the torn and tattered sails and rigging. Where the wood of the ship and the stone of the canyon touch, they seem to have been fused together.

A small bell rings the hourly watches on it's own, imbued with magic to do so, so long as it remains attached to its housing on the ship.

No bodies or inhabitants are to be found. Nor any signs of violence.

There may be some cargo still in the hold.

[The_Warlock]

23) Facetious

The group comes across a broken open barrow, perhaps infested with undead. Apparently previously looted, it is obvious that a pile of stones near the back of the barrow is more recent, and looks deliberately stacked.

If moved, it reveals an ancient metal door that swings sideways into the ceiling on some sort of pivot.

Beyond is a simple room with layers of dust, and dozens of foot prints, obviously from different times that lead to a stone pedestal engraved with various abjurative runes and patterns. Upon it is a fabulously crafted full face mask of steel, silver and ivory, covered in some dust, but otherwise unblemished, depicting a beautiful smiling face.

As soon as light falls upon it a voice is heard, "True heroes? Let it be so, that my gift of speech be freed."

No amount of attempted interaction will produce any other result from the mask.

If taken, the individual carrying the mask finds that they can understand any speech heard. If a character dares to wear the mask, they find that they can speak fluently the language of any one person at which they are looking. Alas, once worn, the mask always returns to the possession of the person who wore it first after removal from the barrow, even if others wear it afterward, or it is thrown away.

More disastrous, one day after one person has worn it, the mask will make off color remarks, innuendo, and insults at random individuals near to the bearer, always seeming to originate from the bearer, in their own voice, and perfectly understandable by the target, despite language difference. The mask does not need to be worn for this effect to begin taking place.

With each day, the mask will choose more obviously wealthy, powerful, or physical imposing beings to direct it's insulting jokes at, making the bearer's life miserable, if not downright dangerous.

The only way to be free of this curse is to find the abandoned barrow, fight whatever new beasts or brigands have decided to use it as their home, and place the mask back upon it's pedestal. At this point will be heard the bearer's voice from the mask, "No sense of humor. None at all."