What would a demonic colony look like?
I was avoiding going into a long spiel about the campaign and the circumstances because I figured no one would want to read a bunch of background. But it seems you can never give too much information when asking for help. 
To answer Coyraven and LostSoul:
The country of Arn established a colony six years ago on this new continent. It was an endeaver by several noble houses to explore/look for raw materials/etc. A year after the colony landed, all communications was lost and boats stopped returning. Until now, no real effort was made to re-establish with it, but now the Houses want to find out what happened to their investments, and try again.
Two of the PCs are members of one of the Houses, one is looking for pearls, and another (who may not show; total flake) was given a vision by his God to go (his god is Yog Sothoth, who has some interests in the continent).
With them are about a hundred and fifty others (other house reps, laborors, healers, etc). The PCs are one of the few Adventurers who are going to do the sweeping/cleaning/exploring of the colony and area.
The party right now has dropped anchor beside a small island a rowboat's distance from the shore where the colony is plunked down. This is their "base camp", where they will execute a launching point. Supplies will be dumped on a barrier island (basically a big blob of silt and sand a dozen feet off the river's mouth).
The PCs aren't going to jump in immediately; they are camping out at the base camp right now, and waiting until dawn. I plan to have the demons summon a "Mist" from the statue; the mist will have several Mist demons, and will offer cover for a wave of zombies they send in. The zombies are from the dead hosts who have been killed for whatever reason, and are thus unusable to them.
Since it might just offer some more help, I'll go ahead and give some more detail.
The Virus's Origin
There once was a city of beautiful amazons. They were the most fetching entities all around, some say endowed with fey blood. But they grew too prideful in their looks, and their hubris called down a curse. The women were twisted, made into bird-like, craven seducers, their beauty deadly because they were driven to lay their eggs in the bellies of men (I.e. the origin of Harpies).
The rulers of the amazons sought to reverse this curse, and turned to a demon prince (Demogorgon most likely), seeking help, trying to find a way for them "To be loved and revered again". The Prince responded by unleashing the virus. It lead to widespread possession; anyone the harpies came into contact with, any time they tried to sing, or wail their desperation, those would be infected, then possessed, and the demons inhabiting the ugly, tumor-ridden hosts would "revere" the once-great amazons.
Most of the amazons fled in horror. Soon, the surrounding inhabitants in the jungle waged a siege against the amazon's city, sundering it, and confining the virus and the Amazon Queen and Priests to their temple fortress. The Queen, her retainers, and the demons that they had spawned were trapped. The queen's sorrow blighted the land around their prison, turning it to barren desert. THe natives managed to contain this blight, but it has left a swath of sand that leaves no footprints around the temple palace.
Five years ago, the Arnian explorers opened the palace. They were exposed to the virus, and were beaten back by the inhabitants. When they feld back to the colony, they unwittingly spread the virus.
For the PCs to "cure" the virus, they're going to have to go into the Temple Palace, and destroy the source. A macguffin conveniently tied to the palace and the Queen.
To answer Coyraven and LostSoul:The country of Arn established a colony six years ago on this new continent. It was an endeaver by several noble houses to explore/look for raw materials/etc. A year after the colony landed, all communications was lost and boats stopped returning. Until now, no real effort was made to re-establish with it, but now the Houses want to find out what happened to their investments, and try again.
Two of the PCs are members of one of the Houses, one is looking for pearls, and another (who may not show; total flake) was given a vision by his God to go (his god is Yog Sothoth, who has some interests in the continent).
With them are about a hundred and fifty others (other house reps, laborors, healers, etc). The PCs are one of the few Adventurers who are going to do the sweeping/cleaning/exploring of the colony and area.
The party right now has dropped anchor beside a small island a rowboat's distance from the shore where the colony is plunked down. This is their "base camp", where they will execute a launching point. Supplies will be dumped on a barrier island (basically a big blob of silt and sand a dozen feet off the river's mouth).
The PCs aren't going to jump in immediately; they are camping out at the base camp right now, and waiting until dawn. I plan to have the demons summon a "Mist" from the statue; the mist will have several Mist demons, and will offer cover for a wave of zombies they send in. The zombies are from the dead hosts who have been killed for whatever reason, and are thus unusable to them.
I like these. The reason I'm not using the other bits is because the virus doesn't work in dead flesh; it's spread via speech, and is intended to destroy a host's will, so that they are ripe for possession.
Since it might just offer some more help, I'll go ahead and give some more detail.
The Virus's Origin
There once was a city of beautiful amazons. They were the most fetching entities all around, some say endowed with fey blood. But they grew too prideful in their looks, and their hubris called down a curse. The women were twisted, made into bird-like, craven seducers, their beauty deadly because they were driven to lay their eggs in the bellies of men (I.e. the origin of Harpies).
The rulers of the amazons sought to reverse this curse, and turned to a demon prince (Demogorgon most likely), seeking help, trying to find a way for them "To be loved and revered again". The Prince responded by unleashing the virus. It lead to widespread possession; anyone the harpies came into contact with, any time they tried to sing, or wail their desperation, those would be infected, then possessed, and the demons inhabiting the ugly, tumor-ridden hosts would "revere" the once-great amazons.
Most of the amazons fled in horror. Soon, the surrounding inhabitants in the jungle waged a siege against the amazon's city, sundering it, and confining the virus and the Amazon Queen and Priests to their temple fortress. The Queen, her retainers, and the demons that they had spawned were trapped. The queen's sorrow blighted the land around their prison, turning it to barren desert. THe natives managed to contain this blight, but it has left a swath of sand that leaves no footprints around the temple palace.
Five years ago, the Arnian explorers opened the palace. They were exposed to the virus, and were beaten back by the inhabitants. When they feld back to the colony, they unwittingly spread the virus.
For the PCs to "cure" the virus, they're going to have to go into the Temple Palace, and destroy the source. A macguffin conveniently tied to the palace and the Queen.
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Fallen Seraph
First Post
I could never beat the three viking guardians in the expansion, since assassins suck against them.I always played ice sorcerers, so I could never kill Duriel.
Hmm... A voice spreading virus that is neat, hmm... There should be a constant whining around the colony that overtime you begin to notice is a collection of voices.
Perhaps the demon-infected are constantly singing, or the vegetation itself is making the noise. Perhaps the animals too are influenced by it, like say the flying patterns of birds alter (or bats), etc.
Andor
First Post
Tried to post earlier, Post got eaten. Let's try again. 
Well the 4e take on demons as rampant forces of destruction is a bit of a hinderance but them being bent to force reverence of the harpies helps with that.
I would play up on the demons elemental nature. Have strange and impossible elemental effects. An ice statue of a harpy that weeps tears of fire. Floating hunks of dripping slimy swamp rock. A whirl wind frozen in place while a possesed sculptor carves an effigy from it. You can extend the elemental effects to the virus tumors as well. E.G: Victem A had turmors that burn and the flesh around them is blackened and blistered.
Have some things that aren't impossible but that just don't make any sense, like all the pigs having one leg painted black and the chickens all have their wings plucked bald.
At least one element should be shocking in it's normalacy.
You should also show off the demons cruel and destructive nature frex: The possesed children of the village gleefully torturing some cute pet.
Well the 4e take on demons as rampant forces of destruction is a bit of a hinderance but them being bent to force reverence of the harpies helps with that.
I would play up on the demons elemental nature. Have strange and impossible elemental effects. An ice statue of a harpy that weeps tears of fire. Floating hunks of dripping slimy swamp rock. A whirl wind frozen in place while a possesed sculptor carves an effigy from it. You can extend the elemental effects to the virus tumors as well. E.G: Victem A had turmors that burn and the flesh around them is blackened and blistered.
Have some things that aren't impossible but that just don't make any sense, like all the pigs having one leg painted black and the chickens all have their wings plucked bald.
At least one element should be shocking in it's normalacy.
You should also show off the demons cruel and destructive nature frex: The possesed children of the village gleefully torturing some cute pet.
LostSoul
Adventurer
NPCs or encounters that are obstacles to these goals. They also highlight them, give the players choices to make about their characters.
- Demon guy who says he's the proper man of the House - hey look, I got your great-great-great-gran'daddy's signature here, in blood.
- Old friend/cousin who says everything is okay, the Houses suck, we're much better off without them - why don't you join us? You're a decent guy.
- Part of town done up like back home in the houses - but slightly messed up, more grotesque.
- Feeding people (or lizardmen) to a giant demon oyster - which contains massive pearls. Hey - did that pearl just say something, or am I losing my mind?
- NPC who wants to travel back to the mainland on the PC's boat. Will infect their crew in order to do this.
- Someone who has built up a resistance to this virus (successful Endurance checks) and has somehow faked it all this time. He wants the PCs to leave and take him away, and no I won't tell you what happened, not unless you want me to claw my face off.
- Pearls all over the place as cheap ornaments. Really big ones. Ones that look like they came from human-sized oysters.
- Lizardmen attack early on.
- A lighthouse that's full of guys who have their ears cut off and all stitched up.
Otterscrubber
First Post
Have you seen the movie Aliens? I'd think something like that but with a more diabolical purpose in mind depending on the colony having some type of "Lead" demon with a theme.
I love the first one. The second one, it's funny you mention it. There are survivors. They just fled into the jungle. For instance, one was incapacitated before the virus spread - he broke his leg, didn't make it back until the colony was in full swing, and he fled to the native shifters. He'll be one of the few local people who can talk to the PCs at first.
Also, one building in the town will be bricked up. A few inhabitants walled themselves in, put up defenses against evil, and basically died right there. It's haunted with their spirits, which potentially could be allies, or at least NPCs.
I can have them see the lighthouse light when night falls. It's funny you mention this. The native shifters have sworn a vow of silence, and regularly plug their ears with tree sap and bees wax. They have developed a non-verbal language to communicate. They're going to be very suspicious of the new comers. But relieved once the virus is "cured".
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