Appeasing to a Flesh Cult

[Spibb]

I run a group of 4 mid-paragon level characters. I'm setting up a plot arc where my players need to beg the gods to aid them in order to help conquer some greater undead foe. To do so, they need a sacred area / ritual site from which they can communicate with the gods. The only such site close and available to the players however has been taken over by a Flesh Cult (perhaps worshiping the blood lord) who have desecrated it to their own ends.

My players have two options here; they can either kill the flesh cult and gain access to the ritual site OR they can enlist the aid of the flesh cult against the undead foe and through that gain use of the ritual site as well.

However, I flesh cult wouldn't simply open their arms to anyone who came by. I want to have the Flesh Cult request some task of the players or some action to prove their loyalty, but I'm blanking on any ideas. If anyone has any ideas, I'd be grateful!

 

[DracoSuave]

Bringing in sacrifices to their perverse dark lords seems a good start.

Tho... that depends if they're an evil flesh cult (TORTURE AND HURT AND ALL THOSE WONDERFUL THINGS RAWR) or a naughty flesh cult (torture... and hurt... and ALL those WONDERFUL things! Rawrrrrrr!)

But really... if the shrine's been desecrated, like really desecrated, it'd need to be consecrated again to be of some use in the radiant light of cleansing undead, so I don't think such a cult'd be keen on 'lending it out' so to speak.

Unless they're not evil but just misunderstood. And naughty. And wearing tight leather. Then...

 

[fba827]

i'm a little unclear on where you're going with "flesh cult" - can you describe a little about them?

 

[Spibb]

I was meaning Flesh Cult in the Open Grave: Secrets of the undead manner. Not creepy BDSM stuff...

Here's the description:

"Flesh cults worship death but do not seek eternal life. Members of flesh cults create temporary servants from dead flesh and turn their own organs into weap- ons. Flesh cults disdain those who seek eternal life and those who create permanent undead servants. Each cult is highly clandestine, and it reviles intrud- ers and those who might try to steal its secrets."

 

[Dross]

I was meaning Flesh Cult in the Open Grave: Secrets of the undead manner. Not creepy BDSM stuff...

Here's the description:

"Flesh cults worship death but do not seek eternal life. Members of flesh cults create temporary servants from dead flesh and turn their own organs into weap- ons. Flesh cults disdain those who seek eternal life and those who create permanent undead servants. Each cult is highly clandestine, and it reviles intrud- ers and those who might try to steal its secrets."

This would be a place I'd start. Depending open the amount of disdain help may become an option for the cult.

If they are the type the PCs can try to convince the cult that cult members (theirs or similar) are being made into permanent undead and use that as leverage. It could even be true.

Have them obtain a letter from some authority "giving" them the area to ensure privacy. Giving the cult some immunity/personal space (sans doing something new to invoke someone's wrath) would be a selling point.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Yep, sounds like classic "enemy of my enemy" territory.

 

[fba827]

prove loyalty by bringing the dead bodies (i.e. flesh and organs) of another cult (such as one that seeks immortality ... and possibly that of their leader which might be a vampire or lich). Note that this option would offer combat but no "drama" sense (generally speaking) heroic-style PCs would probably not have a moral issue with felling a cult of that type to begin with...

If you really want to up the drama, make it something like "We require the flesh of a mother, one body from each of you, brought here tomorrow before midnight and then we will talk" (and that's all they say and then vanish) now that opens up some dramatic tension on face value if the PCs think of it as a human/humanoid mother. But they could get clever and bring 5(or however many PCs) cow bodies or something.

 

[erleni]

prove loyalty by bringing the dead bodies (i.e. flesh and organs) of another cult (such as one that seeks immortality ... and possibly that of their leader which might be a vampire or lich). Note that this option would offer combat but no "drama" sense (generally speaking) heroic-style PCs would probably not have a moral issue with felling a cult of that type to begin with...

If you really want to up the drama, make it something like "We require the flesh of a mother, one body from each of you, brought here tomorrow before midnight and then we will talk" (and that's all they say and then vanish) now that opens up some dramatic tension on face value if the PCs think of it as a human/humanoid mother. But they could get clever and bring 5(or however many PCs) cow bodies or something.

Or Hive Mother Beholder bodies if they really want to show off!

 

[Riastlin]

prove loyalty by bringing the dead bodies (i.e. flesh and organs) of another cult (such as one that seeks immortality ... and possibly that of their leader which might be a vampire or lich). Note that this option would offer combat but no "drama" sense (generally speaking) heroic-style PCs would probably not have a moral issue with felling a cult of that type to begin with...

If you really want to up the drama, make it something like "We require the flesh of a mother, one body from each of you, brought here tomorrow before midnight and then we will talk" (and that's all they say and then vanish) now that opens up some dramatic tension on face value if the PCs think of it as a human/humanoid mother. But they could get clever and bring 5(or however many PCs) cow bodies or something.

Actually, you can even make consecrating the defiled site much more difficult if you don't have the assistance of the cult -- thus making what would normally be an unattractive option to the players much more reasonable. You could also just have the PCs dig up some bodies to provide "fuel" for the cults aims, etc. But the more black the PCs need to put in their moral greys the better in my view. Just make sure that they can actually "justify" working with the cult as not being an inherently "evil" option.