Need help furnishing a demon's mansion. [My players be gone!]

[Ashrem Bayle]

If you are one of my players, and you are reading this, know that your character will be stricken dead by the gods should I find out...


That said....


I need some help guys. Check out the current map-a-week over at WOTC (Mansion 1 & 2). Link for the lazy. I'm going to be using it, and the first three levels in my next session. The thing is: What would a demonic spider, currently possessing the human captain of the guard, furnish his home with?

What goes into a typical guard captains home? What would be changed should he become possessed by a giant demonic spider? Most importantly, I just need ideas of what each room could be.

Obviously we have:

Bedroom
Dining Room
Bathroom
Study

But then what? I'm thinking the rooms in section two (of the Mansion 2 map)would have been the kid's room (before the demon ate them ) and the large smaller room in section 1 (also of the Mansion 2 map) would be the master bedroom. But, what would the large room in section 1 be for?

Thanks guys!

The game takes place int he Eberron setting, so anything Eberron specific would be interesting, but not necessary. Also, anything from the BOVD is doable as well.

 

[Nightfall]

Uhm how about a nice CC3 creature. Jade Spider perhaps?

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

Uhm how about a nice CC3 creature. Jade Spider perhaps?

Nah, I've already got the spider demon statted out. I just need to figure out what his inhabitants are like. 90% of the house should be unchanged from the way the original owner left it. The problem is, what would you find in the rooms of a semi-rich guard captain's house?

Dungeons don't bother me, but I draw a blank when laying out a normal residence... :\

 

[robjh]

The question is, whether the demon-possessed guard captain is trying to pass himself off as normal, or is giving full reign to his demonic passions? Also what sources does he have for furnishings? It could just be full of captured trophies from past war campaigns.

Perhaps give the furnishings an obsessive edge. The place could be covered in various decorative mirrors, for example, or perhaps everything is made out of bronze that the captain constantly polishes. Every nook and cranny could contain a source of flame, such as a candle holder, an oil lamp, a fireplace, wierd statues with red-glassed eye-holes through which the flame behind shines through. Maybe everything is charcoal-black?

You could draw on examples from a non-european culture to give it an exotic look. Perhaps there are piles of pillow everywhere rather than chairs or couches. There could be shelf upon shelf of skulls. Perhaps a stone sacrificial bench like the aztecs used?

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

Thanks for the input.
The demon has been in control of the captain for about four months now. It is trying to appear normal, in effect, it is basically like a doppleganger with a more monstrous natural form.

It has guards, mostly human, who know about it and guard the house. Since it has taken over, no one (except its allies) have been allowed inside. Therefore, it could have made some changes to things on the inside, but since it hasn't been there long, and changing the house would be a low priority given its situation, any changes would be pretty minor.

I figure it'd redecorate the top floors, but the ground floor would remain unchanged should it be required to have visitors that are unaware of it's true nature. I think the large room on the third floor will be filled with a huge web. That'll be it's lair.

 

[Sejs]

Personally, I would imagine the demon would try to keep the home looking as normal as possible, as to throw off potential prey. Spiders being trap-and-ambush predators, after all, demonic or not. The manor should serve to lull victims into complacancy by making them think nothing is wrong.

One thing I would definitly do, however - no servants. No family. Frankly, noone should live in the house except the guard captain.

If the PCs look, they'll notice that while things arn't falling into disrepair (as the demon is cautious to maintain the appearance of normalilty) big sections of the house don't seem like they've seen any use in a -long- time. Things like dust in unused rooms because the demon doesn't tidy that way - he'll fix a broken doorknob, or a cracked tile, or a leaky tap, but he wouldn't dust, or beat out the rugs. Water basins in the privvy long since run dry. Beds looking like they've never been slept in. Chamber pots showing no signs of use. All the dishes, pots and cookware clean and put away where it should be. The food stored would probably be fresh - when it starts to go, the demon throws it out and buys new food... which sits there in storage until it starts to go, and gets replaced again. That and buying food and hauling away garbage would all add to the illusion of normalcy.

Unlike many other parts of the house, the basement/cellar should look like it sees regular traffic. It's still as intact as anywhere else, but there's regular traffic down here. And regular cleaning. While dust on the lintel doesn't concern the demon, bloodstains on the flagstones require attention. Maybe store the bones and the like in one of those big wine casks; if anyone asks just say it's empty - I mean nothing comes out of the tap after all *grin*

Other things I would do - I would have the guard captain have had a family at one point. Namely before his possession. They were the first to go. The demon will have some story about how his wife got very sick and died... there was just nothing any of the healers or priests could do to save her. The children didn't last much longer than their mother once the sickness took them as well. The house would have signs of other people once living there - dressers and closets of women's clothing. A children's bedroom, and play room. His wife's dressing table, with her jewelry, combs and such still on it. Some canny sense motive work may reveal that the captain's voice doesn't betray nearly any emotion when he talks about his dead family, because the demon is bluffing. It doesn't feel any remorse or loss, so he's got to fake it. If pressed on the matter he can just play it off saying that he doesn't like to talk about it.


Things like that. The appearance of harmlessness. That house is a web.
Hope this can be of some use.

^_^

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

A lot of useful stuff...
^_^

Thanks a lot. That's what I was thinking, but your post helped me to get a better picture and fill in details I hadn't considered myself. Very useful.

Anyone else got any ideas. info on the house itself would be useful. It has about a dozen rooms. What would they be used for? My own house being relativly small, I can't see a need for so many rooms. You only need so many bedrooms and bathrooms after all.

 

[Wycen]

Subtle clues will keep the secret better than a house filled with cob webs and spider statues and pictures.

So, lots of silk clothing. The bed has a canopy that could resemble a spider's web. New art with something obvious the central theme, but with a little spider painted unobtrusively somewhere.

 

[Leareth]

I can only think of a few suggestions right now. Fairly standard mansion rooms would be a library, study, formal entertaining room, formal dinning room, parlor, and servants rooms. There may well be informal versions of the formal rooms or just one room that he uses to live and entertain but it depends on how entertaining oriented he is and if there is space. A trophy room or display area for awards or the like might be good since he is militarily aligned or one room dedicated to any hobbies he has. I admit this building looks pretty small with no real room for servants’ quarters. You might want do decide how much help he has and if they live on site in another building or off site.

Leareth

 

[Sigurd]

I'd approach it from the captains possessions

It depend a little on if the demon is going native.

I imagine that the successful captain might have had collections and hobbies, that now gather dust. Some elements of his life might have contained holy images or things that offended the demon - they might have been destroyed.

If the demon is overly sure of himself, destoyed things might still be in evidence. Demons are nigh immortal and all this stuff must seem pretty transitory. Perhaps an enlarged hearth, with too many ash stains from the demon bathing in the flames. Perhaps some dead servants & maybe one that escaped. Perhaps animals that served the captain run from the demon.

I'd reconstruct the chronology involved and work from there. Perhaps missing portraits, stood up guests, a number of possibilities.


What sort of demon is it????

How much 'home' & free time did the captain have?

Sigurd