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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Voadam" data-source="post: 9017851" data-attributes="member: 2209"><a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/373206/City-of-Cats-for-5th-Edition?affiliate_id=17596" target="_blank">City of Cats for 5th Edition</a>5eDeath Sentry: ?Edimmu: [T]he edimmu is a sandy, hateful undead created when a criminal dies of thirst in the desert. Sand Silhouette: [ S]and silhouettes are undead created when unfortunate victims are buried under sandstorms or dune collapses. Undead Factotum: Functional Servants of the Pallid Court. The Pallid Court holds sway from an island palace that juts into the River Nuria west of the Hunt. At its center is Lady Alashra al-Zania, vampire and master schemer. While the blazing sun keeps her and her court from gaining a true foothold of power in Per-Bastet, she has created a new tool that may allow her more influence: her undead factotums. Weaker but Stronger Vampires. The undead factotums are created through a careful process of feeding and training perfected by Lady Alashra herself. Those victims (or volunteers) of the process emerge as undead creatures with some of the powers of unlife, but they do not succumb to exposure to the sun’s cleansing rays. Death Sentry, Heavily Armored Figure, Guardian of the Dead, Special Segment of the Dead: ?Edimmu, Sandy Hateful Undead: ? Sand Silhouette, Chamber's Guardian, Bound Undead: ?Undead Factotum, Pleasant-Looking Gentleman: ?Undead Factotum, Functional Servant of the Pallid Court, Weaker But Stronger Vampire: ?Undead Factotum, Open Representative of the Pallid Court: ?Undead Shepherd, Ever-Loyal Dead: ?The Dead: One unique, and to many visitors unsettling, aspect of the City of Cats, and the Monument District in particular, is that the bulk of those who die in Per-Bastet remain, or return, after death. Some come back as ghosts but most return as what is politely referred to as “the Dead.” Citizens who die in the city rise, appearing much as they did in life but as white and dry as sand. Their bodies do not rot, nor do they carry the stench common in undead creatures. How and why the city’s citizens become Dead are conjectured but unknown, yet clearly the nearby enigmatic presence of the risen God-Queen Meskhenit plays a role. Some scholars speculate that her vast pyramid of the Mother of Destiny plays some unknown part in this most honored and unique of the city’s strange occurrences. What is known is that only those citizens completely devoted to the city become Dead. Most of the Dead have only minimal intelligence, but all are wise and unswervingly polite. Though they seldom remember specific details of their lives, they typically retain their skills, leading many Dead to work for the city in a similar capacity to what they did in life. Some spiritual connection links them to the pulse of the populace. When serious foreign dangers threaten the city, the Dead among the city guard often appear unbidden to face the danger. The Dead rarely speak but seem endlessly content. Many locals believe they have truly given their soul to the city and found in its complete acceptance utter peace. Others say the city has given its soul to them, to sustain them forever. As a consequence, the Dead are treated with great respect by all of Per-Bastet’s citizens, and they are venerated as the proof of the greatness of the greatest city in the world. Joining the ranks of the Dead is something almost every citizen aspires to achieve. Despite her more sinister nature, Meskhenit causes city denizens no harm. She views city powers as children who occasionally must be corrected, but only when there’s a real need. She views all other denizens like unruly grandchildren: prizes to be protected, but whose wild and at-times destructive antics are, in the great scheme of things, harmless. She nurtures their loyalty and pride, knowing that this will enlarge the Dead’s numbers when they die.Most who dwell in Per-Bastet for more than several months become deeply loyal to the city. This devotion does not prevent all animosity toward other denizens. On the contrary, schemes, intrigues, protests, and criminal acts abound. Basteti lie in ambush to settle feuds with gnoll clans and Perfume District alchemists brew necromantic tinctures to poison the vampires of the Pallid Court. But, viewed more broadly, the city’s call makes Per-Bastet itself feel like true home. Moreover, the mystical, communal connection makes many folk view city residents of different factions, races, and even species as something like distant blood kin. An unspoken code of conduct exists that precludes many from inflicting lasting harm on fellow citizens absent dire provocation. Most who linger also develop a strong affinity for cats. Said to embody both luck and life, cats become respected companions and familiars of the populace and are never simple pets. To the frequent visitor, even feline features become alluring, and the city’s basteti prostitutes see the most profit from frequent visitors and recent residents. Speculation abounds over whether the city’s call is a blessing, a curse, or some other magical effect. Some lose their loyalty upon receiving curse-breaking magic, but others do not. Hearing the call is a predicate to joining the Dead. The Dead, Strange Per-Bastet Local: ?Panshar el-Elai, Spectral Jackal-Headed Undead, The Dead: Three years ago, Haty-a Haakim, who gained greater mastery of his oracular powers with each passing year, foresaw echoes of an attempt on his life. Straining to see the details more clearly, his eyes were clouded with visions when Panshar el-Elai, the werehyena Vizier of the Council of Sands, appeared before him with a weapon raised. His shock at the sudden appearance of the Vizier in his visions and in his physical reality caused a backlash of magical energy. When the dust settled, Haakim was unscathed, and Panshar el-Elai was a spectral, jackal-headed undead. His memories and sense of self muddled by the backlash of magic and the transition to one of the Dead, Panshar now believes himself to be an avatar of Anu-Akma. Salim-duat-Neea, The Dead, Revered Artisan Architect Engineer: ?The Dead Companion: ?Akril-ash-Mhkarr, The Dead, Terrible Bloated Form: The Terrible Bargain. Akril-ash-Mhkarr was an infamous necromancer who created a palace within the area now known as the Hunt, which at that time was teeming with locals whose binding tie was that they were not local. The area was known as the Visitors’ District and was reserved for those who came to Per-Bastet and made it home. Each also was bound by a curious loyalty— some might say worship—of the necromancer, who was in effect emperor of the Visitors’ District. Mhkarr was obsessed with the Dead, but he was horrified by their (as he outrageously put it) mindless contentment and servitude. Such a fate would not take Akril-ash-Mhkarr. As the necromancer reached the end of his already extended life, he tried to strike a bargain with the Reborn Queen. He offered her all he had—his dark knowledge, his arcane arts, and his trove of artefacts—to become Dead yet retain his mind and free will. But the Reborn Queen is mysterious and aloof and does not strike bargains. In a single night, her wrath fell on Akril-ash-Mhkarr and those who followed him, wiping the district clean of all life, bar one—the necromancer himself. As he died, he became a member of the Dead, hosting the crooked bodies and demented souls of those who worshiped him. He was left to travel dark catslide alleys eternally, ravaged by the hatred of his followers and his nightmares into a single, terrible, bloated form—the only Dead not to find peace and fulfillment in service of the greatest city in the world. The Pale Poet, The Dead: ?Undead Lord: ?Undead, Undead Creature: ?Undead Remains of a Basteti Who Was Faithful to a Wicked Aspect of Bastet: ?Undead Protector: ?Undead Citizen: ?Ghast Follower of Bastet, Ghast Escort: ?The Hobbled One, Ghast, Disgusting Guardian, Pitiful Creature: The linking corridor is protected by a disgusting guardian forged long ago by perverted magic. Ghost of a Keenly Intelligent Dire Tiger: ?Ghost: One unique, and to many visitors unsettling, aspect of the City of Cats, and the Monument District in particular, is that the bulk of those who die in Per-Bastet remain, or return, after death. Some come back as ghosts but most return as what is politely referred to as “the Dead.” Ghoul: ?Slether, Ghoul: ?Ghoul Friend: ?Ashmet, Aquatic Ghoul of Infinite Resource and Wit, Cohort, Underling, Recent Ally, Water-Dwelling Ghoul, Gambler: ?Water-Dwelling Ghoul: ?Reborn Queen-Goddess Meskhenit, Meshkenit, Mother of Destiny and Defender of the Realm, Lich, Pharaonic Lich, Risen Great-Grandmother of King Thutmoses, Spectacular Beauty With Ivory Skin and Raven Hair: ?Ravenfolk Mummy: ?Sister Withering, Sacred Mummy, Vengeful Undead Basteti: ?Mummy, True Mummy: ?Shade: ?Skeleton: Necromancer Undead Thrall power.Vampire: ?Lady Alashra al-Zania, Vampire, Master Schemer: ?Vampire, Investigator: ?Vampire, Informant: ?Vampire, Worthy Citizen: ?Aiesha, Horribly Scarred Vampire: ?Zombie: Necromancer Undead Thrall power.Zombie, Wrapped Zombie, Lesser Undead: ?Undead Thralls. When the necromancer casts animate dead, it can target one additional corpse or pile of bones, creating another zombie or skeleton, as appropriate. Undead created by the necromancer have an additional 9 hp and a +3 to their weapon damage rolls.</blockquote>

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