Saturday, March 23, 2013

The Santurni - The Menace From Before Time For Your Old School Space Opera

File:Macro detail of hand-blown bowl from The World of Glass.jpg

Introduction 
Born in the fires beyond time itself, the Santurni are "beings" beyond gods and the creation itself. They are some of the first perfected ordered consciousnesses to come into existence at the beginning of the sixth cycle of existence.
 Their "empire" stretched millions of light years across and the energy beings they ruled were nothing more then temporary tools to them.  Consciousness was only a play thing to them . A temporary thing to be used and discarded at will as their existence crosses twelve planes or more.
They constructed temporary molecular "E" artifacts to act as an anchor within our universe. The Santurni were not evil at all but incredibly alien to our time and space continuum. They wished stability and order, and with their super science arts they thought they knew best. They twisted all to their will, their ways, and their orders.
These beings dared to challenge the multi dimensional existence of the Lords of Stability.
The Lords saw and enacted a punishment after some of the greatest planar wars the multi -creation has seen.
The Santurni became locked within the molecular perfection of their own anchors for eternity. They have become nothing more then planar twelve dimensional ghosts forced to watch as the universe rolls by.
But not always. Sometimes adventurers find their artifacts and anchors. And some times they escape to wreck havoc and alien vengeance upon our universe. 

Appearance and Biology
File:Macro detail of hand-blown bowl from The World of Glass.jpg
These beings appear to glowing globes of mono dimensional energy encased within a multi planar globe of existence. These twelve foot diameter floating globes of energy move by telekinesis  within our universe and their very being hurts the eyes of both human and near human species. 
There is a wrongness about them. Long after they depart they leave a psychic impress of themselves within the local space time continuum.
They are beyond such petty concerns such as biology and life as we know it. Yet their super science understands our biology even as it is temporary all too well.

History 

 The Santurni whose empire lasted 20 billion years. The wars with the Lords of Stability gutted great swaths of the planes. All that remains is 


the  very beings themselves layered in molecular ordered perfection.  There is a 1d20 chance that each time the user accesses the memories of the Santurni they will be possessed by these ancient malevolent beings 
Great swaths of empty planar spaces often mark the battle grounds of these beings where dimensional winds howl. Sometimes the violence of these battles still echoes around. Any being caught within these areas must make a save or be cut for 1d4 points of damage as the violent memories themselves do harm. 
 Often times these areas are marked with the giant alien pictogram art and language of the Santurni for which wizards, psychics, and madmen make the journey to gain the knowledge of multidimensional tyrants.

Psychology 
Can such a word be applied to beings whose very motives themselves are alien an unfathomable?  Beings who have left entire worlds turned inside out? They're imprisonment has made them mad and insane. There are few of these beings who maintain any semblance however alien to our consciousness.
Beings willing to teach others the most forbidden of the spells of order? The very keys of creation and beyond. Those who hold the artifacts of the Santurni often gain 1d4 levels of magic or super science arts.These are temporary things at best. They fade after 1d6 months. The arts of order are often malevolent and the students lose 3 points of wisdom after the twisted knowledge fades. 
Should the Santurni take over or possess a being. The creature is seething psychic battery of madness, insanity and terror.

 Santurni Specter 
Armor Class: 2(17)
Hit Dice: 7 
Attacks: Planar Disruption (1d6 + psychic drain) 
Special: Drains all psychic points or wisdom & intelligence 
Move: 15 
HDE/XP :9/1100
They are technolgy level four or five and have been know to construct artifacts from the most mundane or everyday items in their twisted quest for order.
Clerics can rebuke or turn these things as specters or liches.
Only the most advanced and costly magics or super science medical techniques will heal their wounds. It may take months to recover from their attacks if ever. They should never be taken lightly. 
Flavor

The Santurni are the hidden danger waiting to be unleashed. They are master psychics and dangers to any crossing their paths. Those who deal in their artifacts or relics are often the most twisted examples of their species. But they have the most marvelously ordered minds. They often run very successful businesses and temples. The alien mind controlling each and every little facet of these poor soul's existence just waiting to batter the world around them.
 



2 comments:

  1. Fascinating. I'd like to know more about the Lords of Stability. Kind of sounds Chthulu inspired.
    If so, right on, as Tekumel was just that in relation to the demons, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Lords of Stability will be appearing in the new Petty Gods book that Gorgon Milk will be publishing shortly. Thanks for the comment!

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