Reimaging Zon-Kuthon. Emotional torture without physical violence.

[Geddy2112]

Hello Playground,

In my upcoming campaign, I am using all the standard pathfinder deities, and I want Zon-Kuthon to be one of the major players. However, I don't want his cult to be about physical torture. Emotional suffering is far more brutal and torturous than the most sadomasochistic physical possibilities. His followers would us be people who had something happen in life that caused them to lose all hope that anything good can ever happen. They are misery, and they want company. Everybody must suffer because life is suffering, and nothing you do can escape that cold hard fact. The mortal plane is the zenith of being tortured, where souls are sent to experience sorrow in its purest forms.

Being Lawful Evil, these people love having power and being in charge. Many of his followers would be successful nobles, merchants, mayors, kings etc. who worship Zon-Kuthon in secret. The spiked chain is a metaphor for society-holding us together yet digging into us and causing us constant agony. They use their power to ensure that all suffer(themselves included), and that nothing gets better. They subtly ensure that all attempts to change things for the better fail; the constant struggle means constant pain, the failures are even more pain. The poor are kept poor by social programs-enough to make them fear where the next meal will come from but never starve. The rich are kept rich, buried by their possessions that they buy in an attempt to hide the fact that their lives are truly meaningless. Good temples are kept in perfect order- pray to your deities, lie to yourself that they actually care and that somebody tends the light at the end of the tunnel. Good, evil, neutral, your fate is the same in the afterlife-being aware of the nothingness and darkness.

These people do not engage in physical torture, and avoid violence. There is no death penalty where they rule-killing somebody ends a lifetime of suffering. Physical pain is a distraction from soul crushing despair, so his secret temples are not torture chambers but places to reflect on just how awful and miserable you really can be. Even being hung from chains and dismembered slowly means somebody cared about you enough to do so. Such a caring human interaction is weakness in the eyes of the true believers. These people are not not the drunken parents who beat their children, but the drunk who never go to the soccer game or band concert. If they do talk to their children, they passively say how much of a disappointment they are and to just give up.

What other roles would these people serve in society? How would they interact and function in the day to day? How would the players be introduced to and find out about a dark cult that seeks to let the surface shine and the inside rot? Thoughts, suggestions?

[Zhentarim]

Hello Playground,

In my upcoming campaign, I am using all the standard pathfinder deities, and I want Zon-Kuthon to be one of the major players. However, I don't want his cult to be about physical torture. Emotional suffering is far more brutal and torturous than the most sadomasochistic physical possibilities. His followers would us be people who had something happen in life that caused them to lose all hope that anything good can ever happen. They are misery, and they want company. Everybody must suffer because life is suffering, and nothing you do can escape that cold hard fact. The mortal plane is the zenith of being tortured, where souls are sent to experience sorrow in its purest forms.

Being Lawful Evil, these people love having power and being in charge. Many of his followers would be successful nobles, merchants, mayors, kings etc. who worship Zon-Kuthon in secret. The spiked chain is a metaphor for society-holding us together yet digging into us and causing us constant agony. They use their power to ensure that all suffer(themselves included), and that nothing gets better. They subtly ensure that all attempts to change things for the better fail; the constant struggle means constant pain, the failures are even more pain. The poor are kept poor by social programs-enough to make them fear where the next meal will come from but never starve. The rich are kept rich, buried by their possessions that they buy in an attempt to hide the fact that their lives are truly meaningless. Good temples are kept in perfect order- pray to your deities, lie to yourself that they actually care and that somebody tends the light at the end of the tunnel. Good, evil, neutral, your fate is the same in the afterlife-being aware of the nothingness and darkness.

These people do not engage in physical torture, and avoid violence. There is no death penalty where they rule-killing somebody ends a lifetime of suffering. Physical pain is a distraction from soul crushing despair, so his secret temples are not torture chambers but places to reflect on just how awful and miserable you really can be. Even being hung from chains and dismembered slowly means somebody cared about you enough to do so. Such a caring human interaction is weakness in the eyes of the true believers. These people are not not the drunken parents who beat their children, but the drunk who never go to the soccer game or band concert. If they do talk to their children, they passively say how much of a disappointment they are and to just give up.

What other roles would these people serve in society? How would they interact and function in the day to day? How would the players be introduced to and find out about a dark cult that seeks to let the surface shine and the inside rot? Thoughts, suggestions?
I'm going to have to get back to you on that one

[Psyren]

He already has the emotional/spiritual torture in his portfolio too, so just play that up and downplay the physical stuff and you're pretty much there. You could make his entire church swing the pendulum that way, or have it be an offshoot cult that venerates emotional torture as being purer than physical.

The roles would be pretty much the same as they are now - they'd be oppressors and enforcers, just more apt to inflict psychological scars than physical ones. Psychic magic might be useful here so that they can impart despair and other negative sentiments on the sly.

[Spore]

Having spoken with torture victims (just on a tour but they got to tell us the general jist) there are two main differences between physical and mental torture:

1) Mental torture is easier to hide. If your prison is inspected and your prisoners are examined by doctors they will find even the smallest things of physical torture. Mental torture isn't as easily proved.

2) Mental torture is far more effective. Prisoners don't like either but if they had to choose, 8/10 would choose physical torture any day. Physical torture alters the body but mental torture alters the mind. Permanently.

[Red Fel]

What other roles would these people serve in society? How would they interact and function in the day to day? How would the players be introduced to and find out about a dark cult that seeks to let the surface shine and the inside rot? Thoughts, suggestions?

I haven't been invoked yet, but I feel I really should jump in.

Simply put, these people are proselytizers of the doctrine of suffering, right? Where would they be located? In the place they could do the most damage.

How do you inflict emotional suffering? Insidiously. If you go around preaching that life is pain, and anyone who says otherwise is selling something, people will assume that you are selling something, and ignore you. No, you need to approach people from a position of trust. You need to be in a position where people will talk to you, and listen to your advice.

Think of your average day. Think of the people you talk to, you listen to. Your religious or community leader. Your attorney. Your bartender. Your best friend. These are people you go to when you have troubles. People who counsel you. People you trust.

People who can leave deep scars without you even noticing.

These people are masters of the backhanded compliment. "You look great for your age." "You're really losing all that weight well." "Most people wouldn't be able to handle the pressure of your job like you do." Little sayings that get under your skin and into your brain.

These people are the experts at undercutting your confidence. "Wow, that's a bold step. I wouldn't do it, but you seem to know what you're talking about." Small asides that make you question yourself, drive you ever-so-slowly into a spiral of self-doubt and self-destruction.

And as you spiral deeper into a trap of your own design, to whom do you turn? Why, to your trusted friends, neighbors, and community leaders, of course. The same ones who have been showing you where to dig the pit. And now they're handing you an even better shovel.

Now, how do you introduce them? It's easy. There's been a suicide. One of these guys was getting sloppy in his job, pushed a victim too far, and the victim couldn't take it anymore. The PCs investigate, and find that the victim was spending a lot of time getting counseling from a trusted psychologist/religious leader/bartender. Thus begins the case.

[Slithery D]

You're obviously not married or you wouldn't need to ask for help imagining how organized emotional torture works.

[Ger. Bessa]

You're obviously not married or you wouldn't need to ask for help imagining how organized emotional torture works.

Shots fired.

For the OP, it could be people who have temporary positions of power over people like nurses, merchants, crafters, anyone that, at one time you have to go with. (I admit that the nurse idea came from the Dark Knight's Joker.)