Kol Korran
2015-06-21, 08:36 AM
Hey folks! In the next D&D session, the party will most likely experience two special settings/ scenes, which I'd like to enhance with some audio tracks, and for one scene, with some images. I'd love to hear some ideas, inspiration and such from the playgrounders!
City of Sin!
The party will enter a specific realm of the abyss itself called The Midnight Isles, and within it the major trade city of the Abyss- The Porphyry city. The place is quite huge, and serves mostly as a commerce, entertainment and debauchery center. Some key features to get the idea:
- It is massive, about 6,500,000 inhabitants, about 85% of them demons of various kinds, with the rest being mostly Outsiders of various other realms (Though most likely no Good entities).
- Basically, you're supposed to be able to buy ANYTHING there, and the place caters fro magic items, sensual experiences, information and so on... "If we don't have it, we will find someone who does!" sort of thing.
- The place caters for every sin, desire, temptation, want, craving and so on, with an emphasis on the sensual side (Part of the place gazetter says "you can find an inn on every street, but finding one that isn't also a brothel is impossible)
- As a city composed mostly of creatures who are inherently evil, the "ethics/ morals" of the place are very loose to non existent. This also makes the place very volatile, shifting, chaotic to the extreme, though ruled by some very powerful beings to avoid total collapse. Still, the presence of real danger is always imminent. Also, slavery, gladiatorial battles to the death, torture for sport and such are all very common place and accepted.
- A special feature is that the city is under the rule of the Queen of the Succubi (More on that later) which has given the succubi a special place in the city, and they hold many key and authority positions (Usually a fair bit more capable than the regular succubus). Most of the powerful NPCs described here are of such a persuasion.
What am I looking for? For two things:
- Music! I want music to accompany this place, give it it's own feel, enhance the experience, make the party feel the demons, feel the lust, gluttony, indulgence and despair around them, feel the danger, feel the city of sin! I'm looking for quite a few tracks which I can change. The party will be spending here a good portion of the session most probably.
- Sights of the city: Sort of mini "flavor" encounters, where the party sees, hears, smells, tastes, experience and so on the special experiences the city has to offer- a chance encounter on the street, a special "sell" a merchant pushes on them, maybe a bit of a moral conundrum and so on. I'm looking for flavor encounters to make the city more alive to the players.
Demonic negotiations:
The reason the party is here, is to negotiate with the demon lord of this realm- The first Succubus who has risen through cunning, betrayel, and a LOT of assassinations to this position of power, where she is a being that partially embodies the concept of darkness, lust and assassination, but in herself is quite a lot more complex, deep, and profound. They will negotiate with her in her palace, which can change shape (As does she) with the speed of her thought. They negotiate against other demonic agencies for some favor. (Matters less here).
What am I looking for here?
- Again music! I would like to give a special ambiance to the negotiations. The demon lord is not just a hyper cliched succubus of lust, but a being far more distinct and unique. I imagine her as both displaying to some extent the main aspects of her portfolio, but also something else- a feeling of grandeur, power, and yet subtlety, simplicity, wisdom, patience, and inscrutability. I want her to feel like an enigma. A dangerous enigma, a tempting enigma, a confident and capable enigma, that can quickly change, but in her core- enigma.
I'm looking for different kinds of music for the negoatiations, which reflect the mood and situation she wishes to display, be it real, or something she just wishes to project. Things to put the party on edge, but be subtle enough. A feeling of hospitality, eloquence, gravity yet with a personal touch, and a very real sense of danger beneath it, though subtle. (I hope all of this makes sense.
It's fairly crucial that this will feel like a meeting with a being of a different scale altogether. While the City of Sin may feel quite a bit more "evil cliche", The demon lord who rules it needs to feel... different.
One simple idea, which I'm not sure where to use it yet, is Some of the scores from Enigma (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL5MM4-omks) I'd love some more ideas.
- Images! The module I use have images of her, but they are basically "ultra sexed up succubus", which I feel may be one of the images she may present, but I imagine her as changing shapes quite often, to various images of both sensuality, power, simplicity and so on. I'd like to have a few images that give a sense of... a divine being. It can either be an image of an actor or character, from a movie or show. They need to look real enough (we don't go for Anime or Magna, sorry).
If you happen to know the Sandman comic, an idea I liked is Desire- a being that is androgynous in appearance, attractive and appealing yet not in a conventional way, appealing yet far, and sophisticated. And immensely self confident.
It's important to note that the Queen has no reason to try and impress the party or the other negotiatiors. She is quite comfortable in herself, and in the position of power. She is more interested in testing and exploring these new comers, and what they have to offer.
As a sort of example (Please no need to be confined by it) Is Tilda Swinton (https://www.google.co.il/search?q=tilda+swinton&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=a7yGVce_Ne607Qbi0r_wDA&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1081&bih=909). Perhaps in her role of Gabriel from Contantine (https://www.google.co.il/search?q=tilda+swinton&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=a7yGVce_Ne607Qbi0r_wDA&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1081&bih=909#tbm=isch&q=tilda+swinton+gabriel). I may have used that but one of my players used those images for a character of his in a previous campaign. :smalltongue: I'm looking more for images of beauty, confidence, power, elegance, maturity, gravity and wisdom, more than just a "Sexy vixen". (Thoguh some such images may come to play as well, for the more inclined characters, but the thread is not about that).
I would love to hear some ideas! Thanks in advance,
Kol. :smallamused:
City of Sin!
The party will enter a specific realm of the abyss itself called The Midnight Isles, and within it the major trade city of the Abyss- The Porphyry city. The place is quite huge, and serves mostly as a commerce, entertainment and debauchery center. Some key features to get the idea:
- It is massive, about 6,500,000 inhabitants, about 85% of them demons of various kinds, with the rest being mostly Outsiders of various other realms (Though most likely no Good entities).
- Basically, you're supposed to be able to buy ANYTHING there, and the place caters fro magic items, sensual experiences, information and so on... "If we don't have it, we will find someone who does!" sort of thing.
- The place caters for every sin, desire, temptation, want, craving and so on, with an emphasis on the sensual side (Part of the place gazetter says "you can find an inn on every street, but finding one that isn't also a brothel is impossible)
- As a city composed mostly of creatures who are inherently evil, the "ethics/ morals" of the place are very loose to non existent. This also makes the place very volatile, shifting, chaotic to the extreme, though ruled by some very powerful beings to avoid total collapse. Still, the presence of real danger is always imminent. Also, slavery, gladiatorial battles to the death, torture for sport and such are all very common place and accepted.
- A special feature is that the city is under the rule of the Queen of the Succubi (More on that later) which has given the succubi a special place in the city, and they hold many key and authority positions (Usually a fair bit more capable than the regular succubus). Most of the powerful NPCs described here are of such a persuasion.
What am I looking for? For two things:
- Music! I want music to accompany this place, give it it's own feel, enhance the experience, make the party feel the demons, feel the lust, gluttony, indulgence and despair around them, feel the danger, feel the city of sin! I'm looking for quite a few tracks which I can change. The party will be spending here a good portion of the session most probably.
- Sights of the city: Sort of mini "flavor" encounters, where the party sees, hears, smells, tastes, experience and so on the special experiences the city has to offer- a chance encounter on the street, a special "sell" a merchant pushes on them, maybe a bit of a moral conundrum and so on. I'm looking for flavor encounters to make the city more alive to the players.
Demonic negotiations:
The reason the party is here, is to negotiate with the demon lord of this realm- The first Succubus who has risen through cunning, betrayel, and a LOT of assassinations to this position of power, where she is a being that partially embodies the concept of darkness, lust and assassination, but in herself is quite a lot more complex, deep, and profound. They will negotiate with her in her palace, which can change shape (As does she) with the speed of her thought. They negotiate against other demonic agencies for some favor. (Matters less here).
What am I looking for here?
- Again music! I would like to give a special ambiance to the negotiations. The demon lord is not just a hyper cliched succubus of lust, but a being far more distinct and unique. I imagine her as both displaying to some extent the main aspects of her portfolio, but also something else- a feeling of grandeur, power, and yet subtlety, simplicity, wisdom, patience, and inscrutability. I want her to feel like an enigma. A dangerous enigma, a tempting enigma, a confident and capable enigma, that can quickly change, but in her core- enigma.
I'm looking for different kinds of music for the negoatiations, which reflect the mood and situation she wishes to display, be it real, or something she just wishes to project. Things to put the party on edge, but be subtle enough. A feeling of hospitality, eloquence, gravity yet with a personal touch, and a very real sense of danger beneath it, though subtle. (I hope all of this makes sense.
It's fairly crucial that this will feel like a meeting with a being of a different scale altogether. While the City of Sin may feel quite a bit more "evil cliche", The demon lord who rules it needs to feel... different.
One simple idea, which I'm not sure where to use it yet, is Some of the scores from Enigma (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL5MM4-omks) I'd love some more ideas.
- Images! The module I use have images of her, but they are basically "ultra sexed up succubus", which I feel may be one of the images she may present, but I imagine her as changing shapes quite often, to various images of both sensuality, power, simplicity and so on. I'd like to have a few images that give a sense of... a divine being. It can either be an image of an actor or character, from a movie or show. They need to look real enough (we don't go for Anime or Magna, sorry).
If you happen to know the Sandman comic, an idea I liked is Desire- a being that is androgynous in appearance, attractive and appealing yet not in a conventional way, appealing yet far, and sophisticated. And immensely self confident.
It's important to note that the Queen has no reason to try and impress the party or the other negotiatiors. She is quite comfortable in herself, and in the position of power. She is more interested in testing and exploring these new comers, and what they have to offer.
As a sort of example (Please no need to be confined by it) Is Tilda Swinton (https://www.google.co.il/search?q=tilda+swinton&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=a7yGVce_Ne607Qbi0r_wDA&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1081&bih=909). Perhaps in her role of Gabriel from Contantine (https://www.google.co.il/search?q=tilda+swinton&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=a7yGVce_Ne607Qbi0r_wDA&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1081&bih=909#tbm=isch&q=tilda+swinton+gabriel). I may have used that but one of my players used those images for a character of his in a previous campaign. :smalltongue: I'm looking more for images of beauty, confidence, power, elegance, maturity, gravity and wisdom, more than just a "Sexy vixen". (Thoguh some such images may come to play as well, for the more inclined characters, but the thread is not about that).
I would love to hear some ideas! Thanks in advance,
Kol. :smallamused: