Things that go bump in the night

[creeper386]

Well... I know I'll probably get alot of responses that there wouldn't be any stories of scary monsters and such do to all the real life frightening things... But I was wondering if their are any scary stories running about Zalanthas. Anything similar to vampires or werewolves?

Maybe some family line of mutants that are just alittle more odd then your average physical mutations?

Really having troubles for the words that I want but perhaps you can figure it out. Mostly asking about the dominate cultures and such as opposed to some out of the way tiny tribe.

[Armaddict]

In the Labyrinth, kids are told to behave or the Haruch Kemad will take them away.  The HK are a myth, a fairy tale, to most everyone.

Glad to clear that up.

[Malifaxis]

Yes, yes there are.

[creeper386]

Doesn't really help... Any place on the site that these sort of things are available? Or are widespread fairy tales too IC to talk about?

[UnderSeven]

Off the top of my head, I can think of at least five.  I'm not going to list them, cause yeah, they would get a touch ic, but they're out there and really not even remotely hidden.

[FiveDisgruntledMonkeysWit]

There's some really simple ones that I don't think are IC. Scary, evil, soul-sucking magickers. Mutant Northerners. Barbariac Southerners.

I think a good thing to scare people off with would be tales of large beasts on Zalanthas. I once had an old-timey Bynner character who used to delight in telling Runners about his youthful exploits. Most of them were unbelievable, and though he exaggerated, they were often grounded in fact. Gajs, silt-horrors, and other things that go bump in the dunes are out there... And let me tell you, there is some -SCARY- stuff crawling about. I mean, really, you have no idea.

You could also try fabricating stories about more everyday hazards. You know those halflings can read minds, and that they come right out of the bark in the Grey Forest? Did you know that if you travel under Jihae, you're doomed to die an early death? Did you know an anakore can smother you in sands? I think one of the greatest characters I've ever played with was a wonderfully gritty mercenary type. He was a grizzled old fart that would tell war and hunting stories like there was no tommorow. One of his favorites was about a desert tarantula that ripped off and devoured the leg of one of his comrades. The fact that it was OOCly impossible, but ICly believable and exciting is what made the story so enthralling.

Whoever you were man, you kicked an immense amount of ass.

So in short, Zalanthas is scary enough that your average Amos doesn't have to dream up demons or rakshashas or any of that to frighten kiddies. Animals, other races, magickers, and mutants do it well enough for them. Get creative.

[jhunter]

Maybe a bit off topic, but since it was mentioned...
Wouldn't some sort of lychanthropy or vampirism be cool?
Heh, dwarf/gortok lychanthrope...by the light of Lirathu he changes...

[mansa]

Anything similar to vampires or werewolves?

Maybe some family line of mutants that are just alittle more odd then your average physical mutations?

Mostly asking about the dominate cultures and such as opposed to some out of the way tiny tribe.

I think it's safe to say that there is no -dominate culture- of 'evil monsters'.  They are evil, and they are barely heard of and known of.  If the culture of the sand-vampire was well known, or of the were-tembo, then it wouldn't be scary anymore, now, would it?

Scary things exist.  Scary things are rare.  If you were thinking of doing something with that, your best bet is to make an outline and send it off to mud@ginka.armageddon.org.  It'll then be sent off to the right people.

[creeper386]

I'm not talking about the culture of any sort of scary beast. I'm talking about scary stories, fales, fairy tales told in DOMINATE societies. Such as Allanak, Tuluk, common things accepted by large/multiple tribes.

Things that flesh out the cultures that should be fairly well know. I know there really isn't any truly dominate people, but from living together things get adopted into a similar culture. Even with big scary bugs and evil magickers there probably are stories. Alot of them probably are around real things, but I'm just wondering if there are any common fairy tales.

Not the whole story, just basics of what it's about. It's probably a better thing to ask the Staff, but it seems to me common stories isn't a truly IC thing. It's about as IC as dwarves have no hair, when a good portion of characters would have contact with it.

[mansa]

Well.  I guess the most scary are..

SORCERERS!  THEY DESTROYED THE WORLD!

MINDBENDERS!  THEY BEND YOUR MIND!

TEMPLARS!  THEY WORK FOR THE SORCERER KINGS!

ahh.  i just scared myself.

[Rindan]

I'll bite my tongue on a few stories I have heard of.  That said, common creatures of 'myth' are demons, magikers, and undead.  I think that most commoners could be easily terrified with a story of a delfier.  You don't need to add too much myth to make it scary.  Events that happened in Tuluk and was seen by the entire population a few RL months back where plenty scary without any need to add fantasy into it.  If I were to make top 5 list of scary creatures in Zalanthas that the bards would speak of in the night, it would be the following.

1)  Delfier/magikers/mind benders.  These guys are scary pure and simple.  A powerful one of these creatures can do horrific things.  They HAVE done horrific things.  I imagine the tails of evil delfiers that would spread would be make children cry themselves to sleep.  The fact that so little is known about these would give any story teller a lot of creative license to think up something horrific.

2)  The Dragon and his servants.  While much of the knowledge old is gone, I doubt that story of The Dragon's terrible reign would be forgotten.  They might hold nothing of truth about them, but they would certainly be told.

3)  Demons/ghost/spirits/undead/exc.  The people of Zalanthas are very superstitious folks.  They would probably believe in all of these things, and while their imaginations might run away on occasion,  they are not always too far off the mark.  Pick your supernatural evil and these people will buy it.

4)  Templars/mutants/magikers of the opposing city state.  I imagine that the propaganda battle between the North and the South is fierce.  The other city is likely so warped out of proportion that the depictions of it likely approach fantasy.  That said, they probably all would have elements of truth.  A Northern would learn how evil magikers wander the streets of Allanak completely accepted and allowed by the Templerate to inflict all manner of unnatural evils upon the populace.  Tales of the cruelty if Allanaki templars and nobility would also be stories to send the children to bed crying.  In reverse, Allanaki's would hear how deformed and hideous mutants  walk the street slaughtering those who dare to speak against Muk.  Tales of the cruelty of their nobility and templars and how they poison commoners at will would also likely seep into the stories.

5)  Creatures of the waste.  Most people never step foot in the wastes other then to pray before the great status of the Dragon.  While a skilled desert travelers would have a more realistic view, the average commoner could likely be tricked into believing just about anything exists out there.  Stories how cruel and unsurvivable the land outside of the walls of the city would likely be common.  They would also serve as a story to teach the moral the cities are good and you best be grateful for what you have.

[Ix Machina]

Dyrinis.

Now I'll be off to change my freshly-soiled boxers.

[Johan]

I imagine Silt Horror's have many a great story told about them in the coastal cities. To earn Horror as part of their name, there must be some neat ones. But I guess they'll have to be found out icly, because... there are none on the site

[Dyrinis]

Fouler is coming. :twisted:

Dyrinis

[sacac]

well.. I could make some up for this:)
Just have to think it had another name to start with
like how it got it's nick-name:) Since its first name has been long-forgotten.

It was a dark and windy night, when a Caravan (you can change the species in the caravan to a species you want) was travelling along a road between two coastal cities (make sure there old cities) when his caravan was attacked by evil looking creatures from hell.  Killing the whole of the caravan, ripping arms off, killing the children, devouring every little creature they could find leaving pieces of the (species) all over the place because there were too much meat to eat. There were arms, legs, half eaten heads, and other parts that have less meat on them. They were just sprawled all over the area by the mysterious creatures.

And in the mourning Guards were sent from (ancient city) to (ancient city), when they came across 9 wagons that had blood all over them. they were ordered to see if there were any survivors. They started screaming out for the survivors when a guard found a 9 year-old (human age) (previous species) hiding in a pile of silk. When the guard screamed, "I found a survivor! He's in the silt!(miss pronouncing cause he's a dumb bastard :twisted: )"

Later when he was getting asked what happened he could just say." horror... horror.. horror..(trying to say horrible)" He stays the rest of his life being 'cared for' because all he can say is Horror.
Hence the name 'silt horror'

Just what comes to my mind when I think of em
And I can make up more for another species if yu want