(Idea) "Eternity makes monsters of us all...."
Oct 15, 2019 19:35:46 GMT
Catsmate and Hedgewick like this
Post by grinch on Oct 15, 2019 19:35:46 GMT
A Neanderthal from the dawn of time....
A ronin from the Feudal period of Japan....
An aspiring starlet from the Golden Age of Hollywood....
A 17th century pirate....
An Aboriginal Australian from decades before British colonisation....
A South African civil rights activist.... (circa 1990s)
Six individuals separated by distance and the mists of time. All of them with vastly different backgrounds and experiences. Six individuals for whom life might have gone differently. Until now. Each of them awake one day to discover that they have been gifted or rather cursed with eternal life. Immortality if you will. As the years pass for each of them and the decades quickly turn into centuries, who knows what sort of people they might become?
This idea was partially inspired by a recent listen to the monthly adventure Seasons of Fear most notably in its excellent depiction of the main villain; the immortal Sebastian Grayle. Primarily on the adventure touched on the idea of how eternal life can change a person and not necessarily always for the better. This was also done (to a lesser extent) with Captain Jack Harkness and Ashildr in the revived series. But the less said about the latter the better.....
These newly created Immortals I think would work best as a long running story arc and to help inject some much needed mystery into a campaign. An ideal scenario would be to have the PCs meet a supporting character in a regular historical adventure only to run into them once again years later, still completely the same. (Again, done to a lesser extent with Ashildr) Ideally, to further reinforce the mystery behind the Immortal's curse I would suggest presenting each of them as unaware of each other's existence. If only to further highlight how they (much like the PCs) are just as baffled as to the truth behind their predicament. Naturally, they will no doubt have their own theories and beliefs as to what happened. This allows them to be cast in either the roles of villains, recurring NPCs or victim who the PCs will encounter time and time again. Due to the nature of their condition, their roles could change overtime or completely.
So, who is responsible?
No doubt the first question that comes to mind. Here is my suggestion.
Alien interference as part of some grand experiment is the obvious choice. Taking into consideration the diverse background of all the affected Immortals. It could have been the work of some godlike beings such as the Guardians or even the mysterious and unknowable Grace. Their motives for doing so are beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. Although, not necessarily beyond the knowledge of a Time Lord. Perhaps however the perpetrators are more human. A group of collective scientists/wealthy financiers from an era of Human History where they have developed rudimentary time travel technology. Taking advantage of the power vacuum left behind the supposedly extinct Time Lords after the Last Great Time War, they seek to assume their mantle of the new Lords of Time. The Immortals are merely test subjects (injected with advanced nanotech, artron energy infused, etc) whose activities throughout history have been observed. Really they are just nothing more than guinea pigs.
Further Ideas
So any thoughts or suggestions?
Note: I am well aware this is starting to sound a lot like Highlander. I can only apologise.
A ronin from the Feudal period of Japan....
An aspiring starlet from the Golden Age of Hollywood....
A 17th century pirate....
An Aboriginal Australian from decades before British colonisation....
A South African civil rights activist.... (circa 1990s)
Six individuals separated by distance and the mists of time. All of them with vastly different backgrounds and experiences. Six individuals for whom life might have gone differently. Until now. Each of them awake one day to discover that they have been gifted or rather cursed with eternal life. Immortality if you will. As the years pass for each of them and the decades quickly turn into centuries, who knows what sort of people they might become?
This idea was partially inspired by a recent listen to the monthly adventure Seasons of Fear most notably in its excellent depiction of the main villain; the immortal Sebastian Grayle. Primarily on the adventure touched on the idea of how eternal life can change a person and not necessarily always for the better. This was also done (to a lesser extent) with Captain Jack Harkness and Ashildr in the revived series. But the less said about the latter the better.....
These newly created Immortals I think would work best as a long running story arc and to help inject some much needed mystery into a campaign. An ideal scenario would be to have the PCs meet a supporting character in a regular historical adventure only to run into them once again years later, still completely the same. (Again, done to a lesser extent with Ashildr) Ideally, to further reinforce the mystery behind the Immortal's curse I would suggest presenting each of them as unaware of each other's existence. If only to further highlight how they (much like the PCs) are just as baffled as to the truth behind their predicament. Naturally, they will no doubt have their own theories and beliefs as to what happened. This allows them to be cast in either the roles of villains, recurring NPCs or victim who the PCs will encounter time and time again. Due to the nature of their condition, their roles could change overtime or completely.
So, who is responsible?
No doubt the first question that comes to mind. Here is my suggestion.
Alien interference as part of some grand experiment is the obvious choice. Taking into consideration the diverse background of all the affected Immortals. It could have been the work of some godlike beings such as the Guardians or even the mysterious and unknowable Grace. Their motives for doing so are beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. Although, not necessarily beyond the knowledge of a Time Lord. Perhaps however the perpetrators are more human. A group of collective scientists/wealthy financiers from an era of Human History where they have developed rudimentary time travel technology. Taking advantage of the power vacuum left behind the supposedly extinct Time Lords after the Last Great Time War, they seek to assume their mantle of the new Lords of Time. The Immortals are merely test subjects (injected with advanced nanotech, artron energy infused, etc) whose activities throughout history have been observed. Really they are just nothing more than guinea pigs.
Further Ideas
- As stated during the events of Hell Bent, Ashildr supposedly outlasted every other immortal in the universe. So, what happened to the others then? What circumstances led to them meeting their final ends? Further investigation is needed....
- A descendant of one of the Immortals becomes obsessed with discovering the truth behind their mysterious ancestor. Their activities ultimately draw the attention of such groups as UNIT, Torchwood and other less scrupulous organisations who seek to exploit them for their own end.
So any thoughts or suggestions?
Note: I am well aware this is starting to sound a lot like Highlander. I can only apologise.