Necrophage

Necrophages are abominations amongst abominations. By simple understanding, a Necrophage is a sentient being who devours carrion - typically the remains of other sentient beings, often of their own species. By more studious definition a necrophage is also an entity that traffics with dark powers, often incorporating its repulsive dining habits into its religious or sorcerous practices. In the Earth's latter days, the broad term 'necrophage' is commonly used to refer to more than one heinous assemblage of beings. In this article we cover two types: the demonist necrophage, and the bestial necrophage (aparticularly intelligent species of half-man that haunts ruins and sparsely populated regions. Fortunately neither type is common, so do not mistake the wealth of detail in this article to indicate such to be true. Rather this information is provided to prime an adventure to to be prepared for the rare encounter with the loathsome Necrophage.

History
Many empires have flourished and diminished on the Dying Earth - the very dirt of the Earth is the compacted detritus of a thousand kingdoms, the soil a compost of a million bones. One of the greatest kingdoms of the 18th Aeon was that of the Avalotti, ruled by the cruel witch-queens and their decadent consorts. Throughout the aeon these powerful thaumaturges sought the powers of the upper spheres to guide their people, and they summoned many emissaries of the Overworld to their fractured land. One of their greatest queens, Mhirania, found little use in the beings of the higher realms - perceiving them as too rigid in their codes and actions to accommodate her many desires. Instead, she sought the forbidden creatures of the netherworlds for her companions and summoned many such entities to her side.

Unknown to all, until she called forth an avatar of the dark god known as Krann, for many years Mhirania practiced her magics in secret. Strange gifts it gave her and many secrets it taught; such that her power grew to an extent where she could claim Avalotti as her own. One secret that Krann taught her was the process whereby the minds of others might be distilled into liquor. Drinking the broth allowed the user to taste the thoughts of the victim and savor their ideas and memories. Delighted with this knowledge, Mhirania and her followers used the technique to gain many repulsive powers. Unfortunately, as with all gifts of the dark, there was a price to pay. Slowly it became clear that imbibers of this foul brew lost their sense of connection to the world about them. Food lost flavor, colors appeared drab and lifeless and any simple delight in living was lost. Eventually it seemed to the user that they were only truly vital when regularly drinking the slick black distillate.

Mhirania and her followers, finding they could not enjoy life without the help of the distillate, ranged far and wide in search of fresh minds. From this position it was but a small step into cannibalism, and as Mhirania’s subjects were devoured the beautiful empire of Avalotti crumbled. The only relics of this age still extant are the bestial necrophages, foul descendants of Mhirania and her kind. Mere shadows of the men they once were, these degraded beings are worshippers of the dark deity Krann and other unclean powers. Typically they live in the ancient underground vaults beneath cities that have otherwise left little trace but crumbled ruins. Beware their power, for it is spawned from the tainted knowledge of ancient days.

Bestial Necrophages
Unlike the necrophagic human sorcerers who generally possess a cold black intellect, and wield many twisted spells and charms, bestial necrophages - as their name suggests - are far cruder beings. Their need for the distillate is so strong within their blackened minds that without it they can barely function with intelligence. Should one encounter these creatures in the dark vaults of the earth not under the influence of the Distillate, they will appear as little more than sickening half-man incapable of civilized communication, though perhaps wearing rotten rags and other soiled accoutrements in a gross parody of human grandeur. However, should a bestial necrophage be encountered whilst under the influence of their precious black distillate however, they may appear human, if a little archaic in expression and manner. It is during these moments of temporal lucidity that bestial necrophages are to be most feared – this is when they hunt victims with the greatest ferocity, because this is the time at which they fully appreciate the depths of their need. The only complex action that bestial necrophages seem capable of performing at all times is the preparation of distillate.

Bestial necrophages typically operate in packs of up to five, with the dominant member being the one who owns and operates the distillation equipment. They are usually found in places where the dead abide, scrabbling amongst the dirt, seeking ‘fresh’ supplies. Despite their horrid ways, their appearance is not totally inhuman; they generally resemble tall, thin men with pale skin, lank hair and deep dark eyes. Their long fingernails and abhorrence of the red sun indicates their preference for gloom and darkness, and their teeth are generally all overlong incisors capable of tearing flesh. Those pursued by these creatures in unlit burrows are best advised to make for the upper surfaces of the world and red sun - at least until nightfall, hen the scent of a good mind will draw necrophages into the open. Their voices are dry and rasping and scrape upon the nerves.

These beings have a single drive - the consumption of distillate. Only through this foul black brew can they savor the feelings of life that they once enjoyed. Correspondingly the protection of their distillation equipment is of prime importance and the creatures have been known to throw themselves into a blind fury of rage should the apparatus be threatened.

Unlike Necrophagic Warlocks, who worship no beings as their masters and coerce the nefarious denizens of the subworlds to their will, bestial necrophages are known to venerate a multitude of daihaki in some manner of pestilent and abominable pantheon. Many beings are encompassed by their foul rites and draw their worship, but the dark god Krann, their creator and ultimately their tormentor, figures strongly in all their rituals. Gathering in the dark places of the Earth, the tombs, mausoleums and rotting cities that litter the land, bestial necrophages give thanks to Krann for the gift of Cerebral Distillation. They forget that the rudiments of life that the distillate grants - and which they seek so desperately - are but shadows of the lives they once enjoyed. For its part Krann has been thought to occasionally reveal itself to its worshippers, reveling in the degeneration its ‘gifts’ have wrought, and casting further taints. In all of these infernal practices, the consumption of Distillate is key, such that as the lives of victims sluice through their necrotic minds, the worship of the bestial necrophages can become mingled with bizarre parodies of ancient religious rites. These sights are truly terrifying, and needless to say these vile ceremonies are not to be witnessed by the weak-hearted. As well as Krann, those who have delved into the degenerate Avelotti, hint at the worship of other foul beings such as insane Shug, the half-demon Sal-Belomb and the putrescent Witch-hag Calkofax and her putrid spawn. None of these names are considered safe to utter – any who study the ways of necrophages would be wise not to mention them.