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I like the idea of the 7 different artists that had their work influenced by a certain someone that are referenced in Escape from Old Korvossa. I'm trying to find ways to hint at their existence before the PCs find their collected remains.
I have already decided to have the toy-maker from Raker's Alley be one of the 7, so when the PCs cleared out the shop instead of just finding poorly-made toys and such, the toys were actually creepy and evil-looking. I tried to describe it like something you might find in the Joker's lair. I also tried to point out that there was a lot of creepy blue stuff mixed in.
Then in the Corowyn Manor, they found a couple of paintings by mr Scream. I was having trouble describing them, however.
Have any of you GMs come up with fun descriptions for Scream's work that you give as flavor text?
And as a second piece, has anyone come up with other pieces from the other artists that could be sprinkled in the PCs' exploration of the city to tie in creepy blue things? maybe a poem, or song, or mural or something else?
Thanks for your help all!
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I made one of the other artists a poet, who foresaw what was about to happen to Korvosa, beginning with the riots, continuing into the plague, and the even worse things that would follow.
I introduced his work early on in Book 2 when the plague was just getting started, with a group of children singing it while playing a game on the street as the party was walking by. It's meant to be a sing-song tone like Ring around the rosie, and similar rhymes, although I'm not sure the cadence of words is quite right for it.
Oh well, you can tweak away if you want to try and use it on a variant! Happy DMing!
City shall burn,
and City shall rot,
Abandon whatever hope you have got!
City shall crumble,
and City shall groan,
Under the weight of its Crimson Throne!
Hell itself shall come,
and shall finish thy doom,
city built atop Evil's tomb!
When the Throne sits empty,
then the darkness has won,
and Eternal Horror shall descend upon everyone!
So barer of Fangs, <------supposed to be bearer but the kids don't know
deliver suffering, despair, and fear,
and destroy all that we hold dear!
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I introduced one of the artists early in the campaign, in my prelude sessions. Three of my players were lambs in Gaedrann's gang and one of their fellow lamb was called Lick.
When they met again five years later, answering Zellara's call, Lick (an NPC) was summoned as well. He had now become Lucian Lycan, a tortured playwright. The PCs went to see his latest play in Swastel's Exemplary Excrables theater in Old Korvosa.
I also delayed the king's death, so I could have Ileosa's discovery of the artefact take place in the background. Since Lick was one of the 'inspired' artists, his muse suddenly left him and he killed himself. In the following days the PCs learned that several other artists had committed suicide.
Just quoting from my journal: " Yesterday already saw the death by overdose of Guy Nolin, a sculptor, and this morning another suicide was brought in, Archibald Meerwater, a composer, who slit his own wrists." And later: "The seneschal reveals that a fourth suicide victim is being buried today, an artistic glassblower, Harmon Hals, who set himself on fire."
The PCs had already met Salvator Scream by that time as well, and he seemed to have survived the ordeal because he was K.O. on drugs at the moment his muse disappeared.
So, counting Scream, I named five inspired artists. It wasn't until much later the PCs learned why they actually killed themselves.