Inspired by: Mellified men (I assume)
Connects to: 13.08, 18.10, 18.10.01 and 50.14.
Many people have found it hard to believe that the great Severard of the Seven Chins could’ve been killed by a simple spider bite (13.08). They are right. Severard is only mostly dead. After being bitten by the giant spider he was in something of a bind: after all he had specifically created this spider so that its venom would be proof against any magical cure.
But a mage always has a few tricks up their sleeve and Severard transported himself to this cave complex where he had been conducting experiments on subterranean bees and their magic-absorbing honey. He poured all of his magic into a great honey comb and then dove right in.
Honey is a wonderful preservative and the substence has preserved and slowly mummified Severard’s large body. The magic that the master cast on the comb is slowly leeching the poison out of his body, year by patient year, and one day Severard will emerge from his tomb. But for now only his mellified brain is still active and it is full of strange moods and stranger thoughts.
He has some influence over the hive of bees that grows ever larger around his tomb as they feed on the lilies that grow on the light of phosphorescent fungus in the dank caves that lead to the Sunless Sea (18.10.01). At his command the bees have begun flying out of caves at night to drag down the bloodless corpses of the victims of the spiders that now rule Severard’s Town (13.08) and bury them in honey.
If they are fresh enough, these corpses find their lost blood and organs replaced with potent honey and rise as undead with only the barest glimmerings of the memories and intelligence that they possessed in their past lives. However this process takes some time so many clumsy arms grope out of the walls of the hive, seeking to grasp any passersby and drag them into the honey.
The hive zombies themselves are clumsy and stupid, but Severard hopes to gather enough of them so that their numbers can make up for these deficiencies. Their numbers are already large enough to make it difficult for any adventurer to brave these caves and gather the honey, but if they are able to do so it will fetch a good price due to its magic absorbing properties and yummy taste. However, if someone eats nothing but this honey they will find themselves slowly wasting away as the honey slowly suffuses and eventually mummifies their body.
Connection:
- If Barnabus Bludenoss (18.10) were to learn of the current state of Severard of the Seven Circles he’d gather up as many of his were-men as he could to try to destroy him and all of his bees.
- Some of this giant bee honey is being shipped to the south (50.14).
Hooks:
- Who knows that Severard is still alive (if you can call his current state life…)?
- What is Severard planning to do with his horde of hive zombies?
- Are there any other mellified mummies out there? How do they differ from the normal sort? Can they be turned like normal undead?
- What is magic-absorbing honey good for?
- Why does Barnabus Bludenoss want to destroy his old master?
