OK, I have support for an expansion of a Gorgon masks idea first posited here, and for Tombhounds of Egypt.
Why not combine the two?
Let's begin by talking about two core game concepts, Rome and the Building.
Rome, as you may recall, is the endpoint, where all roads lead. This is where the game is ultimately heading, and elements of Rome need to be present wherever the characters go to reinforce that concept.
The Building is that part of the game world where you, the Keeper/Director/Idiot Who Agreed To Write Something expect action to happen. It is where people meet the players, creating plot. After all, if your game world is this world then the characters might, theoretically, go to Chicago, say. But if the game is Tombhounds, why would they be in Chicago? No, your Building is ultimately smaller than that, but you need to have a firm grasp of its scale and what's in it.
Why start here? Because these are the foundational building blocks of the narrative. You need to know where the campaign is going. You need to know where the action is set. Once you have those two things, you can build with confidence.
In this instance, Rome is the Gorgon masks cult. This campaign takes as its central premise this truth from Joseph Cambell, as follows:
The legend of Perseus beheading Medusa means, specifically, that "the Hellenes overran the goddess's chief shrines" and "stripped her priestesses of their Gorgon masks", the latter being apotropaic faces worn to frighten away the profane. That is to say, there occurred in the early thirteenth century B.C. an actual historic rupture, a sort of sociological trauma, which has been registered in this myth ...
Fine. At one point there was a Gorgon masks cult in the Hellenic world, and that cult was overthrown in the 13th Century BC. What happened next? Well, in this timeline whatever parts of the cult survived ended up in Egypt, finding safe haven far away from the heroes who destroyed the cult the first go-round. This is about the same time as the 13th Dynasty, as Ramases II, as the battles with the Hittites. It's a time of prosperity and conflict, with the Sea Peoples in the wings waiting to eat everything alive.
So: in an Egypt that's at the height of its power and about to go downhill, a death cult based around Gorgon masks settles in for the long haul. It's one of many cults in Egypt. So many cults. But this one has a Mythos tinge to it, a touch of madness that will infect the body politic and eventually play a part in bringing it down.
According to myth there were three Gorgons, including the human Medusa changed by Athene into a Gorgon for her impiety. Perseus slew Medusa, in the process creating the horse Pegasus and Chrysaor of the golden sword from her blood. This, in the campaign setting, is the cult overthrow that drove the remnants to Egypt.
That left two Gorgons standing, brother and sister duo Phorcys and Ceto. Tales vary as to whether Phorcys and Ceto were Gorgons or the parents of Gorgons. For purpose of this story, they're Gorgons.
Brother and Sister. You know who else were brother and sister ruling together? The Pharaohs. Marriage between siblings was relatively common. Probably the most famous paring was Cleopatra and her brother. Sibling marriage wasn't accepted outside Egypt, but within its ruling classes it was the standard.
So, to Rome: the Masks of Death, whose self-appointed task is reconstituting the Hellenistic Pharaonic dynasties within Egypt, themselves a relic of the Gorgon cult. The idea of recreating the Pharaohs may simply be a means to an end, the end being the recruitment of willing Egyptians. The Gorgon cult doesn't need Egypt particularly, but it does need people to keep its traditions alive and to make more masks, so it tolerates the Pharaonic delusion to keep the masses happy.
All led by Phorcys and Ceto, brother and sister, the Horus, the Sedge and Bee (nswt-bjtj), and the Two Ladies or Nebty (nbtj). Interesting fact about the Horus: it is associated with gold. Much like that golden sword of Chrysaor ...
Rome: Masks, hidden identities, hidden agendas, Gorgons, the shadowy influence of Egypt's past, the Pharaohs of old returning to take their rightful place.
What of the Building?
Well, there are a couple obvious candidates. Cairo, for starters. Dig sites, and for purposes of the Building it doesn't matter what those dig sites are or where; they're dig sites, and that's what matters. However, this is as much about smuggling as it is archaeology, so it's reasonable to assume that the Building also includes smuggling routes. Let's include Cyprus within the Building as a minor but not unimportant adjunct. Also, smuggling ships of various kinds, sail and steam. Finally, since this is about antiquities, let's assume the Museums of the World are involved to some degree. Include the British Museum, the Louvre, and the Museo Egizio of Turin as rooms within the Building proper. None of these will ever be crucial to plot, but they make excellent background shots for plot reveals.
Also, Patrons. Let's not forget those useful, money-rich patrons.
Which begs a question: do I want to use the Icons system that Pelgrane's developed? Possibly. I should want some time to think about that.
The Building: Egypt in general, Cairo in particular, various dig sites scattered across the desert, Cyprus, smuggling ships, and the Museums of the World with a focus on the British Museum, the Louvre, and the Museo Egizio of Turin. This is where I expect action to happen.
Which isn't to say that action outside the Building is verboten. Just that I don't include a developed version of 'outside the Building.' I've got enough to do with the Building's interior without worrying about detours. The best way to deal with unexpected detours is to have a sketch developed of whatever I want the initial detour to look like, and then Quo Fata Ferunt the rest.
Quo Fata Ferunt, by the way, is Bermuda's motto. I've always found it useful.
Whither the Fates Carry [Us].
That's it for this week! Enjoy!
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