Vortulon’s Starveplague

Overview:
Vortulon’s Starveplague, a ravenous curse born of the Eldritch God Vortulon, the Devourer Below, ravaged Ecliptica during the Calamity of the Void 300 years ago and now seeps through the weakening Aetherian seal, threatening Ravensgate’s lockdown, initiated a decade ago by King Thorne II of Albion. This plague twists hunger into a maddening compulsion, driving victims to cannibalism and societal collapse. Its resurgence fuels Ebon Star rituals in the Veilcrypt, risking a second Calamity. Plague Doctors seek its source in Ravensgate’s ruins, crafting cures to banish Vortulon’s hunger, while leaders like Forgemaster Drenvar Steelrend and Shadowlord Veyren Duskbane grapple with its lingering scars.

Description:
The Starveplague manifests as a creeping malaise, its presence marked by a gnawing void in the gut that hums with Vortulon’s whispers, carried on winds reeking of ash and decay. Victims’ eyes hollow, their skin sags like melted wax, and their breaths rasp with desperation. Infected lands—such as Ironreach’s mines or Nocturne’s alleys—wither, crops blackening into brittle husks, while brass pipes in steampunk forges corrode under an unseen blight. The plague’s horror peaks in its cannibalistic urge, a compulsion that turns kin into prey, fueled by Vortulon’s hunger. In Ravensgate’s District of Desolation, quarantine wards echo with screams as the infected claw at iron gates, their minds lost to ravenous madness.

Characteristics:
The Starveplague is a supernatural affliction tied to Vortulon’s essence, blending biological decay with eldritch compulsion (Arcana DC 16). It spreads through tainted food, water, or contact with infected flesh, thriving in famine-stricken regions (Survival DC 15). Its primary effects include:

  • Ravenous Hunger: Victims suffer insatiable hunger within 24 hours, requiring double rations to avoid exhaustion (Constitution save DC 14 or gain 1 exhaustion level daily).

  • Cannibalistic Compulsion: After 48 hours, the infected feel an urge to consume humanoid flesh, resisting only through willpower (Wisdom save DC 16 or attack allies). Failure risks permanent madness (Intelligence save DC 16 or gain a flaw: “I crave the flesh of my kin”).

  • Physical Decay: Prolonged infection (7 days) causes muscle wasting, reducing Strength by 1d4 weekly (minimum 3).

  • Societal Collapse: Communities fracture as trust erodes, with infected forming roving cannibal bands (Persuasion DC 16 to calm).
    The plague’s steampunk horror is evident in tainted hydroponic vats and corroded quarantine gears, its spread hastened by Ebon Star cultists wielding Vortulon’s relics.

Origins and History:
Pre-Calamity (Before 300 Years Ago): The Aetherian Empire’s High Arcanist Vaelor Crownspire probed the Veil, seeking Vortulon’s power to end famines. His experiments in Crownspire’s forges unleashed the Starveplague, tainting food stores with Vortulon’s hunger. The plague swept Ironreach, driving miners to cannibalism, including the attack that cost Drenvar Steelrend his arm.

During the Calamity (300 Years Ago): The Starveplague devastated Ecliptica alongside other eldritch plagues (Xyraxis’s Witherplague, Nyrathos’s Whisperplague). In Ironreach, Drenvar united clans against cannibal bands in the Battle of the Ashen Gorge, forging hydroponic steam machines to grow food in barren mines. In Nocturne, the plague fueled riots, burning archives. The Saffron Healers’ Voidbind Ritual sealed Vortulon in the Outer Darkness beneath Crownspire (modern Ravensgate), but at the cost of thousands, their bones littering the Withered Vault.

Post-Calamity: The Starveplague faded, but its scars lingered. Ironreach’s hydroponic machines sustained survivors, while Nocturne’s cabals hoarded lore to resist it. A decade ago, as the Aetherian seal weakened, Starveplague outbreaks returned, tainting Ravensgate’s slums. Ebon Star cultists, exploiting Vortulon’s relics in the Veilcrypt, amplify its spread, driving quarantine failures in the District of Desolation.

Effects Across Ecliptica:

  • Physical Toll: The Starveplague wastes bodies, turning robust warriors into gaunt husks (Strength and Constitution saves DC 14 to resist). Victims lose 1d4 hit points daily from starvation, even with rations, unless cured (Lesser Restoration halts progression; Greater Restoration cures).

  • Cannibalistic Madness: The plague’s compulsion drives infected to attack allies or strangers, forming bands that raid settlements (Insight DC 15 to detect early signs). Historical accounts, like Ironreach’s Hungerforge Crisis, describe entire clans devouring kin, a horror Drenvar survived (web:5).

  • Societal Impact: Trust collapses as fear of infection spreads. Markets shut, and food hoarding spikes prices (Persuasion DC 16 to negotiate trade). In Ravensgate, the City Watch uses steam-powered incinerators to burn infected corpses, risking seal breaches.

  • Environmental Decay: Crops fail, water sours, and primal ores corrode, amplifying famine (Nature DC 15). Ironreach’s mines and Sylvaris’s groves suffer most, with Xyraxis’s Witherplague compounding losses.

Impact on Leaders:

  • Forgemaster Drenvar Steelrend (Ironreach): Drenvar’s arm loss to cannibals during the Calamity’s Hungerforge Crisis fuels his paranoia and ruthless pragmatism. His hydroponic steam machines counter the plague, but his relic trade with the Ember Syndicate risks Vortulon’s resurgence (Investigation DC 16). He supplies Ravensgate’s lockdown with gear but hoards food, fearing famine (Survival DC 15).

  • Shadowlord Veyren Duskbane (Nocturne): Veyren’s cabals study Starveplague relics to resist its madness, but his raids on Ravensgate’s ruins spread tainted artifacts, amplifying outbreaks (Arcana DC 16). His paranoia, tied to Seraphel’s purges, makes him distrust allies offering cures.

  • Verdant Queen Sylvara Thornbloom (Sylvaris): Sylvara’s primal wards protect Sylvaris’s groves, but the Starveplague’s decay threatens her food stores. She blames Drenvar’s strip-mining for aiding Vortulon, refusing trade (Persuasion DC 15). Her herbal lore aids Plague Doctors but struggles against the plague’s eldritch roots.

  • King Thorne II (Albion): Thorne’s lockdown aims to contain the Starveplague, but its spread in Ravensgate’s slums overwhelms the City Watch. He relies on Drenvar’s tech and Veyren’s lore but suspects both fuel Ebon Star schemes, straining alliances (Insight DC 15).

Key Locations Affected:

  1. Withered Vault (Ravensgate): A sealed Aetherian ruin where Starveplague relics pulse with Vortulon’s hunger, guarded by infected cannibals (CR 4, Ghoul).

  2. Ashen Forge (Ironreach): Drenvar’s foundry, tainted by the plague, where cannibal bands once roamed. Hydroponic vats now resist decay (Crafting DC 14).

  3. Veilcrypt (Ravensgate): An Ebon Star lair where cultists use Starveplague relics to summon Vortulon’s voids, spreading infection (Investigation DC 16).

  4. Blighted Grove (Sylvaris): A tainted forest where the plague rots Sylvara’s crops, risking famine (Nature DC 15).

  5. Starveling Slum (Ravensgate): A quarantine zone where the infected form cannibal bands, attacking City Watch outposts (Survival DC 15).

Impacts on Ravensgate and Campaign Goals:
The Starveplague drives Ravensgate’s lockdown to desperation. Its spread in the Starveling Slum overwhelms Plague Doctors, who burn infected bodies in steam-forges, risking seal breaches (Constitution save DC 14 to resist infection). Ebon Star cultists exploit the plague in the Veilcrypt, using relics to weaken the Aetherian seal, drawing Vortulon’s hunger. Plague Doctors must:

  • Uncover the Source: Investigate the Withered Vault for tainted relics (Investigation DC 16), facing cannibal bands (CR 3, Bandit).

  • Craft a Cure: Combine Sylvara’s herbs, Veyren’s lore, and Drenvar’s primal ores in a steam-forged alembic (Crafting DC 15). Greater Restoration or a custom ritual (Arcana DC 16) cures the plague.

  • Banish Vortulon: Perform a Voidbind Ritual in the Crownspire Nexus, using Aetherian Compasses to seal Vortulon’s influence (Arcana DC 18), risking madness (Wisdom DC 16).
    Drenvar’s hydroponic tech and Veyren’s lore are vital, but their Ebon Star ties complicate efforts. The plague’s cannibalistic horror, seen in Ironreach’s past, threatens to fracture Ravensgate’s alliances, with survivors facing guilt and madness (web:12).

Key Characters:

  1. Plague Doctor Elira Voidsbane

    • Description: Human healer, brass-masked, trembling hands, scarred by plague exposure.

    • Backstory: Leads cure research in the Withered Vault, seeks Drenvar’s tech and Veyren’s lore. Aids players (Medicine DC 14).

  2. Cannibal Lord Kael Vorath

    • Description: Corrupted human, gaunt, blood-stained claws, driven by Vortulon’s hunger.

    • Backstory: Leads Starveling Slum cannibals, serves Ebon Star. Fights players (CR 5, Berserker).

  3. Runesmith Torva Ironvein

    • Description: Dwarf tinker, soot-stained, rune-etched goggles.

    • Backstory: Drenvar’s aide, maintains hydroponic vats, shares plague-resistant ore (Crafting DC 14).

  4. Shadowscribe Myra Duskveil

    • Description: Tiefling scholar, inky fingers, haunted gaze.

    • Backstory: Veyren’s agent, decodes Starveplague relics, offers lore (Arcana DC 15).

  5. Warden Gavren Thornwatch

    • Description: Human guard, steam-armored, weary eyes.

    • Backstory: City Watch captain, burns infected in Starveling Slum, warns of Ebon Star (Insight DC 15).