Drum Murti
Dust/Core Dust
The Drum Murti are a haunting and enigmatic presence in Dust. These twelve statues, wild-eyed and pot-bellied, standing near the ruins of what once might have been a grand city, pulse with a rhythm that seems to echo the very heartbeat of entropy.
Each statue, carved with the meticulous detail of a lost civilization and a meaning lost to time, resonates with a deep, rhythmic thrum. The sound is not just heard but felt, vibrating through the bones of any who come near. It’s a hypnotic, primal, discordant beat that somehow hints that all things are in a perpetual state of unraveling.
The air around these statues is thick with the dust of ages, and lights warp strangely, casting an eerie, ghastly radiance upon the statues, the otherworldly luminescence lending them an unsettling semblance of life, as if they are not mere stone but something far more ancient and alive.
The Drum Murti attract quasi-elementals of Dust, who, drawn by the entrancing beat, engage in a dance that is both beautiful and tragic. These spirits, normally elusive and wary, become completely absorbed in their dance, oblivious to the world around them. This makes them easy targets for ambushes, a fact that has not gone unnoticed by the predators and scavengers of this plane.
The Dark: The true purpose of the Drum Murti is shrouded in mystery. Some believe that they are a trap, designed to lure and consume the essence of quasi-elementals, growing in power with each spirit’s demise. Others speculate that they are relics of a bygone quasi-elemental civilization, imbued with a purpose long forgotten but deeply significant.
A more ominous theory is that the Drum Murti are biding their time, accumulating the essence of Dust, waiting for the moment when they have absorbed enough to spring to life. In this scenario, they might attempt to defy the very nature of their plane and rebuild an empire in a realm where such ambitions are typically futile.
Adventure Hooks:
- The Rhythm of Unmaking: A group of planewalkers is hired to investigate the source of a mysterious rhythm that is said to hold the secret to a powerful, ancient magic.
- Dance of the Damned: A planar researcher believes the dance of the quasielementals around the Drum Murti is a key to understanding the nature of Dust. They need protection as they study the dancers, who are vulnerable to ambush.
- Awakening the Murti: A cult dedicated to entropy and destruction seeks to awaken the Drum Murti, believing them to be harbingers of a new empire of Dust. The players must either aid in their awakening or prevent a potential catastrophe.
Source: Rip van Wormer, Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net
