Items · Transports · Magical
The Necronautilus
The Necronautilus is a huge undead whale used to transport undead and their masters secretly.
The Necronautilus
This huge rotting whale carcass has been brought to un-life by the Great Lich Umeen. It can hold roughly 30 passengers in its belly and is controlled from a command room near where its brain was once located.
History
Used by Umeen and her followers to transort undead creations from their secret island base to the underground of the mainland during the War of Death. Umeen had underground caverns that lead up into crypts and mausoleums on the surface world. This once great creation now roams the ocean, after Umeen's demise, holding a crew of skeletons and zombies. It sinks ships and devours the crew (who arise as undead shortly after they die in the belly of The Necronautilus).
Magic/Cursed Properties
The Necronautilus has the ability to keep living creatures alive in the control room without the need for food or air. It's still churning stomach acids can cause dead bodies to animate. It functions in all other ways as an undead creature, except that it will obey any command about its destination if it is issued from the command room.
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Links to this article 1
- The Complete Guide to Necro-Nautical Magics Pieh linked by Pieh
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It reminds me of The Shadow of Iron Hills, but I would never thought of using a whale! Good thinking. Turning her into self-sufficient danger of the seas is also nice... there is at least one genuine killer whale now.
As it can actually make a useful transport, someone smart could get in and take a ride. If it only was a simple affair. :)
Good work, ###### Pieh. Necromancy was always my favourite. (ONLY in writing, of course.)
you mean Pieh, right?
Of course! Never said anything else. Hey, look what's over there! *runs away*
I like this, particularly the idea of the stomach acids raising the dead.
I love this idea!! (and the visual it creates) Need to know more though! mooooooore!! :)
Ewwww, yuck, I like it.
I can imagine the look of incredulity on the faces of a group of world savvy PCs as they see the scabrous and rotting head of the beast breach the surface of the ocean, zombies and skeletons spilling from it's jaws to attack their ship. RAAAAAWR!
Tis Cool indeed ahar! Now where is my Harpoon of Disruption?
Oh, and to be overly technical, wouldn't it be a Necrocetacean? A Necronautilus
would be an undead squidlike thing with a shell.. :)
But it is a cooler name and this did not affect my vote at all...
hmmm, good point, val. This needs to be renamed Necrocetacean, which is a pretty cool name too! :)
The Captain scowled. "You ask what it is we hunt? 'Tis a great whale, but pale and bloated in death! It be no natural beast, but an evil that travels the seas, with death itself riding within! As long as sinew clings to bone, I'll give chase, for I'll ne'er rest 'til I have destroyed the thing that is...
"Zomby Dick!"
Nice concept. The assassination plot-line i mentioned in your scroll comment has to do with necromancy, the flavor this would add is excellent. well done yet again.
Using a whale as a vessel, interesting concept. I like the creation of undead aspect.
Zombie whales rule. The bit about reanimating those it consumes isn't an angle I would have considered.
One question, why does it need a crew? (In other words, what are the duties of these undead crewmen?)
I would say it doesn't 'need' the crew, but that is how it was created, and with its drive to consume victims it simply happens.
If there are any actual duties for the undead, or if it simply 'feels better' with crew onboard, I can't really say. But if it was seriously attacked, they would be surely released.
Two thumbs and a tail up for this one.
It has lots of fun elements and is well written to boot. Argh, it shivers me timbers.
If we are Bumping.
I am looking for this to take the award for the short post with the most votes
(And a score above 2.5).
Zomby Dick! Loves it!
A possible explanation for the zombies in its stomach is the need for "minions" to tackle ships... Just thought I put in a couple of cents. :)
Oh, and I think you could easily change it into a huge Nautilus without much effort...
Awesome! I must find a way to use this.
Ewww. The Undead. But undead sporting a rather unexpected ride. I guess I would remove the crew chamber as well, unless that's where the necromancer hangs his(her) hat and plots a course for destruction.