Author Topic: Somewhat morbid take on how Redcaps reproduce...  (Read 4895 times)

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ksbsnowowl

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Somewhat morbid take on how Redcaps reproduce...
« on: October 23, 2009, 03:39:49 AM »
The explanation in the MM3 for how redcaps reproduce (budding?) is dumb, and so my sick, twisted mind conceived something else.  Now, for a little frame of reference, my world is full of trolls that kidnap and rape human women to produce magic-wielding hags for their clans, so this shouldn't be too out of the "ordinary" for a gritty Viking world.

Since redcaps enhance their life force with the blood of corpses (or require the blood to sustain their lives, as in the legend redcaps are based on), I thought that blood and corpses should have something to do with their reproduction.  I had the idea of an elder redcap having the ability to detect (presumably via pheromones) if a woman is in the early stages of pregnancy, and after slaying her, rapes her corpse.  His seed then "infects" the child, and it continues to change and grow in the rotting, swollen corpse, until a new redcap claws it's way out of the poor woman's putrid flesh.  It then rips a patch of cloth from her garments, soaking up the bloody remnants of her womb, and places its new bloody cap on its head.

So, thoughts?
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wotmaniac

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Re: Somewhat morbid take on how Redcaps reproduce...
« Reply #1 on: October 23, 2009, 05:20:05 AM »
for some reason, I've got this guy popping-up in my head:



or this guy:




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Prime32

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Re: Somewhat morbid take on how Redcaps reproduce...
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2009, 09:46:56 AM »
Maybe the blood in the person they infected becomes the redcap.
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Generic_PC

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Re: Somewhat morbid take on how Redcaps reproduce...
« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2009, 05:20:41 AM »
I think that the original legend for monsters like redcaps (not actual redcaps though) is that they reproduce by stealing young children, who then turn into redcaps behind closed doors. This, however, is a much more R-rated way to do it. Question: When would this come up in your games?
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ksbsnowowl

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Re: Somewhat morbid take on how Redcaps reproduce...
« Reply #4 on: October 25, 2009, 12:38:34 PM »
I think that the original legend for monsters like redcaps (not actual redcaps though) is that they reproduce by stealing young children, who then turn into redcaps behind closed doors. This, however, is a much more R-rated way to do it. Question: When would this come up in your games?
To my understanding, in legends there was only ONE red cap, Robyn Redcap, the fiendish servant of.... some English lord I forget the name of.

Why would it come up?  I don't know that it really will.  I just like having complete details on things, in case it does.  For example, the PC's just assisted in killing some trolls who had kidnapped a woman (and have already traumatized her, if you get my drift).  The viking beliefs on a lot of this stuff was very frank and "dirty," as it were.  The motivations of a lot of "creatures" are either sexual or food-based, or both.  That, and the asexual budding crap just annoyed the hell out of me, so figured a way to make the redcaps similar.

I've never heard the redcap baby-snatching myths, but I suppose that would work too.  It was more trolls who were believed to snatch babies and leave "changelings" in their place, but it could work for the redcaps too.....
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AfterCrescent

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Re: Somewhat morbid take on how Redcaps reproduce...
« Reply #5 on: October 25, 2009, 01:33:31 PM »
I like your explanation. It's disturbing and effective. I think it fits the bill. :)
« Last Edit: October 26, 2009, 12:19:31 PM by AfterCrescent »
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Re: Somewhat morbid take on how Redcaps reproduce...
« Reply #6 on: October 25, 2009, 03:24:44 PM »
I've personally done it as the Redcaps seeding(aka, masturbating) over puddles of blood and gore, which grows into shrooms that matures into new, freshly murderous Redcaps. Inactive 'seeds' then, can fertilise freshly spilled blood as well, so a large battle would soon harvest a fresh crop of Redcaps.
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Re: Somewhat morbid take on how Redcaps reproduce...
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2009, 12:51:00 AM »
I really liked OP's description.
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Re: Somewhat morbid take on how Redcaps reproduce...
« Reply #8 on: November 21, 2009, 09:28:44 PM »
That is vicious, cruel, grotesque, and you are probably going to Hell for even suggesting it.

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Kuroimaken

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Re: Somewhat morbid take on how Redcaps reproduce...
« Reply #9 on: March 04, 2010, 05:18:39 PM »
That makes a redcap a lot more monstrous than it probably HAS to be.

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