Netherworld — Soul Trade and Economy

Gold is worthless in the Netherworld. The currency here is flesh, blood, and souls — collectively measured in necros (Ϟ). One necros equals 1 food ration or 1 Life point.

Necros — Currency

| Good | Value | |---|---| | 1 day's food rations | 1 Ϟ | | 1 Life point (bled from a character) | 1 Ϟ | | Dead captive (skinned for meat) | 10 Ϟ | | Living captive (blood + meat) | 11 Ϟ total | | Soul cube | 50 Ϟ | | Netherworld magic item | ~75 Ϟ |

To enter a stronghold, every character and retainer bleeds 1 Life (pays 1 Ϟ entrance fee). Gold and gems are worthless here — only fools buy them, and only fools sell them.

Captives

Captives are living sentient beings (usually humans) used as fuel for soul cubes or food. They have 1 Life, count as retainers, and take no actions.

• Rescue: escort them out of the Netherworld for a reward of 2d6−7 gp from their families (treat 6s as exploding).
• Drain for soul cubes: requires a Soul Furnace and causes a Madness check.
• Cannibalism: a dead captive skinned yields 10 rations (Madness check). Forcing captives to feed on each other requires a Madness check per day.

Captive spirits cannot leave the Netherworld without necromancy; if abandoned, they are eventually recaptured by demon slavers.

Soul Cubes

Soul cubes are mineral containers holding harvested mortal souls. They can be:

• Used anywhere to recharge 1 charge on any magic item
• Spent as currency in demon markets (50 Ϟ each)
• Eaten by a Blasphemous One to heal d6 Life

Creating a soul cube requires a Soul Furnace (or the Heaven Can Wait expert spell). The process causes a Madness check for the creator. Roll d6: on 1–2 the soul is too weak and is lost; on 3+ a cube is produced. Higher-level captives add their level to the roll. Soul cubes can only be made in demonworlds.

Using or selling a soul cube does NOT cause a Madness check — only making one does.

Food Scarcity

Characters who go without food lose 1 Life per day. All characters enter the Netherworld with 10 days of rations (the maximum anyone can carry).

Foraging (each day, in valid terrain):

• Roll at highest exploding die type vs. terrain's foraging difficulty.
• Success: each character forages 1 ration per point above the target.
• +1 per demonologist in the party; +1 in mountains per dwarf; −1 per continuous day in the same hex.

Natives (Salamandrine Men) eat bone dust and need no conventional food.

Madness Checks

Acts of extreme horror require a Madness check: roll d6, and if the result is ≤ current Madness score, the check succeeds (no new Madness). If it fails, gain 1 Madness.

Actions that trigger a Madness check:

• Knowingly eating sentient flesh (cannibalism)
• Creating a soul cube from a living captive
• Witnessing another character receive an Abominable Gift implant

Recovering Madness:

• Redemption check: when the party rescues captives back to the mortal world, roll an exploding d6. If the result is less than the number of captives rescued, every character loses 1 Madness. Usable once per adventure per character.
• Forgetfulness spell: reduces one willing target's Madness by 1 (once per target per adventure).
• Freeing captives from a stronghold and fighting the Wardens out also earns a redemption check per character who fought.

A character whose Madness exceeds their level is permanently removed from the game, consumed by the Netherworld's lure.

Stronghold Commerce

In strongholds, one activity per day (in addition to paying 1 Ϟ entrance + 1 Ϟ per character per day for shelter):

| Activity | Cost / Notes | |---|---| | Seek food & rest | +1 Ϟ/character/day (includes food); d6 at day end — on 1, encounter | | Buy from merchants | Roll on Netherworld Merchant table | | Hire professionals | Bladesmiths 6 Ϟ, sages 10 Ϟ, fortune-tellers 15 Ϟ, poison experts 25 Ϟ, shieldmakers 8 Ϟ | | Hire Salamandrine retainers | Bodyguards 30 Ϟ, guides 28 Ϟ, lantern bearers 4 Ϟ, men-at-arms 20 Ϟ, porters 4 Ϟ, spear carriers 12 Ϟ | | Free captives | Fight the Wardens first; more arrive d6 turns later unless the party flees | | Pay homage to the Lord | Audience with a Boss-level monster; may earn favors or quests |

Demonic retainers are unreliable. Each time a character is about to die and you feel anguish, make a morale check for each demon hireling. On failure, it detects your anguish and attacks that character.

No one in the Netherworld sells Blessings, holy water, or resurrection rituals.