Credits

Writers: Cat Evans & Liz Gist (@perpetualgloom, @crit_liz)

Editors: Cat Evans & Liz Gist
Cover: Odysseus and the Sirens, Herbert James Draper (CC0)
Original Interior Art: Liz Gist

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Other Interior Art: Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Layout: Cat Evans

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Cartography: Ignacio Santander-Alfonso (@isantalfo)

This product was created under license. SCARRED LANDS and its logo, and Slarecian
VAULT and its logo, are trademarks of Onyx Path Publishing. All Scarred Lands setting
material, art, and trade dress are the property of Onyx Path Publishing. www.theonyxpath.
com
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This work contains material that is copyright Onyx Path Publishing. Such material is
used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for “Slarecian Vault”
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Community Content. All other original material in this work is copyright 2019 by Catherine
Evans and Liz Gist and published under the Community Content Agreement for “Slarecian
Vault” Community Content.
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What’s In The Book?

Sirens of the Blood Sea is a lot of things. It’s a deep dive
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(pardon the pun) into a new creature native to the Blood

Sea: the Siren. As well as lore, you’ll find game statistics
for three variants, a mini-adventure showcasing them, and
a playable race (in case you’ve always wanted to play a
character with an implanted titanspawn symbiote).

2 Sirens of the Blood Sea

 Contents

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Sirens: Pain Made Flesh 4

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Creature Statistics 8

Crafting Resources 13
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Twist Of Fate 14

Siren Foundling 18
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Section Name 3
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Sirens: Pain
Made Flesh
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their allure: the power to captivate and attract, drawing

Origins ill-fated humans into their arms. Rumor holds that sirens
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W
drown their prey, but the truth is far worse: they burrow
hen the gods tore Kadum’s heart from his chest,
into their victims’ flesh and make homes for their spawn
chained him to a rock, and flung his body out into the
in the caverns that remain.
sea, the titan screamed. And to this day he screams still, his
hatred, rage, and pain escaping out into the waters called Most folk think of sirens as something like mermaids -
the Blood Sea along with the ichor that pumps from his and to look upon, there are obvious parallels. However, the
chest. The creatures known as sirens are Kadum’s screams ‘real’ siren is a parasite. Once the parasite is in a humanoid
made flesh. host, it effects physical changes as well as entirely taking
over the brain. It later incorporates a sea creature into the
They are creatures born of emotion, and they project
host body to help it survive in the ocean depths. There’s
those emotions onto others. They can drive a crew of sailors
no saving someone from ‘sirens’: the only sure defence
berserk so they tear one another limb from limb, or make
is to stay far away from the isles and lagoons where they
them slaves to primal fear so they throw themselves into
make their homes.
the sea to escape. Sirens are most famous, however, for

4 Sirens of the Blood Sea


Appearance
T
he tales are true that sirens are, for the most part,
beautiful creatures. From the waist up, they are the
perfected version of their host: young, vibrant, and inviting,
with seaweed and shells woven in their hair and draped
around their limbs. Their lower bodies take the form of
various sea creatures - shark or fish tails, or squid and
octopus tentacles, while vestigial limbs are attached to their
hips, shrivelled and partly hidden amongst flowing, red fins.
The parasites that infest host bodies to become sirens
make them naturally more beautiful, restoring minor
imperfections such as scars, blemishes and wrinkles so that
they appear in the flush of youth. Legend has it that sirens
are beautiful so that they can attract and seduce sailors.
However, this allure is actually a side effect of the parasites
making the host as viable and long-lived as possible.
Lifecycle
F rom the time a host is first infested, the average lifespan
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for a siren is between 30-40 years, though the rare
beldames of Kadum are capable of living for centuries.
The actual lifespan of a siren depends largely on the
state of the host when it becomes infested. Strong, healthy
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young adults are favoured, as it can take up to 50-60 years
for these to deteriorate, while a host that is heavily injured,
middle aged or otherwise unhealthy takes only 20-30 years
to degrade. Elderly humanoids are used only in desperation
and often begin to deteriorate almost immediately.
Birth
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Every few years, and more frequently when a siren’s
host begins to deteriorate, it secretes globules of viscous,
red liquid into the water, or attaches them directly to
new hosts. These gelatinous shapes are effectively eggs,
housing hundreds of tiny, parasitic bodies. The eggs attach
themselves to humanoids in the water and the parasites
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within begin to infest the body.
It takes three days for a new host to be fully infected, a
period known as Kadum’s Echo. During this period, the host
is feverish and suffers a severe craving for salt water and
bloody meat, and their sleep is broken up by the incessant
need to sing or scream, while language becomes garbled
as the parasites take over the mind.
Adaptation
A new host is initially unable to defend itself or survive
on its own within the sea. It can take up to a year for the
parasites to adapt the host into a full fledged siren To ensure
survival, sirens form a second symbiotic bond, this time
with a large sea creature, such as a shark, squid, or whale.
Using the host as a food lure, the siren attaches itself to
the creature with the remnants of its egg, which form into
long, thin tendrils that bind the host to its back.
Once bonded with its creature, the fledgling siren begin
to transform the host body: gills are created, imperfections
smoothed from their skin and the body gains regenerative
properties. It also slowly merges with the bonded creature,
becoming one entity with the head and body of the humanoid
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host and some remnant of the sea creature - a shark or fish
tail, or squid-like tentacles - as the lower half.
Late into this stage, the siren begins testing out its vocal
cords; the sounds often come out as strangled cries and
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moans.
Adulthood
The siren reaches adulthood when its bonded creature
is fully merged with its host body. At this stage, it is fully
self-reliant and proficient in its full range of abilities.
Deterioration
When a siren’s host body begins to deteriorate, it begins
to secrete eggs. These form slowly, spilling from the host’s
eyes, nose and mouth, staining the skin red. At the same
time, the siren takes on bioluminescent qualities to attract
hapless humanoids.
Once depleted of eggs, the siren is consumed by fledglings
so that the dying parasites can be absorbed to help the
transformation process.
Society
S
irens are social creatures. They form groups of around
a dozen adults, known collectively as a chorus. At any
given time, the chorus is accompanied by a few young, in
various stages of development. When siren young mature,
they depart and find, or found, a chorus of their own.
A chorus makes their home together in lairs known as
cloisters. They prefer naturally occurring caves around
lagoons or on the shores of small islands for this purpose.
Furnished with coral, bone, and the wreckage of ships,
these cloisters are composed of fish farms, living space,
and communal areas. Generation after generation of sirens
occupy a cloister, and they furnish it with possessions
taken from hosts, or from ships wrecked for food or sport.
This taste for decoration extends to the sirens’ own bodies:
they decorate themselves with shells and seaweed and, in
some areas, pearls. They take advantage of their natural
regenerative abilities to make subdermal patterns with
Lore 5
 pebbles or pearls, leaving the skin to heal over as flawless
as before, leaving only the raised skin.
Over time, a cloister becomes unique and crammed
with ‘treasures.’ Some cloisters have a particular taste
for jewels, others decorate walls with paintings, or coral
and barnacles trained into patterns. With no remains of
deceased sirens to preserve, sirens make small shrines
to their departed siblings, using prized possessions and
remaining scales or hair.
Choruses tend not to have a leader. Occasionally one of
the rare Divas joins or is born into a chorus, in which case
the chorus develops more ambition: perhaps expanding their
numbers or taking over a coastal town. Otherwise, they are
a network of peers rather than a hierarchy. Mostly, sirens
live peacefully when they are not in search of new hosts.
The stories of mermaids combing their hair and basking
on rocks are not entirely unfounded.
All of sirens’ communication – history, entertainment,
even conversation – happens through song. Every chorus
has their own songs, with specific melodies and refrains
passed down from generation to generation. Their language
sounds ugly and unsettling to humanoids, if they are able to
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shake whatever emotion the siren inflicts on them, but sirens
identify ‘good’ and ‘better’ singers amongst their number.
Only the best singers are allowed to lead the chorus in the
primal songs of pain and hate they dedicate to Kadum.
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Fishermen’s
Tales
T he majority of superstitions around sirens stick very
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close to the truth: they lure sailors to their deaths,
and their song is irresistibly sweet. There are few enough
survivors of siren attacks that other details have been
muddied, misinterpreted, and outright made up. Some of the
more common superstitions and stores are presented here.
A tame siren grants good
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luck, fair winds, and
smooth seas
There is no such thing as a tame siren, which is unfortunate
for the pirate crews on the Blood Sea who have captured
and mutilated a siren, chained it, and towed it behind their
vessel expecting good fortune to follow. A captive siren
is still a dangerous predator looking for an opportunity to
unload a crop of parasites into the closest suitable hosts.
Sirens are also intelligent enough to understand the concept
of revenge, and if a chained siren ever gets loose they’re
likely to make sailors tear each other limb from limb and
grant the last one standing the privilege of being host to
6 Sirens of the Blood Sea
the next generation of parasites.
Siren’s blood is the elixir of
youth
While unpleasant, there is a degree of truth to this. Sirens
make their hosts beautiful and alluring, and there is a certain
secretion from the creature itself – not the host – that has
rejuvenating, restorative powers. There are trace amounts
of it in the host, but the best way of obtaining it is to take
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the ‘blood pearls’ that hosts vomit forth every few years.
Drinking the host’s blood does nothing but poison those
who imbibe, and opens them up to a thousand different
kinds of corruption.
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Sirens’ treasure hoards
can equal a king’s ransom
Since a chorus of sirens routinely wrecks ships, their
cloisters are indeed luxurious. Some of those ships contain
gold, or gems, or other things that hold their value; however,
most cargoes don’t survive months or years at the bottom
of a lagoon, so most of a siren’s hoard is rotting wood and
waterlogged fabric.
Sirens are drawn to music
This is untrue. Sirens are drawn to humanoid life – but
on the desolate Blood Sea, sound carries. Music and
rejoicing is most likely to attract sirens, m;but not for any
reason other than being audible from a long way away. This
superstition has the unfortunate side effect of making many
Blood Sea sailors consider it bad luck to have a musician
or bard on board ship.
An ugly man has nothing
to fear
Sirens do choose hosts in the blush of youth and the
best of health. A serious injury might make them overlook
one person for another but a little cosmetic scarring won’t
dissuade them, however. . Sailors who disfigure themselves
in ‘self-defence’ don’t usually survive long enough to tell
anyone it was ineffective. On the other hand, the custom
has given rise to the colorful idiom ‘a face that’d make a
siren flinch.’
Sirens sing even after
death
Dead is dead. However, siren hosts are particularly hard
to kill: the secretions of the parasite inside them adapts their
bodies, making them able to breathe water, and survive in
environments not meant for humanoids – as well as the
obvious physical changes. Sirens survive things that would
 kill a humanoid, and even regenerate so it’s not surprising
that this superstition has taken hold.
Variations
Beldames of Kadum
If sirens are a physical expression of Kadum’s pain,
beldames might be his nightmares. These vast creatures
Siren Diva
Most sirens are not especially intelligent. A siren with
a grasp of strategy and human psychology would be far
more dangerous. Divas come into existence when a siren
takes an unusually intelligent host, usually one with magical
abilities. Something about the interaction of magic and the
parasite stops the host’s brain from being entirely taken
over: they retain some memories, skills, and all of their
former spellcasting ability.

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roam the deepest seas where no light penetrates. Their hosts
aren’t humans, but tentacled monsters of the depths like
giant octopi and squid. Beldames constantly pump out siren
spawn from their colossal forms. Most of their

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children hunt on the beldame’s behalf,
never taking hosts of their own, and
are swallowed up again by their
monstrous parent when it suits
them.

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Lore 7