Bringing Arthurian legend to the Known Worlds.
There are a whole host of stories in Europe of sleeping Kings slumbering beneath a hill. Arthur, Charlemagne and a regiment of others being examples. In fact almost every European country has such a legend. They also bear a remarkable similarity. The King and his Knights lie asleep on stoney slabs beneath a hill in their armour, hands clasping their swords to their chests as if merely resting. They are meant to sleep, unaging, until their country needs them once more to go into battle. Their are reputed to awaken by the sounding of a bell hung in their chamber. The bell itself is meant to be rung by their guardian, usually their bard who stays awake, all this while, singing songs of their past glories.
The Arthurian aspect to the Fading Suns universe makes this ideal for a source to an adventure. However it can be used in a variety of other ways.
For the religously minded it can be Mantius and his acolytes while for the noble it could be just about any hero Prince/Princess from their Houses past. Technologically speaking they could even be a squad of military golems or crack troops now forgotten from the 2nd Republic or Emperor Wars. But stop. This is all humans. What about a similar legend about the Ur-Ukar or other aliens?And I know what youre thinking. They Should NOT, I repeat NOT be Annunaki. That would just get silly now wouldnt it?
The Hill can be hidden on a home, border or lost world or not be a hill at all. How about a moon, asteroid or even a Starship?
Depending on who and why it could be either Theurgy, Antinomy or Technological. They are either truly sleeping an unaging sleep by the Will of the Pancreator or be in suspended animation by the Will of a Scientists Tech.
Once again it depends mainly on who it is. An actual king who will rise to save his house, fief, planet or humanity. Or for the less mystical and cynical the 2nd Republic/Emperor Wars golems or crack troops could have a mission that is now obsolete or at odds with the modern times. I would suggest not having them being entirely friendly. What would all that training and equipment do to the present balance of powers? Well I know that something bad would happen if my players managed to get their hands on them.
Personally I think Im going to go for the crack troops in suspended animation with a golem guardian whos gone slightly round the bend and the bell being a warning claxon. To make doubly sure about all that tech not ending up in the wrong hands (ie the PCs) most of it will be personal to the soldier in question and held in the suspension tanks with them so if they want it they have to wake them up. Mind you my players are a bit oo cynical about the Church so maybe a healthy dose of unexplainable Faith and Theurgy wouldnt go amiss.
As an extra idea, I read an adventure somewhere (Traveller or just a novel?) about a tribe that lived near to a similar complex believing that The Sleepers actually dreamed the world into existence and that should they awaken then the world would end. They werent too happy about anyone wanting to wake them up unsuprisingly.
Whatever happens and however powerful/dramatic the sleepers are (knights/aliens/golems whatever) its the quest thats important kiddies. How the PCs get there and conduct themselves is the thing. Dont just let them find it and unleash this wild card into the great poker game of life. Youll have a whole lot of trouble getting things back under control.
Of course one solution may be to have had the process partially fail leaving only one or two survivors alive while the rest aged and died in their sleep years ago. Now thats interesting. That one person could keep coming back as a PC or NPC and continue the adventure, maybe leading the PCs along a long forgotten Night Road to an ancien kingdom world where they are needed more.