A-Z Blogging challenge

I is for Iridessence

Iridessence

No. Enc.: 1 (1d4)
Alignment: Neutral

Movement: 90' (30')
Armor Class: 9

Hit Dice: 1d4

Attacks: confuse

Damage: None

Save: F8
Morale: 12
Hoard Class: None
XP: 9

Not considered a living creature in the conventional sense, the iridessence is assumed to be a complex manifestation of the Aether, an unintentional byproduct of advanced prismatic magicks. They are known to pop into existence with some regularity around magickal colleges, and generally treated more as a nuisance than as a real threat.

The iridessence has the outwardly appearance of a hovering, opaque bubble approximately 1 to 2 feet in diameter, imbued with a dull, shifting pattern of colors. The sphere is usually observed in a more-or-less stationary state, bobbing up and down slightly, until it is approached by a practitioner of the magickal arts or other manipulators of the Aether. In such an instance the colors of the iridessence will start glowingly vividly, the swirling patterns increase both in speed and intricacy, and the sphere suddenly lunges toward its target. Though the unfortunate recipient of its attraction never sustains any bodily harm, the display caused by the sphere eventually becomes so disorienting that soon any normal action might become impossible. The iridessence starts producing rays of blinding, prismatic light, spews forth chromatic orbs of energy and creates hindersome sprays of color. On a successful attack, its target is confused, which lasts until the iridessence is dispatched or loses sight of its target, and a save versus spells must be made; if the save is unsuccessful this indicates that the target is afflicted with blindness for 1d4 turns instead.

A-Z Blogging challenge

H is for Holmvay the Apothecary

Holmvay Ztremne was once an important adjunct of emperor Gygantex, an influential and respected voice in the imperial court. As a pupil of the emperor, Ztremne mastered the secrets of magick more so than anyone before or since, eventually being appointed as the Alchemicus Magnificalis, the court mage and supreme sage of the realm.

It is not known whether the corruption that slowly gained sway over Ztremne during those years had been instigated by some outside source, in order to end the reign of the emperor, but it is certain that when the usurpers battered down the gates of Castle Gygantex, they only achieved this feat through the aid and betrayal of the court mage. Of course their short-lived victory only ended in more bloodspilling, as the wizard and his lackeys turned upon the careless, drunken conquerors during their celebratory feasting the following night.

Now crumbling Castle Gygantex stands alone, in a blighted landscape devoid of life for many miles around, its only denizens the unliving mockeries of nature and its creatures, the pestilent horrors that issue forth from the bowels of the broken castle when the harvest moon hangs low in the sky. Deep below, centuries after his treacherous crimes, his body withered away, even his name forgotten, the Apothecary continues to toil and corrupt all that remains of the old empire. The tale has it that as a final insult, the Apothecary stored his phylactery in the same silver-lined chest where the original copy of the empire's legal codex, Of Men & Magick, was stored.

A-Z Blogging challenge

G is for Greysar Gygantex

On the vast plains that surround the realm countless armies have clashed for centuries, hordes of nameless, faceless soldiers ordered into battle by bloodthirsty and vainglorious commanders. One of their number, a general by the name of Greysar Gygantex, grew weary of the senseless bloodshed, and with a few of his trusted allies sought out a place where they could begin something new, where life had meaning and each individual could aspire to becoming as great and mighty as the gods. They traversed the Western Shield and found a land untouched by war and corruption, and from the muddy plain where Gygantex first put down his banner, a vast empire would spring forth.

But times change, empires fall, men die and friends become foes. So it was that the first and only true emperor eventually died in exile, the once united realm reduced to bickering city-states, after the betrayal by his closest, most trusted councillors. And while some heirs have since stepped forward with their claims to sovereignty over the land, the idea of unity now seems an impossible dream, with only the old guard left to stay true to their emperor's ideals.

Nevertheless, Gygantex has left an indelible mark, and even now, aspiring apprentices hope to wield the same supreme power as the emperor once did; his unequalled ability to open doors to strange new worlds and dimensions, granting his followers glimpses of places, creatures and things beyond their wildest imagination, and the understanding that the power to conjure them will always be within them, if they know how to reach out for it.

A-Z Blogging challenge

F is for Flagellan

Flagellan

No. Enc.: 1d6 (3d8)
Alignment: Neutral

Movement: 60' (20')
Armor Class: 8

Hit Dice: 1 hp
Attacks: 1 (stinger)
Damage: 1d4

Save: F1
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: None
XP: 8

Native to the unfathomable depths of the great lakes, Flagellans are marine creatures akin to jellyfish. Their bodies consist of a transparant semipermeable membrane, filled with fluid, by which they regulate the depth and speed of their swimming. Attached to four side of the body are long, lash-like appendages used for stinging and paralyzing their prey. Flagellans normally only hunt fish and absorb them into their bodies for sustenance, but when provoked or swimming in large schools they have been known to attack larger creatures, and even swimming humans. Their poison is quite damaging even to the latter. After a successful attack by a Flagellan its victim must make a saving throw vs paralyze, failure indicating the target is paralyzed for 1d4 turns. This will cause the target to start sinking to the bottom of the lake and drown, unless any (magickal) precautions have been taken to prevent this. Once a sufficiently large number of prey are disabled (2 to 3 humanoids for a large school of Flagellans) or the intruders are chased away from the creatures' breeding grounds, the Flagellans will break off their attack and feast on those they have incapacitated.

A-Z Blogging challenge

E is for Entomancy

Entomancy can take on various different forms and meanings, depending on the rites the practitioner performs. Mainly it refers to a specific tradition of augury, in which the soothsayer reaches his divinations through the interpretation of the swarming patterns and behavior of insects and arachnids. As these tiniest of creatures are spread across all corners of the realm, even those areas nearly uninhabitable otherwise, and can bury and crawl there unhindered, entomancers believe that only through the communion with the collective hive mind of all insectkind one can reach true foretelling. Another branch of entomancy occupies itself with the study of magick which allows the summoning and commanding of huge swarms of insects or arachnids. This art in particular is popular with magickally-versed adventurers, both for defensive as offensive purposes, following the ancient adage of 'strength in numbers'.

A third meaning is attributed to a darker form of entomancy, practiced by some fringe cults and lone wizards. Through worship of the nameless gods which are said to nest deep in the bowels of the earth, or the dread deities in the Abyss beyond the stars, some entomancers gain the knowledge to summon huge insectoid monstrosities, many times their normal size and power. Some even possess the ability to take on the form of one of these creatures, or to turn their flesh into a swarming mass of bugs and crawlers for extended periods of time. Rumour has it that to be granted this divine favour, the caster has to prepare multiple blood sacrifices to his alien lords, which is why this form of entomancy is seldom tolerated by established magickal circles.

A-Z Blogging challenge

D is for Dracolyte

Dracolyte

No. Enc.: 1 (1d8)
Alignment: Any
Movement: 60' (20')
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 4
Attacks: 2 (2 claws or weapon)
Damage: 1d6 or weapon
Save: F4
Morale: 11
Hoard Class: XII
XP: 460

Dragons are usually sought out for the fabulous riches they amass in their lairs, but not all their wealth comes in the form of gold or precious stones. On occasion some daring adventurers try to subdue one of these mighty wyrms, not to claim its possessions nor to slay the beast, but to learn the ancient secrets of the world and of eternal youth, which these creatures have learned during the long centuries and millennia of their immortal lives. Needless to say, few of them ever gain any valuable insights, as the cunning, age-old dragons do not take kindly to being coerced.

More successful are those, who instead offer a dragon their body, mind and life in service, in return for but a glimpse of the vast stores of knowledge the dragon has acquired. If the dragon deems them useful enough, he will accept the supplicant as one of his thralls. By ingesting a small portion of the dragon’s blood, a profound physical and mental transformation takes place. It creates a telepathic link between dragon and servitor, allowing two-way communication even far removed, as well as allowing the dragon to take over the body of the thrall completely if he so wishes. The skin of the dracolyte changes into a leathery epidermis, the bodily changes granting both improved endurance as well as an unnaturally long lifespan. Some of these changelings undergo even greater alterations (1d6: 1. Draconic head: can breath fire three times a day, 10’ cone dealing 3d6 damage; 2. Draconic wings: can fly 120’ (40’); 3. Draconic talons: deal 2d4 damage; 4. Draconic scales: AC of 0; 5. Draconic tail: gain third attack per round dealing 1d6 damage; 6. roll twice.)

In return for learning snippets of the dragon’s wisdom (a long process, as the wary dragons keep their most prized secrets to themselves), the thrall agrees to act as the eyes and ears of the dragon or his representative, in places where the dragon’s presence would be impossible. Due to their aberrant forms, the dracolyte usually travels in disguise, and rarely socializes but with others of his kind in his master’s lair.

A-Z Blogging challenge

C is for Centaurian

Centaurian

No. Enc.: 1d4 (1d8)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90' (30')
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 2
Attacks: 1

Damage: 1d6

Save: F3

Morale: 7

Hoard Class: XX

XP: 80

 

Though the usual offspring of two centaurs consists of more centaurs, approximately one in a dozen of these births result in a different creature, called centaurians. Unlike the centaurs whom beget them, centaurians are bipedal, and considerably more animalistic in both form and conduct. Centaurians have the body of a man, but stand firm on the legs and hindquarters of a horse, as well as having an equine head, because of which they lack the ability of articulated speech. Unlike a normal horse ,these creatures have a voracious appetite for flesh.

Centaurians are shunned from centaur society, which in itself is hardly civilized. As centaurians can not bear living offspring, are aggressive and malicious, the birth of one is considered a bad omen. Some centaur herds kill these newborns immediately to ward of such misfortune; others clans dare not touch the creatures, for fear of being jinxed by their dark gods, as some centaur shamans claim centaurians are the demonic brood of Asval the Night Mare.

 

Among these latter groups it is then not unusual to have a small band of centaurians following in their wake, in the case of migratory herds, or living in close proximity of the herd if the centaurs are sedentary forest dwellers. Centaurians themselves always live in small teams, and are known to harass unwary travellers, playing devious cat-and-mouse games before eventually slaughtering those who have fallen into their hands.