General Kazak Gorkai

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There are many generals in the hobgoblin race as they are the most tactical and militant of the goblinoids. But General Kazak Gorkai is something special. Turning his martial prowess into a brutal and efficient art form there are few who can match him in the blade. Due to this and his ruthless command of other goblinoids he rules with little competition on the battlefield.

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Hobgoblin, Orc, Goblin and Worg – Created in Tetra-cube.

The shock troops, grunts and fodder of the army are the Worgs and hobgoblins, Orcs and Goblins – in that order. Loyal isn’t the right word for them as they are more scared of what Kazak will do to them than they are of what the enemy will.

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Cultists and Fire

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Now cultists are nothing new and this week we have both varieties. The standard cultist is an easy ‘add on’ approach to the standard stat-block giving the GM one less thing to search for in their books. Each Cultist having three vials of Alchemist fire on them means that they can lob three burning orbs of pain before they need to get a bit stabby and cutty.

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Once again adding on the alchemist’s fire item into the stat block is nothing new but its something that makes our life a bit easier. Now the truly devout – the most twisted of these cultists will be trusted with more doses of their burning payload.

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Ironwood Assassins

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The ironwood vine is a stealthy opponent. When it’s not rushing its tentacles forward to strangle its prey it looks like any other vine or bush in the forest. It can go months without eating, depending on its last meal of course, but as soon as it realises it needs food it is a voracious and non-fussy predator.

The sound of rushing, slithering vines is the first thing that its prey hears before vines constrict them, strangling and slowly digesting them with fluids that aid in digestion. But they are just a plant after all. By pulling its plant base and step forward it can move slowly but always towards where its starting to digest its prey. It doesn’t move as long as there is life in the creature it has entangled and for this reason its difficult to pinpoint.

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The larger assassin of the forest is a sentinel from the druids. The awakened tree protects the forest based on its creators wishes and its able to understand language but it will rarely be convinced or swayed from its duty. Otherwise indistinguishable from other trees nearby it smashes down upon its prey when they are within range of its branches. Strong and resilient bark resists arrows and clubs but, like most plants, fire will make short work of it.

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The Mirage Fish

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All islanders who call the White Gull Islands home know to avoid the lights at the edge of the water at night. These belong to the Mirage Fish, or Ghost light fish as they are called sometimes. Using their bioluminescence they can dispose of a fatty blog that emits a light near to them which has a hypnotic affect on those who see it.

Once suitable prey approaches the lure then the fish rapidly charges forward, digs its needle like teeth into the creature and drags it hurriedly under water where it can take its time in feeding.

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The other inhabitants of the land are the skeletons of those who were cursed by the treasure within the tower. These long-dead islanders, sailors, explorers and, of course, pirates seem to dwell in the tower itself, where they likely lost their lives and where they continue to seek the treasure they were driven to find.

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Empire Beneath the Sands

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All kids have to have Pets and where the entire colony is the children of the one, then there must be a lot of pets. These pets, the Giant Ant, just so happen to be hard working, strong and easily controlled by their queen.

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The lowest form of the Antoid caste the Antoid Worker is a humble creature. Strong yet not overly smart they rely on being told what to do and how to do it. Natural thick hide acts like armour for these creatures but they don’t really have any real weapons other than the jaws that they were born with.

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Now extremely dangerous in swarms, and nearly no less deadly by themselves these creatures are a menace to all desert dwellers. Smarter and stronger the warrior caste of the Antoids are vicious and unrelenting when defending their nest or acting out their orders. Thicker armour, a stronger bite, sharpened claws and a deadly stinger these creatures are a threat for all parties.

The one of the many, the Mother of the colony, the strongest, biggest and most powerful of them all. All nests have one queen who has, potentially, grown too big to leave her chambers. But she knows all, sees all and commands all. There are none of her people that resist her command and she will see to it that her will be done.

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Masters of the Sky

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As with any creature that spends long enough in an environment they will evolve to suit that space. The Griffons in the Dusty Crag however have adapted in an unusual way. Some of them after feasting on the creatures of the valley below their skies have developed a neat party trick. After ingesting a large quantity of creatures that dwell in these rocky hills they have absorbed some of the arcane taint that this land gives off. This has given some descendants of these masters of the sky the ability to project an illusion to thwart would-be attackers or raiders as well as to lure out the rivals for the sky. The Wyverns.

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As there are only a few of these Dusty Crag griffons who have developed this magical skill there are a great number of the beasts who do not possess any semi-magical ability. These griffons are no more lethal but rely on the alphas, the Dust Crag Griffons, to lure their biggest prey into position before diving at the distracted creatures to ensure a swift kill.

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However, despite the cleverness of some of these griffons the sheer size, bulk and strength of a wyvern is never to be underestimated. These flying brutes are fast, lethal and overall terrifying as many predators of its size are. Able to shred an adult griffon instantly the only way that the smaller predators can bring down such a beast is with synchronised group effort and by ambushing the larger alpha predator, the true masters of the skies.

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The Famished

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As the party stepped towards the shell of the Fatty Pheasant a faint pulse of energy could be felt. Sensing where it came from, the origin of the fire was found in the shape of a humanoid where the fire did not scorch the stones. The magical presence was strong and unholy here and the longer they stayed the more they began to detect. Faint motes of magical energy hung about the charred ruins of the building, littered through the wreckage that was piled out front ready to be cleaned up.

The party moved to investigate these points of magical energy and soon after the source was revealed. Nearly translucent flame-like creatures seemed to float nearly invisible amongst the wreckage grabbing bits of burnt something before consuming them. Each time they consumed a scrap they moved more sluggishly before moving more frantically as they searched for the next morsel. As the party got close enough though the creatures seemed to look at them, moving slowly towards them and the humans in the street as if drawn to them. The creatures slowly increased as more and more appeared, slowly turning into a swarm-like group as they moved towards the party. Hunger now their evident driver and the party their next meal.

As the last of the hungry motes fled, injured and dying, they fled through the skies like an invisible wind current was blowing them in a single direction. Giving chase as the only lead in what had caused the fire the party arrived at the church to Ilmater. The creatures were fleeing down towards the back of the church. Rounding the corner the only thing they could see here was a shrine out back where a lone priest stood in prayer.

As the party approached they could feel a strong presence as they approached the shrine. The man was deep in prayer to Ilmater praying for strength and to spare those who are injured, in pain or dying. As the party approached something touched at the edge of their conscious. An old, hungry presence could be felt near by but there was no visible threat and even the creatures from before had disappeared. Turning around the man smiled. “Welcome, how can the church of Ilmater help you today?”

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Poachers Revealed

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Stat-blocks created in Tetra-cube

The first signs of trouble were the skittering sounds of legs hitting the floor of the cave. Scorpions rushed out with various spikes and wooden shields strapped onto their pincers as they charged towards the party. The claws darted forward trying to grab the prey that entered their burrow and the sting waved dangerously above its body waiting for the right moment to lash out. This was just the first encounter with animals that would have been taken from the Avermeet as giant frogs jumped up from pit’s along the path in an attempt to swallow the adventurers whole.

As the cave went on more animals were found, some in various states of being butchered and some left roaming the caves like guards. Giant spiders crawling down from the ceilings and even a trapdoor that released giant wasps were encountered as the party explored the cave system. Eventually the animals died down as the once frequent passages to the surface became rarer and they started to see more familiar traps. Spike pits, swinging blades and even a snare that rose into the roof where, you guessed it, more spikes awaited the hapless fool who triggered the trap.

But the signs of life changed as they went further and deeper. Eventually tools of the trade, spears, knives, ropes, snares and even cages were found and the form of a lone kobold was spotted further up ahead watching the passage as if on guard.

Although a single guard could be seen the sound of dozens more of the diminutive folk could be heard beyond in a larger chamber. The flickering of light and the smell of roasting meat could be heard from further down the passage and something more. A sharp musk hang around here like the kobolds had been marking their territory – or something worse had been.

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Goons, Bats and Birds

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Jack walked between the tents and watched the group of adventurers as they walked between the stallholders. The adventurers were taking in the sights of the market tent city but there was something more. Jack watched the way they watched the people at the market, scanning across the crowd as they spoke to vendors. Despite their potential for profit and their usefulness the risk of having these adventurers offside was a risk.

Shouting to be heard above the din of the crowd “Statues! Get statues of your favourite racers!” Jack quickly sounded the retreat for his fellow agents amongst the crowd, but he noticed that one of them was already being followed by the adventurers. He hoped that they would keep quiet about their activities and not jeopardise their plans.

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Alkerion brushed down Jesper’s feathers, a job that normally Twig did and did well. He had heard from a few merchants now that they had seen a gnome flying a bat late at night along the same course that the racers flew. He suspected Twig but it had not been confirmed yet for some reason he felt like he couldn’t trust her any more. “It’s alright Jesper. We will get to the bottom of this.” he said as he stroked the bird.

He remembered the stories his father told them of the war for the woods, an ancient battle where his people had fought off against a rival band of elves that flew on the backs of the giant mammals. Since then Bats had b been hunted and were the main, and only source of meat for the people who lived in Bramblewall. But it seems that the one that Twig had raised as a pup did not fly off as they had hoped. “If she races that animal then the tradition of these races will be in jeopardy.” he muttered to himself as he considered the unthinkable.

What to do about the gnome called Twig.

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No matter what else was going on in the village Twig focused on getting the helmet just right for Honeysuckle. It had to cope with the erratic movements of the giant bat’s flight but also, more to the point, it had to be able to block out the full extent of the sun – shade or otherwise. If she could fly at even half speed during the day she would be able to make up the distance at night and even take the lead with only a few hours of rest. That’s what she had been training Honeysuckle for.

Tomorrow was the big race and those men from the tent city below couldn’t stop her. Although she must admit that she was a bit rattled from their offer and their unspoken threat. She was lost in her thought’s when she was interrupted with a knocking at the door.

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