Yipping Through the Tunnels

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The increase in yipping since the party had entered the main tunnel from the cave entrance had only just reached a cacophony of noise once the party had found the re-inhabited tents. The party were swarmed by kobolds in little more than their scales with daggers while others slung stones from the safety of the tents. Seldomly did a more impressive specimen appear clad in armour and a shield that attacks in a near knightly manor.

But through the waves of slashing kobolds a more grander one appeared backed by more that had several vials, potions and bags strapped to themselves. The other kobolds milled about them and it was easy to see it was these kobolds that rules over the others, that led them and commanded the defence of the cave.

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Battle for the Temple

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The more powerful the mage the more powerful the divinations. Tonight we have a few mages going toe to toe within the temple and a lot of lower strength ones causing trouble amongst the area. The mage shouldn’t be used for all encounters but a few of them representing stronger foes would make for a good combat.

Each mage or lower level wizard would need to cast spells associated with their elemental house – that is to say not all their spells are earth, fire, cold or lightning/wind based but they should have a few signature spells and avoid the other elements where possible. Sorcerer spell lists would be good for this as their affinity to harness different elemental types with the same spell list.

The oracles chosen are all priests, guarding her in white robes. They will prioritise healing and sanctuary to protect the peace but wont tolerate being attacked.

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Resident of the Messota River

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The resident of the Messota river is the humble scorch-venom Octopus which is a giant species of octopi. However when they get to full maturity they will construct dams in which to nest within and they will fiercely protect not only their new home but also the food source for their developing spawn.

The oldest of the beasts could give a giant a run for its money and coupled with its cunning and the venom that it injects with its beak that burns like lightning running through its preys fangs its quite formidable. Using its sharp beak and dextrous tentacles it will destroy nets with its poison cutting through the fibres. It also employs its poison carefully into wood with its crushing beak to construct the lakes that it births its spawn in.

While it may be a dangerous creature to tangle with many a resident of the Messota river, or the communities that live along it never will see one due to its ability to camouflage as well as its ability to spray a curtain of ink and disappear before the water clears again.

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The Skittering Brain

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The creatures attacked with psychic thought and claws as they tried to dominate the entire party to turn them into willing slaves. While not being able to take over the mind of creatures like intellect devourers they will dominate, twist and warp through pain as they change the memories and thoughts of their victims.

What frightens people the most is the ability for these creatures to be able to convince you through pain that they are the your very best friends, closest companions or more. While you’re under their charm they feed of your latent thoughts, fears and worries – normally creating sources of fear so that they can feed on it.

This not only sustains the horrible creatures but also removes the sense of fear from the victims which creates a sense of safety with the phantom that the creatures impose into their victims psyche.

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The Formica

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The red formica is the worker and foot soldier of their species. With powerful jaws and overdeveloped claws for grasping and crushing they do the queens bidding using a mixture of pheromones and high pitch sounds.

When the formica queen is around her workers they will do what ever they can to protect her and follow unheard and unseen commands that she issues with special scents and noises. However she is not weak and frail and is in fact the strongest of her kind. Able to sting and bite the creatures her claws grasp onto she quickly despatches with those who dare to confront her.

Where that doesn’t work her workers will quickly put their bodies in front of the queen as a shield to protect her from those who dare attack her. When she takes damage though her blood and from a special gland near her she can spray a pheromone that drives the formica around her wild with a blood frenzy. Those that are dosed with the pungent ichor are quickly dispatched.

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The Sea Witch

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The party watched with horror as they thought, not for the first time in a few minutes, that they shouldn’t have provoked the sea witch. As she moved the thick fog swam over her form blanketing her from view and the sound of waves from the sea grew in intensity.

Her nails grew longer from her fingers as she strode towards them, moving from something human to something more feral. Long talon like claws extended from her finger tips to dagger length.

While not overly fearsome itself it can use control water, while next to the sea, to drag the water up onto the shore. This will make the terrain difficult if not force every player to swim instead of being able to walk. This will make the Sea Witch much more difficult than its CR would make it seem (although the CR takes some of this into consideration.)

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Carnivorous Creeper

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The streets look different in Morrowell at night as thick twitching vines quest for its next meal. A sweet heady aroma can be smelt wafting through the air that makes the parties skin tickle and itch as it touches any exposed skin, or is breathed in. Something is not right.

The plant, Colters plant was the source of it and even from here the towering flower was open spreading a golden pollen upon everything it touched. But that wasn’t the problem as there were a few other smaller blooms sprouting from the straw roofs of nearby houses that had smaller questing vines searching for a meal.

There was some serious pruning that was needed tonight, and the party had a big job ahead of them.

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Worshipers of the Relics

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The moment the party saw the stairs down they knew that it was not a way out of the city. as they looked back at the unconscious man, the one who had tried to push them down the stairs, they knew that what was down there was the answer to where the dwarves had gone missing.

Pushing forward into the dark room those who descended the creaking stairs found a room filled in by stone walls. A place for storing goods rather than a way out of the town. A sound from one side of the room hinted at something more, deeper and beyond the stone and that’s when the trap was sprung.

Forced, coerced or even willing descending the stairs left a brief opportunity for the door to be closed behind them, a soft click the only sign that it had been locked. The sound was more feverish from the otherside of the wall and it wasn’t long until they found a loose stone that enabled the wall to be slid aside. Bewildered and terrified eyes greeted them of four dwarves as they rushed into the cellar behind them.

There were more, according to the dwarves, those that had gone missing from the other delves. All of them in the caves, all mad, barely fed and talking feverishly about the relics, their gleam and how they were going to save the town if they gave into the power of the one relic.

A bad sign if the party had ever saw one but any attempt to get through the door had failed so far. So they were stuck, for now. Sooner or later their ambushers would check on them and that would give them an opportunity to get out, to push through back into freedom.

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Ned Tafelo

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The party watched the recognition of what had happened appear on the face of Lady Straken as her daughter sobbed into the arms of her husband, who looked deridingly different to normal. ‘Don,’ he voice reached out questioning as his eyes rose to meet hers, the faintest glimmer of recognition in his eyes. ‘Is that really you my husband?’ she asked as her tears came unbidden to her eyes.

‘It’s him mother, come over here, you must not be able to see clearly from across the room. It truly is father.’ Kendral urged. As Lady Straken stood from her seat the family advisor, Ned Tafelo, stood and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

‘My lady, that can not be our Don. He looks to wild. This is surely a poor attempt to claim the reward that I put out for any information that would lead to his return.’ Ned slid a glance at the men who lined the walls of the hall, those who had failed him.

‘He lies mother. These people, these adventurers told me that they had questioned Ned’s men and that they were caught destroying the missing person posters I had been putting out. They told me you had ordered my return to the house where it was not the case and they kept me confined to my room until they freed me with father with them. He claims to have no memory of us, just of the nightmares that he gets when he tries to remember. A curse they believe it to be, one that came from our advisor, Ned.’ she declared pointing towards the man.

Ned practically snarled. ‘Guards, throw these would be assassins out. Protect Lady Straken as Kendral has shown her true colours as a snake that wishes harm on the family and its business. I will not have what I…’ he paused realising his mistake before trying to quickly cover it up. ‘What this family has created for some knave that these swindlers wish to use against the family. Seize them dead or alive!’

As the men rushed forward with swords drawn the look of horror in Lady Straken’s eyes was all encompassing until, Ned uttered some words and a arcane symbol appeared before her eyes. She stared blankly ahead before bursting into tears. ‘My own daughter. She has admitted to murdering her father and plotting to kill me next.!’ she cried out.

As the spell took affect over Lady Straken though something changed in Joe. ‘Susanna!’ he cried out as he ripped off his shirt, roaring in terror and determination. ‘I am well, Ned has put a curse on me, a phantasm that has hunted and haunted me. This cursed tunic, this tunic of torment has had me in its grips for too long but I cast it aside! Guards to me!’ he bellowed as doors opened and house guards entered looking confused, and relieved, as they charged to meet Neds men in the hall.

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The Olethros Wolf

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As the creature stalked into the magic lit cave its elongated legs drew the attention of the party first. Easily longer than a man is tall this creature was a huge, mostly balding and chaotically monstrous wolf. It twitched its head towards the man, Elder Arthus, before prowling back to shield the man with its bulk and presence.

The man watched the party as he spat out a series of foul syllables causing both it and the wolf’s form to blur. ‘The interesting thing about the Olethros wolf. When its bound to a master it forms a magical channel where I share its power and it shares mine. A wondrous creature really. A shame that you have been chosen by it to be its next meal.’ the man promised the party with near genuine regret.

As the mage and wolf worked as a complete team and their experience of working, hunting together for years was evident in how they moved, attacked and defended each other.

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