Abominations of the Shadowdrift Part One

A NIGHTMARISH LANDSCAPE FILLED WITH HORRIFIC BEASTS

SKINLESS EATER

The "Skinless Eater" resembles an emaciated, horn-less rhinoceros. It's body is covered in no discernible flesh of any kind, revealing it's bloody, raw musculature. It can run as fast as a quarter horse and can stand upright on it's hind legs (standing an average of 8 feet tall). The eater's large mouth is filled with small sharp teeth that can rend and tear through armor, flesh, and bone. It will eat as much as it can hold in it's glistening yellow stomach, until it needs to regurgitate. The powerful stomach acid of the eater can break down all materials, including metal.

WOOD SHRIEK

The Wood-Shriek sleeps by day in the darkest of the woods and hillside thickets. By night it creeps through nearby villages and peers into homes where it becomes aroused by the screams of the horrified people inside. At the height of arousal, the Wood Shriek will crawl down chimneys or creep through windows and feast upon his victims.

HEARTLESS BASTARD

The Heartless Bastard is a curious being and it's origins are unknown. They appear as harbingers of danger or guardians of secret places. The Bastard will only communicate via the bloody incision in it's abdomen which is filled with row after row of sharp teeth.

BIRD WENCH OF KARA-ZUL

These strange bird women dwell in the temples and battlements of the city of Kara-Zul. They are often used as spies and assassins for their shadowy masters. They can paralyze with their horrible squawking.

WEE STRUNCHER

Hides in old chests and beneath floorboards and beds. The Wee Struncher's bite contains a powerful toxin that paralyzes and numbs the slumbering victims. The tiny horror then goes to work gnawing on their victim's soft tissues, cartilage and tendons.

NOBLE WEE STRUNCHER

The Noble Wee Struncher hides in the homes of wealthy nobles and royalty. They prey upon their victims with a powerful acid that sprays from its eyes and mouth. The Struncher then can suck the melted flesh and organs into it's various orifices.

Into Cytheron, by way of North Ave. in Baltimore

First B/X D&D at Liam Flynns Ale House was a rousing success. 

I ran a hack of B1 "In Search of the Unknown". Same dungeon crawl but with more witches and Jack Shear influence. 

These little bastards were a dollar and made great stand-in for miniatures. 

The hack v.1

Happy people wearing the death beads. 

Old School D&D Night at Liam Flynn's Ale House with Flying Dog Brewery!

I'll be running a modified version of B-1 interpolated with Jack Shear's "DEVILMOUNT"

More Elves of the Shadowdrift

Inspired by this post by the great Gavin Norman, I've been pondering taking his Fey Elf class and melding it with my initial ideas for "Feral" or "Wild" of the Shadowdrift. As Fey Elves left their homelands, they migrated into other lands and developed their own individual cultures.

Living as far from humankind as possible, one can still find the great courts and enchanted cities of the Fey. Guided by the laws and principles of countless ages, the Fey Civilizations are wonders of art, architecture, and beauty. The concordance with the natural world that birthed them is the supreme law of their world. They build golden towers that reach the clouds, yet fell no tree in their construction. Their halls are filled with the firelight of thousands of candles. They only burn wood when the trees give up their branches freely.

It is a society constricted by tradition and the constant hiding from a world that is always threatening to encroach further upon their lands. The power of the courts is weakening. Their influence is barely a shadow of what it once was.

These factors are among many others that inspired myriad generations of Fey Elves to leave the traditions of Flood and Flower behind.

The Fey Elf can cast spells as a Magic User/Elf, however at the third level they can summon their own familiar or spirit animal. The familiar can sometimes communicate with the character, can gather components for new spells depending on the familiar and the setting. Let's say in the tomb of an ancient wizard, a weasel could scamper off and return with a scrap of parchment. On a beach, a cat could uncover a piece of an old shipwreck, buried under the sand.

Wood Elves (Churlathotons) shun civilization and live in dark woods and hills. They have a great mistrust of human folk and are the fierce enemy of trolls and goblins. Some fae beings live among the wild elves and they will often barter for peace and resources with dwarves and giants.

Wild Elves believe that the forest is their mother and will defend it at all costs. They fear that any separation from the forest sickens the soul and they’re fiercely opposed to trespassers in their woods.

Deities: The Forest Who Walks (powerful chaotic nature god), Adria (moon goddess of the elves), Churlathoton (Forest Mother and also Goddess of Entropy and Sunsets)
Analogue: anarchistic and fanatical environmental terrorists, living off the grid with nature
Symbology: An oak tree. Vines choking a ruined tower.

The devious and wicked MARSH FOLK who live within muddy tunnels and caves along wetlands and swamps. They are prone to murder and robbery, especially wayward fishermen who might wander too close to the secret marshlands.

Marsh Folk society revolves around endogamous tribes of 20-30 persons who are lead by the family elder, called the River King. The tribe will also have 1-2 Swamp Witches (Marsh Hags) who serve the tribes in an advisory role. These women are usually humans and will never live among the elves, but in a hermitage nearby.

DEEP ELVES

Hidden in subterranean caverns and ancient ruins, you will find the strongholds and fortresses of the Deep Elves. Their origins are unknown, but their social order is an elaborate caste system which includes several subsets and species.

Lords of the Swallowed Light are the sorcerers, warrior kings, and priests. They sit on silver thrones and imbibe rare fungi that they harvest from strange gardens. Under the influence of the fungi, they experience bizarre hallucinations and trances. In this way, the priests receive messages of communion with their Gods. 

The Deep Elves worship a secret cabal of deities. Some known, some long-dead and forgotten. Their most sacred being is an impossible cosmic horror that dwells in the center of a dying star - Xyrx the Eternal. Within the temples of the Swallowed Light, shafts have been created so that the star of Xyrx may be observed during ritual and meditation. Xyrx's dying embers are said to fall through the night sky and rain down upon the chosen ones.

They believe that a black sun exists in the center of their world and when Xyrx's star dies, he will use the black sun as a gateway to this world. He will rule and destroy the world from the inside out, swallowing oceans, crushing cities to dust, disintegrating mountains.

A Master of the Order is assigned to each fortress and stronghold. They rule through cunning as well as cruelty. They are diabolical, yet polite and well-mannered. They strike easy alliances and soon break them to fit their own needs. 

Reporting directly to the Lords of the Swallowed Light are the Shadow Keepers or Wardens. They are shorter and stouter than their tall masters. They are the underlings, warriors, and slavers in the Stronghold. In secret, the Wardens revere a legendary figure - Six Fingered Harlech. In days of yore, Harlech usurped the throne of the Lords of the Swallowed Light and since then, many Wardens dream of rebellion. 

Lowest in the social circle are the Nilderbog. Very short creatures with varying appearance. Some are covered in coarse hair, some are porcine in appearance, some insectoid or goblinoid. Some of those who tend the fungal gardens are covered in strange fungi and growths. The Nilderbog are very close to the deep elves and trolls of folklore.

They are extremely strong and they turn the gears to power the machinations of the deep cities. They also work forges and hammer out weapons and armor. All are castrated at birth and many of these eunuchs serve as harem guards.

In addition to these populations, Deep Elves will also associate with Tharens (ultra-intelligent subterranean ogres with bright blue flesh, like ogre mages, but with no magical abilities) and other subterranean creatures. 

Art Drop Make Story

Going through folders filled with artwork and photographs. 

There's an epic campaign hook in here. I just need to find it.

The Kraal - MIGORFROST

The Kraal - Hex 0615
A frozen waterfall conceals the entrance to the MOUNTAIN KINGDOM OF MIGORFROST 

MIGORFROST
Within the depths of an icy mountain, carved from ice and stone, this cyclopean city is ruled by Lord Migor - the fearsome Lord of the Yeti and the son of Cryonax - Prince of Evil Cold Creatures.

Lord Migor rules his icy domain from a great throne cut from ice. His attendants are Yeti, Frost Giants are his lieutenants, and he commands an army of Amitok, Yeti, and even the dread Mi Go.

Lord Migor appears as a 25 foot tall white ape with a shielded iron helmet. Only his closest advisors see his face. He wears a necklace of the skulls of his enemies.

In battle, Migor carries an enormous bardiche and a long whip ("Frost Tail") that can paralyze ("freeze") enemies for 1d10 hp.

He can also summon the following by blowing a giant ram horn that hangs from his neck.

1d3 Frost Giants
1d8 Yeti
1d6 Mi Go

1d20 White Wolves
1d20 Artic Foxes
1d100 Amitok

Migor also has an uneasy alliance with the Ice Goblins though he mistrusts them and their kind. He also has a pair of White Dragons that serve as spies and guards of his domain.

The White Elves and the Ice Dwarves are chief among Migor's enemies. He is obsessed with finding and enslaving Dzjarmud, Princess of the Frost Elementals.

For The Glory of Trofalcomar!

HEXENBRACKEN Hex 2020

THE RUINS OF TROFALCOMAR

TROFALCOMAR! The very name conjures up memories of an age of warrior kings who built an empire of strength, steel, and glory. TROFALCOMAR! Great city of legend that fell beneath the waves during a ten year siege by Lurgoz the Dragon King!

A millenium after Lurgoz had turned to stone in his great mountain tomb, the tallest spires of Trofalcomar still rise from the churning waters! Of course now they only to serve as hiding places for foul beasts that plague sailors on the sea, but you can still see them!

However, miles away, at the bottom of the sea, on a vast stone is a huge iron seal (Hex # 20 25) It is said that the warrior kings of Trofalcomar escaped with their most sacred treasures and artifacts into a secret tunnel beneath the seal. There, beneath the ocean waves, Trofalcomar's cherished history would be preserved and the greatest of all kingdoms would again thrive!

One treasure was left behind, hidden in the ruins! The great and fabled HORN OF TROFALCOMAR!

One mighty blast upon this wonderful horn will open the hatch in the sea and then, we shall be able to descend into the depths and rejoin our ancient people amongst the splendors of Trofalcomar! 

What's that? The horn? The Horn of Trofalcomar? Well it's, uh, it's in the ruins somewhere! Hold your breath!

Sunken Courtyard of Castle Trofalcomar

The sunken ruins of Trofalcomar are mostly a series of salt-bitten walls and foundations at the bottom of the sea. However, the Courtyard of Castle Trofalcomar is mostly intact. The passage to the southeast leads to Sunken Chamber #1 (see below)

1. An Ancient Colossal Carnivorous Death Whale lays sleeping in the courtyard. It's stomach is filled with all manner of artifacts and treasure from Trofalcomar's golden age. 

1 a. The secret door (see a.) has been broken open, leading to a corridor filled with 1d20 enormous blue and yellow jellyfish. They will sting players for 1d4 hp and save vs. poison. Those failing the save will experience vivid hallucinations of Trofalcomar in it's glory. They will see the courtyard filled with Trofalcomarians in their multi-colored vestments. They will smell the wonderful Trofalcomarian delicacies prepared and served by vendors in the courtyard. Etc.

Sunken Chamber 1

1. This cavern is filled with more detritus of Trofalcomar's past. Scraps of tables and chairs, tarnished silverware, broken dishware, all rest in this sand on the floor of the cavern. This cavern is also filled with 1d10 Aboleths

2. King Forsentine's Enormous Pipe Organ lays here, covered in layers of sea plants. Anemones and sea urchins sway atop of the rusted, bent pipes. Inside the organ is an enormous piece of illuminating coral. It is 10" wide. It can be broken up into smaller pieces or used as one large light source (60' radius or 20' for each smaller piece)

3. A pile of rubble climbs high to an alcove where LUZETTE - Queen of the Vampire Mermaids languishes on a large oyster shell. Her hair is black and shimmers with silver flecks in the eerie light. Her eyes are milky white and without pupils. Her tail is long and almost serpentine with bright purple scales.

LUZETTE can summon her court at will - 

1d4 vampire mermaids 

1d4 vampire mermen (mer-MAN!)

1d6 aboleths

1d3 merrow (water ogres)

4. 1d8 Kuo Toa and 1d4 Intelligent Hammerhead Sharks are gathered here, worshipping an enormous statue of Blibdoolpoolp with an interpretive dance. The statue is made up of rocks, rusting metal bits, ships anchors, and for her forearm - an immensely long horn - the very Horn of TROFALCOMAR!

5. A reverse whirlpool will rocket players to the surface if they step into it.

Once the Horn of TROFALCOMAR is acquired, row on over to Hex 2025 and blow the fucker. The great seal will open and reveal a lava tube leading deep into the Earth, where an underground city of Beholders awaits. Ha! Sick burn!