Before I kick this off, I must again give credit to the Prince of Nothing for gifting me with more ideas, as seen in his post on Sorcery in the Age of Dusk. I’m sure this guy is sick and tired of me kissing his ass and riding his leg, but I have to make sure to give credit where it is due. Since I’m not that creative, or particularly talented, so I find it necessary to ride on the coat tails of my betters. A thank you must also go out to the Discord, Ebon Dragon’s Rostrum. A truly welcoming an knowledgeable community, filled with great ideas and people happy and willing to workshop. Really a fantastic group. Anyways, on with the show.

The Black Steel Argument is a north eastern dwelling tribe that lives at the base of the Scutum Hills, following the herds of goat lizards that roam the base of the hills and sometimes raiding into Lom to bring back supplies and other amenities. Clashing infrequently with the Lomite forces stationed on the border, the Black Steel Argument tribe will occasionally attempt to steal through the hills to raid the border towns then flee back to the arid open plains where their mounts give them an advantage, while the Atheocrats have taken to building fortification at several chokepoints in the hills, while also sending out teams of infiltrators to harry the herds of the Howler tribe in order to push them on to greener pastures. Currently though, conflict has been escalating between the tribesmen and Atheocrats as something has also been hunting in the hills, leaving only grisly scenes in its wake. The Lomites suspect the Black Steel Argument of having bred some kind of hunting beast that has been set loose, while the Howler tribes maintains that the Lomites have angered the spirit of the hills, who has come to punish them. In reaction, both sides have ramped up their conflict with the other, leading to open warfare on several occasions. Fear and paranoia rules the day, as the men and women of either side constantly look over their shoulder, whether expecting some type of creature, or an attack from the enemy.

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Dramatis Personae

War Chief Kull- on the surface, War Chief Kull is exactly what one would think of when they hear of a Howler Chieftain. Tall, strong, handsome of face and possessed of a beautiful voice, Kull is charismatic and fearless, leading his warriors from the forefront of battle. He is also a complete idiot. Despite his own personal prowess, he has no concept of tactics or strategy, frequently leading his forces into dangerous situations or spoiling ambushes by challenging Lomite commanders to honor duels when he is left to his own devices. Occasionally winning a victory here and there due to sheer boldness, the rest of the Black Steel Argument warriors understand their war chief’s shortcomings, and adjust accordingly among themselves. Kull is not a villain however, merely optimistic, foolish, and unsuited to make tactical decisions, carrying a more romantic view of battle and conflict despite being a veteran of several minor raids. In spite of this, he is loved by the tribe, and seen as more of a figurehead for battle, while the real leadership of the tribe comes from their Peace Chief, Gora. 5 HD but is always treated as a lesser foe to resist mind affecting effects

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Peace Chief Gora- while Kull is the brawn of the Black Steel Argument tribe, Gora is most certainly the brains. At 60 years old, she is an old woman amongst the tribe, but undoubtedly intelligent, possessed of fierce instincts and a sharp mind. It is through her leadership that the tribe has managed to survive, and the minor war chiefs know to take counsel with her, although she does defer to Kull, preferring to pad his ego and take a more subtle approach when dealing with the younger man. She has been very troubled by the recent slayings, and is not convinced that this is entirely the fault of the Lomites. Having been a tracker for many years, she recognizes the signs of a beast attack, but is appalled by the cunning and savagery displayed. She knows there is something else out there, but what she cannot say, and so advises caution. 3 HD with the Scent the Prey gift. Master of Hedge Magic



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Judge-Major Attentive Wainwright; Commander of the Lomite Garrison- the highest ranking officer of the Lomite forces, the Judge-Major was a regular enlisted soldier before he received a battlefield commission as an officer. He rose steadily through the ranks of the armies of True Reason before being assigned to the Southern Command. Frequently clashing with the Anti-Priest bureaucrats, many of whom had little to no battlefield experience, won him no friends among the other officers. After one particularly public row, the Commanding General of the Southern Lomite forces assigned him to the command of one of the fortresses in the Scutum Hills, known for its numerous sorties and battles with the Howler tribes in the area in the hopes he would be one of the many “casualties” of the conflict. Refusing to see this as a demotion, Wainwright took to the command with gusto, retraining and raising the morale of the troops there with carefully calculated movements. Using fake raid targets, attacking the herds of the Howler tribes, and improving fortifications gradually brought the conflict to a standstill, a situation that has remained this way for several years. The Judge-Major has a keen understanding and respect for his opponents, and has been content to stay away from the notice of the other officers. The recent arrival of Clarity Student has only served to exacerbate matters, as Wainwright looks at her as a petulant child with no understanding of the real world, much less a battlefield. The two have been seen arguing more and more due to the recent attacks, with the Judge-Major becoming frustrated with the perceived tactics of the Black Steel Argument tribe, and has begun preparing his forces for a full scale assault. 5 HD with 2 effort and Invincible Iron General Command Gift. Usually accompanied by small mob of 3 HD veterans

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Anti-Priest theurge Clarity Clerk- a sorcerer of the Holy Colloquy, Clerk has far more talent than sense. Despite having considerable theurgic ability gifted from the Pyre, Clarity Clerk has a spoiled childish demeanor and a sense of entitlement that far outstrips any mastery she believes she has. Rather than throw away an ordained Anti-Priest with her ability, the Holy Colloquy instead decided that she would be better served on the frontier, converting the God-Fearing Heathens of the Howlers. Seeing this assignment as a punishment, which it most certainly was, Clarity Clerk railed against this perceived unfairness. How dare they assign her here?! Someone of her caliber and logic was wasted upon these backwoods animal screwing yokels and the half-retarded peasants with sharps sticks that manned this shit-hole fort. Their commander was little better, some Neanderthal who’s only redeeming quality was that he knew which end to grab a sword. Couldn’t this inbred have any idea who she is? How dare he talk to her this way? An Anti-Priest of True Reason, she would handle the problem of these “Howlers” in a matter of weeks, where these morons had been fighting for years. Combing through ancient tomes of arcane knowledge, she found records of a spell supposedly recorded in the area, though actual information was slim. Piecing through what scraps she had, she stole through the misty hills, coming upon an ancient burial mound where she was sure the spell laid. Delving within the barrow, she found what she was looking for. Inscribed in crude symbols upon the ancient stone beneath the earth was the theurgic incantation for the Calling of Gok. An antediluvian invocation from when men had little more than crawled from their caves, this spell would summon forth a truly terrifying monstrosity. Though unable to make out the full details, Clarity Clerk was still confident in her ability to summon and bind this beast. While she at first balked the savagery of the ancient working, she reasoned that the needs of the few could be put aside to smite the enemies of True Reason, so summon it she did through a dark ritual. What came through though, was what shook her to her core. An elemental nightmare that has plagued the unconscious mind of humanity since time immemorial stood before her in all its terrible glory, and there was nothing she could do. Frozen in terror like prey before the predator, Clerk could only cower as the beast merely huffed and stole off into the darkened hills. Realizing the enormity of the mistake she had made, Clarity Clerk crept back to the fort, terrified. As the bodies began to stack, the guilt ate away at her. Too proud to admit her mistake to the Judge-Major, all she can do now is look on helplessly at the fruits of her labors. If found out, she will tearfully admit what she did and reveal where the ritual was undertaken, revealing the lair of Gok. What the party wishes to do with her is up to them, as while the Judge-Major cannot execute her, he can send her back to the Colloquy with a reprimand for her lapse in judgement. Perhaps the mercy would be to kill her if that happens. 4 HD with 3 effort. Adept of the Gate

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Misbegotten

Goat Lizards- wooly lizards tended by Black Steel Argument tribesmen, the Goat Lizards feed upon the Coal Slugs found among the lowlands of the hills. Hardy creatures, the tribesmen use their stringy wool for clothing and bow strings and the large creatures as mounts, their sure footedness and the natural adhesives on their feet allowing them to move along vertical planes. With these, Goat Lizards can traverse practically any environment and obstacle. The Goat Lizards have AC 9 and 1 HD but allow a rider to move 40’ feet and move over any vertical or horizontal plane not hostile or particularly slick

Coal Slugs- these roughly football sized grubs are seen moving through the lowlands of the Scutum Hills, feeding on excess radiation from the left over remains of the Mandala. The tribesmen realized years ago that the Coal Slugs give off radiant heat from absorbing the radiation and have taken to cultivating the creatures. The Coal Slugs can even be placed upon the skin of a person to draw out harmful magical effects, while as a side effect producing an aura of pleasant heat. A tribesmen will place a Coal Slug on the body, which will automatically dispel a harmful low magic effect upon their person. When that happens, the slug will emanate an aura of heat that will allow the person attached to it to ignore the first point of damage from a source of cold.

Gok- A remnant of a lost hell-scape from before the dawn of time, Gok desires only to hunt and feed upon the flesh of the man things, the flesh receptacles of the thoughts that brought it forth. If summoned properly by only the most potent and skillful of eldritch masters, the beast could be controlled and set to task, to hunt an offending individual or let loose to slaughter within a pre–set area. Gok will only return to its astral domain in the mindscape when either 2 full moons have passed, or it has tasted the lives of one thousand and one humans touched by fear. Currently, Gok has slain 67 humans, and it’s only warming up.

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Gok (titanic beast)- AC: 3 Hit Dice: 30 Attack: 2 automatic hits Damage: 1d10 claws straight Move 60’ run Save: 5+ Morale: 10 Effort: 12. Can act 3 times per round, has access to the words of murder, endurance, and fear.

1d6 Tactics

1-Charge the most dangerous looking foe, focusing all of it attacks on that foe

2-Gok will spread its attacks among all its foes, prioritizing smaller and weaker looking foes first

3-Gok will let out a mighty roar of such terrifying force that it will knock all foes away. This will do 5d8 damage to all within 30 feet and force them to make a hardiness save or be pushed back 20 feet and fall prone

4- Commit effort. Gok will fix its predators gaze on a foe, reminding it of the fear that ancient people had of the things in the dark. Gok deals 1d12 Psychic damage to one non-mindless foe within 100 feet, and they must make a spirit save or lose their next action to stand frozen in fear

5-Commit Effort. Gok will disappear from sight and all other senses, completely hidden until it strikes. Lesser foes have no chance to detect Gok unless it does something to draw blatant attention, and worthy foes can make a spirit save to detect it only if they are actively searching for hidden foes or it enters their direct presence

6-Commit effort. The great beast will tear into a foe, healing itself as it inflicts wounds upon others. Gok will make a single attack against a foe, dealing 1d10 straight damage and healing itself for an equal amount

Tracking Gok- while dealing with Gok when found is difficult, finding the monster is no small task either. A super predator, Gok leaves no tracks, merely slaughter at the places it visits, but there are some clues. For some reasons, the beast takes trophies from its kills. Trinkets or possessions that were important to the people it killed. As a creature of dream and fear, it takes these things that gave some small comfort from the owners because it cannot quite understand seeking solace or comfort from the presence of anything, let alone an object or a symbol. Fortunately, this creates a sympathetic connection between the bodies of the slain and the objects held dear in life, now stored in Gok’s lair. An enterprising magus or someone similarly gifted would be able to use that as a divining rod to discover the whereabouts of the monsters lair. Be forewarned however, as Gok’s lair is its domain, and it will be aware of any intruders that trespass there unless powerful methods of subterfuge are taken. If tracked and slain within its lair, the ancient hieroglyphics can be puzzled through, teaching the spell Summon the Black Iron Servitor.

Though alternately, if one can divine the nature of the spell, like interrogating Clarity Clerk, it might be more feasible to starve the beast out. However, both sides would have to be convinced of the nature of Gok and escorted to other feasible and far enough away places. If done, Gok would eventually be returned to whatever nightmarish Hell-scape vomited it up, its mission failed

Should no one intervene in this conflict, then the Atheocrats and the tribesmen will eventually go to war, their conflict further masking the actions of Gok. While the Black Steel Argument can field 4 large mobs of 1 HD warriors, the Lomites have a vast mob of 2 HD veterans, a small mob of 3 HD elites personally trained by the Judge-Major, and 2 stiflers not to mention the well dug in and fortified walls of the fort. Even if one side is eliminated, it will not stop the rampages of the beast. If left unchecked, Gok will eventually slaughter everyone in the region, feasting on the remains and eventually discovering left over power from the Mandala and become fully anchored in reality, removing the limitations for how long it can stay that it may turn the Howlers and the nearby territories of the Atheocracy into a charnel house. Should it achieve this, Gok will immediately gain 10 HD, 5 more effort, and gain 1 attack for each of its actions. Then, truly, a monster will have come to roost