1-The Common Touch
Whilst the vast majority of nobles consider themselves to be far above the concerns of those who are beneath them in the social order, not all of them feel that way. If the Kingdom or Queendom was created recently by war, then somebody who was brave in battle, luck, and fought on the winning side could end up ennobled through being a battlefield hero. Or perhaps the noble is curious about those in the lower orders or just really wants to do the right thing. It may be that he decides to *go slumming* in places where no noble would normally set foot, taking with him only enough bodyguards to ensure his safety. It may even be that he decides to go *undercover* so he can uncover local injustice or just find out what is going on in his fief. What is far more likely is that the Court Etiquette-Do's and Don'ts are far less strict at his court then they would normally be. Unless he is undercover (in which case it is most unlikely that any of the PCs would know who he really was) then it should be remembered if asking for help at his court; he may possess the common touch, but he is still a noble. Whilst the PCs might not have to prostrate themselves and genuflect as if he was a living God come to Earth, they do still need to be polite and remember their place if they don't want to be ejected by his servants.
Plot Hooks
How was I to know?
The PCs get into a fight in a bar as PCs tend to do and end up injuring or even killing this noble whilst he and a few trusted bodyguards are out slumming it. The next thing they know, they only have a short time to either go into hiding or ride like hell for the nearest border as every City Guard/armed noble retainer in the place goes looking for them and a heavy price is placed upon their heads for this outrage. If caught, they will face prison at best, and summary execution at worst, their bodies gibbeted as a warning to others who would repeat their crime of attacking a noble.
I need a hero!
Whilst he was undercover as one of the common people, one of the few close enough to the noble to know of this has decided to seize power and take the noble throne for himself, declaring the true noble to either be dead or on a pilgrimage to a very far away place. To have any chance of removing the usurper, the noble must first prove that he is indeed a noble to the PCs and then persuade them to help him regain his throne. Success will mean that the PCs get all the help that they possibly need for their main quest; but failure will very likely lead to their deaths.
2-The Proud One
Unlike the noble who has the common touch, the noble of this type is excessively conscious of his nobility, and enforces the Court Etiquette-Do's and Don'ts at his court rigidly. Asking for help at his court means undergoing a minefield of social etiquette;the slightest accidental slight to his name or title when addressing means that he will refuse to help the PCs at best, and challenge the offending to a PC to a duel or even have the PCs hurled into prison at worst. Behind his back his own servants are fed up with him and joke about him and so pompous and stuck-up is he, that even fellow nobles of his own rank dislike him as when holding court he thinks himself better then they are,and makes them bow like peasants if they want his help. If in a country where dueling is either legal or winked at he is an expert duelist, having dueled so often with other nobles that he is as good a fighter as any individual PC. Of course, should he meet a noble of higher rank then he, or meet with royalty, he will willingly bow and scrape as much as any commoner, as he does think the rules apply to him too.
Plot Hooks
In the jailhouse now.
The PCs have said the wrong thing whilst the Proud One was holding court, and his bodyguards have grabbed them, stripped them of their weapons and equipment and thrown them into the local lock-up. Now the PCs must find a way to escape from their cell and get their stuff back. Depending on the PCs, they might either flee from his fief or decide to seek revenge by either sneaking past the guards and murdering him, or by tricking him out of money in some spectacular fashion. One that will not only steal his riches, but make him a laughing stock amongst his fellow nobles or royalty.
The Government Inspector
The PCs have managed to waylay a wealthy noble of a higher rank then the Proud One on the road and have either killed him or kidnapped him and left him bound and gagged somewhere. They have taken the fine clothes of this noble and anyone traveling with him and impersonated them.Now this mighty noble will fawn upon them, bow and scrape to them, give them almost whatever they want in the hope of advancement at the royal court. Should the impersonators make any mistakes that reveal them not to be noble, however,he will see through their disguises at once, and they must flee for their lives from his armed retainers.
3-The Hunter
A lot of nobles enjoy hunting, but this noble takes it to extremes and when in his fief is most likely to be found on horseback out hunting. His prey might be foxes, deer, bear or (insert highly dangerous monster here.) He might invite the PCs out to hunt with him, and prowess at the hunt, providing it does not get in his way, is one very good way to catch his eye. He bitterly hates poachers and trespassers in general, and his woods have more foresters and gamekeepers then woods elsewhere, and captured poachers are blinded or suffer some other horrible punishment. PCs being who they are, are highly likely to get into a fight with his well-paid gamekeepers, which will not at all help them if they end up seeking help at his court. He is very unpopular with his peasants as he has stripped them of most of the minor rights they used to enjoy in the forests, such as gathering winter fuel.He sometimes finds holding court a burden as it gets in the way of his favorite pastime of hunting.
Plot Hooks
Forest Fight
The PCs are out poaching in this noble's forests, when they come face to face with the noble, six of his friends. and a pack of loyal and fierce hunting hounds.Outraged beyond reason with their poaching , the noble will try and kill them outright. The hunters will be mounted whilst the PCs will most likely be on foot, but a clever PC will for example bend a branch back and let it go flying into a rider, knocking him from his horse, or use magic (if there is a magic user within the group) to frighten one or more horses into bucking the riders. Should only one or two of the hunting party remain alive, they will attempt to flee; should the PCs be able to prevent this they can rob and bury the bodies knowing that it is a long while before the hue and cry will be raised.
The Hunt
The PCs are hired by the noble to help him to find and slay a really dangerous monster living in hard to traverse terrain, a sub-quest in it's own right. Only if they agree to help him hunt and kill this monster will he agree to give them the help they need for the main quest that they are on. The problem is, the noble wants to slay the monster personally, and the PCs must tread a fine line between babysitting the noble and letting him get into danger.Too much of the first will see them dismissed from the hunt in ignominy, their chance to get his help gone. But if he gets himself killed by the monster that he is hunting he will not be able to help the PCs. So they have to be careful to make sure that the hunt goes according to plan. For complications if desired, there is a would-be assassin amongst the noble's friends who would love to disguise a murder as a hunting accident and/or blame it on the PCs. Or the monster turns out to be a baby dragon fresh out of it's egg, and the fully-grown mother dragon is not very far away. Either the PCs must try and talk the noble out of making the kill and risk antagonizing him, or they must flee for their lives from a furious dragon.
4-The Religious Zealot
This noble has become a recent convert to, or is a very devout follower of (insert name of God or Goddess here.) If many of his subjects follow another religion, this means that he is a pain at best or a threat to their lives at worst. Perhaps he only taxes churches and temples of other religions and their followers to the hilt. Or perhaps he goes further and announces that everybody living in or even only passing through his fief must convert to his religion or face confiscation of all their property and burning alive at the stake.It could be that a Holy Inquisition has been allowed to set itself up in the fief in which case everybody passing through who has a different religion or no religion at all is in dire danger.Perhaps the PCs come across a long sad line of refugees felling his fief in fear of their lives. At his court there is an idol of his chosen God or Goddess and a large number of priests/priestesses, and it is the leading clerics of the faith whose advice this noble will pay the most attention to. To gain his support the PCs must be or pretend to be fellow members of his chosen religion and perhaps get involved in a complicated and dangerous theological debate where he tries to catch them out. The atmosphere at his court is like that of a church or a monastery.
Plot Hooks
The Jailbreak
The PCs must rescue an important NPC from one of this noble's prisons, as the NPC has vital information about their quest and has been sentenced to be burnt at an auto-da-fe in the morning. And this is not the typical small town lock-up where it is easy to break somebody out but a secure prison with stone walls and plenty of guards. The PCs must either scale the walls and be prepared to dodge guards and pick locks, or smuggle or bribe their way in and then find a way to get the NPC out as well, which will not be easy. Should they fail, their vital information and perhaps they too will go up in smoke and flames in front of a jeering crowd.
The Holy Pilgrimage
Before the noble will even agree to speak to them, let alone help them, the PCs must go on a lengthy holy pilgrimage to (insert name of church or temple here.) It is a sub-quest in itself, with the PCs facing bad weather, the risk of bands of brigands on the road, and having to pass through a forest known to be inhabited by at least 30 Treemen (Although in the last case they should be safe if they keep to the road that passes through the forest. They then need to get a symbol from the clergy to prove that they have gone on the pilgrimage. And all of this will be a waste of time if they manage to anger the noble by mistake.
5-The Paranoid
This noble is rightly or otherwise terrified of being assassinated, to the point that he has banned weapons from being carried within his capital or even within his entire fief. In which case the PCs must either disarm or risk getting into a fight with his guards. When he holds court he has a magical weapon at his side and far more guards then would normally be present, and yet despite all these precautions he is still clearly scared. It could be that he has become the target of assassins because of something that he did or said, and has a good reason to be so worried. Or it could be that he is just a coward in a big way. Or perhaps he fought in a war and saw so much violent death that it left him with post traumatic stress disorder. Perhaps in exchange for his help he wants the PCs to serve a term of bodyguard duty. His bodyguards are watching the PCs with great care for any sign of an outburst or a hidden weapon; they are very well paid and trained and loyal as if he dies they will lose a great money source. Perhaps he has even granted his bodyguards the right to interrupt him whilst he is holding court if it is to keep him safe. His hand often strays to the hilt of his weapon, and although he tries to hide his fear it is clearly visible.
Plot Hooks.
You're Hired.
In exchange for some pay and a promise of help in their main quest, the noble hires the PCs as bodyguards, because of their combat skills and/or magical abilities, despite having a large number of bodyguards already. Shortly afterwards the noble is attacked by a large number of very dangerous assassins and the combat skills of the PCs are tested to the limit.If the GM wants to the PCs could then be sent by the noble on a sub-quest, to find whoever ordered and paid the assassins, and either kill him or her or, if the person is too well guarded or too high ranking a noble to slay, to try and deal with the problem by diplomacy.
You have nothing to fear but...
Not every single subplot has to be about hacking things to bits with swords. The PCs have to convince the noble that he does not have to be so scared. Perhaps the noble's ancestral sword turns out to be The Sword of Fear and he used it once too often. Or the captain of the bodyguards has cast a Fear spell on the noble, or just talked him into feeling terrified with whispers of assassination plots. If the PCs do lower the noble's fear and some of his bodyguards are paid off and dismissed from his service, they might wait outside and attack the PCs later out of revenge. Or maybe the noble had good reasons for his fear, and after the PCs talk him into lowering his security level he is later found murdered and the PCs are now the main suspects in his death.
6-The Spider
The Spider is a noble with ambitions to be King someday. As such, providing he can do it without getting caught and disgraced or worse, nothing is too underhand;from sending out assassins to murder someone, to spreading nasty rumors about them to deliberately goading them into committing a faux-pas in the royal court. A master of gossip, innuendo and knowing who is who in the noble pecking order, the Spider is a courtier born and bred. Provided he is treating with respect, particularly when holding court, he is always polite even to those beneath him in the social order and not of noble birth. After all, one never knows when that lowly servant of a rival noble can deliver a useful piece of gossip that can really hurt that noble's reputation in court. Or when that man-at-arms, for a large enough bribe, can let an assassin in to bump a rival noble off. The Spider thinks politeness and discretion to be the highest possible values, and can often be seen sitting upon his throne stroking a small white cat. If he does agree to help the PCs he will want something to be covertly carried out by them in return. And if they mess it up and end up in prison or worse, they are on their own. The Spider always takes great care with anything illegal so it cannot be connected to him.
Plot Hooks
The Test
The noble wants the PCs to help them, so he sends them and a servant with a sealed message to deliver it to somebody. The servant will try to tempt the PCs into breaking the seal and revealing the message in transit. First he will try and tell the PCs that the message is one asking that the PCs be disposed of. If that fails he will try to bribe the PCs to open the message, or even try and grab it. Assuming the PCs resist these urges and deliver the message with it's seal unbroken it will say You have discretion and can be trusted, congratulations. Please return, I have need of you and will pay well. Should the seal be broken, the annoyed noble will refuse to help the PCs. Ever.
The Hit
The noble hates the Paranoid who is his greatest foe at Court, to the point where he wants him killed. As the Paranoid has so many bodyguards around him, a simple murder is out of the question, which is why he has hired the PCs. They, he hopes, will have the combat skills needed to get into the Paranoid's castle or fortified manor house, evade or kill his bodyguards, and murder the noble, without leaving a trail in the process that will implicate him and lead to his death on the executioner's block. It will be a minor quest in itself;it certainly won't be an easy thing to do.
7-The Necromancer
There are few open signs in this noble's fief or at his court of his secret obsession with raising the dead, as neither the common people nor the royals and other nobles would think well of it, and it is the sort of thing that if done too openly can get even a noble in trouble with the law. He recently banned cremation, officially the reason is that an Urn Beast went on the rampage a few years ago and he never wants it to happen again. In fact, whilst this indeed happened he used it as an excuse to ban the pyre. When the graveyards swelled and threatened the common space, he gave his consent to bury the dead outside graveyards as long as it neither caused disease nor blocked the roads. As a result, there are plenty of dead buried legally along the roads and in woods as well as several large graveyards. At court, a couple of his children seem oddly subdued, in fact they are The Empty Children. After two of his children died of disease, he had them reanimated and preserved. His wife knows this and supports it, as she can imagine that her beloved children are alive again. On the surface he is a worshiper of the Goddess Ulmania, and the worshipers of Jove despise him as they have to either leave his fief for a funeral or cremate their dead in secret. Around his neck is the amulet of the death-god that he really worships in secret.
Plot Hooks
Thriller
The PCs are walking through one of these large graveyards when they trigger something and from every grave the dead rise. Some are fresh bodies, buried recently, some are swollen and decomposing, some are reduced to skeletons, and the whole graveyard whales on the PCs. Few if any will have weapons, although a noble or two might have been buried with a sword; by themselves the undead are sword-fodder, but in such large numbers even the PCs will have real trouble chopping them up and hacking them down. Of course if the PCs have a powerful magical artifact that can control the undead, the PCs now have their own undead army to do what they want with. After the battle is over there is a lot of Funeral Gold and Grave Silver to loot, but doing so might give the PCs some trouble in the future and/or bad luck.
Get Rid Of Him, Please!
A lot of people, some of which are willing and able to pay the PCs, want to rid themselves of this noble, either by having him assassinated or by getting proof of what he is doing to pass on to the royal family so that they can act and remove him. Anyone who prefers to cremate their dead because of religion or choice is annoyed, so are those that suspect the noble of having dark secrets, and those that just want him removed for their own purposes.If the PC's try and kill him, he will have secret undead bodyguards such as Ironbones and may turn out himself to be a powerful Lich. If the PC's try and get proof of what he is doing, they must capture an Undead without hurting it and then transport it to those with the power to remove this noble from the ownership of his fief and bring him to justice. Neither is an easy thing to do.
8-The Depressed
Something (it could be the death of his wife or child, financial problems, or anything that the GM can plausibly think of) made this noble plunge into deep depression. In his fief it is causing various problems;crime is on the increase and buildings and are in disrepair, as he rarely bothers to hold court anymore. He and his servants dress in black and at court there is a decidedly funereal atmosphere, with silence not only when the noble is speaking but at most other times as well. If the depression was due to a death, then there will be a big picture of the deceased hanging on the wall behind the noble's head. Getting an audience at this noble's court will be a difficult thing to do, and pointless if a way cannot be found to cheer the noble up. If the PCs can manage to lift the noble's depression then he will be so pleased that he offer the PCs almost any help that they ask for. Lifting it will not be an easy thing to do and might even need a sub-quest in it's own right. The price of failure will be the refusal of the noble to help the PCs in any way.
Plot Hooks
Bring on the Clowns!
Sometimes even sensible games need silly interludes to lighten things up and this is one of them. The PCs must act as jesters to cheer up the noble, using jokes and whatever other funny/silly things they can think of to cheer up the noble depending on what he thinks is funny. Perhaps they start at a score of -5 and have x amount of time to bring this up to a score of +5 or more. Depending on the noble, certain things will cheer him up, and raise the score, whilst other things will lower it further as he finds them very unfunny. If the score lowers to a -10 or more the noble will burst into tears and dismiss them from his sight, and they will have failed.
The Replacement
The noble has by chance seen somebody who looks just like the dead person that he is mourning for.And he wants the PCs to bring him that person so he can try and mould him or her into a replacement for the deceased. The PCs might need to persuade the person to come along with them, or they might need to use force and kidnap the person without causing death or serious harm in the process. If the PCs have some morals, this could be a hard thing for them to do if the person objects. If the person kidnapped is also noble, it will also make a new enemy of the noble in the next fief, a fief that the PCs might soon need to pass through.
9-The Rebel
Now and again history throws up strange rebels of noble birth, like Lord Monmouth or Saigo Takamori. Although they have everything seemingly going their way under the currant system of government, they decide to risk losing everything and stake everything that they have on a rebellion.And sometimes they get the common people involved in their rebellion as well. Their motive for doing this varies, from a (rare) desire to help those beneath them on the social ladder, to a selfish wish for more power for themselves for it's own sake. If the rebellion has started or is on the verge of doing so, the noble will be desperate to gain more support and might well ask the PCs to get involved, promising them something big in return. Even slaves may be promised their freedom in exchange for joining him. If the rebellion is in the talking and planning stage, the noble will be a lot more careful who he talks to, as his title and his life and perhaps the lives of his family are at risk if the revolt fizzles out or otherwise fails. He may not mention the revolt at all to the PCs, but they may sense signs that things are subtly different around them.
Plot Hooks
You have nothing to lose but your chains!
As many PCs have combat skills/military experience, the noble wants them to serve as a cross between officer and training sergeant to help train his new army, compared of raw and perhaps reluctant peasants and townsmen to turn them into a real fighting force. Only then can he hope to take on the royal army. If they agree to help him, the PCs have the chance to become generals and perhaps, if the noble is successful, dukes or even earls. However; getting involved may mean the delay or abandonment of their main quest; if the rebellion loses, they will become wanted fugitives with prices on their heads; perhaps they feel that the noble would be a worse ruler then the king he is fighting. If they turn him down outright, he will likely have them thrown into his castle dungeon or worse, to keep them quiet. Perhaps the best thing to do is to pretend to join him and then sneak away when the time is right...
Rescue the Damsel in Distress
Everything is ready for the revolt, and the one thing that stops him launching it is that the King has his only child, a daughter, locked up as a hostage. She is not chained up; she lives in comfort with the deference given to her rank, but will be beheaded if her father does not behave himself. So he asks the PCs in exchange for much gold and some help with their quest, to break or trick their way into where the daughter is held, free her and bring her alive and unharmed to him so he can launch his bid for power.
10-The Romantic
This noble is
11-The Hostage
12-The Bloodthirsty
13-The Child
14-The Sick
15-The Trickster
OOC-Unfinished, but put into work anyway as I don't know what more to do with this.
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Codex
30 Treemen
By: EchoMirage
( NPCs ) Minor -
Natural What is a forest’s firm support, yet walks ‘round on its own accord?
What’s possessed of a titan’s might, stands before you, yet out of sight?
What soundly spanks with gnarled root a behind that is not good?
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For your forest adventures, I give you 30 quirky treants, ents and their ilk to help with a gnarled hand where they are needed.
1 Rockbark
As his name suggests, this old oaken tree-herder grew in a stony area, and more boulders became embedded in his hide from his habit of sleeping lying down. A woodsman’s axe will clatter off him without effect, and his knotted arms can bestow incomparable wrath upon those who threaten his woods.
Loyal and traditionalist, he is regarded as a wise by most of the forest dwellers; still, few seek his company for he is stern and dour.
2 Haun the Burning
Once struck by a lightning bolt, Haun survived yet the flames still linger within him, gnawing at his substance and sanity. A mighty teak tree, he is charred in places; only his incredible healing capacity keeps him from being consumed by the flame within. His constant pain has made him furious and relentless; only a few of his closest friends are able to staunch or direct his wrath.
3 Canor the Swollen
A man could tire walking around Canor’s colossal trunk, for he is a baobab tree, and not one of the smaller ones. Dozens of creatures house in the hollows of his body; some closed crevices hold only skeletons though, invariably those of civilized interlopers. This tree-man is a competent sorcerer, and has them lured within with his spells and closed the opening behind them.
All kinds of forest creatures come seeking his aid, whether healing or minor charms. Canor wanders the lands without haste, dispensing knowledge and blessings as he goes. The wild elves even have him hold their marriage ceremonies.
4 Nienbrethil the Fair
More akin to a dryad than a tree-herd in form, Nienbrethil is a beauty to behold, bearing vivid flowers in the spring and bountiful sweet fruit in summer. Her attitude is sweet and caring, with a brazen streak to spice things up. Curious and mercurial, she loves to socialize and fool around with forest dwellers and outsiders alike, much to the chagrin of her elders; her tendency to fall in love for a summer is seen as intolerable frivolity, not that she cares. Spirits brewed from her fruit are notorious amongst the fae for their fragrance, potency and vivid dreams they cause.
5 Nahun, the Manifold
Having grown over an ancient burial site, this platanus (sycamore) tree-herd’s psyche has been fractioned by the voices of the unquiet dead. Several personae reside inside his body, and his countenance displays as many half-formed bodies with faces. While he is dangerously unstable and prone to fits of dark brooding and inner turmoil, few can deal with the dead better than he; usually, Nahun is called to calm the restless dead, or contact a deceased relative.
6 Maberia the Swarm-Keeper
An old and wise linden tree, Maberia houses a dozen hives of wild bees in her boughs, feeding them with her nectar and carrying them to the most bountiful meadows. In return, the bees, which grow to astonishing size, protect her and provide her with plentiful honey. The tree-herd uses it to brew many wonderful potions and remedies, storing them in pumpkins and acorns, or in geodes. Her brew against the common cold is the best, trust me.
7 Trondor the Elder
Ages have passed since Trondor was a sapling; besides the elder dragons, he may be the oldest creature alive. A sequoia of titanic proportions, his tallest branches reach some four hundred and fifty feet high, and his trunk is like a pillar between the earth and the heavens. With his magic, he can animate whole swathes of forest, weave illusions that cover miles, and command the weather or cause earthquakes. Nowadays, he spends most of his time rooted in one spot, contemplating the meaning of existence and the destiny of the world; only rarely he awakens, to commune with great thinkers, even gods, who come to visit him from far and wide, or to deal with a pressing emergency no-one else can master.
8 Tannar of the Glade
A gamekeeper of the forest, Tannar feels responsible for the plethora of wild beasts inhabiting his forest, especially tall game. With his chestnuts he feeds them in fall to fatten them up for winter; with his branches he strangles hunters, or even beasts which he deems detrimental to natures balance, such as rabid predators, or old, malevolent stags with receding antlers.
While he has no active sorcery, his nuts are especially nutritious, and grass around him grows tall and wholesome.
9 Cauoni the Tender Blossom
Shy and innocent, Cauoni is one of the youngest treants in the forest, a slender cherry tree, fragrant and pink in the spring, with wonderfully sweet and dark cherries in summer. Most other tree-herds protect and patronize her, while other forest dwellers welcome the youthful and amusingly gullible tree-girl amongst them.
Her fruit cures a broken heart (though she would blush if she could when the bees frolic in her blossoms) and lets one forget many an unpleasant memory, while the scent of Cauoni’s blossoms incites love and passion in all but the most barren souls.
10 Fianna and Eleanor
It is said that the worst pain a being can suffer is that of a dryad when her tree is slain. So it happened to Eleanor, yet before she could die, a tree-herd stumbled across her, and welcomed her within. It was Fianna, a humble beech tree, one of the many hard-working treants that few actually notice.
Their coexistence has changed both profoundly Eleanor has learned to plan, ponder and analyze, while Fianna was infused with passion, but also the dryads resentment of mankind. Together, they stalk around human settlements, waylaying lumberjacks and luring away their women with magic and guile, to capture them and bind them much like dryads to the forest’s trees.
11 Albacaris, the Recluse
Paranoid to the core, this treeman resides at the center of the most tangled and overgrown forest one can imagine, crafting further thickets and briar growths with his spells every day. As an acacia tree, he is thorny himself in body and spirit, and tolerates little to no company, rather building cunning traps and impaling trespassers on poles as a warning.
His part of the woods is home to few large animals, but birds, small mammals and insects thrive in this hard-to-reach locale.
12 Gormunu, the Exile
Cast out of the forest for a violent disagreement with his elder, this tree-herd was banished forever, yet did not stop loving his home. Deciding to aid the forest from the outside, he lives amongst men, his colossal bulk resembling a Montezuma cypress lending itself to the art of war readily. Clad in armored plates and wielding a stone hammer of titanic proportions, he works as a mercenary, commanding a pay proportional to his might. All the money he earns goes to Menethil, an elven friend of his, who uses it to buy land around and under his home, to ensure its safety.
13 Corrach, the Mentor
A stout maple treeman, Corrach teaches young elves and fey sports and the arts of war, his coarse barking voice echoing far. A frighteningly energetic and swift treeman he is, chasing his recruits through difficult terrain, and pointing out all their flaws with merciless and cutting wit. As one of the most active treemen in the forest, it is him who is watching out for threats, and rouses his more contemplative, drowsy brethren in times of danger.
Towards the ladies, he is courteous, and will tempt them to stay with sweets made from his sap.
14 Aduma, the Stealthy
To some guardians of the forest, humans are only worth as fertilizer. Dwelling in a wet forest, Aduma, an alder treeman, is certainly of that opinion, catching the intrepid monkeys with his sticky sap, luring them into bogs, slaying their horses and stealing their food. Amongst his favorite tricks is coating a piece of a protruding rock with his glue, and having a faerie enchant it to look like something valuable, and then killing the helpless fool who gets his hands stuck to it; he has also laid out several forest trials ending in deadfalls and quicksand. Once his prey is dead, he buries it and plants saplings atop it.
15 Huapara, the Comedian
While most tree-herders are sober-minded and serious, this rubber tree is up to no good! With jokes bordering on the cruel, Huapara has created most of the legends about malevolent spirits of the woods in the locales around his home. In a wizard’s lost crystal ball, he spies upon the victims of his pranks, chuckling with glee. Placing wasp nests in sleeping bags, spicing up springs with hallucinogenic fungus extracts and bursting forth from a pool to scare the bathing ladies is his league of humor.
When in a mellow mood, he can make excellent bouncy and squishy toys, or glossy but impractical clothes.
16 Kivani, the Relentless
A staunch defender of the woods, this tree-herder resembles a Paulownia tree, beau and swift. In serene times, he is a bard, waking the wilds early in the spring with tale and song; when danger draws near, he is at the forefront of battle, inspiring courage in his peers. A dozen times has he fallen already to axe or flame, but every spring the forest sees him again, as vigorous as before.
17 Eumnemnon the Serene
The elven court hosts many emissaries, amongst them Eumemnon, a wise old cedar tree. With his calm smooth manner, refined wit, vast knowledge and excessive network of contacts, he is the voice of reason when the spirits of the other delegates, especially the fey, run wild.
Rooted in the gardens, he houses many a meeting under his boughs, his protective spells warding away prying and scrying eyes.
18 Mounhom of the Lake
An ancient willow at the lakeshore may offer abundant shade, yet few decide to rest in his, for Mounhom exudes his will to be left alone. A fishing rod in hand, he will root by the waters, throwing back what he catches, sometimes tossing it to a roaming wildcat or bird instead.
Once, he was the guardian tree of a fishing village, yet as it became a harbor, he was abhorred at how many trees were slain for the construction of ships, and left. Nowadays, he just wishes to forget.
19 Almo, the Legion
Many walking trees wander the Mirror Woods, yet only one tree-herd calls it home. Almo is a quaking aspen, and his roots have permeated the wood’s entire expanse, forming doubles of him.
When Almo speaks, each of his bodies close to the listener will say a part of what he wishes to confer; when he assaults an interloper, his bodies will approach from several sides, striking in unison. Nothing what one of him perceives escapes the rest, and the loss of one body but angers him.
Angered, Almo is lethal; usually though, he is more than content to scare a trespasser witless.
20 Berengar the Vain
A vain treeman is hard to imagine, but here you have him. Being a tall handsome spruce had probably something to do with it; older tree-herders claim his air-headedness is caused by the distance of his head from his roots.
Berengar will have squirrels clean his branches, snap off twigs detracting from his appearance, and embed pretty stones in his bark. Confident in his irresistibility, he will pose in breathtaking locales and make passes at all the female treefolk, dryads and pretty foreigners alike.
A redeeming feature of his is his artistic talent: he has carved dozens of rocks into the likeness of his objects of admiration.
21 Bilefroth the Rotten
What kind of tree he once was, none can tell, for only a blackened stump overgrown with poison ivy and briars remains, his arms twisted, a dozen eyes dimly glowing in the cracks of his bark.
Slain by a spell of death along with his forest, Bilefroth did not abandon his charge, and guards nowadays a landscape of twisted trees, venomous weeds and bleached bones, tending to his repulsive garden with astonishing dedication. His mind damaged by the ordeal, what the treeman perceives is far removed from reality; with ferocity will he defend his fetid demesne, drowning strangers in toxic pools, feeding them to carnivorous plants, or holding them down until the cursed land changes them, and they stay forever.
22 Jundori the Celebrant
A pudgy juniper treant, Jundori is a merry foul-mouthed fellow, delighting in his role as a forest guardian; he takes it as an excuse to dispense wisdom and unsolicited advice, poke his nose into things and crash every party.
With his roots in various brews, he loves to let the beast out. Spirits, wines and beer of his own make are known far and wide.
While many deem him a big-mouthed drunk, Jundori is always willing to help and stand up for the weak; he is not to be underestimated in a fight, for he is tenacious, and no trick is too low for him.
23 Moomdunoo the Sleepy
Placed to be the guardian of woods surrounding the ruins of an ancient elven city, the stout kauri treeman would be the perfect man for the job, with his mighty arms and thick bark, if not for his drowsy day-dreaming attitude.
Dozing while interlopers raid the ruins, Moomdunoo has drawn the ire of his elders. Desperately, he tries to live up to the expectations, for his father would be ashamed grievously if the young treant were demoted, to protect some unimportant grove or forgotten rock.
24 - Valoren, the Keeper of Records
A stone face with narrow ledges, protected by an overhanging slab, is the workplace of this redcedar treeman. Meticulously, he carves the history of the forest elves into the rock, keeping track of great deeds, marriages, and turns of fate. In a cave in the higher reaches of the cliff, he keeps tomes of vellum and parchment, where many a secret and great thought is penned.
Valoren himself is ancient; if not for his records, he would not remember how old he is. Of unshakeable health, he will let nothing come between him and his duties.
25 - Myella, the Amazon
This young birch is as militant as tree-herders get, constantly urging her fellows towards warfare with those smelly monkeys. She and her band of like-minded trees are responsible for several daring ambushes and even the razing of a few settlements; the more level-headed treants fear that retribution is to come, upon all of them.
26 Thumo the Hollow
Once an epiphyte carried by an older treant, nowadays Thumo carries someone else in turn. The stocky banyan tree is the home, caretaker and transport for Magamo, the aged elder druid of the Greenshroud Wood.
Providing for the old man has taught him humility and responsibility, and he listens to every one of the sages words carefully, to learn as much as he can. One day, Thumo will make a fine sage.
27 Basidus, a honorary treeman
Obviously, treemen are supposed to be trees. When the tree elders ran across Basidus, a fungus man some thirty feet in height, they were baffled, more so due to him already fulfilling the duties of a tree-herder in his part of the forest. After a long trial period, he has earned the full responsibilities and privileges of a true forest guardian.
Well-versed in the lore of potions and brews, Basidus is also a capable dream-walker, scouring the ephemeral realms for knowledge and portents of events to come.
Outwardly, he resembles a king bolete mushroom, yet many different toadstools sprout from his body; he freely uses those to induce many wondrous effects, or blasts enemies with their spores to confuse and befuddle them.
28 Ondu the Unkept
Time has taken its toll on this treant; his trunk is covered in ivy and his branches are home to holly and many fungi. Under the weight of memories, the shelves in the library of his mind have collapsed, leaving him confused. The wizened Persian ironwood can no longer care of himself, nor follow his duties. Another has replaced him in his position, not that the old tree has noticed.
Out of respect, the forest dwellers help Ondu through the day, saddened by the decline of someone once so great. He can still bestow a secret or two though if one can make him remember it.
Soon, the treeman will be but another old, bent piece of scenery, asleep forever.
29 Swandar, the Renegade
Before him, a treeman possessing fire magic was unheard of. Gifted with a keen mind and great drive, the handsome mahogany tree thought himself suitable for a position that only comes with wisdom and age, forgetting that the main purpose of the tree-herder is to serve. Immolating an elder in his anger, he had to flee to the highlands, where he plots his return, assembling outcasts and savages around him, promising bounty if they do his bidding, and a swift death by fire if they do not.
30 Avella the Cunning
Small and slender, Avella does not inspire the kind of awe most tree-herders do. Her unusual gift is the ability to speak to anything alive; this combined with the abundant nuts (especially hazelnuts) found in her branches has earned her the loyalty of many a forest creature. With her network of squirrel spies, she keeps tabs on everything that moves in the forest; armed with this knowledge, she knows where to intervene and how. Some of the less-than-perfect forest denizens dread Avella’s visits, for she rarely leaves without sending the culprit on a guilt trip.
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Funeral Gold and Grave Silver
By: Scrasamax
( Items ) Jewelry -
Cursed Untold years, laying in the deep
Sheltered in the sepulchre earth
Borne by the dead who never speak
Funeral Gold and Grave Silver
Beware the gift
Beware the giver
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Full Item Description
Assorted gold and silver jewelry with necklaces and rings being the most common, since it is pretty easy to lose one earring and they should be had in pairs.
History
It is customary in almost every society for the bodies of the dead to be laid to rest with some sort of offering. while some may take it to the extreme, with massive temple-tombs and hosts of ritually sacrificed slaves to the austere bundle of flowers laid on a stone cairn. Coins my be laid over eyes as passage to the blessed afterlife, while in other cultures the dead are decked out in their finest clothes and their finest, non-heirloom jewelry. Rings adorn cold fingers and lockets are placed between still breasts. All of this is done with respect and reverence, with love and remorse.
Then some a-hole with a sword and a torch comes along and muchs things up. Snatching the jewels and breaking brittle dry fingers to steal rings.This ranges from honest to goodness graverobbery to inconsiderate looting by PCs.
I hack the zombie and take the gold and XP.
Except that the gold was the zombie’s wedding band worn for a decade after his wife died. Tch tch tch. Bad form.
Magic/Cursed Properties
While the anger and rage of the dead is powerful, if it was as powerful as cursed and haunted items demonstrate the living would cower in fear of the wrath of the dead. It takes a massive amount of ego on the part of the deceased, and a massive amount of desecration on the part of the living to create the powerful relics of undeath. These are the less powerful, or possibly the least powerful and the most common.
The grave goods of the dead carry with them the ill will and malice of the desecrated. The gold coins carry a stigma. The bearer might be more likely to get mugged violently, or may find himself or herself coming down with mild but constantly irritating illness. Dreams could be made unpleasant or into sweaty nightmares, depending on the callousness of the acts involved. (Degree of desecration)
Last but not least, the who are privvy to the worlds of the dead, such as funeral priests, necromancers and such will recognize cursed grave goods as such. A nosy priest could certainly cause a PC party some trouble if they are turned into the authority as grave robbers.
Plot Hooks
Temptation of the Gold - The PCs are given a basic morality test and have to deal with the consequences. They are offered a chance to loot a nice tomb, laiden with several valuable pieces of silver and gold. Certainly enough to buy up to the next character level, purchase magic item X, or whatever else their munchkin dreams desire. Their gains demonstrate themselves to be ill-gotten, and the PCs are afflicted by bad luck.
Thieves! Thieves! - After a tough battle with some undead, the PCs are accosted by locals who want to know why the PCs have some of the treasure that was buried with poor insert famous local dead guy. They will demand that the PCs return what they have stolen, or else.
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Ironbones
By: Spark
( Lifeforms ) Constructed -
Underground Skeletons are weak. The armies of darkness made them into something much more suitable.
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“And upon the city walls fell a terrible scratching and clanking, and the city folk were afraid, for they knew what awaited on the other side. Iron, and bone.”
- Excerpt translated from “The Army of the Night” - Dagon Heironos, 1432 First Age
Let’s face it - skeletons are weak. Puny little shambles of scraping bones that crack under hammers, snap under swords, and crumble under magic. Yet they are popular with necromancers for the reason that they are so common in crypts and graves, as they are the part of the body that takes the longest time to decompose. 99% of skeletons encountered will be animated by a necromancer rather than intelligent undead, as any lich so old as to consist of naught but bones will not be throwing himself into the paths of swords so readily.
At the end of the age of Founding, the armies of darkness gathered their forces, of men and dark beasts, in what would be a prelude to the Mage Wars that would soon shake the lands. Many among them, drawn to the Dark Gods’ call, gained the talent, or curse of being able to make bones walk. Yet while before them lay hosts of crypts, graves, and battlefields to be raided for bodies, most survived in the form of crumbling skeletons. It was up to the Hands of Darkness to forge these moldering bones into a tool that would strike fear into the hearts of their enemies. It is fair to say that they were quite a success.
An ironbones is a fearsome opponent indeed, almost as frightening to behold as it is to confront. It has the form of a human skeleton, which it was made from, but rather than showing dry bones, it gleams with the dark luster of burnished metal. As it walks, the sharp sound of metal on stone can be heard, as can a faint metallic scraping, as its metal limbs grind against one another.
Ironbones are in essence skeletons that have been animated and covered in a dark alloy of steel that has been magically bonded to the bones. This steel covers their entire bodies, from their skulls to their feet, and is about as thick as a quarter. This plating has also been used for offensive capabilities, turning finger bones into knife-sharp metal blades, and crumbling jaws into dagger-filled maws. Ironbones also are much stronger and faster than the average skeleton, as they were created by the finest and most powerful of the army’s magi.
Following the end of the Mage Wars, many of the Ironbones were either destroyed completely or imprisoned in caverns with no escape. Those remaining dwell mostly in caverns and ruins, protecting the lairs of their old masters, or even retaining a bit of their master’s will, and seeking to hunt down good characters and creatures.
Ironbones are divided into four classes - Swords, Fists, Claws, and Hoods. Pack up on potions before facing these guys!
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The Empty Children
By: Ria Hawk
( Lifeforms ) Constructed -
Any "Such well behaved children… never a word out of them and they do just as they’re told. They seem so pale though, I wonder if they’re sick…"
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The Empty Children seem to be ordinary children, somewhere between the ages of four and nine. At first glance, the only odd thing about them is their incredible paleness. However, after spending a little time around them, one begins to notice other slightly unnerving aspects about them.
They never speak, and their complete obedience is odd enough for anyone of their age to excite comment. They do not play, either amongst themselves or with other children, unless they are asked or told to do so by someone else. When they *do* play, they do so very badly, as if they do not know how.
They are very cold to the touch, and if they get hurt, they don’t seem to notice it. If they recieve a cut or something similar, they do not bleed.
The Empty Children are an experimental form of undead created by the necromancer Edrea Solon. She created them from children she killed at her orphanage. She has developed a way to keep the bodies preserved in a state relatively close to life and does not interfere with necromantic magics, and makes judicious use of it. (It makes it so much easier to hide them when they don’t look undead, and they don’t drip all over the floor.)
Empty Children primarily find use as spies, saboteurs, thieves, and assassins, since no one would ever suspect a child of such things. Edrea does a profitable (but by no means steady) business supplying some of her associates with Empty Children specifically for this purpose. There are, however, a few unscrupulous or terribly unbalanced wealthy people who somehow come to Edrea’s notice; through convoluted channels, she provides them with "perfect children" to bolster their image or "returns" beloved children who died.
Additional Information
Empty Children will follow any order or request completely and without hesitation. They are intelligent, but lack any sort of free will. They can and do find the best way to carry out their current orders, but they will do as they’re told. They are unable to speak, but can be taught to read and write, which is how information is passed from an Empty Child to their master.
The only sound Empty Children are capable of making is a sort of heart-wrenching wordless crying. They do not do so unless ordered to- for example, an Empty Child used as a spy will often be ordered to cry if detained; very few people can stand up to such an assault. However, if any one is paying close attention to a crying Empty Child, they will notice there are no tears. This is the most effective form of self-defense the Empty Children.
They feel no pain; actually they barely feel any sensation at all. It is unknown if they feel emotions, but those who use them don’t tend to care about that. Edrea certainly doesn’t. Since they are undead, they don’t bleed. They are no stronger than normal children, but very hard to destroy.
The process to make an Empty Child can only be done with a relatively fresh and intact corpse (the preservation takes care of that), and the necromancer must be able to bind a soul to it (not necessarily the one that belonged to the body) to make it intelligent. Only Edrea currently knows the secret of creating them, and is still refining the process. For some reason, she’s only managed to create Empty Children; attempts to use the same process with adults have not ended well.
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The Sword of Fear
By: Cheka Man
( Items ) Melee Weapons -
Combat This weapon is a fine basket-hilted broadsword, with a long sharp iron blade and an aura of power about it that can be sensed faintly by everybody. Those who pick it up for the first time feel safer with the sword in their hand then without it.A large purple amythest jewel is set in the sword’s basket hilt. The user senses that if they press the emerald, others will become scared of them…
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The sword has a brass hilt and a long iron blade. There is a beautiful green emerald in the hilt that when pressed activates a spell that makes attackers scared of the one who holds the sword.How scared they are depends on what the attackers are, how many they are and why they attacked the sword’s owner in the first place.
So for example…
A dog that attacks will run away yelping. A would be mugger on his or her own would run as well. A gang of theives would not run away but would back off and give the sword’s owner a chance of escape.
Should there be a good reason for the attack eg City Guards trying to arrest someone the spell will not work as well as it otherwise would. The more dangerous the attack eg a Greater Demon or Dragon, the weaker the spell will be, although it will allways have a slight effect, if only for a few seconds.
Those who use this weapon more then once will start to become cowardly. Long term use will in the end reduce the user to a quivering coward scared of almost everyone and everything, even harmless creatures like baby rabbits, and the luckless user will end up living alone in a cave.
It was made for King Coloman of the smallish kingdom of Colomansland. Colomansland was not a very impressive kingdom in size, and it’s people knew that the bigger kingdoms around them would try and swallow them up. It had the advantage of being within a range of mountians which meant that access was through a couple of easily defended mountian passes.
Now King Coloman had a secret-he was a dreadful coward in battle and asked the noted sorceror Rhiengold to invent a magical weapon that would make others scared to fight him . The king knew that a cowardly monarch would soon be deposed by the Senate of the Kingdom.
The first time the King used his new sword it worked perfectly, the people who he charged at fled from his swinging blade which helped to win the battle for him and expand his very small kingdom from 40 miles across to 100 miles across in all directions.
As he continued to use it the magic bounced back upon him and his nearby Royal Guards, and it got to the point where he lost two battles in quick succession and was forced to flee from his kingdom after his Senate deposed him. Realizing the sword was causing the fear that he was suffering from, he left the sword outside the borders of his former kingdom, so that the enimies of the kingdom would suffer the same problems that he had suffered.
After a few weeks the sword was sold on the open market, with it’s true magical powers hidden. Whoever has brought it has either sold it or dumped it within a few months, or have kept it until the owner has died from starvation and thirst, through being too scared to look for food and water.
Magical Properties:
This weapon has a Fear Spell cast upon it that is triggered by pressing a jewel in the hilt. The first time the spell is used it has no affect on the weapon’s owner. Subsequent use will cause a boomarang effect on the owner that grows greater each time the spell is cast.The more scared the owner of the sword is, the more he or she will be tempted to cast the spell, causing a circle of fear causing more fear.Although not Cursed as such, the weapon is unintentionly cursed.
Should the jewel be pulled from the sword and crushed underfoot the magic will vanish.Should the jewel be left in the street, the result will be a jewel that casts a Fear Spell on anything or anyone that picks it up, until it is dropped again, in which case the Fear Spell fades away five minites later.
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Urn Beast
By: Cheka Man
( Lifeforms ) Ethereal -
City/ Ruin Several arson attacks, and two deaths later, as the Mayor retreated from the ashy figure before him and his curtains went up in flame, he decided that burning the Bishop had been a very bad idea.
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Full Description
There are some people in the world who’s strong religious beliefs or fear of fire in life, have caused them to abhore cremation for themselves after death. Normally when they die they are buried by their grieving family, but in a few cases they end up on a funeral pyre. It may be because they have died in a country where burial is illegal,unheard of, or very expensive due to a shortage of land, or because someone wants to get back at them.
If the person had a fear of cremation that was strong enough, the spirit is so angry that it cannot pass on into the next world and possesses it’s ashes and burnt bones. Such a spirit will rise a night after the pyre and look for revenge on those who burnt it’s body, typicly by setting their houses on fire by night and watching them burn alive.
If the spirit finds itself trapped in an urn when it rises, it’s anger will be incandesent and should it ever escape it will attack the first person it sees.
Additional Information
The Urn Beasts are so called because of their terrible tempers. Should it’s Urn be smashed, an Urn Beast will rise in what looks like an ashy humanoid shape with claws of burnt bone.It cannot hold this shape for long, and swiftly falls into a cloud of dust and bone,shaped very much like a Willow the Wisp. The claws can do minor damage by scratching, and a touch from the spirit can cause burns, which can get infected, not to mention setting cloth on fire, but their most dangerous attack is to try and attack the mouth.
Should any part of the ashes get into a living person’s mouth, that person, unless his or her spirit is very strong, will be possessed by the Beast. There are only three ways to extract it-first, by killing the host body.
Secondly, by powerful magic-of the level that most well-rounded PC’s do not have. Thirdly, by providing a dead human body that has not yet rotted. The Beast will transfer itself to the dead body, which should be buried and a prayer said. The Beast will then transfer itself to the afterlife peacefully, leaving the body to rot away.
If a person is possessed for more then three days, then the Beast can only be removed by the death of it’s host, as it will have consumed the soul of the possessed one utterly. People possessed by the Beast do not go crazy and slaughter people-indeed they only normally fight to defend themselves, as the Beast considers itself human again. It will have no dislike for the PC’s but will want to live it’s life that it lived before death and will have no intrest in any adventures.
Cremating a body or even burning someone alive will only create an Urn Beast if said person truely did have a horror of their body ending up as ashes after death. It may be that one or more of these is used as a booby trap in a tomb of some great noble. There are people who confuse these spirits with the far more deadly Aspergoi, which can burn a person alive just by getting close to them.
It is also possible for the ill informed to mistake an Aspergoi for an Urn Beast…with painful and fatal results.
Plot Hooks-An old graveyard has been dug up by the Royal Recoverers and the bones burnt.Since then there have been a spart of arson attacks and the PCs must find out why.
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New Submissions
October 20, 2012, 12:28
October 20, 2012, 23:42
Given some time and motivation, I might add a few to this later.
October 23, 2012, 10:17
If you can't describe some item with a single paragraph, it probably should not be a 30. If you follow the above to its conclusion without about 3 paragraphs per entry, you have 100 paragraphs and a sub many people would gloss over. Right now at 1/3 done you have nearly 5000 words.
That said, the entries provided are quite good. I just don't think this is how 30's should be.
October 25, 2012, 12:23