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Lifeforms
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Water

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ID:5579
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Rating:4.25
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Submitted:
February 5, 2009, 12:45 pm
Updated:
February 5, 2009, 12:45 pm





Kazimiera
By: Scrasamax

She rose from the waters and cast her eyes across us. I dropped my spear, and the man who was moments before intent on my death did the same, letting his sword and shield fall to the sand at our feet. Let it not be said that the gods do not care for the deeds of men, nay they do care. And in our bloody case, they dissapproved.

Man. I have watched him. He is peculiar among the landed kith. His hands and feet are small, his body is weak and frail, but he perseveres. He rises up, and makes tools, and magic, and great things. He is also heartless, he destroys his enemies, he destroys his own kind, and his small hands are wet with blood. But man knows in his heart his flaw, and he seeks guidance. He prays to the stars and they do not listen. He speaks to the rocks and the stones and the trees and into the pits of flame and they do not answer. But he speaks to the sea, he speaks to the oceans and the waves and her waters. And I answer.

Appearance
Kazimiera is a graceful water serpent nearly 400 feet from the tip of her tail to the end of her nose. The little god of the water’s body is long and thin almost whiplike in construction. Her scales are small, each no larger than a pinky fingernail. Tightly packed together, they produce an impressive armor hide that even a dragon would be hard pressed to penetrate. The most striking features of Kazimiera are the serpent’s luminous eyes and the long gossamer fins that trail from the crest of her head, the ridge of her back and fan out from the end of her tail. These structures catch sunlight, casting it about in warmly hued colors of reds, blues, and soft greens.

"It’s a serpent now, but a few minutes ago it was a fish you addle-pated bilge-dog. Make up your mind." The old sailor scowled and threw his mug against the wall. "Listen to me, you sons of whores and sea-jackals, she be both, she be a serpent, with a long tail and a long neck, and no legs, but she be a fish too. She belongs all to the sea, and the sea will never give her up, he keeps her and we are blessed three times in life to lay eyes on her."

Additional Information
Kazimiera, or the Kazimiera, is a fish of tremendous size, intelligence, and divine grace. While capable of limited amphibious movement, out of the water she has all the grace one would expect of a giant fish. In the water, she is strong and fast as a bolt of lightning or a hungry barracuda striking. As a living avatar and extension of the Oceans and the Seas, the Kazimiera represents the peaceful aspects of the water. She is the ocean mother that provides food for the hungry, and the patron of sheltered harbors that protect ships from storms.

As a divine beast, she has some impressive capabilities. The most obvious are the ability to communicate telepathically with intelligent creatures and humanoids. Her divine powers extend to calming foul weather, easing rough seas and commanding water as would be expected of a marine diety. She is also able to heal any wound, negate any poison, and remove any curse or disease known.

The Cults of Kazimiera
Kazimiera has a number of small coastal cults. These are focused mostly around sailors, fishermen, and other people who make their living on the bounty and the whim of the ocean. Her shrines are outdoor open affairs within sight of the ocean, and they are not tended by any sort of formal clergy. Instead, a sense of duty and honor motivates certain members of the cult to ‘take care of things’ for a while until someone else takes over. This isn’t a divine intervention, but rather just goodness showing through. Most of the cults recognize each other by having hand carved wooden or sea ivory medallions that depict the goddess circling around herself in a oroboros style spiral. The cult have no formal paladins, clerics or any other organized arms.

Relics of the Kazimiera
Peace Scale - One of the serpent’s blessed scales, this relic is a talisman against illness, injury, misfortune and sickness. Should the bearer suffer a serious injury or infection, the scale will crumble to fine dust and the affliction is blown away on the wind with the powder.

Kazimiera’s Tears - rare deep ocean pearls, these precious stones are gifts from the goddess to those who are gracious souls in need of them. Each tear is unique, most are a pink pearlescent color and have irregular shapes. Rather than being random, these odd shapes look more like polished sculptures and often cause others to have insights or inspirations.

Sacred Blood - almost like seawater in consistance and color, the blood of the Kazimiera is a very rare commodity. A necromancer can use this material to bring a corpse back from the dead. The dead returned to life is not the previous occupant, but a random, likely malicious soul, inserted into the corpse. These sea-born dead are thankfully rare as few things are knavish and cruel enough to draw the blood of the Kazimiera.

There was a deafening roar, and the sea heaved itself hard against the cliff. The folk of the village cowered in fear under the sound. There were more roars and the winds were stirred and the ground shook. Out in the bay two titans clashed. The dragon whirled about, it’s foreli,b dangling broken in the air. The Kazimiera bellowed defiantly from the waves, taunting the beast to come lower.

Plot Hooks
A Beast of Compassion and Temperance - War is a constant event in most settings, and most beasts and monsters are stair-steps on an escalating scale of ever larger and more dangerous monsters. The Kazimiera is indeed a massive beast, but it exists not for violence, but to end it. The PCs, likely on a long and bloody rampage that has slain behemoths, dragons, and the like come face to face with a monster that challenges them not with fang and claw, spell and fiery breath, but with purity, and the weight of their own consciences.

And then I felt sorry for it, sorry for killing a dragon - excerpt, The Last Unicorn

An Unexpected Rescue - Shipwrecks are common, the PCs might be lucky enough to be among the survivors of a bad wreck rescued by the Kazimiera. Deposited on an island, the beast seems to have brought them there for a reason, but what can it be?



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Comments ( 5 )
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Voted Moonlake

2009-02-05 06:59 PM
Link: [5579#69954|text]
0xp
Good descriptives, solid plot hooks.
I especially like the italic parts.
 
Scrasamax

2009-02-06 12:19 AM
0xp
The parts in italics are what I refer to as Fluff Text. Sometimes it is easier to show than to simply tell, and fluff text works great for that. It can provide insight into an NPC, color background for a setting, org or plot, and glimpses into the background of an item. I recomment it.
Voted manfred

2009-02-07 05:38 PM
Link: [5579#69997|text]
0xp
Like the stuff in italics as well. An avatar worth using.
Voted Cheka Man

2009-02-07 08:25 PM
Link: [5579#70003|text]
0xp
I like it, a friendly creature, and I like the blood aspect too.
Voted valadaar

2009-02-13 11:22 AM
Link: [5579#70089|text]
0xp
An excellent little god - nicely crafted.

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