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Full Description
When the Knights of Rightous Victory had rescued the Lady Eschiva and were becoming a proper Order in their own right within the area of Kerak, one of their early symbols was a winged skull, and their leader had the good at the time idea of trying to use magic to animate one of these things to use as a golem in battle. One of the first of the Order’s necromancers animated one from the leader’s jacket, but unknown to him he had made the major mistake of forgetting to ask the leader to remove his labrador-fur eppulettes.
The resulting creature was fearsome to look upon, a human skull with glowing red eyes, long sharp fangs and a two foot wing span, and was friendly enough to the Knights. The problem from their point of view was that it was also friendly or neutral to everybody else, and would shy away from battle rather then fight, so they chased it away and in fact, changed their symbol to a spiral.
Since them it has survived by scavanging whatever it can find-worms, fungus, dead meat, dead and rotting meat, rubbish. When it meets skulls, which are normally those of slaughtered cattle, it tries to mate with them without success. It has become wary of humans because of ill treatment, and would much prefer to flee rather then fight.
If cornered and attacked, it’s teeth will inflict nasty wounds that will get infected and it has a poisoned barb within it’s mouth that can totally paralyse a person for five minites-after that time it can take up to an hour for he or she to get full mobilty back. It has no desire to kill however, and has to be provoked before it will attack.
It has a nest in the tree where it lives filled with often valueless treasures that it has found or stolen-like the magpie and the bower bird it loves shiny objects, and has pieces of glass, stones, brightly coloured feathers, coins, stolen jewelry, ect.
Additional Information
The Insignia Golem is desperatly lonely and longs for somebody to show it kindness. Should the PCs give it fresh food and try and be nice to it, then it will start to trust them and if treated well enough will join the PCs and alert them of ambushes with a birdlike noise that it can make with it’s barb, and indeed will defend the PCs if the circumstances are dire enough,although it will not kill for them.Once tamed it would be as loyal as a well-treated dog.
Plot Hooks-The Golem has stolen a McGuffin that the PCs must get within a certain time.
January 12, 2007, 21:03
January 12, 2007, 21:12
--Maybe a little more on how it was created.
--A little more on the creature's nature, perhaps
--A bit more on how it and the knights interacted before the big brush off.
--do they actually wear "jackets"? ;)
You know, this has potential. The concept is good. A symbol of a knighthood, animated as a winged, flying, biting skull. I like it! Reminds me of a Vargouille a bit! Certainly better than a "spiral"! What were they thinking?!
:D
Work on it a bit more Cheka. Play around with some possible twists and turns.
January 12, 2007, 22:20
January 13, 2007, 15:28
- what if, at it's creation it was so wild that it lashed out at its creator, who then hastily cast some magic that should make it obedient and friendly? Unfortunately, the effect stuck and is permanent. The knights, who are not random psychos, may have found it neat at first, but eventually grew too annoyed with this, let's face it, disturbing creature. Undead minions may be good for the battlefield, but not to keep in your household, where it would be inevitably running after children and anyone of interest, likely scaring them terribly.
- you have never addressed the creature's intelligence level. From its behaviour, I take it it's an animal, possibly a smart animal even, but not more. There are useful details about its diet, also a neat bit about the attempts to mate - both inducing an atmosphere of sadness, nicely done that.
- you could add a local legend about the terrible monster that lives in these part, just for colour
Oh, and do link the Order here!
June 14, 2008, 12:37