Nosoi

The Nosoi is the most basic of the psychopomps, and it's definitely friend-shaped—assuming you aren't afraid of birds. This little bird with a plague mask is a great introductory creature to the world of souls.

As I have suggested with some of the other psychopomps, I recommend taking time to decide what happens with souls in your campaign, assuming you're running your own world. Teaming up with a nosoi who's been assigned something a bit too big for their tiny britches would be great. If you're like me, you might have an easier time roleplaying a non-human creature like this one, as human conventions don't fully apply here.

If you're going to use low-level undead, why not toss a nosoi in to add some stakes to an otherwise mundane combat? Zombies trying to swat a bird out of the air or skeletal miners working for a remote necromancer using a nosoi in a birdcage as a literal canary in a soulmine (hah, canary in a coalmine, get it?) are just two examples of how you can make your low-level encounters more interesting. I'm sure you can come up with something, I believe in you!

- TJ

Hook 1 (Max) - The Rules Are the Rules

Well, you died. Unfortunate. Looks like your companions can't bring you back. As you float through the void of non-existence, you hear a loud caw. You turn and see a black raven wearing a leather mask posted atop a branch of a withered tree.

"What's this? Another lost soul, I see? Caw." The beak reaches under its feather, as the creature pulls out a stack of papers, then starts rifling through them. "Bones, I don't think these are yours, caw. You look too, too young indeed. Caw." Another set of documents, then another. The bird-thing nuzzles its feathers in what seems to be confusion. "It appears we might have an issue, caw." What issue can an immortal bird have?

"Looks like someone misplaced your documents, caw. I can't let you through."

Hook 2 (TJ) - Gravekeeper

Gustav didn't mind being alone. He wasn't truly alone, especially after a recent burial. There were the worms digging through the fresh dirt, the beetles that came to investigate the recent commotion, the birds that came to make meals of the aforementioned, and, of course, the spirit of the recently departed. Gustav always thought that he could feel them, at least for a while. After a burial, he'd prepare an extra place setting at each meal as his own kind of reverence, whether he knew the deceased or not. After a meal, he took time to sit and enjoy the quiet: both the natural quiet and the quiet of being deaf. It never really bothered him. Those who came to bury the dead complained of the birdsong and some odd quality to it, though it didn't bother Gustav. Nothing really did. When the time came and Gustav got the sense that the deceased had passed on, the birds seemed to have the same idea and moved along themselves. When that time came, he'd be alone again. But he wasn't truly alone, not really.

Hook 3 (Nemanja) - The Thirteenth Day

A white necromancer by the name of Arangelo became a gravedigger in the small village of Thistlebrook following his retirement from his adventuring days. With him also came his gregarious nosoi, Besmrtnik. Most of the time, Besmrtnik was hard at work helping the old sage in his work—except on the thirteenth day. It was a well-known rule that the Nosoi was never to come close to the body of anyone who died on the thirteenth of any month. As Arangelo was beloved and respected in the village, people knew and respected his rule, and never questioned it.

When the old man passed away in his hundred and first year, working till the very last day, a replacement worker was sent from a nearby town's chapel. Besmtrnik stuck around, though he rarely talked to the man, completing his tasks in a dour and joyless manner. Considering himself to be above superstitions, the new gravedigger ignored the rule about the thirteenth.

Two weeks passed before the young man went missing. Now, a dread dirge can be faintly heard from the graveyard. Those daring to follow the haunting tune will find that Besmrtnik has grown into the form of a massive vulture, and his gentle and funny nature is all but gone...

Nilith

The Nillith is a pretty interesting creature that manages to add new flavour to an old and established concept in TTRPGs: the stalking nightmare.

Several bits set nilliths apart. First, while your initial instinct might be to throw them in the melee, their spell list isn't trivial as it suits their proposed hit-and-run tactics quite well—especially the nasty at-will invisibility.

Second, while they have strong ties to the Astral/Dreaming plane, they are still beings of the mortal realms—this means they must somehow figure in local ecologies. Thirdly, there's the implication that Nilliths are but mere mouthpieces connected to beings beyond most mortals' capacity to fathom...

- Nemanja

Hook 1 (Nemanja) - The Signal of The One

After years of fighting off beings from the Hidden City Of Leng, a wizard has found a way to intercept the connection between a nillith and its mystical master. At first, all went well; the wizard used the accursed being to essentially be in two places at once, using the nillith's body for menial, physical tasks, while delving yet ever deeper into studies of what lies beyond the Veil. Recently, his sanity seems to have slipped. While no blood has been spilled, the nillith has been seen frothing at the mouth and staring at odd-shaped clouds in the dead of night, whereas the wizard has started drawing odd runes on the city walls, claiming to herald the arrival of "The One Who Sees Through Us All". As the madness that took him looms ever closer to an escalation, the wizard's old compatriots are called in to investigate.

Hook 2 (Reece) - The Nilith Number

Nary a knight knows not the night. Nary they nap now or none. Know none of knights that knock or nest upon that nightmare road—none that nab naps near the Knobwood. There knows the knight that the nightmare rests. There knows the knight that no knight might nick the knave, as no knave naps in the knob—only nightmares therein take flight. 

- Bardic song of the Knobwood, said to be haunted by a beast that feeds upon noble knights.

Hook 3 (TJ) - Weary of the Whisperwood

A ring of houses surrounds the town in the middle of The Whisperwood. These houses—though they seem to be abandoned—were never inhabited, and no one shall ever live there. This ring of houses serves as decoys for the foul spirits of the Whisperwood who seek to corrupt the dreams of those who rest close to its borders. In a similar insulatory fashion, the people who call the Whisperwood home do all their business strictly by daylight, leaving plenty of buffer to get home before the sun goes down. When a hunting accident delays the main fighting force of the town, the remaining locals must make a hard decision: brave the woods, or leave them to their demise.

Nightmare

So, the Nightmare. The Bestiary doesn't provide much info on what exactly it is beyond listing it as both a fiend and a beast in addition to saying that it might be used as a steed for evil creatures. It boasts some interesting abilities, like exhaling poisonous smoke and being able to plane shift along with its rider. Even then, I find it a little underwhelming—so let's go on a little bit of a deep dive.

The word itself is a combination of "night" and the Old English "mære," the latter meaning incubus. Its variations appear in other languages, like Swedish, Old Norse, Danish, Norwegian, and even Polish ("mara" meaning a hallucination or a haunting dream,—here's your fun fact of the day). We all are aware of what a nightmare is. A bad, bad dream. It is kind of ironic then that the creature named after it has nothing to do with dreams.

Am I trying to convince you to attack your party in their sleep with a flaming horse? Yes. No, all I'm saying is that you can make the monster a little more interesting.

- Max

Hook 1 (Max) - A Mare So Very Fair

"That horse is evil, I tell you." Both servants look to the black steed that was gifted to their liege by a mysterious woman not so long ago. The animal bears its teeth and glares at them with obvious and uncontained hatred. "Fastest beast I've ever seen, true, but there's something wrong with it, I swear by my mother's grave." The older of the two men spits. "Makes me sick just being near it."

"I hear it killed old man Tanner" the boy exclaims. "Kicked him square in the face it did." A shiver runs down his spine. "Wish the lord would be rid of it, to be honest." The horse lets out a fume through its nostrils as if it can understand.

"Doubt it'll happen, lad." The old man sighs a heavy sigh and takes up his tools. "Well, best get it over with. Keep it still, will you?"

Hook 2 (TJ) - Dreamrider

The past three nights, Hinli dreamt. This was not unusual. She imagined that most nights she dreamt, but somewhere in the bliss of sleep she didn't remember the dreams when she woke up. These dreams, however, she remembered—at least pieces of them. What she did remember of them was not pleasant. Primarily, her recollection of these dreams consisted of one major feature: the thundering of hooves right before she woke up. There was one unmistakable and unsettling fact about these cacophonous hoofbeats. Every night, they got louder.

Hook 3 (Reece) - Cult of the Dreaded Steed

"It galloped through the streets, features alight! The fires! The blood! What wondrous destruction it showed me! I will breathe in the smoke of its essence and await! Behold! The Midnight Steed! The Bringer of Fires! You may delight in his majesty and revere his presence! BE BLESSED BY HIS DREADED RIDE! TASTE OF THE LICKING FLAME AND STAY FAST FOR THE END IS NIGH."

- Collected from the ravings of a beggar two nights before the last sighting. I worry this cult you speak of is gaining more attention than we originally thought.

Night Hag

As discussed previously when we went over the Green Hag, the Night Hag is brimming with narrative possibilities. What sets this sagacious sister from her counterparts is the very straightforward night-themed abilities. Between the hag's very powerful set of occult spells, and the added strangeness that is Dream Haunting, there are quite a few ways you can use a night hag in your game. 

I don't think the opportunity will often be presented, but I think any reason you can conceive of that allows the use of Dream Haunting is a good one—particularly if your players are somewhere where they aren't supposed to be. A hag haunting your dreams as you attempt to get to the heart of an ancient and malevolent forest is both pulpy and fun to play though—lean into these themes as much or as little as needed.

Presenting an opportunity to potentially steal a night hag's heartstone could be a very interesting narrative option as well. Instead of needing to outright kill a night hag, bargaining with the hag from a place of power because you stole her heartstone could provide compelling narrative options as well.

This does bring us to the final narrative theme for the night hag—soul bargaining. Being both thieves and merchants of mortal souls can be a very compelling reason to interact with a night hag without killing her. In the event that you cannot bring back a friend from the other side, a visit to a night hag could yield interesting results and provide vitally useful information...

- Reece

Hook 1 (Max) - Congregation of Dreams

The wife of the late baron now rules his fief with an iron fist. Rumor has it he met her on the road and was immediately enamored with her, marrying her just a few days after their first encounter. Those who've seen her weave great tales of her beauty, unable to forget the sight of her fair countenance.

Unfortunately, it is not just the baroness' tyrannical rule that ails the people—many in the demesne are plagued by nightmares that grow worse and worse by the day, yet the lady refuses to acknowledge anything strange happening—at least until recently. A week or so back, a group of women arrived in the keep, apparently old acquaintances of the lady. They now all sit at the top of the castle's tower performing what they claim is a "sacred ritual to purge the evil from the land."

They no doubt speak the truth.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - The Dreaming Dragon

Caragyoz the Cruel is an ancient dragon that has made a name for himself over several realms of existence—he is widely considered to be the finest procurer and merchant of souls in the multiverse. It just so happens that, shortly before going for his bimillennial hundred-year nap, the dragon procured the soul of a Paladin's father, unjustly taken.

The Paladin finds herself with an unlikely ally when a night hag approaches her, proposing a temporary alliance to take down Caragyoz. While the dragon is protected on all sides by legions of wyvern-riding acolytes in the material plane, his sleep makes him accessible through the Dreaming—a realm that the hag has intimate knowledge of and power over. The hag, whose kind once ruled the soul-trading market, claims to simply wish to end Caragyoz's monopoly—though she refuses to make guarantees for any soul other than the Paladin's father's...

Hook 3 (Reece) - Rider of the Night

Rider on the midnight wind

would thee show me how thee sinned?

Rider of the darkest way

bring thy shadows here to stay

Tread the market, walk the path

doth thou know the sin of wrath

Trader on the corner still

dost thou have the need to kill?

Hast thee seen the milky eye?

Hast thou found the need to lie?

Come thee crone and draw mine sigh

and draw upon thine evil eye

Know thy want and know thy need

for when thou tastes the sin of greed

thou plow the dirt and plant the seed

and call the grave with mighty speed

Shadows dance and shadows sing

Among the nobles and the king

Pride upon thy bloody ring

draws thy soul upon a string

Rider in the market square

find the barter, prices fair

for the lost, say a prayer

and for the rider, gift a glare

- Collected from a children's rhyme ten leagues outside of the city. Were it not for other factors we would find this insignificant, though given present circumstances it is particularly alarming.

Naunet

ANOTHER OUTSIDER YOU SAY? Well, I'm not necessarily one to beef with creatures literally spawned from the entropic forces of chaos, and the Naunet is perhaps a quintessential example of what a force entropy can be. The bestiary notes that this mean mugged malefactor of the Maelstrom can often be found as a scout or a rank-and-file soldier in the armies of the Proteans—though I am somewhat dubious of how exactly such an army would operate.

I would say that the contradictory nature of being a soldier—a traditionally structured existence—in addition to being the spawn of pure chaos is baked into the substantial statblock of the naunet. There are three things particularly of note related to this theme:

• Protean Anatomy - An extremely versatile passive ability that gives shifting resistances to acid, electricity, and sonic damage in addition to the more unsettling ability to grow new sensory organs in order to overcome the blinded and deafened conditions
• At will Change Shape that allows for melding into all sorts of environments, both natural and urban
• Adaptive Strike, something that is certainly not going to come up very often unless you're like me and inflict your players with lycanthropy

The intricacies of the entire set of abilities and stats are too much to get into here, though I think the relative complexity of the naunet tells us a couple things—Proteans are NOT messing around and, beyond that, their base level soldiers could be a boss level threat to a lower level party. As a level seven creature, it's got an impressive set of abilities—access to narrative options like Change Shape in addition to a solid suite of spellcasting can really make the Naunet both compelling to use as well as dangerous.

Whatever the occasion, it may be worth considering how you want to utilize Proteans and Monitors in your setting, assuming you aren't running in Golarion—these dastardly delinquents can pack a punch and rain chaos on unsuspecting players, only to jump away with a 5th-level dimensional door in order to continue harassing away as needed.

- Reece

Hook 1 (Max) - Big Fish to Fry

Ships and crews have been disappearing on the Grey Ocean without a trace. A single vessel made its way to port—a galleon by the name of Fair Wind. Its deck was the sight of a massacre no doubt, though there were no bodies left in the destruction. A single survivor hid in the cargo hold, clinging tenuously to life, their eyes burnt away. The army took them in to learn what became of the rest of the crew.

"Maidens fair stranded on a vessel dead, they were," they mutter, "hoisted them up we did, 'help them we must', we said." Empty eye sockets stare into the distance. "Weren't no maidens. Sea devils they were, I tell you. Giant sea serpents, the lot of them. They roared and bit and gnawed and spit, and their putrid breath turned men to ash and bone. Good men of the sea all dead and gone. They be heralds, they bring their words and the depths speak through their forked tounges. The sea is theirs, and theirs alone—soon our land shall be forlorn."

The official statement notes the sailor was later found dead in his cell by his own hand.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - Unravelling Unguent

A retired ranger brings his old team back for one last job together.

A long time ago, they slighted a lowly cleric in service of the gods of Order—said cleric has since risen high in the clergy and he is not one for forgiveness. When the ranger welcomed his firstborn daughter, the cleric appeared from nowhere and put a Curse of Ticking Time on her. This meant that one day—one that will presumably come far too soon—she will pass into the realm of the dead with no warning whatsoever.

The only power that can counter the magic of Order is that of the chaos-delvers, and the party now must seek aid from one of the Chaoswyrms, the Undoers, the foot-soldiers of The Unravelling that they once fought so valiantly against. Of course, enlisting the aid of such a power is never free, but the price might not be obvious from the start...

Hook 3 (Reece) - Chaos Confluence

During the season of Storms many dangers are present along the southern coasts. While the lightning, wind, and rain are all as dangerous as they always would be during any storm, the tide of chaos that accompanies the Greatstorms is more dangerous still. Should you not have access to a Stormcaller or a device with which you can rebuff the storms, the creatures of chaos will scour you and yours from the land.

A strange economy has risen from this longstanding season of chaos—populated areas that are affected by the worst of the tides employ seasonal Chaoswardens to defend their homes. Chaoswardens are highly trained in fighting all manner of Protean nightmares in defense of mankind. The homesteaders have grown used to the assistance of other more stable areas, perhaps to their detriment. This year, when the first Greatstorm arrives much earlier than expected, the Chaoswardens are cut off from their yearly migrations to the outershores. Now, each town and village along the Shifting Coast must fend for itself...

Naiad (Naiad Queen)

Naiads are nymphs bonded to bodies of water with the caveat that, unlike other nymphs, they can travel away from their bond, though they will wither away, being unable to regain hitpoints or remove the drained condition.

As nymphs, you can always utilize naiads as the tragic victims of greater powers' sick games, as is the case in the classic greek myth—but you can also put an empowering twist on that and have nymphs get out unscathed for once.

Naiads specifically are absolutely ready to take arms when nature is threatened; as fey, their tactics might feel alien to players since they deal in eons, not years. Their queens supplement their natural abilities with high-powered spellcasting that will have nature's enemies running away and allies reminded that they tread upon thin lines.

- Nemanja

Hook 1 (TJ) - Empire of a Thousand Lakes

Despite holding territory that consists of more water than land, the Prescient Triumvirate does not control a navy. This is primarily because the water they control is the sum of thousands of lakes of varying sizes. regardless of what direction they are attacked from, the Prescient Triumverate is always prepared. The secret to their so-called prescience lies beneath the surface of each of the lakes. Each of these lakes is home to a naiad. Given the close proximity of each lake to the next, the naiads are able to communicate information from one corner of Triumvirate holdings to another in a matter of moments. To truly have a chance of attacking the Triumvirate directly, draining the lakes would be the best option. Unfortunately for the Triumvirate and the naiad they employ, the addition of parchmages to the Iorinaxi legions may be their undoing.

Hook 2 (Max) - The Guidance of Two

The Twin Gems of the South are a sight to behold. Both cities lay at the edge of enormous lakes divided by a small mountain range. Legend has it that the founders of both metropolises were guided in their efforts by the ancient spirits of their respective bodies of water. Word is that the rulers still council with them to this day!

Should one undertake travel to The Gems, they would, without fail, see how similar the two are. This has been a point of great argument over the generations—each city arguing that the other copied it.

The truth, however, is a little more interesting than a case of architecture theft. The spirits of both Gems are the same, as the lakes are connected by an underground canal. Why the queen of the lakes decided to guide the mortals on their way, remains a mystery. One can only hope her reasons are not more nefarious.

Hook 3 (Nemanja) - River Runs Red

The extremely high rate of crime in Sheballa city gave rise to a new profession—the magi-forensics. These mages of all kinds and flavours use magic, prophecies, and other such miracles to divine truth from dead bodies, bringing their killers to justice.

This, in turn, led to a different development in criminal activities—fixers working for the Lord of the Underworld have begun dropping bodies into the Red River which creates the Fool's Falls waterfall just on the outskirts of the city. Unfortunately, the waterfall is the resting place of a particularly short-tempered naiad named Deep Blue, who finds her rest disturbed by blood and gore.

In an effort to scare away the intruders, Deep Blue now allows no one bearing weapons to cross the nearby bridge—this wouldn't be an issue if not for the fact that it lies on a massive trade route...

Mummy (Guardian, Pharaoh)

You'd be hard-pressed to find a creature with more readily available pop culture references than the Mummy. The classic black and white monster movies of the past come to mind, though today many of us may think more recently back to the likes of Brendan Fraser's adventures in Egypt.

Regardless of where you draw your inspiration, I invite you to consider other ways you might use the theme of a mummy. The Bestiary equips the enterprising GM with both the Mummy Guardian and the Mummy Pharaoh (though I also invite you to look at the Bog Mummy from Bestiary Two for a different feel).

Dungeons are classics for the deployment of a mummy as a combat encounter, though I would say that there are many other opportunities for the use of a mummy both in combat and overall in the world. Consider what kind of other societies you may create in your world that would practice the art of mummification (both the kind that yields the undead or otherwise). Lesser-known mummies such as the Chinchorro of South America or the Buddhist Mummies can provide other perspectives for the practice of mummification.

To the degree that you may decide to use a mummy, consider customization of their abilities given the alternate environment (if any) that one might find an undead adversary in. The Pharaoh is quite well equipped with additional abilities themed after the classic mummy, and can serve as a good template to really make it your own.

- Reece  

Hook 1 (Max) - Laid Here Beside You

The Great Archon was a wise and just ruler who took good care of his subjects, making sure they had everything they needed. Alas, his domain is but a wasteland now.

It began when his wife fell ill; no doctor or priest could find a way to help her and she withered away slowly but surely. The Archon looked on helplessly, stricken by grief and rage against the gods' cruel whims. He started looking for other ways to save the love of his life while his kingdom fell into disrepair from his lack of attention.

That is when an old man appeared in his palace, offering him a solution. He would be able to save his wife and make her live forever with him. The means were dark and ominous, but he agreed. At this point, the people were outraged by the Archon's lack of care and stormed his grand fortress. With the ritual underway, he rallied his remaining soldiers to defend the castle while the wizard conducted his rite. Blood stained the steps of his magnificent city as he fell into a frenzy and struck down his own people.

When he returned stained with the blood of his citizens, the old mage showed him his wife, turned into a vile undead, devoid of both beauty and mind. Overcome with blind rage, he destroyed everyone and everything in his path, beginning with the mage that took his wife.

So now his once proud and bountiful land is a province of vengeful ghosts, as he is the sole survivor. Driven mad, he stalks the ruins, looking for the walking corpse of his beloved queen.

Hook 2 (TJ) - Empire of Endless Suns

Hemet IV, Monarch of the Sun, had glimpsed the future. There in the Fabric of Possibilities, he was promised a place among the stars and a kingdom like no one had ever known. As he reached his middle years, it became increasingly apparent that this future was further off than he would have liked. The chances he would survive to see it in his current lifetime were slim.

Armed with his mortal fear and determined to take this Possibility and make it part of the Truth of the Present, he dove into the Knowledge of the Past. His ancestors, not many generations ago, slowed the Decay of the Knowledge of the dead. In these compounds, in this canopic knowledge, Hemet knew he could keep this Possibility. As he aged he prepared his body, slowing his own Decay. His preparations would also help prevent the exponential Decay of Death, as his ancestors discovered. When it finally came time, all of his innards were lined neatly on shelves around him. Tomes of instruction, penned by his own hand, accompanied him in this resting place. Cool, comforting cloths wound around his body as he drifted off into a deep sleep. The culmination of his final gambit, his Possibility was now in the hands of others.

When those others descended from the stars millennia later, they found Hemet alongside his instructions preserved near perfectly. With great care, they reversed the process and Hemet awoke to find himself among the stars. His Possibility became a Truth of the Present. The first step to becoming the Monarch of Infinite Suns was now complete.

Hook 3 (Nemanja) - Mild-mannered Mummies

A diplomatic mission is having a hard time reconciling the Kingdom of Three Pyramids and the Federation of Fifty Islands. The two states only recently made contact, and things were going pretty well, with talks of a major trade route being established... and then an inquisitor of the Jackal-god visited the Islands.

The Jackal's followers are the watchers of the dead, and one of the major threats they deal with are mummies, which in their homeland are created through invasive means which create inherently evil and violent beings.

In contrast, mummification in the isles is a gentle, spiritual process reserved for the wisest of elders, this process creates uniquely gentle mummies with skin of red clay. These mummies are placed in shrines present all over the islands, and people sometimes visit them to seek guidance.

Of course, the diplomat-priest of the Jackal was not aware of this when he cast a banishing spell on a village's founder—a being who has been guiding his descendants for fifteen generations. The foreign power diplomats present barely managed to save the man's life, but continuing dialogue between the two countries poses a new diplomatic challenge...

Mukradi

There's not much to say when it comes to the Mukradi as far as narrative hooks are concerned. The beast is quite interesting mechanically and is fearsome, even among other level 15 creatures. When running a mukradi, be sure to pay special attention to and use as needed the different breath attacks to make the creature more threatening. Assuming you decide to use one in your game, you may as well make it sufficiently threatening to the players—you're probably not going to throw one at the party on a whim.

Beyond the danger a mukradi presents, they are somewhat of a blank slate for you to worldbuild around. The bestiary doesn't provide a lot of guidance, and the Beast trait simply indicates it is natural to some degree, though you might expect something like the mukradi to be an aberration of some kind. Consider how something so singularly dangerous and violent could shape the world you create, and what it might mean for the people that live in close proximity to such a terrible creature.

- Reece

Hook 1 (TJ) - Fiends of the Chasms

The nomads of the Farchasms have exclusive access to a rare and powerful source of energy. Traders come far and wide to bid for the strange pulsating energy sources the nomads offer up. Competing peoples and companies have tried to find the secret source of these potent relics, though any that venture too far into the Farchasms are quickly met with resistance. The mukradi that slither between these massive cracks in the earth are a force to be reckoned with.

Unbeknownst to these would-be energy poachers, the very entities that defend the Farchasms are what they seek. The monstrous tricephalic centipedes breathe a harmful array of energies from their mouths at any that come close. If one of the poaching groups were able to actually slay a mukradi and take the time to butcher and dress the beast, they would find that what the nomads peddle as an energy source is actually a thoracic organ unique to the mukradi. The additional advantage that the nomads have over the poachers, however, is knowledge of the pupation cycle of the mukradi, which allows much easier access to fell these terrifying creatures.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - Flesh of the Gods

The deepest, most unreachable and inhospitable part of the Ashen Lands—the realm souls pass to after parting the land of the living—is the Sea Of Those Forgotten.

There, corpses of gods and deities who died—most usually from having no more followers—endlessly float in space, their vast bodies colliding and ricocheting in complete silence.

Feasting upon the flesh of those titans are strange, three-headed centipede-like critters. Although these mukradi are themselves of massive size, they are dwarfed by the matter they subside on.

While they appear perfectly docile when viewed from afar, they jealously guard their source of food and are absolutely prepared to throw their lives away for it—a fact a priest looking to revive an ancient cult and his acolytes are just about to find out...

Hook 3 (Reece) - The Westward Valley

The Long Valley has for many years been the furthest west any mortal can travel. Many expeditions have tried to travel west, hearing tell of vast riches beyond it, but the Valley is not a challenge of pure endurance, but one of strength and wit as well. The further one walks through the valley, the more dangerous the area becomes. All manner of savage beasts and hostile peoples in the valley will do anything possible to stop travelers from making their way through.

One of the most dangerous parts of the path is The Pit, an infamous hole that spans the width of the valley with a drop that descends so far down it's impossible to see the bottom. That alone could be manageable if it weren't also crawling with Mukradis...

Mu Spore

A Mu Spore is one of those kinds of monsters that every fantasy RPG has to have—an apocalypse engine. The odd thing about this one, though, is that it isn't (by default, feel free to spice that up!) a creation of the evil gods, an entity prophesized to end the world, nor a malignant alien. Indeed, the mu spore is just a big, flying, hyper-intelligent mushroom. It isn't even evil, as the book puts it at CN, although I wouldn't exactly bet on it being particularly cooperative.

Its genius-level intellect and its absurd (50 ft by 50 ft—that's ten grid spaces each way for all you grid players out there) size mean it will often be revered as a deity by cultures whose homelands it uses as a feeding ground.

But the one thing that gets me going as a GM reading it is that it is a spore. What are spores, exactly? In layman's terms, they're mushroom seeds. Think about what could be born of a genius mushroom the size of a cathedral that ends civilizations before (or for) breakfast. Then make that your next big baddie.

- Nemanja

Hook 1 (Max) - Shroomhaven

Recently, the Firn Peaks became a no-go zone, as multiple big groups of people vanished there without a trace. A few came back, but different than before, acting as if their hometowns were completely alien to them.

There are some people, however, who feel a deep, almost primal urge to go into the mountains. A strange, otherworldly voice compels them to seek out a vast cavern hidden beneath the peaks. And so they all leave in the dark of the night, only to return a couple of weeks later.

Oddly enough, every single one of them was an enthusiast of mushroom hunting.

They all act differently, too. Somewhat apathetic, but at the same time taking in their surroundings very carefully. Everyone assumes they've taken part in some enlightening experience. Technically, you could say that.

For they are now emissaries of an alien intellect that has been taking refuge within the Firn Peaks, set on revenge for generations of its brethren being used as cuisine on its distant homeworld. Every person that came back from its new domain is a ticking timebomb, a fungus slowly replacing their nervous system, waiting to explode in a spore cloud infecting even more victims. Soon, it will begin.

Hook 2 (TJ) - Verdant Valor

The Knights of the Final Green have a solemn duty. These intergalactic verdant vagrants travel the cosmos in search of apocalyptic fungal growths. While the plant nature of these leshy knights protects them from the mu spores, the enormous vacuous spores will still consume these minuscule warriors. The number of planets the Final Green has found that contain floral brethren is disappointingly small, and their numbers are dwindling after millennia of hunting down their prolific, constantly propagating foe. Unfortunately, they've found the biggest infestation yet, and the chances of being wiped out entirely is nagging at the back of every knight's mind.

Hook 3 (Nemanja) - The Bloated God

Fifty years ago, what appeared to be a meteor landed in Blazavayka lake.

Five years later, what would later become known as The Bloated God rose to the surface, begging for food.

Ever since that fateful day, the deity has risen to the surface every five to ten years and the people of the surrounding villages have been bringing it sacrifices—mostly in the form of cattle and poultry to feed it. The godling, for its part, makes it largely worth it. It tells the villagers of how the seasons will change, the locations of hidden sources of water and fertile land, and warns them of passing bands of bandits and deserters. Something changed this year, though. The alchemist's son is rumoured to have fed another human—a young lass that rejected his advances—to the god and apparently awoke something within it.

The deity now speaks of dark magicks, tides of blood rising to sweep up the mammalian empires, and the Holy City of Leng. Now, the villagers find themselves unable to stop listening to its mad ravings.

Morrigna

Making a world from scratch can be difficult, as there's a lot to consider when making your own world. Nations, conflicts, gods, devils, planes. You mean to tell me I have to figure out what happens to souls too? Man.

Luckily, the psychopomps make that easy. Any group that could conceivably include the likes of Anubis, Charon, Hermes, and Jesus is a group that I'm interested in. The Morrigna, with its spider motifs, easily brings to mind ideas of the threads of life or fate and the passive observer that is death. I'm not sure how I feel about it drawing so heavily on spiders, given the spider's propensity to, uh, trap insects in webs and eat them at their leisure. Probably shouldn't try too hard to draw parallels to souls.

Ultimately, I think the morrigna is best used at high levels when your party has easy access to death-avoiding magics. Bring a soul back from the depths of wherever souls are kept one too many times and you'll have a social (and maybe combat) encounter with a morrigna on your hands. With its ability to change its shape into an animal, you could have it tail the party for quite some time, maybe periodically reappearing after each revival attempt.

What does happen to souls in your setting? Maybe the morrigna fits into the grand scheme of your "soul plane." Just, maybe check with your players about arachnophobia first.

- TJ

Hook 1 (Max) - What is Dead Should Stay Dead

The last battle was particularly trying and one or more of the party fell. Luckily, one of them could bring the dead back. Or, as they are about to find, unfortunately.

It begins innocently enough—they keep finding spiders and webs among their belongings. Then, they start getting a repeated message in their dreams, stating simply "What is dead should stay dead."

Exactly seven days after the resurrection, when the person behind the act is alone (they are bound to be at some point), a beautiful woman in silk robes emerges from the shadows, accompanied by a multitude of spiders, a hint of a predatory smirk across her lips. As the words from their dreams play in the victim's mind "What is dead should stay dead..." she finishes "...but for now, I'll take you instead."

Hook 2 (TJ) - Eight Eyes

Eight Eyes Always Watching
Hanging By A Thread

Eight Eyes Always Watching
Looking Where You Tread

Eight Eyes Always Watching
For You Tears Are Shed

Eight Eyes Always Watching
A Beacon For The Dead

- A dirge performed when interring a member of the Eightfold Oclijian Sect, year unknown

Hook 3 (Reece) - Binder of Heart and Soul

Perrinalsus, The Watcher With Many Eyes, was one of four remaining Soulbinders to remain on their dying world. Even as the forces of chaos gripped the planet, her charge was to remain the same as it always had—maintain the natural order of death in the last breaths of a dying world. While others of her kind were encouraged to not become attached to those they would have to guide into The River of Souls, she had grown fond of a powerful sorceress who was attempting to stem the tide of destruction there. After working together many years before against a common foe, they had become an odd pair of friends who would carry conversations late into the night about the nature of death and the universe.

Perrinalsus was secretly rooting for her friend even though she knew the forces arrayed against her and her mortal compatriots would ultimately be their doom. Or so she thought.

When the sorceress finds a way to call upon fallen souls and bind them to new powerful machine bodies called Soul Golems designed to fight against the powers of destruction arrayed against mankind, Perrinalsus is left with a choice: Does she hunt down her friend of many years and fulfill her duty, or does she shirk her responsibility—and perhaps her very nature—for the love of a mortal?

Mitflit

More fey, eh? Complaints about outsiders aside, I do quite like running fey (as stated previously). I think in many cases, using fey is a great excuse to get more flexible with your rules. Should your players find themselves shunted into your fey-world equivalent, there's a lot of ways you can mix things up.

The Mitflit at creature level -1 is something you can use right out of the gate when starting a new campaign from level 1. There's a lot of Gremlins that fit this category, but the mitflit has a few fun mechanics to leverage in use. Its Self-Loathing actually pairs well with Vengeful Anger in that if it has been frightened or tormented, it deals more damage than it otherwise would—something useful for combat that also gives some insight into the mind of this vindictive villain.

Personally, my favorite ability available to the mitflit is its Vermin Empathy in combination with its constant speak with animals. A mitflit with a vendetta may not be incredibly dangerous per se, but it sure will be annoying. 

- Reece

Hook 1 (Nemanja) - Bug Bonanza

In Detroit, the city with the largest concentration of Paranormals in the post-awakening USA, mitflit exterminators are highly sought after—whether the bugs that need chasing away are regular pests or foot-long magical worms and horse-sized arthropods.

The mitflits' popularity comes from how cleanly they do their jobs; there's no toxic chemicals, blood splatter, or (still not fully accepted as real) magic. Instead, the little men simply ask the bugs to leave, and they do as asked.

While the service is well-liked, anyone perceptive enough that finds themselves passing by the Pest Control Agency's warehouse may see an odd image—mitflits seem to be collecting all the vacated pests in one place, feeding, nurturing, and even training them for an unknown purpose.

Hook 2 (TJ) - Crabby Consequences

The tide pools around the southern edge of the Hag's Head Peninsula are teeming with sea life. When the tide goes out, a wide array of urchins, mussels, and crabs remain in these miniature ecosystems. Of particular note are the crabs, who do not shy away from the presence of small humanoids. If you spend enough time around these tide pools, you may find that the crabs seem to understand you. Spend an even longer amount of time here, and the mitflits that have been teaching the crabs may begin to grow envious of your time spent with them. Spend too long here, and the mitflits might just lash out.

Hook 3 (Reece) - Lord of the Flies

Mogrederdi, The Lord of Flies, was content in his kingdom. Others in the Court of Dark Hearts had spent a great amount of time and effort learning powerful shadow magicks or had sworn pacts with Devil Lords to gain an edge in The Eternal War with The Lavender King. The Lord of Flies was not himself powerful among the court, but he had built a... reputation of sorts. His ability to slip past The Lavender King's defenses into the material realm was coveted by many in the court that drew too much attention to themselves.

Mogrederdi did not command a great army of monsters or dark warriors, though he did have one advantage—his friends. Long ago, he had disposed of ideas of grandeur and instead honed a silver tongue for the insignificant creatures of the material plane. The various small insects he brought back would not normally be a problem for his enemies, though the path back from the material plane to The Infinite Garden did strange things to them. They were warped and enlarged during the transfer, making them fearsome creatures. The monstrous beings were not only empowered, but also loyal to their lord for granting them this power.

Yes, Morgrederdi was not himself powerful, but he didn't need power. He had something better—the respect of the powerful.

Minotaur

Upon reading the Minotaur entry, two things stand out to me. The first one is that beyond their love for mazes and stalking prey (both of which kind of come a dime a dozen among dungeon-delving monsters), Minotaurs are almost a blank slate—that makes it a perfect opportunity for world-building. Is your minotaur a solitary, accursed being, along the lines of the classic greek myth? Maybe your minotaurs are exiles from a seven-dimensional plane, who have gone mad without access to advanced technology, but their weird knowledge manifests in their impeccable understanding of geometry? Maybe the bull of Minos was an outlier, and other minotaurs (with a bit of int-tweaking) are a race of scholars, shunned from civilization for their monstrous appearance and odd appetites?

The other thing—which may slightly contradict my first point—is that the only language that minotaurs seem to speak is jotun, a language that, in Golarion at least, seems to be associated with giants, dragons, and other primal creatures of raw power and deep magic.

- Nemanja

Hook 1 (Max) - Priests of the Golden Horn

The Golden Horn sits majestically atop a cliffside overlooking the nearby ocean. The view is, however, not its most striking and famous feature, as the whole city is devoted to the worship of the bull demigod that purportedly protects it. All manner of travelers make the arduous journey to the Horn in order to seek his guidance.

All rites are overseen by the Bull Priests, the ruling caste of the metropolis, whose word is law. To slight them and deviate from their teachings is seen as anathema, frowned upon, and is generally speaking extremely dangerous.

Little does anyone know that their stringent tendencies, along with the fact that their deity is only seen at a specific time of day, are due to the fact that The Bull God is, in fact, a farce—a captured minotaur that the priests use as a puppet for their faith.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - Anti-aurochs architecture

When the Second Helene Republic was formed in the XIV century, the greater community of Greece and surrounding areas begrudgingly accepted the Bull-men of Minos into their midst. Despite their fiery temper, the minotaurs have proven themselves both as soldiers (serving as heavy infantry) and as civil servants, especially architects. Indeed, their chokehold on architectural industries is such that many cities have neighbourhoods purposefully designed in such a labyrinthine way that members of other species find it impossible to traverse them. The most infamous of these is the Pathfinders' Peril, the massive labyrinth in Second Sparta that stretches through almost half the city and surrounds the mysterious White Bull's Temple.

What only a few people alive know is that the labyrinth is specifically not made to keep anyone out, but to keep the White Bull in.

The White Bull, for its part, is the ancient progenitor of the Minotaur race. It has the body of a giant, and the head of an aurochs (the ancient, European wild cattle). It is a hungry and bloodthirsty deity, but its power over the minotaurs has waned alongside its influence. Should it feed again, however, its influence will burn bright again, and with it, the rage of its children will awake too.

All of this should have been critical information for an invading army. Too bad that you, the human handler assigned to the Third Ottoman Kallikantzaros division, weren't briefed...

Hook 3 (TJ) - Grain of Satisfaction

Entimira never really understood the draw of an unending labyrinth. Isn't the point of a maze to eventually have the satisfaction of getting out? Why would he be interested in trapping people in unending twists and turns? Besides, once people gave up, where was the fun in killing them? It isn't like he was killing for food, and killing for sport never seemed quite right. No, his method was much better. This way, he got to see the joy people experienced at finally figuring it out. And this was far more efficient for food. He could actually eat this. Yes, as he stood over his meticulously arranged corn seedlings, he knew. This year's corn maze was going to be his best yet.

Mimic

 I'd say Mimics exist in the lower echelons of likeability with other creatures such as Rust Monsters, mainly due to them being used as a very adversarial tool along the lines of "ha, gotcha!" by many GMs. Of course, given its toolset, it is of no surprise to anyone that the mimic is typically deployed more so like a trap than an actual creature.

That is the most obvious and easy approach. But we are not here for the obvious and easy, are we? RAW, the mimic can only appear as a medium object—but it can be any object. Despite being portrayed as pretty much mindless, mimics do possess a considerable amount of intelligence (score of a 10 is higher than a lot of animals and beasts in the book), so what's to say they shouldn't use it? And why couldn't a particularly tricky one get very big and pretend it's, say, a house?

- Max

Hook 1 (Max) - Galvanni's Gift

An announcer in fine robes shouts in the middle of the town square.

“Master Galvanni’s magnificent adaptable armor! Get yours today, don’t wait! It can do anything you need! Change its size to fit your chiseled physique, cover your nostrils from poisonous fumes, shift its color to blend into surroundings, create a nifty little backpack should the need arise and so, so much more! Visit Galvanni’s workshop to set up a visit today! You won’t regret it!”

*You might regret it.*

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - An Unpleasant Guest

G̶͕̜͕̲̱͍̘̈͐̄̇͘͜l̶̡͌̾̑̔̉͂̌̚͝ų̴̻̖̗͖̤͓̒͐̈́͝g̶̢̮̯͍͇̫͊̃̀̓̎́̈͜͝g̷̡̠̠̗̮̪̎͑̑͋̊͛̀̀͜ä̷̞̯̹́́͂̊͐̓͛̕͘͘j̸̛͈̖̙̮̑̇̍͛̈a̶̡͍̮̠̦̻̭͍̱͐͋̽b̴̗͎̣̞͚͊͆́͌̒̑̏͆̉͜͝į̶̧̲̪̰̯̗̮̈́̒̍͛͒̎͆̀̋̍g̶̢̛̟̬̜̗̪͇̍̑ǧ̶͚̀̈́̏͠ is a mimic who really, really likes traveling.

                        To that end, he has perfected a very uncommon "hunting" strategy—his preferred disguise is that of a single golden coin. He will often travel for a while in the possession of an adventurer or wanderer until eventually revealing his true form, giving his earnest and nuanced review of locations visited before finally consuming his increasingly confused victim.

Hook 3 (TJ) - The Fence

When it comes to disposing of ill-gotten goods in Millstone, the underground knows that there's really only one place to go. One would be tempted to think that farming communities don't have much in the way of crime or the need to offload stolen items, but that betrays an outsider's misunderstanding of what it means to have a centralized milling operation. Millstone's strategic positioning on the widest and fastest part of Logan Creek is no mistake. Farmers from all over bring their grain to Millstone for its expedient and affordable milling services.

The nefarious underground may not have the same economy of scale as larger operations in major cities, but it is certainly profitable. And no one makes more profit in Millstone than The Fence. First-time contraband foisters may think that their contact is called "The Fence" because of what they do—fence stolen goods. When they get to the meeting location on the north side of town and the posts and beams begin to warp and tremble, they're quickly proven wrong.

Merfolk (Warrior, Wavecaller)

Merfolk. You know 'em, you (might) love 'em, you probably don't use 'em. The problem with merfolk is that they have underwater combat baked in, which most GMs and tables I know avoid given the myriad of questions it raises. How do you breathe and/or hold your breath? How well do you swim? How do you deal with combat in three dimensions? Lucky for you, all of these questions are actually pretty easy to answer for Pathfinder 2e.

Aside from the very basic mechanics the current merfolk offer, there isn't much to them. The real question is: how big are your underwater societies? Do you have entire nations of merfolk in a mystical Atlantis-adjacent city? What about pockets of merfolk that congregate around the ports? Do merfolk laborers scrape mussels off of the bottoms of ships? Do you have saltwater and freshwater merfolk? Was your entire world covered over in water at one point, allowing certain large lakes to have landlocked (ha) merfolk?

Think about what the merfolk means from a socio-cultural perspective. And yes, you should try and run them once in a while. The three-dimensional practice at lower levels will come in handy when your players get access to fly later. Give it a try! You don't need the Pythagorean Theorem to run them, I promise.

- TJ

Hook 1 (Nemanja) - The Pirate Without a Ship

A new pirate confederacy has risen to power off the coast of Tatamiki Archipelago—and it's quite an unusual one. The Wavecrashers call themselves pirates, though they own not a single ship as their manpower consists entirely of merfolk and harpies.

Those rare few who have survived Wavecrashers attacks talk of an eerie feeling of complete coordination between the two groups; the moray-bodied merfolk start with a series of boarding attempts that force sailors onto the defensive, turning their focus below. After the initial attack, the albatross winged, harpoon-bearing harpies descend from the clouds and begin the slaughter.

Hook 2 (TJ) - Might of the Moon

The Saint's Hope sunk off the coast of An'Zeth long ago. Now every three months, when all the moons are full, the Saint's Hope rises again, ravaging the coast outside of Nishka. The typical rumors surround it: the ship is cursed, it's haunted, or the captain has unfinished business. Attempts have been made to sink the ship, but regardless of how many holes are put in it, it does not waver. Discerning eyes, however, will note that the hull and frame of the ship (which sailors say regenerate anew each time it rises) are actually comprised of a patchwork of newer and older wood. Truly discerning individuals may be able to spot bits and pieces of previous ships the Saint's Hope has destroyed in recent months. 

The merfolk hydromancers maintaining the ship's buoyancy can only muster the proper magnitude of aquatic magicks when the moons are full. This gives the remaining merfolk plenty of opportunities to practice their carpentry using scavenged wrecks. Considering how well-fed they are given all of the crews they've eaten, they could keep at this for quite some time.

Hook 3 (Reece) - A Way Off World

Dear Fen,

As requested I am cataloging what I can of the flora and fauna here. Contrary to what one might think, there are very few merfolk here on Archipelagus. Given the prevalence of the plane of water here, I am particularly surprised.

There is one society I was able to locate in my travels—they were quite hospitable, to the point that I almost started to appreciate their hospitality. After ridding myself of that terrible impulse, I did learn a few things of interest.

These Mer, the Mi'ran, have been searching for a way off-world for some time now. They were left behind when the rest of their kin skirted into the Plane of Water. Evidently, their Shaman-King offended a powerful elemental lord who now bars their escape from this world. Should someone resolve the issue, I think we could take advantage of what they can't bring with them...

Insincerely, 

Gorimat

Medusa

As is the case with mythological creatures being adapted into the TTRPG format, we all know what a Medusa is—a snake lady, can turn people to stone with her eyes, typically not the most social type. We could probably end it there and carry on with the hooks.

But let us dwell a moment on this here monster. Because, if you stop to think about it, is medusa really a “monster?” She is far from mindless, but just so happens to possess an ability that makes it hard for her to integrate into society. The snake hair probably doesn’t help either. Some medusas will probably accept their fate and live out their lives as monsters to scare children with. Some will not. I think that’s where you can make things interesting with them, for we’ve all seen the cave with countless petrified people—a place where a medusa stalks the shadows, but wouldn’t it be refreshing to see one that uses her powers to help those turned to stone, or uses her talents in other, more intriguing ways?

- Max

Hook 1 (Max) - Stone Cold

Mara, a wandering sculptor, is famous far and wide for her skill and incredible, life-like detail. She goes from city to city looking for inspiration, creating a few pieces, auctioning them off to some of the wealthiest people in the area, after which she moves on.

Many have tried to unearth the secret to her artistry, moreover, she always has a long list of upstart artists who want to become her students. She always refuses. This, combined with her rather seclusionary lifestyle, reportedly otherworldly beauty, and the all-around aura of mystery surrounding her character, it is no surprise that many chase after her.

No one has ever actually seen her at work, and she never takes on the job of replicating someone's likeness. Mara herself attributes this to the fact that only when inspiration strikes her can she truly work her magic, though some have suspicions, especially since whenever she is in a town reports of people missing arise...

Hook 2 (TJ) - The Queen's Pieces

As the auction progressed, a multitude of rare pieces of art and mysterious objects passed in front of the discerning patrons. Each bidder raised their card silently, driving the price for the lot of curios ever higher. In the front row, a sprite waited impatiently, flitting back and forth around their seat. Finally, the item they had been waiting for was revealed. A chessboard of immaculate make went up for auction. Quiet murmurs went up over the pure artistry of it—the embossed tiles, the magnificent carvings on the edge of the case. Most of all, people fawned over the incredibly crafted pieces. It depicted two kingdoms of sprites pitted eternally in stony battle with one other, trapped to the wits and whims of those who played. The sprite had found their family. Flying to the front, the sprite grabbed the auctioneer by the collar.

"Where did you get these?"

Hook 3 (Nemanja) - The Mother of Golems

The Underworld of Starkstone recently had a coup and is now under the heel of a mysterious grey eminence known only as the Mother Of Golems.

Indeed, Thessellema the Stonewielder is quite adept at golem-crafting, and found for herself a previously unexplored niche—she discovered that golems crafted from petrified humanoids are especially hardy, if sometimes a bit ornery.

Thessellema also happens to be the only person in the city who knows where the Ratcatchers, an elite society of trapsmiths, can be found at the moment, and time is running out...

Marilith

The Marilith stands out from most demons in the game in several ways.

First of all, the aesthetic—while most demons in the books tend to borrow from tolkienean and Christian (with the latter totally not being a subset of the former) sources, the marilith is decidedly Hindu in origin.

Secondly, while other high-level demons such as balors might also serve as generals in demonic armies, they are implied to do so through brute force and power, whereas the Mariliths are explicitly tacticians and strategists of their kind, said to understand the flow of chaos in a way very few other beings of the multiverse can.

In combat, a marilith is a true powerhouse. Able to deliver a staggering six attacks of opportunity per round, or decide to instead use any of those sword-wielding hands for incrementally better defense, all the while under the constant effect of fly? This monster will absolutely hurt you. It's demonic weakness fits the theme pretty well, though I fear it will very rarely come into actual play—should the demon try hurting someone on their turn, and fail at it (mind you, it would have to fail every single attack and/or spell in that turn) they take mental damage, as their massive ego is hurt by their perceived incompetence.

- Nemanja 

Hook 1 (Max) - For I Am The Light

Duma was a devout priest of the Sungod. For many years, he fought in his deity's name, felling countless opponents while remaining undefeated through his life. When one is heralded as the "God of Fighters", hubris is sure to follow.

That was the case with Duma. He eventually fought for the sport of it, not for the cause of his god. And as years went on, the inevitable happened, and he was slain. Alas, by that time he was no longer chosen of the Sungod and his soul was forfeit.

The forces of chaos took him in, feeding his ego over hundreds of years, convincing him that it was he, Duma, who was the real Sungod. After all this time, he is ready to claim his divinity and regain the title of the greatest fighter to walk the world.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - Bristewald The Blade

As a young lad, Bristewald of Balhemia witnessed a battle that was over in seconds—a flash of light, and then blood and gore over the entire field. Despite being on the winning side, Bristewald was chilled to his bone, though he also saw something tragic yet romantic in how his enemies fell.

This inspired him to take up the fiddle when he returned home from the war; his songs, always tragic and melancholic, launched his career as a minstrel.

Despite his success, having seen what he had seen, Bristewald never stopped practicing with his sword either. Eventually, his exploits as a mercenary with a heart of gold also brought him fame and gold. And yet, a part of him never felt complete, as whenever he thought of that fateful battle, he felt dread. He knew not what it was that slaughtered his enemies, and feared that it could take him out one day just as easily. He would spend fortunes and do wild things just to get him closer to any small lead or bit of information about that day.

After twenty long years, found it he has—the shadow over his life is the Marilith Avasarala, a dread tactician of the underworld's armies. Fearing he can not be truly happy as long as the demon looms over the world, he now rides out with his companions to meet her on the battlefield. The Fates watch, as beating a marilith is a sure way to set one on the path to becoming one of Heaven's own enforcers...

Hook 3 (Reece) - The Vile Veil

Far to the northeast lies Utvash Veil, what many consider to be the most dangerous place in the world. When one first lands upon The Veil, the striking black-red beaches of its shores are both stunning and dangerous, as they are ridden with all manner of venomous creatures and corrupted elementals.

Should one be foolish enough to venture inland, The Cult of Many Blades has built a semblance of a society. While not overtly hostile, as they must trade with outsiders to sustain their living upon the island, the cult does very little to protect visitors to The Red Temple. This city of worship is entirely dedicated to worshipping The Great Mother, though one would have to be greatly dedicated to the cult to know exactly WHO The Great Mother is and why they worship her.

Though there are rumors about it, it is said that deep within the volcano, the cult's terrible goddess resides, birthing forth every manner of monster and demon upon the world. Should one choose to pursue answers or seek a boon from the Mother of Monsters, the trials to seek her out are incredibly difficult. The volcano from which the isle gets its name, Utvash, is adorned with a great obsidian tower that reaches far out of sight into the dark, swirling clouds above. While many horrors reside within, Degara Sindrinker—the Chosen Champion of The Mother—is perhaps the worst. As queen of the tower and a powerful pride demon, she will try the will of any parishioner, demanding total supplication of one's pride to The Great Mother...

Marid

When I think of Genies, it's hard to not envision Robin Williams' performance in Aladdin—a product of my age group, perhaps. It's worth noting that genies in the traditional (and Pathfinder) sense are beings of elemental power, and the Marid is reflective of that.

The marid has a lot of thematic and powerful spells in addition to a change shape ability that can be helpful for roleplay elements (ha). Between Rush of Water and a few other powerful melee abilities, the Marid is a powerful combatant and an interesting counterpart as far as elementals go. Think about how your players may encounter an elemental, and what circumstances might lead one to ally or be pitted against one. A marid could even make a compelling not-quite-evil villain in a gray-morality game, or one where society is at odds with the forces of nature.

Whatever the case, take a look at the marid and consider it an opportunity for both worldbuilding as something to use when you need to subvert some expectations about what exactly an elemental is.

- Reece

Hook 1 (Nemanja) - Mostly Unconditional

A Marid Shanzada is throwing a massive, seven-day feast on his private island, and inviting what seems to be anyone who has ever owed him a favour, which amounts to a lot of people. The highlight of the feast will be a three-day storytelling contest, to be judged by the Shanzada themself and rewarded by an unconditional wish. However, any stories that involve an Efreet or a demon of Hel in a non-adversarial role will throw the host into a rage, endangering all the guests...

Hook 2 (Reece) - The Sanctum of the Sea Festival

Far to the north, the coastal town of Tir Dor has developed a strange relationship with the local denizens of the sea. Though some consider them heretical, the people there note that their offerings and festivals do not prevent any from practicing their own beliefs.

Due to some strange confluence of magics, the town is surrounded by seawater that is incredibly "close" to the Elemental Plane of Water. Storms along the coastline there can be devastating, though Tir Dor has found a way to prevent being wiped off the map. Before each storm season, a festival is held for an entire week. The townsfolk sing, dance, create art, and tell stories of days past. Each year, water elementals rise from the sea and partake in the festivities, dancing with the townsfolk and partaking in the storytelling. The powerful Marid use this festival to bless the town, saving it from the ravaging storms.

This year, when an inquisitor comes to investigate if the town's festival is a threat to The Empire, tensions are high between the town and the representatives from the highly structured imperial officials...

Hook 3 (Max) - Baywatch

No ship has been able to leave or enter the Merchant's Bay in over a month which, as one might suspect, has had disastrous results on the local economy. Local and not only authorities have chimed in for a hefty reward for anyone able to resolve the issue.

The waters of the bay have become hostile, tidal waves crashing any vessel into splinters. Some hypothesize that this is gods' punishment, or perhaps that some hex was put upon the city by some malicious force. Truth, however, is a little more complicated than that.

The spirit that looks over the bay has had enough of it being constantly polluted by the mortal beings that travel upon it and decided to make the journey impossible. It resides in the middle of the maelstrom that covers the entire area, should anyone make it there to try and plead with the angered being.