Lyrakien (Wanderer Azata)

Another azata—one similar both in name and presentation to the Lillend—the Lyrakien, AKA the Wanderer Azata. We've previously lamented about outsiders, as sometimes it can feel like they are boxed into a particular story archetype that can make them somewhat uninteresting. Max once noted that, to your average medieval peasant, anything that isn't human would probably just be called some variation of demon, devil, or angel, that sort of thing. There's probably some design space there to play with, perhaps someone who is or is not educated in the nuances of planar creatures and the misunderstandings that can result from that understanding.

For our purposes, the wandering themed celestial can be used a few different ways. Consider how prevalent celestials are in your setting and game, and try to determine what circumstances may draw the attention of one such as a Lyrakien. The chaotic meddling of a celestial can shake things up, particularly when that celestial is themed around traveling and could be encountered anywhere.

As a low-level creature, the lyrakien can be a help or a hindrance to players as well as a powerful ally. A burst damage ability alongside some celestial-themed spells (most importantly heal!) can be used a number of different ways when needed. Should you use one (or modify one for an encounter), consider pairing with larger, hitpoint-heavy creatures that can protect the lyrakien while it heals them.

And that's the wanderer azata, patron of the open road. Perhaps when your players decide they need to restrict someone's freedom of movement, you'll know just what creature to present as a foil.

- Reece

Hook 1 (Max) - Gods Save the Queen

Mercenaries needed! A group known as the Free Spirits roam the realm and incite rebellion against its ruler, singing about revolution and bringing the tyranny down. The aforementioned tyranny does not take kindly to it.

Several towns are in a state of open revolt, refusing taxes, arming themselves in preparation for battle, and withholding information on the whereabouts of the musician troupe. The situation is starting to look somewhat dire.

The job is simple. Bring the queen the heads of all of the Free Spirits, and get your weight in gold, in addition to land, titles, and privileges.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - The Spice of Life

A dwarven mining town seems to have gone dark—neither messenger nor traveler has come back from it in almost two weeks.

If anyone dares the treacherous mountain pass separating the town from civilization, they will not find it overrun with the forces of evil, but rather, under a spell by misguided though well-meaning azata. Indeed, to break the town's bleak, industrial and everyday reality, the wily outsiders put the workers of the city under a mass sleep charm. They are refusing to lift it up until a loud, cheerful, and colorful feast is thrown to cheer up the many laborers of the city. Of course, not they won't allow anyone who offers to headline the event, those who would take such an honor upon themselves must be tested against the finest of the lyrakiens' own musicians, dancers, and other performers.

Hook 3 (Reece) - Wanderer's Lament

From town to town my horse does ride

With water and food the world provides

There's one thing though, I cannot find

Dear Lyra, dear Lyra, that voice divine

While riding south, that winter cold

They called me fool, 'You're too old!'

And they were right, they told me true

Though I'd lost my wits, I did find you

When fallen from old Swiftstep's seat

I heard your voice, so kind, so sweet

You'd given me warmth and saved my life

Dear Lyra, Dear Lyra, don't cause me strife

From the grave, you brought my heart

There you sat, your smile? Art

In the morn', the cold did wane

I wish to see you once again

When the storm had settled down

and you'd brought my life around

You gave me help and asked for none

and now I wish to call ya hun

Dear Lyra, my Lyra, you've caught my soul

when you left, my gut did roll

though my passion burns like coal

in my heart, you left a hole

So I search these lonely trails

for that smile, this old heart ails

Now in this storm, I will take rest

and in its passing, I'll surely be blessed 

Lillend (Muse Azata)

When we camp too long on celestials, non-evil outsiders, and planar creatures, I tend to get... sort of bored with them? You may find, as I do, that it's harder to use a creature that's inherently good-aligned for something interesting. I can't think of the last time I used a statblock for a good-aligned creature when it hadn't been summoned by a PC. That's entirely on me, I need to get more creative. Thankfully, my good friends here at Beastfinder push me to do so.

When we talk about the lillend, we finally have an example of a creature that uses music for good, rather than using it to debilitate your party. A lillend has a lot of great spells for aiding allies, so it's probably not the best to deploy as a solitary creature. A lillend supporting a large number of other planar creatures serving as the "bard" of an encounter alongside its kin is probably the ideal way to use it. Additionally, as previously mentioned, it makes a good candidate for a summon given its access to the bard's inspire competence and inspire courage.

The lillend definitely has potential! If one were to be following your party for an extended period of time, helping them out in a pinch, you've just given a story reason to use some GM fiat now and again. Give it a try! While you may not use them against the party—unless you run for evil-aligned PCs, in which case, godspeed—they do make for good narrative creatures, not to mention that having a lillend ally would turn any battle a bit more in the players' favor.

- TJ

Hook 1 (Nemanja) - Virtue Vandal

In the city of Virtue, known for the Church's firm hold on the culture, there's a new breed of vandal. For several weeks now, at the grandest and most frequented of social gatherings, people's clothes have begun disappearing right off their backs and buttocks, leaving them stark naked.

Indeed, a Lilend with a peculiar definition of art has recently made the city their home—one who considers bodies a work of art, thereby making clothes offensive.

The Church's elders fume and froth at their mouths, offering obscene amounts of money if this vandal is caught, though more anarchistically inclined individuals might also be able to use the scandals to shake up the city's power structures...

Hook 2 (TJ) - The Harmonics of the Soul

The Planar Armistice over the souls of the Tharodrosi people causes all manners of strife for the aligned creatures. The lillends in particular have voiced their displeasure at the inability to visit and record the chronicles of those on the Impure Plane. Other than the stagnation of their existing tales, the lillends argue that their influence could change the public opinion of bards and troubadors, which is largely untrusting.

As it stands, the two major groups that provide inspiration for the lyricists and balladeers that call Tharodros home are the sirens and the harpies. The ability for music and magic to merge and influence the harmonics of the soul, one's own natural resonance, is viewed with suspicion, even without the influence of these monsters. The manipulation of the natural harmonics of the soul can be more beautiful, the lillends argue, if only the Tharodrosi peoples could be shown. The sirens and harpies are a perversion of what it means for music to be captivating. The lillends are chafing at the restrictions of the armistice. Given their aptitude to remain hidden, they may begin breaking the terms of the armistice. That is, of course, if they haven't already.

Hook 3 - I Hate Moondays

"The circumstances that brought you here are quite strange. You must understand that." This was the start of Poli's second week in the Mirrorguard. Last week, the docks were bombarded. She thought the cleanup from that mess was the worst it could get, but this! This was somehow both more confusing and more frustrating!

"I do." The woman—if that was indeed what she could be called, as she was definitely not human—was coiled about the stool she had been given to "sit" on. The half-woman-half-snake laughed quite heartily when Poli had asked for something to make her comfortable, only for one of the new recruits to bring a stool.

"And you know why you're in there." Poli gestured broadly at the cell in which the woman, who called herself Yaranaya, was resting.

"Of course."

"So," Poli began, hoping she could get something more from her obstinant "prisoner", if she could even be called that. "You came here because you lost your cat, a being of pure, distilled chaos."

"Dram is technically a Dweomercat, but yes, that is correct."

Poli sighed, it had been a long first week. "That doesn't explain why you attempted to destroy the market in the eastern district."

"I didn't destroy anything—" Poli attempted to interrupt, but Yaranaya was having none of it. "I played Dram's favorite song. It just so happens that that song... Enflames the passions of mortal kind."

"You started at least four brawls, at least fifteen citizens began to bathe in the drinking water, and we arrested twenty-five others for..." Poli blushed and cleared her throat, "Acts of public indecency."

"It's not my fault you all are so pent up with your feelings." Yaranaya smiled and winked at Poli, whose blush continued to deepen.

Before she could properly respond, one of the other guards opened the door to the holding room with a panicked look on his face. Outside there was a terrible racket; people screaming and what sounded like carts crashing into one another.

"Problem," said Stool Guy.

The idiot could've brought literally anything else. Poli scowled. "What?"

Just then, a purple blur rushed by the door outside the guardhouse. The food cart down the street smashed into the shop opposite of the door. One of the cart wheels smashed against the doorframe. Something was yowling outside.

Poli put her face into her hands and proceeded to groan. Loudly. It was going to be another long week.

Ghaele (Crusader Azata)

Ghaeles occupy a weird thematic niche because they are both knights and azatas. On one hand, their knightly demeanor means they are rather likely to join forces with the players against the forces of evil. On the other, their chaotic outsider nature means they are as fickle as fey and their motivations may seem erratic, which can often conflict their mortal, more grounded allies' goals.

In combat, a ghaele's gimmick is essentially "making one specific dude's life living hell", adapting to their enemies weaknesses on the fly and specializing in both dishing out extra and taking less damage all at once. Notably, it has some powerful spells (Chromatic Wall) which it can use in tandem with its Free Blade ability to lay down some control without necessarily hampering its offensive abilities. The innate fly speed in combination with other utility can make the ghaele a powerful ally or adversary, depending on its whims.

Hook 1 (Nemanja) - Down with Tyranny

The current uprising against the tyrannical Emperor Exewald, led by a dozen or so dukes who were brave (or foolish) enough to stand up to the deranged monarch, is going well. A big part of the rebels success is due in part to one man only - a mysterious knight wearing green and silver armour who seemingly appeared out of nowhere at the outset of the conflict.

Unfortunately, when the pragmatic council of dukes starts negotiating vassalage to a foreign ruler, the strict but just King Ladislaus, the Knight and his elite allies somehow catch wind. Dropping their disguise as mere humans, they go on an indiscriminate rampage against any and all landed men of the area in the name of "freedom".

Hook 2 (Max) - Brave Ser Claydon

The tiefling of the party is experiencing some unexplained anxiety, as if they are being watched. Days go by and they start seeing a figure in beautiful plate armor in the distance, though no one else seems to spot the stalker. This may go on for an extended period of time; visions soon accompanied by nightmares of the misdeeds done by the tiefling's fiendish progenitor, writings on the walls spelling impending punishment, driving the character to be more and more unsettled. This comes to a head when they are alone and suddenly attacked by brave Ser Claydon, the fae knight. Ser Claydon states that he enacts judgement upon the "vile fiend" he has been tracking to prevent any devilish schemes it may develop.

Hook 3 (TJ) - The Cerulean Pass

The Cerulean Pass was the most scenic byway from Rendford to Kurst. After Rendford fell to the fiendish hordes, the road has fallen into disrepair; opportunists and slavers willing to treat with the demonic entities now holding Rendford have taken the Pass as their own. Escapees have begun returning to Kurst recently, speaking of a knight from nowhere freeing them from their captors. Each captive he frees tells the same story: immediately after being saved, the knight began asking them pointed questions about the current state of Rendford and a fiend he named as Oxblood Regent before sending them on their way.

Gancanagh (passion azata)

Heavily inspired by the gean cánach of Irish myth, the Gancanagh is essentially a benevolent spin on the incubus archetype. While brief and baffling in their quantities, a gancanagh's romances come from a place of honest desire.
However, other than their partner's wishes and maybe the will of gods, there's not much holding a gancanagh in check - they will straight up ignore laws and societal norms in their pursuit of free love. This often puts them at odds with those who might see promiscuity, revelry and hedonism as sins.
Interestingly, the bestiary notes that, as shapeshifters, gancanaghs do not give much thought to the idea of gender, presenting depending on spur of the moment rather than some deeply rooted idea of their own preference.
The stat block confirms the gancanagh's status as primarily a social encounter creature - its spell list lends itself to diplomacy more than anything else.
If forced into combat though, the best bet the passion azata has is supporting their allies through invigorating passion, before it gets relegated to competent but somewhat limited rapier swinging.

Hook 1 (Nemanja) - Plain Joe

Plain Joe is the administrative clerk who gets assigned to most adventurers' banking business. While eerily unremarkable in almost every way imaginable, he catches the eye of the Thriceborn Three with his friendly and somewhat strangely spontaneous actions. As the friendship grows deeper, Plain Joe becomes more and more obviously uncanny in his mannerisms and behaviours.

If the adventurers catch wind of something being wrong, an investigation involving the dark and shady magical underground of the Gilded City will reveal to them that Plain Joe is actually a passion azata cursed by a jealous witch-ex-lover to be forever stuck in a single, unremarkable body.
Should the adventurers manage to lift the curse (no thanks to the bitter, obstructive witch), they will gain a lifelong ally and companion.

Hook 2 (Reece) - Passions of Revolution

Something is afoot in the brutally dictatorial city of Coalwick. The Coalwickers are dissatisfied both by their leaders and the terrible working conditions of the mine that employs over half the town. They have begun to speak of The Man of Many Faces, one who is reportedly hard at work to free the people from their gray and unsatisfactory lives. While no one seems to know who he is, it is widely known that his lavish (and illegal) parties are stirring revolutionary sentiments amongst the commoners.

These passions are an inconvenience to the Coal Baron and, as his go to enforcers, you've been sent to put a stop to them. Perhaps, however unlikely, this could instead be the spark that lights the wick of rebellion; for you, or for the whole city.

Hook 3 (Max) - An Oracle's Quarrel

While it is a somewhat well guarded secret, there is purportedly a contract out to kill somebody in town. Ghiarma, the old oracle believed by some to be an actual hag, has an unforeseen competitor in her field. Now all the young men and women who once came to her for advice on how to win someone's love go to another; a young fellow known only as Archibald.

He arrived a couple months ago and from the outset became a favorite amongst the adolescents as he was more welcoming and forthcoming than the old fortune teller. Archibald, or as townsfolk began to call him, "Archie", offers friendly (and nine out of ten times correct) guidance to anyone who finds themselves in emotional turmoil. Some are saying that he himself is looking for his one true love, but that's just teen gossip.

Despite his popularity, the prize on his head is quite good, should anyone be willing.