Hydra

Once again we have a readily recognizable monster that PF2e's 3-action economy does a great job of handling. The hydra's gimmick, both in its narrative recognizability and its combat applications, is its heads. Chop one off, two more grow in its place. We all know this by now.

The hydra, much like the troll, is a creature that suffers a bit for its notoriety. Yes, we all understand once you remove its head another one grows. I guarantee that at least someone at your table will know that fire or acid will stop its heads from regenerating. That might make it a little unfun, but hey, just don't make a habit of throwing regenerating monsters at your players and it won't come up too often.

The hydra will require a good amount of bookkeeping when you run it. It regenerates HP equal to 3x the number of heads it has. It also can make an Attack of Opportunity (using its reach as a Huge creature) for each head it has. It also doesn't gain heads automatically—it has to make a DC 25 Fortitude save after regenerating in order for that to happen. Using PF2e's levels of success, however, means that it can regrow from multiple head stumps with a critical success. Given its Fort bonus is +15 and the DC is 25, that will only happen on a 35, which would be a natural 20 anyway. Pretty slim chance, but pretty neat when it happens.

The hydra is a great choice for forcing your players to understand their positioning. With at least 5 and up to 10 Attacks of Opportunity, up to 11d6+7 damage against a single target using Focused Assault, and up to 10 targets with Storm of Jaws, all with the 10-foot reach of a Huge creature, the Hydra is a potent foe. Given that one of the better ways to deal with it will be using cover and maneuvering (barring acid or fire-based meta-knowledge), the battle map or theatre of the mind environment you provide for this encounter is just as important as the hydra itself.

What sort of hydra encounter do you want to make? A hydra attack on a small sloop? A desert hydra lying in wait? A hail hydra hiding in a blizzard? However you choose to have the hydra rear its ugly heads, it's sure to be memorable.

-TJ

Hook 1 (Max) - Mariner's Doom

Mariner's Doom rightly deserves its name, as countless ships along with their crews have met their untimely demise there. It is, however, an extremely tempting route, as it goes straight through a large landmass, potentially saving weeks of sailing around it. This, when accounting for the potential added treasures left by those who failed to get through, is the folly of many foolhardy captains.

The passage itself is quite narrow, as only a single vessel will fit through. That alone makes for a rather arduous journey, though things don't end there. The Doom is honeycombed with jagged edges that shine like the teeth of a hungry beast. Not only that, but the vortices within have a nasty tendency to appear out of nowhere. These things, paired with the ever-present fog that makes navigation quite difficult, take their toll on any sailor's mind. Any one of the aforementioned hazards would cause most captains to steer clear of the pass. Superstition alone is often enough, as legends say that if you traverse the pass, you can still hear and see the specters of innumerable sailors urging you to go back, which of course you cannot do upon entering.

Yet, there is something more lurking beneath the dark waters. It is in the middle of Mariner's Doom where the canal opens into a lake, surrounded by rocky cliffs and the wrecks of countless ships that tried their luck only to be met with a ghastly end.

Should you find yourself there, be it by desperation, courage, greed, or stupidity, take heed and make your peace. For once you are within the Doom's grasp, you will not escape it. The horror that has made the deep its sole domain will not suffer anyone to passers-by and it will hunt you doggedly should you make the attempt. The unnaturally still water shall stir around you as a myriad of serpentine, monstrous heads soar over, their crimson eyes burning with hatred, jet scales marked with scars, a soul-rending shriek echoing in the otherwise silent pass. If you believe in any gods, then is the time to start praying, for no one escapes the clutches of Mariner's Doom once it finds its prey.

Hook 2 (TJ) - The Terror of Anzar

The An'Zar desert is a treacherous place. It is a vast expanse of heat, sand, and banditry. The desert's most dangerous denizen, however, is the Sandspine Hydra.

To say a breed of hydra is dangerous should be no surprise. The Sandspine Hydra plays on the pre-existing dangers of a desert to great success. Burying its body under the sand, this cousin to the aquatic hydra sticks its heads up out from beneath, each imitating a cactus. When prey draws close, the hydra gives up its disguise. Each head attacks in concert, biting or launching paralytic quills to incapacitate its target.

Bandits, travelers, and caravaneers accustomed to the desert, however, have strategies to deal with it. When the hydra has its spines extended, it cannot pull its heads under the safety of the sand as easily. Even when they are retracted, the hydra has great difficulty moving backward. Given its size, this actually works against the hydra more than you would expect. Getting the jump on a Sandspine is key to taking it down.

There are rumors of a gargantuan Sandspine plaguing trade routes during Ambersun. Addled survivors report cacti in the upper double digits, all turning to tear their comrades to shreds. Researchers of Ley-Ecology at the University of An'Zar have great interest in verifying the validity of these rumors.

Hook 3 (Reece) - The King's Strait

The Old Kingdom is rife with riches ready for plundering. It has remained as such for over a thousand years for several reasons.

First, there is the ancient impenetrable wall that rims the entire island in which the kingdom resides. Those who have tried to scale the wall have failed, given it is both sheer and riddled with traps. Second, the only way into the kingdom proper is through a narrow strait full of jagged and unforgiving rocks. Sailing any large boat into the pass is exceedingly dangerous. Third, there are the guardians of the passageway to the kingdom.

This pass, known to ship captains as the King's Strait, would be far easier to navigate in a smaller ship. Unfortunately for those looking for the riches within, the entirety of the strait is absolutely infested with hydras. From sheer wall to sheer wall, the beasts seem to utilize the tumultuous waters therein as a favored spawning ground. It's impossible to say whether or not doing so was on purpose, but one may only find out by venturing within The Old Kingdom's walls...

Grikkitog

The grikkitog is the perfect union of both monster and trap. It serves as a reminder that the things you're afraid of can be afraid of something themselves, as the grikkitog infests earth elementals in a parasitic manner. It then uses their earthen affinity to lie in wait, eating who or whatever happens to stumble its way.

With a cursory glance at its statblock, you might be tempted to run this creature just as a sentient trap, but I think you would be missing something key: this is an intelligent creature, capable of speaking Terran. While this may not be a common language for your PCs to have, it's not impossible. With that in mind, attempting to reason with this creature would make for incredible role-play opportunities.

This creature can serve as a widespread trap and, given its aforementioned intelligence, makes an incredible one. It would absolutely be in character for the grikkitog to wait to attack until creatures are closer to the center of its Infestation Aura, to give it more opportunities to attack them as they attempt to flee. Like with the gargoyle, its ability to imitate stone gives you a good opportunity to test your understanding of how checks vs. DCs work, but I would hope you have a grasp on that by level 14.

I will leave you with one final recommendation. A grikkitog's major feature is its Infestation Aura, right? Well, how much more can you do with a 120-foot radius when you have three-dimensional space to work with? A grikkitog who has a "service elevator" of sorts in a winding cave system to freely move around and reposition? You can do wonders for its effective range when the caves funnel your PCs back into its range. Now there's a fight to remember.

Hook 1 (TJ) - The Hungering Tunnel

The svirfneblin of the Undergallery have long been sought out as masters of stonecraft. Recent rumors purport they've created a ritual that can bring the stone to life. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, the first of these attempts went rather poorly. The resultant creature, although ravenous, could still be reasoned with. Fortunately for the svirfneblin, the passages to the Undergallery can be quite treacherous. Trips to see the wonders these deep gnomes produced were already renowned as a dangerous but worthwhile journey. If a few individuals go missing on their way to the Undergallery, swallowed up by the earth, it is easily written off as a natural risk. The grikkitog, however, is growing tired of this passive arrangement, as it has become increasingly greedy for more. The svirfneblin are becoming fearful, though they have little hope of reaching out for help without alerting the hungry earth that watches the exits...

Hook 2 (Max) - The Black Garnet

The Shrine of the Heavenly Garnet is a place of great reverence where thousands of pilgrims journey every year in search of enlightenment. The travel itself is arduous but reportedly worth it as the sight of the enormous, crimson gem changes people in some way.

At least that was the story up until recently because, for the better part of the last couple of months, no soul has returned from the journey to the top of the mountain where the shrine is located. Priests who admit the pilgrims onto the path are starting to worry.

A disquieting darkness has fallen over the Shrine as the Garnet, once stunningly red, is now jet black. The rich and malicious darkness seems to nest within the gem's many facets as the thing seemingly waits for more and more unfortunate souls to be fed to it. growing with each passing day, both in size and its unsated hunger.

Hook 3 (Nemanja) - Gemeater Pass

To get to the Golden City, the last utopian metropolis of the great Golden Elves, anyone arriving from the south must go through the Gemeater pass.

The treacherous canyon is home to an entire colony of juvenile grikkitogs who infest every step of the mile-long trek. While one might hope to outrun the aberrant elementals, as fighting is hardly an option, the clue to survival actually lies in the canyon's very name; if given gemstones, the elementals will try and consume them before any living flesh. Oddly enough, different gems seem to have different effects: emeralds (the informed choice) make them sick and docile for hours, rubies throw them into a murderous rage, and amethysts greatly increase their mental capabilities...

Green Dragon

Most inclined towards conversation with other beings amongst their kin, Green Dragons are famed as scholars and keepers of lore. This immediately makes them a very useful tool in any GM's arsenal - if your party needs some piece of information, it is very likely that a Green has it. How they'll go around convincing the beast to give it up is where the fun begins.

It is important to bear in mind that these creatures are intolerant of foolish behavior, as the bestiary notes. The spectrum of what constitutes a "fool" for them is quite broad. If you bring some valuable knowledge in exchange, they may be inclined to help you out.

Somewhat obviously, Green Dragons like to take up their residence in forests of all kinds, proclaiming themselves their protectors and sole cultivators. This is an important thing to keep in mind when talking with them, or speaking as them in the GM's case.

In battle, the Green is no pushover; it is a dragon, after all. The Twisting Tail reaction is a great way to keep characters nearby, or at the very least waste their movement. The traditional combo of Breath Weapon, Draconic Frenzy, and Draconic Momentum is also there to remind your party why they, by all accounts, should be wary of these huge monsters. In forests, Greens greatly benefit from their Woodland Stride. Ensuring that Greens are surrounded by thick foliage and underbrush for combat can help maximize the use of the ability and remind the players that they are the Green's domain. Adults take it a step further with Trackless Step, making them particularly difficult to follow or see signs of while grounded. Ancients make their Breath Weapon even nastier with Miasma, which not only creates a wonderful aura of toxin around them but also effectively hides them from sight.

As with all dragons, Greens have also some innate spells, focusing mostly on mind control that can be used both in and out of combat. Do not forget that many dragons, by default, can shapeshift and cast other spells as they live very, very long and have ample time to learn a great many skills.

Hook 1 (Max) - The Verdant Sage

Sophist Wood is home to incredible and numerous marvels, prime among them being its undisputed ruler - an ancient dragon known by many names. Merchants who have to traverse the forest, paying considerable tithes, labeled her the Scourge of Pockets or the Benevolent Tyrant, whilst her subjects speak of their sovereign as the Verdant Sage.

The dragon is very old, even amongst her kin, and lusts primarily after two things - being left in peace and expanding her collection of knowledge. The former is maintained by her longstanding presence in the wood. This has granted her swathes of faithful followers willing to serve her, from animals she awakened intelligence in, to dragon knights swearing their loyalty, and even sycophantic drakes who wish to emulate her interests. The latter is achieved by the contributions made by any travelers that wish to traverse the woods. Many make these contributions quite happily as the road is safe, guarded, and leads straight to the mercantile heart of the region.

The Sage herself prefers to seclude herself in her study, having amassed extensive knowledge in a plethora of subjects. This expertise has made her a well sought-out advisor, a service she provides only to those whose case seems interesting enough for her tastes. Her residence, the Green Palace, was crafted using ancient magics and the forest itself. It is a grand, living mansion grown out of the forest floor, vast and enormous with roots forming miles of dungeon-like root caves beneath the entire forest.

Although quite proud of her draconic form, she will oftentimes assume a humanoid shape, an elven woman of fair features clad in a green robe with golden embroidery. Books are often easier to read that way.

Though she is a scholar, at the end of the day she is still a dragon. Should one find themselves in the unfortunate event of facing the Sage in battle, they would also expect all sorts of nastiness coming their way. The faithful adherents of her domain pale in comparison to the sheer might of the living walls of the Green Palace. The menagerie of magical artefacts and items she has accrued in addition to a great many spells she has mastered over her long life all render her a powerful and capable foe.

Hook 2 (TJ) - Deep Rooted Information

The roots of the mangrove tree at the heart of the Murkriver Expanse grow much farther than anyone could have imagined, having stretched across several kingdoms and territories. Gulvantrel's draconic wiles and a pinch of druidic power have helped her take advantage of this vast pre-existing network. With a small infusion of magicks, Gulvantrel can cause voices to carry through the roots. Her lair at the base of the tree serves as a massive information hub, and trading in tidbits and rumors has made her quite rich. Any of her information trading partners that grow too close to finding out her true identity or location end up choking on a torrent of poison from the sky, a streak of green scales the last thing they see. The people that replace these unfortunates have learned to ask fewer questions.

Hook 3 (Nemanja) - The Ego of the Intellectual

After a thousand years of cordial rivalry, the green dragon Sutrilach has decided to pursue the identity of his intellectual adversary The Verdant Savant. The Savant, an anonymous interlocutor, has openly opposed many philosophical stances Sutrilach has put forth under his own pen name, Scalabus Smaragdus. He wouldn't admit it if asked, but it seems the dragon's vanity is starting to get the better of him.

A group of investigators hired by Sutrilach's proxies uncovers the identities behind both pen names - revealing the fact that the Great Wyrm's secret intellectual rival is also his uneasy ally, the Elven High King Latristoteles.
Both are known for their massive yet fragile egos, but as fate would have it their alliance is the only thing keeping the machinations of the industrialist, fascist, ever-expanding Imperium of Humanity out of Deepwood. Given that fact, the handling of that intel suddenly becomes an incredibly delicate matter...

Gold Dragon

What sets apart a dragon from any other big scary monster? Its ability to fly, or to breathe fire? These are no doubt attributes that come to mind when you think about them, but this is only half of the story. For what makes a dragon not just an oversized lizard is its intelligence, which in turn leads to other capacities stemming from that attribute - a fondness of, or at least the capability for, social discourse in addition to the ability to plan, scheme, and learn.

Gold Dragons are a fine example of this, as they are regarded to be the paragons of metallic dragons; they are respected by all of their cousins and are said to rival even the might of their chromatic counterparts. Despite their raw power, one of the Golds' greatest joys is that of conversation - a delight they are willing to partake in even with the most unlikely of interlocutors. This rises from their innate need to fully assess any situation they find themselves in.

Given their natural affinity for insight, a lot of other metallic dragons oftentimes turn to their golden brethren in times of need. Unfortunately, Gold Dragons' predilection toward dwelling on philosophical quandaries might make them somewhat unreliable in that department. Still, they are a great source of knowledge and wisdom, should one feel inclined to seek one out, which may prove no easy feat.

However gentle in character they may appear, a dragon remains a dragon. As such, you do not want to face them in battle. Most of their melee attacks have a reach of 10 ft., something to keep in mind when a character tries to get the hell out of dodge and forgets the dragon can make attacks of opportunity. Of course, this isn't where the real threat comes from, is it? A Gold Dragon's breath weapon is a nasty little thing, for even an adolescent beast has good reach and deals considerable damage, not to mention the ability to change its effect to enfeeble. Add to that its Draconic Frenzy, with high crit potential due to its capability to dish out many attacks, in addition to Draconic Momentum, you quickly realize that it can breathe fire more often than it would seem at first glance. The older a Gold gets, the harder it will prove to kill - Adults get the Golden Luck reaction, which can effectively ruin any caster's day, while Ancients get 2 reactions.

But that's just regular dragon stuff, isn't it? All Golds have some innate spells, detect alignment being a particularly interesting one. Let us suppose that your party is actually not that good, perhaps they are outwardly evil. The dragon will know. Add to that the fact that, as mentioned before, the big lizards live for a ridiculous amount of time, during which they can learn many things and an idea comes - why not give the thing some more fun and interesting magics? The Bestiary offers some good choices, but good is the keyword here. There is no reason why one of them couldn't research spells of a more nefarious nature, is there not? If you consider that technically **all** dragons can shapeshift, the possibilities suddenly become endless.

Hook 1 (Max) - The Golden Terror

"One hundred thousand crowns for the head of the Golden Terror," exclaims the herald standing in the center of a plaza. The surrounding edges seem to have been scorched by some recent fire.

One Eye, more commonly referred to as the Golden Terror, was driven mad millennia ago. Some theorize he was once a benevolent soul whose madness consumed him after some great betrayal, likely conducted by humans, given his hatred for them.

The dragon is enormous, his scales thicker and more resilient than any armor. His breath melts stone and his razor-sharp claws tear into anything they within reach. The right side of the beast's head is covered in an enormous scar, his eye socket emptied by the long-forgotten blow.

One Eye has made his lair in the bowels of the nearby mountain range, deep within a network of massive caverns connected by vast tunnels. He does not hoard treasure, as he does not care for it. When he lost his mind, he also lost his capacity for anything that isn't rage-fueled slaughter, though he has proven again and again that he can be disturbingly cunning as he dispatches hosts of soldiers and mercenaries sent his way with alarming ease. Allegedly, he enjoys ranting to his prey and teasing them from the hidden depths of his domain before emerging and devouring them.

Hook 2 (Max) - Pots o' Gold

When stepping into the city of Golden Grove, one might spot a suspicious and utter lack of gold. It's not even the ornaments of temples or other important buildings, but even coins and jewelry. Any traveler entering the area with any gold on their person whatsoever is promptly asked to exchange it for silver and gemstones. Resistance is ill-advised.

This is peculiar behavior, to say the least. What is driving the townsfolk to do this? The answer is quite simple.

And big.

Her name is Rahastra, the self-proclaimed Golden Queen. She believes that her scales are the most golden of golds and thus demands all valuable metals that might challenge her are to be given to her so that she can make sure nothing in the world is more vibrantly gilded than she. Of course, she provides ample compensation in the form of silver, gemstones, art pieces, weapons, magic, and even knowledge, depending on the size of the contribution.

If someone were to fail to deliver this gold to her, she may take it personally, believing that finally there was something that could outshine her majesty. That she cannot suffer, so much so that she will take any steps to hunt down any such treasures. Obviously, thanks to her immense and nearly unimaginable wealth and knowledge, she has a lot of nasty tricks up her sleeve beyond just breathing fire.

For what good is treasure if it lays about unused?

Hook 3 (TJ) - The Darkness of Dawn

Sun'zam'ei'thek, the Brightness of Ten Thousand Dawns, the Glint of the Grainlands, is unapproachable. This is not metaphorical in nature. While His High Brightness can often be seen circling above the Grainlands, imbuing a sense of safety and hope in those that farm there, attempting to get closer to him proves to be impossible. One can walk for miles and miles attempting to draw nearer to the majesty of this golden dragon's circling form only to turn and find you've gone no distance at all.

This does not mean that the gold dragon is not present in the lives of those around him, quite the contrary. He regularly intervenes and mediates in the squabbles of the farmers, whether they be land disputes or even disagreements over the validity of bits of trivia shared at the bars late at night. In between these appearances, Sun'zam'ei'thek drifts upon the winds, wheeling about seemingly random patches of farmland, lost in thought.

One morning, when the farmers of the Grainlands rise to tend the fields, His High Brightness is nowhere to be seen; the familiar and bright gleaming of his scales is not visible in the light of the dawn. A search party has gone out, scouring every farm and valley for head or scale of Sun'zam'ei'thek, but they've found nothing. All of them agree, though, that the winter's chill is already on the winds, months ahead of when it should be.

Hook 4 (Reece) - Sundrinker

When there was darkness, I was made Light. At the Dawn of time, I was given breath, born at the epicenter of a blazing sun, drinking of its nectar. Before the ages of Elf, Giant, or Man, I was given life. My charge to guard The Paths, a sacred oath ne'er broken.

From that blazing sun, I forged my kin, though they shant call me their god, as I am only the hand by which their forms were given life. When Giant, and Elf, and Man came, I welcomed them with knowledge and kindness, their squabbles far beneath my charge to guard The Paths.

When The One swore himself and his people to my cause, I saw then that my watch was did not have to be alone, as we all must guard that which binds everything to one.

I claim myself as Bek-Ra-Ai, The Sundrinker, named King of Dragons. To you, Toordan-Na-Sech, I charge thee guard me in my slumber so that when I am needed, I may be called upon for battle. I name you the First to sit at the Sunclaw Seat, a Watcher of The Paths. Rouse me when I am needed, and I will come.

Such is the duty of the Sunclaw until The Paths are sealed.

Quoted from the "Toordani speaking tablet". It appears a piece of stone with ancient glyphs or runes that approximate an ancient form of the dragon's language. Displaced Toordani soothsayers tell me that The Sunclaw is some kind of mortal king tasked with rousing the ancient dragon from his pyramid during a great time of need.

Hoping we don't need him considering the capital where his temple was located appears to have sunk into the sea over a thousand years ago.

Glabrezu(Treachery demon)

Glabrezus are the saying "Be careful what you wish for" made manifest. Despite being huge, hulking monsters with four arms, great maws and horns, they may take on appearance of other creatures, which greatly helps them trick mortals into their doom.

A Treachery Demon's modus operandi is quite simple - find a mortal yearning for something, make their desire come true and twist it in a way that invokes as much misery as possible, be it in the long or short term. This is mirrored by their Twisted Desires ability, which can be used for great narrative effect should your party be especially gullible.

In combat it is no pushover, though its Truth Vulnerability can be potentially exploited by a clever team. It boasts a good arsenal of innate spells that can be used either to disorient the party or make for a quick getaway. Glabrezu is a scary fellow in close quarters combat thanks to its Captive Rake that will, without a shadow of a doubt, turn any unfortunate PC's day sour. Given its faculty for forging pacts, however, it's not unreasonable to conclude it may have some form of backup, should it need any.

Hook 1 (Max) - Song of Ashes

At the crossroads in the Ashen Weald, the most beautiful song can be heard at midnight, drifting down from an ancient, toppled monolith. Thereupon sits a woman of fair features and adorned in ethereal white linens. There are no words in the hymn she hums, though the softness of her voice inevitably draws many to her, even in the darkest hours of the gloom.

Many say that should you catch a glimpse of her amber eyes, she may fulfill any earthly desire you harbor. Although there is a price, she does not ask for much in return.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - The Speaker's Secret

A Glabrezu controlling the information trade in the thrice-damned city of Thorn has built his reputation on the idea that he is impossible to kill. Indeed, many have witnessed swords breaking, spears shattering, and halberds snapping in two against the demon's thick hide. The fiend simply laughed off the attacks even as he sent the would-be slayers to their death.

The reality, as is often the case with demons, could not be further from the truth. The Speaker, as the fiend calls himself, was in a brutal fight with one of the celestials - leaving him barely out of reach from death's door.

In actuality, all of the supposed attacks on The Speakers were illusions, organized by him and his closest allies to keep up appearances as the most dreaded force in the underworld. Secrecy is imperative, since even a whisper that he is close to death could be the final nail in the demon's coffin.

Hook 3 (TJ) - The Oxblood Regent

The howling of the gate to the Abyss drowned out the cries of those dying around him. As the demonic hordes poured forward into Rendford, the noble turned to the spindly man who had promised him a wish, fulfilled.

"Why is this happening? This isn't what I asked for! You said-"

"I said I would put you on the throne, and that the throne would have loyal subjects. This is what you agreed to."

The man's - no - the beast's smile stretched unnaturally as his form shifted. The noble was lifted off the ground as a pincer closed around his neck.

"Your face is a bit garish, but that's nothing a little taxidermy can't fix. It's really just a chair, anyway. I doubt I'll spend much time in it. Lots of work to do." The noble struggled briefly as the pincer closed tighter.

Then, he struggled no more.

Giant Octopus

The Giant Octopus, not to be confused with its very real counterpart the giant squid, is a creature of myth. As long as humans have stared out into the depths of the ocean, dwellers of the deep have captured the collective imaginations of mankind. To that end, we often deploy creatures like the Giant Octopus in a similar manner to how one might use a Kraken; something in the seawater to be feared and talked about by sailors and fishmongers.

While I think there are plenty of reasons one might want to use a Giant Octopus in lieu of the much higher level Kraken, there are a number of things to consider when deploying this majestic creature at your table.

Mechanically, as a Neutral aligned Aquatic Animal, the Giant Octopus is primarily suited to living underwater (as it cannot breathe air) and its stats reflect that. Notably, its land speed and swim speeds (15 and 40 feet, respectively) allow it to act tactically similar to how a Roc might in that it can deploy hit and run tactics against land-bound targets. This is emphasized particularly with Jet, an ability that allows the Giant Octopus to move five times its speed with a single action.

Compression, which allows the Giant Octopus to squeeze through a comparatively small space, can very easily be utilized in a number of story mechanics. Giant Octopi that have made a habit of stealing into impossibly small spaces can make them difficult to find even with a highly determined group of heroes. Consider utilizing its superior aquatic mobility in addition to its Writhing Arms and Constrict abilities to simply drown the ill-prepared. It may be an animal, but the real world octopus is a crafty creature and any combat you run should reflect that.

Do note that the Giant Octopus is ultimately an Animal, and it's not necessarily a creature prone to fighting to the death; running (swimming?) away is an option too! Between its various martial abilities and the Giant Octopus Venom/Ink Cloud, it can be a challenging foe for 4th to 7th level parties, in addition to a potentially strong animal ally for an aquatically oriented game.

Hook 1 (Max) - Ocean's Avenger

The coastal town of Gambler's Wharf has seen better days. No ship has arrived at nor departed from the port for the better part of last two months. Inquired as to what might be the reason, they only respond with some permutation of a 'beast from the deep.'

The aforementioned beast does not like the connotation, instead preferring to think of itself as the Ocean's Avenger. How or why the enormous octopus gained sentience is anyone's guess, though the fact remains that it is intent on wreaking havoc upon those who have for generations hunted its marine kin.
Knowing full well the weaponry deployed by land monsters to be superior, Ocean's Avenger armed itself with an armor comprised of the hulls of ships it has sank in addition to wielding weapons and improvised armaments in each of its tentacles such as masts or harpoons found at the seafloor. Although its hatred burns bright, the only thing it really wants is for land dwelling folk to leave its ocean dwelling brethren alone.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - Inherited Infestation

In merfolk culture, large octopi are treated in a similar way humans and dwarves treat dogs - they are selectively bred for highly specialized roles that support their masters. There are agile octopi that hunt in small packs, massive, heavyset octopi that move and manipulate large amounts of all kinds of material, long tentacled octopi who scour nooks and crannies of underwater cities for lost items, and dozens more.

When the entire population of the underwater Metropolis of Sitnaltas vanishes overnight, hundreds of now masterless octopi end up infesting the entire eastern coast of Akonos.

Hook 3 (Reece) - Familiar Quarrel

The fact that octopi are more intelligent than other animals is well known. When a particularly clever octopus comes in contact with pact magic of some sort, the resulting familiar is doubly so, to the benefit (or more often chagrin) of the mage that it serves.

In the case of Magus Lethem Ganthix, Assistant Professor of Marine Studies at the University of An'Zar, he needs his familiar far more than it needs him. The son of a fisherman, Lethem has surprised the world of academia by publishing accurate, comprehensive works on marine life and the influence of the aquatic ley lines with little in the way of credentials or formal training. While he may be hesitant to answer questions in person, his writings from his secluded office are magnificent.

Faculty have caught Lethem deep in conversation within his office, which is always empty save for his octopus, staring back from its tank. Some have reported that these discussions have recently been devolving into arguments, with Lethem sounding increasingly distraught at the "credit" and "authorship" that spearhead them.

Giant Flytrap & Snapping Flytrap

 Getting tired of throwing flesh-and-blood beasts and monsters at your party? Let's try a plant instead! These creatures are not out of place in any discerning gardener's arsenal, and could even occur naturally in your setting. Consider any greenhouse or forest in a humid climate a potential environment for a Flytrap. This well-rounded monster is not difficult to run, it's understandable from a real-world perspective (which just hands you verisimilitude, if you ask me) and is an easy and straight-forward introduction to many game mechanics. With weaknesses (fire), resistances (acid), and the Grab, Swallow Whole, and Rupture mechanics, Flytraps readily showcase what monsters in PF2e have to offer. A standalone Snapping Flytrap could serve as a boss monster as early as level 1! Plenty of plant food for thought.

Hook 1 (TJ) - Hunger for Adventure
Briff Rigglesby, a halfling horticulturist, has gone missing. Convinced of his own sorcerous prowess, he set to exploring an unmarked and unmapped swath of jungle by himself. He is now two weeks overdue for his check-in with the rest of the expedition. Initial scouting reports detail hearing his voice in their heads, beckoning them toward a glade of sun, serenity, and apparent safety in the hostile wilderness. When the ground began to quiver and close up around them, a scout lost his leg to the Giant Flytrap that would have been happy to take more. Fleeing the glade, Briff's voice came to them again, goading their expeditious return; a starving, urgent call.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - The Trapper's Dance
Trappers, the title for the most respected hunters of the N'guta tribe, are known for the rigorous tests of physical prowess that any upcoming candidates must pass in order to join the elite. One of those tests, meant to measure agility as well as courage and focus, involves snatching a trinket from a massive snapping flytrap's leafy jaws.

Hook 3 (Reece) - The Mouths of Dionaea
To outsiders, the town of Dionaea feels just a little bit... Off. Travelers are warned early and often to stay away from the town's wells. When questioned, the answers the townsfolk provide are anything but consistent. There is a rat problem, the water is rancid, they're cursed or even that they EAT unsuspecting people. With shifty gazes and dodgy answers, those that dig to deep into the town's underground tend to "disappear".

The truth is far darker. Townsfolk feed outsiders that overstay their welcome to a Giant Flytrap named "Gorgroth" and its many smaller mouths located in the humid cave system under the town. They believe the creature brings them power, in addition to the fact that it serves as a convenient means of disposing those the townsfolk dislike or disagree with.

Elephant

 The elephant in the bestiary comes in two variants, a regular one and a mammoth, with the mammoth getting an additional two tusk attack to improve action economy and resistance to cold environs, over the elephant's already impressive grabbing trunk and tusk attacks.

It is common knowledge that the great mammoths of Ledenya plains "bury" their dead. What isn't common knowledge is that mammoth graveyard locations aren't randomly chosen - each of them actually lies on a confluence of ley lines. While humanoid graveyards tend to corrupt the ley lines, infusing them with necrotic energies, the lines passing through mammoth graveyards carry with them primal energies, responding to primitive but strong concepts of bond, survival, and family.

The Sourside jungle is deeply magical in nature, every speck of soil and every leaf on a tree containing residual magic. The amount of magic remaining in a corpse beyond its death responds to the amount of life force it held in life - and elephants, being among the largest denizens of the jungle, are often targeted to harvest it. Both the Hunters' Conglomerate, who offer heaps of blood money, and the Druidic circle opposing them, who offer nothing but a clean conscience, are looking for recruits in the struggle for power in the jungle.

A necromancer decided to usurp an elephant graveyard. He conducted a ritual to raise up an army of zombie elephants, but instead, what rose up is something that has never been seen before - a necrodont, an lumbering, skeletal elephantine creature that is made up of dozens of elephant skeletons. The necrodont promptly trampled the necromancer, before proceeding to go on a rampage in the surrounding countryside. Curiously, the creature never attacked a single animal, nor a druid who hadn't attacked it first - while humanoids were killed left and right. Attempting to combat the massive undead being is a last resort option, but sages suggest the graveyard might hold a key to laying it to rest without engaging it directly.

Elemental, Water

 The water elementals in the bestiary include living waterfalls, quatoids, tidal masters, brine sharks, and elemental tsunamis. Most of them are either penalized for not standing in water, or have abilities that benefit from being in open water. While you *can* stick one of them in a pool and have your players surprised and scared, encountering these in the open sea (or, you know, on their home plane of water, that is... all water?) makes for so much more drama.

The Untari jungle is known for its many streams and waterfalls, but any attempt to map their locations is futile, as they appear to be changing places. Indeed, the jungle is a place of thinning, where the material plane meets the plane of water, and the many living waterfalls who keep crossing over find it very fun to move the streams and rivers around. However, they are very shy and secretive about it, and if mortal eyes see them in action, they might grow violent.

The Angulii pass, a stretch of sea between Northlandia and the polar ice caps, is known for its treacherous waters. Many terrible aquatic beasts lurk here, but among the most feared are entire schools of brine sharks. These elementals are said to jump dozens of feet up into the air, dragging sailors with them and plunging them into the cold depths of the ocean. Some of the more experienced sailors claim that offering them fresh water might keep them off - while others dismiss it as dangerous and wasteful superstition.

The Blue Brothers were the twin tidal master guardians of Akhtana Archipelago. One day, a group of small, octopus looking elementals appeared and whispered something into the brothers' ears. The brothers immediately nodded and then left into the deep, never to be seen again.
As the Calamity, an elemental tsunami that visits once every fifteen years, approaches, the islanders must choose: will their strongest and most capable try to stand against the Tsunami themselves, or shall they go on a quest to try and find their lost guardians?

Elemental, Fire

 The fire elementals are so inspiring, that this writeup is already longer then their description in the book. Still, the actual stat blocks actually give us some fun stuff to work with - those stat blocks including the cinder rat, elemental inferno, living wildfire and salamander.

Space pirates of the Nebulon Reach use conjured cinder rats to efficiently sabotage enemy ships. Cinder rats are conjured right into the ventilation systems of space-faring vessels, and their fetid fumes, while not overly toxic, replace fresh air overtime. Some spaceships have taken to hiring teams of halflings, gnome and other small races - these teams are trained to squeeze into the vents and fight the extraplanar vermin.

Unlike other creatures of elemental fire, salamanders can't actually see through thick smoke. This can be very useful to planar travelers, who can sometimes bribe elemental wildfires or other sentient denizens of the plane of fire to help them hide their locations as they traverse the evil salamanders' domain.

Universitas Arcanum, the premier mage school, has a long list of forbidden summons for its conjuration class. While most creatures on the list made it there for their corruptive influence, the elemental inferno is on the list for a simpler reason - it's only purpose to exist is to burn and destroy. However, some younger, more radical mages are looking to challenge several rules of the institution, among them the inclusion of elemental infernos on the forbidden list - but for all their academic pedigree, the mages also feel they aren't good at debates, having spent their lives as reclusive hermits. They are now looking for a lawyer, or really anyone good with words, to take up their case with the high council

Elemental, Earth

This group of golem-lites includes the living landslide, sod hound, stone mauler, xorn, and elemental avalanche. They also need almost no introduction, as "behemoth made of earth and rubble" is just such a common trope across all media.

The Transrealm Shadowbank Corp is the largest chain of banks in the world(s), ran by a shadowy cabal of seven primal dragons. The dragons' rival has recruited several teams to strike at several of those banks, breaking their reputations as impenetrable. The easiest of those includes jumping through an unstable portal to a demiplane strongly aspected to earth - where gems are kept, and sod hounds alert their living landslide handlers when any single one of the precious stones is moved but a millimeter. 

A group of daring thieves have pulled off the impossible - managing to steal a precious diamond from one of the vaults of the Transrealm Shadowbank Corp. Unfortunately, just as they return to the material plane, closing the portal behind them, a hungry xorn appears, and with him some stone mauler thugs. The three-legged gem eater proposes a trade for the diamond, but his companions disposition clearly states that no is not an answer.

Birkenbock mountain is home to a grumpy old elemental avalanche. Unknowingly, when old ladies living on its slopes talk about keeping quiet not to cause an avalanche, they aren't talking about natural avalanches - instead, Ol' Slide is particularly fond of his peace and quiet. Those in the know will sometimes leave offerings in the form of scrolls of silence or similar magical trinkets, and just sometimes, they might unexpectedly stumble upon a gem, or a hidden cave filled with treasures, when traversing the mount.

Elemental, Air

 And so, our week of elementals begins, with the air elementals - including the elemental hurricane, invisible stalker, living whirlwind, the mighty storm lord, and the zephyr hawk.

Griefholme, the city of light and magic, is a place where magic is so commonplace that day-to-day life of most citizens relies on it. One of the many unconventional uses of conjuration is a bounded elemental hurricane that is let out into the streets at night - doing a job of hundreds of servants with brooms within mere minutes. While the creature is under strict orders never to initiate a fight unprovoked, it has taken to its duty very seriously, and will aggressively defend the hygiene of the city.

Whisper is an invisible stalker with a vendetta. Having been called to perform terrible deeds by a rogue necromancer one too many times, he plans to execute the mage. To that end, he has given the necromancer the location of some ancient treasure, hidden on a solitary, faraway mountaintop - but also failed to mention that said mountaintop is an elemental vortex point, notable for being the spawning grounds of large numbers of aggressive young living whirlwinds. However, Ol' Joe the Necromancer wouldn't risk his own life - instead sending naive young adventurers after the treasure, with promises of rewards sure to be broken.

Hush Featherstep is an ancient storm lord noble. In his youth, hush was an avid falconer in his home plane of air - and even in his old days, his trustiest companion, a zephyr hawk named Swyft, had been at his side. Unfortunately, these days Hush's sight has grown weak - and when Swyft goes missing while on a hunt on the material plane, Hush must turn to some mortals for help. All of the signs point towards the bird-like elemental flying straight into a massive storm brewing on the horizon.

Drakauthix

 One thing i will always praise paizo for is throwing in some outright weird monsters in their books. The drakauthix (please don't make me try and pronounce it) is one of those things. A giant, floating, carnivorous tentacled mushrooms that see through clouds of spores. And i'm bloody loving it.

Rotten hill, the windiest peak in all of Ungerlund, is now home to a crazed fungal monstrosity. The spores of a juvenile somehow left their dark, underworld homes, and hatched on the sunny hill. However, the constant heavy wind that blows across the entire area keeps sweeping away any sight-spores. Hence, the drakauthix is crazed into being less passive than most of its kind, violently lashing out at any motion it manages to detect in its close vicinity. As the hill is a popular spot among locals, the Duke has offered a reward to anyone willing to cleanse it.

Explorers under the leadership of Ser Henry Hearthwise have achieved their goal - they reached the famed bottom of the world. Except, after going several hundred kilometers underground, discovering several lost civilizations, and going through caverns no mortal eye has ever seen... they're in for one more surprise. What every civilization since the creation of the universe has considered the endpoint of the world itself, is in fact populated by a sea of flying, tentacled mushrooms. Ser Henry being who he is, some foolhardy shenanigans net him a discovery that will shake up all theories about the world - beneath the shroom colony, a deep and dark abyss lies... and the fungal beings seem to be feeding on the remains of whatever lives below.

The king has been killed, and very creatively. Someone managed to slip live drakauthix spores into the ink that was delivered to the king's scribe. Soon enough, several of the fungal behemoths rose up across the castle, most notably in the king's bedroom. A rescue party must go into the keep and find any remaining survivors, while also trying to contain the infestation. 

Dragon turtle

Look at this thing. It has positive modifiers in each of the mental stats. Please, please, please, don't treat it as just an aquatic beast. It can be so, so much more.

Ships transporting magical components and alchemical goods between the coasts of Dardagos and Nuova Zbriglandia have been disappearing. An expedition under the lead of Captain Karamarkos will yield a disturbing truth - Zgrulla, an ancient dragon turtle, has began amassing wealth. Apparently, she dreams of flying across the skies like true dragons, and is paying an entire tribe of sea devil witchers an exorbitant sum of money to conduct a ritual that would give her wings. If the ritual is stopped, she flies into a murderous rage - but less vengefully minded sailors might aid the ritual, earning her gratitude, and the knowledge of the unexplored, riches and adventures filled Blodmoon archipelago.

Several years ago, lord Asmint got what he thought was a snapping turtle for his garden pond. When the reptile started becoming too large for the pool, he ordered his slaves to release it into the glades right outside the city. The slaves, in their laziness, actually released the turtle into a nearby sewer pit.
Several years have passed, and the "Sewer Dragon" has grown as large as a horse - though its size is somewhat stunted by the confines of the space it resides in. With an urge it doesn't understand - one for the open sea - making it nervous and agitated, the reptile now plots revenge against its former captor. Anyone wandering the sewers risks getting forcefully recruited into its war effort.

The treasure of the pirate Ysgarr contained, among other things, the Eye of Storms. The famed gem turned out to contain the wild magicks needed to undo a curse cast upon poor Ungar the Unlucky. Unfortunately, years back, before he became a professor at Port Lagrazza's university, a vain and egoistical dragon turtle named Plasmorasmus ate the pirate. Afterwards, the turtle had the pirate's treasure melted, and then poured over its armor. However, the mighty being has since gone "civilized" - holding lectures about marine wildlife and geography out of an amphitheater built around a dock. While moody and asocial, the professor is well loved in the port city - and scheming to steal a peace of his gilded armor won't get much support for Ungar and his friends.

Cyclops

 Cyclopes come to us in two versions - the large, not too smart regular cyclopes, and the larger, dumber, more brutal great cyclopes. The exact correlation between the two is left vague - and that is where your writing comes into play.

Nubonga the cyclops is a reluctant ally of the Merry Mercenary Company of Marsholm. While he is prone to violent outbursts at a slightest perceived offense, the one-eyed giant's deep knowledge of the threads of fate makes him a very valuable asset. However, when the mercenaries return to his cavernous dwelling after several months of exploration, they find him mutated, almost doubled in size, and more maddened than ever. Before jumping at them with murderous intents, the giant manages to mutter "moon... spawn... help... me".

For years, local have avoided the Three Crowns hilltop. While the cyclopes that dwell there were brutal and aggressive, they rarely wandered beyond their ruined city's crumbled walls. For the past few days, however, loud sounds have been coming from that direction. Anyone who dares investigate will find out that the cyclopes have, after decades or even centuries of passivity, started rebuilding. What that means for the surrounding kingdoms of men and elves remains to be seen.

On the faraway, technologically advanced planet of Dezcordia, every sentient is implanted with a chip. Those chips record and store every bit of the implantee's knowledge. A group of archeologists - although some would call them grave robbers, or even thugs - are looking for information on pre-purge societies. It just so happens that the only good source of such information is the only living being who was alive at the time - a great Cyclops called Ugryt. Unfortunately, Ugryt is locked away in a solitary prison-satelite complex, guarded with several layers of counter-measures.

Crocodile

 The croc comes to us in two sizes - the basic crocodile and the primeval deinosuchus. Despite clocking in at a measly level 2, the crocodile has one of the deadliest abilities in the game - death roll. Once you drown a PC in knee-high water, you will get a reputation as that GM.

The Milzeezipee river is a great route for logs, cut in the north and transported downstream. Unfortunately, some gators have realized folks who try to steal single logs from the massive groups make for easy food, and gator hunting season has been called for. Each gator will net you ten gold, and the hunter who bags the largest of the beasts will get another thousand, along with a magical machete. 

A group of grizzled mercenaries is approached by a strange man in a beige robe called Stevanos Irwinos. He wishes to (for some insane reason) catalogoue the crocodile population of the Nakhunta glades. The catch is, he wishes no harm on the animals. As the glades are treacherous and full of dangers, he needs protection.
Even as a legendary deinosuchus - a crocodillian beast the size of a small house - capsizes their boat, Stevanos keeps trying to calm the situation down and urges his compatriots not to hurt the beast. If they listen, they are rewarded a single scale from the lizard king when their ordeals are over - allowing them to summon an entire army of dinosaurs as a one-time boon.

Legend holds it that if a lizardfolk egg is swallowed whole by a dire crocodile, it will immeddiately hatch and give birth to a mighty champion of the swamps. A militant iruxi shaman now summons a troupe of foreigners he once nursed back to health, and asks them to help him devise a plan of action. He wishes to distribute as many eggs over as big of a territory as he can, hoping to raise a physically enhanced warbands.
Of course, even if they know of a way to help him, the foreigners are at a conundrum - such a warband would surely be used for invasion. On the other hand, the sanctity of an owed favour is not to be carelessly broken...

Copper dragon

 Copper dragons are essentially fairy dragons with an agenda. While threading on almost fey territory with their hedonistic approach to life and love of jokes, but their staunch, if easily misdirected moral compass is what sets them apart.

While dragons are wise and powerful, they aren't immune to indoctrination. While investigating ways to combat a dwarven lich king, a group of would-be heroes end up facing his top enforcer - a young copper dragon, convinced from hatching that tyranny and lordship over the weak are virtues. While battling him remains a (risky, bordering on suicidal) option, if swayed he could make for an exceptional ally.

A venerable copper dragon is throwing a massive party in the city's keep. The party is supposed to be a masquerade, and there's a prize - those who divine the draconic patron's identity will be given riches beyond measure.
While that is certainly true, the great wyrm also plans to recrtuit the five most successful investigators from the crowd - and with or without their consent, transport them to the city of Tarabath, where he needs help thwarting the plans of a secret society of shapeshifters.

An accomplished gang of mage-criminals travels to the faraway, dragon-ruled land of Netraxia. After stealing a prized diamond in a diabolical and daring heist, an officer of the law finally catches up to them - except its a dragon as tall as a house. If they express disbelief, the dragon responds with "Well yeah, we're know as coppers, aren't we?", before trying to chomp their heads of - keeping a self-satisfied grin on its face while he does.

Cloud giant

There's just something so folktale-ish about cloud giants. These aren't creatures that just randomly exist in the world, these are creatures multiple surrounding villages have wildly differing local legends about. They aren't an "appropriately leveled challenge for the player characters to face", they are a story unfolding itself as you witness it. Their divergent alignments also hint at yet even greater mysteries in the background.

A standoff of (literally) gigantic proportions is taking place at the mouth of Durgil's deeps. Two delegations of previously unseen giants have set up camps, and appear to be constantly arguing and bickering. So far, no physical violence has erupted, but if it does, the nearby townships are sure to be the one to suffer. 

If the local mayor's emissaries manage to sneak past the giants and their random bursts of magic, and delve deep into the treacherous caves, what awaits them at the very bottom is another giant, chained to a monolith. The prisoner looks much like his arguing kin above, but appears ancient beyond measure. At his feet, a plaque stands, an engraving in ancient valhallan on it. "The last one who did not choose a side", the text says.

The old giant, if awakened, pleads his finders "not to let the childer find him, for it shall start the war anew".

In the lands of Ledenya, the brothers who dwell above are treated as deities. The two cloud giants - one kind, benevolent and gregarious, the other cruel, sadistic and petty, come and go with the seasons. As summer draws to a close, Dvoryak's castle, a thing of white and gold sitting on soft clouds, sails beyond the horizon, as Kuryak's castle, with its sharp edges and tall spires appears, riding on a storm.
One winter, though, Dvoryak's castle crashes from the skies. With the last remnants of life, the benevolent giant awakens the seed of greatness within four youths of the tribe, and urges them to find a new home for their people, beyond the Shardspire mountains - but time is short, and they must go before Kuryak comes for them.

For ages, it has been common belief that some cloud giants are good and some evil. The truth, however, is that they go through two psychological and physiological phases in their life. Juveniles tend to be more physically imposing, highly territorial and yearn for violence. As they mature, they settle down, become builders, develop the need for humanoid contact, and essentially reinvent their entire personalities.
A group of mercenaries is shocked when a giant, who nearly murdered them early in their careers by trying to feed them to his pet hydra, congratulates them on their latest escapade and calls them for a feast in their honour. While the patriarch himself is bound to be civil, some of his teenage sons might also be present...

Bulette

Bulettes are one of those monsters that are just crazy enough to work despite being an absurd concept. LAND. SHARKS. Anyway, while you can always turn your campaign into jaws but on land, we'll go another route, and see what else makes these tick in the following entries.

Spiridon the alchemist has been mutating bulettes for the past few years. While he also made several alchemically aligned specimens, his proudest work are bulletes that feed only on a certain type of humanoid.
Indeed, if anyone breaks into his lair, he quickly scans the ancestries of the intruders, before opening the heavy, metal canisters containing bulettes who will only try to eat the intruders and not him.
Unfortunately for him, if someone know his secret - and the Shire Constabulary, chasing after him, have learned it - opening the canister with the elf-eater bullete might not end up well for him...

Deep Black is the oldest, meanest, and most definitely largest bulette arround. The massive female stalks the outskirts of the dwarven undercity of Kel Marhmahoor, slaughtering entire caravans in one attack. Recently, its appetites seem to have increased, as it has entered the city itself on several occasions, snatching people and dragging them back under the ancient bedrock. Dwarven heroes are called for, and the beast needs to be slain once for all.

For ages, The Royal Stables of the Kingdom of Gnarlia have had a designated bulette slayer. Unfortunately, the previous man fell ill, and passed away a mere night away. Now, as the king's new champions arrive to be given horses and ride away on a new adventure, a bullete appears, foaming at the mouth...

Bronze Dragon

Bronze dragons seem to occupy a bit of a weird niche in pathfinder 2 - while they are explicitly the most common of the metallic dragons, and the most likely to ally with humanoids, they also seem to have a bit of a lethargic, maybe even misanthropic angle to them, where they won't go out looking for adventure - but if it does come to them, they will gladly accept it.

Llyweth and Thywell are a rare case - two differently coloured dragons who lair together. It is said that together, their knowledge of the Duchy of Antal - on whose outskirts their lair lies - is complete. Llyweth, the bronze, tends to know the scientific and empirical stuff, while Thywell, the brass, knows all of the latest gossip, along with the oral history and folk tales of the region.

The Knights Most Eclectic And Electric are an extended family and an order of knights founded by Sir Montague. The patron formed the order several years ago after returning from a voyage across the Black Ocean. Apparently, on that expedition, the ship's crew almost died of starvation on a deserted island, before a mysterious, tanned stranger appeared out of nowhere with food, water and tents. After saving them, he made sir Montague promise that when his time of need comes, one from the knight's bloodline will answer.
Several generations have passed, and while sailing across the Green Sea, a mighty dragon rises from the water, and demands that one of Sir Montague's heirs come with him...

Hengra is a particularly reclusive young bronze dragon. In her quest to be left alone, she found a way to make her repulsive gas stick around, and coats the entire in it every week.
Unfortunately, Hengra also owns the only remaining issue of an ancient book detailing how to cure lycantrophy, and it recently hit the nearby town of Mosswell. A borderline insane group of teenagers now plans to try and plead with the dragon, hoping to at least see the book, but luck may not be on their side.