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...

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?

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.

Crag linnorm

 Yesterday, we covered copper dragons, and as much as i hate to say it - good old mettalics and chromatics are beginning to feel a bit... mundane. If you want dragons that feel primal, destructive, alien, linnorms are where its at. Of them, the crag variety, while being the weakest one we got as of bestiary 2, might get some recognition - from its appearance in owlcat's pathfinder kingmaker video game.
Also, do note that while a crag linnorm speaks three languages, it has basically animal level intelligence.

Traditionally, when a chieftain of one of the Eleven Tribes of Evershore needs council, a shaman is sent to the Elvenspire. The ancient monolith is said to hold the collective knowledge of ancestors hidden within it, which the shamans access by falling asleep at its base, and having dream-visions. Several days ago, however, a monstrous, serpentine beast arrived from beyond the sea, coiled around the monolith and fell asleep. While its usually docile, whenever a shaman tries approaching it it flies into a violent rage, and three of the eleven sages already lay dead. As Times Of Trouble come ever closer, the shamans knowledge is needed more than ever, and unless a different source of power is found or the beast slain, the tribes are sure to perish.

After eating Gustaff Ustaff, the King of Narfleek, an ancient and vicious linnorm named Nagaytasha crowned herself the new queen. The ceremony itself was a perverse mockery of the land's tradition - yet noone dared raise their hand against the queen, as Narfleek was always ruled by fire and blood. However, word has come of the Sovereign, a mighty blue dragon monarch, offering her his hand in marriage. A draconic marriage, of course, is unheard of - but the Sovereign plays by the letter of the law, even as he mocks its spirit and intent. If the marriage comes into fruition, the Sovereign and his legion of blue-scaled Dragonborn grunts would gain a foothold on the last free continent, and would surely use it to stage a final invasion. A group of spies recruited from the ranks of the Last Alliance is tasked with using any means necessary to thwart the marriage.

Flametooth is the ancient, serpentine guardian of Hapthus's temple. Flametooth is also dying, after having guarded the temple for exactly a millennium. A temple guard and his young apprentices are tasked with finding a fresh crag linnorm egg to replace flametooth, and bringing it before the old beast succumbs to age - keeping up the charade that the temple's draconic guardian is truly immortal.