Showing posts with label water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Naiad (Naiad Queen)

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

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

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

- Nemanja

Hook 1 (TJ) - Empire of a Thousand Lakes

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

Hook 2 (Max) - The Guidance of Two

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

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

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

Hook 3 (Nemanja) - River Runs Red

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

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

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

Sunday, October 11, 2020

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?


Saturday, October 10, 2020

Elemental, Mephit

 Think of every hammy and cheesy sidekick to the villain from your favourite childhood cartoon. Now channel them all into a little imp with delusions of grandeur, and you got yourself a mephit. While all are true neutral, they are most often used by minions by other elementals and casters - and a good chunk of those your players will be encountering are certain to be evil. Bestiary 1 brings us four flavours - air, earth, fire, and water.

Ser Georgio D'Anunnzio the Third, Slayer of Beasts Large and small, is a brave air mephit knight. While he claims to be recruiting squires to help him slay a mighty cyclops, he has no real chance against the giant. Despite cooking for, cleaning after, and generally being subservient to his squires, he will still claim to be the leader of the band. If the cyclops is slain, he will also claim the kill - going so far as to challenge any false claims with a duel, although if the duel is accepted he is sure to flee.

Dirty Douglas is an earth mephit known in mage circles for being a highly effective assassin. The tiny murderer's method of operation is gliding through the earth to ambush the victim, tripping them to the ground, and then using a garrote to finish the job. Adventurers who slight the (easy to slight) Guild of Mages Supreme might end up having to deal with him.

The Song of Waves and Pyres is an annual event held in the neutral astral plane city of Foreverspyre. The ancient tradition dates back to when the planes of Water and Earth were in open conflict - but nowadays, a symbolic arena battle for prestige takes place instead. The only participants on both side are respective planes' mephits - and both groups are notoriously good at cheating. Fire mephits usually resort to hidden evocation scrolls and an occasional infernal pact, while water mephits' favourite tactic is to recruit other outsiders and even mortals, using magic to disguise them.

Friday, February 28, 2020

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.