Grig

Generally, The Fey are well suited to serve as a reminder that the world the players occupy is one of extremes. Pathfinder 2e is, after all, a ruleset of extremes. Super powerful heroes of mythic proportions, beasts of abject evil, and avatars of total obedience to the laws of nature or man are all present within the game. Fey creatures exemplify these extremist tendencies in numerous ways, and the grig is no different.

The Grig is willing to confront that which it may know it cannot defeat. Be ye ally or enemy, a grig is more than willing to put itself in harm's way regardless of the difficulty or danger in the task. This is a great way to emphasize that some things are beyond reasoning with, particularly the ever-changing yet staunchly stubborn fey.

The Grig's signature ability Fiddle is a touch silly, though it is emblematic of what makes the fey truly alien. They do not abide by the normal behaviors attributed to mortals. Should you be one that a grig deems a threat, they can prove more a threat than one might guess as they are one of the few level one creatures with both a ranged attack and a fly speed. For this reason, the grig is quite the harrying force against ill-prepared foes, as they can blast dissonant notes down at foes that are stuck on the ground, well out of reach of the nastiest melee adversaries. With added spells such as glitterdust and invisibility, they can be quite the annoyance even for a level 3 or 4 party.

Do not underestimate the noble grig and consider the creative ways its flaws may be used to your narrative or tactical advantage.

Hook 1 (TJ) - Prison of Amber

While wandering a local curio shop, their collection of insects trapped in amber piques your interest. A frozen gallery of scorpions, spiders, and dragonflies stares back at you, their last moments taken millennia ago as the tree sap encased them. An odd-looking cricket at the back of this anachronistic menagerie catches your eye. A closer examination reveals that this 'cricket' has a humanoid body attached to its insectoid abdomen, complete with miniature clothing and armaments. As you pick it up, the eyes of this creature turn to look at you, almost pleading. Startled, you drop the amber, shattering the prison of golden resin. The creature coughs and chirps before hopping up onto the table next to you, attempting to communicate its thanks in a tongue long forgotten by time and men.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - The Fey Knight Company

The Locusts are a mercenary company with a nasty reputation... composed entirely of a swarm of graveknight grigs.

Several generations of grigs ago (which is perhaps... a decade, in human measurements) a small enclave of grigs made a pact with a dark entity in exchange for the power to fight the greatest threats.

The company has grown to a considerable size since then, comprised of smiths to produce new armor, dedicated bagpipe dirge players, and elite soldiers who live and die for the Cause. The Cause, of course, is to find the biggest, most evil creature to stick their toothpick-sized claymores in.

Unfortunately, their effectiveness is becoming their downfall. As evil creatures are wiped out one by one, the pool of enemies they consider worthy further dwindles. Driven by their accursed bloodlust, they are beginning to pick fights with the wrong targets.

Hook 3 (Reece) - Twisting Hearts

Candar the Eye has long watched over the village of Beidar as its fey protector. Their reverence for the Lavender King is commendable, as with each year they pay the proper respect due to the Fey King that saved their progenitors a great many centuries ago from the firestorms and floods of the last cataclysm.

An ancient enemy has long eyed the settlement as it is rife with sorcerous blood well suited for the creation of powerful fey thralls, twisted creatures of occultic and primal magics used to enact the will of their masters.

When one member of the coven that serves The Court of Dark Hearts cuts off the gateway back into The Fey, Candar finds himself facing off alone against the coven and his own enslaved brethren, corrupted grigs who seek to break the minds of men and turn them to the evils of the fey court. He knows this task is far beyond his ability and reveals himself to the locals so that he might seek their aid against the forces that have begun to corrupt the very heart of the town.

Griffon

The griffon, also spelled griffin or gryphon, is a mythological cornerstone. A mix (usually) between a lion and an eagle, two apex creatures within their own ecological niche, the griffon has a myriad of real-world mythos associated with it. I could give you real-world historical information on it but this is a Beastfinder entry, not a Wikipedia article.

Statistically, the griffon is a pretty generic creature. It uses hit-and-run tactics with Flying Strafe, which allows it to Fly once (using its massive 60ft fly speed) and Strike twice throughout that movement. It can also serve as an ambush predator with Pounce. At the end of the day, the griffon is an animal. It has low intelligence and fights in order to protect its territory, its young, or in search of a meal. That being said, it generally will lean toward self-preservation in battle, flying out of range of enemies when it grows too wounded to continue.

The griffon is useful for our purposes because of its iconic nature. It's easily recognizable and carries with it the zeitgeist of various historical periods. Because of these attributes, in my opinion, the griffon functions best as the subject of a quest, not the boss monster of an encounter. Poachers collecting griffon eggs, a mated pair needing to be relocated due to a precarious nesting location, that sort of thing. You could take it a step farther, however, and create entire subspecies of griffon based on other feline/bird hybrids. Not that I, uh.

Not that I'd know anyone who would do that.

Hook 1 (Max) - Loyal Steed

At night, a soul-rending shriek of agony can be heard. Upon investigating it, one will find a mighty griffon clad in ornamental armor, bleeding from countless wounds, inflicted by both weapons and magic from the looks of it.

If healed, it will immediately start walking (assuming it cannot yet fly) northward. After a day of travel, anyone following the beast will happen upon a battlefield, though "massacre" might be a more apt descriptor. Dozens of griffons and knights in similar armor lie scattered about, most of them in barely recognizable pieces. The animal cries out in anguish after finding what one could only assume to be its rider. The pained beast looks toward the nearby ruins of an old keep.

Whatever demolished the warriors is there.

Hook 2 (TJ) - Pennycat Problems

The Westway Pennycat is a small griffonoid creature that rules the underbrush of the Galboia Range. The diminutive Pennycat seems to be a cross between a common grouse and the runt of a bobcat litter and is therefore not fit for riding like the Ozun Seahawk would be.

This does not stop enterprising breeders and tamers from seeking them out, however. Pennycats make incredible mousers, and ratcatchers all over Aldunn have begun to use them to clear out local rodent populations.

When a fire broke out at the compound of Huxley Dawndew, the lead pennycat breeder in Westway, he released all of his pennycats so that they could flee the blaze. Now that the fire has died down, he needs help tracking all 473 of them down, as well as finding the source of the fire.

Hook 3 (Nemanja) - Secrets of Sand

Folk tales among the Nffrach people of the Resspa desert claim that the vigilants - the vulture-hyena griffons of the region - value sea fish over any other food. Of course, for most locals, living hundreds of miles away from the sea means that is a virtually untestable premise.

Travelers from faraway lands will find out that upon offering a vigilant seafood, it will bow down, indicating that the donor should mount them. Curiously, should one accept the offered seat, they will find themselves dropped off at elven ruins surrounding a dried-out oasis deep in the desert, two continents away from the next closest elven settlement known...

Green Hag

I have never properly deployed hags as they are written in any game I've run, as I haven't had the story I wanted to tell with them properly centered. It is important to bear in mind that hags of all types play into the trope of the duplicitous, deceptive, or evil (sometimes old) woman, which is not often an arc or story I have an interest in telling. We've all heard the stories of the various witch hunts of colonial America and the old United kingdom from which the hags are inspired. The folklore from which these hunts were derived in many cases predates that of the hunts themselves. The archetype of the wizened woman of magic even ties to some of the old druidic traditions of modern-day Ireland, Scotland, and the old Gaelic tribes

With all this in mind, there is a great burden with which the Pathfinder 2e hags can be deployed. They occupy a unique place within the game mechanically and narratively as creatures that can be a threat to a party throughout their adventures, ranging in level from 3 through 10 as of the date of my writing. When theorizing how you might place a hag within your setting, I do recommend that you consider creating an entire coven within the area of influence for use. This serves two functions:

- The Coven ability grants spells to the entire coven that the individual hag may not have access to
- The Coven itself can be a primary or tertiary antagonistic force that can help or hinder your players whilst harassing the countryside

To these ends, I recommend the hag and accompanying coven as a way to inject a further level of mystery or fantasy horror into your chosen setting. The hag becomes far more interesting when their grievance and hatred with humanity is not entirely unwarranted. It is with this in mind that I will make recommendations for future hags.

The Green hag in question is a creature covetous of perceived beauty and purity. Given the previous recommendation, you may consider that a hag is a lover scorned long ago by a cruel and unloving partnership or that she was once a woman of good standing betrayed and attacked by someone close to her or her chosen community.

Exacting revenge against those who offend her or her sisters' sensibilities can be a great way for an antagonistic or evil presence to also seem justified, in a twisted sense, in that the curses they place are upon family lines or against villages who were the origin of their suffering and status as outcasts. The hag coven may even be a necessary evil to be leveraged for your players gain in knowledge or aid against some greater malevolence which could create a somewhat conflicted allyship ample with roleplay opportunities.

I neglected to mention the myth of changelings and stolen children, though perhaps there is a place for such conversation another day. Should combat be thrust upon the green hag, it is best served as a creature that acts in tandem with minions of some type such as twisted creatures of nature or evil adherents. Her spellcasting and abilities are all complimentary to debuffing and making otherwise strong parties vulnerable to her lesser more martial allies.

Between the above and the fact that the green hag has quite the set of spells for creating an unearthly and unsettling environment, such as ghost sound, pass without trace, and message. Don't hesitate to lean into this to foreshadow whatever doom is to befall your players, should they enrage the entire coven.

Hook 1 (Max) - I Chopped the Sheriff

Anna, the sheriff of a small town by the name of Marsh Hill, has changed, and not for the better. Ever since her expedition into the swamplands, where she defeated a hag and got an impressive scar for the effort, she has become more erratic and cruel in her behavior. Some say that the loss of her right eye is to blame, though it does seem unlike her even given the circumstances.

Not long after her return, the chief was mysteriously and brutally murdered along with his family, a matter which the sheriff had been intensely looking into. At least that's what she claims, for she is far more occupied with ruling the Hill with an iron fist, as she demands tithes to be paid to her for the "protection" she provides.

Anna can be only seen in the company of her four guards, her four most trusted men that joined her in her quest to slay the hag who, for some inexplicable reason, don't speak anymore. Alongside her imposing presence and a new tendency for violent outbursts of anger, this process has been enough to keep the townsfolk "In Line".

Most attribute the change to the trauma sustained by the sheriff and her men during their fight with the hag. Some question if the monster was truly slain, given her magics can still be seen and sensed in the area. The Sheriff dismisses those claims and forbids anyone from going into the marshland.

While that could stem from concern for the well-being of her people, the reason is far simpler. Should anyone go into the swamps and find the hag's cove, they would quickly find the ghastly remains of the actual sheriff whose face has long since been clawed into a barely recognizable mess.

Hook 2 (Reece) - The Hagsong

Beauty fond and beauty fair
Doth thou flaunt without care?
Purity, rightness, thought and grace
Thou can't flaunt without a face

Heart of iron, heart of gold
Heart of thistle, turned to mold
Strong of will and keen of mind
Flask of acid makes thee blind

Thoughts of courage and warmth in touch,
Thou cant stand without thine crutch
Bound by thorns and bound by hair
Thou wilt sate me, and bring thine heir

-From "The Hagsong" - Source unreliable. Found dead approximately 36 hours after recording. Cause of death: Strangulation. Think the brambles grew into the eye sockets post mortem.

Hook 3 (Nemanja) - Lover's Scorn

In a rare twist of fate, a gancanagh has decided to settle in one place for a few years, finding the overall energy present in the artist's colony of Vibrance exactly to his taste.

Of course, they haven't given up the passionate outlook of their kind, and under many disguises and names have reveled across town. This, unfortunately, caught the eye of a local green hag who is reusing the azata's disguises to revisit their lovers and inflict misery upon them - purely out of spite.

The townspeople, although used to occasional fey meddling, are starting to realize something is off and are looking for paranormal and occultic experts who can look into it.

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...

Graveknight

Graveknights are, in essence, the more physical version of the lich archetype.They are undying anti-paladins whose essence is tied to the unholy armors they don. They are a force to be reckoned with, as they are pretty hard to hit, instantly master any arms they take up, and can summon steeds to carry them into battle. The bestiary also offers some neat alternative abilities, urging GMs to further customize each and every one of them to fit the graveknights' diabolic personalities.

An interesting thing about their entry in the bestiary is that there's no explanation as to how graveknights are created - leaving you plenty of room to get creative and tie them even deeper into your setting's lore.

Hook 1 (Max) - No Rest for the Wicked

Some things are best left buried and ignored. Such is the case with Mord, a valiant knight turned living weapon in the midst of a bloody conflict twixt mortals and demons. He was one of the most ruthless combatants during the war, his name forgotten and erased from all knowledge by those who had created him.

After the war, he was lain to rest, his remains scattered to four winds. Alas, it is never enough to banish an Evil, especially wrought by one's own hand. There were those who remembered, and some who even worshipped the knight. Thus, over generations, they gathered the pieces of his body and armaments, finally conducting a blasphemous ritual to bring this old menace back.

Now, Mord roams the world once more, a silent horror intent on slaughter. Some would mistakenly assume that his mind has left him entirely, a belief not shared by those who would face him in combat. The knight displays an unnerving tactical wit and his hulking size is contrasted by inhuman speed. As if that were not enough, his black armor and his trusty Razor will prove a nightmare for any spellcaster unfortunate enough to find themselves in Mord's vicinity, as they were imbued with ancient protective glyphs that greatly enhance the warrior's resistance and deadliness to all things magic.

Hook 2 (TJ) - The Spectres of The Scorchland

The Verdant Knights of the Expanse moved to defend the elven trenches. Their mission was a simple one: buy time for the oaken siege constructs to move into place in order to break the Aldunnian line. Swords clashed and arrows flew. All around them, warriors died. Still, they pushed forward.

Cresting the hill they'd been instructed to take at all costs, they realized they were surrounded. The rest of their elven brethren were either slain or retreating, the siege engines nowhere in sight. Before them was a battalion or more of winged beasts, riders upon their backs. Worse, these Aldunnian griffon riders armed with what looked to be Utheni explosives. That was impossible. They should have known days in advance if the dwarves had sided with the humans. There was only one possibility: the Verdant Knights had been betrayed. One by one, they fell in a hail of dwarven fire, thrown by human hands.

Now, in what has come to be known as the Scorchlands, the Verdant Knights rise again each night, going through the motions to take the hill. They fight specters and risen bones, pushing off attacks and waiting for the support that will never come. They are forever trapped in the anguish of their betrayal and the impossibility that led to their defeat.

Hook 3 (Nemanja) - The Cult of The Juggernaut

The Juggernaut is a notorious assassin with a pretty unique modus operandi, stemming from the fact that he is a graveknight.

The dreaded killer, known for his crimson-accented black armor, never uses the same host body for an assassination. Instead, his armor is transported via black market channels to his target's location, where it is then donned by one of the many acolytes of his cult. As the armor is donned, the Juggernaut is awakened. Upon completing his mission, he promptly ritually removes the armor, killing the host in the process. This starts anew with each target, though whether the assassinations are in on behalf of some foul purpose, or if the cult is simply looking for ways to sate their god's thirst is hard to say.

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.

Gogiteth

Reading the gogiteth's flavour text along with its stats feels quite incongruous. It's essentially described as a powerful pest, but it is a staggering level 12 creature, meaning it can't be treated as trivial until the PCs hit level 15.

This oddity means you can do several things with it it. You can reflavour it to fit your story, which is never a bad option honestly. You can come up with a reason to fight a solo gogiteth, and give your lower-level PCs a pretty tough fight. Or you can embrace its status as a pest and throw swarms of these at your demigod party, reminding them how far they've come when a disturbed and powerful aberration is cannon fodder to them. The last option is my personal preference here, as the creature's abilities make it feel like a nuisance rather than as an epic boss-level fight.

Hook 1 (Max) - The Hungering Fortress

The city of Blackwode has three very distinct problems at the moment.
First is the plague that struck seemingly out of nowhere and is taking heavy toll on the populace; many districts have already been isolated due to the outbreak. Nothing it couldn't manage normally, as its denizens are countless.

This is, however, where the second issue arises, taking the form of attacks made by swathes of humanoid abominations that leave heaps of dead soldiers and civilians in their wake, littering the streets and ruins. The monsters climb, jump, or fly over the walls and descend upon the city with ferocity, killing dozens and vanishing thereafter before anyone can properly react. Armed patrols were organized, but they simply aren't enough.

This is mostly due to the third problem - in the dark hours of night, clambering, spider-like monstrosities make their way into the town and take the corpses away with them. Should they stumble upon living people, the unfortunate souls are taken away screaming, off into the darkness. The beasts are covered in dark, makeshift plate, as though the force driving them forward does not want them to be damaged.

Why would that be?

That is because, unbeknownst to the people of Blackwode, there is a fourth matter at hand. Deep in the woods from which the city was given name, something sinister is taking shape. It began as a single black stone and a handful of animals turned to ravenous beasts, alongside a few of the spider-things. Alas, it has now taken the form of a towering black fortress whose armies grow stronger with every captured man, woman or child. With each corpse fed to the entity, its malevolent obsidian walls rise higher, driven by some unspeakable hunger.

Hook 2 (TJ) - Chasms of Consequence

The duergar of the Deep Chasms are growing bolder. There have been many earthquakes as of late, and it seems that with each shockwave they grow increasingly desperate. Their slaving parties have come to the surface well equipped to capture the best fighters the elven nation of Sel'filas can field. The duergar slavers are almost apologetic. Each party of slavers explains in broken elven that the svirfneblin earthcatchers have grown heedless of the repercussions of their excavation efforts. The tectonic shift releases a new hive of shambling, creaking, spider-like monstrosities upon duergar lands with each quake. The elven warriors are promised their freedom in exchange for helping with the menace, but nations neighboring Sel'filas on the surface are beginning to sense their weakness...

Hook 3 (Nemanja) - Chasin' Charon

Charon, the dreaded boatman, has abandoned his post for an unknown reason. The hunting party sent after him must trek through a multitude of deadly regions of the underworld. One of these terrible places is known only as the Swallower Swamp.

The damp wetland is not only riddled with sulfurous geysers that erupt at random intervals, it is also home to a massive colony of striders; lithe-bodied mutates of gogiteths who have evolved the nasty ability to walk on the surface of water...