Blood Enemies: Abominations of Cerilia

blood enemies abominations of cerilia

WrittelMIyi slade Development & Editing: Steven E. Schend Creative Direction: Roger E. Moore Cover: Jeff Easley Color interior illustrations: Denis Beauvais, Charles Lang, William O'Connor, & Arnie Swekel Monochrome interior illustrations: Randy Asplund-Faith, Adrian Bourne, Alyce Biicker Cosart, John Dollar, David MacKay, Tony Szczudlo, & Susan Van Camp War card art: Douglas Chaffee & Les Dorscheid Backdrop painting and art frames: Dee Barnett Graphic design & development: Dee Barnett & Renee Ciske Cartography: Diesel Art coordination: Peggy Cooper & Paul Jaquays Typography by: Nancy J. Kerkstra Electronic Press Coordination by: Tim Coumbe Special Thanks: Rich Baker, CarriSamplee A. Bebris, Ann filee Brown, Colin McComb, Ed Stark

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3101XXX1501 table of contents

Introduction 3 The Major Awnsheghlien 6-113 Apocalypse 6 Banshegh 8 Basilisk 14 Boar 18 Chimaera 22 Gorgon 29 Hag of Muden 34 Harpy 38 Hydra 42 Kraken 46 Lamia 48 Leviathan. . 52 Maalvar the Minotaur .j0. 54 Magian f / 58 Manticore 62 Raven 66 Rhuobhe Manslayer (the Elf) 72 Seadrake 76 Serpent 78 Siren Sample file 84 Sphinx 90 Spider 96 Vampire 100 White Witch 106 Wolf Ill

Lesser Awnsheghlien & Other Blooded NPCs 114-123 Binman, Black Princess 115 Borelas, Dame Wither, Diabolyk 116 Fae, Faun, Garak, Golden Unicorn, Green Man 117 Hoarfrost, Kiras, Languis, Meson 118 Pegasus, Phoenix, Prikesk 119 Quickfoot, Rage of the Sea, Ruovar 120 Shadows, Stag, Swordhawk 121 Synnith, Terror, Tollan 122 Trcant, Warlock, Water Maiden, White Goblin 123

Appendix: Blood Abilities 124-127 The world of Cerilia is unlike any other ADVANCED how to DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game world. Player characters of a BIRTHRIGHT™ campaign are now the rulers, and their focus is no use this book longer on themselves but on those they rule. Many would believe this allows the players an easier time utside of this introduction and the appen- in fighting monsters and keeping everything safe. dices needed for readers and players, the That is a false assumption, however, for the mon- O Blood Enemies book exists as a "real" man- sters are no longer simple sword or spell fodder. uscript under the title of Daznig's Libram on Those Just as the PCs rule over their domains, some mon- Enemies of the Blood; Daznig, a sage and explorer, sters have also become rulers, and these beasts are maintains the original bound sheaf of parchments far more powerful than any creatures that roam the himself, and has provided copies of it to the other AD&D® worlds. libraries of the prince of Avanil, The Mhor, and the The divine right of kings that courses through the Royal College of Sorcery in the Imperial City. player characters also flows through that of the Below, "Daznig's Introduction" explains itself and monstrous rulers known collectively as the the book's inner construction as it appears to natives awnsheghlien (awn-SHAY-len, an elven term that of Cerilia. In short, each of the main entries in this translates into "blood of darkness"), though they book is laid out in the following pattern: an autobiog- are sometimes simply called abominations. Like the raphy or interview with the awnshegh (if it has enough intelligence to be interviewed at all); Cerilian sages' conceptions (some incorrect) of the creature based on ancient tomes, personal introduction accounts, and the many rumors and legends sur- rounding the creature; and finally the statistical information needed for the AD&D heroes of Cerilia, the power of the awnsheghlien game, including information on realms should the traces back to the battle at Mount Deissmar, and awnshegh be a ruler or major power in part of Cerilia. their bloodlines are all tied to the evil might that With three or more forms of data given for the i. >/* was once Azrai the Shadow. Unlike the heroes' awnsheghlien, it can be difficult to determine which bloodlines, Azrai's taint gives his evil scions powerSampleinformatio filen is accurate and which is inaccurate. at great cost: To use the power of Azrai is to lose For the DM's sake, only the AD&D game statistics personal identity and humanity. Many abomina- for the awnshegh and the realm information are tions were once human, but are now corrupted in absolutely accurate. The remainder of the informa- body and spirit by their very powers. A glimpse tion provides color for use in a game. The inter- inside this tome reveals the awful changes wrought views give DMs a roleplaying aid, showing how the on these creatures' original forms. creature speaks and thinks. Daznig's notes give Bear in mind that this is not a complete catalog of more information and legendary details, many those whose power is tied to Azrai, nor is it an of which can be false rumors to throw off the ,\ exhaustive list of every being considered an players. DMs are encouraged to use the infor- awnshegh. This is a collection of awnsheghlien who mation as they see fit, taking what they like ' are regents and rulers of their own domains in Cer- and ignoring the rest. In this way, a partic- ilia, and it provides notes on a few others who draw ular awnshegh in one DM's campaign power from Azrai. For centuries, these beings have differs slightly from that in another. wielded powers and hungered for more; it is easier Note: Throughout this book, the to guard power in secret and remain hidden until DUNGEON MASTER® Guide is they can strike and gather more from unsuspecting abbreviated as DMG and the heroes of the blood. Fool and king alike must Players' Handbook is abbre- beware the shadows. . . . viated as PHB. • SIZE reflects an awnshegh's height, length, or diameter. Size is abbreviated as awnshegh follows: statistics Size Explanation Each entry provides the same facts as those in the T Tiny (2'or less) MONSTROUS MANUAL"' tome, though the format of S Smaller than human (2'+ to 4') statistics and descriptive text has changed a bit. M Man-sized (4'+ to 7') Brief explanations follow. L Large (7'+to 12') H Huge (12'+to 25') • INTELLIGENCE shows the relative intelligence G Gargantuan (25'+) level of an awnshegh. Ratings approximate these Intelligence ability scores: • ARMOR CLASS measures an awnshegh's natural defense against damage before any magic, armor, 0 Nonintelligent or not ratable or other protective bonuses are added. Such 1 Animal intelligence bonuses are noted in parentheses. 2-4 Semi-intelligent 5-7 Low intelligence • HIT POINTS marks the total points of damage an 8-10 Average (human) intelligence awnshegh can withstand before death. This num- 11-12 Very intelligent ber is derived from Hit Dice (which are eight- 13-14 Highly intelligent sided), which are approximated under Saves As. 15-16 Exceptionally intelligent 17-18 Genius • SAVES AS tells the DM which table the creature 19-20 Supragenius uses to make a saving throw, and gives the rela- 21-25 Godlike intelligence tive power of an awnshegh using a comparable character class and level. This reference also esti- • ACTIVITY CYCLE is the time of day when the mates its Hit Dice. The following abbreviations awnshegh is most active. are used for character classes: F (Fighter), P (Priest), T (Thief), and W (Wizard). DIET categorizes the abomination'sSample food of choice. file Carnivores eat meat, herbivores consume plants, and • THACO (abbreviated from "To-Hit-Armor- omnivores eat both plants and meat, to name some Class-0") is the attack roll the awnshegh needs to common diets. Less common are the atmovores, hit an AC of zero. THACO does not include any who gain sustenance from air, synaptovores, who eat special bonuses noted in the descriptions of indi- thoughts, and others detailed in this book. vidual attack forms.

• ALIGNMENT defines the general behavior of • No. OF ATTACKS shows the basic attacks the an awnshegh. Its servants, followers, or off- awnshegh can make in a single melee round, spring may be of the same alignment, excluding special attacks. This number can be though this is by no means the rule. modified by hits that sever limbs, spells such as haste and slow, and so forth. Multiple attacks • MOVEMENT is an awnshegh's speed indicate several combative limbs, raking paws, rating. Unusual movement types are multiple heads, etc. noted as follows: Cl (climbing), Fl (flying), Ml (melding through solid • DAMAGE/ATTACK shows the amount of damage a objects), Sw (swimming), Te given attack causes, expressed as a number and (teleportation), and Wb type of dice. If the awnshegh uses weapons, the (moving across webs). damage done by the weapon will be annotated by the parenthetical note "by weapon type" and explained in detail within the text. Strength bonuses to damage are listed following the damage range. dazniy's introduction "Good morrow, kind patron, and welcome to my humble attempt at gathering information on those ter- • SPECIAL ATTACKS lists unique attacks, such as rors stalking our land who are called the Awnsheghlien. breath weapons, spell use, poison, etc. These are I intend to provide you with knowledge in the hopes detailed further in the text. that a bold knight (or, mayhap, our beloved ruler himself) might learn how to send an abomination onto its • SPECIAL DEFENSES are unusual resistances to rightful death, just as Haelyn and his fellows smote harm and are further detailed in the text. down the Shadow at Deissmar. For, while I shall give all rulers their due respect, the awnsheghlien fill my • MAGIC RESISTANCE is the percentage change heart not with loyalty but with fear and loathing. It is that any magic cast at an awnshegh will fail, even hoped that my tome will grant you the knowledge you if creatures nearby are affected. If the magic pen- need to find and destroy them. etrates the resistance, the creature is still entitled "Interviews or autobiographies of those awnshegh- to any saving throw allowed. Certain awnsheghlien who could communicate with us were done under lien are resistant to specific spells, but "magic great risk to my fellow sages and interviewers. Some resistance" as described here is effective against awnsheghlien herein were unknown (save by reputa- all spells and magical abilities. tion or by name alone) before we undertook this task. To make this tome invaluable to its readers, My associ- • MORALE is the general rating for the abomina- ates and I felt that actual interviews would be ideal tion's resolve in combat and its willingness to ways to delve into these beings' evil minds. Of course, continue a battle, even under dire circumstances. knowing the source of their powers, one should Morale ratings correspond with the following: assume that many awnsheghlien lied to us, for it is not in their nature (nor was it ever in Azrai's) to abandon Morale Explanation deceit. Because of this, accept not their words but their 2-4 Unreliable characters, and hear what they do not say, for nothing 5-7 Unsteady can truly hide its mind when its mouth is open. 8-10 Average Sample"The sage' files notes, written by me, are culled from 11-12 Steady innumerable rumors and tales and from an assembly 13-14 Elite of manuscripts, tablets, scrolls, and diaries of those 15-16 Champion who have come into contact with an awnshegh. 17-18 Fanatic Moreso than the interviews, this legendary data 19-20 Fearless could be in error, since much of it is more allegory and fable than fact, and folk seem unable to isolate • BLOOD lists the being's bloodline and its rank facts from the telling of a good tale. While I and strength. expurgated most of such hyperbole, there are some instances (due to the power • BLOOD ABILITIES are the powers granted by this and excesses of the creatures) bloodline, and they are cataloged here. The use where it was impossible to of these powers is explained in the appendix and discern between fact in the Rulebook of the BIRTHRIGHT Campaign Set. and exaggeration."

4- XP VALUE is the amount of experience points PCs can earn for defeating or slaying the awnshegh. DMs might want to provide smaller amounts of experience for simply surviving an encounter with one of the awnsheghlien. apocalypse o interview or statement was possible with the creature (or whatever it is) known as N the Apocalypse. Much of its entire exis- tence is patterned on conjecture, rumor, and legends that this sage does not find particularly that an unusually warm wind blew in from the reliable. east, carrying with it a 'pekuliar odoure.' Soon Should it even exist, the so-called Apocalypse is thereafter, his neighbor's cattle dropped in mid- an uncertain force of nature, and it is impossible to stride. The farmer's own dogs heaved and fell to guess its motivations and its source of power. How- whimpering instantly. Other strange effects were ever, the Apocalypse has been mentioned in a num- reported throughout that day by many folk in the ber of different sources, which lead to its inclusion village, all beginning with that strange wind. within our text as an 'Surely the apocalypse itself is upon abominable danger us,' cried the farmer, 'for the whole to Cerilia. world crumbles all around us.'" Sages studied accounts of the dis- Occultic Phenomena the major aster as well as is a unique and large other local tome of unknown happenings authorship found only and reached a in the library of Ralath, awnshe^hlien logical conclu- an accomplished and sion. Earlier revered sage in Talinie whose major fields of study that week, a rat-infested town to the west of Lipshaal are Rjurik and Anuirean folklore. In an entry dating was burned to the ground to prevent a plague from 300 years after Deismaar, the tome states the fol- spreading. The smoke from this inferno drifted with lowing: "Strange weather was reported in Lipshaal the local weather patterns, and the plague and other shortly after dawn by a local farmer. He reported evil humors thus infested the next town.

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