Minor NPC: The Blackguard

Another minor NPC, though this one would likely be a recurring villain. I feel like sometimes I do a little too much backstory for things that should be rather basic. This one is the opposite end of the spectrum. Image is courtesy of Reddit user De_Vermis_Mysteriis.


Name: The Blackguard
Race: Human
Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Description: 
The air is cold and still around this figure. He steps forward with an unnatural grace even though he should be laden by his heavy armor. Blood drips down his blade in a constant trickle, and his eyes fixate on you unwaveringly.

Profile:
The Blackguard is a human that once was a paladin. He fell from his powers and made a pact with a triad of demon lords to gain new horrific powers, and now works as their pawn in Fomor. His name has been stricken from history, and his existence proves only to tarnish the reputation of all paladin orders. He is the first of his kind, to not only survive the judgement of paladins after falling to evil, but to prove himself worthy of becoming the servant of such masters.
In combat, The Blackguard is a purely melee combattant. He closes in with whomever he can reach and duels until they die. He no longer places any value on his own life, and will not stop until his target is destroyed. His evil magic serves to give him the ability to drain life from his opponents, and also buffs himself physically. He normally only fights alone.
The purpose of this character is to be mysterious without being too intricate. His past is a secret, since none of the paladin orders are willing to admit where he came from, lest they be seen as corruptible. He himself no longer views himself as human, and now blindly obeys his masters. He can be a recurring villain for the party to face, as he serves these enigmatic beings that may have nonsensical goals to mortals.

Minor Location: The Ruined Temple

So I'm really bad at updating all of a sudden. Yesterday was Labor Day and that was my excuse. Anywho, this image is by Trung Nguyen.


Description:
Mist weaves through the mountaintops. The structures are collapsing, and their colors have been washed away by the winds. Vines creep all around where civilization used to stand.

Info:
The Ruined Temple was home to an order of monks several decades ago. however, they have since been completely driven off. The monastery remains, though it is now decrepit and falling into disrepair. The powers of nature are now taking over the formerly orderly place.
The monks that lived here dedicated their lives to order. Their discipline and mental powers shaped the reality around this area, making it unnaturally orderly. For the most part this has no apparent effect, but especially chaotic creatures experience pain and discomfort. Especially chaotic creatures, such as demons, find that they are unable to exist in this area. However, with their new absence, the neutrality of the Material Plane is reclaiming it as its own.
Several supernatural creatures have come to call this place home. Spirits of monks seek to keep the Ruined Temple as orderly as possible in a magical sense. They are opposed by nature spirits in the area. There is a perpetual conflict between the two factions, though neither can ever actually win. As such, the area shifts back and forth between its dilapidated state and pristine condition.
In gameplay, this area would be used mostly as a surreal one-off adventure. The spirits would coerce the party into acting one way or another to shift the balance towards order or chaos, which they would then have to choose. They could of course choose neither and destroy or ignore either or both sides. This poses a way to challenge the party cohesion, to either let nature run its course or allow the spirits to have their way with their home in life.

Minor NPC: Istrix

Wow. No sooner do I talk about how great it is to finally have time to update than a bunch of stuff comes up that then prevents me from doing so. I'm really bad at this. I am trying to get this taken care of in a reasonable fashion, but I may be inconsistent in the near future. Credit for the image to De_Vermis_Mysteriis.


Name: Istrix
Race: Human
Alignment: Neutral Evil

Description:
This human is slightly taller than average. He wears brightly-colored clothing that covers all of his skin, and wields a scimitar with one hand. He keeps an assortment of other combat equipment around his person, and watches everyone around him at the same time.

Profile:
Istrix is a bounty hunter. He mostly works alone, bringing people in either dead or alive to collect rewards. As an adventuring type, Istrix tends to take on more difficult charges that others aren't capable of retrieving. He doesn't question the reasons which someone might be taken in - while some are certainly criminals and evildoers, others are good people that were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Istrix makes no distinction so long as it serves him. He is well-known for never reneging on a contract after nearly a decade in the business.
Istrix has a style of combat very similar to that of a Ranger. He is an expert tracker, and is usually lightly armored. His tactics vary based on his mark and whether the bounty is to be brought alive or dead. If lethality is approved, he will often lay traps and attack from a distance. If they need to be caught alive, then he will close into melee and attempt to net them so they can be chained and marched back.
Istrix is very detached socially. He is not very outgoing, and is mostly focused on his work. He has no family that he maintains contact with, and no friends beyond temporary colleagues. While he has never explicitly betrayed someone working a contract with him, he certainly does not go out of his way to help them should they get into trouble during the fight. He is most well known for being a lone wolf, which is rare among bounty hunters. Currently, Istrix resides in Neris as a bounty hunter kept on retainer by a noble house.

Minor Faction: The Burning Crusaders

Back to this stuff for now. We actually have another session coming up, but this blog is about more than just what's going on in my current game. Today's post is another minor faction that may come up later in the Fomor campaign, though we'll have to wait and see. Credit for the image to Reddit user De_Vermis_Mysteriis. I missed saying that.


Name: The Burning Crusaders
Race: Mostly Human
Alignment: Lawful Evil

Appearance:
The female human wears glistening plate mail and wields two swords. Gouts of fire shoot out from her back and encase her in smoke. The swords are on fire and leave a small trail of sparks through the air. 

Profile:
The Burning Crusaders are sworn to the church of Sarenrae, though they have long since been corrupted. For the last century, their church has been infiltrated by demon-worshippers, and their entire structure has been radically altered. Instead of vanquishing evil and purging the world of sin, the Burning Crusaders are now agents of evil and serve the will of their demonic masters. They are under compulsions to think that they continue to serve their deity by eradicating evil-doers, and still abide strictly by the organization of the church.
The Burning Crusaders are highly militaristic. Historically, they traveled alone to serve out justice as paladins. Now they roam in large groups of blackguards, spreading death and destruction. They no longer bear the symbols of Sarenrae, but rather that of their new master. The official stance of the Church is that these mysterious demon-worshippers are irredeemably evil and should be eradicated. Obviously though, the Church makes no actions against the Burning Crusaders.
The Burning Crusaders fight mostly as melee combatants, relying on superior martial skill to overwhelm their foes. They have some magical powers if they are experienced enough. They still believe themselves to be paladins and champions of Good, and thus believe themselves to still have their abilities to heal, while in reality they mostly only harm themselves and their allies. In this way, they are actually very harmful to each other if given any time to recuperate.
The missions of the Burning Crusaders are inconsistent. Sometimes they are sent to spread general chaos, and other times to select targets. In the earliest days of the corruption, they were sent to other churches of Sarenrae to spread the demons' influence further. Assassination and open combat are not beyond their capabilities.

Creature: Swamp Creatures

So again, something a little bit different. This time, I'm doing a monster concept. The first thing you may notice is that I did not include any stats. That is because the intention is for this to be more of a template than anything else. The monster may be encountered at any time in a campaign, so the stats will vary wildly while the concept remains the same. I included a list of characteristics that would make finding relevant stats easier, since one would only have to follow those guidelines. 
Also something new here: I want to build upon one of the very first posts I did here on this blog. That would be the one and only Black Forest. I'm going to spend the next few days making encounters or NPCs that could be found in there. Credit for this image comes from Deviant Art user ~orochi-spawn...though I still got it from Reddit.
Edit 7/16: So I just realized that I forgot to put the picture in...


Name: Swamp creatures
Environment: Swamps, Dark forests
Type: Aberration

Description:
The creature is large and grotesque. It has slimy green scales, and massive claws. It stands crookedly bipedal, and lets loose a terrifying roar as it sees you. 

Characteristics:

• Low intelligence
• Melee
• Heavily armored
• Amphibious
• Resistance to poison
• Toxic bite

Tactics:

• Charge forward
• Fight to the death

Info:
The Swamp Creatures are very dim-witted but powerful foes. They are created by perverse magic that corrupts the natural order of things. They are considered aberrations, and are unnatural. They feed off of any living flesh, but are not strictly hunters. They will eat what they kill, but the swamp creatures are driven to kill anything they lay their eyes on. They do not use any special tactics beyond hiding in pools of water until they see something to attack.
In combat, the swamp creatures are very predictable. They charge towards the nearest enemy and attack until it dies. Then they move on to the next enemy. This continues until there is either nothing left to kill, or the swamp creature itself is dead. The creatures are strong physically, and are heavily armored, with a resistance to poison. They have no special powers or magical abilities beyond a poisonous bite. 
In terms of roleplaying, the swamp creatures are created mostly by accident. They are products of corrupted nature, and are driven insane. They used to be other creatures, but have been so greatly altered by magic that they are unrecognizable. They sometimes may hunt in packs, but it almost always ends in them tearing each other to pieces until only one remains. Even that one will probably be so heavily injured that it dies shortly thereafter. They may be used by the antagonist as low-level flunkies, as they are very easy to manipulate into serving simple tasks. Mostly just to guard a particular area. They are not very good trackers nor watches, and they can be simple to sneak by unnoticed. 

Minor NPC: The Mushroom Seeker

Something a little different today, with a bit more of a comic relief NPC. This is meant to be a minor ally of the PCs in the early levels, as he can give some aid and will forgive the PCs if they ever provoke him. I'm trying to make my paragraphs shorter and more digestible, so I'm changing some things up slightly. I've also added in a "Quotes" section. Also, I'm going to be out of town for the rest of the week and won't return until Saturday. If I have time, I will try to make updates, but I can't make any promises. Credit for the image goes to Reddit user krzyma.


Name: The Mushroom Seeker
Race: Dwarf
Alignment: True Neutral

Appearance:
You first think you are seeing wood and moss animate before you. The golem structure then coalesces into a more definite form as it moves through the forest, lumbering about. You can barely see a dwarf's face, red and cheerful as he works, bumbling about the top of the structure.

Profile:
The Mushroom Seeker is a cheerful hermit that lives out in the forests. He is a dwarf, and the closest thing to what he is would be a blend between an Artificer and a Druid. He is mildly insane, but not particularly aggressive. He has constructed the structure out of wood, moss, and the magical mushrooms that grow in his forest. He himself can always be found wearing his goggles and smoking a pipe, meandering through the forest to collect the mushrooms.
The Mushroom Seeker almost never notices anyone who comes near him. Even if they directly speak to him, he always think that it is one of the many animals that cling to the golem he has constructed. He is always happy to speak with them, and otherwise softly hums to himself. He also sometimes talks to his golem, named Bugba.
The mushrooms in the forest have many different properties, but only for those who know how to use them. The golem that the Seeker has made is capable of harvesting them without damaging the mushrooms. This is almost impossible for a living person to do, and it took the Seeker years to gather enough undamaged specimens to make the one golem. Now he uses them to make different mystical balms and potions, which have a wide variety of different effects.
The intent is for The Mushroom Seeker to be a minor ally of the PCs. He will not provoke them in any way, but if necessary he can fight. The golem is heavily armored, but wasn't made for combat. It moves surprisingly fast through the forest, and has exceptional camouflage. The Seeker himself keeps many flasks of mushroom potions, ranging from Alchemist's Fire to Sleep spells, and even Invisibility potions. Overall his goal is mostly just to escape, but he can be dangerous if he's allowed to fight on his own terms. Since he isn't even aware that other people exist, the Seeker won't recognize the PCs if they meet him again. He will assume they are new creatures that he's just meeting.
He is willing to give potions to the PCs if they can convince him that they are nice. He is cheerful and loves his woodland friends. He may ask some small forms of payment, but this will largely consist of worthless items. He'll ask for a single strand of moss, or fifteen grains of sand from his favorite mushroom spot. If asked why he wants these things, the Seeker will just laugh maniacally and yell "For science! Beautiful, wonderful science!"

Quotes:

• "For science! Beautiful, wonderful science!"
• "Oooohh, new friends! Lovely!"
• <If attacked> "Why? Why? All I wanted was a friend! Bugba here never even tells me he loves me *sobs*"
• "Bugba, go get that one! No, not that one, that one! Yes, go!"

Location: Jungle Palace

This one is very, very small. I feel like I do way too many posts about "Impending Doooooom" and "Evil Bad Destroy World Boom!" locations and characters. So I decided to do a basic template for an inconsequential adventure that would still fit inside the setting. This is another image that I forgot to copy the credit for. There were actually a lot of these that I found back in May. I remembered to start keeping track of those around June. Sorry.


Description:
The stone walls stand strong in the jungle. Plant life twines around the columns, but is unable to completely take over the structure. The windows hang dark, and the sounds of nature are all around.

Associated Knowledges:
History:

• Elves used to live here.
• The elves were driven out about a century ago.
• A cabal of druids were angered by the elves building this place, and drove them out to preserve the jungle.

Geography:

• No established kingdoms are anywhere near here.
• Some small tribes of elves sometimes pass through this jungle.
• The only permanent inhabitants are a cabal of druids.

DM Info:
The Jungle Palace was a structure built by a group of elves that tried to have a permanent foothold in the jungle. They were driven out by a group of angry druids, since the palace was an affront to the powers of nature. The palace is now uninhabited, and that group of elves have long since left. The druids keep a constant vigil around it, and have turned it into a monument to the evils of civilization. 
The elves left behind a considerable amount of their power in the palace, and were driven out before they could reclaim it. Magical enchantments were being cast over the palace, though few of them were finished. Works of elvish craftsmanship are strewn about, as the druids have no interest in such things. The powers of nature have not reclaimed the palace, as the druids now keep it as a constant reminder of the dangers of outsiders.
Wild animals do live within the palace, though they are few in number. The druids have put in place a number of animated plants and magical beasts outside of the palace to defend it, should anyone try to reclaim the place. If anyone were to attempt to enter the palace, they would bring the wrath of the druids down upon themselves. Animals, plants, and nature magic would be thrown at them. 
The intention here is to have a relatively minor quest to explore and loot the palace. Rumors of elven treasure, and minimal defenses would be sure to draw in a party of adventurers. The only real "twist" would be that the druids would meet the PCs only with violence. There wouldn't be too much of a follow-up plot or anything really complicated about it, except for fights involving lots of inconsequential minions.

Location: Eternal Shores

This is a smaller post for a relatively minor location. This is one that I feel is mostly a template, because there's a lot of room to alter the basic idea depending on the circumstances. As such, it's more of an example of how I envision planes working in my setting. Again, I forgot to copy down the contributor's name of this picture.

Description:
The stones of the shore feel loose beneath your feet, but you never seem to slip or fall. The columns of stone pile up into hills and lower into valleys, as far as you can see. You can taste the ocean in the air, and see very little vegetation growing between the stones. 

Associated Knowledges:
Planes:

• You are not in the Material plane.
• There are elements - pun fully intended - of earth and water here.
• You are trapped in a juncture between the elemental planes of Earth and Water, in a limbo of sorts.

Nature:

• The powers of nature run strongly here.
• You feel more attuned to Earth and Water.
• The strength of Earth and Water here may influence magic of other types.

DM Info:
The Eternal Shores are a bridge between the elemental planes of Earth and Water. It represents a limbo between the two. Space has no real meaning there, and it is effectively infinite in the three-dimensional plane. Stone forms an endless path, while saltwater extends infinitely out. The clouds in the sky are very distant, and are in a constant state of flux. The sun is in a permanent sunset at all times. Because this plane is not fully attuned to any one element, plant life of the Material plane is able to grow there, albeit barely. 
This demi-plane is commonly traversed by powerful elemental beings. Mostly they don't have any interaction with the pathway made of earth or the ocean, but pass through it in more of a spiritual way. Creatures of the Material Plane, however, are able to get stuck there, and most times die from lack of resources. The crossing between the two elemental planes gave way to many smaller creatures being formed out of pure energy. Earth and Water elementals wander aimlessly, unable to comprehend where they are. This demi-plane is as alien to them as it is to creatures of the Material plane. Odd combinations of Earth and Water also form here - from mud elementals to creatures made of Water with Earth floating in them, to giant krakens made purely of Earth that can command the ocean. 
Some beings use this demi-plane as a hiding place. Since nobody of any importance pays it any mind, many elemental beings outcast by their superiors take refuge in the infinite expanse of the Eternal Shores. They may use it as a permanent residence, carving out their own kingdom in limbo, or as a temporary layover as they plan their next home. This leads to many elaborate lairs of evil, good, or even neutral beings that have been expelled by the elemental lords, all trying to enact their own planes. Most are unaware of the others. 
This place is mostly going to be another RP challenge for PCs. The only way a mortal can get out is by bargaining with an elemental of sufficient power to take them away. That could lead to all sorts of sell-your-soul deals being made. The environment is dangerous enough between monsters and exposure that they'd be all but forced to make a deal with something. There's enough room for different elementals with completely different goals that there will be at least one lesser evil to choose from, and enough room to work in interesting combat encounters or puzzles. 

Minor Faction: Dread Riders

Another minor post, and a continuation of the Wraithlord faction. At the end of these, I'm planning on doing a large summary of the faction as a whole, and that will be much longer than these have been the last couple of days. Picture courtesy of De_Vermis_Mysteriis of Reddit once again.


Name: Dread Riders
Race: Undead
Alignment: Lawful Evil

Appearance:
  The riders and their mounts are very visibly undead, rotting with bones sticking out. They are clad in metal armor, and wield swords, spears, and shields. They are cloaked in shadows that cling to their bodies, and make them look like they flow as they ride. 

Profile:
The Dread Riders are a contingent of Wraithlord Panack's armies. They act not so much as standard cavalry, but rather as commandos. They are stealthier than one would expect horse-riders to be, and have the ability to conjure darkness to cloak their movements. They are also able to traverse over difficult terrain with no trouble. They are used to raid enemy supply lines, or strike at strategic locations during a battle. They are well-known for their fighting ability and intimidating presence.
  Individually, a Dread Rider is very weak. They rely on fighting as a cohesive unit, and most of their abilities are based on working as a group. They fight in groups of about a half-dozen. Each Rider has powers that affect the group as a whole. Mass protection, Mass inflict wounds (that act as heals for Undead), and Darkness are all examples of this. They also use their mobility to gain flanking and other positional advantages. They tend to be melee warriors, and don't use magic for other purposes. 

Minor NPC: The Scavenger

I'm trying another minor character. I like these mostly because they're fairly simple to come up with, and I've done way too many Big Bad characters lately. Another image from De_Vermis_Mysteriis.


Name: The Scavenger
Race: Undead
Alignment: Neutral Evil

Appearance: 
  The creature is clad in tattered rags and leather. It is covered in dried blood and reeks of death. It is hunched over, under the weight of bags that ooze bodily fluids. It wields a large cleaver that drips with blood.

Profile:
  The Scavenger is a minion of Wraithlord Dirextrus. It is a creature that picks the dead in the battlefield, looking for usable parts in whatever abominations she is creating. It feasts on anything else that is unusable, allowing itself to grow and become stronger. Normally it does not fight, but it's body is the combination of so many other creatures that it does possess great strength. It is sluggish, and focuses mostly on it's duty of collecting the dead, but it will defend itself if necessary. It mostly relies on alchemical substances in it's packs that it creates from corpses, rather than it's own combat ability. The Scavenger is also always accompanied by undead birds, that serve as scouts so it can tell which parts of the battlefield it wants to scavenge from first.
  The Scavenger is not a strong personality. It obeys it's orders, and brings parts back to it's master without question nor hesitation. It mostly ignores whatever else is going on, and focuses solely on gathering bodies. It does have some understanding of language, but did not see any functional reason to give itself any body parts that allowed it to speak. Mostly, it has constructed itself to be able to carry as much as possible, and be able to traverse whatever terrain is necessary. If The Scavenger is encountered multiple times, it's body may be radically different as it adjusts to wherever it is. If it feels that it needs to be more capable in combat, it may sacrifice some of it's functionality to fight off attackers in subsequent missions. 

Minor NPC: Krunth Blackhand

This is the first "minor character" that I'm posting, and that's explained more in the post itself. Also, over the next couple days I'm going to go back through all of my other posts and work on formatting them in a less terrible way. Again, credit for this picture goes to Reddit user De_Vermis_Mysteriis.


Name: Krunth Blackhand
Race: Orc

                                                  Appearance:
When you think "orc," you picture the exact creature before you. He is huge, standing just shy of seven feet tall, all of it muscle. He's covered in ugly, battered armor that shows signs of multiple battles. His face is ugly and scarred, and his mouth is full of broken and yellowed teeth. He is missing one eye, and it has been replaced with what looks like a metallic contraption that extends over part of his face. His other eye is a blood red, and filled with violence. His skin is a mottled grey, and covered in battle scars. He wields a savage axe, crusted with dried blood that he clearly never bothered to clean off. One of his hands is charred black and twisted, but doesn't seem to have lost any strength or ferocity.

Profile:
  Krunth Blackhand is the leader and namesake of The Black Hand, a highly organized group of bandits that operates within central and eastern Fomor. He is ruthless and brutal, and is an exceptionally skilled fighter in his own right. While he is not exactly intelligent, he does have a cleverness that only years of cruelty can cultivate. Krunth has personally killed somewhere between two-hundred and three-hundred people, although he's not very good at numbers and has lost track. Most of these people were innocent travelers or merchants, although he has also seen his fair share of actual fights. Krunth's signature black hand came from a fight in which a wizard's spell was only barely deflected by Krunth's arm. The hand is fully functional, but has an intimidating appearance, so Krunth leaves it bare most of the time. His eye was also lost in a fight, and was recently replaced with a metal covering over part of his face. This acts as a magical eye, and allows him to see much better than he used to.
  The Black Hand itself is very different from ordinary bandit fare. They are very organized and dedicated to Krunth. He originally united them using only his sheer strength, but has since manipulated them into being completely loyal only to him. They have coordinated raids throughout the countryside, and occasionally raid the weaker city-states for supplies and recruits. They are organized enough to be recognized by all of the local powers, and a legitimate threat to most in the region. Krunth himself is very pleased with this situation, and abuses the control his bandits have to extort just about everyone he can. The gang is very large, but only a select few are "worthy" of being in Krunth's personal circle. He likes to think that each of them is another finger of his own black hand, as it were.

Purpose:
  This character is based off of the backstory of one of my players. He mentioned that he was pursued by a group of bandits called "The Black Hand," and gave no further details. As such, Krunth Blackhand is set up as the actual rival to this player. He is dedicated to eliminating this player using The Black Hand, since he never payed bribes that were due to them. As such, this character is a bit sparse on backstory, since he's meant to be more of a short-term antagonist. This is something different from most of what I try to do - while the character is certainly part of the setting, he really only applies to that one player. Krunth Blackhand is a very bland character, and that's okay since he is comparatively minor.