More on the Brood Black chitin horns curl away from the humanoid’s temples and under its pointed ears in the same manner as a ram’s. Likewise, the brood’s facial structure vaguely resembles a goat with a wide-flat nose and pointed chin. The creature is covered in fine, black downy from head to chitin hoof with a head of wild hair. One might mistake the brood for a satyr if not for its straight, human-like legs and blood-red furrow running from nap to sacrum filled with twitching cilia. Despite its aberrant nature, most would describe the brood as becoming. Other humanoids find something sensual and primal about the feral creature that is all too compelling. The typical brood dresses in flowing, risque clothing. They enjoy the freedom of movement it grants, the attention it garners, and the ease of removal provided. Most brood are proud of their bodies, no matter what ‘flaws’ it might have as every last cell is a gift of the Dark Mother. They are each an example of Her divine pe...

Session Thirty Seven: The Siege of Newpoole, Part 3 An untamed frontier. Dark cults. Fickle fey gods. Ravenous fiends. Nothing black powder and sorcery won't fix... . Timberlands Campaign Diary Overnight, the heroes took some time to rest and strategize with their allies the Wrathyrst brothers and the captain of the Tempered Musketeers, Veerle Oldguard. It was decided that the assembled forces, scant as they were, would strike out for a roadside fort between here and Newpoole. According to rescued mercenaries (Session 36), a truly massive deadwood treant marched on the fortress days ago. While the mortal forces were low in number, they were quite skilled, and will luck could fell the fey forces besieging the fort. That night Shinashe, the rabbit folk paladin, discovered exactly what massive meant. Atop her griffon mount, Hibou, the heroine scouted ahead in the pitch of the night. It wasn’t hard to spot the Deadwood Turret (legedary version enchanted to have fire resitan...

A single sawfly is a miracle of artifice being no larger than a horsefly. Its crystal wings are beautiful to behold, like miniature stained-glass windows. Its carapace is painstakingly etched with draconic runes to draw power from a lodestone heart. As one notices that its mouth has been replaced with a diamond-toothed rotary saw, however, the faux-insects menace shines through. As a buzzing swarm, the sawflies cut through bone, flesh, and metal alike, smearing their exquisite forms with gore. Step 1 - Siege Weapons. “The wizards of the planar guild think they are safe in their towers of thick stone and powerful wards. My tiniest contraptions prove this sense of security false. Whether assaulting a tower wall directly or dispensed from a Terrorantula infiltrator, my sawflies will make short work of any bulwark, magical or otherwise, that they come across. The beautiful thing is, once the pitiful protections are destroyed, my lovies tear through mage-flesh just as well. Oh, you shou...

Session Twenty Nine: Bloodmane An untamed frontier. Dark cults. Fickle fey gods. Ravenous fiends. Nothing black powder and sorcery won't fix... . Timberlands Campaign Diary Under assault from an Eyestalk's sinister rays, the heroes scrambled for cover. Though, the changeling dervish, Riley, didn’t get the chance. They were frozen in place by a lace of magic while the other champions exchanged fire with the plant from behind cover. Thanks to Wild the tabaxi ranger’s well-placed shots and Ea the bearkfolk wizard’s bearfolk, the eyestalk was eventually turned to mulch, and Riley rescued. The party took a moment to catch their breath. All the while, the warily watched the waterfall the Waning Blade had disappeared behind last sessions. After twenty minutes, the coast remained clear. The heroes made their way down the cliffs to a small island at the base of the waterfall. As they suspected, there was a cavern behind the water. Its entrance was sealed off by a pair of st...

Lithe and tall, the humanoid is without any distinct facial features other than the vague impression of a nose and indents where eyes should be; though there is a golden glow implies ocular organs of some sort under its epidermis. At first glance, one might think this is due to a pale cloth drawn tight over its visage, but whenever the creature moves its plain that is some sort of artificial skin. The rest of its body is a smooth crimson shell of molded musculature. Raised, thicker and darker patches of skin form intricate patterns across its shoulders, down its spine and each arm. The synth extractor wears simple clothing, a crossed halter with spaulders attached; bracers and boots of a barbaric design. However, these accessories are crafted from materials not of this sphere. Its bracers are covered with indented dials and sliders that produce various magical effects with little resemblance to arcane ritual. It's main weapons are a thin, serrated blade that vibrates with no...

The lithe humanoid bears the vague impression of a nose and a black-glass lens the forehead above it. This device runs the length of the synth lenser's cranium and fully replaces its eyes. At first glance, one might think this is due to a pale cloth drawn tight over its visage, but whenever the creature moves its plain that is some sort of artificial skin. The rest of its body is a smooth crimson shell of molded musculature. Raised, thicker and darker patches of skin form intricate patterns across its shoulders, down its spine and each arm. The synth lenser wears simple clothing, a crossed halter with spaulders attached; bracers and boots of a barbaric design. However, these accessories are crafted from materials not of this sphere. It’s left forearm is dominated by a thick bracer made of a strange, yellow metal etched with alien symbols. With a thought, the bracer rapidly unfolds like flower petals into a sigiled katar and back again. Spotter. The synth lenser's pu...

Session Twenty Five: Assault on the Smuggler's Boots Tavern An untamed frontier. Dark cults. Fickle fey gods. Ravenous fiends. Nothing black powder and sorcery won't fix... . Timberlands Campaign Diary The Smuggler’s Boots Inn and Tavern was cast into darkness and compromised by eldritch forces. Strange stickmen (reskinned/buffed Scarecrows) molded themselves from the building’s wooden doors, windowpanes, and rafters. The lurching figures were covered with pitch-black bark that was molded over by screaming faces, their faces featureless save for large, hollow sockets full with pale witchlight. The heroes and civilians scrambled to draw their weapons or cover as the assault began. Riley, the changeling dervish, dashed for the backdoor where three stickmen spawned. They were unprepared for the mystical dread that sparked within the figures’ eyes and froze up, only to be shortly assailed by claws made from razored roots. Sykes, the eladrian rogue, suffered too and found he...

This ruddy-furred terror erupts without warning from churning earth bearing a fang-filled grin. Its claws tear through skin and bone as well as it rips through the the ground. The gnarlshrew's worst weapon sits between beady, yellow eyes; a conical horn the beast punches through its prey. Once it has a meal skewered, the vole violently shakes it until it expires. Untamed. Those who survive the gnarlshrew's attack attribute its viciousness to a sadistic, possibly demonic soul. In truth, the horned burrower is little more than an apex predator in mind though its origins lay in infernal rites. Stories hold that the first such creature was produced when a foul wizard attempted to bind the power of a demon to his mortal shell, but didn't realize some of the shrews he'd kept for sacrifices had chewed through their cage. The mammals entered the ritual circle early and were imbued with unearthly size and power. The wizard didn't survive this mishap. ...

This hooded spirit superficially resembles an umbrella due to its unsettling shape. Its crown is a thin, mushroom-like shape from which a brier of inky veins hang. The majority of the squirm usually squeezes together in a central trunk with a few vile appendages for grasping and locomotion. A quartet of blanched eyes floats along these arteries. Puppeteer. The parasoul crawls onto its victim, usually when they sleep, and slithers its veins into theirs. Within moments, the alien undead fully infests the host with its hood shutting closed over the head before disappearing. The possessed creature becomes a parasomniac under the parasoul's direction. In turn, the parasoul furthers Hypatatos the Dreamhunter's agenda, tormenting and dominating the waking. Parasoul Tiny undead, Chaotic Evil Armor Class 13 Hit Points 52 (15d4 + 15) Speed 10ft Fly 30ft (hover) Str 3 Dex 16 Con 12 Int ...

Session Sixteen: The First Portal An untamed frontier. Dark cults. Fickle fey gods. Ravenous fiends. Nothing black powder and sorcery won't fix... . Timberlands Campaign Diary Trailing along the backbone of the central hills within Hillsbrook Valley, the heroes discussed their next move. They agreed to still seek out the den of a pair of mated Plated Meliuscores and weakening the megafauna until their Ebon Court ally, Mistress Weaver, could bewitch them. Eshkar the nature cleric openly worried, though, about the injuries they might incoure fighting the mighty beasts. Mistress Weaver pulled the bearfolk and heroes aside to try and soothe their worries. The dark enchantress let them know that she could just sacrifice the party’s other ally, the golden court knight Lady Lasthope for Spring, to power her spells. That way the bulk of their forces would be hale for the coming conflict. The heroes, being heroes, rejected the idea. Mistress Weaver was nonplussed over their silly mor...

The pallid figure lurches and jerks as if drawn along by uneven strings. It wears whatever soiled and tattered clothes it fell in, usually night clothes. The sleepwalker mutters fragmented descriptions of the nightmares that plague its fettered mind. Its face is slack as if it is asleep, save for wide eyes burning with an unearthly light. Its cold flesh is dotted with wounds stitched closed by inky, writhing threads of coalesced nightmare struggling to break free. One Foot in the Grave. Normal sleepwalkers are not undead, despite the appearance otherwise. They are easily mistaken, however, for some sort of zombie or wraith. Their tenuous connection to the realms of death effects the world around them. Hungry shadows devour the light and cast a pall even at the height of the day. Likewise, their eyes glow with spectral flame and strikes fear in the hearts of the timid. One Foot in The Nightmare. The other half of the sleepwalker's soul provides a bridge to a world of n...

Usually felt and rarely seen, the formication swarm is made up of hundreds of spectral fingers bound together by a webbing of spiderweb and sinew. The unholy collection skitters along the surface akin to a colony of spiders toward its prey; its mass stretching and undulating to match its confines. Unfortunately, the formication swarm can also move through solid objects and walls, making them nigh-impossible to escape from. Sadists' Fingers. The formication swarm is created by mixing the severed digits from dozens of murderers and torturers mixed with the psychic agony of concentrated nightmares. Once manufactured, Hypatatos the Dreamhunter lets the swarm loose in cities and towns to terrorize to its heart's content. Considering the formication swarm contains no heart, it is never content. Instead, the undead hive taunts and torments its victims. It usually starts with townsfolk feeling a brush on the back of their neck, side of the forearm, or round of ankle only to se...

Nobles of the Waning Court - The beauty of ripe fruit blended with the breach within autumn’s long shadows, every noble of the waning court is a vision to behold. Black, pupilless eyes dominate their fine-boned faces while sharp teeth lurk behind plush lips. The faeries’ ears are pointed like an elf’s, but slightly shorter. This is due to the antelope-like horns spiraling from their temples, the base of which are riddled with red-stained honeycombs. Waning court nobles wear their hair long, often braided with bones and sticks, and is a color of fall leaves. Their skin tone can best be described as bloodless. Commonly, these fey wear leathers cured of eldritch animals, cloaks made from a nightmare or displacer beast pelts, black iron plates, and amber adornments with petrified insects within. Most find their mien more savage than aristocratic. Stray direflies are their constant companions, always buzzing cryptic prophecies as they crawl about. Baron Perdrix of the Red Pear appears m...

While endowed with lovely contours, the tourterelle's heart is as ugly as it comes. Her true nature shines through a pair of hate-filled eyes watching from behind a flat mask layered with white feathers. The fey holds nothing but contempt for those uglier than she, and nothing but envy for those more beautiful. A pale braid cascades down her shapely back and small wings rise from the rounds of her bare shoulders. These extremities shouldn't carry the tourterelle aloft, but the fair folk care little for natural law. The fey wears half-bust corset brocaded with blood-honey amber and a flowing golden skirt to match. In combat she moves like a dancer, hems flaring, and enchanted punching daggers perforating her victim. Tourterelle Medium Fey, lawful evil Armor Class 19 Hit Points 93 (11d8 + 44) Speed 30ft Flight 30ft Str 14 Dex 18 Con 18 Int 11 Wis 11 Cha 20 ...

Wearing a cloak of chicken feathers and with the legs to match, the henpeck hag is a crooked, petty soul. Her sharp nose is too small for wizened features, her unkept hair rises in a knotted mess tangled with fingerbones. Some would say that the hag has an hourglass figure, but it is anything but becoming. In truth, her bust and hips are more bloated and swelled than anything else. The hide dress she wears is still covered with patches of hair, the seams held together by uneven stitching. Lastly, the fey's arms are longer than they should be, her gnarled hands falling just below knobby knees. Henpeck Hag Medium Fey, lawful evil Armor Class 16 (natural armor) Hit Points 127 (17d8 + 51) Speed 30ft Str 14 Dex 16 Con 16 Int 15 Wis 11 Cha 18 Saving Throws Dex +6, Cha +7 Skills Arcana +5, Intimidation +7 Damage Resistances lightning, thun...