An outpost of the insect overlords (part three)

Salt Pans (#28/30, #332/365)

"This flat stretch of land where the deserts meet the uplands is a salty plain covered in glittering white crystals. Here and there you see Xoroa warriors, standing guard over large pits, each containing some weird reddish-brown humanoid creature, scraping salt out of the hole and into a pile on the side."

Contents: The XOROA here have repurposed the weird cannibalistic humanoids known as ANT SYMBIOTES as salt-miners, extracting salt from the dirt of the plains and storing it in glass jars.

Heroes that enter this area in hostile fashion will immediately be engaged by 1 of 2 Xoroa Warriors on guard duty, while the other blows their horn to summon any further Warriors present at the salt pans. The Ant Symbiotes are no cowards, and will leap out of their pits, bone scrapers in hand, to fight alongside the Xoroa.

The Xoroa are however highly amenable to trade. All Warriors have 1 point in a heavily click-based version of Allansian, while anybody with any points in the Xoroa language can halve all prices listed below. If the Heroes are non-hostile and keen to buy product, these are the following prices (and current contents of the salt pan that are for sale):

2-12 jars of chemical Salts, various colours. 5GP per Jar.

Stats:

2-7 XOROA WARRIORS, SKILL 10 STAMINA 11, Spear or Javelin.

Each Xoroa Warrior is armed with a Spear and two Javelins and carries a carved-bone summoning horn, which, when blown, will summon all other Xoroa Warriors to the area. They also have 1-6 GP each in a leather pouch.

2-12 ANT SYMBIOTES, SKILL 6 STAMINA 10, Bone scraper (as per club). Every time an Ant Symbiote wins an Attack Round, ants from it also crawl onto the victim. After an Ant Symbiote has won three Attack Rounds, there will be so many ants on the victim they will lose 1 STAMINA every Attack Round due to ant bites, unless they spend 1-3 Attack Rounds ridding themselves of the insects..

Glassworks and Smithy (#29/30, #333/365)

"In a cave under a rocky outcrop on the edge of the uplands, you spy a curious scene. The cave contains a wooden wheeled contraption, upon which a giant beetle lumbers, apparently powering a bellow-like device that spits fire in two alternate directions; first to one side where a Xoroa smith appears to be forging weapons, and then to the other side, where another Xoroa is using the flames to create exquisite glassware."

Contents: The XOROA here have built a smithy and a glassblowing workshop to be closer to the raw materials they need, for greater trading opportunities outside of Kul-Tha, but also to produce a wider variety of merchandise for sale back in the the Xoroa main settlement. The Giant Scarab Beetle is highly trained and provides them with a source of mechanical power in exchange for food.

Heroes that enter this area in hostile fashion will immediately be engaged by one of the Xoroa, while the other blows on a horn to summon any Xoroa Warriors in the area. If the Giant Scarab Beetle is released or freed, it will rumble around the cave, hurling objects at the Heroes.

The Xoroa are however highly amenable to trade. They have 1 point in a heavily click-based version of Allansian, while anybody with any points in the Xoroa language can halve all prices listed below. If the Heroes are non-hostile and keen to buy product, these are the following prices (and current contents of the smithy/glassblower cave):

2-7 chunks of iron ore. 10GP per chunk.

1-6 Spears. 10GP per Spear

2-12 Javelins.  10GP per Javelin

2-7 empty glass jars. 2GP per jar

2-12 glass vials. 1GP per vial

2-12 empty glass eggs. 1GP per egg - for Gas Egg creation.

Stats:

XOROA SMITH, SKILL 10 STAMINA 11, Warhammer or Throwing Hammer.

Throwing Hammers are identical to Throwing Daggers for damage and range purposes, and will damage creatures like Skeletons normally. However they cannot be coated with Blade Venom or other poisons.

The Xoroa smith is armed with a Warhammer and two Throwing Hammers and carries a carved-bone summoning horn, which, when blown, will summon all other Xoroa Warriors to the area. They also have 1-6 GP each in a leather pouch.

XOROA GLASSBLOWER, SKILL 10 STAMINA 11, Glass Vessel, Glass Wand.

In each of the first three Attack Rounds, the Glassblower will attempt to smash an acid-filled Glass Vessel against its opponent, on a successful hit it causes 4 STAMINA damage but is destroyed. The Glassblower will then fight with a long acid-filled wand that causes 3 STAMINA points of damage (and has enough acid in it for 2 battles only).

The Xoroa Glassblower also carries a carved-bone summoning horn, which, when blown, will summon all other Xoroa Warriors to the area. They have 1-6 GP each in a leather pouch.

GIANT SCARAB BEETLE, SKILL 7 STAMINA 8, Large Bite, Medium Armour. Where possible, the Beetle will roll objects at its attackers - Test for Luck to avoid or suffer 2 STAMINA when knocked over, plus -1 Attack Strength to next Attack Round while getting back up.

Trail Predator (#30/30, #334/365)

"There is a faint trail wandering through the dunes, all skittering tracks across the sands, like the marching of an entire army but only several files deep. At one point it walks through a patch of scrub between the sand-dunes, the trail partially covered beneath windswept leaves and fallen branches."

Contents: A GIANT ANTLION has set up a lair here, on the trail between the Xoroa outpost and the settlement of Kul-Thai, deeper into the desert. It has dug a deep pit in the middle of trail, covered it with bushes, and rests at the bottom of the pit, ready to consume anything that falls in.

It requires a successful Awareness Special Skill roll to notice the camoflaged pit, those that don't fall five metres to the bottom, taking normal falling STAMINA damage unless they successfully Test for Luck. The repulsive Giant Antlion, all barbed jaws and bristle-covered body, will then attack.

Also at the bottom of the pit are the chewed up remains of various creatures; not just Giant Ants and Xoroa workers, but also antelope, jackals and hyenas. Among the bones can be found 1-6GP in a pouch, a Spear, a Javelin, and a spiked bone Club.

Stats:

GIANT ANTLION, SKILL 8 STAMINA 8, Very Large Bite, Light Armour, +1 to the Damage Roll.

The GIANT ANTLION, also known as the GIANT DOODLEBUG for the tracks it traces in the sands when relocating from one lair to another, is a giant beetle-like insect with huge curved and barbed mandibles, but no armoured carapace. It excavates deep pits in the sand or dirt near the nests of GIANT ANTS, XOROA, and similar creatures, and preys on any stray Worker or Warrior that falls in.

Interestingly, this creature is just the larval stage. After consuming prey in such a fashion for up to a year, the Giant Antlion will then make a cocoon for itself, and undergo a dramatic metamorphosis into its adult form, which resembles a GIANT DRAGONFLY (SKILL 8 STAMINA 4, Small Bite). This adult has a brief period of life, for several months during the cooler winter season of the desert, when sparse rains may fall, before mating, laying eggs (that hatch into GIANT ANTLIONS) and then dying.

An outpost of the insect overlords (part two)

Giant Ant Colony Mine (#27/30, #331/365)

"Where the desert meets the foothills is a large hole in the ground. From this emanates a steady stream of pale Giant Ants, carrying dirt out the hole and dumping in a mound nearby. Here and there, guarding their charges, are larger brown Giant Ants with jagged mandibles, and even some of the centaur-like human/ant hybrids that are the Xoroa, clutching at broad-bladed iron spears."

Contents: This is a Xoroa iron mine, attached to the settlement at Kul-Tha, using domesticated Giant Ants to extract metal from the earth below for valuable trade elsewhere. The Xoroa also use the iron from the mine to forge their distinctive broad-bladed spears and javelins that they wield to defend themselves.

Heroes that enter this area in hostile fashion will immediately be engaged by 1 of 2 Xoroa Warriors on guard duty, while the other blows their horn to summon any further Warriors present at the mine. The Giant Soldier Ants will attack also. The Worker Ants will shelter in the mine and only fight when defending themselves.

The Xoroa are however highly amenable to trade. All Warriors have 1 point in a heavily click-based version of Allansian, while anybody with any points in the Xoroa language can halve all prices listed below. If the Heroes are non-hostile and keen to buy product, these are the following prices (and current products of the mine):

2-7 chunks of iron ore. 10GP per chunk.

1-6 Spears. 10GP per Spear

2-12 Javelins.  10GP per Javelin

Stats:

2-7 XOROA OVERSEERS, SKILL 10 STAMINA 11, Spear or Javelin.

Each Xoroa Warrior is armed with a Spear and two Javelins and carries a carved-bone summoning horn, which, when blown, will summon all other Xoroa Warriors to the area. They also have 1-6 GP each in a leather pouch.

2-12 GIANT SOLDIER ANTS, SKILL 7 STAMINA 8, Large Bite.

4-24 GIANT WORKER ANTS, SKILL 4 STAMINA 4, Small Bite.

An outpost of the insect overlords (part one)

Xoroa Sulphur Mine (#26/30, #330/365)

"In a dip-like valley between two hills lies a weird terrain feature, a bubbling spring of steaming water and boiling yellow mud, giving off gases with the most awful smell. Working and wandering through this chemical wilderness are strange ant-like creatures, clutching glass jars between their twitching forelimbs. What could possible be going on here?"

Contents: This is a Xoroa outpost from the settlement at Kul-Tha, mining useful minerals on the desert borderlands for valuable trade elsewhere. In particular, this area of volcanic activity is providing salt, sulphur, and poisonous gases for the Xoroa to capture, harvest and either utilize or sell onwards.

Heroes that enter this area in hostile fashion will immediately be engaged by 1 of 2 Xoroa Warriors on guard duty, while the other blows their horn to summon any further Warriors present at the mine. The Workers will shelter in the mine and only fight when defending themselves.

The Xoroa are however highly amenable to trade. All Warriors have 1 point in a heavily click-based version of Allansian, while anybody with any points in the Xoroa language can halve all prices listed below. If the Heroes are non-hostile and keen to buy product, these are the following prices (and current contents of the mine):

2-12 jars of yellow Sulphur. 10GP per Jar.

2-12 jars of chemical Salts, various colours. 5GP per Jar.

1-6 Gas Eggs (Encyclopedia Arcana: Volume 1, p. 121) - weird green crystalline eggs containing poisonous gases sucked from the mines. 10GP per Egg.

Stats:

2-12 XOROA WARRIORS, SKILL 10 STAMINA 11, Spear or Javelin.

Each Xoroa Warrior is armed with a Spear and two Javelins and carries a carved-bone summoning horn, which, when blown, will summon all other Xoroa Warriors to the area. They also have 1-6 GP in a leather pouch.

3-18 XOROA WORKERS, SKILL 6 STAMINA 7, Club. 

Each Worker has 1-3 GP.

Crash Landing!

A Crashed Flyer (#25/30, #329/365)

"You see a blazing flame streak through the sky and something smashes into the mountainside with enough force for you to hear the muffled thump of impact. A flock of birds takes to the air in alarm, and as you watch a thin trail of smoke begins to rise through the air from the impact site. It's actually not too far away if you wish to venture there."

Contents: The flaming trail and impact site is where a Flying Carpet and its flyer/passengers have crashed into the mountain site. This large flying carpet is almost certainly controlled by the Desert Elf Wizard Kharhanion the Competant (from Dust Town - see #103) transporting 1-3 wealthy passengers to (or back from) one of the following destinations (roll a die):

    1. Shazaar, and then on to Salamonis

    2. Sapphire City

    3. Pellod

    4. Tavern of Tan-Kha

    5. Halak and/or Rimon

    6. Oyster Bay

Roll on this table for the 1-3 passengers:

1. Desert Elves scouts, tracking the movement of Caarth patrols.

2-3. Adventurers travelling to the Found Tombs to explore.

4-5. Merchants, taking a speedy route to the markets.

6. Spellcasters' Guild-members from Pellod, doing reconnaissance.

There is a 1 in 6 chance the carpet belongs to someone else (a mysterious mage, a powerful adventurer, a Black Elf sorcerer, etc.), in which case there will be no passengers, other than the flyer's minions or companions. Roll on the below table to determine who:

1-2 A Mysterious Mage with a Wood Golem bodyguard.

3-4 A Powerful Adventurer with his pet Black Lion.

5-6 A Black Elf Sorcerer with a Black Elf apprentice.

As to why the carpet has crashed, roll on the following table to determine a reason:

1 Hijacked by a passenger/hitch-hiker

2 Someone placed a long-fused grenade on board

3 Attacked in the air by another flyer such as a Hag on a Giant Vulture.

4 Ground attack by a group of Sand Stalker archers.

5 Attacked in the air by a large aerial monster.

6 A miscalculation on the part of the flyers.

For narrative simplicity, assume the flyers/passengers survive the crash and it's up to the Heroes to determine what happens next (for example, any attackers may be nearby and ready to pounce). The Flying Carpet is damaged, but as it is magical, may still be able to be repaired.

Stats:

For all stats, consult the relevant archetype entries in Heroes of Titan. In addition, the customization rules from the Combat Companion can be used to increase the power levels of any survivors.

The pitter patter of little feet (part four)

Chamber of the Chief (#24/30, #328/365)

"You enter the biggest chamber in the warren, a long circular cave that you can almost stand up in. Opposite you is a stone throne, on which sits a large Gremlin in a splendid purple cape, flanked by four armoured Gremlin bodyguards wielding shortbows primed with poison arrows. In front of the throne, on a short chain held by the Gremlin Chief, is a snarling Jackal, frothing at the mouth and rabid in fury. The Gremlin Chief points to you with an accusing hand and squeaks:

'By Dhaktili's red hand who have we got here then?'"

Contents: If the Heroes have been brought here by the Guards, perhaps pretending to be merchants, Ergoth will feign disinterest but is actually keen on cementing some lasting power and influence in this region. He would like to facilitate a trade in Gremlin-made gear, such as red dye and bone weaponry, in exchange for clay and salt.

If they are aggressive, Ergoth will release the Jackal onto the first Hero in the tunnel, while his Bodyguards will fire poisoned arrows. He will hang back, watching how his bodyguards and the rabid Jackal do, and if the cause looks hopeless, lob both a Gas Egg and a Yokka Egg into the chamber, which will ignite in a conflagration causing 4-24 STAMINA fire damage to everyone in the chamber, and flee to the nearest exit with his small treasure chest if possible (see below).

Behind the throne is a small wooden chest plus some goods stolen from surrounding homesteads. The chest is locked (Ergoth has the key), and contains a DESERT SCORPION (SKILL 2 STAMINA 1, Sting does 4 STAMINA damage, Light Armour) that will leap out and attack whoever has opened the chest, gaining a free hit, unless they make a successful DODGE Special Skill roll. Also in the chest are 13GP in a pouch, a hipflask with one measure of Herbal Liqueur, a pair of Nose Filters, a small Diamond worth 15GP, and a glowing Energy Crystal.

Stolen goods total 4 bottles of olive oil, 3 bottles of Red Wine,  a pile of 3 folded woolen blankets, and a salted shank of lamb that counts as 2 Provisions.

Stats:

Ergoth the Cruel, GREMLIN CHIEF, SKILL 6 STAMINA 6, Bone Handaxe, Bone Breastplate. The Chief's Handaxe is made from bone and covered in a crude home-made Blade Venom that resembles viscous black sludge and causes +1 STAMINA damage for any successful hit that wounds (hits whose damage is fully absorbed by armour don't count). The Blade Venom lasts for one combat only, before it has to be reapplied.

In addition to their handaxe, Ergoth has a Gremlin-sized Breastplate made from bone, an elaborate purple cape (actually some curtains), 3-18 Copper Pieces, 2-12 SP, and 1-6GP (all in a leather purse), a small brass key stamped with the number '14', a Gas Egg, a Yokka Egg, and their left hand is painted red.

4 GREMLIN BODYGUARDS, SKILL 5 STAMINA 5, Bone Shortswords or Shortbow, Light Armour. The Gremlin's Shortsword and arrows are made from bone and covered in a crude home-made Blade Venom that resembles viscous black sludge and causes +1 STAMINA damage for any successful hit that wounds (hits whose damage is fully absorbed by armour don't count). The Blade Venom lasts for one combat only, before it has to be reapplied.

In addition to their Shortsword, each Gremlin bodyguard has a shortbow and a quiver of 6 arrows, a helmet made from skull bones, 1-6 Copper Pieces, 1-3 SP and their left hand is painted red.

RABID JACKAL, SKILL 5 STAMINA 5, Small Bite. The Jackal has Rabies; anyone who is wounded by its bite, must deduct 2 STAMINA points of extra damage to be spent cutting the taint out, assuming they survive the fight, otherwise they contract Rabies. This virulent form of the disease causes 1-6 internal STAMINA damage per day until the victim is dead. Prior to death, in this form the victim will attempt to bite everybody around them to further spread disease but they can be repelled by water.

The pitter patter of tiny feet (part three)

Brewer of Poisons (#23/30, #327/365)

"This small spherical chamber gives off a particularly foul odour. In the centre of room a Gremlin wearing dark-stained gloves is pounding together various disgusting ingredients into a viscous black paste contained within large stone bowl. Judging from the items strewn around the bowl, the ingredients include dead scorpions and snakes, and bunches of thorns.

The Gremlin, who is wearing goggles made from the bottoms of jars, points at you irritably with one of his gloved hands. 'Oi! What are you lot doing here?'"

Contents: This is the domain of Cisk the Lethal, poison-brewer of the Red Claw tribe, and inventor of the Blade Venom that these Gremlins use on their weapons. The venom is not technically for sale, but if bribed with 10GP, Cisk will part with one and only one vial of Blade Venom, which contains enough for one dose. (He will have a store of 2-12 vials in the room at any one time)

If bribed with 20GP, Cisk will reveal the secret of making Blade Venom; the recipe is half a bottle of olive oil, 1 set of Rattlesnake poison glands, 1 Desert Scorpion tail stinger, and 2 bunches of Fire Bush, mashed together, which creates enough Blade Venom for 5 doses. Mashing it up into an acceptable consistency takes about thirty minutes.

Next to the bowl are series of tattered scrolls with the recipe written in Goblin, along with descriptions and drawings of Rattlesnakes, Desert Scorpions and Fire Bush. Other objects include 3 dead Rattlesnakes, 4 live Desert Scorpions in a stoppered stone jar (each SKILL 2 STAMINA 1, Sting does 4 STAMINA damage, Light Armour), and a branch torn from a Fire Bush.

If the Heroes are aggressive, Cisk will attack with his blowpipe and poisoned darts, aiming for unarmoured Heroes. If severely outnumbered, Cisk will flee but not before throwing one of his Yokka eggs at the highly flammable Blade Venom mixture, which will ignite for 2-12 STAMINA points damage, set anything flammable on fire, and hopefully destroy his (memorized) recipe scrolls, plus the ingredients.

Stats:

Cisk the Lethal, GREMLIN POISONER, SKILL 5 STAMINA 5, Blowpipe or Dagger. The Gremlin's Dagger and Blowpipe darts are made from bone and covered in a crude home-made Blade Venom that resembles viscous black sludge and causes +1 STAMINA damage for any successful hit that wounds (hits whose damage is fully absorbed by armour don't count). The Blade Venom lasts for one combat only, before it has to be reapplied.

In addition to their dagger, Cisk has his Blowpipe, 6 poisoned darts, 2-12 Copper Pieces, 1-6 SP, 1-3 GP, 2 Yokka Eggs and their left hand is painted red. His gloves and goggles are non-magical but protect him from any accidents when producing Blade Venom.

The pitter patter of tiny feet (part two)

 Shrine to Dhaktili (#22/30, #326/365)

"This cave is full of smoke from several greasy candles and appears to be a shrine of some sort. The candles illuminate the far end of the cave, which contains a stone idol in the form of a red hairy tusked creature with large claws, and it is surrounded by a profusion of red clay hands, all reaching towards the idol with clawed fingers. In front of the idol, several Gremlins in long sack-cloth robes dyed red are tapping on one of the red clay hands with a small bone hammer.

On seeing, the largest Gremlin curses 'Die Unbelievers!' and throws the hammer in your direction!"

Contents: The first Hero in the tunnel entering this chamber must Test their Skill, if they are successful they have dodged the hammer and it then may strike the next person in the line, unless they successfully dodge, and so on. Throwing Hammers are identical to Throwing Daggers for damage and range purposes, and will damage creatures like Skeletons normally. However they cannot be coated with Blade Venom or other poisons.

The Gremlins will then attack, unless the Heroes have a very good reason for being in this most holy part of their lair of tunnels. It is a shrine to Dhaktili, God of the Underworld (see below) and the priest, Hudjak the Red, once saved the Gremlin Chief, Ergoth the Cruel, from a pack of Gnolls, by calling upon his power of 'Casting of Creatures to the Bottomless Pit'. Hudjak is not afraid to use the power in this shrine too (+1 Devotion bonus to all Dhaktili powers); if he does, roll on the table below to determine where people affected by the power end up:

1 False Tomb

2 Pit of Serpents.

3 Haunted Sidechamber

4 Fungus Chamber.

5 Outer Sanctum, Zone Two

6 Outer Sanctum, Zone Three

Chief Ergoth the Cruel thus takes Dhaktili worship very seriously, and the shrine is richly appointed with devotional clay hands created by members of the tribe. There is no treasure here however.

Stats:

Hudjak the Red, GREMLIN Priest of Dhaktili: SKILL 5, STAMINA 5, Devotion 7, Bone Dagger or Throwing Hammer. Hudjak's Dagger is made from bone and covered in a crude home-made Blade Venom that resembles viscous black sludge and causes +1 STAMINA damage for any successful hit that wounds (hits whose damage is fully absorbed by armour don't count). The Blade Venom lasts for one combat only, before it has to be reapplied.

In addition to their Dagger, Hudjak has has 2-12 Copper Pieces, 1-6 SP, a spare Throwing Hammer, a Holy Symbol of Dhaktili (silver pendant with ruby carved into the shape of a clawed hand worth 30GP), a Gas Egg (see Encyclopedia Arcana: Volume 1, p. 121) and their left hand is painted red along with their sackcloth robes

4 GREMLIN Acolytes of Dhaktili, SKILL 4 STAMINA 4, Dagger. The Gremlin's Dagger is made from bone and covered in a crude home-made Blade Venom that resembles viscous black sludge and causes +1 STAMINA damage for any successful hit that wounds (hits whose damage is fully absorbed by armour don't count). The Blade Venom lasts for one combat only, before it has to be reapplied.

In addition to their dagger, each Gremlin also has 1-6 Copper Pieces, 1-3 SP and their left hand is painted red, also wearing red robes.

New God:

Dhaktili

Demigod of the Underground

 

Specific Power:    Casting of Creatures to the Bottomless Pit: This ritual was stolen from the Underworld by the Gaddon usurpers and turned into a Spell of Doom and Despair. It can only be used underground; to summon this power utter the following words:

 

“Thrice round weave, twice up and twice down,

And make the sign of the Seven Senses of Dismay.”

 

Two enormous, red-furred hands with curved claws, some say belonging to Dhaktili himself, erupt from the ground and grab as many enemies as the Priest’s Devotion score. They will be taken below to the nearest chamber in a lower dungeon level, cavern system or catacombs; this can be avoided with a successful Test for Luck. If there are no lower levels (and why not!) the victims will be deposited instead into the furthest away chamber on the same level. This process will cause 1-6 STAMINA points of damage. The hands will then disappear.

 

General Powers:

-        Banish

-        Curse

-        Weakness

 

Dhaktili is the God of the Underworld, the Master of the Dungeon, the Lord of Caves, Caverns and Catacombs. He is worshipped by many subterranean races, especially Kobolds, Craggeracks, Troglodytes, Gleff, Gremlins, N’yadachs and Cavern Elves. As one would expect for an underworld deity, Dhaktili’s perceived form varies widely; Troglodytes regard him as a protean deity of everchanging form, surmounted by a golden skull, while Gremlins consider him a great red clawed hand, always clutching at the tangled threads of life in the underworld. Kobolds and their relatives think Dhaktili resembles a fat humanoid figure with a friendly, smiling face and outstretched arms; conversely, to the Cavern Elves and others, he is Vacavon, a grotesque, snarling, tusked creature of the darkness. His holy symbol is a clawed hand, or, more rarely, a skull inside a triangle, and his sacred colour is red. Some Priests are known to wear a Ring of Indescribable Horrors to show their devotion to Dhaktili.