ZWINIAN (#18/30, #170/365) [OOTP IV]
STAMINA: 8 13
ATTACKS: 1
WEAPON: Sword or Spear
ARMOUR: Light
DAMAGE MODIFIER: None
HABITAT: Forests, Plains, Dungeons, Ruins, Caves, Hills, Wilderness
NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1-6
TYPE: Animal/Humanoid
REACTION: Unfriendly-Hostile
INTELLIGENCE: High
Thought to be related to the more primitive Tusker, and, like them, worshippers of Grush the God of Swine, the ZWINIAN is a horrible muscular boar-headed humanoid, and almost always up to no good. Smart, devious, and usually armed with a sword or spear, plus scraps of light armour, the Zwinian is a strong, tricky fighter, quick to anger and take offense. They are bloodthirsty creatures too, and in combat prefer to spare no survivors or those foolish enough to attempt a surrender. With this kind of outlook, it is perhaps no wonder that Zwinians tend to operate as lone warriors or in small bands of irregulars; if six Zwinians are found, one will be a ZWINIAN CHAMPION with the scores listed above.
Occasionally, under the leadership of such a champion, enough Zwinians will gather to overcome a small border fort or outpost settlement. Such a congregation will have 5-30 Zwinians, and half that number as captives from other humanoids who dwell in the same terrain. 2-12 Zwinians will be comprise cavalry patrols, mounted on Giant Running Lizards (equivalent to an Adult DROMAEOSAURUS (see Beyond the Pit, pp. 40-41).
One of the most infamous of such hideouts was a Zwinian-occupied fortress on the eastern flanks of the Mountains of the Giants, close to the entrance to Anvil Pass. The leadership struggle for ownership swung back and forth between two Zwinian Champions - Frampa, the legitimate Lord of the Citadel, and the rogue would-be usurper Barogkaz the Enchanter - and also drew in the well-known harpist Cerod the Minstrel and a nameless adventurer, but the state of the current stalemate is unknown at this time.
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