An Investigation into the Commercial Proposition of "Graboid" Farming

Chunk of Roast Tunneller Beast Flesh (#28/30, #331/365) [EA:V2] (Food)

Tunneller Beasts are large worm-like creatures that burrow through the underground substrates of the Pangarian archipelago, some of the trappers and hunters of those islands have began experimenting with harvesting the creatures for meat. A dead Tunneller Beast provides 2-12 chunks of flesh that can be roasted; the meat is surprisingly nutritious, tastes a little like beef, and restores 3 STAMINA points  per portion.

3GP

Tunneller Beast Hide (#29/30, #332/365) [EA:V2] (Furs and Skins)

Tunneller Beast hide is both tough and flexible and can be fashioned into armour. The armour counts the same as a Leather Hauberk for combat purposes. 

Price as per Treasure: Furs and Skins

Distant tremors, under the ground, slowly getting closer...

TUNNELLER BEAST (#27/30, #330/365) [OOTP IV]

SKILL: 8

STAMINA: 9

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Very Large Bite

ARMOUR: Medium

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Dungeons, Caves, Towns (sewers), Ruins, Plains

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1-2

TYPE: Monster

REACTION: Hostile

INTELLIGENCE: Low

The floating islands of Pangaria are riddled with access tunnels, air shafts, drainage sewers and maintenance passageways, and a known predator to be careful of within these subterranean realms is the dreaded TUNNELLER BEAST! Thought to be related to similar creatures from the surface of Titan including Mudgrinders and Giant Sandworms, this is also a long worm-like predator with a segmented body up to six or seven metres long, and a gaping tooth-lined maw. The Tunneller Beast lacks eyes but is thought to use special sense organs on its head to detect prey and bite them with glistening fangs!

Although mainly confined to underground areas, Tunneller Beasts have been known to break the surface and attack people and livestock at ground level from time to time. The first indication something is wrong would be a trembling under the earth, with the ground bucking and cracking as something big burrows through the soil towards potential prey, before erupting from the ground to attack. Some Pangarians have experimented with descending underground and hunting Tunneller Beasts for their meat, reporting best efforts for roasted or stewed chunks of flesh.

"Cabbages! Cabbages!"

CLOUD CABBAGE (#26/30, #329/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: This is a large spherical vegetable with green leaves.

Distribution: Floating Islands in the Pangarian Archipelago, perhaps other islands across Titan.

 

Effects: As well as being edible, the leaves of the Cloud Cabbage also have curious healing properties. The soothing effects of one Cloud Cabbage leaf will restore 2 STAMINA points if injured. Cabbages are also used in the construction of Animated Scarecrows (see Return to the Pit, p. 20), and other similar foul magical creatures, while their leaves can be used to effect temporary repairs to Technomancy artefacts such as balloons and flyers. Cabbages can be used as a weapon, doing improvised damage when hurled at a target.

 

Cost: City 1gp, Town 1gp, Village 2gp (per leaf)

 

Availability: Rare (Pangaria: Common)

 

Further Notes: The Cloud Cabbage is thought to be related to similar plants, such as the Diamond Cabbage (see p. XX), and the Yellow Cabbage (see The Titan Herbal, p. 73).

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, PANGARIAN SPY!

SPY (#25/30, #328/365) [POT]

SKILL: 8

STAMINA: 10

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Sword

ARMOUR: Leather Cuirass

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Towns, Towns (sewers), Plains, Forests, Hills

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1-2

TYPE: Humanoid

REACTION: Neutral

INTELLIGENCE: High

The SPY is a covert operative, typically employed by a kingdom, religious order, guild or other organization to keep an eye on the competition. Even the forces of Chaos and Evil have Spies, peering at Goodly lands to determine their exploitable weaknesses! All spies will be equipped with a sword and leather cuirass, as well as a hooded cloak, though they may not be wearing any of these overtly. A Spy will of course never explicitly identify themselves as a spy when encountered - this would blow their cover! - but will instead be disguised as one of the following other relatively legitimate itinerant wanderers, along with all their associated gear:

Roll Spy appears to be a ...

1 Beggar: Rags and a begging bowl.

2 Trader: A sample of wares and a 1-3 on 1d6 chance of a Draft Animal (see the Trader entry to determine the type of wares and Draft Animal)

3 Mercenary: A small shield and a hand crossbow with ammo.

4 Bard: A mandolin and a set of outlandish clothes.

5 Adventurer: A lantern, large sack and a fake treasure map.

6 Entertainer: 2-12 Throwing Daggers and a straw dummy.

As well as their current disguise, a Spy will also have 1-3 backup disguises. Roll on the table below to determine what these are and what equipment they consist of, rerolling duplicates:

Roll Disguise (Equipment)

1 Orc (green face paint, fake tusks, fake ears)

2 Zombie (grey face paint, fake blood, foul-smelling paste)

3 Vampire (white face paint, fake fangs, black cape)

4 Noble (Exotic hat and robes, poking stick, monocle)

5 Priest (priest's robes, holy symbol)

6 Wizard (wizard's robes, pointy hat, wand or staff)

Spies will carry 1-3 items of special gear to help with their acts of infiltration and sabotage. Roll on the below table to determine what, rerolling duplicates:

Roll Special Gear

1 Brass Telescope

2 1-2 Grenades

3 Codebook and 1-3 pieces of chalk

4 pouch of 2-12 Caltrops

5 1-3 sachets of Fire Dust

6 pouch of Ballbearings

Famous Spies are either dead, typically in the line of duty, or retired, which makes it difficult to talk about who are the best Spies currently, because no-one knows! However, it is rumoured that the Allansian merchant Halim Thrumbar is known to pay extra interest in affairs of relevance to the court of Salamonis, while some say the fair Half-Elf maiden Gaya Inuriel of Stittle Woad (see Citadel of Chaos, pp. 118-119), who many think to be an enchanting touring singer, is actually a covert operative for whoever is the highest bidder. On the floating archipelago of Pangaria, it is possible that Or-Vos of Asperitas is a Spy (see Heroes of Titan, p.39), for the brave warrior-woman does seem to spend a lot of time "off-island" as it were. It is rumoured she is keeping a careful eye out for renegade Pangarians, peddling outlawed technomancy artefacts on the black markets of Allansia, Khul and the Old World.

Down on the [CROCODILE] farm...

Saltwater Crocodile Tooth (#22/30, #327/365) [EA:V2] (Ivory)

This is a large sharp conical ivory tooth from a Saltwater Crocodile. It can be used to make the magical trinket known as the Crocodile Amulet (see p. XX).

Price as per Treasure: Ivory

Saltwater Crocodile Skin (#23/30, #327/365) [EA:V2] (Furs and Skins)

Crocodile Skins can be fashioned into armour and used by acolytes of deities such as Decay and Khepra Dark-Shell, and the scaly hide of the Saltwater Crocodile is no different in this regard. The armour counts the same as a Leather Hauberk for combat purposes. 

Price as per Treasure: Furs and Skins

Crocodile Amulet (#24/30, #327/365) [EA:V2] (Trinket)

This amulet is made from the tooth of a Saltwater Crocodile and is designed to be worn around one's neck for its protective powers to work. Anyone wearing such a Crocodile Amulet will be ignored by any crocodiles or alligators present and not attacked (although the reptiles may still attack the amulet-wearer's companions). If the wearer of the amulet actually attacks a crocodile, the protective magic will be neutralized and all crocodiles in the area will attack the wearer to the exclusion of everything else. Malu the Quezkari Witch-doctor of Bone Island was known to have a Crocodile Amulet among his possessions.

50gp

Something scaly in the water...

SALTWATER CROCODILE (#21/30, #326/365) [OOTP IV]

SKILL: 8

STAMINA: 8

ATTACKS: 2

WEAPON: Very Large Bite

ARMOUR: Heavy

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Seas, Sea-shore, Marshes, Rivers, Lakes

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1-2

TYPE: Reptile

REACTION: Unfriendly

INTELLIGENCE: Low

Related to the Crocodiles that dwell across Titan's warmer rivers, lakes and swamps, the SALTWATER CROCODILE is an enormous scaly beast around six metres long with a similar toothy-jawed appearance. This pelagic predator is found along the tropical coastlines of Allansia and Khul, and many of the islands that dot the seas in-between, for it is not unusual to see a Saltwater Crocodile swimming out in the middle of the open ocean. They are voracious predators and scavengers, with a reputation for eating any old thing they find, and often the first and last sight their prey has of the huge beast, is a dark shadow slicing through the water, tail swishing and jaws agape, before it bites with its many pointy teeth!

The above scores apply to a Saltwater Crocodile that is being fought in the water; they are less agile on dry land and must reduce their Attack Strength by 2 when so cornered. If slain, any canny sailor knows to cut open the creature's stomach with their cutlass and, while holding their nose, check for trinkets the Saltwater Crocodile may have previously swallowed; roll on the Humanoid Type for potential treasure. The creature is also valued for its ivory teeth, which are carved into amulets protecting against future crocodile attacks (Malu the Witch-doctor of Bone Island was known to have one), and its skin, which can be made into leather goods and also armour. The Pangarians even attempted to construct and run a mid-ocean Saltwater Crocodile Farm on the surface of the Ocean of Tempests with mixed results.

The Pangarian Spice-Run

CINNAMON (#19/30, #324/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: This is a large tree with oval green leaves, greyish brown bark, and tiny white-yellow flowers.

Distribution: Islands in the Arrowhead Archipelago; Pangaria.

 

Effects: The bark of the Cinnamon tree is scraped off, cut up and dried into rolled-up pale brown stick-like strips and used as an important aromatic additive spice (see Encyclopedia Arcana: Volume 1, p. 87). For example, it has been added to the following: Cinnamon Milk Pudding from Pangaria, Cinnamon Men pastries made by Rondervan the Baker of Darkwood (and favoured by the wizard Yaztromo), the Orc Ale known as Grundel's Speshul Ree-Zerve (see Citadel of Chaos, p. 24), and also Medlar Wine (see The Titan Herbal, p. 48).

 

Cost: City 2gp, Town 3gp, Village 4gp (per bag of sticks)

 

Availability: Rare (Pangaria: Common)

 

Further Notes: Although the Cinnamon tree is found only on a few isolated islands of the Arrowhead Archipelago (and Pangaria), as a spice it is traded far and wide across Titan as a valuable commodity.

 

GINGER (#20/30, #325/365) [TTHA] 

Appearance: This is a reed-like herb with long green leaves and yellow flowers, and a rough, irregular shaped root.

Distribution: Jungles, hills and plains across Titan; Pangaria.

 

Effects: The dried root of the Ginger plant can be ground down to create an important culinary spice to flavour food (see Encyclopedia Arcana: Volume 1, p. 87). Ginger cream-horns and Gingerbread Biscuits, both specialties from the Pangarian island of Cumulus, add +1 STAMINA point when consumed, though this is not cumulative

 

Cost: City 1gp, Town 2gp, Village 3gp (per root)

 

Availability: Common

 

Further Notes: Ginger is found naturally in Hachiman and the Isles of the Dawn, and used in culinary preparations across Khul and beyond.