"I got sunshine in a bag..."

GORILLA (#22/31, #50/365) [OOTP IV]

Male Female 

SKILL: 9 8

STAMINA: 10 10

ATTACKS: 2

WEAPON: Unarmed (Large)

ARMOUR: None

DAMAGE MODIFIER: +1 to the Damage Roll

HABITAT: Jungles

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 2-7

TYPE: Animal

REACTION: Neutral

INTELLIGENCE: High

The GORILLA is a large muscular primate covered in black hair, that inhabits tropical wooded habitat, from the jungles of Southern Allansia to the rainforests on the isle of Orcmoot. Here they forage for leaves, fruit, berries and nuts, though the Gorillas of Titan have also been known to supplement their herbivory with fresh meat if required. If encountered in the wild, one or two of them will be big silverback males, who will attack if threatened while the rest will be females with an additional one to three young (SKILL 4 STAMINA 4). Related to the various other kinds of Great Ape, Gorillas will roam across a set jungle territory during the day before retiring to leaf-lined nests up in the trees during the night. They are preyed on by big cats, giant reptiles and the like, but in ancient times were venerated as gods by the jungle tribes that lived alongside them, considered living avatars of the monkey deity P'thekwa.

Death after life...

GRAVE DIGGER/ROBBER (#21/31, #49/365) [POT]

SKILL: 7

STAMINA : 12

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Shovel (as per Improvised)

ARMOUR: None or Leather Jack

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

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

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1-2

TYPE: Humanoid

REACTION: Neutral-Unfriendly

INTELLIGENCE: High

The only real difference between the GRAVE DIGGER and the GRAVE ROBBER is whether they are interring the corpse, as per the former, or stealing it, as per the latter. Regardless, they all are hardy folk, in rough and ready clothing that somehow always exudes the faintest stench of death. Every Grave Digger/Robber always carries a large shovel (as per Improvised), a lantern, and a heavy cloth sack. As the job is obviously a perilous one, they are also armed with a weapon, which can be rolled for on the table below:

Roll Weapon

1-2 Club

3-4 Dagger

5-6 Staff

In addition the Grave Digger/Robber will have 1-3 items of extra gear; roll on the table below to determine what these are: 

Roll Extra Gear

1 Leather Jack

2 Book: "Practical Anatomy of the Creatures of North-western Allansia" by Doctor Quimmel Bone

3 Bone pipe and pouch of Smoking Weed

4 Hipflask of Special Brew

5 Holy Symbol of a random God

6 Ten foot wooden pole

Grave Diggers are generally employed in cities and larger towns across Titan, appointed by guilds, councils, temples and churches. It is a lonely, thankless job, and, perhaps not surprisingly, many Grave Diggers realize the value of the cadavers they are burying, and, after hours, become Grave Robbers and dig the bodies back up again to sell on the black market, to necromancers, cults, anatomists, marrangha mages and the like.

One such Grave Robber is Xundle Nightlamp of Kalagar (Heroes of Titan, p. 43), who studies at the medical college during the day and appropriates corpses after dark. Meanwhile, in the city of Blackhaven on the borders of Gallantaria and Brice, lurk the nefarious Mister Hogg and Mister Kilmarney, known body-snatchers frequenting of the Meinster Cemetery, and imbibers of Steadman's Dark Horse ale at the Three Fingers Tavern.

We Really Need To Talk About Wands (Part Six)

Wand of Control (#18/31, #46/365) [EA:V2] (Enchanted Item) 

This is a long copper tube that has been engraved with symbols and runes. When pointed at someone, the Wand of Control will have the same effect as the Command spell on the victim, except that the victim cannot Test for Luck to avoid the wand's magic. One magical charge is used when the wand is pointed at someone to cast a magical effect. When found a Wand of Control will have 1-6 charges. If all charges are used up then the wand is useless until recharged. Prince Goldhawk of the ancient kingdom of Karazan was recorded as employing the Wand of Control against the Queen of Pain, a powerful Demon Spider that dwelled within the Dungeon of Despair.

Unavailable to buy

Wand of the Crone (#19/31, #47/365) [EA:V2] (Enchanted Item) 

This is a gnarled length of wood usually crafted from ash, elm or willow. These wands are commonly used by Hags, Cursewitches and the like. The wand-wielder can add a +2 bonus to any spellcasting rolls using the Magic-Witchcraft Special Skill. In addition the Wand of the Crone can be used as a melee weapon in combat; activating in this manner causes the wand to crackle and spark with raw magical power. Anyone hit by a Wand of the Crone in combat must roll one die and consult the table below to determine the extent of the damage they have suffered:

Roll Damage

1-2 lose 2 STAMINA 

3-4 lose 3 STAMINA

5 lose 2 STAMINA and 1 SKILL

6 lose 2 STAMINA and 1 LUCK 

One magical charge is used when the wand is employed in combat or to aid spellcasting, and when found a Wand of the Crone will have 2-12 charges. If all charges are used up then the wand is useless until recharged. One wand such as this was known to be possessed by the Cook of Castle Wulfen, in the Mauristatian province of Lupravia. 

Unavailable to buy

Wand of the Jester (#20/31, #48/365) [EA:V2] (Enchanted Item) 

This is a thin metal wand which terminates in a three-bladed rainbow-coloured crystal. The Wand of the Jester is imbued with nefarious trickster-magic; when it is pointed at somebody, roll a die to determine the effect:

Roll Effect

1 Victim drops their weapon. Takes 1 Attack Round to pick it up.

2 Victim falls over. 1 STAMINA damage and 1 Attack Round to get up.

3 Victim starts shaking. -1 SKILL for 2-7 minutes.

4 Victim loses their voice. No talking or spellcasting for 2-7 minutes.

5 Victim starts sneezing uncontrollably. -4 SKILL for 2-7 minutes

6 Victim soils themselves. -4 to all Social tests until they have a bath.

The Wand of the Jester can also be used as a weapon in combat; its magic crystal tip drains 3 STAMINA damage per hit with no Armour Roll allowed. One magical charge is used when the wand is employed in combat or pointed at someone to cast a magical effect. When found a Wand of the Jester will have 2-7 charges. If all charges are used up then the wand is useless until recharged. These wands were known to be used by cadres of demonic performers from the Circus of the Damned, such as the Hell-King's Jesters, and also upon Titan, like the infamous Dark Jester of Gebaan. 

Unavailable to buy 

Obscure nonhuman races from the Inland Sea region of Khul...

GELF (#15-16/31, #43-44/365) [OOTP IV]

Gelf Giant Gelf 

SKILL: 8 9

STAMINA: 9 11

ATTACKS: 1 2

WEAPON: 

Gelf - Sword

Giant Gelf - Club (as per Greathammer)

ARMOUR: 

Gelf - Large Shield

Giant Gelf - Light 

DAMAGE MODIFIER: 

Gelf - None

Giant Gelf - +1 to the Damage Roll 

HABITAT: 

Gelf - Towns, Plains, Wilderness, Deserts

Giant Gelf - Mountains, Hills, Ice, Forests 

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 

Gelf - 1-6

Giant Gelf - 1-2 

TYPE: Humanoid

REACTION: Neutral

INTELLIGENCE: High

There are many curious types of folk out there in the wide and teeming lands of Titan, and yet another to add to the official scrolls comprising the Census of Sentient Beings is the enigmatic GELF. Thought to be some kind of Elven hybrid, similar to Half-Elves or Blackhearts, several variants of Gelf are known to exist.

The regular GELF is a man-sized muscular humanoid, with pointed ears, sharp teeth, and skin that ranges in colour from orange through yellow to green, with black or brown hair worn long and tied back with a bronze clasp. They wear loinclothes and embroidered waistcoats, and adorn the rest of their bodies with painted symbols, tattoos and scar-patterns, and typically defend themselves with broadswords and large shields. 

Gelfs herd animals such as goats, sheep and Dilks, in the arid borderlands on the edges of the Scythera Desert or the Sea of Fire, or even in the northern wilds of Qor and Kirf. It is a harsh life, and, along with the Gelf's fondness for Orc Ale and Dilk-meat, makes it easy to lure the Gelf to the city in search of fortune, where they are usually employed as guards, stevedores, labourers, or combatants in the game of Punch-Out, as played at the Gambling Pits of Calah.

While it may appear that Gelfs are a hybrid of Goodly Elf and Orc or similar, one does not talk about this in front of a Gelf unless they wish to start a fight. Instead, the Gelfs claim they previously inhabited an ancient empire in these parts that was destroyed in Irritarian times, casting the Gelfs into their current marginal existence. Gelfs believe that in due course a leader will emerge from their ranks and once again drag them back towards the light to found a true kingdom of the Gelfs.

The GIANT GELF has rather different ancestry and appears to be some kind of hybrid between Elf and Giant, in much the same way that the Gark is a crossbreed of Giant and Goblin. They are large gangly humanoids around four to five metres tall, with pointed ears and extravagant facial hair, and wear furs and animal skins as clothes, while arming themselves with a thick wooden club up to two metres long!

Giant Gelfs are known from highland areas, such as the Icefinger and Freezeblood Mountains in Allansia, the Cragrock Peaks and Mauristatia in the Old World, and the Mountains of the Giants in Khul. Here they have a reputation for trickery; blocking passes with avalanches, sending snowballs racing down into the valleys, and so on. Mountain Elves, and, surprisingly, some Dwarfs, disagree, and say that Giant Gelfs are gentle, helpful creatures, and any problems they cause are because people have angered the Giant Gelf by over-hunting game or chopping down too many pine trees.

MALLARK (#17/31, #45/365) [OOTP IV]

SKILL: 9

STAMINA: 7

ATTACKS: 2

WEAPON: Staff or Spear and Small Bite or Greatsword

ARMOUR: Medium

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Marshes, Rivers, Lakes, Towns

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1-3 or 4-24

TYPE: Bird/Humanoid

REACTION: Neutral

INTELLIGENCE: High

The avian MALLARK is a curious type of sentient humanoid resembling a man-sized water-fowl, though with arms instead of wings. They are capable swimmers, with strong webbed feet and water-proof feathered plumage, arranged in a checkered pattern of brown, white, grey and black. Mallarks have a broad bill, liberally studded with hooked pseudo-teeth known as 'fangles', and will snap at opponents in combat as well as attempting to hit them with whatever weapon the Mallark is holding.

In the wild, this will be a bamboo staff or barbed spear, while if in the service of a human master (typically denoted by having their fangles cut), the weapon will be a greatsword. Mallarks are strong, fast, agile fighters, and often sought out by wealthy merchants in large cities such as Calah and Shurrupak, as they make for demurely-behaved but fanatically loyal bodyguards. All Mallark warriors also wear lacquered reed armour, but they disdain the use of shields as cowardly. 

In the lands surrounding the Inland Sea region of Khul, Mallark villages are found among wetlands, such as the Kishian Delta, or along the banks of rivers like the Parine. Each village is a series of floating rafts bearing dome-shaped mud and reed huts. There will be four to twenty-four Mallarks in a village, of which 2-7 will have scores as above, while the rest will be Mallark villagers with SKILL 7 STAMINA 6, 2 Attacks, Small Bite and Dagger. Here they live simple lives, catching fish, collecting water plants, and defending themselves against the depredations of swamp creatures such as Gigantic Leeches, Crocodiles, or worse.

Great GUMAR HUNTERS I have known...

GUMAR HUNTER (#14/31, #42/365) [POT]

SKILL: 7

STAMINA : 8

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Javelin, Spear or Dagger

ARMOUR: Leather Jack

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Marshes, Rivers, Lakes

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1-3 or 4-24

TYPE: Humanoid

REACTION: Unfriendly-Hostile

INTELLIGENCE: High

GUMAR HUNTERS are a fearsome tribe of monster-riding, swamp-dwelling Allansian humans found from the Kaylong Marshes in the west, at the delta where the Kok River debouches into the sea, to the Fenlands surrounding Lake Nykosa in the distant east, and south to the great Swamplands of Silur Cha, and likely exist on other continents as well. Gumar Hunters have bronze-brown skin; the men have shaven heads and faces, the women have hair coloured brown or black. They wear loose fur jerkins and loincloths, adorn themselves with feathers, bone charms, and copper bracers, and are armed with javelins, spears and hunting knives.

However, their most fearsome weapon is their telepathic mind-link with their monstrous steeds, which could be any kind of hideous swamp beast. This allows the Gumar Hunter to direct their creature without speech and leaving them free to fight on foot. They need no riding gear, and can also perch on their steed's back, spine or shoulders. To determine the type of monster being ridden by the Gumar Hunter, roll two dice and consult the table below (if more than one Gumar Hunter is encountered, all will have the same type of creature):  

First Roll Second Roll Monster

1-3 1 Chaos Slime Beast

1-3 2 Crocosaurus (adult)

1-3 3 Spinosaurus (adult)

1-3 4 Brontosaurus (adult)

1-3 5 Mudgrinder

1-3 6 Giant Mudworm

4-6 1 Pool Crawler

4-6 2 Pool Beast

4-6 3 Swamp Mutant

4-6 4 Hydra

4-6 5 Great Serpent

4-6 6 Flesh-Eater

If the Psionics rules from the Magic Companion (pp. 70-84) are being used, then each Gumar Hunter has the following Psionics profile: 

Academic Psionicist (PSIONICS 6, Magic-Psionics 3, Psy Points: 18, Abilities: Animal Control (3), Telepathy (2), Mind Shield (1))  

Unfortunately, should either the Crocosaurus or the Gumar Hunter be slain in combat, its companion will go berserk as the mind-link is severed, doing an extra point of STAMINA damage with each successful attack. However, this frenzy is so taxing that the survivor (whether it is the Gumar or the Crocosaurus) will lose one point of STAMINA every Attack Round until it has avenged its companion or died trying.  

The Gumar hide their villages deep in the swamps, behind dense thickets of spiny swamp-bamboo and tall marsh grasses, with floating huts of reeds moored to a central rock, islet or fallen tree-trunk, upon which will be a shrine to Vurrk, the God of Mud. Each village has four to twenty four inhabitants, of which 1-3 will be Gumar Hunters as per above, while the rest will be typical Gumar villagers (SKILL 6 STAMINA 6, Dagger, No Psionics).

In the wet season Gumar Hunters range far and wide across the swamplands, hunting game, raiding over the swamp's borders, and fighting other tribes, whether Swamp Warrior, Marsh Goblin, or Kokomokoa. During the Lotus-flowering season, Gumar Hunters are known to use Purple Pervalia dye as camouflage to help them capture the reptilian Crocosaurus, and the hideous Giant Mudworm, among others. The tribe will eat a mixture of swamp birds, marsh deer, fungi, and wetland plants.

In the dry season, when the swamps drain and the sun beats down, Gumar Hunters and their battle-mounts hire themselves out as trackers, mercenaries and assassins to warlords and other despots. For example, rumour has it Baron Sukumvit of Fang's vizier Jaiphrai Ah'Cha hired the Gumar Hunter Blood-Feather the Bold (and his Crocosaurus) to assassinate the first hero to complete Deathtrap Dungeon, and restore the baron's reputation.

Meet the FACHAN!

FACHAN (#11/31, #39/365) [OOTP IV]

SKILL: 9

STAMINA: 12

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Club (as per Greathammer)

ARMOUR: Feathered Mantle (as per Medium Armour)

DAMAGE MODIFIER: +1 to the Damage Roll

HABITAT: Forests, Hills, Mountains, Plains, Dungeons, Ruins, Caves

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 1-2

TYPE: Humanoid

REACTION: Hostile

INTELLIGENCE: High

The bizarre FACHAN is thought to represent an extreme off-shoot of mutant Ogres, or else some weird relictual creature descended from the bits left behind by Hashak the Creator as he toiled on his Orcs, Goblins and Trolls. In appearance, the fearsome, muscular figure of a Fachan has a broad head with only a single eye above a large mouth full of crushing teeth, one vein-covered leg, and a great hairy hand protruding from the middle of its chest! It wields a huge wooden club, and is wrapped only in a flowing mantle woven from twisted feathers of gold, brown, white and black.  

Fachan are aggressive creatures and will burst from cover and attack immediately if someone is foolish to step off the path or road and into the Fachan's hunting territory. The reasons for this are unknown, but it appears Fachan are weakened by the trails and ways of humans, and avoid them wherever possible. Anyone who tricks a Fachan to fight them on a human-used road or path will find the Fachan severely weakened, with SKILL 4 STAMINA 6 and -1 to the Damage Roll.

When slain, the malformed body of the Fachan will crumple to the ground, leaving behind its great club and feathered mantle, which can be taken by the victor if they wish. Little else is known of these rather weird creatures other than all that is presented here, truly they are one of the mysteries of Titan. In ancient times they were known from the Changing Woods of the Flat Lands in eastern Irritaria, but now the Fachan are only to be found in deep forest, distant hills, high mountain valleys, and strange southern plains, as well as underground or haunting mysterious ruins.

Fachan Club (#12/31, #40/365) [EA:V2] (Enchanted Item)

This is a huge club made from Hardwood or timber from the Ironbark Tree, with a longer tapering handle and a broad and bulbous head with which to strike at things. Used by the bizarre and aggressive humanoids known as Fachan, the Fachan Club has absorbed something of their affinity for evil and unpredictability, twisting and turning in its wielder's hand causing them to reduce their SKILL score by 1 during a battle. The Fachan Club performs admirably however, at smashing things, like chests, doors or furniture; allowing a +4 bonus to the wielder's Strength Special Skill tests. It causes damage as per a Greathammer, and can be wielded  one-handed if its wielder has the Club Special Skill. It also counts as a magical weapon.

Unavailable to buy 

Feathered Mantle of the Fachan (#13/31, #41/365) [EA:V2] (Enchanted Item)

This is a flowing cape-like mantle woven from twisted feathers taken from birds such as the Speckled Wood Duck, Giant Forest Owl, Death Hawk, and Superb Golden Eagle. The Feathered Mantle of the Fachan provides a Medium monster level of armour protection but does not count as a possession and does not require the Armour special skill to use. It is cursed by the Fachan who formerly owned it however, and if the curse is not lifted, the first time the Feathered Mantle is worn in battle, it will wrap itself around its wearer and then the voluminous cape will suddenly lift them straight up into the sky, going higher and higher! If the wearer does not have a way to breath outside of the habitable atmosphere of the world they are leaving, they will suffocate and die! 

Unavailable to buy 

"Don't call me a peck!"

WILLOW (#10/31, #38/365) [OOTP IV]  

Appearance: This tree grows up to twenty metres tall, but its trunk is usually twisted, cracked and ancient-looking, with gnarled roots grasping at dry land. Willows have stiff branches bearing long, straggling, sweeping leaves that brush across the surface of brooks, pools and rivers.

Distribution: Forests, marshes, river-banks and lake-shores across Titan.

Effects: Willow wood is used in construction, such as the crafting of baskets, bows, crossbows and wands. Certain entities such as Guardians of the Gate were known to use Willow trees as chosen sites for their Magic Gates. Willow Sap, if extracted correctly, has curative powers and will restore 2 STAMINA points if applied to wounds. It is also an ingredient in Willow Tea and Willow Cider.

Cost: City 4gp, Town 5gp, Village 6gp (per vial of sap)

Availability: Common

Further Notes: The richly fertile Vale of Willow, where some of the finest (and strangest-smelling) herbs in north-western Allansia grow (and also where the vineyards for Pale Willowsap wine (see Encyclopedia Arcana: Volume 1, p. 55), are to be found), is so-named for the profusion of Willow trees growing along the banks of the Whitewater River that flows through the valley. Willowbend, on the northwestern fringes of Scorpion Swamp, is similarly named for the Willows that grow throughout the town and along the Foulbrood River nearby. Willow is a common name for Elves, humans, and even horses, and the name of the Willow-Leaf Arrow, a specialized arrowhead used by the Samurai of Hachiman. Willow is related to Sallow-Seed (see The Titan Herbal, p 58), Silverleaf Willow (see p. XX), and the Willow Weird (see below).