The
Cannibal Monks of Briarmoor
There
are a number of strange cults scattered and rumored to be fighting one
another across the dark lands of Briarmoor. One of the most feared
are the Cannibal Monks of Briarmoor. They believe the secret the
Titan Surma used to sustain his power and the source of his disciple
wizard, The Betrayer's magical knowledge and strength was the eating
of those with mystical knowledge or great strength.
The
Cannibal Monks lure their prey to them with rumors of treasure,
magical tomes, ancient artifacts, and anything else which might
entice those with great strength or magical power to come into the
Briarmoors. They hire bards and criers, paying them with coins found
amongst the ruins in Briarmoor. Then sending them into the towns,
villages and cities of the world, spinning tales of wealth and
ancient, legendary, or mysterious artifacts to be found in the wilds
of Briarmoor. Those with the boldness, greed, or just curious enough
to investigate always come like moths to a flame.
The
cannibal monks wait, like a spider at the center of a web, patiently
they wait, as those with the power and magic and warm flesh they
crave come right to them. Eager for riches and glory the curious
meet their end as a gory meal for the ravenous monks.
Cannibal
Monk (warrior)
ST8-12
DX8-10 IQ8-9 MV4-5; AR-1, DM1d6 (hatchet or bow)
SKILLS:
Axe+1, Bow+1, Stealth+2, Lore+1, Track+1
Wears
rags and bones as armor, armed with hatchets and bow
Cannibal
Monk (cultist)
ST8-10
DX8-9 IQ8-13 MV4; AR-1; DM1d6 (dagger)
SKILL:Dagger+1
SPELLS:
Death Orders+1, Haunting +1, Grave Touch +1
Wears
rags and bones as armor, carries daggers
For
the Referee to Consider
Does
eating the dead grant these cultist new strange powers? Does it give
them secret insights beyond the mortal realms? Does it grant them
more spells, give them EN or allow them to commune with dead Titan
Surma? Perhaps their ingestion of the living are blood rites meant
to bring Surma or The Betrayer back to life and thus back? Perhaps
the dead whisper their secrets to the eater or maybe it is The
Betrayer, goading them and directing them through their eating of the
dead so he can make his way back to the mortal realm.
Spells
of the Cannibal Monks
Death
Orders (T) IQ8 EN2 R:IQ
This
spell allows the caster to control up to caster's IQ worth of
recently deceased creatures, reanimating them as undead for a short
time. The reanimated dead are mindless and are fully under the
caster's control. They have ST3, fight as DX8 creatures with the same
basic functions and resistances as zombies. The caster cannot command
the reanimated creatures to use any special abilities (poison, breath
weapons, magical abilities, etc.) or to make more than one attack per
turn. When the spell expires, the collapse back into death.
Haunting
(P) IQ8 EN1 R:IQ
This
spell places an enchantment on an object touched or an area with a
radius equal to the caster's IQ where cast, causing it to exhibit
signs of being haunted. At the caster's choice, objects may rattle or
fall of their own accord, phantasmal noises may be heard, or a
ghostly or shadowy forms can manifest. A haunting may be dispelled by
a Bless spell.
Grave
Grasp (I) IQ9 EN1 R:Touch
The
caster's hands begin to glow a gauzy ice blue color . The Grave Grasp
can be used to damage or drain the ST of a living creatures. A
touched creature suffers 1d6 damage (no AR protection) or the caster
drains 2 ST from the touched and immediately adds them to his own ST.
Creatures who do not have a rated STR score instead suffer a -1
penalty to attacks each time they are touched. ST gained by use of
this spell above the caster's original ST are lost at a rate of one
per hour.
