Obscure Octavo: River Queens

From an undated letter signed by Praxel Nevarran:

I am not certain what to make of this latest, Grodari. Even to my ears, well-tuned as they are to the unbelievable stories that sprout in secluded villages, the most recent tale I’ve collected seems likely born from the fumes of strong spirits, yet I admit that there is something to it that strikes a faint but undeniable chord of truth. Perhaps your encyclopedic knowledge of folklore might pour more light on this story.

While staying at a drafty roadhouse located in the Stremenfold Valley, I overheard three of the local goodmen loudly discussing a recent death in the village. It seemed that three days prior to my arrival in the hamlet, the body of a young man was found in the reeds along the local riverbank. Although from the facts it seemed as if the lad was simply a victim of accidental drowning, certain wise folks—you know the sort—insist that his death was much more insidious. It was from the lips of these codgers that I first heard tell of the “river queens.”

At first, these local boogities seem to be of the same vein as the nixies and the rusalka, both of which we’re well acquainted with. But as I pried more of the tale from these men, the particulars diverge from ones associated with those entities, leaving me to believe that there is either nothing more to these tales than pastoral imaginations run amuck around a winter’s night fire or that this creature is something scholars have yet to document. Here is what I could get the men to divulge:

A river queen seems to be a hitherto unknown type of vampiric elemental, one tied to a local body of water as the name suggests. Yet, despite this connection, the creature is encountered away from her sodden den and is most commonly found in the midst of the local community—candidly, of course, for if her true identity was known, she would be unable to feed and be driven off. (I use the feminine pronoun when referring to this creature, but this is simple convenience. If truly elemental in nature as the tales suggest, gender is likely neuter or simply not applicable.)

A river queen appears as a human woman, one of slight, almost boyish frame, and frequently with short, dark hair. She is unremarkable of form, being neither too comely nor too plain to attract the notice of anyone other than her victim, and she bears the physical traits most common to the region—again so as to attract no attention to herself. Although elemental in nature and aquatic as well, there are no telltale signs to alert observers to this fact. Amongst those who have survived the attentions of a river queen, a few report that her body bears marking similar to those worn by Etrani sailors or northern savages. In these cases, the marking were all located in places upon the body covered by clothing and only became visible when the river queen disrobed.

A river queen’s prime purpose to walk amongst civilization is to feed, and it is in this aspect of her diet that she resembles the wampyr or succubus, for she draws sustenance from mortal energy. However, unlike the wampyr who drinks the blood of its victim, or the succubus who sustains herself on sex and the fluids associated with that act, the river queen feeds on the creative energies of her victim. She is a negative Muse, drawing power on the very act of creation, much to the detriment of the creator.

She does this by attracting the attentions of one with an abundance of creative power, typically an artist, musician, writer, or performer, but in times of severe hunger, an over-imaginative farm hand or dreamy eyed dairy maid will suffice. Such creative individuals are often shunned by less imaginative peers or have removed themselves from society to pursue their chosen art form, making them easy prey for a river queen who comes with attentiveness and flattery. She works herself into her chosen victim’s confidence, often striking up a friendship or even more intimate relationship with the subject. In many cases, this newfound attention is enough to cause the victim to embark on a sudden binge of creativity with the river queen serving as his or her Muse. This obviously is to the elemental’s boon as she feeds on this torrent of imaginative energy.

Over time, the river queen’s feeding outstrips her victim’s ability to produce, leaving the artist uninspired and desperately grasping for the touch of inspiration. It is during this period that the river queen’s attentions become most obvious, for the victim begins suffering from insomnia and the physical traits of that affliction begin to manifest themselves on the subject. The subject may begin to abuse alcohol or other intoxicants at this time, leaving them with the physical signs of that decline as well. All too often, the artist, sensitive soul that he is, will ultimately take his own life in depression over the loss of his creativity. The river queen, her food source exhausted, now moves on to her next meal.

Although both the wampyr and succubus are nocturnal entities, the river queen seems unaffected by such restrictions and has been encountered both day and night by her victim and his or her associates. It is known that a river queen often removes herself from the presence of her victim, often for days at a time, but the purpose of these absences is unknown. It is possible that she must return to her watery lair to reinvigorate herself in her natural element, but it is also just as likely that she only engaging in a form of conservation, allowing her prey to recharge their own creative energies in order to prolong the duration of her feeding.

These absences are often the sole indicator that a subject is being victimized by a river queen. According to folklore, some friends of a river queen’s victim will seek out the creature during a time when she is away from her prey. Believing that the river queen is nothing more than an over-controlling paramour, these good intentioned acquaintances hope to beg the creature to leave the subject alone, but their efforts to locate her home or find anyone else who knows her always comes to naught. Her inaccessibility applies to her victim as well. Many victims of a river queen become enraptured with their victimizer and miss her destructive attentions when she’s away. These poor souls wander about in search of their poisonous Muse to no avail. If they were of sound mind, this vanishing might alert them to the identity of their quarry, but alas the victim’s judgment has been compromised at this stage.

(There is an exception to the above in a singular tale. In this one case, the victim of a river queen attempted to contact his fiendish lover during one of her absences. While his attempts to locate her were unsuccessful, he did encounter a fellow of crude appearance and rough manners who claimed to be acquainted with the river queen—in her mortal identity. He agreed to pass along a message to her and vanished himself soon after. The river queen reappeared the next day but whether this was a result of her victim’s message is inconclusive. This exception to the normal behavior of a river queen remains suspect, but, if it is true, it could suggest that some river queens are served by human or human-seeming servants much in the way that some wampyr are.)

Unfortunately, there seems to be no known way to destroy a river queen. Some old folks swear that salt will burn a river queen like lye and that the blessing of the river queen’s watery den by a faithful soul will cause it to flee the area, but, as far as the tales go, there is no known case of a river queen’s death being witnessed. In most tales, she simply disappears when sated and returns after a long period has elapsed to hunt again.

As one last point of interest, some of the oldest tales imply that the river queen’s unassuming human form is not her real one but merely a glamour that hides a more hideous appearance. Unfortunately, those tales imply rather than describe this horrid guise, giving no clues as to what a river queen might actually look like when its true shape is assumed.

I am most anxious to hear your thoughts, Grodari. I have posted this missive through the local lord of Aldwater, the master of this valley hamlet where the lad’s death occurred and I am currently residing. I hope to pry deeper into this matter and see what more there might be to learn. The identification and proper classification of such a creature would be quite a feather in my unadorned bonnet, old friend. If you can find nothing on this creature or one like it in the Grand Archive of Tvar v Tvarax, it confirms my thought that this could be an unclassified entity. Send word to the lord of Aldwater whatever your results might be.

Obscure Octavo: Water Spider

No. Enc.: 1d4 (1d4)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 120’ (40’)
Armor Class: 8
Hit Dice: 1+1
Attacks: 1 (bite)
Damage: 1 + poison
Save: F1
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: None
XP: 27

This creature is not an aquatic arachnid, but rather a poodle-sized spider composed of water. Sages argue as to the origin of these creatures with some maintaining they are minor elementals and others claiming them to be the restless spirits of spiders who perished by water. In either case, they are always found in or near water and they can lurk in narrow pipes and tiny drains in order to ambush their victims. They do not spin webs.

Water spiders are venomous and their toxin, although weak (+2 to save vs. poison), is lethal. Their liquid state makes them resistant to harm and they suffer half damage from non-magical piercing or slashing weapons. Bludgeoning, silver, and magical weapons all do normal damage. Water spiders are also partially immune to fire spells (taking half-damage from these effects with a successful save negating all damage) and are merely slowed by cold-based magic.

“Rabbits aren't your bag, Roy.”

It has been awhile since I looked through the pages of the Obscure Octavo and that’s been something I’ve been meaning to correct. A recent movie rental reminded me that it was time to see what other fiendish beasts lurk within those pages. Since it’s Friday and most of my responsibilities are done for the week, let us turn to a random page…

“Attention! Attention! Ladies and gentlemen, attention! There is a herd of killer rabbits headed this way and we desperately need your help!”

Terror Lepus (Leporidae giganti)

No. Enc.: 1d6 (2d6)
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 90’ (30’) Burrow: 30’ (10’)
Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 3+3
Attacks: 1 (bite)
Damage: 1d8
Save: F2
Morale: 8
Hoard Class: None (but see below)

Terror Lepuses appear to be gigantic specimens of the common rabbit, often growing to the size of bears (or wolves, depending on how big the scale models in the background are.) Once long ago, the terror lepuses were the experimental test subjects of an alchemist who sought to create a potion of growth that also imbued the drinker with berserker rage. Some of these test rabbits escaped into the wild, creating a breeding population that still plagues the world to this day.

Terror Lepuses attack with their razor-sharp teeth, which inflict 1d8 points of damage. They may also attack by leaping upon a target and pinning them to the ground with their great bulk. A terror lepus can jump up to 30’ away in order to overbear a victim. If this attack is successful, the victim must make a save vs. petrify or be pinned beneath the rabbit. Having successfully pinned a subject, a terror lepus automatically hits its opponent on the following and all subsequent rounds. A character pinned by a terror lepus may make a STR check each round to escape from underneath this furry mass of death.

Due to the changes wrought by the potion, terror lepuses are both carnivorous and nocturnal, seeking shelter during the daylight hours in caves, abandoned mines, labyrinths, or in warrens they dug themselves. When food supplies run low in an area, terror lepuses migrate to new territory where prey is more plentiful, often forming migratory bands numbering up to 100 individuals. They devour everything unlucky enough to cross their paths, rivaling only the mythical tarrasque in fear and destruction.

The foot of a terror lepus is rumored to have protective properties. Any single terror lepus has a 5% chance of possessing one (and one only) such digit. If severed and carried, the foot of a terror lepus acts as a ring of protection +1. However, should the bearer of this lucky charm ever encounter terror lepuses again, he will be singled out by the beasts as a target and bear the brunt of their vengeance. In such cases, terror lepuses never need to check morale and will fight until either they or the bearer of the “lucky” foot is dead.

For Klarkash-Ton

One never knows what lurks within the dank confines of the dungeon depths. Here is the Formless Spawn of Tsathoggua converted from Call of Cthulhu to 1st edition AD&D, which I recently found myself in need of. For some reason...

Formless Spawn of Tsathoggua

Frequency: Very Rare
No. Appearing: 1-2
Armor Class: 5
Movement: 15”
Hite Dice: 5+5
% in Lair: 100%
Treasure Type: Nil
No. of Attacks: 4 or 1
Damage/Attacks: 3-10 or 6-36
Special Attacks: Swallow whole
Special Defense: Blows, cold and
lightning do not harm
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Average
Size: L
Alignment: Neutral (with evil tendencies)
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Level/X.P. Value:
VI/575 + 6/hp

“When the men of K’n-Yan went down into N’Kai’s black abyss with their great atom-power searchlights, they found living things – living things that oozed along stone channels and worshipped onyx and basalt images of Tsathoggua. But they were not toads like Tsathoggua himself. Far worse – they were amorphous lumps of viscous black slime that took temporary shapes for various purposes. The explorers of K’n-Yan did not pause for detailed observations, and those that escaped alive sealed the passage.”
- "The Mound", H.P. Lovecraft and Zealia Bishop

Appearing as viscous pools of black quicksilver, the Formless Spawn serve as guardians of places sacred to Tsathoggua. When called upon to fulfill their obligations as sacred protectors, the Formless Spawn sprout a menacing head with gaping mouth, long tentacle-like arms, and dozens of legs to support their amorphous form.

“The basin ... was filled with a sort of viscous and semi-liquescent substance, quite opaque and of a sooty color.... [T]he center swelled as if with the action of some powerful yeast [and] an uncouth amorphous head with dull and bulging eyes arose gradually on an ever-lengthening neck ... Then two arms — if one could call them arms — likewise arose inch by inch, and we saw that the thing was not ... a creature immersed in the liquid, but that the liquid itself had put forth this hideous neck and head, and [it was now forming arms] that groped toward us with tentacle-like appendages in lieu of claws or hands! ... Then the whole mass of the dark fluid began to rise [and] poured over the rim of the basin like a torrent of black quicksilver, taking as it reached the floor an undulant ophidian form which immediately developed more than a dozen short legs.”
—Clark Ashton Smith, "The Tale of Satampra Zeiros"

A Formless Spawn may attack with either four of its tentacles for 3-10 points of damage each, or may attempt to bludgeon an opponent with its massive bulk doing 6-36 points of damage. In addition, the Formless Spawn may choose to attempt to devour a victim whole. On an attempt to swallow a creature whole, the Spawn must roll an unmodified 16 or better to-hit. If successful, the victim is engulfed by the creature and trapped within its amorphous shape. The victim loses 1 hp on the first round after being swallowed, 2 points on the second, 3 on the third, and so on, until either the victim or the Spawn is slain. If a Formless Spawn has devoured a creature, the Spawn may continue to attack as normal, but may no longer move. To pursue other opponents it must either wait until the swallowed creature is dead, or expel that creature from its gullet, which it may do at anytime.

A Formless Spawn may flow through cracks and under doors much like a Black Pudding (q.v.), and possesses similar defenses against physical attacks, cold, and electricity. A Formless Spawn merely absorbs these energies and disperses them harmlessly. They do not cause a Formless Spawn to split into multiple entities as is the case with a black pudding.

Formless Spawn generally remain within the confines of the area they protect, sinking back into quiescence once a threat has been destroyed or has fled. It is not unknown for Spawn to sometimes pursue those who have dared defile a Temple of Tsathoggua, however, so retreat is not a guarantee of safety for unlucky adventurers.

The Obscure Octavo

Even lesser known than the Fiend Folio is the Obscure Octavo, a tome of creatures misbegotten and bizarre. Lurking within these pages of the aged is a menagerie of critters better left undisturbed. Today, gentle reader, I boldly throw open the cover of said text to bring you two monsters to challenge your intrepid adventurers. Join me now as we confront this duo of the dark dungeons…

(DUN DUN DAAAAH!!!)

Scorpipede
Climate/Terrain: Any
Frequency: Rare
Organization: Swarm
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Carnivore
Intelligence: Non- (0)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral

No. Appearing: 1-10
Armor Class: 7
Movement: 15
Hite Dice: 2+2
THACO: 19
No. of Attacks: 2
Damage/Attack: 0/1
Special Attacks: Poison Sting
Special Defense: Nil
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: S (2’ long)
Morale: Average (8)
XP Value: 175

This nauseating creature appears to be a large black centipede, whose body ends in a curved stinging tail. The many legs of this creature are a sickly yellowish-green color. A bitter smell, probably originating from the viscous liquid that drips from the tail’s stinger, accompanies the creature. It makes an unnerving skittering sound as it crosses the hard stone of the dungeon’s floor.

Combat: A scorpipede shares the aggressive nature of its scorpion ancestor and is 95% likely to attack if approached. The scorpipede attacks with both a venomous bite and a poisonous sting, combining the worst aspects of its species of origin. The bite does no damage, but the victim must save vs. poison at +4 or be paralyzed for 2-12 hours.

The stinging tail packs a more powerful venom. A successful hit from the tail does 1 point of damage and requires a save vs. poison at +2 to avoid the Type A poison (15/0 points of damage). A scorpipede that is reduced to 1 or 2 hit points goes into a stinging frenzy, making two attacks with its tail each round until slain.

Habitat/Society: Scorpipedes are usually encountered in swarms found nesting within dark, dank caverns, ancient ruins, refuse heaps, and other unpleasant locales. While they are accustomed to living in sizable groups, they do not cooperate in hunting for prey, usually seeking to dine on small mammals, reptiles and insects. They will compete for the same prey, even resorting to attacking each other when food is scare.

Ecology: The exact origins of the scorpipede are unknown. Sages favor one of two theories: that they are either an experimental crossbreed created by an insane mage or that they were brought into being when the Gods of Eld created the first dungeon and, having forgotten whether they had stocked the upper levels with centipedes or scorpions, decided to split the difference. In either case, since their creation, they’ve found a comfortable niche in the” vermin” tier of the local ecosystem. While possessing no treasure, their venom is of use to alchemists and assassins, both of whom offer good coin for relatively intact specimens of the species.

Acid Shark

Climate/Terrain: Any large body of acid
Frequency: Very Rare
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Carnivore
Intelligence: Non- (0)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral

No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 4
Movement: Sw 24
Hit Dice: 3-8
THACO: 3-4 HD: 17
5-6 HD: 15
7-9 HD: 13
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: 2-4, 2-8 or 3-12
Special Attacks: 1-6 points of acid damage
Special Defense: Immune to acid and poison (and most likely logic as well)
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: M-L (5’ – 15’)
Morale: Average (10)
XP Value: 3 HD: 175
4 HD: 270
5 HD: 420
6 HD: 650
7 HD: 975
8 HD: 1,400

Acid sharks resemble a normal shark of their original species (great white, hammerhead, mako, tiger, etc) except for possessing a green coloration and the noticeable difference that it’s swimming around in friggin’ acid!

Combat: Acid sharks will bite anything that gets near them. They possess a ravenous hunger, stemming from the fact that they live in large bodies of acid, which are notoriously scant when it comes to things to eat. Their bite does normal damage to its victim plus an additional 1d6 points of acid damage. But considering that their prey is most likely already swimming around in a pool of acid, they’re probably either immune to acidic effects or have more pressing acid-related concerns.

Habitat/Society: Acid. Big honking vats of it. Not really that social, considering the difficulty of meeting new friends when you spend all your time SWIMMING IN ACID!!!

Ecology: Acid sharks are located at the apex of their food chain. They are also the only link in their food chain. Conceivably, black dragons might be their sole predators, but, let’s face it, black dragons are much too sensible to spend their time living in large bodies of acid…

The origins of the acid shark are unfortunately not shrouded in mystery. It is the creation of the mad arch-mage Yaque Kuztoe, who thought it be really nifty to have sharks that could live in acid. After plunging several thousands of sharks into his aciderium, he finally found one that didn’t seem to mind it so much. The multiverse shudders to think that he might someday find another shark that enjoys it, thereby establishing a breeding pair.