Southland: The Great Barrier Reef

THE SOUTHLAND

A Fantasy Core Setting

© Jerry Harris 2014

Published here as Open Game Content.

(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Index.)

Southland Index

Humanoid Lands Index

The Great Barrier Reef

Seven Sisters Myth: The Sisters reached the coast and asked for passage on a ship from the fishermen there.  The men refused and attempted to take them by force.  The Sisters cursed them to live only in the water and raised a giant coral reef as a barrier to them coming back ashore.

The undersea empire of these aquatic humanoids seems to exist somewhere near the Southland.  Nobody knows for sure as no one has seen it and lived to tell the tale or retained their sanity from the experience.  Of course, in this quasi-Medieval/Renaissance world, humanity has no means of finding it.  Their capital would appear to be somewhere in the Great Barrier Reef, but the entire east coast is within their sphere of influence.  

These green scaly fish men bring out the xenophobia in even the most open-minded individuals, and vice versa apparently.  No one knows what their origin is.  They might have been a creation of the Ancients, or perhaps they are a much older race.  They do not natively speak any offshoot of Ancient (though some of the Nobles who can and even speak Common).  They are the only Humanoids who will deal with humans even somewhat.  All that is known is that they can’t stay out of the water for more than 24 hours without dehydrating to death, so there is a limit to their aggression to this point (unless they find a way to increase their range).       

The Gillmen are in a state of open warfare against any humans they run across (thanks to the Pirate leader Hobart and his Crossbones Pirates).  It’s difficult to even judge their goals, sometimes looting and taking captives, other times razing settlements to ground and massacring and eating the inhabitants.  They raid ships (sometimes leaving them adrift with dead bodies, sometimes taking captives and torching the ships) and coastal settlements, suddenly and at will, though seemingly with no long term strategy. 

The Commonwealth, bearing the brunt of the attacks, is, to this point, not in a position to retaliate effectively.  (The “depth charge” retaliation attack for the Gillmen’s participation in the Cairns massacre did produce some bodies and debris.)  Certainly they’ve resisted most attempts at communication and diplomacy (but not all), since the Gillmen’s ill-fated détente with Captain Hobart and the Crossbones.  The Commonwealth leadership does not officially acknowledge these attacks as an organized threat, mostly because they can’t stop them.

There are tales from mad men and women who say the Gillmen have underwater breathing air apparatus, which they used to take them as slaves to their undersea capital.  These escapees claim the Gillmen live a large dome with air-breathing sections.  From there, the stories become a babbling mess.  Gillmen may actually reproduce normally, as clutches of eggs have been found. 

Gillmen Warriors

HD 2, Hp 11, AC 16 (Natural)

Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +4

Melee: Trident +4 to hit 1d8+3

Ranged: Heavy Crossbow +3 to hit 1d10 (5 bolts), M, fires every other rd

or Net  DC 12 Escape Artist or Str check to break, otherwise entangled 3 rds

They’re smart and brave, but simply alien in their thinking.  What they may do in any situation is subject to their inscrutable motives.

Gillmen Royalty (Nobles)

HD 4, Hp 22, AC 16 (Natural)

Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +5

Melee: Trident +6 to hit 1d8+3

Ranged: Light Speargun +5 to hit 1d8 (5 bolts), S

Gillmen live in a caste system, where certain members of their species are simply born into power.  Any raid will include at least one Noble.

Gillmen King

HD 8, Hp 64, AC 16 (Natural)

Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +6

Melee: 2 Trident attacks +9 to hit 1d8+3 (may attack two different opponents)

Pinned: If both tridents Naturally hit an opponent, they are pinned (to the ground or a wall).  DC 18 Str or Escape Artist checks to get free (with 2d6 additional damage).  (If the combat environment doesn’t allow for this type action, then it doesn’t occur.) 

Ranged: Thrown Trident +9 to hit 1d8.  A Natural hit pins the opponent to the ground or a wall.  DC 12 Str or Escape Artist checks to get free (with 1d6 additional damage).  (If the combat environment doesn’t allow for this type action, then it doesn’t occur.)  A King in combat will usually carry up to six tridents.

This massive, 9 ft tall, four-armed creature’s word is absolute law among the Gillman.  Right now that word is “Attack, kill, and enslave the humans.”  However, the King is capricious, as any absolute ruler, he could likely be pacified.  However, it is unknown what would satisfy his alien mindset.  (Getting back his magic trident from Hobart, you’d think would help, though perhaps he must win it back in combat to regain his honor.)

The four-armed, giant mutation rarely occurs among the Nobles.  When it does that creates an automatic challenge to the current King.  When mature, fully trained, and experienced in combat (and not until then), they will engage in single combat to the death to determine who will rule.