Southland: Stone City Residents

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

Monster Territories Index

Stone City Residents

Weeping Ancients

HD 2+2, Hp 11, AC 17* (Natural, Magic to hit), Enhanced Init +4

Fort +4, Ref –1, Will +0

Melee: Slam +5 to hit 1d6+4 + Energy Drain DC 18 Will Sv or lose 1d4 Negative Hp

Ranged: Stunning Glance DC 18 Will Sv or Stunned 1 rd, may be used on an opponent once per encounter, C range.  While stunned, the Weeping Ancient will immediately attempt an Energy Drain.

Mirror Bane: If presented with a mirror while attempting to use their Stunning Glance, the Weeping Ancient must make a DC 12 Will Sv or be stunned themselves for 1 rd.   

Many of the city’s inhabitants are, of course, statues.  The streets and buildings are filled with them.  Some of the statues are posed with their hands covering their faces in the act of weeping.  Some of them aren’t statues.  Technically, they are haunted Earth Elementals, and they have a decided taste for feeding on human lifeforces.  While they can remain perfectly motionless, they are lightning quick when moving.  Thankfully, they tend not to move far and won’t pursue runners.  (Of course, there’s so many of them in the city, you’re probably running towards another nearby group.)     

Banshee

HD 7 (d12), Hp 30, AC 14* (Natural, Magic to hit)

Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +5

Melee: Chilling touch +7 to hit 1d8 + Stun 1 rd

Causes Fear: Upon initial appearance, DC 12 Will Sv, flee for 1 turn, once per encounter

Death Wail: DC 12 Fort Sv, drops victim to -1 hp (stabilizing rules apply), may effect one person, may use once per encounter.  If the victim survives, their hair turns permanently white.  (They typically prefer to use this ability on Stunned opponents.)

Flight ability

Translucent undead females.  (If you’re using Demi-humans, they’re Elvish.)  While they’re a world away, these ghost creatures resemble the particular haunting spirits of Fantasy Ireland (not part of the Commonwealth, by the way).  These Banshees are not imports though, they are the unquiet dead of the city. 

These women were part of a mystical cult that instituted a ward pact during the destruction of their city, dooming themselves to haunt it.  Packs of these undead creatures scour the city at night to kill any living person they find.  There is a defiled temple somewhere in the city that is their origin point.  Were that consecrated, that might finally put them to rest.  Their powers do not effect the Weeping Ancients or Argula, and vice versa.    

There are other Ghosts inhabiting the city.  Their dispositions tend to be less combative than the Banshees.  (Indeed, they find them quite unsettling as well.)  There are also reports of furtive “Mystery” creatures who somehow survive in the city against all odds.  Who they are, how they live, and where are unknown.       

Also part of the city’s population are the Hivers, Giant Wasps.  There is a colony of them surrounding the city.  Their aggressive nature towards intruders and their natural droning sound when attacking serve as an early warning system for Argula, the Weeping Ancients, and the Banshees.

[Disclaimer: This site, including the insect mounds, is called Litchfield.  The rock formations are called “The Lost City.”  Since, there’s already a “Lost City” in this setting, I changed the name.  Pintupi is an Aboriginal tribe name.  The giant hives are actually magnetic termite mounds.]