Elder Scrolls GLOG: Societies of Morrowind

Morrowind's society is an exercise in realpolitik and hypocrisy. In theory, the Great Houses have a solid grasp over well marked territory. In theory, any unclaimed territory (such as Red Mountain) or historical sites are under the stewardship of the Tribunal Temple. In theory, the Living Tribunal are the ultimate rulers of Morrowind. In theory, Imperial occupation is a temporary growing pain, and Dunmer societies apply Cyrodiilic law over their own.

Igor Levchenko

In practice, the Houses' ability to exert force is limited by the effective range of a guar-mounted knight; a day's ride, or no more than seventy miles in easy terrain, far less in the Sheogorad or Molag Amur. Greater range and strength can be gathered with an expedition, but organized shows of force set the Empire on edge, and so Dunmer do not launch missions outside their heartlands.

In practice, the Temple can do no more than contain the menace in Red Mountain, let alone destroy it; and that grip is weakened by the day. Outside of Vivec and local temples, their only fortress is long-starved Molag Mar, and internal strife spread by the Dissident Priests undermines what power they do have.

In practice, the Living Tribunal are hands-off. Sotha Sil is wholly disconnected from this plane of existence, spending his days in his own demiplane. Almalexia is off in Mournhold, and has altogether little reach in Vvardenfell. Vivec meditates in his city, and his power is stretched thin trying to maintain the Ghostgate and other spiritual protections holding back Dagoth Ur. The Great Houses hold the day-to-day power in Morrowind, forming an oligarchy.

In practice, Dunmer disregard Imperial law unless an Imperial fort is present within a day's ride. The Imperials know this, and while the Emperor and Elder Council have their own plans to exert real control over the region (the Nerevarine chief among them), the average Imperial soldier has long since given up, instead entrenching themselves and taking as much of Vvardenfell's natural resources as possible.

The result is a land of untamed wilderness, pocketed with civilized villages, cities and fortresses. Anyone who gathers some supplies and a few strong hands can travel two or three days into the wilderness and live effectively outside the law. Freeholders and farmers can be found throughout Vvardenfell, as can the bandits who prey on them and the caravans that pass along the roads.



There are five major 'societies' in Vvardenfell, tied to the dominant power, with their own zones of control, architectural styles and social structures.

Imperials
Seyda Neen, Dagon Fel, Caldera, Gnisis, Pelagiad, Wolverine Hall, Ebonheart

These areas are under the control of the Cyrodiilic Empire. The civilian areas can be identified by timbered, stone-brick and thatch-roofed construction, and the fortresses by sturdy stone walls. These materials are imported from and made in the Western style.

These are the only parts of Morrowind where Dunmer are in the distinct minority. A traveler will find a diverse set of people from across Tamriel in Imperial territories, most of them tradesmen or merchants seeking employment. Many more are Imperial soldiers, who are mostly Cyrodiils, but with a large number of the other races represented. The villages of the northern shores are populated primarily by Nord fishermen. Gnisis is the exception to this rule, being under firm Imperial control while having traditional Redoran architecture and a Dunmer plurality. Slavery is illegal, as under Imperial law.

Dominik Zdenkovic

House Redoran
Khuul, Ald Velothi, Maar Gan, Ald'ruhn.

These areas are under the control of House Redoran, the most militaristic of the Great Houses. Like House Hlaalu, their buildings are built from the shell-mortar and resin that creates the distinctive yellow-brown stucco appearance of their settlements, but the Redoran style is closer to the Dunmer's nomadic origins. Redoran buildings are roughly dome or shell shaped, often imitating the natural shapes of Morrowind's fauna. The rounded entrances, lack of windows and curved insides are reminiscent of Ashlander yurts. Additional floors are often created by burrowing down, much like the mines of the kwama.

Their settlements are primarily populated by Dunmer, with some people of other races present, excepting Ald Velothi, which is populated entirely by Dunmer. They are often built around Temples, reflecting the piety of House Redoran. Tradition and warrior nobility are the core virtues of the House. Their relationship with the Empire is standoffish, but mutually respectful. Slavery is permissible.

Alexey Rudikov

House Hlaalu
Balmora, Hla Oad, Suran, Gnaar Mok

These areas are under the control of House Hlaalu, the most mercantile of the Great Houses. Though they make their buildings from the same material as House Redoran, they are made in a wholly different style. They are blockier, more modern, with additional levels being added on top instead of being dug below. They're organized in rough grids and have paved streets, instead of bare ground.

Their settlements are primarily Dunmer, with a substantial amount of non-Dunmer populations. The mercantile focus of the House makes it the most friendly of the Houses, not only accommodating the Empire, but having two humans on its council. It has strong ties to all the Imperial Trade Guilds and owns much of the most fertile land in Vvardenfell. Although it outwardly distances itself from the slave trade, slaves are used in House Hlaalu's massive plantations, and the criminal Cammona Tong syndicate, which the house is secretly allied with, also deals in them.

Gleb Davydov

House Telvanni
Tel Branora, Tel Vos, Sadrith Mora, Tel Mora, Tel Aruhn, Tel Fyr, Vos

These areas are under control of House Telvanni, the most magically inclined of the Great Houses. Their settlements are not made from bone-resin, but carved out of colossal mushrooms which Telvanni wizards cultivate and sculpt. Their cities are monuments to the skill and ego of Telvanni wizards, who rule in a brutal magocracy. They dwell in their massive mushroom towers, surrounded by the homes and tradeshops of their vassals, largely isolated from the outside world. They vehemently resist being governed by any external body, whether the Empire or the Mages Guild.

Their settlements are almost exclusively Dunmer, with non-Dunmer being retainers of the wizard lord or clients. It is a society based wholly on magical ability, dominated by ambitious wizard lords. It is also ruthlessly meritocratic, and though the Telvanni are some of the staunchest defenders of slavery in Morrowind, they also allow anybody to join and advance based on their magical aptitude, including Khajiit and Argonians. On top of their strong isolationism, they have few enemies beside Abolitionists and the Mages Guild; Telvanni are willing to deal with unsavory figures like necromancers and even vampires, unlike the other Houses. They are concentrated on the eastern shore of Vvardenfell, especially around Zafirbel Bay.

Alexey Rudikov

The Ashlanders
Zainab, Erabenimsun, Urshilaku, Ahemussa

These areas are under the control of the Ashlander Tribes. Their settlement are composed of wood-and-guarskin yurts, organized around the Askhan's yurts, which are often under a single large tent. These camps migrate throughout the year, following the herds. Each of the tribes has their own territory (Grazelands, Molag Mar, Ashlands/West Gash, Azura's Coast, respectively) which they wander and adapt to. There are also small camps of outcast Ashlanders dotted across Vvardenfell, removed from their tribe for some serious offence. These outcasts may be found living in the wilderness, or in poverty laboring in mines for civilized Dunmer.

Ashlanders, also known as Velothi, are defined by their nomadic, traditional lifestyle and their rejection of the Living Tribunal. Instead, they follow the original prophet of the Dunmer, Saint Veloth. Their religion focuses on ancestor cults, the original prophecies of Veloth and the interpretation of dreams by wise women. They are intensely xenophobic, shunning outsiders, even other Dunmer who follow the Tribunal. They are intensely proud and protective of their honor. They will not strike an unarmed opponent, but an armed person who violates even a minor taboo may be slaughtered. They heavily value the giving of thoughtful gifts among friends and strangers. Cautious gift-giving and honorable dealings with them may result in gaining the title of Clanfriend, allowing the outsider limited access to the clan.

TheMinttu

The Tribunal Temple
In addition to these societies, there is a micro-society in Vvardenfell in the form of the Tribunal Temple, centered in the city of Vivec. It is composed of Dunmer priests educated in the mysteries of Tribunal lore. There are small temples in most major settlements, and a handful of outposts, but the Temple's power is concentrated in Vivec. It is a floating city on the water, made up of eight large cantons connected with bridges and gondolas. The architecture there merges traditional and modern Dunmer styles with multi-story pyramids and soaring arches. Vivec is patrolled by the the Ordinators, a militant order descended from the defunct House Indoril. Each of the Great Houses has a canton in Vivec, and the nearby Castle Ebonheart provides a reminder of the Imperial presence on Vvardenfell. It is also home to the Ministry of Truth, the Temple's special prison built inside of an asteroid held above the High Fane by Vivec's power, accessible only by flight.

Swietopelk

Using This Material
If you're running a homebrew setting, you can steal its and pieces of this to create a weird, wonderful world of your own. For my own purposes in creating a faithful campaign set in Vvardenfell, knowing the differences between these major societies, what they look like and how they interact, is essential to creating the feeling of a living world. Also, the art linked above is absolutely kickass.

The goal is not to recreate Morrowind as it was, constrained by engine limitations and squeezed down to remove fast travel, but to recreate the Morrowind of the mind's eye, the Morrowind I and millions of others have role-played in, adventured in and imagined living in for nearly twenty years. That is Elder Scrolls to me.

3 Goblinish Christmas Recipes

With Christmas just around the corner, the goblins are preparing for celebrations of their own. Inspired by Annowme and PseudoFenton on the Discord, here are the recipes the goblins will be making out of you and your precious reindeer.



Fruitcake (courtesy of Annowme)

Ingredients
5-6 cups of assorted goblin leavings, 3/4 cup of mansblood or your choice of fruits-blood. 1 cup goat-cake, 2 cups of sweet crystals, 1tsp salary, 1tsp spice bark, 1/4tsp berry-pepper, 1/4tsp spice-seed, 1tsp alchemist powder, 4 large bird babies, 3 cups choking powder, 2tbsp shokolatl, 1/4 cup tree-blood, 1/2 cup fruits-blood, 2 cups nuts.
Optional: Heaping 1 cup of reindeer noses for decoration.

Recipe
Combine goblin leavings with ditch water. Light the bonfires. Torture sweet crystals and goat-cake until mulchy. Additionally torture salary, spices, alchemist powder. Torture and add baby birds one at a time. Torture choking powder and shokolatl separately. Add this mixture and tree-blood to the mulch. Add fruits-blood and nuts. Burn over the bonfires in a pan. Serves a platoon.

Glazed Man

Ingredients
Spiral-sliced man-flesh, 1 can of dog ears, 20 smelling-sticks, small jar of reindeer noses, 3/4 cup sweet crystals, 2 tbsp yellow bile, shaved fungus goblins.

Recipe
Set fire to the man-flesh for half an hour. Extinguish, then decorate with dog ears, kept in place with either smelling-sticks or needles. Place a reindeer nose in the center of each ear for ideal look. Mix the sweet crystals with yellow bile to create a glaze, and spoon generously over the man-flesh. Set it on fire for another half hour. When done, extinguish again and sprinkle with shaved fungus-goblins. Serve piping hot. Feeds a single goblin.

GLOG-wein

Ingredients
1 bottle of mansblood, 2 star-seeds, quarter cup of sweet crystals, 20 smelling-sticks, 2 handfuls of spice-bark, half a sourfruit, 3/4 cup of ditch-water.
Optional: shot of huiscea.

Recipe
Skin and bleed the sourfruit, setting both aside. Mix the water and sweet crystals, boil over the burning homes of your enemies. Reduce heat when the crystals dissolve, add all other ingredients beside the mansblood. Simmer until it coagulates. Reduce heat further, add the orcsblood, keep at a bare simmer until serving. Strain and serve in the skulls of your enemies. Serves a squadron, scale up to serve a platoon.

I'm Bringing Back Alignment(as religion) and You Can Too

JB of B/X Blackrazor put out a new post about the Ranger; except it wasn't really about the Ranger, it was about alignment and how fantasy worlds should have a blurry line between the natural and supernatural. All good stuff, and it got me thinking about how I use alignment in my games.

Namely, I don't.

My previous exposure to alignment was the 3.X+ two-axis chart that has since seeped out into popular culture. I recently spoke with a non-roleplaying friend of mine who had no idea the chart was originally from D&D. Yet, I've never used it. My very first game was played with Open Legend, and after I discovered the GLOG and the OSR I moved on to that. As a result, I've never played with any kind of alignment in my game.

And it works fine. I think most OSR people play with little to no alignment, and it doesn't result in any less or lower quality roleplaying. On the contrary, my players have developed their own character's morality as the game goes (and it's pretty much exclusively 'evil'). But JB's post struck a chord with me, and reminded me there's another way to use alignment.

There are no good images for this and I find the charts to be extremely boring
So here's the two-axis chart being abused.

Alignment as Religion

I've heard from a knowledgeable source (though I can't for the life of me remember who) that alignment in OD&D wasn't about your character's personal morality, but much more like their religion. It's a worldview, it's how you structure your life, the kind of narrative you think the world runs on.

Mind you, we're also talking about a single-axis system: Law, Neutrality, Chaos, and Unaligned. There are good and evil people in each category. Lawful people aren't those who always follow the law above other values because it's their personal belief. Lawful people are those who organize their world around authority and rules. Leadership and order is necessary for a functioning society. They won't necessarily follow a law they think is unjust, but they will concern themselves with it, because laws are important.

A Chaotic person, on the other hand, isn't one who just breaks laws for the hell of it, but one who organizes their world around their personal freedom and ability to act as they will. The current authority and current laws matter only as much as they impact the Chaotic person's ability to determine themselves.

Neutrality might be understood as no alignment, but I'm separating that into Unaligned. And I think a passive, lack-of-this alignment is really boring. Alignment should be active. I think of Neutrality as a conscious attempt at a 'middle road,' at balancing authority and freedom. It works on more of a case-by-case basis, and dislikes either side getting too much power. A Neutral power may support a new authority when society is too Chaotic, and then oppose the same when society tips and becomes too Lawful for comfort.

Then there's Unaligned, which is for creatures with no moral/social worldview, no organizing principle. This, of course, works for animals and other unintelligent creatures, but also for certain PCs. Druids are the prime example, particularly Arnold's druids. Unaligned characters deliberately exist outside of a social order. They don't organize their worldview around authority or freedom; they have no worldview outside of the moment. If a stronger creature asserts itself, it has authority. If Nothing prevents you, you have freedom to do as you will.

Alignment Languages

Which brings me to the subject of Alignment Languages. This always seemed odd to me. Why would you know an extra language because of your morality? How could you lose it by changing alignment? Well, understanding alignment as a worldview/religion gives us another way to look at the languages.

Instead of being separate tongues, I think of alignment languages as a combination of vocabulary and body language; if you share a (non-alignment)language with somebody, you can communicate, but you won't necessarily have the same assumptions. If you've traveled within the United States (or within the Anglosphere, or Latin America, or any other area that shares a language but has many different cultures), you know that sharing a language with somebody doesn't guarantee straightforward understanding. Beyond local accent and slang, you may come from cultures with radically different assumptions, and that's as big a barrier as language itself.

So alignment language reflects a set of common assumptions, which when shared allow for easy communication, and makes other people more likely to trust you. It's part vocabulary, part body language, part a shared understanding of where this conversation is going, what goals are appropriate, and so on. When two lawful people come together, they will often greet each other by blessing the local authority figure; if a Lawful person were to do this with a Chaotic person, they would be considered very odd at best.

Likewise, if a Chaotic person invited another to break some venial law, a Chaotic person would likely accept. A Lawful person would be taken aback, even if they considered the law to be unjust. A Neutral person may or may not, based on circumstance.

So how do I (and potentially you) use this?

Alignment Rules

First, off, there are four alignments. Lawful, Neutral, Chaotic, and Unaligned. They are separate from morality, good or evil. They also don't change, except under extreme circumstances. This is the fundamental worldview your behavior is based on; they can change through strong mind-altering magic, exposure to Cosmic Horrors, spending extended periods of time under the tutelage of someone of another alignment, etc.

Second, they are metaphysical properties of a soul. There is no clear distinction between the natural and supernatural, and your alignment is visible to people who know how to look for it. This isn't a Detect Evil spell that dings when you encounter something evil. It's a sudden and intimate understanding of how someone else organizes their world. You can gain that same understanding by spending time with them and getting to know them, but people with the right magic, or supernatural beings, or just gifted people, can sense it on sight.

Rules for Alignment Languages

Alignment languages is where it gets interesting. Depending on how important you want alignment to be in your game, you can tweak this, but I want it to be fairly important. As a result, PCs only add their Charisma modifier to Reaction rolls with with people or creatures of the same alignment, and only add their modifier to Morale rolls with followers of the same alignment. If you're meeting something in a dark dungeon, sharing body language and common assumptions is the difference between going your separate ways or getting stabbed in the back. If you're a Lawful hireling to some Neutral PC, not knowing how they'll make their decisions won't comfort you.

Now, you've probably noticed a little flaw in this rule. What about negative modifiers? Would you only add it with people of your same alignment? Wouldn't that mean you do worse with people you share values with?

I can see it going either way. People you share a culture with will notice immediately how uncharismatic you are; people who don't understand you will be more likely to chalk that up to being different from them. An uncharismatic person would be encouraged to deal with people outside their alignment, resulting in all the more drama.

On the other hand, that common ground may be what you need to make up for your lack of charisma, while people of other alignments see it plainly. Either way works.

One might then ask, is it possible to learn someone else's alignment language without changing yours? Absolutely. I's difficult, and it takes time, but with effort and instruction, you can imitate people of other alignments. Points of reference for this would be spies or criminals learning to blend in with their marks, or diplomats learning the intricacies of the culture they serve as a bridge to. These can be learned like other skills, using downtime.

Alignment Restrictions and Power Loss

And now we come to the most controversial part of alignment. Do you lose anything if it changes, especially if your class is linked to an alignment?

Now, this is something of a moot point at the moment, since none of the classes I use are at all connected to alignment. But if I were to adjudicate this, I'd keep these principles in mind: Alignment changes only rarely, and almost never accidentally. Alignment is separate from being good/evil. If you want to have a class where the player has to consider their actions in the context of certain restrictions, it's preferable to write out those restrictions.

In Summary

There are four alignments, Lawful, Neutral, Chaotic, and Unaligned.

Alignment is worldview, religion or cultural context, not personal morality.

Alignment Languages Option 1: Apply CHA modifier to Reaction and Morale rolls only with creatures/hirelings of your same alignment.

Alignment Languages Option 2: Apply a positive CHA modifier to Reaction and Morale rolls only with creatures/hirelings of your same alignment, and a negative modifier only to creatures and hirelings of different Alignments.

Besides your own language, you can learn another alignment language as a skill, taking up a skill slot.

The Mahabharata: Gameables and Selected Weirdness (Part 1)

The Mahabharata is, alongside the Ramayana, one of the two great Sanskrit epics. Dating in full back to around 900-800 BC, with oral tradition going back much farther, it's also one of the longest. Some 200,000 verses, twenty times the length of the Iliad and Odyssey combined. A full English translation is approximately six feet thick, and has to be split into several volumes. There are maybe a dozen people outside of India who have read the entire thing in Sanskrit.

As one may expect, it's very weird. It's dense, old, and full of elements you would expect in a gonzo game. To that end, I've been going back through my annotations of the Smith translation (a heavily abridged version, occupying a merciful 800 pages, of which I have only read about 300). I planned to take the weirdest parts of it, copy them here and make some gameable material out of them. It quickly became clear that such a post would be much too long, and I instead resolved to split it into parts.

Here's my selections from the first thirty pages (most of them summary) of the Mahabharata, and some gameables to go along with it. I have no doubt you'll find something in here that gets you thinking.




Spells:

Multitude of Mouths (pg. 6)
R: touch T: self or creature D: 1 hour
The target creature assumes a multitude of mouths. [Sum] mouths open on their torso, legs, arms, face, etc. The mouths can be hidden by closing them, and they appear as wrinkles. The mouths can be used to temporarily hold [sum] items as quick slots, being swallowed and vomited up from a pocket dimension at will. If in unarmed combat, you deal +[sum] extra damage as the mouths bite and tear. Items held when the spell ends are forcibly expelled from your mouth. Creatures that see the mouths suffer -[dice] to Reaction and Morale rolls.

Protection from Snakes (pg. 10)
R: 0 T: self D: concentration
So long as you chant the legend of the great hero who rescued the King of Snakes from sacrifice, you are protected from all snakes. They may not attack you, and if you have already been bitten, the effects of their venom are stalled so long as the spell continues. You can move around fight, but can't say anything else or hold your breath.

Born in the Bottle (pg. 25)
R: 0 T: recent corpse and creature D: 1 minute
Burn a recent corpse and mix the ashes into hard liquor. The creature that drinks it becomes a conduit for the dead for a minute. 1MD: Can answer questions, is able to resist. 2: Can answer questions, can be forced to answer with a Wisdom check from the host. 3: Can answer questions, must be truthful. 4: Can be bodily reborn by bursting from the host's stomach. Will kill the host.

Locations:

A vault of gems in the deep ocean or deep in Mount Himalaya (pg. 12).

River that flows through and under a gap in a mountain. Legends claim it was created by the kick of a mighty hero (pg. 14).

Encounters and Hooks:

By the sea, a terrible, colossal elephant rages and stampedes. In the water, a colossal turtle mocks it. These are two wizards who have been permanently polymorphed into their new forms, though they can still speak. Both will pay you handsomely to free them but not the other (pg. 6).

The sun has stopped setting. Whether it's just here or all over the world, the sun has been low in the sky for a week now. The local legends say that a great sage on the mountain refuses to allow the sun to set while he sleeps, and has been taking a very long nap (pg. 9).

While passing by a river, you find a beached fish, its belly swollen, babies' cries coming from inside. There are two human infants, the misbegotten children of a local ruler, who will very much want to keep them a secret (pg. 15).

The party comes across a woman at a body of water, drowning several crying babies in turn. These babies are incarnated spirits the woman has agreed to free. The party doesn't know that, the woman must keep it secret (pg. 28).

Quotes

Smith pg. 4: The Raksasa Puloman schemed with Fire to abduct Puloma', wife of Bhrgu. When this happened, Puloma's baby 'fell from her womb and Puloman turned to ash.'

"Fire is the mouth through which gods and ancestors receive the oblations offered to them."

Smith pg. 6: "Kasyapa relates the story of two ascetic brothers who quarreled and cursed each other; one now lives as a colossal elephant the other as a colossal turtle. Garuda [a giant divine bird] should eat them."

Smith pg. 7: Garuda "assumes a multitude of mouths and fetches water from the rivers [to put out the sacred fire].'

Garuda, who later becomes the friend and mount of Indra. 

Smith pg. 8: Taksaka (king of snakes) 'bites a tree, which immediately burns away into ashes.'

Smith pg. 9: [Jaratkaru is a powerful ascetic who has vowed to only marry a woman with the same name as him]. "When [Jaratkaru] learned from Vasuki that she has the right name, [he] wedded Jaratkaru the snake woman; however, he stipulates that he will leave her if she ever displeases him in act or word. In the course of time she conceives. Not long afterwards, her husband lies sleeping while the sun sinks in the sky; fearing that he will fail to perform the evening rituals, she wakes him, after much hesitation. He is angry at being disturbed unnecessarily; the sun does not have sufficient power to set while he is asleep. Despite her pleas, he leaves her."
[Note: This is a repeated theme of the text. Many mortals, especially seers, are actually more powerful than the gods, capable of cursing and binding them.]

Smith pg. 10: [Astika saves Taksaka from being sacrificed.] "He calls to him, 'Stay!' and the snake remains suspended in mid-air over the flames." ... "The snakes are delighted with him and offer him a boon; he chooses that anyone who recites his story shall be invulnerable to snakes."



Smith pg. 12: "The blessed ocean and Mount Himalaya are both considered treasuries of gems, and the Bharata is reckoned so too."

Smith pg. 14: "The river Suktimati flowed by [the noble king Vasu's] city. The story goes that Mount Kolahala, the living mountain, had once blocked her way, full of desire for her; Vasu kicked Mount Kolahala, and now the river flowed through the gap caused by his kick. But the mountain has already begotten twin children by that river; delighted at her release, the river presented them to the king. One was a son: Vasu, truest of royal seers and bestower of wealth, appointed him his foe-taming general. The other, a daughter names Girika, or 'Mountain Girl,' the king took for his beloved wife."



Smith pg. 15: [Vasu is directed by his ancestors to hunt deer while Girika's 'seasonal time' has come for bearing a son.] "... King Vasu set off to hunt, full of desire, his mind full of nothing but Girika, supremely lovely like a second Sri in bodily form; and as he traveled through the beautiful forest, his seed gushed forth. At once the king caught that seed on a leaf from a tree, for he was anxious that it should not be spilt for nought..." [Vasu consecrates it with mantras and gives it to a hawk to carry to Girika, who is attacked by another hawk, and the seed falls into the river.] "Now in the River Yamuna there lived a beautiful Apsaras[goddess] named Adrika, who had been cursed by Brahma to become a fish; and in her fish form, Adrika swiftly approached the seed... and swallowed it." [Nine months later, that fish is caught, two human children are drawn from her belly, who are brought to Vasu.] "Then King Vasu Upicara took the boy; he was to become the righteous King Mastya, true to his vows."
[Note: Matsya means fish. He's literally King Fish.]

[Adrika is cured of her curse and returns to heaven, as she was promised she would remain a fish until she gave birth to two human children.]... "As for the daughter born of that fish, she smelt of fish, and the king gave her to the fisherman to be his own daughter. Beautiful, mettlesome and full of every virtue, she was named Satyavati. Because she mixed with fishermen, the sweet-smiling girl continued for some time to smell of fish." [There are two Satyavatis, this one is very important, the mother of Krsna Vyasa, author of the Mahabharata.]

Smith pg. 19: "And when the human world had reached such heights, O bull-like hero, demons were born in royal lineages. At that time they had suffered many defeats in the battle against the gods, and so, stripped of their sovereignty, they took their birth here on earth."

Smith pg. 20: "All [the gods] were impatient to use portions of themselves to go to earth, and so they approached the foe-slayer Narayana in his heaven, Vaikuntha. To that highest lord, whose hands bear discus and club, whose garments are yellow and whose complexion is dark, from whose navel sprang a lotus, the slayer of the enemies of the gods, whose eyes were wide and slanted and lovely, Indra spoke, in order to cleanse the earth."

Smith pg. 23: "[Draupadi] possessed the five auspicious marks, and her skin was like beryl. Secretly she stirred the hearts of the five princes among men."
[Note: The Mahbharata makes frequent mention of beryl. What is often being referred to is chrysoberyl, a precious golden or green gem, and specifically a banded variant called cats-eye, prized by the ancient Hindus.]



Smith pg. 24: "The great seer Visvamitra had performed such fierce austerities that Indra feared for his sovereignty, and sent the Apsaras Menaka to seduce him."
[Note: This happens a lot. If a mortal ascetic performs enough rituals and austerities, he can not only become more powerful than a god, but can actually mantle one. Very frequently it's Indra, one of the lords of the gods, armed with the thunderbolt, who is the target of a mantling, which he prevents by driving the ascetic into sin. This has already happened once before in the book, and happens several more times. Lots of demigods are born from this exact situation.]

Smith pg. 25: "During the war between the gods and demons, the demons' household priest Sukra is able to bring fallen demons back to life,  but Brhaspati, household priest of the gods, does not have this power. In alarm, the gods send Brhaspati's son Kaca to pay court to Sukra's daughter Devayani: this will enable him to acquire the necessary knowledge. Kaca does as he is asked, but after five hundred years of paying court, he is killed by demons who discover his identity; they cut his body into tiny pieces and feed them to jackals. Devayani is distraught, and Sukra revives Kaca, but again he is killed by demons who burn his body and mix the ashes in Sukra's liquor. At Devayani's urging, Sukra again summons Kaca back, but Kaca answers from within his belly. Knowing how dear he is to Devayani, Sukra gives Kaca his revivifying powers, and Kaca bursts out of his belly, then brings him back to life. Sukra proscribes the drinking of liquor by Brahmins, and allows Kaca to return to the gods.



Smith pg 28: "One day [in heaven] the wind chances to lift the dress of Ganga[the river Ganges]; [King] Mahabhisa does not avert his gaze, and is cursed by Brahma to birth as a mortal man before he regains heaven. He chooses to be the son of King Pratipa." [Eight other gods, the Vasus, have been similarly cursed, and strike a deal with Ganga to be born through her and Pratipa's yet unborn son Samtanu, who is also Mahabhisa, then be drowned so they can return to heaven immediately. Ganga agrees on the condition Samtanu can keep one of them as a child, and sets out on this plot.



Smith pg. 29: [King Pratipa of the Kurus rules nobly for many years, and spends many days in meditation along the shore of the river Ganga. On day, the river takes the forms of a beautiful woman, sits upon his right thigh, and asks him to make love to her. Having sworn an oath not to "lie with another man's woman or a woman of a different class," Pratipa makes a slick excuse, "I have refused the favor you are urging me to do to you; were I to promise otherwise, my violation of dharma would destroy me. You have come to my right thigh to embrace me, timid beauty, but you should know this is where children and daughters-in-law sit. Lovers sit on the left. But you avoided that, so I will not lie with you, beautiful lady. Be my daughter-in-law, O fair one!"]
[Note: This thigh-sitting rule appears nowhere else in the Mahabharata, Ramayana, or indeed any other Indian tradition to the best of my knowledge. I choose to believe that Pratipa came up with it on the spot and Ganga just went with it, since this was her plan anyway.

That's it for part 1! Keep an eye out for the next post, where we cover holy UFOs, magic spears and adamantine babies.

Making a Random Dungeon

Inspired by the Angry GM's post, I took it upon myself to design a random, shifting dungeon. After all, I won't be running games for a few weeks to focus on work, and there has to be something beyond the dungeon barnacles in the Tomb of the Serpent Kings.

This is a random dungeon that forms itself as the players explore it. Instead of a random table, it's constructed by drawing pre-made cards. There are a limited number of rooms, and the players can explore all of them, but they'll rarely know what's behind the next door.



Rules for the Labyrinth:

• When the players enter a new room, draw a card from the relevant pile. This is the room they are in. 
• If they backtrack from a room, it disappears and the card gets shuffled back in.
• On the back of each card is an omen, which the players can learn by listening/smelling at the door. These serve mostly to tip off/misdirect/screw with the players. 
• Each room is persistent, and whatever changes the players made (killing monsters, stealing treasure, triggering traps) remain. However, there are still random encounters. 
• Certain rooms contain passages to a lower floor. These will usually be shuffled to the latter half of a deck. 
• At the bottom of he dungeon is a goal. A person, a Maguffin, whatever. I actually haven't decided yet.
• There are keyed encounters in monster rooms, as well as random encounters. There's a sort of 'nemesis' monster running about the dungeon, present on the encounter tables for all floors. Right now, I think it's a beefed up Tachyon Troll. There are also NPCs, random monsters, environmental effects, etc.
• The random encounter table isn't static. Since the dungeon is shifting, and the players won't necessarily be able to find a room they were in before, encounters may be added to the random table as a result of the players' actions. 

The procedure is as follows. The first room in the dungeon, the entrance, is constant and safe. The portal into the dungeon opens into a new room every time (shuffle the cards and draw). When opening another door, draw another card. If the players spend time smelling and listening at the door, can gain the omen, the door becomes fixed without opening. Whenever the players retreat completely out of a room, it disappears. If they open the door again, another room appears in its place. Those cards are placed at the bottom of the deck. 

I decided to make this a big dungeon. Larger than anything I'd ever tried before. Three floors, each with 36 rooms. Why that big, round number? Well, because it corresponds to the distribution of possible room types if stocking as per Moldvay. 12 rooms with monster encounters, six of which have treasure, 12 empty rooms, two of which have treasure, six traps, two of which have treasure, and six 'special' rooms, one of of which has treasure. 

This distribution results in a dangerous dungeon which still has room to rest and fortify, along with frequent traps and weird, screwy rooms that may or may not be useful.



So I bought a bunch of index cards and separated them by color, one for each floor. I then set about making rooms for the first floor. Despite starting most of a month ago, I'm not even done with that. Granted, I've been busy with the end of the quarter. Still, I got all the empty and special rooms down, leaving just some trap rooms and monster encounters.

My watchword for this project, and the main reason why it's been relatively slow going, is concept density. Yeah, go and read that article for the fiftieth time. I want every inch of this dungeon to have something interesting (not necessarily original-God knows I've raided all your blogs for stuff, but my players don't know that).

A spiral staircase leading down to the next floor of the dungeon? BOR-ING! Instead, there's a cage elevator operated by a gorilla in a bellhop costume. Who charges either money or rations for going up or down. And if you try to take the elevator by force, he'll shoot you with his gun and retreat to the lower floor.

I've tried to do that with every room. Granted, not all of them are that weird, and it might be tiring if they were, but they should have something going for them. Even-no, especially the empty rooms. Even if it's just a weird shape and crude cave paintings.

They've also got to be tight. Each room fits on an index cards, with abbreviated monster stats and item descriptions on a separate sheet. Here's a few of my favorite pieces of it so far.

Items

Scroll of Hey Jude: Music sheet (real-world version provided) which if sung loudly by the whole party, in and out of game, a troll named Jude busts through the nearest wall, creating a new exit.
Jude is annoyed that she was woken up from her nap, but enjoys flattery and informed geopolitical debate.

Silver Hammer of Light: +1 Silver Hammer carved with intricate arcane formulae. Generates 3hrs of light as a torch after striking a living being.

Jaguar Cloak: Personality of an irritable but playful big cat. Automatically hide and +5 to sneak in darkness. 1/day throw it off, animates as a HD1 jaguar that follows orders.



Rooms

Dinosaur Museum(Monster+Treasure): Giant, humid stone cave, jungly. On display, dinosaur bones carved with runes(300gp, cursed). Giant block of amber(700gp raw materials) -> 3 raptors(HD3, 1d6+3) attacking a triceratops (HD7, 2d6+1). Raptors are vicious, can speak, bourgeois. Triceratops is just a triceratops, panicked. If exited, raptors added to Encounter table. 4 exits (vine-covered caves). Omens: The distant calls of extinct creatures.

Destroyed Hall(Empty): Rotted feasting hall. Skeletons bent over tables holding cups. On the wall, a message is scrawled in blood, a severed hand lying below it->  מנא מנא תקל ופרסין
4 exits (stately doors). Omens: Rot, echoing death rattle.

Fireball Room(Special): Dome ceilinged cavern, scorch marks on walls and floor, rolling fireball rolls about the ceiling-> enchanted, many faceted gem, futbol size. Releases streak of fire periodically, hits a PC on 1-in-20, 1d10 fire damage. 3 exits (metal blast doors). Omens: Rolling sound, hot air draft. (If you get where this came from, you've found the right blog).

Goblin Ghetto(Monster): Filthy camp where screeching gretchlings squabble over an unfinished ruleset. Populated by 1d20+10 Gretchlings and 3 Gretchling Stiltwalkers named Skerpo, Arnie and Lexi. Will throw icosahedron-shaped rocks at intruders. D4s are hidden in the muck, act as caltrops. 3 exits (mucky curtains). Omens: The faint rolling of dice, wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Do I want to finish reviewing for the math final?
Nah, let's do a writeup.

Gallery(Trap+Treasure): Extravagant, chandelier lit, thickly carpeted. 4 high-quality oil paintings(25gp each), 2 silver plated icons on pedestals. Pressure plates under the carpet before each -> release corrosive gas -> destroy paintings and corrode icons in 4 rounds. Con check or 1d6 non-lethal damage. Remains. 2 exits (heavy oak double doors). Omens: Low conversation, muzak.

Ruined Bathhouse(Empty+Treasure): Old tiled bathhouse, water filled with muck. Incense has rotted, water is either ice cold or boiling. Painted marble statue in the center -> masterwork, depicts famous love story, 250gp whole, 50gp in pieces. Requires total 20STR to carry, must be pried off floor. Dead end. Omens: Stale incense and leaking water.

And my personal favorite...
Diamond Snipe(Monster+Treasure): Underground cavern, tree roots pierce from above like stalactites. Thumb-sized Sun Diamond(125gp) on pedestal -> sunlight in 30'. 2 Rock Trolls(HD6 1d8+3) shield themselves from its light, petrified. If the players approach, the Dungeon Snipe, a very fast bird, will pop up from behind the pedestal and eat it before running through another door. The diamond glows in its belly, but the Trolls de-petrify. If the Snipe is lost, add to encounter table. 5 exits(vine covered caves). Omens: Faint sunlight, chirping birds.

"How does it keep getting away from us? It's just a bird!"
"It's the Devil's own bird I tell ye!"
"Shut up Frank."

The Beatles references above are intentional and non-exhaustive. I have no idea why I'm putting them in there, but they work for a gonzo atmosphere. 

Elder Scrolls GLOG Bestiary: Daedra

All Daedra have the Daedric trait: They are immune to normal weapons (can only be hit with weapons that are magic or have at least a +1)

Creatures with a * next to their name can be summoned for an hour with the spell Conjure Lesser Daedra.

Creatures with a ✝ next to their name can be summoned for ten minutes with the spell Conjure Greater Daedra.

The Daedra

 Daedra is an Aldmer word meaning 'not our ancestors' as opposed to the Aedra, whose many aspects are venerated in most of Tamriel's major religions. While the Aedra created Mundus and bound themselves to the world, the Daedra scorned it and remained in formless Oblivion, where they eventually coalesced into a hierarchy. They are ruled by seventeen Daedric Princes, of greater and lesser power, each with their own servants and subjects. They have difficulty entering Mundus, but sometimes find cracks in the world, and are often summoned by mortal mages for knowledge and service.

While not all Daedra are strictly evil, most have low opinion of mortals and think little of harming them. Still, most are not immediately hostile unless they are summoned or are guarding a place or item. The land is dotted with rare Daedric ruins, where the barrier between worlds is thin.

romandubina

Scamp*
HD 3 (15 HP) DEF 12  ATK 12(1d6+1 claw) MOR 6 MOV 3x
Daedric
Treasure: None
# Appearing: 1(messenger) 1d4+2(party) 2d4+2(swarm)

The weakest and most numerous Daedra, stooped-over, hairy-legged humanoids with sallow skin pulled taught over a catlike face. They are cowardly but cruel creatures, who take pleasure in tormenting anything they outnumber. They will often run in the face of armed opposition, but are dangerous if cornered; the least powerful Daedra can still kill most mortals, and cannot be touched with mundane weapons. They most often serve as messengers for mages or greater Daedra.

Source?

Flame Atronach*
HD 4 (20 HP) DEF 14 ATK 13(1d8+1 claw, burn) MOR 10 MOV 1.5x
Spells: Destructive Bolt (Fire) 2, Elemental Shield (Fire) 1.
Burn: On a failed Save vs Fire, take 1d6 fire damage until you spend a turn dropping and rolling.
Daedric
Treasure: Unless summoned by a mage, 50% chance of Fire Salts.
# Appearing: 1(loner) 1d4+1(pack) 2d4+2(widfire)

A pulsing flame bound in an iron exoskeleton, flame atronachs are the least of the elemental atronachs. Unlike other Daedra, Atronachs are elemental sentiences chained in service to greater masters. They all bear a strong resent towards both mortals and other Daedra, but have little room for independent action. In addition to serving in Daedric armies as portable flamethrowers, they are the easiest Daedra to summon with strong combat ability, and are often summoned by mages when threatened.

Fury On

Clannfear
HD 5 (30 HP) DEF 14  ATK 14(1d4 claw/1d4 claw/1d6 bite) MOR 8 MOV .5x # appearing 1d4
Daedric
Treasure: Unless summoned by a mage, 25% recoverable Daedra's Heart.
# Appearing: 1(loner) 1d4+1(pack) 2d4+2(herd)

Fierce lizard-like Daedra, with long toe claws and razor beaks. The sight of their tall crests and the sound of their warbling cries is the stuff of nightmares. They are some of the most common Daedra, hunting in packs, but are very slow. They are fond of mass stealth, surrounding a target and ripping it apart before it can escape. They are little more intelligent than animals, and in a Daedric invasion, they serve as shock troops, released to sow terror among the populace and overrun enemy camps.

MalaAssia

Hunger✝
HD 6 (30 HP) DEF 14 ATK 15(1d6 tongue(reach)/1d4 claw) MOR 10 MOV 1x
Spells: Armor Eater 3, Paralyze 1.
Daedric
Treasure: Unless summoned by a mage, 25% recoverable Daedra's Heart, 1d6*10gp hidden nearby.
# Appearing: 1(scout) 1d4+1(band) 1d4+3(squadron)

Potent Daedra associated with Prince Boethiah, whose magic can reduce an opponent's armor to rust and shreds. They are often employed as guardians, and are the first Daedra summoned by Expert Conjurers. Their name reflects their chief trait, a perpetual, unfulfilled hunger. They devour the corpses of those they kill, and scavenge whatever they can from lesser predators. They hunger not only for food, but wealth and repute; if you come across a Hunger, they can be assuaged with tribute of jewels and paeans to their fame; but unless you pass quickly, their flesh-hunger will overcome them.

Fury On

Ogrim
HD 6 (40 HP) DEF 16 ATK 15(1d8+1 stomp, 1d6 charge) MOR 8 MOV
Spells: Heal 2.
Daedric
Treasure: Unless summoned by a mage, 25% recoverable Daedra's Heart.
# Appearing: 1(loner) 1d4+1(band) 1d4+3(squadron)

Hulking, reptilian humanoids, bulging and gluttonous. They are foolish and stupid creatures, but their immense strength and resilience make them dangerous opponents. They mostly follow Prince Malacath, but can be found in the service of other princes as well, and in some rare cases as the enforcers of mages.

Thornspine

Dremora*
HD 7 (35 HP) DEF 15 ATK 16(1d8+3 weapon) MOR 8 MOV 1.5x
Spells: Shield 2, Reflect 1.
Daedric
Treasure: Unless summoned by a mage, 50% recoverable Daedra's Heart
# Appearing: 1(scout) 1d4+1(band) 1d4+3(squadron) 2d4+3(invasion)

The soldiers of Daedric armies, composing both the infantry and the officers in the conquests of Oblivion. They make and bear Daedric armor and weapons, highly prized by mortals. They could be mistaken for Dunmer, if not for their curling horns and ritual scarring. They are cruel and arrogant beings, convinced of their superiority over mortals; even so, they are often willing to speak with mortals, and deeply concerned with personal honor. There are many stories of Dremora stalled and pacified by quick-witted priests. They rarely appear alone; where one is found, several more are waiting, often with other Daedra in tow. They are highly organized, strategic and intelligent; adding a single Dremora into a group of Daedra makes them dramatically more dangerous.

Holoir?

Daedroth✝
HD 8 (50 HP) DEF 17 ATK 17(1d8+3 claw and spell) MOR 8  MOV 1x
Spells: Destructive Blast (Fire/Shock/Poison) 2, Shield 2, Heal 1.
Daedric
Treasure: Unless summoned by a mage, 50% recoverable Daedra's Heart.
# Appearing: 1(loner) 1d4+1(band) 1d4+3(rampage)

Some of the most fearsome Daedra, giant crocodile-headed ogres with immense strength and spellcasting power. They are loners by nature, immense egotists who think of their own conquest and power first. They are loathe to collaborate with other Daedroths, and will deign to be near other Daedra only when they are in command. They often pass into Mundus seeking lonely and isolated places to work their sorceries and plot against both mortals and other Daedra. Hunting a lone Daedroth is not recommended for any but the most experienced and best equipped adventurers. If they have gathered other Daedra under them, get an army.

Official concept art by Adam Adamowicz

Frost Atronach*
HD 8 (40 HP) DEF 15 ATK 17(2d6+2, freeze) MOR 10 MOV 1x
Spells: Destructive Touch (Frost) 3, Elemental Shield (Frost) 2
Freeze: On a failed Save vs Frost, you are overburdened by 4 until you spend a turn shivering.
Daedric
Treasure: Unless summoned by a mage, 50% chance of Frost Salts.
# Appearing: 1(loner) 1d4+1(band) 1d4+3(blizzard)

A walking glacier, jagged iceberg on legs, deep black eyes set in a pyramidal head, looking on the world with disdain and contempt. Frost Atronachs are substantially more powerful than their flaming counterparts, though weaker than Storm Atronachs, of whom they are especially resentful. They are mountainous in stature, but deceptively quick on their feet. In combat, they will charge headfirst towards the enemy to decimate them with crushing icy fists and magical frost. Strangely, these are the most personable of the Atronachs, and though they share their cousins' gloomy outlook, they often accompany greater Daedra as confidantes; they have neither the burning hatred of the Flame nor the mocking arrogance of the Storm, but are still bound to loyal service.

Yen Shu Liao

Storm Atronach✝
HD 8 (45 HP) DEF 16 ATK 18(2d8+2, electrify) MOR 10 MOV 2x
Spells: Destructive Blast (Shock) 3, Elemental Shield (Shock) 2
Electrify: On a failed Save vs Shock, you cannot cast spells or execute complex actions until you spend a turn regaining your wits.
Daedric
Treasure: Unless summoned by a mage, 50% chance of Void Salts.
# Appearing: 1(loner) 1d4+1(band) 1d4+3(thunderhead)

The most powerful of the elemental Atronachs, Storm Atronachs take a perverse pride in looking down at their cousins, even as they are slaves to greater Daedra. They are  a swirling cloud of earth and stone crackling with lightning. They call down thunderbolts upon their foes and dash about the battlefield with incredible speed. Moe than anything, they enjoy exercise of their destructive power. They will declare their names loudly to their victims, and assure themselves of terrible fame. They are unsubtle, showy and self-important, and appealing to these traits will grant one only a moment's reprieve from being fried.

Fury On

Winged Twilight✝
HD 9 (50 HP) DEF 16 ATK 18(1d4+3 claw/1d8+3 sting) MOR 10 MOV 2x flight
Spells: Elemental Shield (choice) 3, Reflect 2
Sting: Save or endure Agony. For 1d6 rounds, spend your turn writhing on the ground or take 1d6 non-lethal damage.
Daedric
Treasure: Unless summoned by a mage, 50% chance of Void Salts.
# Appearing: 1(loner) 1d4+1(coven) 1d4+3(twilight)

Daedra strongly associated with Prince Azura. Monstrous, blue-skinned, bat-winged and scorpion-tailed women who serve as her messengers and enforcers. They are vicious combatants, but you will find one alone only when she is delivering a message, and she will rarely take the time to combat you unless you trap her. They are Azura's generals, often command Atronachs and Dremora, and in battle will let her soldiers hold you down while she flies across the battlefield, delivers devastating blows, and retreats to the periphery. The Dunmer, who regard Azura as their patron, conceive of Winged Twilights as tempters and testers of her faithful, disguising themselves as old women to entrap the foolish or laud the wise. In particular, Nerevar Moon-and-Star was said to be tested by Twilights since his youth.

Fury On

Golden Saint
HD 10 (60 HP) DEF 18 ATK 19(2d8+3 weapon) MOR 10  MOV 1.5x glide
Spells: Disple 4, Reflect 3, Elemental Shield (choice) 2
Daedric
Treasure: 50% recoverable Daedra's Heart, one recoverable piece of Daedric equipment.
# Appearing: 1(agent of chaos)

Golden skinned, heavily armed and armored women. These warriors are the exclusive envoys of Sheogorath, Prince of Madness, and widely regarded as the mightiest Daedra. Golden Saints tend to remain in their master's obscure domain, and appear in Mundus only on rare occasions. When they do appear, they do not come as invaders, but as agents of chaos. They may create discord by slaying a noble, spiriting away a criminal, shouting a man's deepest secrets in the town square, giving divisive gifts or telling implausible (yet true) fortunes. It is widely agreed by Conjurers that they do this to entertain their lord. They never appear in Mundus in great numbers or with lesser Daedra, and rarely need to; on the occasion that they wish to slay a creature, they do so with ease.

Daedric Encounters and Situations

A Dremora named Anhaedra has been bound in the shrine at Maar Gan. By the magic of Lord Vivec, he suffers the taunts of pilgrims, and those who are faithful to Vivec are granted a powerful protective shield which he may not pierce. He has been especially irritable lately. The Temple likes to keep him there as a symbol of power, but Prince Mehrunes Dagon will reward you handsomely for slaying Anhaedra and returning him to Oblivion for punishment. You will not have Vivec's protection for this, and Anhaedra will not hold back.

On the road, the party is approached by a Scamp carrying a large pack. This is Lubipich, a petty merchant who can buy some small items, and will push drugs on the party. With subsequent meetings, Lubipich acquires stronger drugs, graduating from undiluted Sujamma to Skooma to raw Moon Sugar, and becomes more forceful in selling them.

A Winged Twilight in disguise approaches the party in the guise of a lovestruck young woman, seeking their help in a plot to entrap a local Temple priest renowned for virtue and restraint. As he passes on his nighttime walk, the party is to pretend to 'abduct' this woman for the priest to 'rescue.' This is not likely to work, but the priest is a potent spellcaster ho may do serious damage to the party.

Yves-Antoine

An Ogrim named Kremalin has wandered onto Drulene Falen's hut west of Aldruhn, driven her from her home and has spent the last week drinking all her Sujamma and eating her entire herd of Guar. The Ogrim is drunk enough to believe anything you tell him authoritatively (even that he can fly if he just jumps off that cliff there) but is lazy and is running out of food and drink.

A family tomb near a rural town has been invaded by a Hunger, and each warrior sent in to defeat it has returned humiliated, with his valuables stolen and armor disintegrated. Never send in civilians when professionals (or reckless amateurs, as the case may be) are at hand. The Hunger might be willing to fake evidence of its demise if the party steals offerings from sanctified burials it can't touch, but they will be disturbing various undead and the locals will realize the deception in a few days.

As the party camps, a Golden Saint in the guise of a pilgrim appears, with the intent of causing maximum chaos without revealing herself. She will poison the stew, reveal party secrets, steal small items, and so on. The next day, the actual pilgrim she was disguised as will approach the party. Any stolen items will be on them, but they have no idea why the party is so hostile to them. The Golden Saint is nearby, laughing her ass off.

A powerful wizard was killed last week in Tel Aruhn, and with his last spell summoned a Scamp to warn a relative of his attackers' identity. With the wizard's death, the scamp remained in Mundus without heeding its orders, and has spent the last week running around the town, defacing buildings, excreting in stewpots and screaming conspiracy theories and accusing everybody in sight of being the killer. The relative will pay handsomely for someone to capture and interrogate it. Nobody wants to kill it, lest they be thought of as the killer. The actual killers have been trying to kill or dispel the Scamp subtly, and have so far failed.

As part of a bet with Sheogorath, Azura sent a priestess of hers to live in isolation and silence for  one-hundred years. Sheogorath has grown tired of waiting, and send Daedra to the island northwest of Dagon Fel to make a horrible noise and disturbance until the priestess goes insane. Azura will reward you greatly for diverting these Daedra without bothering her priestess, Rayna Drolan. The Daedra include a troupe of scamps, one of each type of Atronach, a Hunger, an Ogrim and a Golden Saint, who will tolerate your presence so long as you also make lots of noise and shout disgusting comments at the hut.

Elder Scrolls GLOG Bestiary: Undead

All undead creatures have the Undead trait: They are immune to poison damage and resistant to cold damage. They have Morale 12, and are immune to ordinary fear effects.

Creatures with a * next to their name can be summoned for a day with the spell Conjure Undead.

Velothii

Ancestor Ghost
HD 0 (1 HP) DEF 10 ATK 9(1d6 or Drain Attribute) MOV 1.5x
Undead
Spectral: Immune to normal weapons.
Treasure: None.
# Appearing: 1(Haunt) 2d4(Flock) 3d6(Infestation)

Ancestor Ghosts are the lingering spirits of the dead. The black soul has long since passed into Oblivion, along with memory, morality and personality. But the awareness, the low intelligence, remains. They know only of enemies who wish them harm, and of the living family members who make burnt offerings of fruit and ghee. When a family member speaks their name, they feel alive for a moment. Besides being encountered in tombs, many Dunmer, especially members of the Temple, are capable of summoning forth the ghosts of their ancestors in self defense.

Nuare

Skeleton*
HD 1 (5 HP) DEF 12 ATK 10(weapon 1d6) MOV 1x
Undead
Treasure: If in a tomb, 2d4sp hidden nearby.
# Appearing: 1d4+1(band) 1d6 +3(squadron) 2d6+3(platoon)

Reanimated skeletons are guardians of tombs and graves in Morrowind, and are often summoned in large numbers by conjurers. They are not animated with a real soul, but with a synthetic animal intelligence. They fail with anything abstract, but can understand nuance and meaning in their creator's orders.

Lesser Bonewalker*
HD 2 (10 HP) DEF 14 ATK 11(1d4 claw/1d4 claw) MOV 1x
Spells: Drain Attribute 1
Undead
Treasure: 25% chance of a petty soul gem.
# Appearing: 1(loner) 1d6+1(pack) 2d6+2(mob)

Undead amalgamations of flesh and bone. These revenants erupt in tombs, formed from the collective rage of those who died violently. They are distressingly common, on top of being summoned as muscle by mages. They are strong, carry diseases, and are fond of draining the Strength and Constitution of intruders.

Swietopelk

Greater Bonewalker*
HD 4 (20HP) DEF 15 ATK 13(1d6 claw/1d6 claw) MOV 1x
Spells: Damage Attribute 1
Undead
Treasure: 25% chance of a lesser soul gem.
# Appearing: 1(loner) 1d4+1(pack) 2d4+2(mob)

The larger, more vicious cousins of the Lesser Bonewalker. They are known to arise when family tombs are filled suddenly, whether from plague, war or other strife. Their curses are nastier and longer-lasting than those of their Lesser Cousins.

romandubina

Bonelord*
HD 5 (25 HP) DEF 14 ATK 14(1d6 claw/1d6 claw and spell) MOV 1.5x
Spells: Shield 2, Drain Attribute 2, Destructive Bolt 1.
Undead
Treasure: 25% chance of a common soul gem.
# Appearing: 1(loner) 1d4+1(pack) 2d4+2(coven)

Intelligent, magically adept undead. These skeletal figures are knit from mismatched bones, possessing multiple arms and necks several sizes too long. These are rare, but are rumored to arise from the spirits of exceptionally strong-willed or magickally rich people who die with a grudge.

Dima Zasimovich

Lich 
HD 10 (50 HP) DEF 17 ATK 19 (1d10+3 bound weapon and spell) MOV 1.5x
Spells: Bound Weapon 4, Levitate 3, Five Fingers of Pain 3, Shield 3, Destructive Blast 2, Energy Drain 2, Command Humanoid 2, Damage Attribute 2.
Undead
Treasure: 1d6*100gp value hoard, as well as magic items.
# Appearing: 0(Normal) 1(Doom) 3(Apocalypse) 4+(RUN)

While other undead are summoned by wizards, Liches are wizards, passed over to the other side. They have hidden their black souls from death and remained in their decaying bodies, still capable of practicing magic. They are exceptionally rare and exceptionally dangerous, as their reason, memories and personality degrade in spite of their continued existence, until all that remains is a rabid animal capable of casting terrible spells with ease.