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<blockquote data-quote="Hyudra" data-source="post: 3944406" data-attributes="member: 57655"><p>Harpies:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A cross of woman and vulture, most harpies are not unattractive in form, though their minds and habits are truly foul.<br /> <br /> Harpies descend from an elven matriarchy that grew too proud. They spurned the gods, instead worshiping their queens and ladies as divine beings. When devils creeped into the shadows of the elven city, the rejected gods chose not to intervene. The devils worked a terrible curse of many layers. The harpies were the result.<br /> <br /> Harpies remain beautiful, but they are filthy scavengers at heart. Immune to disease, they wallow in nests dank with discarded bones, offal and scraps of food. They can (and often do) eat day or week old corpses, of animals, monsters and mortals alike. Because of the waste that typically mats the floor of their nests, the talons of a harpy tend to be filthy and often create festering wounds in those struck. The vulture women generally realize this, and often wound a target in the open wilderness, and then circle above while they wait for it to collapse from exhaustion or illness.<br /> <br /> In a cruel mockery of their matriarchy of old, harpies are only born from the union of a mortal and another harpy, and are always female. As a result, the creatures must either abduct men to ensure future generations, or they must form alliances with neighboring civilizations to obtain slaves or 'sacrifices'. Rarely are harpies found far from mortal dwellings, for they naturally seek to continue their race.<br /> <br /> Harpies are not unintelligent, but they lack the digits to readily wield weapons and tools. They are not above setting crude traps such as rockfalls or snares. Harpies tend to harass trade routes to obtain captives, fresh food and luxury items. A typical nest ranges from three to twenty individuals, and is led by the oldest harpy, called the 'Hag' or 'Hag Mother' in a respectful manner by her kin. The Hag tends to have class levels in ranger or bard. <br /> <br /> Harpies lair in mountainside caves or other high, sheltered perches. It is hard to miss such a lair, as a turn of the wind will bring faint scents of offal and decay. More telling are the songs - a nest will often have a harpy or three singing at any one time, elven hymns from days of old echoing over the landscape. It is hard to tell whether this is to remind the harpies of what they have lost, or whether it is to lure unwary victims closer.</li> </ul><p></p><p>Mongrelfolk</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Two centuries ago, a wizard sought to overthrow the imperial kingdom. To these ends, he created a great candle - one that attracted every lesser creature that lacked a kind heart. Goblins, kobolds, imps, quasits, kenku, kuo-toa and dozens of other races flocked to his tower where the candle stood.<br /> <br /> The wizard died when his close proximity to the candle created a schism between the evil in him and the small amounts of kindness and love he possessed. For years, the candle burned, and the lesser creatures of the region wallowed in a fugue, unable to escape it's light.<br /> <br /> As is the way with such creatures, they succumbed to base desires, and in their fogged minds, did not distinguish readily between race (though one might argue they wouldn't anyways). By the time the candle burned out, the lines between race were blurred.<br /> <br /> The Mongrelfolk have been a blight on civilization since. It is nigh impossible to predict their aims. A given group of Mongrelfolk (also known as Blighters, Blaggards, Bastids, Crawlies, and various other names) might spend months engaging in petty vandalism and harassment, only to abruptly decide to band together, raid a village and kidnap the children.<br /> <br /> They are chaos incarnate, in mind and body. No two appear alike, as one might appear stocky with a porcine face and deep red skin, it might sire a child that has an avian face, jaundiced skin and narrow limbs. It is not uncommon, given the strains of infernal blood in their lineage, for a mongrelfolk to have a minor spell-like ablity (20% chance that one will have a random level 0 ability). On the very rare occasion, a mongrelfolk will be born and simply won't stop growing. Often too consumed with finding food to lead, these brutes become tools for their brethren to use in attacking mortals. (Use stats for orc, ogre, troll, ettin or whatever else you might wish).<br /> <br /> Proving extremely difficult to exterminate entirely, mongrelfolk are quickly replacing goblins and kobolds as local nuisances (or worse, merging with them, and producing more mongrelfolk in ensuing generations). It is unknown whether magic plays a role in their unnaturally fast breeding, but any band of mongrelfolk that is not completely exterminated seems to resurface in several years' time.</li> </ul><p></p><p>Use stats for mongrelfolk, change up the descriptions. I wanted something that was a bit different from your typical goblins and kobolds, and went with a more traditional feel. These guys aren't remotely organized, and every shepherd or housewife has nagging worries about whether these creatures will appear and turn their lives upside down.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Hyudra, post: 3944406, member: 57655"] Harpies: [list]A cross of woman and vulture, most harpies are not unattractive in form, though their minds and habits are truly foul. Harpies descend from an elven matriarchy that grew too proud. They spurned the gods, instead worshiping their queens and ladies as divine beings. When devils creeped into the shadows of the elven city, the rejected gods chose not to intervene. The devils worked a terrible curse of many layers. The harpies were the result. Harpies remain beautiful, but they are filthy scavengers at heart. Immune to disease, they wallow in nests dank with discarded bones, offal and scraps of food. They can (and often do) eat day or week old corpses, of animals, monsters and mortals alike. Because of the waste that typically mats the floor of their nests, the talons of a harpy tend to be filthy and often create festering wounds in those struck. The vulture women generally realize this, and often wound a target in the open wilderness, and then circle above while they wait for it to collapse from exhaustion or illness. In a cruel mockery of their matriarchy of old, harpies are only born from the union of a mortal and another harpy, and are always female. As a result, the creatures must either abduct men to ensure future generations, or they must form alliances with neighboring civilizations to obtain slaves or 'sacrifices'. Rarely are harpies found far from mortal dwellings, for they naturally seek to continue their race. Harpies are not unintelligent, but they lack the digits to readily wield weapons and tools. They are not above setting crude traps such as rockfalls or snares. Harpies tend to harass trade routes to obtain captives, fresh food and luxury items. A typical nest ranges from three to twenty individuals, and is led by the oldest harpy, called the 'Hag' or 'Hag Mother' in a respectful manner by her kin. The Hag tends to have class levels in ranger or bard. Harpies lair in mountainside caves or other high, sheltered perches. It is hard to miss such a lair, as a turn of the wind will bring faint scents of offal and decay. More telling are the songs - a nest will often have a harpy or three singing at any one time, elven hymns from days of old echoing over the landscape. It is hard to tell whether this is to remind the harpies of what they have lost, or whether it is to lure unwary victims closer.[/list] Mongrelfolk [list]Two centuries ago, a wizard sought to overthrow the imperial kingdom. To these ends, he created a great candle - one that attracted every lesser creature that lacked a kind heart. Goblins, kobolds, imps, quasits, kenku, kuo-toa and dozens of other races flocked to his tower where the candle stood. The wizard died when his close proximity to the candle created a schism between the evil in him and the small amounts of kindness and love he possessed. For years, the candle burned, and the lesser creatures of the region wallowed in a fugue, unable to escape it's light. As is the way with such creatures, they succumbed to base desires, and in their fogged minds, did not distinguish readily between race (though one might argue they wouldn't anyways). By the time the candle burned out, the lines between race were blurred. The Mongrelfolk have been a blight on civilization since. It is nigh impossible to predict their aims. A given group of Mongrelfolk (also known as Blighters, Blaggards, Bastids, Crawlies, and various other names) might spend months engaging in petty vandalism and harassment, only to abruptly decide to band together, raid a village and kidnap the children. They are chaos incarnate, in mind and body. No two appear alike, as one might appear stocky with a porcine face and deep red skin, it might sire a child that has an avian face, jaundiced skin and narrow limbs. It is not uncommon, given the strains of infernal blood in their lineage, for a mongrelfolk to have a minor spell-like ablity (20% chance that one will have a random level 0 ability). On the very rare occasion, a mongrelfolk will be born and simply won't stop growing. Often too consumed with finding food to lead, these brutes become tools for their brethren to use in attacking mortals. (Use stats for orc, ogre, troll, ettin or whatever else you might wish). Proving extremely difficult to exterminate entirely, mongrelfolk are quickly replacing goblins and kobolds as local nuisances (or worse, merging with them, and producing more mongrelfolk in ensuing generations). It is unknown whether magic plays a role in their unnaturally fast breeding, but any band of mongrelfolk that is not completely exterminated seems to resurface in several years' time.[/list] Use stats for mongrelfolk, change up the descriptions. I wanted something that was a bit different from your typical goblins and kobolds, and went with a more traditional feel. These guys aren't remotely organized, and every shepherd or housewife has nagging worries about whether these creatures will appear and turn their lives upside down. [/QUOTE]
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