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<blockquote data-quote="Voadam" data-source="post: 7608336" data-attributes="member: 2209"><p><strong>Marshes of Malice</strong></p><p></p><p><a href="https://froggodgames.com/frogs/product/marshes-of-malice-pathfinder-hardcoverpdf/" target="_blank">Marshes of Malice</a></p><p>Pathfinder 1e</p><p><strong>Cheated Spirit:</strong> Some swamp cultures practice athletic competitions where individuals or teams compete against one another in an event with strong religious overtones. The stakes for the participants could not be higher. The victors bask in the glory and live to see another day. The losers, meanwhile, meet their permanent and ignominious end on the playing field. With life and death hanging in the balance, it comes as no surprise that some competitors may attempt to gain an unfair advantage over their rivals. They may bribe game officials to rule in their favor, use illegal equipment, or rely upon outside interference to get a leg up on their opponents. When their plans succeed, the adversary they cheated suffers the fatal consequences. Though the vanquished often fail to realize they were duped, seasoned foes who spot the telltale signs of a rigged outcome vow to avenge their loss. Unwilling to meekly accept undeserved defeat, these slighted souls rise from their graves as the sorest of losers. </p><p><strong>Unrequited:</strong> When a life is cut short under tragic circumstances long before Nature takes its toll on the mind, body, and spirit, the residual force left in its wake can take physical shape and coalesce into the embodiment of that person’s unrealized potential. An unrequited only forms from the enduring essence of an adolescent humanoid. Small children are too inexperienced and naïve to formulate the complex wants necessary to give rise to one of these creatures, while adults are too jaded and goal oriented to forsake their everyday responsibilities and instead dwell on what may come to pass. It takes at least a year for the creature’s consciousness to take on a life of its own; therefore the brain must remain well-preserved and intact during this strange metamorphosis. The introduction of foreign substances during the typical embalming process imbalances the brain’s unique chemistry and prevents the unrequited from springing into existence. However, corpses that undergo natural processes that impede decomposition, such as the cool, acidic environment found in a bog or fen, are ideal to giving rise to an unrequited. The means of death is another important ingredient for its genesis. Most of these vaporous undead coalesce from an adolescent who died suddenly and violently at another’s hands. Shortly after the being’s demise, the creature’s unfulfilled aspirations take physical form as wispy clouds of crimson vapor. In the coming weeks and months, the swirling scarlet gases gather together in close proximity to the decedent’s final resting place. When the disparate parts merge to create a singularity, the unrequited’s formation is complete and its desires become reality. </p><p>Needless to say, an unrequited is a creature borne of supernatural events rather than a natural occurrence. An unrequited appears as swirling, egg-shaped cloud of luminescent, crimson vapors vaguely resembling an angry child. Despite being created from the thoughts of a sentient being, the spiteful undead has no memory of its former existence. It acts upon pure impulse, directing its hatred towards its fellow humanoids, although it cannot distinguish any specific individual from another. An unrequited rarely strays far from its body, thus it is not uncommon to encounter more than one of these monsters in a particular area, especially a locale containing a mass grave associated with a bloody massacre or similar atrocity. Regardless of the number inhabiting that location, they all share the same, common goal — to slay other sentient creatures before they fulfill their hopes and aspirations by emptying their minds of any rational thought. In a few isolated cases, a humanoid adolescent slain by an unrequited later rises to join the ranks of its killer.</p><p>On this spot centuries ago the callous soldier systematically butchered 22 mothers and their children. After he finished the deed, he tossed their bodies into these waters. Their suffering was so great, 3 unrequiteds coalesced at the spot. </p><p><strong>Tyler Ebbensflow, Advanced Draugr Captain:</strong> Unfortunately the horrible circumstances surrounding the deaths of these ships’ sailors left some of them hungry for revenge. A draugr captain with his remaining crewmembers serving as his 2 draugr mates hide within the wreckage of the Flighty Amalie, emerging to attack encroaching humanoids. </p><p><strong>William the Mad Crawdad, Duppy:</strong> The pool filled with pike also contains the earthly remains of the scuttled rowboat’s only occupant, William the Mad Crawdad — a notorious saboteur, sailor and murderer on the run from distant Endhome. Confident he shook his dogged pursuers, the fugitive blissfully set sail for the shores of the Dragonmarsh Lowlands only to come face to face with a greater horror than a hangman’s noose. The scoundrel ran afoul of the disgusting sea hags, but even their revolting appearance and dread curse could not overcome his evil. He swam toward the wharf and climbed onto dry land, where he outran his enemies straight into Quattu’s waiting tentacles. The aberration and its allies finally meted out justice to William, but even death could not suppress his despicable spirit. The lifelong mariner longed to be buried at sea, a fate the chuul foolishly denied him. Instead, the despicable William’s spirit rose from the grave as a duppy. </p><p><strong>Human Meat Puppet:</strong> During the struggle, Quattu ordered the crabmen to subject three of the facility’s fish processors to the horrific fate of being gutted and filleted alive. Unbeknownst to the chuul, the revelry of carnage infused the boneless corpses with the necromantic energy that suffuses the marshlands here and animated them as revolting undead creatures. </p><p><strong>Hamish MacDuncan, Human Nosferatu Fighter 8:</strong> Hamish MacDuncan, a grizzled veteran of distant wars and expatriate of the upper regions of far-off Eamonvale, told the Viroeni matriarch that he knew of a safe path through the accursed bogs that he could guide them on and allow them to escape the confines of the Kingdoms of Foere for the promised freedom of Cailin Lee to the west. A mercenary to the core, though, MacDuncan told them he would do this only if the tribe paid him with all of the gold they had left. </p><p>Realizing that a better offer was unlikely to materialize, the matriarch agreed to the deal but promised a curse upon MacDuncan’s eternal soul if he betrayed them and turned the Viroeni over to the hostile locals. MacDuncan swore an oath upon a holy book of Vanitthu he had never felt cause to read and promised he would see them delivered away from the folk they sought to flee. He did not tell them, however, that he had taken gold from those same people to remove the gypsy problem from their midst or that no such safe path through the bog, in fact, existed. </p><p>Once in the depths of the Wytch Bog, it was a simple matter for the woods-wise veteran to lead the Viroeni astray, cause them to become separated, and use his swampcraft and battle experience to eliminate them in small groups or one by one through treachery or outright murder. When all was said and done, and the blood-spattered MacDuncan watched the matriarch’s lifeless eye seemingly fix its baleful gaze upon him as her corpse sank beneath the waters of a bog, no more than a handful of the Viroeni had made it out of the swamp alive to tell the tale. But four of those handful did not scatter and flee like the rest. Instead they made their own preparations and returned only a few weeks later. </p><p>The four sons of the Viroeni matriarch had managed to elude MacDuncan’s murderous intent but were unable to stop his massacre of their people. When they emerged from the swamp they swore their bond to one another to see their mother’s curse completed. When they returned scant weeks later they were penniless with only the clothes they wore upon their backs to their names — and a new pine coffin carried between them. </p><p>The sons found MacDuncan drunk at his isolated home one night when the moon was dark. They set upon the surprised warrior and overpowered him before he could mount a resistance. With thick ropes they bound his coffin closed and carried him deep into the Wytch Bog where he had taken the lives of their kinsmen and women. As MacDuncan sobered up and found himself unable to break free from his confinement, the truth of the situation began to seep into his gin-soaked mind. The last any outside the bog ever heard from him were his muffled cries begging mercy, cursing his captors, and promising eternal revenge. Neither he nor the Viroeni youths was ever seen alive again. </p><p>But life — such as it was to become — was not entirely over for Hamish MacDuncan. The Viroeni matriarch’s curse, enacted by the vengeance of her sons, came to fruition when Hamish did not rest easy but awoke after only a short time as a vampiric monster. His immersion in the bog waters had not been kind to his physical body, so he emerged as a grotesque nosferatu, a foul caricature of the vitality he had known in life. </p><p><strong>Eladrian, Groaning Spirit:</strong> ?</p><p><strong>Swamp Mummy:</strong> The ghastly reminders of Hamish’s infamous deed are visible throughout the Wytch Bog. Stray bones, personal mementoes, and shreds of clothing line the edges of most stagnant ponds in the accursed parcel of wetlands. These objects, however, can never fully reveal the abject terror the victims experienced during their final moments. These raw emotions stir the dead back into existence as undead monstrosities. </p><p></p><p><strong>Draugr:</strong> Unfortunately the horrible circumstances surrounding the deaths of these ships’ sailors left some of them hungry for revenge. A draugr captain with his remaining crewmembers serving as his 2 draugr mates hide within the wreckage of the Flighty Amalie, emerging to attack encroaching humanoids. </p><p><strong>Undead:</strong> The PCs’ subsequent delve into the bog enters a haunted realm populated by shambling corpses, vengeful undead creatures, and pathetic spirits borne from Hamish’s genocide.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Voadam, post: 7608336, member: 2209"] [b]Marshes of Malice[/b] [URL=https://froggodgames.com/frogs/product/marshes-of-malice-pathfinder-hardcoverpdf/]Marshes of Malice[/URL] Pathfinder 1e [b]Cheated Spirit:[/b] Some swamp cultures practice athletic competitions where individuals or teams compete against one another in an event with strong religious overtones. The stakes for the participants could not be higher. The victors bask in the glory and live to see another day. The losers, meanwhile, meet their permanent and ignominious end on the playing field. With life and death hanging in the balance, it comes as no surprise that some competitors may attempt to gain an unfair advantage over their rivals. They may bribe game officials to rule in their favor, use illegal equipment, or rely upon outside interference to get a leg up on their opponents. When their plans succeed, the adversary they cheated suffers the fatal consequences. Though the vanquished often fail to realize they were duped, seasoned foes who spot the telltale signs of a rigged outcome vow to avenge their loss. Unwilling to meekly accept undeserved defeat, these slighted souls rise from their graves as the sorest of losers. [b]Unrequited:[/b] When a life is cut short under tragic circumstances long before Nature takes its toll on the mind, body, and spirit, the residual force left in its wake can take physical shape and coalesce into the embodiment of that person’s unrealized potential. An unrequited only forms from the enduring essence of an adolescent humanoid. Small children are too inexperienced and naïve to formulate the complex wants necessary to give rise to one of these creatures, while adults are too jaded and goal oriented to forsake their everyday responsibilities and instead dwell on what may come to pass. It takes at least a year for the creature’s consciousness to take on a life of its own; therefore the brain must remain well-preserved and intact during this strange metamorphosis. The introduction of foreign substances during the typical embalming process imbalances the brain’s unique chemistry and prevents the unrequited from springing into existence. However, corpses that undergo natural processes that impede decomposition, such as the cool, acidic environment found in a bog or fen, are ideal to giving rise to an unrequited. The means of death is another important ingredient for its genesis. Most of these vaporous undead coalesce from an adolescent who died suddenly and violently at another’s hands. Shortly after the being’s demise, the creature’s unfulfilled aspirations take physical form as wispy clouds of crimson vapor. In the coming weeks and months, the swirling scarlet gases gather together in close proximity to the decedent’s final resting place. When the disparate parts merge to create a singularity, the unrequited’s formation is complete and its desires become reality. Needless to say, an unrequited is a creature borne of supernatural events rather than a natural occurrence. An unrequited appears as swirling, egg-shaped cloud of luminescent, crimson vapors vaguely resembling an angry child. Despite being created from the thoughts of a sentient being, the spiteful undead has no memory of its former existence. It acts upon pure impulse, directing its hatred towards its fellow humanoids, although it cannot distinguish any specific individual from another. An unrequited rarely strays far from its body, thus it is not uncommon to encounter more than one of these monsters in a particular area, especially a locale containing a mass grave associated with a bloody massacre or similar atrocity. Regardless of the number inhabiting that location, they all share the same, common goal — to slay other sentient creatures before they fulfill their hopes and aspirations by emptying their minds of any rational thought. In a few isolated cases, a humanoid adolescent slain by an unrequited later rises to join the ranks of its killer. On this spot centuries ago the callous soldier systematically butchered 22 mothers and their children. After he finished the deed, he tossed their bodies into these waters. Their suffering was so great, 3 unrequiteds coalesced at the spot. [b]Tyler Ebbensflow, Advanced Draugr Captain:[/b] Unfortunately the horrible circumstances surrounding the deaths of these ships’ sailors left some of them hungry for revenge. A draugr captain with his remaining crewmembers serving as his 2 draugr mates hide within the wreckage of the Flighty Amalie, emerging to attack encroaching humanoids. [b]William the Mad Crawdad, Duppy:[/b] The pool filled with pike also contains the earthly remains of the scuttled rowboat’s only occupant, William the Mad Crawdad — a notorious saboteur, sailor and murderer on the run from distant Endhome. Confident he shook his dogged pursuers, the fugitive blissfully set sail for the shores of the Dragonmarsh Lowlands only to come face to face with a greater horror than a hangman’s noose. The scoundrel ran afoul of the disgusting sea hags, but even their revolting appearance and dread curse could not overcome his evil. He swam toward the wharf and climbed onto dry land, where he outran his enemies straight into Quattu’s waiting tentacles. The aberration and its allies finally meted out justice to William, but even death could not suppress his despicable spirit. The lifelong mariner longed to be buried at sea, a fate the chuul foolishly denied him. Instead, the despicable William’s spirit rose from the grave as a duppy. [b]Human Meat Puppet:[/b] During the struggle, Quattu ordered the crabmen to subject three of the facility’s fish processors to the horrific fate of being gutted and filleted alive. Unbeknownst to the chuul, the revelry of carnage infused the boneless corpses with the necromantic energy that suffuses the marshlands here and animated them as revolting undead creatures. [b]Hamish MacDuncan, Human Nosferatu Fighter 8:[/b] Hamish MacDuncan, a grizzled veteran of distant wars and expatriate of the upper regions of far-off Eamonvale, told the Viroeni matriarch that he knew of a safe path through the accursed bogs that he could guide them on and allow them to escape the confines of the Kingdoms of Foere for the promised freedom of Cailin Lee to the west. A mercenary to the core, though, MacDuncan told them he would do this only if the tribe paid him with all of the gold they had left. Realizing that a better offer was unlikely to materialize, the matriarch agreed to the deal but promised a curse upon MacDuncan’s eternal soul if he betrayed them and turned the Viroeni over to the hostile locals. MacDuncan swore an oath upon a holy book of Vanitthu he had never felt cause to read and promised he would see them delivered away from the folk they sought to flee. He did not tell them, however, that he had taken gold from those same people to remove the gypsy problem from their midst or that no such safe path through the bog, in fact, existed. Once in the depths of the Wytch Bog, it was a simple matter for the woods-wise veteran to lead the Viroeni astray, cause them to become separated, and use his swampcraft and battle experience to eliminate them in small groups or one by one through treachery or outright murder. When all was said and done, and the blood-spattered MacDuncan watched the matriarch’s lifeless eye seemingly fix its baleful gaze upon him as her corpse sank beneath the waters of a bog, no more than a handful of the Viroeni had made it out of the swamp alive to tell the tale. But four of those handful did not scatter and flee like the rest. Instead they made their own preparations and returned only a few weeks later. The four sons of the Viroeni matriarch had managed to elude MacDuncan’s murderous intent but were unable to stop his massacre of their people. When they emerged from the swamp they swore their bond to one another to see their mother’s curse completed. When they returned scant weeks later they were penniless with only the clothes they wore upon their backs to their names — and a new pine coffin carried between them. The sons found MacDuncan drunk at his isolated home one night when the moon was dark. They set upon the surprised warrior and overpowered him before he could mount a resistance. With thick ropes they bound his coffin closed and carried him deep into the Wytch Bog where he had taken the lives of their kinsmen and women. As MacDuncan sobered up and found himself unable to break free from his confinement, the truth of the situation began to seep into his gin-soaked mind. The last any outside the bog ever heard from him were his muffled cries begging mercy, cursing his captors, and promising eternal revenge. Neither he nor the Viroeni youths was ever seen alive again. But life — such as it was to become — was not entirely over for Hamish MacDuncan. The Viroeni matriarch’s curse, enacted by the vengeance of her sons, came to fruition when Hamish did not rest easy but awoke after only a short time as a vampiric monster. His immersion in the bog waters had not been kind to his physical body, so he emerged as a grotesque nosferatu, a foul caricature of the vitality he had known in life. [b]Eladrian, Groaning Spirit:[/b] ? [b]Swamp Mummy:[/b] The ghastly reminders of Hamish’s infamous deed are visible throughout the Wytch Bog. Stray bones, personal mementoes, and shreds of clothing line the edges of most stagnant ponds in the accursed parcel of wetlands. These objects, however, can never fully reveal the abject terror the victims experienced during their final moments. These raw emotions stir the dead back into existence as undead monstrosities. [b]Draugr:[/b] Unfortunately the horrible circumstances surrounding the deaths of these ships’ sailors left some of them hungry for revenge. A draugr captain with his remaining crewmembers serving as his 2 draugr mates hide within the wreckage of the Flighty Amalie, emerging to attack encroaching humanoids. [b]Undead:[/b] The PCs’ subsequent delve into the bog enters a haunted realm populated by shambling corpses, vengeful undead creatures, and pathetic spirits borne from Hamish’s genocide. [/QUOTE]
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