Voadam
Legend
A Magical Society Aggressive Ecology: The Undead Leviathan (OSRIC)
OSRIC
Undead Leviathan: Undead leviathans are whale corpses reanimated through negative energy sinks at the ocean’s floor.
A whale fall is an unusual event in and of itself, but occasionally these massive bounties of detrital material land in places that simply cannot sustain natural life of any sort: a negative energy sink. These strange negative energies infuse a whale carcass with unholy power, giving it unlife, mobility, and malevolence — creating an undead leviathan.
Occasionally, something goes terribly wrong in the whale fall natural process — a whale falls into a negative energy sink. After several days, the few specialized creatures that can survive in a negative energy sink “colonize” the whale carcass and prepare for the next step in their life cycle. Within a month, an undead leviathan rises with its accompanying ecosystem and swims away, bringing death where it goes.
Baleen Undead Leviathan: ?
Cachalot Undead Leviathan: ?
Orca Undead Leviathan: ?
Undead Leviathan Tyrant: Undead leviathan tyrants are massive undead leviathans that have gone through their metamorphosis stage i.e. they are fully advanced undead leviathans.
After two decades of feeding, the negative energy aura of the undead leviathan ceases working and it swims to the nearest shore and beaches itself. There it “dies” again and rots on the beach for the next two weeks. After that period of dormancy, it rises as an undead leviathan tyrant.
Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of an undead leviathan occurs towards the end of its “life” cycle. After roaming the seas for around 20 years, the undead leviathan undergoes a metamorphosis and takes to the air before returning to the water. At the appointed time, its negative energy aura ceases working, and it swims to the nearest shore and beaches itself. Once stranded on land, all its unlife functions stop and it is again merely a whale corpse. During the next week, the leviathan spiders within the carcass seek the deepest part of the whale and form calciferous shells around themselves. Once ensconced in their protective chamber (resembling ostrich eggs in size and color), the spiders cease all activity and wait for a subtle change in pressure before reemerging.
All the while, the beached whale carcass bloats and swells tremendously, and this pause for decomposition is vital for attracting scavenger birds to the site. Roughly two weeks after landing, the undead leviathan returns to unlife with an even more deadly negative energy aura.
Baleen Undead Leviathan Tyrant: ?
Cachalot Undead Leviathan Tyrant: ?
Orca Undead Leviathan Tyrant: ?
Skeletal Scavenger: Formed from combined carcasses of birds killed by the undead leviathan’s negative energy aura, skeletal scavengers are man-sized avian skeletons that magically fly as if they still possessed wings.
Roughly two weeks after landing, the undead leviathan returns to unlife with an even more deadly negative energy aura. Any scavenger birds killed in this burst of negative energy form the latest creature compliment to the ecology: the skeletal scavengers. The instant after death, their avian flesh begins to melt away, leaving only bony bird skeletons behind.
Skeletal scavengers are only created by an undead leviathan tyrant.
Zombie: For instance, if you’re in a particularly rat bastard mood and willing to really challenge your PCs, you could have the undead leviathan’s aura spawn undead. This would mean that any creature killed in the aura would rise as an undead (you’ll have to decide in what time frame—a day or two would be rough, but instantaneously would be terrifying).
Undead: For instance, if you’re in a particularly rat bastard mood and willing to really challenge your PCs, you could have the undead leviathan’s aura spawn undead. This would mean that any creature killed in the aura would rise as an undead (you’ll have to decide in what time frame—a day or two would be rough, but instantaneously would be terrifying).
Mummy: ?
Wraith: ?
OSRIC
Undead Leviathan: Undead leviathans are whale corpses reanimated through negative energy sinks at the ocean’s floor.
A whale fall is an unusual event in and of itself, but occasionally these massive bounties of detrital material land in places that simply cannot sustain natural life of any sort: a negative energy sink. These strange negative energies infuse a whale carcass with unholy power, giving it unlife, mobility, and malevolence — creating an undead leviathan.
Occasionally, something goes terribly wrong in the whale fall natural process — a whale falls into a negative energy sink. After several days, the few specialized creatures that can survive in a negative energy sink “colonize” the whale carcass and prepare for the next step in their life cycle. Within a month, an undead leviathan rises with its accompanying ecosystem and swims away, bringing death where it goes.
Baleen Undead Leviathan: ?
Cachalot Undead Leviathan: ?
Orca Undead Leviathan: ?
Undead Leviathan Tyrant: Undead leviathan tyrants are massive undead leviathans that have gone through their metamorphosis stage i.e. they are fully advanced undead leviathans.
After two decades of feeding, the negative energy aura of the undead leviathan ceases working and it swims to the nearest shore and beaches itself. There it “dies” again and rots on the beach for the next two weeks. After that period of dormancy, it rises as an undead leviathan tyrant.
Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of an undead leviathan occurs towards the end of its “life” cycle. After roaming the seas for around 20 years, the undead leviathan undergoes a metamorphosis and takes to the air before returning to the water. At the appointed time, its negative energy aura ceases working, and it swims to the nearest shore and beaches itself. Once stranded on land, all its unlife functions stop and it is again merely a whale corpse. During the next week, the leviathan spiders within the carcass seek the deepest part of the whale and form calciferous shells around themselves. Once ensconced in their protective chamber (resembling ostrich eggs in size and color), the spiders cease all activity and wait for a subtle change in pressure before reemerging.
All the while, the beached whale carcass bloats and swells tremendously, and this pause for decomposition is vital for attracting scavenger birds to the site. Roughly two weeks after landing, the undead leviathan returns to unlife with an even more deadly negative energy aura.
Baleen Undead Leviathan Tyrant: ?
Cachalot Undead Leviathan Tyrant: ?
Orca Undead Leviathan Tyrant: ?
Skeletal Scavenger: Formed from combined carcasses of birds killed by the undead leviathan’s negative energy aura, skeletal scavengers are man-sized avian skeletons that magically fly as if they still possessed wings.
Roughly two weeks after landing, the undead leviathan returns to unlife with an even more deadly negative energy aura. Any scavenger birds killed in this burst of negative energy form the latest creature compliment to the ecology: the skeletal scavengers. The instant after death, their avian flesh begins to melt away, leaving only bony bird skeletons behind.
Skeletal scavengers are only created by an undead leviathan tyrant.
Zombie: For instance, if you’re in a particularly rat bastard mood and willing to really challenge your PCs, you could have the undead leviathan’s aura spawn undead. This would mean that any creature killed in the aura would rise as an undead (you’ll have to decide in what time frame—a day or two would be rough, but instantaneously would be terrifying).
Undead: For instance, if you’re in a particularly rat bastard mood and willing to really challenge your PCs, you could have the undead leviathan’s aura spawn undead. This would mean that any creature killed in the aura would rise as an undead (you’ll have to decide in what time frame—a day or two would be rough, but instantaneously would be terrifying).
Mummy: ?
Wraith: ?
