Monster: Fossil

More bones! Just of a perhaps more palatable kind ;3

Fossil
Armour Class: 6/4/2
Hit Dice: 3/6/9*
Move: 90' (30')
stoneswim 90' (30')
Attacks: 3
Damage: 1-4/1-4/1-8 or 1-6/1-6/1-12, or 1-8/1-8/2-20
No. Appearing: 1-4
Save As: F3/6/9
Morale: 12
Treasure Type: I
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 50/725/1950

Fossils are unusual elementals; spirits of earth inhabiting the petrified bones of long-dead creatures. The animating force of the elemental draws the bones together again, granting it a physical body with which to travel through -- literally! -- the mundane world. The hollow eyes of a fossil shine with tiny pinpricks of gold or jade-coloured light. Despite their appearance, fossils are not undead and cannot be turned, harmed by holy water, or otherwise affected by magic or objects that affect the undead.

In combat a fossil strikes with whatever natural weaponry its stony frame possesses, slamming petrified bone into its opponents when necessary. Most fossils possess a combination of “weapons” and attack in a one/one/two pattern, inflicting damage as noted for their Hit Dice above. Fossils of six and nine Hit Dice cause petrification in the bodies of their victims when they strike, effectively draining one level in a round in which the fossil successfully attacked.

Fossils are immune to non-magical weapons, and to all damage from earth and cold. They take double damage from lightning-based attacks.

Monster: Kiknai

Kiknai (Frost Swan)
Armour Class: 7
Hit Dice: 2+2
Move: 120' (40')
fly 180' (60')
Attacks: 2 wings or by weapon
Damage: 1-6/1-6 or by weapon
No. Appearing: 1-3
Save As: F3
Morale: 9
Treasure Type: M
Alignment: Any
XP Value: 35

The kiknai – commonly referred to as “frost swans” or “snow swans” – are large swan-like birds with faintly sparkling, pure white plumage, silver-grey feet and bills, and brilliant blue eyes. Native to the frozen lands, the odd kiknai may put in an appearance in warmer climes, whether as a migrant, a noble's garden ornament, or simple curiosity – as the snow swans are as intelligent as any human, and may take a human shape.

In combat a kiknai will fight with whatever weapons come to hand if it wears a human form, but prefers combat in its native shape. As an avian a kiknai batters with its great wings, inflicting 1-6 hit points of damage with each strike. Every three rounds a snow swan may create a frostwave with its wings, a freezing cone of air measuring 20' long and 10' wide at its end that inflicts 4-16 hit points of damage.

In human shape a kiknai usually but not always has hair of white or silver; their eyes are always brilliant blue, however, and a coolness seems to follow them. In either shape they are immune to all forms of cold.

Magic Item: Cerastes Staff

Cerastes Staff: Though ancient of design and -- like many other objects of their kind -- attributed to the neu of more temperate climes, the cerastes staff has found its greatest popularity amongst the traveling spellcasters and mystics of the Golden Reach and its desert borders. Appearing crafted of bronzewood carved with a sheath of tiny scales and bound with copper rings, when held up to the sun a cerastes staff shines transparent, like brazen glass, and reveals intricate internal clockworks of gold and adamant and garnet. Usable as a weapon, a cerastes staff is more useful still when its fangs are bared.

A cerastes staff is a staff +1. As willed by the bearer of the staff, a pair of small bronze fangs or "horns" may be extended from the side of the weapon; if these horns are used to draw blood -- even a scratch will do -- the staff will negate any one poison affecting the bloodied individual. The staff will then store the poison to be used against a target by deploying the fangs once more, and will not heal again until the stored toxin is expelled.

Monster: Sa'au

Sa'au
Armour Class: 4
Hit Dice: 1+4
Move: 150' (50')
Attacks: 2 claws + 1 bite
Damage: 1-2/1-2/1 + special
No. Appearing: 2-12
Save As: C1
Morale: 12
Treasure Type: Nil
Alignment: Chaotic
XP Value: 23

Eerie little creatures of death, sa'au resemble nothing so much as the half-crystallized, ambulatory skeletons of human infants. Empty jaws chattering like off-key chimes, sa'au prefer to attack in swarms whenever possible, overwhelming their targets with panic before they move in with tiny bone claws to pluck away bits of soulstuff.

In combat sa'au attack with their hardened bony fingers and snapping jaws, inflicting 1-2 hit points per claw and 1 hit point per bite. If sa'au makes a successful bite attack it latches onto its victim, causing 1 point of Constitution to be lost every round until the creature is destroyed. This loss is recovered after four hours; if all Constitution is lost, the victim dies and a new sa'au claws free from the corpse within twenty-four hours.

When first faced with an attacking swarm of sa'au, a save vs. paralyzation must be made or the wave of fear generated by the creatures causes a mental crippling; all actions against the sa'au are at -2 to all rolls until one sa'au is destroyed.

Another Handful of NPCs

Name: Jenan
Class (or lack thereof): Normal Man (jack-of-all-trades)
Armour and Armour Class: none -- AC 9
Hit Points: 4
Weapon(s): dagger, staff
Belongings of Note: wrapped leather packet of honeycomb, dog and small cart
Alignment: Lawful
Notes: Cheerful, but prone to taking sides in an argument. Third-generation daughter of beekeepers, highly knowledgeable about unusual insects and insectoid creatures.


Name: Rilani
Class (or lack thereof): C1
Armour and Armour Class: chain mail -- AC 5
Hit Points: 5
Weapon(s): sling, mace
Belongings of Note: iron and silver holy symbol, linen formal vestments in grey and golden yellow, wolfsbane
Alignment: Neutral
Notes: Cleric of a martial deity and considers running from a battle dishonourable. Has lost a fellow cleric to lycanthropes while a novitiate and rages over the fact; she gains a +1 to hit against such creatures.


Name: Keskia
Class (or lack thereof): Normal Man (scribe and bookkeeper)
Armour and Armour Class: none -- AC 9
Hit Points: 3
Weapon(s): dagger
Belongings of Note: scribal kit, lacquered bronze seal, needle-daggers concealed in hairpins
Alignment: Lawful
Notes: A stickler for details and the letter of the law – but, if her trust is gained, will also happily point out any available loopholes in local laws that deal with taxes, fees and other such levies of cash. Collector of old manuscripts.


Name: Tajar
Class (or lack thereof): F1
Armour and Armour Class: leather armour -- AC 8
Hit Points: 7
Weapon(s): dagger, shortbow, spear
Belongings of Note: bundle of raw pelts, bone charms and carving tools, set of boar's tusks
Alignment: Chaotic
Notes: Flighty but not violent, save when startled or expecting the local law to come crashing down on poachers. Gets highly agitated when she is in an urban environment for longer than a night or two. Loves baby ducks.