Awnshegh - Revision history

imported>Administrator: 52 revisions imported

2023-06-17T21:35:31Z

52 revisions imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 21:35, 17 June 2023
(No difference)

81.241.25.33: /* The Chimaera */

2022-01-14T13:52:54Z

The Chimaera

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:52, 14 January 2022
Line 41:		Line 41:

	==[[Chimera\| The Chimaera]]==		==[[Chimera\| The Chimaera]]==
	Danita Kusor was once a half-elf wizardess, one who tried to become immortal and eternally young via alchemy and necromancy without using divine power. Perhaps addled by self-experimentation with her elixirs, she theorized that, while no one species could regenerate fully, a blend of various humanoid and non-humanoid factors might let her create a potion that could restore life to a corpse. In the process, she committed several murders, went into exile, and created a husk of stitched-together parts that she tried to animate with magic and alchemy. After fighting with and killing an awnshegh known as the Iron Troll, both she and her creation absorbed some of its power, causing the latter to come to life as the minor awnshegh called the Binman, ~~shattering~~ its restraints ~~and drenching her~~ in mutagenic alchemical sludge. The two struggled before she drove the creature off, but her little dip had already altered her body and mind. Believing that the Iron Troll's death-energy had suffused not only her but every potion in her ~~labrotory~~, she had the bright idea to ~~make~~ a huge bathtub ~~full of~~ all her mixed-together potions, dragon's blood, and the saliva of a [[displacer beast]] before diving in. What came out was a hideous ~~mismash~~ of half-elf, dragon, and displacer beast, the awnshegh known as the Chimera.		Danita Kusor was once a half-elf wizardess, one who tried to become immortal and eternally young via alchemy and necromancy without using divine power. Perhaps addled by self-experimentation with her elixirs she theorized that, while no one species could regenerate fully, a blend of various humanoid and non-humanoid factors might let her create a potion that could restore life to a corpse. In the process, she committed several murders, went into exile and created a husk of stitched-together parts that she tried to animate with magic and alchemy. After fighting with and killing an awnshegh known as the Iron Troll, both she and her creation absorbed some of its power, causing the latter to come to life as the minor awnshegh called the Binman. Said Binman wasn't happy with it, though, and it shattered its restraints, drenched Danita in mutagenic alchemical sludge and tried to kill her. The two struggled before she drove the creature off, but her little dip had already altered her body and mind. Believing that the Iron Troll's death-energy had suffused not only her but every potion in her laboratory, she had the bright idea to fill a huge bathtub with all her mixed-together potions, dragon's blood, and the saliva of a [[displacer beast]] before diving in. What came out was a hideous mish-mash of half-elf, dragon, and displacer beast: the awnshegh now known as the Chimera.

	The Chimera is physically and mentally unstable, able to shift between her original half-elf shape and the mixed-up "beast form." Her beast form is shifting and changing over time, a process seemingly exacerbated by killing and absorbing the powers of various heroes who show up trying to get rid of her. Both her forms are capable of speech, though her beast form is considerably more feral and less intelligent, and both are quite ~~mad~~. She ''isn't'' Invulnerable, for a nice change, but she does have Regeneration, enhanced senses, a variety of spells in human form, and a variety of monster powers in beast form, including flight, claws, and fangs. Two of her many limbs always remain as human arms even in beast form, with which she wields daggers and wands. Her transformations are somehow tied to the phases of the moons; her wild mood swings stabilize as the full moon approaches.		The Chimera is physically and mentally unstable, able to shift between her original half-elf shape and the mixed-up "beast form". Her beast form is shifting and changing over time, a process seemingly exacerbated by killing and absorbing the powers of various heroes who show up trying to get rid of her. Both her forms are capable of speech, though her beast form is considerably more feral and less intelligent, and both are quite insane. She ''isn't'' Invulnerable, for a nice change, but she does have Regeneration, enhanced senses, a variety of spells in human form, and a variety of monster powers in beast form, including flight, claws, and fangs. Two of her many limbs always remain as human arms even in beast form, with which she wields daggers and wands. Her transformations are somehow tied to the phases of the moons; her wild mood swings stabilize as the full moon approaches.

	Her Holding, the Chimaeron, is mostly governed by a Council of Leaders, town mayors and officials who are largely escaped criminals from other nations ~~and~~ do what she commands ~~when~~ she bothers to involve herself in politics. She controls all Sources within, though, only playing cat and mouse with some wizard brothers for fun. It is a haven for criminals from other nations, including bandits, smugglers, and pirates. Ironically, original incarnation of the Council formed when the locals tried to unite to rid themselves of the Chimera, only for her to co-opt the process to seize control. Local legend has it that a nascent ehrshegh may be forming in a cave deep in the mountains, a huge bear-man called the Bruin, who will one day kill the Chimera and drive out the evil that infests the Chimaeron.		Her Holding, the Chimaeron, is mostly governed by a Council of Leaders, town mayors and officials who are largely escaped criminals from other nations; they do what she commands whenever she bothers to involve herself in politics. She controls all Sources within, though, only playing cat and mouse with some wizard brothers for fun. It is a haven for criminals from other nations, including bandits, smugglers, and pirates. Ironically, the original incarnation of the Council formed when the locals tried to unite to rid themselves of the Chimera, only for her to co-opt the process and seize control. Local legend has it that a nascent ehrshegh may be forming in a cave deep in the mountains, a huge bear-man called the Bruin, who will one day kill the Chimera and drive out the evil that infests the Chimaeron.

	==The Elf==		==The Elf==

1d4chan>SpectralTime: /* The Minotaur */

2021-08-23T20:30:46Z

The Minotaur

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:30, 23 August 2021
Line 128:		Line 128:
	Maalvar the Minotaur doesn't properly resemble the classical bull-headed humanoid. Instead, he looks like a bull-centaur, with two curving bull's horns growing from his human head. The horns are themselves carved with glowing runes with the same effect as an amulet of proof against detection and location, making magical attempts to scry or learn about him impossible. He is a fearsome opponent, not because of cheap bullshit like Regeneration or Invulnerability, but just by being built like a dumptruck with super-strength, buckets of hitpoints and good AC, all the good sensory powers, hefty resistance and an immortal lifetime to hone his skill at fighting unarmed. He can also make trample attacks that stun enemies, and unlike most such monsters he's ''smart'', with lifetimes of experience fighting and winning against monsters bigger than himself or more-dangerous and better armed forces. Maalvar's only real weakness is that he sometimes goes into a brief berserker frenzy, giving him a bucket of temporary hitpoints and a huge damage boost, as well as only going unconscious rather than dying when brought to zero, but removing some of his incredible tactical awareness in favor of killing anything in reach, friend or foe, though he leaves them pretty easily.		Maalvar the Minotaur doesn't properly resemble the classical bull-headed humanoid. Instead, he looks like a bull-centaur, with two curving bull's horns growing from his human head. The horns are themselves carved with glowing runes with the same effect as an amulet of proof against detection and location, making magical attempts to scry or learn about him impossible. He is a fearsome opponent, not because of cheap bullshit like Regeneration or Invulnerability, but just by being built like a dumptruck with super-strength, buckets of hitpoints and good AC, all the good sensory powers, hefty resistance and an immortal lifetime to hone his skill at fighting unarmed. He can also make trample attacks that stun enemies, and unlike most such monsters he's ''smart'', with lifetimes of experience fighting and winning against monsters bigger than himself or more-dangerous and better armed forces. Maalvar's only real weakness is that he sometimes goes into a brief berserker frenzy, giving him a bucket of temporary hitpoints and a huge damage boost, as well as only going unconscious rather than dying when brought to zero, but removing some of his incredible tactical awareness in favor of killing anything in reach, friend or foe, though he leaves them pretty easily.

	Also, despite his rages and depressions, Maalvar is kind of a bro. In three hundred years, he's never given into the temptation of evil (his alignment is still just chaotic neutral), he's chosen to live in semi-isolation so that he won't hurt anyone when he rages without "reason or honor," and the Itave, the "primitive" aboriginal peoples of Cerillia who have been largely displaced by immigrants over the years and who had lived in the Maze before he took it over, love and respect him. He's actually a pretty good king to them, teaching their champions how to fight, only really leaning on them to help build new settlements with his skill at masonry, and he is one of only a few people who can properly navigate the labrynth of the Maze, battling the weird and deadly creatures that occasionally show up to keep them safe. Even in his present state, Maalvar is a good barbarian king of his barbarian people.		Also, despite his rages and depressions, Maalvar is kind of a bro. In three hundred years, he's never given into the temptation of evil (his alignment is still just chaotic neutral), he's chosen to live in semi-isolation so that he won't hurt anyone when he rages without "reason or honor," and the Itave, the "primitive" aboriginal peoples of Cerillia who have been largely displaced by immigrants over the years and who had lived in the Maze before he took it over, love and respect him. He's actually a pretty good king to them, teaching their champions how to fight, only really leaning on them to help build new settlements with his skill at masonry, and he is one of only a few people who can properly navigate the labrynth of the Maze, battling the weird and deadly creatures that occasionally show up to keep them safe. Furthermore, while raging, he doesn't have the mental acuity to navigate the Maze, meaning it protects others from his furious anger. Even in his present state, Maalvar is a good barbarian king of his barbarian people.

	==The Raven==		==The Raven==

1d4chan>SpectralTime: /* The Serpent */

2020-11-23T03:32:41Z

The Serpent

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:32, 23 November 2020
Line 134:		Line 134:
	==The Seadrake==		==The Seadrake==

	==The Serpent==		==[[Yuan-ti\| The Serpent]]==

	==[[Siren\|The Siren]]==		==[[Siren\|The Siren]]==

1d4chan>SpectralTime: /* The Minotaur */

2020-11-22T00:10:49Z

The Minotaur

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:10, 22 November 2020
Line 128:		Line 128:
	Maalvar the Minotaur doesn't properly resemble the classical bull-headed humanoid. Instead, he looks like a bull-centaur, with two curving bull's horns growing from his human head. The horns are themselves carved with glowing runes with the same effect as an amulet of proof against detection and location, making magical attempts to scry or learn about him impossible. He is a fearsome opponent, not because of cheap bullshit like Regeneration or Invulnerability, but just by being built like a dumptruck with super-strength, buckets of hitpoints and good AC, all the good sensory powers, hefty resistance and an immortal lifetime to hone his skill at fighting unarmed. He can also make trample attacks that stun enemies, and unlike most such monsters he's ''smart'', with lifetimes of experience fighting and winning against monsters bigger than himself or more-dangerous and better armed forces. Maalvar's only real weakness is that he sometimes goes into a brief berserker frenzy, giving him a bucket of temporary hitpoints and a huge damage boost, as well as only going unconscious rather than dying when brought to zero, but removing some of his incredible tactical awareness in favor of killing anything in reach, friend or foe, though he leaves them pretty easily.		Maalvar the Minotaur doesn't properly resemble the classical bull-headed humanoid. Instead, he looks like a bull-centaur, with two curving bull's horns growing from his human head. The horns are themselves carved with glowing runes with the same effect as an amulet of proof against detection and location, making magical attempts to scry or learn about him impossible. He is a fearsome opponent, not because of cheap bullshit like Regeneration or Invulnerability, but just by being built like a dumptruck with super-strength, buckets of hitpoints and good AC, all the good sensory powers, hefty resistance and an immortal lifetime to hone his skill at fighting unarmed. He can also make trample attacks that stun enemies, and unlike most such monsters he's ''smart'', with lifetimes of experience fighting and winning against monsters bigger than himself or more-dangerous and better armed forces. Maalvar's only real weakness is that he sometimes goes into a brief berserker frenzy, giving him a bucket of temporary hitpoints and a huge damage boost, as well as only going unconscious rather than dying when brought to zero, but removing some of his incredible tactical awareness in favor of killing anything in reach, friend or foe, though he leaves them pretty easily.

	Also, despite his rages and depressions, Maalvar is kind of a bro. In three hundred years, he's never given into the temptation of evil (his alignment is still just chaotic neutral), he's chosen to live in semi-isolation so that he won't hurt anyone when he rages without "reason or honor," and the Itave, the "primitive" ~~aborigineal~~ peoples of Cerillia who have been largely displaced by immigrants over the years and who had lived in the Maze before he took it over, love and respect him. He's actually a pretty good king to them, teaching their champions how to fight, only really leaning on them to help build new settlements with his skill at masonry, and he is one of only a few people who can properly navigate the labrynth of the Maze, battling the weird and deadly creatures that occasionally show up to keep them safe. Even in his present state, Maalvar is a good barbarian king of his barbarian people.		Also, despite his rages and depressions, Maalvar is kind of a bro. In three hundred years, he's never given into the temptation of evil (his alignment is still just chaotic neutral), he's chosen to live in semi-isolation so that he won't hurt anyone when he rages without "reason or honor," and the Itave, the "primitive" aboriginal peoples of Cerillia who have been largely displaced by immigrants over the years and who had lived in the Maze before he took it over, love and respect him. He's actually a pretty good king to them, teaching their champions how to fight, only really leaning on them to help build new settlements with his skill at masonry, and he is one of only a few people who can properly navigate the labrynth of the Maze, battling the weird and deadly creatures that occasionally show up to keep them safe. Even in his present state, Maalvar is a good barbarian king of his barbarian people.

	==The Raven==		==The Raven==

1d4chan>SpectralTime: /* The Minotaur */

2020-11-22T00:10:38Z

The Minotaur

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:10, 22 November 2020
Line 124:		Line 124:

	==[[Minotaur\|The Minotaur]]==		==[[Minotaur\|The Minotaur]]==
	~~Unlike what you might be expecting~~, ~~this~~ awnshegh looks ~~more~~ like a [[centaur]] with the ~~lower body~~ of a ~~bull~~ and ~~horns coming out~~ of ~~its head~~.		The lord of the Maze of the Minotaur is mysterious; though folklore links him to the famous adventurer Maalvar there's some scholarly dispute as to its veracity and accuracy. While he sometimes gives interviews, the Minotaur is a mercurial person, given to dark moods and harsh rages, and secretive, never giving up too much about his past and cutting short any interview that asks too directly. Either way, Maalvar was a consummate mercenary leader, brilliant tactician, and [[murderhobo]] in his day; never on the side of true evil, but generally more on the side of victory and swag than good. But the blood of Azrai began to grow in power within him, and eventually Maalvar gave up his power and influence as an in-demand mercenary to become a small-scale adventurer then, it seems, after losing all his friends to the Sandpiper, a deadly desert awnshegh, he disappeared... possibly after committing bloodtheft on the monster and fully transforming into the Minotaur. Maalvar was also famous for wearing a black suit of armor, which may even have belonged to Prince Raesene long ago, and the Minotaur still fits into the breastplate.

			Maalvar the Minotaur doesn't properly resemble the classical bull-headed humanoid. Instead, he looks like a bull-centaur, with two curving bull's horns growing from his human head. The horns are themselves carved with glowing runes with the same effect as an amulet of proof against detection and location, making magical attempts to scry or learn about him impossible. He is a fearsome opponent, not because of cheap bullshit like Regeneration or Invulnerability, but just by being built like a dumptruck with super-strength, buckets of hitpoints and good AC, all the good sensory powers, hefty resistance and an immortal lifetime to hone his skill at fighting unarmed. He can also make trample attacks that stun enemies, and unlike most such monsters he's ''smart'', with lifetimes of experience fighting and winning against monsters bigger than himself or more-dangerous and better armed forces. Maalvar's only real weakness is that he sometimes goes into a brief berserker frenzy, giving him a bucket of temporary hitpoints and a huge damage boost, as well as only going unconscious rather than dying when brought to zero, but removing some of his incredible tactical awareness in favor of killing anything in reach, friend or foe, though he leaves them pretty easily.

			Also, despite his rages and depressions, Maalvar is kind of a bro. In three hundred years, he's never given into the temptation of evil (his alignment is still just chaotic neutral), he's chosen to live in semi-isolation so that he won't hurt anyone when he rages without "reason or honor," and the Itave, the "primitive" aborigineal peoples of Cerillia who have been largely displaced by immigrants over the years and who had lived in the Maze before he took it over, love and respect him. He's actually a pretty good king to them, teaching their champions how to fight, only really leaning on them to help build new settlements with his skill at masonry, and he is one of only a few people who can properly navigate the labrynth of the Maze, battling the weird and deadly creatures that occasionally show up to keep them safe. Even in his present state, Maalvar is a good barbarian king of his barbarian people.

	==The Raven==		==The Raven==

1d4chan>SpectralTime: /* The Manticore */

2020-11-21T23:46:46Z

The Manticore

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:46, 21 November 2020
Line 120:		Line 120:

	For his part, Qander mostly just wants to be left alone. He's got catlike eyes on top of his natural weapons, though he prefers to stick to his skillful swordsmanship unless he's ''really'' pissed off, and he still has all his old adventuring gear, though it's falling apart and in poor repair. His blood powers are not great (for one, he's only got minor regeneration, though he ''does'' have Travel and Divine Wrath, presumably from when he was an adventurer), but he's still a good fighter. That said, his primary role in his "domain" is to be a figurehead and catspaw for Y'urre, the ''true'' villain of this particular area, and a neat little built-in twist that plays with the way we expect these things to work.		For his part, Qander mostly just wants to be left alone. He's got catlike eyes on top of his natural weapons, though he prefers to stick to his skillful swordsmanship unless he's ''really'' pissed off, and he still has all his old adventuring gear, though it's falling apart and in poor repair. His blood powers are not great (for one, he's only got minor regeneration, though he ''does'' have Travel and Divine Wrath, presumably from when he was an adventurer), but he's still a good fighter. That said, his primary role in his "domain" is to be a figurehead and catspaw for Y'urre, the ''true'' villain of this particular area, and a neat little built-in twist that plays with the way we expect these things to work.

			Part of the charade is holding up what ''looks like'' a civil war, with the Domain seemingly both fighting with and kowtowing to the Manticore. Y'urre has also negotiated alliances with the Raven and the White Witch for spell components, in his master/puppet's name but without his knowledge. For his part, the Raven has figured it all out, and is just waiting for the greedy shadow ruler's house of cards to collapse before he sweeps in and snaps it all up, including the poor remorseful "ruler."

	==[[Minotaur\|The Minotaur]]==		==[[Minotaur\|The Minotaur]]==

1d4chan>SpectralTime: /* The Manticore */

2020-11-21T23:43:45Z

The Manticore

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:43, 21 November 2020
Line 114:		Line 114:

	==[[Manticore\|The Manticore]]==		==[[Manticore\|The Manticore]]==

			Shortly after the Magian took over his new domain in a coup, Qandar the Righteous, a paladin of Avani, attempted to lead a party of heroes to destroy the lich. Unfortunately, they were absolutely worsted, with only a few ever coming home, and Qandar the only blooded hero to escape. By the time he did, he'd already been subjected to a year of horrible experiments, including the awnshegh's custom ''bloodline corruption'' spell. Qander had already lost his faith and was troubled by stormy dark moods, but he tried to keep a lid on himself, and hide his loss of class abilities and bloodform manifestations from everyone but his beloved cousin, with whom he sought shelter, and who swore an oath of secrecy to his friend. Unfortunately, a sneaky snake of a courtier, Y'urre, was eavesdropping, and used this information to go from ninth in line to next in line by de-closeting poor Qander and blaming the prince.

			In a frenzy, Qander lost control of himself, sliding into awnshegh-hood and slaughtering his cousin and his family, revealing that one of his arms had grown longer than the other, both sprouted hideous claws, and a muscular, scaly tail protruded from behind him. Y'urre, playing the snivelling sympathetic sycophant, convinced the brooding and paranoid Qander that he was his only friend. Publically, "the Manticore" is the sole ruler of "the Manticore's Domain," struggling with his dark nature and Y'urre merely his public face, but secretly, Y'urre is the true puppeteer behind the situation, playing both sides. He is skilled at pretending to be a spineless wimp, couching unpopular policies as coming from the Manticore and popular ones as things he's pushed through on his own, while also convincing troublesome people that he's totally on their side and that they can totally take this Manticore poser. Y'urre ''also'' warns the Manticore that they're coming, and presents himself as the poor fallen and miserable paladin's only friend, "warning him of their approach" so that they will be surely slaughtered. He's also put out a 5000 gp reward for the Manticore's destruction for appearances that he hopes no one claims.

			For his part, Qander mostly just wants to be left alone. He's got catlike eyes on top of his natural weapons, though he prefers to stick to his skillful swordsmanship unless he's ''really'' pissed off, and he still has all his old adventuring gear, though it's falling apart and in poor repair. His blood powers are not great (for one, he's only got minor regeneration, though he ''does'' have Travel and Divine Wrath, presumably from when he was an adventurer), but he's still a good fighter. That said, his primary role in his "domain" is to be a figurehead and catspaw for Y'urre, the ''true'' villain of this particular area, and a neat little built-in twist that plays with the way we expect these things to work.

	==[[Minotaur\|The Minotaur]]==		==[[Minotaur\|The Minotaur]]==

76.14.153.191: /* The Lamia */

2020-09-22T23:05:08Z

The Lamia

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:05, 22 September 2020
Line 95:		Line 95:
	==[[Lamia\|The Lamia]]==		==[[Lamia\|The Lamia]]==

	Keta Pechaya was a one-time exotic dancer, con-woman, and thief, who accidentally absorbed the tainted bloodline of a man dying on a battlefield when she murdered him to loot the corpse. Years later, after killing and draining several Blooded folk to power up, she murdered the king of Besaiam and became ruler as the Lamia, spending away the country's wealth constantly funding vainglorious monuments to herself. Physically, she hews to the original ''D&D'' depiction of the lamia, as more of a lion-taur than a snake-woman (with a hypothetical snake-woman awnshegh called "the Naga" instead used to illustrate the bloodform power). That said, if the tauric thing isn't a dealbreaker, she's still pretty good looking for an awnshegh... though her left hand's fingernails can extend like a cat's claws and slice through metal when she's mad.		Keta Pechaya was a one-time exotic dancer, con-woman, and thief, who accidentally absorbed the tainted bloodline of a man dying on a battlefield when she murdered him to loot the corpse. Years later, after killing and draining several Blooded folk to power up, she murdered the king of Besaiam and became ruler as the Lamia, spending away the country's wealth constantly funding vainglorious monuments to herself. Physically, she hews to the original ''D&D'' depiction of the lamia as more of a lion-taur than a snake-woman (with a hypothetical snake-woman awnshegh called "the Naga" instead used to illustrate the bloodform power). That said, if the tauric thing isn't a dealbreaker, she's still pretty good looking for an awnshegh... though her left hand's fingernails can extend like a cat's claws and slice through metal when she's mad.

	Her main powers are her ability to instantly charm men, whether with a glance or an aura, and a touch that drains [[Wisdom]] and makes men into her fawning servitors. Women are immune to these powers, which is one of the reasons she gets very... catty (hee) whenever pretty ladies are around, the other being that she is envious of her lost human beauty. Between her various charmed puppets and a fair-sized army of mercenaries, she actually controls a decent-sized holding, where the common people are lied to about being ruled by an awnshegh and subjected to ruinous taxation. But she doesn't regularly pillage her own people, and at least some of her appetite for wealth is sated through extorting and terrorizing her neighbors. She's also managed to corner the market on a rare deer whose horns are used as spell components by sending poachers to kill the rest in neighboring countries. The Lamia has a cautious alliance with the Raven, planning to invade and split Cwmb Bheinn between the two of them soon, Poland-style.		Her main powers are her ability to instantly charm men, whether with a glance or an aura, and a touch that drains [[Wisdom]] and makes men into her fawning servitors. Women are immune to these powers, which is one of the reasons she gets very... catty (hee) whenever pretty ladies are around, the other being that she is envious of her lost human beauty. Between her various charmed puppets and a fair-sized army of mercenaries, she actually controls a decent-sized holding, where the common people are lied to about being ruled by an awnshegh and subjected to ruinous taxation. But she doesn't regularly pillage her own people, and at least some of her appetite for wealth is sated through extorting and terrorizing her neighbors. She's also managed to corner the market on a rare deer whose horns are used as spell components by sending poachers to kill the rest in neighboring countries. The Lamia has a cautious alliance with the Raven, planning to invade and split Cwmb Bheinn between the two of them soon, Poland-style.

1d4chan>SpectralTime: /* The Gorgon */

2020-08-29T22:49:25Z

The Gorgon

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:49, 29 August 2020
Line 63:		Line 63:
	In the years since, he ultimately killed his brother's descendant, and last Emperor of Anuire, Michael Roele in a final battle, though Michael might've had the last laugh. Raesene underestimated Michael's determination to save his people, and destroying him cost him the last dregs of his humanity. Though the creature still believes himself to be Raesene, all that's left is the Gorgon. Also, some folklore suggests that Michael somehow warded or ground out his own power as the dark creature committed bloodtheft on him, forcing the Gorgon to remain confined to his castle and seat of his power for long periods. Either way, no one could ever mistake the stony monster the Gorgon is now for the handsome man he used to be. With a huge, many-horned head filled with ape-like fangs, stony skin bristling with spiky growths, digitigrade legs ending in diamond-hard hooves, and an enormous overall stature, the Gorgon is every inch the monster-king. Additionally, the Gorgon regularly kills and "harvests" bloodlines within the Gorgon's Crown, his huge and ominous Holding, to gain more power for himself.		In the years since, he ultimately killed his brother's descendant, and last Emperor of Anuire, Michael Roele in a final battle, though Michael might've had the last laugh. Raesene underestimated Michael's determination to save his people, and destroying him cost him the last dregs of his humanity. Though the creature still believes himself to be Raesene, all that's left is the Gorgon. Also, some folklore suggests that Michael somehow warded or ground out his own power as the dark creature committed bloodtheft on him, forcing the Gorgon to remain confined to his castle and seat of his power for long periods. Either way, no one could ever mistake the stony monster the Gorgon is now for the handsome man he used to be. With a huge, many-horned head filled with ape-like fangs, stony skin bristling with spiky growths, digitigrade legs ending in diamond-hard hooves, and an enormous overall stature, the Gorgon is every inch the monster-king. Additionally, the Gorgon regularly kills and "harvests" bloodlines within the Gorgon's Crown, his huge and ominous Holding, to gain more power for himself.

	The Gorgon actually ''doesn't'' have Invulnerability, but, well, he was one of the greatest swordsmen in the world ''before'' he had a millenium and a half of practice. He also has Regeneration, his stony skin gives him hefty magic resistance and immunity to all but +3 or better magic weapons, and he can kill or turn people to stone by looking at them. He also has a bristling arsenal of powerful magical weapons, including his favorite weapon ''Lifeender'', one of the twelve tighmaevril bloodsilver weapons in the setting. The Gorgon is also terribly, terribly patient: after all, he's immortal, as near as anyone can tell, so he's got all the time in the world to plot the downfall and conquest of all other nations. He seeks to become the emperor and absolute master of the ~~entire~~ continent of Cerilia, then of the entire world; his burning ambition is a hot and insatiable thing.		The Gorgon actually ''doesn't'' have Invulnerability, but, well, he was one of the greatest swordsmen in the world ''before'' he had a millenium and a half of practice. He also has Regeneration, his stony skin gives him hefty magic resistance and immunity to all but +3 or better magic weapons, and he can kill or turn people to stone by looking at them. He also has a bristling arsenal of powerful magical weapons, including his favorite weapon ''Lifeender'', one of the twelve tighmaevril bloodsilver weapons in the setting. The Gorgon is also terribly, terribly patient: after all, he's immortal, as near as anyone can tell, so he's got all the time in the world to plot the downfall and conquest of all other nations. He seeks to become the emperor and absolute master of the whole continent of Cerilia, then of the entire world; his burning ambition is a hot and insatiable thing.

	The Gorgon's Crown, his personal Holding, is a huge expanse of volcanic wasteland, riven with seismic activity befitting a ruler with such burning rage and ambition within him. It has a huge mixed military force, with access to gnolls, goblins, and human dregs who flee to the Crown with nowhere else to go, though its military captains struggle to prevent racial hatreds from boiling over. The Gorgon is also in an informal alliance with the Magian and the Raven, with all three planning to overwhelm and destroy all opposition, including all other awnshegh nations, before battling it out among themselves, and has some ties to the Elf. He also has many capable and somewhat-loyal lieutenants working for him, including the wicked dwarf and lesser awnshegh Kiras Earthcore, "the Hand of the Gorgon," Courrak Lone Hunter, an old but wily gnoll chieftain, the Goblin King Charqek Talnos, and a mysterous priestess known only as "the Hand of Azrai," who is not blooded but still a high-level cleric of many dark gods.		The Gorgon's Crown, his personal Holding, is a huge expanse of volcanic wasteland, riven with seismic activity befitting a ruler with such burning rage and ambition within him. It has a huge mixed military force, with access to gnolls, goblins, and human dregs who flee to the Crown with nowhere else to go, though its military captains struggle to prevent racial hatreds from boiling over. The Gorgon is also in an informal alliance with the Magian and the Raven, with all three planning to overwhelm and destroy all opposition, including all other awnshegh nations, before battling it out among themselves, and has some ties to the Elf. He also has many capable and somewhat-loyal lieutenants working for him, including the wicked dwarf and lesser awnshegh Kiras Earthcore, "the Hand of the Gorgon," Courrak Lone Hunter, an old but wily gnoll chieftain, the Goblin King Charqek Talnos, and a mysterous priestess known only as "the Hand of Azrai," who is not blooded but still a high-level cleric of many dark gods.