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| Illustration by "Dug" |
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Grarn
DESCRIPTION: The Grarn is a creature that is as old as dragons. It is a fearsome beast some 200 feet long from head to tip of tail. It has toad-like features with elements of turtle and dragon. Rather than a single shell, there are plates along its body with spikes and ridges. On its head are three eyes, all of which glow brightly light up the underwater world as it seeks prey (30' range). Deep inside the Grarn is a burning fire, which can be seen when it opens mouth. Flames lick out, scorching anyone in its path. The last Grarn documented was of a gray-green coloration, while another was reported as a rust-brown (or as the scribe poetically wrote, "..its hyde was as that of blood burnt in embers...". Of course, it may be the same Grarn in different colorations at different ages.
The Grarn in most respects is a peaceful creature, except that some great battlemage had discovered the beast far below and fashioned a helm which he could control the Grarn. The battlemage had only one opportunity to use the helm before he lost control of the Grarn and was trampled and swallowed whole. However, the helm survived and its value was not realized until hundreds of years later, and the helm was passed from one power hungry individual to another, only to lose their sanity or lives in an attempt to control the fantastic beast.
COMBAT/TACTICS: Without the helm, the Grarn will not come to the surface, preferring to stay in its dark underwater world, feeding off sickly whales, giant squid, or other massive creatures which it can consume. With the helm, The Grarn immediately, semi-mindlessly, follows commands directed by the wearer (which will be described below). The Grarn has the ability to appear within 1-6 turns to the general location of the wearer. Commands to the Grarn are simple at best. He will attack with his mighty claws first, crawling out of the water, doing 4-24 points of damage each. At the same time, he'll instinctively snap his massive jaws at anyone or anything in his path, causing 3-36 points of damage. If a Grarn hits two points higher than what he needs to-hit, he automatically swallows individuals, whereby the victim must save vs. dragon breath each round or suffer fire damage as he falls into the Grarn's burning stomach. Damage is equal to half the Grarn's hitpoints (so, good luck with that one). Anyone within 20' of the Grarn's maw must also save vs. dragon's breath or suffer 1-8 points of damage from the flames licking out.
A Grarn likes to drag its massive body over buildings, towers, carts, whatever is in its path in order to utterly destroy it. This tactic causes 4-80 pts. of structural damage per round. The Grarn has the ability to recover 4 hitpoints per round as well, eventually healing massive wounds over time.
WEAKNESSES: The only ways to disrupt the power of the helm is to either stop the wearer, or by attacking the Grarn's middle eye. The middle eye can take 24 points of damage, but when the Grarn regenerates, this will be the first organ it will reconstruct.
The Helm: The helm is relatively unremarkable in its appearance, since it is scuffed, scorched and dinged from years of passing from hand to hand, however, it has managed to maintain its dweomer over the eons. An adventurer may pass up the helm, not realizing its true value. Any character who dons the helm must save vs. magic or suffer immediate psychic trauma (roll 1d6 for quirks and flaws). Those who manage to withstand the initial donning, will suddenly come to understand the importance of the helm and what it can do. The character will be able to call the Grarn, and it will come to him within 1-6 turns, doing his bidding. The character can give simple commands to the creature once it appears, instructing it to destroy (it will perform no other function), but each round after the appearance of the creature, the master of the helm must must save vs. magic at -1 penalty. If he fails he will fall unconscious, breaking his control of the Grarn (whereupon the creature will return to the depths), and 1-6 traits must be rolled on the quirks and flaws table. If the character manages to sustain his control, he will continue to suffer an accumulative -1 per round until he has failed a save, and 1-6 quirks and flaws be applied. Also, the person can not don the helm again for another 24 hours, or else he'd suffer immediate insanity. Every time the wearer dons the helmet, he continues to risk the quirks and flaws as well as a 20% cumulative chance of going insane. If the wearer does go insane, the Grarn will no longer obey the wearer's commands. It has never happened, but if one wearer attempts to wear the helm more than 6 times, he will automatically die, no save.
HABITAT/SOCIETY: Most of the time, underwater adventurers will pass right over the Grarn, unaware that it is even there. It resides on the bottom of the deepest seas or oceans in the great muck, pretty much minding its own business, surviving on the bottom-feeders and remnants of great creatures. The Grarn comes out only when it is hungry. If its findings are meager, it will be forced to hunt, and then it will only attack large, lame or old creatures. Grarn's social structure is unknown as no one has ever observed two Grarn together. Although, large petrified eggs have been discovered in deep waters which may belong to the beast.
ECOLOGY: Since Grarn's are incredibly rare, their means of reproduction are unknown. It is not known if the Grarn is the same Grarn since the beginning of time or several different Grarns. These answers may never be answered. A Grarn is harmless as long as no one commands the helm.
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YIELD:
Medicinal: Tooth shards can be ground and made into a potion of Regeneration or Fire Resistance. Spell Components: A small piece of Grarn tooth, scale, or hide can be used in a Regeneration spell as well as Fire Resistance. Hide left from a Grarn has been used in ancient scrolls of powerful spells. Hide/Trophy Items: Teeth which have been left behind have been transformed into large statues which are priceless. Smaller statues can fetch up to 3,000 to 12,000 gp if they are of excellent craftsmanship. Some of the statues possess magical abilities such as healing, regeneration or cure disease. If the helm is in their presence, the statues glow. Treasure: Nil Other: Nil |
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Mikeeze Wurld is © 2001 by Michael S. Hensley. HackMaster is a trademark of Kenzer and Company. Any use of trademarks is in no way to be considered a challenge to such trademark or copyright by its rightful owner. |