The Snowflake Dungeon Part 12

Unless I forgot something (I almost certainly have), this is going to bring us to the end of step five of the snowflake dungeon – the Stat-ening!

Okay, the name needs a little work. Basically, this is where I’ve been creating stats for whatever needs it. Today, I’ll be doing that for our final faction – The Ones Below.

As we’ve discovered through creating this dungeon, The Ones Below are priests of St Saciscous that stayed behind after the split. What we don’t know is what separated them from the ghouls. By the time we’re done writing little backstories for the characters here and giving them their numbers, I have a feeling we’ll have it figured out.

I can see four stat blocks I need.

• Thazalag – the demon The Ones Below worship.
• The Devourer of Shadow – Listed earlier as some sort of demon given to them by Thazalag. I have THOUGHTS.
• Father Bone, the leader of the faction
• and your standard, run of the mill Worshipper.

Thazalag

Spells: Cause Fear, Charm Person, Darkness, Detect Invisible, Wall of Ice

• Soul Suck: A successfully hit target permanently loses one experience level (or Hit Die). This incurs a loss of one Hit Die of hit points, as well as all other benefits due to the drained level (e.g. spells, saving throws, etc.). A character’s XP is reduced to halfway between the former and new levels. A person drained of all levels becomes a zombie in 1d4 rounds, under the control of Tazalag.
• Mundane damage immunity: Thazalag can only harmed by magic or by +1 or greater weapons.

Thazalag is a spectral demon from the Outterdark who was summoned to earth by Vix Al Hibar, a dark wizard who lived two millenia ago. Thazalag proved too powerful for the sorcerer and killed her. Chambra* became her own personal hunting ground and the peoples there lived in misery.

One Thousand Years ago, A group of Paladins, infused with the power of St Saciscous, hunted the evil one down to its lair. While they were unable to defeat it, they did manage to trap it in a stone, ending it’s reign of terror in Chambra. They took the stone down into a series of caves and threw it into a chasm. The paladins then built a temple overtop of the caves so that the worshippers there could always protect the stone from falling into the wrong hands. As time passed, this holy mission was thought to be only a myth….

Many years later, the priests of St. Saciscous suffered a schism. Those that stayed behind in the temple watched their fellows turn into ghouls. Thazalag saw it’s opportunity. The demon called out, psychically, to two ailing parents, promising them a cure for their child if they but returned Thazalag to physical form…

Thazalag in incomprehensible to the mortal mind. As such, it’s physical form looks to be a black mist with tendrils coming out of it. The demon’s motives are unfathomable.

*Chambra is the region this all takes place in. I hadn’t had need to name it until now.

The Devourer of Shadow

• Smother: Inky darkness rolls over the creature like waves of water. If successfully hit, they must save vs spell or flee for two rounds. While their body will not show signs of wounds, parts of their own shadow will be missing.
• Pool of Blackness: The Devourer of Shadow is made of liquid shadow. It can squeeze through any one inch square opening.
• Hard to See: When in darkness or dimly lit places, PCs only see the Devourer of Shadow on a 1 in 6. On a 2 in 6, they notice the shadows ahead seem to move of their own accord. If light is shone directly upon The Devourer, it is instantly seen.

The Devourer of Shadow was once a mortal woman named Alinda Milensis, or Sister Milensis when she joined the Temple of St. Saciscous. While at the temple she fell in love with Brethren Camitalli. Though fornication was forbidden to priests, the two stole away one night to the Temple Gardens. Sister Milensis was pregnant after the union and gave birth to Francissi, a child cursed for their sins.

Many of the priests believed the temple to be despoiled and left. Many of those that stayed behind were turned into ghouls by Francissi. When Brethren Camitalli started hearing voices that promised him a cure, Alinda could not help but follow him into the caves beneath the temple. Over time, her love became more and more obsessed with the powerful being he spoke too, and Alinda could not help but support him – even when he asked her to make the ultimate sacrifice and destroy her body and mind to become the Devourer of Shadow.

Father Bone

Spells: Cause Light Wounds, Cause Fear, Hold Person, Silence 15’ Radius

• Ageless: Father Bone has ceased aging, due to the magic of Thazalag.

Father Bone leads The Ones Below. It was he who first heard Thazalag so many years ago. Father Bone was not always his name – he used to be known by the name

Brethren Camitalli, father of Francissi, who would become the Mother of Ghouls. Thazalag promised him a cure to his daughter’s condition. He led others, including his wife (who would become The Devourer of Shadow) down into the caves beneath the temple to search for the imprisoned Thazalag.

In time, service to Thazalag began to outweigh his original quest to save his daughter. Over the decades, kept alive by Thazalag’s magic, he has all but forgotten what started him down this path. He only knows that The Forever Stone, which imprisons Thazalag, has been found and that he knows the ritual to release his master.

Father Bone preaches and pontificates every chance he get. He gets very angry when not taken seriously. There is some small part of Brethren Camitalli left in him, the man who just wanted to cure his daughter. They are not easy parts to reach, however.

One Below

• Ageless: The Ones Below have ceased aging, due to the magic of Thazalag.