Wyvern, Ice

Author: Robert H. Nichols

Description

The ice wyvern is a feared predator that inhabits the Arctic climes and high mountain ranges of the coldest terrain. The ice wyvern is distantly related to the normal wyvern, but is slightly smaller and more hesitant in entering melee combat.

The ice wyvern appears as a small white dragon, though it lacks the forelegs of the dragon. Its eyes are usually blue, though the dominant member of the pack has eyes of silver.

Combat

The ice wyvern prefers to attack from ambush, surprising its victims and flying off with whatever prey it can carry. The ice wyvern is able to carry a small pony or a light riding horse (though its maneuverability class drops to D). If the wyvern is able to surprise its victim, it automatically hits with its claws and attempts to fly away with the victim.

After grabbing its victim, the ice wyvern can choose to use its tail to club or bite. Generally it prefers to use its tail so that it can store its (live) food for later.

Ice wyverns are immune to cold-based attacks. However, they never get save against fire based attacks and always take an extra point of damage for every die of damage rolled against it. Because of this, ice wyverns are cowardly when facing foes that use fire, usually fleeing before attacking.

Thrice per day the ice wyvern can breathe a stream of super-cold air. This air strikes in a line for 3d6 point of damage, save vs. breath weapon for half. The ice wyvern can breathe out to 30 feet.

Because of the ice wyverns white scales and cold nature, they like to hide in snow banks and leap out on unsuspecting travelers and horses. When they do this they gain a surprise bonus of +3.

Habitat/Society

The ice wyvern fly in packs. This allows the wyverns to strike with greater success.

Ecology

The ice wyvern prefers its food frozen. When it captures food, it knocks it unconscious and then shoves it in a snowbank or ice pond to freeze. Once it is frozen, the ice wyvern will then eat it.

Also in this section of the source

Non-Player Characters

Ibraekoan “Tentacle” Migral

Author: draegarius

Male Drow

14th Level Ooze Elementalist, 5th Level Priest of Ghaunadaur

AC: -1 (bracers of defense AC2, ring of protection +3); MV: 12 or special; hp: 39; THAC0: 16; #AT: 1; Dmg: 1d6+2 (quarterstaff +2); Str: 8, Dex: 16, Con: 9, Int: 17, Wis: 14, Cha: 13; AL: Chaotic Evil; Wizrd spells: 5 each of 1st through 3rd levels, 4 each in both 4th and 5th levels, 2 6th level spells and 1 7th level spell; Priest Spells: 3 1st level spells, 3 2nd level spell and 1 3rd level spell.

Nonweapon Proficiencies:

Notes: Ibraekoan’s quarterstaff is topped by a small globe containing green slime (MM pg. 278) which breaks onto a target on a natural attack roll of 20.

Special Abilities: Ibraekoan is totally immune to the effects attack or influences of any kind of ooze, slime or jelly, sentient or not. In addition, he may exert his will upon them – able to fully command numbers of up to twice his level as a mage.

Special Equipment: Bracers of defense AC2, ring of protection +3, quarterstaff +2 and a dagger of venom.

Personality: Vengeful and scheming yet sometimes helpful (if it means striking at Lolth or her priestesses).

A former mage of the powerful Drow house Migral, Ibraekoan is one of the members of the reclusive masters of Sorcere. As a young and promising mage, Ibraekoan was very egotistical and rash, taking no heed as to who he was insulting or belittling. Until the day he insulted his older sister, a high priestess of Lolth. Furious at the upstart mage, she magically overpowered him and left him to die hanging by a burning rope over a pit filled with various oozes, slimes and jellies deep in the underdark. Awaking later in the pit, immersed in the various slimes and oozes, he found he was unharmed by the creatures and was able to command them to his will.

Wandering the underdark looking for the way back to his dark homeland, Ibraekoan heard a voice calling him, leading him to an ancient temple dedicated to the Elder Elemental God, Gaunadaur. Realizing the god had saved him, in awe and fear he swore his life to the god. In return, the god gave him a vision, changing him from a sorcerer to an elementalist mage of ooze, in addition to giving him the powers of a priest of Gaunadaur.

All the way back to his dark homeland, hearing the whispering voice of the god, he learned to use his newly found powers of controlling and directing all oozes, slimes, jellies and other creatures of the Elder Eye.

Immediately following his return, he took his revenge upon his cruel sister, swarming her quarters with oozes, and escaped into the dark tower complex of Sorcere. Ever since then Ibraekoan has been hard at work attempting to found a proper cult of the Elder Eye in the city and its surroundings, an attempt succeeding especially among rebellious males angry at Lolth and her enslaving priestesses. To appease his god and aid his new following he has also created several new spells and magical items, most of which have something to do with the elemental power of Ooze or the creatures of Gaunadaur.

So far, he has been free in his actions and occupations, except a venture once a year, when he must return to the lost temple of the Elder Elemental God and make a living sacrifice of a powerful mage or priest.

Pyros of Thay

Author: Unknown

Male Human

18th Level Fire Elementalist, 6th Level Priest of Kossuth

AC: 4 (bracers of defense AC4); MV: 12; hp: 51; THAC0: 15; #AT: 1; Dmg: 1d8+3 (long sword +3); Str: 8, Dex: 11, Con: 15, Int: 18, Wis: 16, Cha: 10; AL: Chaotic Evil; Wizard spells: 5 each of 1st through 5th levels, 3 each in both 6th and 7th levels, 2 8th level spells and 1 9th level spell; Priest Spells: 3 1st level spells, 3 2nd level spells and 2 3rd level spells.

Weapon Proficiencies: dagger, flail, staff, sling, long sword, arquebus.

Nonweapon Proficiencies: swim, ride (landbased), herbalism, religion, spellcraft, fire-building, local history (Thay), ancient history (the formation of Mulhorand), seamanship, engineering, healing, rope use, language modern - common, language modern - elvish.

Special Abilities: Pyros is a psionic wild talent, commanding 137 PSP’s and with the wild talents of control flames, molecular agitation and telekinesis.

Special Equipment: Ring fire elemental command, ring of regeneration, wand of frost (38), bracers of protection AC 4, long sword +3 and boots of flying.

Personality: Utterly insane and quick to anger, Pyros is somewhat explosive.

Pyros learned of his affinity with fire at an early age, when, in a burst of uncontrolled rage, he unloosed his psionic powers on a neighbor's child who was picking on him. His parents watched in horror as the boy fell over, his skin suddenly smoldering and popping from within. Pyros' father buried the boy in the nearby woods, thinking that an evil spirit had come to his home, little did he know that the evil spirit was his own child.

As Pyros grew older, he learned to control his powers. He would spend hours alone in the woods, setting small fires, which he would then make dance about and entertain, for him. In his confused mind, he began to believe the fire was his friend, and that he was special because it would not play for anyone else. But his parents were not fully blind to his activities, soon coming to fear their child.

One day, he traveled to the city of Tyratauros with his parents, where he was presented to the priests of Kossuth, Lord of Fire. Pyros quickly became a ranking member among the priesthood, using powers that the High Priest did not understand. But, he had problems revering fire, he felt it was more his friend than his lord. He left the priesthood, though he still practiced its edicts, to study under the college of invocation. However, unlike others, he focused himself on fire magic, and he even learned from schools forbidden to invokers. Over the past fifteen years, Pyros has become a powerful force within Thay, rivaling the Zulkir of invocation himself.

Pyros is not your average fire elementalist. He is filled with an intense love of fire. It reproduces, it grows, it feeds. To Pyros it is nothing but another creature, no more than animal (though perhaps of a more noble "character"). In fact, it was this fanatical belief that fire is a living being which called Zesper, a fire phantom, to be his familiar and personal servant.

Zesper, fire phantom familiar, (MV 12 (18 flying) AC 5 HD 2+2 HP 14 Dmg 1d4 SA can ignite things that he touches, fire gate (can step into a fire and reappear in any other fire within 1/2 mile) 2/day, summon 1-2 fire phantoms (50% chance) 1/day for 1 turn), pyrotechnics 2/day.

Zesper is a 1 ft tall, fairy like being, except that his body is dark red, with wings of flame. He was once a servant within the court of Kossuth himself, being the lord of Fire's personal hat carrier. One day, however, he tripped, spilling the pillow on which the Lord's Fez sat. Zesper fled before the intense anger of his lord, and ever since he has tried to get back within the Lord's good graces. That's where Pyros came in. When the little being saw the mage lighting the brazier to call his familiar, he noticed the way the man reacted to the fire, his belief that he was creating a living being. In fact, the man's belief was so strong that he was able to seize Zesper with his magic. Zesper was displeased at first, but he soon came to realize the power that the man held, and consequently, the power that Zesper would have at hand. This little being has the ear of Pyros, and he uses his twisted tongue well. He feeds on Pyros' insane nature, telling him what a great world it would be if fire covered everything. He hopes by doing so, that his Lord will once again take notice of him and forgive him for his past mistake.

Fiera

Author: Unknown

Female Human

10th Level Priestess of Kossuth (fighting monk kit)

AC: 1 (cloak of displacement, bracers of defense AC4); MV: 12; hp: 75; THAC0: 14; #AT: 1; Dmg: 1d8+2 (long sword +2); Str: 11, Dex: 15, Con: 16, Int: 12, Wis: 17, Cha: 13; AL: Neutral Evil; Priest Spells: 4 1st level spells, 4 2nd level spells, 3 3rd level spells, 3 4th level spells and 2 5th level spells.

Weapon Proficiencies: longsword, martial arts (4 times specialized).

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Fire-building, swim, spellcraft, blind-fighting, disguise, tumbling, tightrope walking, Local History (Thay), Languages Modern (common), Reading/Writing (common)

Special Equipment: Flaming gauntlets (these gauntlets burst into flame upon command, doing an extra 1d3 damage to those hit), cloak of displacement, bracers of protection AC 4, longsword +2, potion of extra-healing.

Personality: Fun and flashy, yet deceitful. Hiding hatred and cravings under a false exterior.

Fiera is a beautiful, young woman with brilliant red hair accentuated by her bright red, yellow and orange silk outfits. She typically wears lots of jewelry, and she is a very fun personality to be around. However, beneath all this flash & fanfare lies a heart of stone - Fiera is out for one thing, and one thing only – power, willing to do everything she can to get it.

Fiera is a bit more down to earth about her purpose in this world than her master, Pyros. Fiera had originally intended on becoming a red wizard herself, but she just didn't meet the standards that her teachers wanted. Although she had the ability to advance, she did not have the inherent book learning required to advance at the rate that her teachers wanted. Still, she craved the power of magic, so she turned to the priests of Kossuth. They accepted her into their order, and since then she has become a shining example for new members.

Fiera is still envious of the red wizards and their power, but she realizes that within Thayvian politics they are her masters. Due to this hatred, she has secretly been assassinating those red wizards who oppose her.