The Zombastodon

No. Enc.: 1-3

Alignment: Chaotic (Evil)

Movement: 120’ (40’)

Armor Class: 5

Hit Dice: 9

Attacks: 2 tusks, 1 front trample

Damage: 2d6 (tusk), 1d12 (trample)

Save: F9

Morale: 12

XP: 1,500

Though colloquially called “zomabastodons” by feckless wags who care not for life and limb, the Mammut Morbidium is a reanimated spirit-demon of the more mundane mastodon. 

It is said that Kostej the Deathless himself had a hand in the base sorcery that first revivicated the lifeless corpses of the wooly elephantine pack animals so very much beloved by the northern rump-states of the Hyperboreans in the long glacial age that ended their civilization.

Whatever their origin, Zombastodons have been imbued with a relentless fury at two-legged mammals--and a cold, undying semi-intelligence to sustain that rage over the centuries. They appear as shattered shells of their former robustness, mangy hide splitting, exposed rib bones, and a demonic red glow to their eyes.

Zombastodons have the same range of magical protections as do the more human-appearing undead. They can be turned by clerics as per their hit dice (or as “vampires” in some systems).

Though their tusks are somewhat desiccated and gnarled by the ravages of time, each tusk is still able to fetch 1d4 x 100 gp from collectors of curios and the arcane.  

The Hyperborean Past-Future of the Hill Cantons

The Hyperboreans play a prominent and reoccurring role in the Hill Cantons campaign. Their cycolpean halls, haunted battlefields, tomb complexes and sprawling undercities stand testimony to the far reach of that time-space distant northern empire.

Jarek the Nagsman, Marlank bon vivant and sage, maintains that the World Turtle that the Hill Cantons rests on swims through time in a series of dialectical mini and macro cycles upwards to the End of History. The other planes, he contends, may be the antithesis or synthesis of the present of the HC, but of course that's absurd heresy.

Others more orthodox in their tastes maintain that Time itself revolves around the rim of the Sun-Lord's chariot wheel (which one is a matter of intense debate).

Whatever the true nature of this movement, I call on my friend Vsevolod Ivanov (the painter not the famous Soviet writer) and his wonderful paintings to provide snapshots--it's unclear in what point of the cycle actually occur/occurred--of that great civilization and its successor states.

The End of History

Meeting the Eld

Demise of the Grand Fleet

Successors

Latter States

News from the Hills

With the approach of low summer, the Alkonosts, great long-winged seabirds with the torsos of beautiful maids, complete their great annual migration from their austral homes in the Weird to lay eggs on the beaches and roll them into the sea. It is said by men of science and learning that that when the eggs sprout open that great wracking thunderstorms are unleashed on the sea. Blagoy, the Lord-Accipitrary of Lower Kezmarok, is offering 2000 gold suns for each egg brought to him unbroken.

Boumila the Bountiless has returned from a far voyage on the stout if strangely-named caravel, the Flux of Doom. The crusty sea-lass spins wild tales of the land of Cockaigne where the plum brandy runs in streams, halushky grows on trees and where no dice are rolled for saves. She is hiring for her next voyage.

A pitiless and odd gendarme named Sir Eld has been harrying the villages south of Marlankh. Vile cruelties and humiliations have been heaped on the local peasants by this pitch-skulled menace. He has seemed to focus his depredations on the backhills hamlets swept up by the Manzabarge schismatic cult last month.

The Patriarch of Kezmarok is offering 60 suns a head for border ruffians, reclamation experts, hedge wizards, and other “adventuring types” to be part of his entourage for the Night of Kostej the Deathless, a local festival and night-time soiree. Costumes will be allotted. Tiger wrestling and other feats will be greatly rewarded.

(Those of you visiting from the real world should see the early post about the South Texas Minicon.)

FLAILSNAILS, Special Guests and the South Texas Minicon

Longtime readers know how much I dislike excuses about posting. Moving to the new manse, family rollercoaster, the blazing white-hot intensity of the Texas sun blah, blah, blah.

The latest, greatest project (beyond finishing the Roustabout's Guide to the Hill Cantons this week) is organizing the South Texas Minicon on August 18th. The (still free) event is building quickly to the point that we have contemplated adding another room. If you are interested in attending or running a game drop me a line at kutalik at gmail dot com.

Excitingly we will have a number of “special guests” on hand at the Con:

Jeff Dee will be running a Tekumel game with Bethorm, the Pocket Universe hack of that setting.

Talzheimer Mrr--who I have mentioned before for her wonderful and free paper Tekumel miniatures--will be running Cavemaster, the Stone Age rpg

A. Miles Davis, author of the darkly comic rpg Homicidal Transients, will be on hand.

Coming in from Georgia, Mike Davison, of Sword+1 blog (and Ruins and Ronin) fame is likely also gracing with his presence. (By the way I am pleased as punch that Mike is doing the layout for the Guide.)

As far as what I may be running, I am still very much in love with the rollicking chaos of the “open world” FLAILSNAILS experiment. Expect to see some tie-ins to that. I will be attempting to use some new desk-mounted web-cams to make use of virtual players (and observers) in each related event.

Some of the ideas I had (an feel free, mighty peanut gallery, to suggest others):

1. Hill Cantons face-to-face session with players potentially from both the home group and the Google plus group—and any other G+ player who makes it down (and expect at least one surprise virtual guest). I am accumulating and scratch-building some dungeon terrain for the soiree, so expect to see something with some visual flash to it.

2. A miniature battle royale using By This Axe I Rule that will play out a pivotal battle in the borderwar. Though the play-by-post side was more than a bit stalled, expect to see FLAILSNAILS player characters taking a role as sub-commanders in that conflict.  

South Texas Minicon August 18

The North Texas RPG Con is done gone, but it's afterglow burns on. Time again for our coat-tails rpg and miniatures event south down IH-35.

We will be returning again this year to the resort town of New Braunfels (located between Austin and San Antonio) and we are looking at August 18 for the date. The event will be at the Convention Center again see here for more info on the venue. 

The game line up has not been fully determined yet (here's your chance to pitch a game), but you can expect likely another full day of gaming in three slots. People co-organizing and likely running games so far are:

Ed of Two Hour Wargames fame. Last year he ran a wonderful gladiatorial spectacle in 28mm.

The esteemed Desert Scribe of Super Galactic Dreadnaught. He runs mean games of old school spaceship battle royales.

The infamous Brad of Crushing Skulls who ran a scenario last year with us as the characters of the DnD cartoon. (This year if he runs something I promise not to be a jackass and derail his game as a murderhobo).

And yours truly who will likely run a session of some weird old roleplaying game (Holmes Basic, Empire of the Petal Throne or Chivalry & Sorcery) and a big giant fantasy mini battle using my By this Axe I Rule! 

How could you miss that? Registration is free, but it's awfully neighborly to RSVP an invite (email me at kutalik at gmail dot the com). Even more neighborly to give us a contribution on site.  

Campaign News Roundup

Moving, work, busy blah blah blah. In the meantime some news from the campaign for players and voyeurs.

St. Jack's Church of the Blood Jesus has gone underground—literally. After three weeks of backbreaking work—under the expert supervision of the Termex the Robodwarf--by devotees of the syncretistic cult, a catacomb space has been excavated under the Marlankh workshop of a Sitvek, a cult follower. It's unclear where the nun-maenads acquired the skulls and other bone bits that make up the exquiste ossuary-like sculptures in the cramped little vaults. The new sparagamos fane is a "thing of beauty" reports cult leader Vatek son of Vatek. See map below of the currently excavated space. 

High society in the southern cantons is all a-titter with the return of the Lady Szara to her town-manse in Marlankh. The notoriously-erratic lady abruptly moved away two years ago “to visit relatives back in the Corelands” and her manse was overtaken by the seemingly undead Kugel the Lucky. That haunting must be at an end as five wagons drawn by somewhat unnerving, red-eyed black stallions arrived just yesterday piled over with her belongings.

Guildsmen of the Illustrious Workers of Wood (commonly referred to as the “Totterers”) are celebrating the fifth century anniversary of their local lodge this week. A giant wickerman has been erected in the Plaza of the Horned Oracle for the festivities.

The scurrilous tribe of were-worms who migrated from the Weird into the Slumbering Ursine Dunes last month have stepped up their depredations in the area. The Marlinko Rada has hotly debated a plan to introduce giant robins into the dunes to halt the menace. The Guild of Accipitraries, Drovers, and Ankle-Beaters has begun a program of mutating, growing, and training said birds in anticipation of the lucrative contract.