Robe of Infinite Twine – Revised

From here: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/r-z/robe-of-infinite-twine/

Original:

Robe of Infinite Twine

Aura moderate conjuration; CL 7th
Slot body; Price 1,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.

DESCRIPTION

This coarse hempen robe seems made from a single strand of twine.

The wearer can draw up to 30 feet of twine or up to 10 feet of hemp rope per round from the robe without harming it. As an immediate action, the wearer can draw up to 150 feet of twine or 50 feet of rope from the robe, but this gives the robe the broken condition and suppresses its powers until it is repaired. Twine or rope drawn from the robe remains connected until cut or torn, but is treated as common material rather than part of a magic item. Pieces removed become normal twine or rope.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Craft Wondrous Item, minor creation; Cost 500 gp.

******

Robe of Infinite Twine – Revised

Aura moderate conjuration; CL 7th
Slot body; Price 1,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.

DESCRIPTION

This coarse hempen robe seems made from a single strand of twine.

The wearer can draw up to 100 feet of twine or up to 5 feet of hemp rope per round from the robe without harming it. As an immediate action, the wearer can draw up to 50 feet of rope from the robe, but this gives the robe the broken condition and suppresses its powers until it is repaired. Twine or rope drawn from the robe remains connected until cut or torn, but is treated as common material rather than part of a magic item. Pieces removed become normal twine or rope.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Craft Wondrous Item, minor creation; Cost 500 gp.

******

This change eliminates the ‘hemp twine immediate action’ option while increasing the amount of twine per round and reducing the amount of rope per round.  This is done on a mass basis (50 feet of twine = 0.5 lbs, 50 feet of hemp rope = 10 bs, thus 100 feet of twine = 1 lb, 5 feet of hemp rope = 1 lb).  This has the added benefit of bringing the amount of GP produced per round closer together (from 0.6 cp per round of twine and 20 cp of hemp rope per round to 2 cp per round of twine and 10 cp of hemp rope per round).

******

Robe of Infinite Silk

Aura moderate conjuration; CL 9th
Slot body; Price 10,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.

DESCRIPTION

This fine silk robe seems made from a single strand of silk.

The wearer can draw up to 100 feet of silk twine or up to 5 feet of silk rope per round from the robe without harming it. As an immediate action, the wearer can draw up to 50 feet of silk rope from the robe, but this gives the robe the broken condition and suppresses its powers until it is repaired. Twine or rope drawn from the robe remains connected until cut or torn, but is treated as common material rather than part of a magic item. Pieces removed become normal twine or rope.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Craft Wondrous Item, major creation; Cost 5,000 gp.

******

Silk String or Twine (modified from String or Twine)

Price 1 sp; Weight 1/4 lb.

Sold in balls or spools of 50 feet, silk string or twine are useful for rigging traps and alarms and are a vital component of grappling bolts and arrows. Silk string or twine has hardness 0, 2 hit points, and a break DC of 15.

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A short clarification on Demonic Invasions

 

In this following treatise, you might find my conclusions to run counter to those of previous authors, even authors who have deeply and extensively studied both the Abyss and the Outer Sphere.  It is in this disagreement that you should learn the first lesson about the nature of the Abyss, while seemingly an eternal realm, it is only eternal in its existence, not in its character, for being a chaotically aligned place has given any particular structure only temporary status.  So, I would suggest to future demonologists or those who are interested in either studying or fighting the Abyss and its progeny, to not hold this or any other document as being an honest relating of the state of affairs when you face these struggles.

Before we get into the general nature of Demonic Invasions, I would like to say a few words on Abyssal itself as a language.  For those who wish to retain a semblance of their sanity, I would highly recommend using both Comprehend Languages and Tongues when attempting to converse in Abyssal.  This is due to the frustratingly changing nature of Abyssal, compounded with the recognition that Abyssal is a language spoken across the second vastest plane in the Great Beyond, if planes themselves are said to have any sense of a finite size.  The sheer spread of space prevents a singular language from developing but surprisingly, I believe the nature of the Abyss itself, as some have argued a kind of gross living being in itself, does at least tie together some basic principles.

Within any particular Abyssal Realm, there is a local dialect of Abyssal whose understanding is fairly universal.  Occasionally this is a kind of form that follows the whims of the presiding Demon Lord, but usually it arises from sharing a similar space with others that you generally need to communicate with.

So at its best, Abyssal is a locally understood language with terms that are shared across the Abyss itself through means and mechanisms unknown to my studies.  That said, it is not an easily comprehended language even if one understands those shared terms.  If a demon points at a place and says ‘fight’ in Abyssal, they might mean that there was a fight there, that there will be a fight there, that you are to go there and fight, you are to fight it there, or any other potential combination of tense and subject.  I believe that much of this explains the constant infighting between demons, as they neither fully understand one another nor do they make efforts to.  And this disagreement and lack of understanding I believe is a part of what makes Abyssal an integral part of the Abyss, as it destroys meaning and communication; if a demon tells a slave to ‘work’, they will gleefully beat them until the slave starts doing what they intended to do, while the next time they tell them to ‘work’ they may mean something else, resulting in another round of beatings.

As the madness of demonologists demonstrates, it actually helps not to be sane in trying to decipher Abyssal without the aid of magic.  Comparing spells for contacting Hell, which are often highly prescribed and any deviation from the age old formula results in calamity, the means and methods of contacting demons and the other inhabitants of the Abyss are, on the surface, simplistic.  The challenge lies in a lack of specificity.  A ritual may call for invoking something on the third.  Does that mean the third month?  The third day of the month?  The third beat of the drum?  It may seem incongruous that demons, who wish to be unleashed to cause as much destruction as possible on the Material plane would make such contacts easy, but their revelry in destruction for its own sake is reflected in the willingness to see even their petitioners destroyed.

And now we are to the core of the nature of the Abyss and where I believe my research has deviated most from others.  The Abyss, unlike any other realm, is a realm of destruction for destruction’s sake.  In a realm like the Negative Energy plane or the Shadow plane, destruction has an end, an accepted ruin, an erased page, a flattened, lifeless nothingness, but the Abyss takes it another step.  Ash and ruin can be destroyed by forming something new out of its remnants, a kind of destruction in creation, but more often than not things are not reduced to that, but are merely rent apart or fused together into something new, so that its previous form has been destroyed.  Such is the nature of the ever undulating and writhing of the environment itself in the Abyss.

There does seem, however, to be a kind of hierarchy to this destruction.  At the highest level, or most pressing, is the destruction of creatures not of the Abyss.  Next is a shifting balance between fellow creatures and manufactured objects.  Then there is the environment followed closely by the body of the monster themselves.  Put two similar demons in a room with an orc and a chest, and they’ll likely torture the orc to death, then alternatively smash the chest or kill one another, followed by the survivor beating its fists on the walls until either they or it breaks.  You should never expect a demon to be a passive guard if given such a duty; they will break and kill anything that they are not prevented from breaking or killing.  Even their charge might be scarred or distorted.

This brings me to my final point, that of a Demonic Invasion.  I believe this term is quite incorrect and would much prefer the use of ‘Demonic Incursion’.  Invasions suggest a kind of considered malice, with plans for supply, an organizing of forces, and a goal in mind.  Demonic Incursions are much more like wildfires or storms, spreading where they can and devouring anything within their reach.  This spread is often hampered by their own infighting, with demons killing demons out of boredom or sport or out of curiosity as to how much their fellow can endure before expiring.  Some have written that their goal is the spreading of sin, so as to create more sinful souls to feel the Abyss, but I believe there is no such need; the Material plane is vast and within that vastness, ample opportunities for sin, and as noted above, the Abyss recycles what it destroys so it may destroy it again, and so only in the fringes, where the Abyss crumbles into the true madness of the Maelstrom, does it ever truly lose any of its bulk.

And so it is with the Worldwound.  Like a breakwater, the wardstones keep this incursion contained, holding back the ever lapping tide of demons that are spat out by this rent in reality.  Ironically, Mendev’s mere existence helps contain this incursion, as they are a much more desirable target for destruction than the frozen wastes of the Crown of the World or the barren Realm of the Mammoth Lords.  But, as is the nature of demons to lack cohesion, even in this there are those who fight to spread their taint upon these lands.

Finally, it would be unwise to consider the wardstones to be a permanent solution for those who rely on its protection.  Long has Numeria avoided its responsibility in fighting this threat to our world, and of all the peoples of Galorian, our closeness to and use of the relics of a space faring culture whose bulwarks, in time, also failed them, should give us the understanding that, no matter how thick the chains, no matter how intricate the locks, and no matter how powerful the incantations, a captive beast will not be held so forever.

Recounting the future

“So, what do you think it means?”  Eryno asked, his face sporting a lopsided smile.  Bliks had often wondered at the chances of a half-elf, like Eryno, would end up working with an android and a sylph, all having much longer lifespans than the abundant human population.

Bliks sighed.  This was one of the challenges she faced in talking with Eryno.  Always so focused on the present, where their opponents were, where to go to next, it served him well in dealing with traps and combat, but outside of those moments of pressure, he seemed to lack a sense of focus, an aimless drifting into and out of circumstance.  And so it was in dealing with esoteric matters like the prophecies, if she could even call them that, that Ve’Dien had dropped on her weeks ago.

Hex looked over at his two companions, having just secured one of their opponents after stripping them of their gear.  The gunslinger proceeded to double check his bandolier of firearms, ensuring each one was topped up in either charge or fully loaded, his hands moving carefully but methodically; this was one of his unusual physical ticks, always checking his gear, but never in the frantic fashion of a man searching for his now missing wallet.

“I think,” Hex said flatly, “Bliks doesn’t know what it means and wanted to have your insight, even though she hasn’t yet asked that question.”

“Oh.”  Eryno said, his expression changing to one of concerted focus.

… darknessnightcoldmetalshroudcapecoverhelmblindstonehard … the words fell over the link to Bliks … howlscreamwindcoldnightterrormonsterreachingchoke … she suppressed the urge to wince; she felt she had to start to get used to this now more than just a hum.

“I don’t know.”  Eryno continued.  “I mean, we’ve both died at least a couple of times … I don’t remember that being particularly dark … so maybe it’s not about dying?”

“That, I agree with.”  Bliks said, now cataloguing the gear they had stripped from the Pathfinders.  A casting of a few spells allowed her to further break down not only what gear was what, but the valuable from the mundane.

“And?”  Eryno asked, having waited a few minutes for Bliks to elaborate.

“Well it worries me that it likely isn’t about dying.”  Bliks said, “Howling in the dark sounds more like torture or despair.  And if Ve’Dien is to be believed, that’s my fate if I don’t ‘open the way to eternity’ by being ‘the lock, the gate, and the key’.  I can’t be clear if it’s something that will happen if I don’t do something or if something’s coming that if I don’t prevent it, that’s what will happen.”

“Have you considered the source?”  Hex asked, picking out from the now collected gear something that had caught his eye.

Bliks nodded, “Yes.  She was our companion, my cohort even, for months.  But she also went into this place,” she gestured at their surroundings, “by herself.  We haven’t seen all of Silver Mount, what other terrors could be left behind by either Unity or the Dominion of the Black?”

“And Brigh?”  Hex pressed on.

“The signs have been inconclusive,” Bliks grumbled, “None of our divinations have indicated a new herald, but there’s always room for heretics or niche cults.  Maybe this is something else, some remnant of Unity that tainted Casandalee, gave her something of the divine but not enough, not yet, to be clear.  Time works differently in the outer sphere, it’s hard for us to really measure the passage of meaningful events.”

“And it could mean all sorts of threats that are looming.  Do you really think, even though we wiped out that one enclave of members of the Dominion that they’re not still out there?  Or that when you blew up that power matrix that it wouldn’t have attracted their attention?  And outside of Numeria, there are all sorts of different kinds of world ending threats, any one of which could lead to howling in the dark.”

One of the Pathfinders was coming around.  “What are we going to do about them?”  Eryno asked, although Bliks could feel it was more trying to shift focus away from such gloomy future matters, another benefit he brought with his attention on the present.

They had detected the Pathfinders intrusion into Silver Mount moments after it had occurred but hadn’t been able to stop them before they had caused an unknown amount of damage.  The hologram logs recording the events laid it out fairly clearly.  They had bypassed the Divinity drive’s teleportation null zone by using some kind of anchor another team had left behind for them and then almost immediately started attacking everything within sight.  An entire room of domestic servant droids smashed into pieces because the ignorant and trigger happy Pathfinders had wanted to loot their component pieces.  Then they blasted through several doors and, when attacked by a group of Riot Suppressor robots, tried destroying the local robot control panel, apparently thinking that it’d disable the robots.  But like a ship whose tiller has been removed, it’ll still keep going, as the robots did, and only Hex, Eryno, and Bliks’ intervention prevented their destruction.  The destruction of the robots, Bliks thought, knowing that was their likely outcome at the hands of these thugs.

“Aside from that one,” Bliks pointed to the still equipped half-orc barbarian, “I’m going to be force teleporting them to face unfulfilled justice elsewhere.  The rogue, he’ll be going to Daggermark; his face should be recognized by the posters they put up for his arrest.  Not that I’m fond of sending a known thief into that nearly lawless land, but the museums in Osirion had no idea who had stolen from them so he wouldn’t see punishment there.”

“The demonologist, despite appearances as a diabolist, will be sent to Egorian.  I’m sure the Cheliaxians will be happy to have her back, having likely killed an actual diabolist to secure her identity with her compatriots.”

“And what of the Paladin?” Hex mused.

Bliks sniffed with disgust, “They’re normally a good sort, but this one either didn’t care to or wasn’t allowed to dig into their past, a serious flaw in the Pathfinder Society, almost requiring the just to sully themselves if they want to get work with them.”

“Overall I’m just disappointed.  We allowed them to reopen their lodge in Starfall, we invited them to join us in studying Androffan technology at the Numerian Institute, and this is how they choose to repay us.  I wasn’t surprised when you pointed out their first bungling attempts at theft, but a few silver disks here or there wasn’t something I thought we should concern ourselves with.  But this?”  She pointed at the destruction the Pathfinders had left in their wake, “This is unacceptable.  They could have delved into Silver Mount with a proper priest of Brigh at their side, greatly reducing their risk, and if only they would be willing to abide by our demand of first option to purchase any material and a light handed approach to this ship’s precious contents.”

“At least their Barbarian showed restraint.  Unexpected that.  Perhaps we should consider hiring her.  What do you think Hex?”

“I’m sure we could find some work, if she’s willing.  You know the Society won’t appreciate this.”

“Of course they won’t.  But the deal I gave them was better than the deal they had, and now that they know what we’re capable of, they’ll at least be more careful in the future.  It wouldn’t pay for every one of their agents they send here to end up answering for the various crimes they’ve committed across Galorian.”

A new signal broke through the link, from outside, an actual outside communication.  “Sovereign Hex?  Am I intruding?”  Bliks couldn’t put a name to the voice, but certainly one of the guards manning the main entrance to Silver Mount.

“Go ahead Captain.”  Hex ‘spoke’ over the link.  Clearly he at least knew the rank of the guard, if not their name.

“There’s something going on to the north.  The men say it’s a storm, but the priest says its like no storm she’s ever seen.  We thought you should know.”

Bliks nodded and swept up the gear they were keeping into a portable hole, deactivated the Divinity’s nullification field, invoked the phrases necessary to teleport the Pathfinders away, save for the half-orc, and made a mental note to have a team catalogue the wreckage.  Putting a hand on each of her companion’s shoulders, and they on the still comatose barbarian, teleported them all to the peak of Silver Mount.

Numeria was not a beautiful land.  Blasted by winds, sparse vegetation, and lingering radiation from years of broken Androffan technology had not been kind.  But it was a hearty place, and if you were willing to work, the land would give up a profit.  From this lofty spire, Bliks felt like she could see all of what made Numeria that land that it was.

But to the north was an ever pressing concern.  Always just over the horizon but never out of Blik’s thoughts for long, was the Worldwound.  A massive rent in reality, somehow linking one of the Abyssal planes to the former nation of Sarkoris, it was now a twisted realm of madness and death, where four crusades had tried to push the demonic hordes back and four crusades had merely slowed their endless tide.

And now there was a great dark cloud brewing, shot through with red lightning and flashes of green sky.  No doubt the land below the cloud top was being spattered with vile slime or the corpses of incomplete demons, vomited forth from the ever churning Abyss.

Then there was the flash.  A golden spike driven down from the heavens into this boiling cauldron.  For a moment the clouds seemed to recoil, and then they spilled out.

In horror Bliks’ glance turned to the nearby city of Starfall.  She could already see the flashes of plasma and laser, the puffs of dirt visible even from here which must have been massive volleys of missiles exploding in the ranks of invaders.  And there was no doubt in Bliks mind that these were demons.

A Shell’s Anatomy

“Technician Volgeling, there appears to be a problem in my chain gun ammunition storage.”  The metallic voice hummed through the warehouse.  It appraised the technician with its singular glowing red sensor cluster.

Bliks sighed as she turned to face the Annihilator Robot.  The large scorpion shaped robot towered over her, its skin a uniform black excepting where Bliks had had to make an incision in its armoured plates.  This was the second one she had refurbished and seventh in the Numerian army’s arsenal.

“Ex a you four un seven, before I resolve your weapons diagnostic, would you answer a question for me?”

The colour of XAU-4-UN-7’s sensor cluster wavered slightly, shifting from external consideration red to internal processing green and then back to red again.  Bliks wondered if, in those moments, the massive robot was actually blind, shutting off a visual feed so as to devote all of its processing to something else.

“Unless the question has to do with my ammunition storage, answering your question now would be tactically unsound.”

“Your model always seems to be focused on threats, has anyone ever told you that?  Oh, sorry, that’s not a question, or it is, but it’s what we call a rhetorical question, you don’t need to answer.  I mean it makes sense, you are designed as a frontline combat robot, but I would have hoped, that after so many years … “  Bliks trailed off.

“If answering your question will result in you resolving the problem in my chain gun ammunition storage, I will answer it.”

Bliks heard a distinct clicking from somewhere off to her left, like a series of knives being tapped into wood.  The blue glow of TAU-3-UN-46’s sensor dome revealed its presence before it pulled its bulk out of the warehouse’s gloom.  A thin spotlight shone out from that dome, illuminating parts of XAU-4-UN-7’s frame, panning over it in an obvious search pattern.

“There’s no problem Tau three un forty six.  Ex a you four un seven is just wondering about its new ammunition load.”

TAU-3-UN-46 looked considerably more alien than its military counterpart.  Built as a combination field technician and robot overseer, the Director Robot had been assigned to this warehouse before the overthrow of the Technic League, mainly managing smaller robots and human workers in inventorying robotic parts.  A bulbous body mounted on top of four spear like legs, it looked out on the world through a dome on top of a cylindrical housing, but manipulated things using a cluster of metallic tentacles that it could extend from its undercarriage.  Bliks could have sworn it also had a dark sense of humour, terrifying newly hired labourers by climbing up the walls and surprising them from odd angles.

“If you do need my services, Chancellor Volgeling, I would be …”, TAU-3-UN-46 paused, reminding Bliks that her recently installed interpersonal nuance subroutines might need some time to be fully integrated “… delighted to assist.  One of my RNU-1 units is always nearby.”

Bliks sighed.  Of course the warehouse Director Robot was keeping tabs on her.  She had often wondered how it always seemed to know not only when she needed a particular part but have that part in hand.  Glancing around she saw a shy two foot long beetle Observer Robot scuttle back behind a nearby crate, its shell already shifting colour to match its darker hiding place.

Focusing back on the looming robot, Bliks spoke again, “Ex a you four un seven, I think, if we can manage, both answer my question and solve your problem at the same time.”  Bliks stepped over to a large bin filled with small, tapered cylinders pulling one out and holding it between her fingers  “Can you tell me what this is?”

XAU-4-UN-7’s sensor cluster extended slightly, focusing in on the small object “That is a standard 30×165 high explosive dual purpose shell, designed for use in my chain gun.”

“So it is a kind of ammunition that you can use.”

“Correct, Technician Volgeling.”

Bliks wondered if the robot was worried that it was dealing with an idiot, someone who couldn’t even identify the proper ammunition it needed.  She dismissed the thought with a smile.

“Now, do you consider yourself to be part of the arsenal of the Numerian Army … or a member of the Numerian Army?”

Its sensor cluster flicked to green again and then back to red.  “I do not understand the relevance of this question to the problem in my chain gun ammunition storage.”

“It has to do with the nature of ammunition,” Bliks put down the shell and picked up a rail gun she had been working on earlier.  “You’re able to talk to me, unlike this gun.  You can decide where to shoot and what to shoot at, again unlike this weapon.  And if I were to tell you to do something supremely stupid, you would tell me of its tactical shortcomings, wouldn’t you?”

“Correct, Technician Volgeling.”

“So there are those who don’t see you as anything more than just a gun, a piece of ammunition, something that we would use and throw away if it breaks.  They wouldn’t see you as a part of the team, a member of the army.  And we’re going to have to change that.  Yes, I know, your primary purpose isn’t one of diplomacy or rhetoric, but I will need you and the others in your unit to try.”

“Because, you see, we’re gearing up for a new fight, and the problem in your chain gun ammunition storage isn’t a problem at all, it’s a solution.  Your standard 30×165 high explosive dual purpose shells have a core made out of steel.  We’ve replaced that with a material we call cold iron.”

“And cold iron can hurt demons.”

The Herald of Bronze

The blast that issued from Silver Mount a week ago had caused quite a panic in Starfall.  That unnatural mountain of metal that jutted out of the ground, the largest, mostly intact star ship that had grounded itself so many centuries ago, had been the Divinity.  While it had been over a year since the mad AI Unity had launched its attack on the city, the people of Starfall still had lingering concerns about any unusual activity from their looming neighbour.

What concerned Bliks wasn’t the blast, but where the blast had occurred; secondary engineering.  This was the area that had allowed access to the interior of the Divinity, but more worrisome, where Unity’s overlord robot had been preparing to launch a shuttle into orbit as part of it’s plan to forcibly convert all of Golarian.  The guards at this level hadn’t reported any unusual activity but were now not responding to her commset.  Having grabbed a pair of magnification goggles, she rushed to the roof of the Palace of Fallen Stars, and caught the barest hint of a contrail followed by a sudden if distant burst of light.

Something had been fired from the Divinity and, as she subsequently learned from robotic observers around the city, had exploded high above Numeria.  And to top it off, the guards at the engineering entrance had finally reported in, claiming that there were three people, all claiming to be Ve’Dien, in their custody.

All of this had come at an inopportune time.  While Hex and Ernyo were in town to meet with the Tribal and People’s councils, taking care of much of the day to day hassles she often had to manage in their absence, Bliks herself had been doing some delicate technological experiments as well as the arduous task of creating a Numerian military.  Prior to Hex’s administration, their nation’s defence had been mainly orchestrated through whatever tribes the Black Sovereign could control or directly through the mainly robotic forces of the Technic League, but any weakness in the Black Sovereign or infighting in the Technic League could easily divide them.  What Bliks determined Numeria needed was a professional army, and creating such an army, let alone working out its funding and political considerations, had been a balancing act that didn’t need unknown factors to be thrown in.

And while the Ve’Diens weren’t a political consideration, the blast threw her negotiations into disarray.  There were calls for increased patrols over the surface of Silver Mount, and opposing calls for either shutting down all access to Silver or sending the nascent army into the Divinity to ensure complete control, regardless of the risks involved.  So it had taken a week of concerted effort, backroom conferences, and late nights to smooth over ruffled feathers, calm frayed nerves, and return Starfall to a relatively calm state.  Only then was she finally able to meet with the Ve’Dien trio.

Bliks had ordered that they be ushered to the Palace of Fallen Stars under a shroud of secrecy and given rooms far from the circulation of the general staff.  When she finally did sit down with them, she found their tendency to finish each other’s sentences and handing objects to one another without looking or asking, both fascinating and unnerving.  And while they all looked like Ve’Dien, she had been merely a human, and now there was both an android and translucent cloud versions of her.

“It’s so good to see you again Mistress”, the android said.  The android looked just like Ve’Dien, save for the faint tattoo like circuit tracery on her skin, but dressed as she had done when she had been Blik’s personal cohort; a many pocketed long coat, with tools filling those pockets and spilling out across bandoliers and hanging from belts.  She had been Bliks’ personal confessor of inventiveness, an emissary sent from the Temple of Brigh in Torch over two years ago … and had died at the hands of Furkas Xoud in the Choking Tower.

Bliks shifted in her seat.  “I’m sorry I had to keep you waiting so long, there were … affairs of state that needed my attention.”

The human Ve’Dien smiled.  This was the Ve’Dien that Bliks had remembered most recently, the one that had disappeared into the depths of Silver Mount, that she had presumed had died.  Her garb was far more daring, a form fitting white and red jumpsuit of Androffan technological armour with added flared sleeves.  “We understand, the rise of the herald must have been disturbing.”

“The herald?”, Bliks blinked in response.  “You mean that shuttle?”

“Oh yes.”  This time, the translucent Ve’Dien spoke.  Bliks knew that it wasn’t merely a vapour or a ghost, but a cloud of nanites holding themselves in a humanoid shape.  The shape, while clearly representative of the human Ve’Dien, appeared to be more clockwork in profile, and Bliks could see internal workings, shifting, ticking, and ratcheting against one another.  She had seen the clockwork automata of Alkenstar City, but never seen through one before.  “Before events proceed, our goddess will need a new herald.”

Bliks mused on this for a moment.  While Ve’Dien had once been a priestess of Brigh and this translucent creature clearly had the shape of her holiness, the human Ve’Dien had seemed to have given up her faith for something more spiritual.

“Why would the Whisperer in Bronze need a new herald?  What is there that couldn’t be protected by the Latten Mechanism, advocated for by Karapek, or created by Salometa?”

“Mistress,” the android said, “you yourself spoke of a new era, which you seek to start as flint sparks a fire.  You called it the Age of Numeria, but it will not be what you think, it will be not an age for any one people.”

“And so the goddess called to Casandalee,” the human Ve’Dien continued the android’s thought, without a pause.

Casandalee, the android who Unity had sent forth centuries ago, who had abandoned her master to seek freedom, and who, before her death, copied her mind into a matrix.  And whose body, after her death, had transformed itself into Bliks’ friend and ally, Hex.

The translucent one said, “And we were both her guides along the path and the trail markers she left behind.”

“There will come a time,” the human one said, “Where you will feel the need to choose.  To choose between flesh and bronze.  Others will not even see it as a choice.  They will be either flesh or bronze and will broach no encroachment of the other.”

Only now did Bliks realize that the android had stood and was resting her hands on the human’s shoulders.  “Mistress,” the android said, “you must be the lock, the gate, and the key.”

The suddenness of the descent into imagery took Bliks by surprise.  Looking around she saw the lights in the room had unexpectedly dimmed; years of adventuring immediately kicked in.  Something was wrong, seriously wrong.  She stood with a jerk.

The three Ve’Diens had started to merge.  The android’s arms were now deeply sunk into the human’s shoulders and those two were now shrouded by the translucent one’s shape, itself both digging into and taking gear shaped pieces bloodlessly out of the human’s body.  They spoke with one voice, a grinding and screeching of gears just before they sheared off, “Open the way to eternity.  Or howl in the dark.  Howl in the dark.  HOWL IN THE DARK.”  The room now seemed to slip out from under her feet, and she called forth a simple spell of displacement, something to get her out of there.

But she did not move.  And the room did not move.  And the lights were not dim.  And the Ve’Diens were gone.

Sparks of Numeria

Looking in the mirror was still difficult for Bliks, because what looked back at her was not who she remembered herself to be.  The shape was still there, but the content had all changed.  Gone were the sparkling eyes that so enthralled her father and the silvery blue hair that had attracted so many questions in the past, replaced now with solid orbs and an almost alive shock of wires.

Her inattentiveness and faith had bought this appearance.  The former from an either skilful or lucky Red Mantis assassin who had struck as most of the unfortunate things that had happened to Bliks had struck, when she had become separated from her companions.  She didn’t even remember the fight, but her fellow worshipers of Brigh had told her that it must have been brief, as it took them so little time to run to her aid only to find her incapacitated.

And as for her faith, instead of making her whole again through mere divine magic, the local church had concluded she needed to become closer to their and her god, the clockwork god, the god of living machines, and so integrated machines into her flesh.  It was an uncomfortable choice, but a wise one she had finally settled upon; how better to know your god than to share in their form?  And it had been pointed out her companions were both closer to Brigh, one being an android, perhaps the pinnacle of form in the eyes of her church, the other being quite willing to augment himself to the very limit his mind and body could handle.

Still, looking in the mirror was difficult.

She thought of Hex and Eryno, wondering in which particular corner of Numeria their adventures had taken them to; Ve’Dien, on the other hand had gone off the grid, vanishing deep into Silver Mount on some personal quest she refused any assistance on.  There was the initial power struggle that they had all participated in, eliminating the remnants of the Technic League, their allies, and allies of or pretenders to the throne of the former Black Sovereign.  And though he was not a Kellid, Hex did fit the model of the stoic even laconic Kellid leader, and after some squabbling over succession rites most of the tribes were brought into the fold.  Usually all it took was showing the decadence and waste that Kevoth’Kul had fallen to and presenting both a capable leader and a neutral choice; no need for blood to be spilt when there were enemies aplenty.

Yet as much as she wondered where they were, she was glad of their absence.  The link that they had used so successfully had started to invade her thoughts.  When she asked the two of them about it, they didn’t mention any odd sensations, and if anything, their tandem fighting had improved, with Hex striking weaknesses that only Eryno could have spotted, and Eryno sidestepping Hex’s gunfire to great effect and surprise of their enemies.  Perhaps she was just more sensitive to it then they were, but when they were near she could feel this constant hum of background noise, her vision occasionally clouding with overlays of what they were seeing, her hearing echoing with her own voice when she spoke to them.

But if she was needed, she heeded her Black Soverign’s call.  Most of the problems of Numeria could be managed through simple answers, a stout sword, or at the end of a barrel, but for negotiations, technological barriers, or just pure arcane power, Bliks was glad to see a change from the bureaucratic day to day managing of a kingdom.

For all the boredom, there were moments of enjoyment.  Seeing the Kellid tribes take up skymetal arms and armour, even if they refused to use the powerful Androffan artefacts, was a warming sight; the few tribes that hadn’t be persuaded by the former Black Sovereign’s bad behaviour were brought over with these formerly restricted gifts.  And while there were still many mysteries hidden in Silver Mount, it and other sites had been opened to exploration by adventuring companies under the careful watch and support of the priests of Brigh; no one wanted to see the release of some horror that had been kept in stasis or the vaporization of the company, the ruin, and much of the surrounding countryside.

Some argued that they were acting no better than the Technic League, preventing the free flow of technology, but there was much that needed to be understood and in that lack of understanding, unknown and unknowable dangers to be met.  Indeed, many of the same guards and guardians protected the various starship debris sites as during the Technic League’s day, with the same violent response to unauthorized visitors; there were just more authorized visitors.

The Age of Numeria had not yet dawned, but she could see the first glints of sunlight on the horizon.  The wilds were still wild but with fewer robotic horrors, their numbers thinned by greater understanding of both their communications and repair which in turn bolstered the ranks of the Numerian army.  The land was still reluctant to be farmed, but gave way with the introduction of both new means and methods but also of new, specially designed crops, care of Androffan databanks.  And the two peoples of Numeria, the inquisitive seekers of technology and the hardy plains tribes, had at least a kernel of respect for one another’s strengths.

Bliks looked into the mirror again.  Perhaps someday this will be how all Numerians see the world, not just that which they were given, but that which they chose to make of themselves.  She ran a hand through her hair.  Though they were wires they were as smooth as her hairs had ever been and she delighted to see them shift and shape themselves to reflect her thoughts.

She decided to make a point to spend more time with Hex and Eryno.  They had embraced the link.  Now it was time for her to do the same.

Expanded size options for Bloodhulks

This material is heavily based on material from “Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual IV”.  The progression of the Bloodhulks, compared to Zombies, was inconsistent (notably natural armor, HD, speed, strength, and dexterity, so other attributes based on those were also inconsistent like CR, Init, AC, HP, Saves, etc.) and so I have set out to standardize it.

Overall, a Bloodhulk has a progression similar to a Zombie with some variations.  The Natural AC bonus is double that of Zombies (so +6 for Large instead of +3), the CR is higher, and the base melee damage die is higher.  It doesn’t seem to quite follow the standard template modification that Zombies do (Strength increases linearly at double the normal rate), but with some minor adjustment produced an internally consistent progression, which in turn allowed for both smaller and larger versions of the Bloodhulk (Small seems to be the lower limit as Tiny, following the progression, has 0 Strength resulting in it doing 1d4-5 Melee damage).

Regarding strategies, while their slam remains a strong attack, the rapidly increasing grapple suggests that larger Bloodhulks may use that as a primary tactic.  Similar to how their creators might cast AOE damage spells that include the Bloodhulk in its effect, massive Bloodhulks might seek to grapple an enemy and then jump off of high areas; the Bloodhulk is more likely to survive the fall than their victim.

The Bloodhulk is presented below as it was in the MMIV with variations from the text noted in italics.  New versions, based on different sizes, namely the Midget, Mangler, and Pulverizer, are included in sequence with the originals based on CR.

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BLOODHULK MIDGET           CR 3   (NEW)
Always NE Small undead
Init 0; Senses: darkvision 60ft., low light vision; Listen +0, Spot +0
Languages: understands creator’s orders

---

AC 13, touch 11, flat-footed 13
          (+1 Size, +0 Dex, +6 Natural)
hp 84 (6 HD)
Immune: undead immunities
Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +5
Weaknesses: fragile

---

Speed: 15 ft. (3 squares)
Melee: slam +3 (1d6-1)
Space 5ft.; Reach 5ft.
Base Atk +2; Grp -3

---

Abilities: Str 8, Dex 10, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1
SQ: blood bloated, undead traits
Feats: –
Skills: Listen +0, Spot +0
Advancement: see text

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Fragile (Ex): A bloodhulk takes an extra 1d6 points of damage whenever it takes at least 1 point of damage from a piercing or slashing weapon.
Blood Bloated (EX): A bloodhulk always gains the maximum hit points possible per Hit Die. In addition, it gains 2 bonus hit points per Hit Die

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BLOODHULK FIGHTER           CR 4
Always NE Medium undead
Init -1; Senses: darkvision 60ft., low light vision; Listen +0, Spot +0
Languages: understands creator’s orders

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AC 13, touch 9, flat-footed 13
(+0 Size, -1 Dex, +4 Natural)
hp 140 (10 HD)
Immune: undead immunities
Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +7
Weaknesses: fragile

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Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Melee: slam +8 (1d8+3)
Space 5ft.; Reach 5ft.
Base Atk +5; Grp +8

---

Abilities: Str 16, Dex 8, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1
SQ: blood bloated, undead traits
Feats: –
Skills: Listen +0, Spot +0
Advancement: see text

---

Fragile (Ex): A Bloodhulk takes an extra 1d6 points of damage whenever it takes at least 1 point of damage from a piercing or slashing weapon.
Blood Bloated (EX): A Bloodhulk always gains the maximum hit points possible per Hit Die. In addition, it gains 2 bonus hit points per Hit Die

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BLOODHULK GIANT           CR 5
Always NE Large undead
Init -2; Senses: darkvision 60ft., low light vision; Listen +0, Spot +0
Languages: understands creator’s orders

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AC 13, touch 7, flat-footed 13
(-1 Size, -2 Dex, +6 Natural)
hp 196 (14 HD)
Immune: undead immunities
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +9
Weaknesses: fragile

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Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee: slam +17 (2d6+11)
Space 10ft.; Reach 10ft.
Base Atk +7; Grp +22

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Abilities: Str 32, Dex 6, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1
SQ: blood bloated, undead traits
Feats: –
Skills: Listen +0, Spot +0
Advancement: see text

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Fragile (Ex): A blookhulk takes an extra 1d6 points of damage whenever it takes at least 1 point of damage from a piercing or slashing weapon.
Blood Bloated (EX): A bloodhulk always gains the maximum hit points possible per Hit Die. In addition, it gains 2 bonus hit points per Hit Die

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BLOODHULK CRUSHER           CR 7
Always NE Huge undead
Init -3; Senses: darkvision 60ft., low light vision; Listen +0, Spot +0
Languages: understands creator’s orders

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AC 13, touch 5, flat-footed 13
(-2 Size, -3 Dex, +8 Natural)
hp 308 (22 HD)
Immune: undead immunities
Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +13
Weaknesses: fragile

---

Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Melee: slam +28 (3d6+19)
Space 15ft.; Reach 15ft.
Base Atk +11; Grp +22

---

Abilities: Str 48, Dex 4, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1
SQ: blood bloated, undead traits
Feats: –
Skills: Listen +0, Spot +0
Advancement: see text

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Fragile (Ex): A blookhulk takes an extra 1d6 points of damage whenever it takes at least 1 point of damage from a piercing or slashing weapon.
Blood Bloated (EX): A bloodhulk always gains the maximum hit points possible per Hit Die. In addition, it gains 2 bonus hit points per Hit Die

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BLOODHULK MANGLER           CR 9   (NEW)
Always NE Gargantuan undead
Init -3; Senses: darkvision 60ft., low light vision; Listen +0, Spot +0
Languages: understands creator’s orders

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AC 17, touch 3, flat-footed 17
          (-4 Size, -3 Dex, +14 Natural)
hp 420 (30 HD)
Immune: undead immunities
Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +17
Weaknesses: fragile

---

Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Melee: slam +38 (3d10+27)
Space 20ft.; Reach 20ft.
Base Atk +15; Grp +59

---

Abilities: Str 64, Dex 4, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1
SQ: blood bloated, undead traits
Feats: –
Skills: Listen +0, Spot +0
Advancement: see text

---

Fragile (Ex): A blookhulk takes an extra 1d6 points of damage whenever it takes at least 1 point of damage from a piercing or slashing weapon.
Blood Bloated (EX): A bloodhulk always gains the maximum hit points possible per Hit Die. In addition, it gains 2 bonus hit points per Hit Die

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BLOODHULK PULVERIZER           CR 11   (NEW)
Always NE Colossal undead
Init -3; Senses: darkvision 60ft., low light vision; Listen +0, Spot +0
Languages: understands creator’s orders

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AC 21, touch -1, flat-footed 21
          (-8 Size, -3 Dex, +22 Natural)
hp 532 (38 HD)
Immune: undead immunities
Fort +12, Ref +9, Will +21
Weaknesses: fragile

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Speed: 65 ft. (13 squares)
Melee: slam +46 (5d8+35)
Space 30ft.; Reach 30ft.
Base Atk +19; Grp +75

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Abilities: Str 80, Dex 4, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 1
SQ: blood bloated, undead traits
Feats: –
Skills: Listen +0, Spot +0
Advancement: see text

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Fragile (Ex): A blookhulk takes an extra 1d6 points of damage whenever it takes at least 1 point of damage from a piercing or slashing weapon.
Blood Bloated (EX): A bloodhulk always gains the maximum hit points possible per Hit Die. In addition, it gains 2 bonus hit points per Hit Die