Hex Crawl 23 #233: Oddly Shaped Stones

3 hexes northwest, 8 north of Alakran.

 

In this barren place, may we present a d6 table of strange stones? These will only be found if a "lair" roll is made in an empty desert hex (1 on the d20) and even then there is only a 1/6 chance of finding it unless someone is specifically watching the ground. Stones in hill terrain or with any kind of ground cover do not stand out enough to be noticed. All of them have magical uses but none radiate magic.

1. Toe of a petrified lion. Ingredient of a flesh to stone potion; alchenists will pay 50 or, if hard bargaining, 100 gp for it.

2. Round flat stone with a red mark resembling a magical sigil. Can be substituted as a spell component for up to 1000 gp worth of gems.

3. Stone that is thin and standing up but casts no shadow (only noticeable within 3 hours of sunrise or sunset.) A minor marvel that can be sold to collectors or mountebanks for up to 100 gp.

4. Black stone with mica in it, like stars in night sky. If crushed and used for sand as a spell component in sleep, doubles its effectiveness (both number of hit dice/creatures affected, and duration).

5. Sandstone looking oddly like a treasure chest. Can be sold as a curio for 5 gp, or cracked open to reveal the 500 gp ruby inside.

6. White stone with one end resembling a skull. Does double damage if used as a sling stone, but crumbles into dust if it kills a being.

Hex Crawl 23 #182: Fabled Crocodilopolis

Sixteen hexes north, two northwest of Alakran.

 

We have already described the Subek species of crocodilian humanoids via Halpashulupi's comrade Hebar. Here, past rapids and one passage that requires submerged swimming in a treacherous maze for up to five minutes, stands the hidden, epochs-old city of the last few members of that species. It may otherwises be reached by skilled mountaineering across the sheer crags surrounding it.

Crocodilopolis is a city of ten vertical layers carved into red and yellow stone, with broad passages and bridges,  spacious chambers open to the air and light, and a parallel network of canals, pools, and cataracts. It is in a hidden series of these pools that fish and algae are grown to feed the four or five Subek who tend growing young and, once in a generation, produce a new group of eggs. The rest of the city, some thirty individuals, lies sleeping in underground chambers that lead seamlessly to the vast network of catacombs where for thousands of years the crocodilians have been mummified and interred.

Here at the headwaters, the floods that excite the Subek blood to berserk frenzy have no influence, and travel outside is required to gain the experience necessary for full mastery of the berserking condition. The wall carvings are entirely abstract, with no images nor text, representations of the Subek's unified field theory of history and metaphysics. An amazing knowledge of both facts and processes is maintained in the catacombs, for the Subek priestly tradition includes speaking with the dead, and any question about this world and others is 90% likely to be known by one of the compendious minds of the mummies.

The Subek do not gather treasure as humans value it, but they do guard four wondrous items of great power whose existence, although rumored in arcane texts, is not generally linked to their city. These are:

The Screeching Conflagration: A rattle to be whirled on a string, that emits a loud screeching (WIS save vs. DC 15 or frightened to all within 100' who hear) and spits gouts of fire (effect as an 8 dice fireball centered on the user except for the 5' radius around the user).

The Rapid Dialect: A tongue ring that allows up to ten minutes of speech to be compressed into a single second in a way that is comprehensible to all who hear it, regardless of languages known.

The Succulent Cutter: A strangely shaped blade about 2 feet long, made of bronze with an odd patina and with a jade handle. It hits as a longsword +3 and drinks the body's water if it hits, doing an extra 2d8 damage of a special type (desiccation) to anything made of living animal or plant tissue. This water lives in an extradimensional space in the hilt, and can be poured forth by turning a knob on the end of the weapon.

The Xenophobic Rebirth: A crystal that, when wielded by a priest of level 9 or higher, allows the raising from the dead of an individual (once per lifetime), but their race is transformed into a species they have seen as an enemy. Those with absolutely no cause for hate, as rare as they might be, are raised as themselves. This will absolutely not happen for anyone who has built their career on cutting down hyena-people, lizard-people, goblins, and the sundry like.