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Body of the Song Solitary, Huge, Magical, Devious, Planar, Terrifying, Amorphous Thorn vines that smash and grab (d10+5 damage 2 piercing) 31 HP 5 armor Reach, Forceful Special Qualities: Its form is a mockery of humanoids, woven from writhing, thorned vines The Body of the Song is the physical anchor of the Song of Thorns. It is not, properly speaking, a "body" at all, instead being the densest and oldest cluster of thorn-vines present in Zerzura--it may even be the original plant host for the Song. However, just because it is not a body proper does not mean it is unimportant; though powerful and well-defended, it is still a potential weakness, as it is in some sense the only "totem" of the Song. Few could approach the Body without being infected and subverted, becoming food and tools for the Song, but if anyone could do so, the Song will strive to destroy them with extreme prejudice. The Body lairs in what appears to be the very heart of the City proper, with enormous vines ten feet across rising from or buried into the ground, between the shattered remnants of arches and scattered cobblestones. Servants of the Song rarely go here, but anyone whose mind has been assaulted by the Song has seen this place in the mind-battles it fights. Instinct: Absorb powerful minds, crush opposition.
- Confuse and infect prey with illusions and deceptions
- Invoke the world-shaping magic of the Shi
- Call upon the denizens of Zerzura to aid it
- Separate the party into mindscapes/shards of spacetime
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Aesthetician Statue Solitary, Large, Magical, Devious, Construct, Amorphous Stone arms (d10+2 damage) 27 HP 5 armor Forceful Special Qualities: It will not stop unless broken or allowed to complete its The aesthetician statues of Zerzura are strange beings that do not want "violence" in the proper sense, but will violently force transformation on anyone or anything they view as "ugly," or even "insufficiently beautiful." Such transformations can change one's clothing, appearance, or even species--painfully, and possibly lethally. Death is preferable to ugliness in the minds of its long-gone creators. Instinct: Force beauty upon the world
- Change its shape to defend itself
- Permanent alteration of body
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Icestorm Virago Solitary, Magical, Stealthy, Devious, Intelligent, Planar Ray of icy power (d10 damage) 16 HP 4 armor Close, Reach, Ignores Armor, Far The Icestorm Virago is a strange being, possibly a remnant of the ancient Shi that once called Zerzura home, possibly a curiosity they had held captive that now roams free. She appears to be immune to the Song of Thorns, just as winter's chill cares not what thorns the thicket bears--and her influence on the forest helps keep the Song at bay. However, she is also wildly dangerous, and attracting her attention is as likely to hurt as help. Other ice-linked creatures, like the ice spiders and wendigo, seem drawn to her presence, while others simply benefit from the "protection" against the song of thorns. She seems to stick to a relatively limited territory in the deep forest, perhaps because the only part of Zerzura she can enter is ever-burning. Instinct: Freeze the living to add to her collection.
- Summon a swirl of bitter arctic cold.
- Calling simulacra of ice
- Storm and ice heed her call
- When her ice drains you, she profits.
- She does not fear the Song of Thorns.
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Subsumed Shadow Druid Solitary, Magical, Stealthy, Devious, Intelligent, Terrifying Corrosive bolt (d8 damage) 16 HP 4 armor Close, Ignores Armor, Far Special Qualities: Flaking skin and reeking fungal mats for 'robes' Though it is now known that the Shadow Druids truly exist, and that they work by infecting with the dark hive-fungus, the workings of its strongest and most fully-assimilated servants have remained a mystery. Until now. This horrifying caricature of a mortal is all that remains after the hive-fungus has deeply infected a living druid and absorbed them into the hive. Wielding the powers of putrefaction and darkness, they exist only to further the hive's twisted plans for the region. Stripped of anything vaguely resembling humanity, they are better understood as puppets of a vast, old, and wicked intelligence. Puppets that were people once--and who, then and now, would gladly make every other person in the region just like them. Instinct: Spread spores and decay
- Enforce the will of the Fungal Mind
- Becoming one with shadow when wounded
- Spells of rot and plague, curses of darkness and corrosion
- The fungal mind inside reaches out to touch its victims
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Blood Fiend Solitary, Devious, Intelligent, Planar, Terrifying Scythe-claws (b[2d10+4] damage 2 piercing) 16 HP 3 armor Close, Forceful Special Qualities: Raw, flayed flesh that looks and smells repulsive. A blood fiend is to demons what a vampire is to humans; even to other fiends they are terrifying, twisted abominations. They hunt other demons for their blood, tearing open even resilient demon-hide with vicious claws to get at the fresh, burning-hot blood within. They stink of days-old blood and their skin is red, raw and flayed. You'll want a strong stomach as well as a strong heart if you have to fight one. Beware, even if you shed much of its blood rather than the reverse, you're not out of the woods yet--a puddle of its blood can trip you up, or even strike you. Unless you have good reason, best to run, or try some kind of magic to stop them. Instinct: To drink deep the living wine.
- Slices flesh to feast on blood.
- Blood it takes grants it strength.
- Blood it sheds remains dangerous.