Thursday, February 11, 2021

OSR: Yugoloths: Vernal Company

Find basic information on the Yugoloths here.
Shiver Squad: Shock Troops.
Gelid Squad: Seductresses, spies specializing in silk-work, espionage and assassination.
Bluster Platoon: Magically gifted negotiators, who use their magic to contain, control and aid their allies.

                                                  found here, artist unknown

Vernal Company:

Vernal Company is a group of Yugoloths formally classified by the Sewing Circle as the Aqualoths.  They possess the ability to breathe underwater and are as comfortable there as on land. 

Appearance wise, Aqualoths are humanoids covered in scales and barnacle-like growths of bone that potrude from their bodies.  They have webbed fingers and bald heads, with crest-like fins atop the crowns of their heads.  Their eyes are huge and black, and they have gills on their abdomens.

Aqualoths have clawed feet that seem ill-suited to swimming, but when they need to, they can transform their lower bodies into the tails of fish, making them resemble monstrous Mermaids.  For the majority of them, this is the limit of their magics.

Vernal Company is composed of 134 Aqualoths.  It is divided into 10 squads of 10 each, each one headed by a Dectat.  The Each of these Dectats report to the Captain, who commands the whole company.  The other 34 Aqualoths are a mix of physicians, magicians, priests and other personnel that support the rank and file soldiers. 

The Company's members are all descended from five Aqualoths, who were the original children of a Green Hag named Sarah Seafoam.  The rest of the Aqualoths came about the normal way, from the wives, concubines and paramours of those original five. 

Seafoam is still alive, though her current activities and whereabouts are unknown.

The location of Vernal Company's book is unknown, but many believe it fell into the sea near the Cape of Tears.  If the book is still around, it is likely buried in the mud there or in the lair of a sea creature who isn't smart enough to use it.

Base Aqualoth Abilities:


Amphibious: Aqualoths can breathe water as well as air. 

Limited Shapeshifting: Aqualoths can change their bodies using magic to a limited degree.  They can turn their legs to fish tails, transform hands and arms into fins, and make other small changes.  They cannot totally change to look like someone different, however. 

Reinforcements: All Yugoloths know at least one of the True Names of their kinsmen, usually a member of the same squad.  However, because they will not compel their kinsmen to respond, and because most Yugoloths are selfish by nature, their kinsmen will not always respond.  As an action, the Yugoloth can attempt summon that other Yugoloth to aid them in whatever the first Yugoloth was doing. 

                                                      by Stephanieboehm

Aqualoth Soldier
HD 2
AR Fish-Scale Shirt, Greaves, Helm and Shield [14 Armor]
Atk Spear (1d8) or Dagger (1d6)
Mor 12
Saves 9 or less
Immune to Poison and Poison Damage
Resistant to Cold and Cold Damage

Amphibious: See 'Base Aqualoth Abilities'.

Limited Shapeshifting: See 'Base Aqualoth Abilities'.

Reinforcements: Aqualoth Soldiers have a 50% of being able to summon another member of their 10-man squad or a 25% chance of summoning an Aqualoth from another squad. 

Tactics:
- Form a wedge and cut enemy formations in two
- Gang up on weaker targets
- Retreat from unwinnable fights

This is the Statblock for individual soldiers.  If more than twenty of them gather in one place, use the following Statblock:

Aqualoth Army

HP 100
Damage Threshold 4
Atk Spear (1d8/1d8/1d8 + see below)
Mor 15
Saves 9 or less

Army: The Aqualoth Army is a group of 20 or more Aqualoths working and fighting together as a unit.  Armies move in groups- 3 can walk abreast in a 10' wide hallway.  Three soldiers in the Army are able to surround one enemy and more will be needed should there be more enemies, or should they be standing shoulder-to-shoulder or back-to-back.  Armies make all saves against area-of-effect spells with disadvantage and should a spell or ability of that kind do damage, they take full damage if evading it is based on DEX or agility.     

Variable Attacks: An Army can make a variable amount of attacks, especially if it is able to surround an enemy.  At base, Armies can make three attacks, but depending on positioning, may be able to make more.  If the Referee rules it, an Army may make a number of additional attacks up to 10 potential attacks, but this is only in a situation where a group of enemies has been completely surrounded.   

Damage Threshold: Attacks against the Army automatically hit, instead have the attacker just roll damage and compare it to the Damage Threshold.  Any attack that equals or exceeds the threshold does normal damge to the Army's HP, but any attack that fails to reach or exceed the Damage Threshold is ignored, as if it did no damage.  

Amphibious: See 'Base Aqualoth Abilities'.

Limited Shapeshifting: See 'Base Aqualoth Abilities'.

Rain of Spears: Instead of making three or more attacks, the Aqualoth Army can choose to instead throw their spears in a mass volley.  This does 3d8 damage, save for half.  If you have a shield, a successful save instead means you take no damage and a failed one means half damage.  After using this ability, the Army's damage is reduced to 1d6 until they can retrieve their spears. 

Tactics:
- Divide the enemy
- Avoid fair fights
- Only use 'Rain of Spears' on enemies entrenched or tightly massed    

The rank and file of Vernal company is made up of hardy warriors and plucky survivors.  In many ways, they are no different than any otehr group of soldiers.  Some are motivated by a sense of patriotism or fidelity to friends and kin.  Some are just in it for the money or because they see no better option.  Most of these are only common fighters, no more skilled or motivated than any others.  A rare few will be true warriors, noble of heart and dedicated wholly to their duty, even onto death. 

But in other ways, the soldiers of Vernal Company are vastly different.  Unlike other soldiers, they have no homeland to fight for or return to.  They are eternal outsiders, always set apart from those they fight for.  But unlike others of their kind, whose unit is small enough to resemble a family, the Company is large enough that it almost resembles a society, yet it falls short in some ways.  This tension in their souls causes them pain, the feeling of never being accepted anywhere, but having no place of solace to return to.  This is an asset in some way, because it prevents them from showing sympathy to their victims.

This makes them an asset for their employers.  With no loyalty to any other group but themselves, the troops of Vernal Company do not hesitate to crush revolts, slay freedom-fighters and aid tyrants in pushing their enemies down into the muck. However, this same callousness can be a problem.  The soldiers of Vernal Company are mercenaries, but they are much more loyal to each other than to their purses.  When push comes to shove, they value money over your life and their comrades over money.  This fact has often become painfully obvious to those who employ Vernal Company, as they are known to change their allegiances in a day, betraying former allies or abandoning clients to certain doom.   

To combat this feeling, the soldiers of Vernal Company adopt the usual Yugoloth perspective, that is, they regard the creatures of this world as lesser.  The Yugoloths stand above them by virtue of their status as Yugoloths.  As such, whatever a Yugoloth wants to do to an outsider is fine.  To take from an outsider is no crime, nor is it to manipulate or otherwise abuse them.  However, if doing such a thing would bring shame or harm to another Yugoloth, then it should be avoided.  And unlike some other Yugoloths, who have almost no care for their fellows, the soldiers of Vernal Company have some fidelity to their kinsmen, especially to fellow members of their Company and squad. 

The soldiers of Vernal Company can show great valor, but they are mercenaries, so they are more interested in profit and survival than whatever cause they are currently fighting for.      

                                              by Suzanne-Helmigh

Vernal Dectat
HD 4
AR Bone Armor and Helm [15 Armor]
Atk Barbed Spears (1d6/1d6/1d6) or Sharktooth Hook (1d8 + Grapple)
Mor 13
Saves 11 or less

Amphibious: See 'Base Aqualoth Abilities'.

Limited Shapeshifting: See 'Base Aqualoth Abilities'.

Reinforcements: Vernal Dectats have a 60% of being able to summon another member of their 10-man squad or a 30% chance of summoning an Aqualoth from another squad. 

Tactics:
- Grapple someone with the Sharktooth Hook
- Drag them away from the group
- Have your subordinates attack the helpless one OR Keep the others away while you take a hostages.

Vernal Company has 100 soldiers, each divided into 10 ten man squads.  The Dectats are those appointed to lead each squad and guide them to victory.  Dectats are usually  selected from those Aqualoths powerful enough to rise above their fellows in terms of valor, power or skill.  This is largely the only similarity between them.  The Dectats are all very different in terms of their relationships with their subordinates and superiors. 

How do this Dectat's subordinates feel about him?

1d4

1- Their subordinates despise them and view them as unworthy of command.  The soldiers under this Dectat are "this" close to murdering their commander and claiming it was an accident.  They would also leave him for dead, should he lead them into a dangerous situation.
2- Their subordinates don't like their Dectat because they feel he is 1dX [1= A screw-up; 2= Being groomed for Officer status and is only using them as a stepping stone; 3= A tyrant who micro-manages them; 4= An unpleasant person to be around; 5= Unworthy of command because of some failing or flaw; 6= A failure who was assigned to them to keep him busy, so he wouldn't bother the other officers.]
3- Their subordinates admire him, viewing him as someone worthy of respect.
4- Their subordinates adore him and are fanatically loyal to him. 

How do his superiors feel about him?

1d4

1- The Officers regard him as a joke.  He is a failure and an embarassment.  He'll soon be dead, but even should he survive, he's impotent.  No threat to anyone.
2- The Officers regard him as a useful tool.  If you need a fortress stormed or an enemy assassinated, he's the man for the job.  At most other things, he is middling to less than useful.
3- The Officers value his input and intelligence.  A good soldier- a man I trust to have my back.  And one I know is not smart or ambitious enough to plant a dagger there.
4- The Officers fear and potentially loathe him, as he is likely to be the one that replaces them.

But despite all their differences, their is one other similarity between the Dectats.  They all aspire to command, to higher things.  But it is a small world they live in- to them, leaving the Company is all but unthinkable.  A Yugoloth who does so would be apart from his people and in their view, utterly alone in a land of stranger.  As such, death would be immensely preferrable to exile.  And in the small world they live in, small actions can cause great ripples.  They are balanced on the knife's edge, knowing that one misstep could be fatal, or worse.  So they all quietly plot and scheme against each other, sharpening their knives even as they stand shoulder to shoulder against a world they cannot, nay, will not understand.    

                                                         by ladyowl

Vernal Sage
HD 3
AR Varies, see below
Atk Varies, see below
Mor 10
Saves 10 or less

Amphibious: See 'Base Aqualoth Abilities'.

Limited Shapeshifting: See 'Base Aqualoth Abilities'.

Reinforcements: Vernal Sages have a 70% of being able to summon an Aqualoth Soldier, 30% of summoning a Dectat or 10% of summoning another Vernal Sage.

Innate Spellcasting: Vernal Sages have a number of Mana Dice equal to their HD.  They can cast the following spells as an action: Alter Self, Dazzling Display, Ink Screen. 

Tactics:
- If sufficient defended, fight alongside their brethren
- If not, avoid contact at all cost

All Vernal Sages are different.  To see how this one is, roll on the tables below:

This Vernal Sage is protected by...

1d4

1- Nothing.  This Sage is an Apprentice and has been ordered to avoid combat as much as possible.
2- Light Armor.  This Sage wears furrowed scale armor, granting it 8 Armor. 
3- A magical enchantment.  This Sage has ensorcelled themselves to 1d3 [1= Make themselves unable to be harmed by any manmade tool or weapon; 2= Given themselves the ability to regenerate in water (as a Water Elemental); 3= Teleport 30' in the opposite direction if a source would damage them.]
4- A magic item.  The Sage has 1d3 [1= Robes that can harden to make themselves tougher than steel [20 Armor].  The robes also regenerate 1d4 points of Armor each round they aren't hardened; 2= A Ring that directs a water current to try and sweep away the first person to make a melee attack against the Sage; 3= An Ioun Stone that creates a force shield around the user, deflecting all of one type of damage- ex: Sharp, Bludgeoning, cold, but lets others through.  Each round, the Sage can choose the damage type deflected.  

This Vernal Sage fights with...

1d6

1- A dancing spear.  The spear moves of its own power and makes two attacks doing 1d6 damage.
2- Sorcerous Power.  The Sage has unlocked the greater secrets of sorcery and has +1d4 MD, and knows 1d4+2 spells.
3- Telepathic Hypnotism.  The Sage can force creatures to save.  On a failed save, those creatures fall into a trance and think their allies are enemies and vice versa.  The Sage can also project blasts of psychic energy that do 2d6 damage, save for half.
4- Shapeshifting.  The Sage possesses the ability to shapeshift far beyond that of most Aqualoths, allowing it to transform into beasts far larger and more dangerous than an Aqualoth.
5- An ordinary weapon and their horrible animal companion.  The Sage carries a spear and is accompanied by a 5 HD beast that obeys them, such as a War-Dolphin, a Giant Shark or a Great Squid. 
6- Water Weapons.  The Sage can infuse the water near them with mana, allowing it to be sculpted into semi-solid objects.  The Sage transforms these into weapons, which it uses to fight.  These weapons do 1d6 magical sharp or bludgeoning damage, ignore the usual restrictions for weapons underwater and grant a +4 attack bonus underwater.  

Vernal Sages are the few among the Aqualoths who possess more than a scrap of magical talent.  They are taken from the masses of the common infantry and trained to harness the power of Sorcery.  Few ever become truly powerful, most coasting on the magical inheritance they received from their Mother.  This lack of truly talented Sorcerers among their ranks has fueled fears among some Aqualoths that their interbreeding with the intelligent races of the Undersea has been a mistake and is only diluting their bloodline.  Some of these types paint the grim picture of the Aqualoths disappearing entirely from the world, dissolving and melding so much with the other races that they are swallowed up and extinguished.  And while the Officers officially insist that such a thing isn't a problem, there are concerns that it might be possible, or at least that some parts of Vernal Company are starting to go native.  Instead of only being loyal to their brethren and Yugoloths in general, they are coming to sympathize with the concerns and cultures of their concubines, wives and servants.

What is to be done about this problem remains an important question, though to some it is not a question at all, merely being a paranoid delusion or a deliberate strategy to undermine the Captain and take his position.          

                                                             artist unknown

Vernal Officer
HD 5
AR 16 [Fine Scalemail]
Atk Trident (1d10/1d10)
Mor 12
Saves 12 or less

Amphibious: See 'Base Aqualoth Abilities'.

Limited Shapeshifting: See 'Base Aqualoth Abilities'.

Reinforcements: Vernal Officers have a 90% of being able to summon an Aqualoth Soldier, 50% of summoning a Dectat, 30% of summoning a Vernal Sage.  Additionally, when a Vernal Officer successfully rolls to summon a Vernal Soldier, he instead rolls 1d10 and summons that many.   

Tactics:
- Let others do the fighting
- Avoid conflict as much as possible, unless you're being paid otherwise
- Take no unnecessary risks

Since most of the Officers will be included in the section below, consult there for their individual abilities and quirks.

                                                           by JasonTN

Notable Individual Members:

Company Commander Captain Uyil [U-yi], Son of Sarah

True Name: Divid

Captain Uyil is an ancient Aqualoth, said to be of the original crop that was descended directly from their Hag Mother.  As such, he is revered by his men, who regard him as nothing short of a living legend.  He accepts their praise with humility, never boasting about his own accomplishments.  He prefers to let his actions speak, instead of his words. 

Uyil has led Vernal Company for centuries, so much so that many Aqualoths cannot imagine anyone else taking his place.  As such, every ten years when Officers and the Captain is elected, he has won handily.  Uyil maintains his comfortable position thanks to his care of his soldiers, winning them rich prizes in the forms of slaves, war booty and coin.  He similarly maintains control over the Officers through his erratic behavior and the fact that he never, ever reveals his true feelings or intentions until it is necessary.  When told of some event that displeases him, he simply says, "I see," and then goes silent.  The other Officers walk on eggshells around him, knowing that should they arouse his ire, he will destroy their careers, either in the next election or earlier, usually by reassigning them to some meaningless post. 

Weakness: Uyil's weakness is his wife, Yola Esqualo, a Merfolk noble-woman.  She has disproportionate influence over him and helps him run the "civil" affairs of the Company.  He has great difficulty saying no to her.  Her influence is a source of grief for the other Officers, one Uyil's enemies have been working to exploit.     

Statblock Changes:    
  

+2 HD

AR 22 [Masterwork Medium Armor]

Secret Techniques: Uyil is an Expert in Farmer's Friend
- He can parry 1 attack around, reducing damage taken by 1d10.  He can parry anything you could stop with a staff, including arrows or throwing knives.
- He can attack two opponents, as long as they are adjacent.

Magic Weapon: Uyil's Trident is magic.  It is called Thundering Seas and has two abilities.
Firstly, Uyil can have his trident have an electrical current flow through it, causing it to do +1d6 lightning damage on a hit. This extra damage is only added after the hit is confirmed and is not included in the attack roll.  Additionally, creatures wearing metal armor take +1d8 damage, while creatures wearing normal clothing or armor made of insulating substances take +1d4 lightning damage.
Secondly, Thundering Seas can 1/Day unleash a shockwave of Thunder that ripples out from the user, extending any distance the user wants it to, up to 50'.  Any creatures within this field take 4d6 thunder damage, save for half.  Creatures that fail their saves are also knocked prone.  While underwater, the shockwave can travel twice as far and does +1d6 damage.     

                                                 source unknown

Vice-Commander First Lieutenant Archok, Son of Persio

True Name:
Evi

Archok is a cold-blooded, incredibly ruthless and sublimely violent Yugoloth.  He also possesses a trait almost unknown among their species- he is loyal.  Archok, unlike many of his brethren, has no real interest in climbing the ladder of command nor fame.  He is a realist and a cynic, utterly unswayed by sentiment.  As far as he is concerned, someone who climbs to the top of a Yugoloth unit is only the strongest crab in the bucket, it's pointless, as they are still trapped.  The only benefit the leader possesses is being the one most able to see, but never reach freedom.  As such, he never put himself forward for promotion and when his fellows voted for him anyway, he had to pressured to actually accept the positions offered to him. 

And so he climbed from common soldier to adjutant to Dectat and so on, all the way up to become First Lieutenant, the Vice Commander of the entire Company.  He is as mystified as most of the other officers are about this fact. 

Still, he tries to make the best of it.  He serves diligently and accurately reports the business of the other officers to Uyil, never visibly showing discontent and inwardly never even considering going against his boss.  As he could tell you himself, "Power is a scum-sucking whore."

When he is not performing his duties as Vice Commander, Archok is practicing martial arts, composing poetry and engaging in amateur philosophers.  Most of the Company just humors him, but he has a small following of Aqualoths who worship the ground he walks on and emulate him in everything.

Weakness: Archok is not as clever as he looks.  He is actually somwhat bad at judging a situation and dealing with most creatures in any situation that doesn't call for extreme violence.  If you put him a situation that requires a more sophisticated response than "Hit it until it dies", he will be very slow and methodical, and likely fetch others to help him make the decision.

Statblock Changes:

+1 HD

Atk Trident (1d10/1d10) or Unarmed Strike (1d8/1d8/1d8)

Secret Techniques:  
- If he sacrifices one of his attacks, he gets a +2 bonus to his next defense roll            

                                                          source unknown

Houndmaster Second Lieutenant Trici, Son of Yaro

True Name:
Trax

Trici is a scum-sucking, power-hungry, conniving snake of a Yugoloth.  He is the Yugoloth that gives all the others of his kind their reputation as selfish, back-stabbing pricks only interested in looking out for themselves.  Trici is a vain-glorious fool who aspires to glory and the Captainship of the Company.  To achieve these goals, he will do anything.  He has no shame or real sense of self-respect.  If threatened with death, he will do anything to stay alive.

Weakness:
Trici is blinded by his desire for power and his sense of self-importance.  He thinks he is much smarter and more competent than he actually is.  As such, he is easy to trick or manipulate if you invoke one or both of these factors.  He is weak to flattery. 

Note that Trici's role as Hound-Master means that not only is he third in command, but he is also in charge of the War-Dolphins, trained hunters that the Aqualoths occasionally use in combat. 

Statblock Changes:

Magic Ring: Trici has a magic ring called The Ring of Shifting.  The ring allows the user to change the color and texture of their skin as an action, giving them a +4 bonus to any stealth check if they used it to camoflague themselves against the background or terrain.   

                                                         by Maciej Kuciara

Chief Scholar, Dectat-Sage Yifiga, Son of Fargex

True Name:
Antoro

Yifiga is the most powerful Magi the Aqualoths have seen in generations.  Yet he did not begin that way.  An untalented soldier who had no real skill with the spear or the dart, he was selected by the previous Chief Scholar because he showed talent, having more shapeshifting ability that others.  But despite this fact, he possessed almost no talent and utterly failed to learn sorcery or any advanced Arts.  As such, after one particularly draining session, he fell into a coma.  The Chief Scholar declared him a failure and when Yifiga recovered several days later, the Chief Scholar dismissed him. 

Desperate to avoid being sent to the front lines, where he feared he would surely die, Yifiga deserted.  There was a token effort to reclaim him, but since he wasn't very useful, no one tried that hard.  And that is where the story ordinarily would have ended. 

But then, ten days later, Yifiga returned and begged the Chief Scholar to take him back.  The Chief begrudgingly allowed him back, on the basis Yifiga could pass a simple test.  As it was a test Yifiga had previously failed, the Chief was certain he would soon be rid of his worst student.  But to his surprise, Yifiga crushed the test, revealing a massive pool of untapped potential.  Soon he was excelling in his studies and before anyone knew it, he was the Chief's adjutant.  When the Chief Scholar was assassinated during a siege, Yifiga was the natural pick to replace the former Chief.

However, Yifiga has a big secret.  As the former Chief suspected, he did not suddenly awaken to his latent magical abilities alone.  He had help.  Specifically, he struck a pact.  In exchange for awakening his latent powers and super-charging them, he swore himself to a powerful creature and promised it something.  What that something is, no one knows.  But considering the power Yifiga gained, it must be a considerable prize to have been worth waiting all this time. 

Weakness:
Yifiga, despite his outward confidence, is actually still a cowardly creature.  He can pretend to be brave, but he refuses to take risks and only does so when absolutely necessary.  Additionally, he also has obligations to his patron.  Should he ever fail to meet them, his magical abilities would vanish and he would be exposed as a fraud.  This is his greatest fear, perhaps even more than death. 

Statblock Changes:         

Spellcasting: Yifiga has 8 Mana Dice.  His MD burn out on a roll of 5 or 6 and if he rolls doubles or triples, he triggers a roll on his Chaos Table.  He has the spells Evard's Black Tentacles, Guardian Angel, Inkspray, Ink Screen, Otiluke's Freezing Sphere, Ray of Sickness, Rogue Wave and Tentacle Swarm prepared.

Chaos of the Deep Mage:
1d6

1- Your MD only return on a 1-2 for 24 hours.
2- Take 1d6 damage as you cough up ink.
3- Random mutation for 1d6 rounds, then Save. Permanent if you fail. Squid-related mutations are preferable.
4- You constantly sweat ink, staining everything you touch and leaving a trail. Lasts 1d6 hours.
5- You are blinded for 1d6 rounds, weeping ink.
6- Speak only squiddish for 1d6 hours. Squids, octopi and mind flayers understand you, but no one else.

Table is from here.

                                                              from here, artist unknown

Quartermistress Yola Esqalo, Wife of Uyil

Yola is the third daughter of a Merfolk Noble, a high-rankier courtier to the coastal kingdom of Abaya.  After the Vernal Company helped Abaya crush its enemies on land and sea, there was great competition among the Nobles to see who could win the loyalty of these powerful mercenaries.  In the end, Majari Esqualo's offer of one of his daughters to the Captain, along with a vast number of slave women and several chests of valuables won out. 

Yola was initially not happy with this prospect, but over time she grew to love her foreign mercenary husband very much.  Not only is he charming, funny and a capable provider, but he also has enabled her to greatly increase in status, making her one of the most important women in the Kingdom.  She is also fully aware of the political potential of her position.  She hasn't actually made much use of her influence yet, but has encouraged her husband to entrench himself further into the Merfolk Kingdom.  She hopes that given enough time, the Company will settle down and merge with the Kingdom of Abaya, and she will no longer have to accompany her husband on long trips far from home.

Yola currently works as the Quartermaster, helping to manage supply lines and ensure everything is running smoothly.  She's very good at her job and has the blessing of Captain Uyil, which is the only reason why she hasn't been replaced yet.  There are many Yugoloths who resent her for taking a position that should belong to one of them.  However, this is not universal and some Yugoloths regard her as a maternal figure of sorts. 

Weakness: Yola and Uyil have no children at the moment, which is a source of tension between them.  Uyil has told her that there must be something wrong with him, as he has always been unable to sire children.  In truth, Uyil has been using his shapeshifting to prevent himself from conceiving a child with her.  He fears a child would weaken him and provide another weakness his enemies could exploit.  He is right on this matter.  However, that doesn't change the fact that if Yola knew the truth, she wouldn't be furious with him. 

Statblock:

Yola is a 1 HD Merfolk Commoner.

Magic Ring: Yola wears a magic ring named The Ring of Bait, allowing her 1/Day to transform into a vast swarm of bait fish.  She can control each of these fish individually and as long as at least 1 lives, she can transform back at whatever HP she had before she used the ring.  This transformation lasts for up to ten minutes and can be ended whenever the wearer chooses to.      

Plot Hooks:
1d4

1- A woman contacts the party, claiming to be an impoverished noble.  Her ancestor was a Magi, who had a book of magic spells that her family used to rise to prominence, gaining riches and power.  But the book was stolen and hurled into the sea.  Please recover it for her and she will pay them a fortune in gold.  Secretly, there is no noble or gold.  The noble woman is Sarah Seafoam in disguise. 
2- The party hears about a rebellion in a coastal Kingdom.  The rebellion is being led by a charismatic young warrior who is raising the peasants against the corrupt, dynastic King.  There have also been raids along the coast by Seafolk, and the King is using these as a pretext to ask the rebel leader for a ceasefire.  Yet despite the King's words, the Seafolk only seem to attack rebel-controlled areas.  Secretly, the King has hired Vernal Company to carry out these raids and plans to use them to crush the rebels, as his army is degraded and soft from many decades of peace.
3- Rumors of a war between Seafolk kingdoms provide an opportunity for the local land-dwellers to take back some prime coastline and some islands that has been in the hands of amphibious folk for too long.  The war is on and there is plenty of work for adventurers.  But when Vernal Company gets involved on behalf of the Seafolk, a short conflict turns into a grinding guerilla war.  Can the party convince the magical mercenaries to switch sides and bring a quick end to the war?
4- A Kua Toa-backed cult has rebelled and taken over a city.  The city is currently being besieged, but word is that they have sent a messenger to hire an army of monsters to break the siege.  Can you intercept the messenger before they arrive?  And if the messenger beats you there, can you beat them back?          

                                                       by Liiga Klavina

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