The Undead Of H'bala

[CryptWarden]

[tface=callig]The Undead of H’bala

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In death, we find release. In death, our duties end. In death, we are at peace.

 This text elaborates on the numerous variety of undead that H’bala has created with her Withering Plague and her potent malificar abilities. Understanding the variety of her forces shall inevitably lead to higher survival rates when seeking glory in the lands held by the Lichess. The author of this text further asserts destroying any undead, while seemingly futile, does the work of the God of the Dead, Kelemvor, and aids the tidy book keeping of the Lord Jergal. The rewards of the afterlife shall come upon those who strike the blows in this war against the Lichess Shylae. The horde of undeath can be thwarted with the dutiful perseverance of the living, and their willingness to accept the ultimate fate Death bestows upon them.


  The purpose of this text directs itself toward the soldiers of the Lichess, not her subtle, ever present plague. Symptoms in and of themselves of the Dark Lichess’s work, these creatures  present the most obvious threats without the presence of H’bala’s commanders.

Cryptwarden Salarch Xenan
Servant of the Pitiless One
Third Archivest[/tface]

[CryptWarden]

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The Explosive, Bloated Pigs of the Lich

"Horrid Beasts, you can often smell them before you see them coming."

An original idea on the part of the Lichess, these  pigs roam the lands exuding a highly flammable miasma. Their bodies  re-purposed to the production of the noxious,volatile gasses required to commit themselves to an explosion.  They are rarely seen in numbers greater than two, but at points in the  past, it has been noted that these pigs are sent against a well  fortified line in order to destroy any fortifications and hopefully  substantially weaken the line of warriors holding back the other troops  of H'bala. Relatively small, mobile, and quick, these withered  monstrosities are often the most feared of the Maiden's more common forces.
 
To combat these heinous undead, it is advised ranged, fire ammo (to  ignite the gas) is used against them from afar. If charging in numbers,  the ignition of one will assuredly cause the other pigs to let loose  their explosion. If close, quickly quaff the strongest elemental  protection and pray the blade that strikes it down does not cause spark.  
 
While deadly, their bodies are fragile, and easily taken down from a distance.

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[CryptWarden]

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The Horrid Felines of the Withered Lands

"The Sacred Cat has become a mockery of what we believe, we mourn their loss." - A lone stargazer.

Retaining their near legendary stealth capabilities even in the horrid unlife, these animated beasts wander the lands searching for the living who dare resist the curse of their mistress. Striking from the shadows and sharing the ferocity of their living kin, these abominations aren't to be taken likely.

These creatures emit a noxious miasma that weakens the constitution of those who inhale the putrid air that surrounds them. And like their living counterparts, flank the individual while they are focused on more sturdy foes. It is advised to deal with them when they appear quickly before they become more than a nuisance.

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[CryptWarden]

[tface=callig]Fleshlings

 "They came in a swarm, and soon, our blades were useless." -Surviving Soldier

Almost always seen in large numbers, fleshlings are weak individually but in a swarm, deadly. They are the shock troops of the field. The discarded pieces of meat from various withered creatures conglomerate together to form this amalgamate of flesh, sinew, and muscle. A horrible sight to behold. Their weakness is made up for the fact they share the qualities of the tractyle zombie, when in large groups, they become slowly more and more resistant to the incoming blows of hammer, axe, and spear. Even growing resistant to the elemental forces of nature itself, these creatures are to be removed as soon as possible lest you find yourself fighting a futile battle.

The powers of the paladin and holy soldier of gods are your most powerful asset against these monsters. The blessing, "Bless Weapon," Bestowed upon all paladins works devastatingly well against these creatures, as well, if lacking, the use of divine favor potions and the presence of a cleric can often allow warriors to whittle away at their composite forms until they collapse to rot under Lathander's angry rays.

They come in unending swarms and their blows are not to be underestimated. The usage of healing tokens to destroy individual Fleshlings is a waste of resources unless it is a last ditch effort of survival at hand. They are almost always accompanied by other types of withered undead.

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[CryptWarden]

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H'bala's Creeping Vines

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"We heard her scream, and then very earth rose against us in a spray of acid and thorny vines, and soon our companion was dragged against the earth and covered in gore and blood. The vines wreathed and we soon fled, lest we become prey next." ~Survivor

Foes that remain hidden in the earth. Ghastly flora that seeks the blood of its prey, the Creeping Vines of the Lich are the bane to all living things. These creatures are plants that have been corrupted and planted by the withered druids of the land to claim what living things still roam freely in the Lichess's territory. With poisonous, paralyzing toxins, the tentacles tear your form to shreds, armor or no. Better to flee from these heinous things rather than confront them, and only the foolhardy and truly brave do. Do not flee invisibily, the root system of the creature can detect the  footsteps of invisible being through a attribute known as "Tremor  Sense," a trait shared by many burrowing animals and beasts.

If you must fight them, elemental protection, and ironguts must be used to counter the acidic touch and paralyzing poisons of the vine. A blur will lessen the impact of the blows, and while it has multiple vines, it seems to focus on only one creature at a time, so companions should tear and hack at the base of the creature until the vines are separated from the body of the plant. The plant is only temporarily defeated, and will soon grow new vines. The only way to truly destroy these vines is to burn at the root system itself.

A deadly creature, and worthy of fear. Thankfully, they tend to appear in pairs rather than swarms. Those unlucky enough to be caught in one rarely live to tell of it.

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[CryptWarden]

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The Withered Stargazers

"They were always the Lich's disciples, now, they join her in unlife." ~Templar of the Numinous Order

Perhaps the most obvious symptom of the Withering Plague, the Stagazers of Ymph have suffered the most for their grievous sin in releasing the Witch. Entire families, and tribes, sucked into the withering were soon warped into the mockeries of what the Stargazers claim they stand for.

These perversions take the form, generally, of two types. The Hunter, a full bodied stargazer, with a bone arm dangling on the left side. The other is the Headless, an unthinking legionnaire of the lich as it charges with otherworldly senses at its target.

The difference between the two are small, but the wise would be prepared for either. The hunter's skeletal arm can stun its victim for around a minute, plenty of time for a giant bear to maul it, or for the fleshlings to tear it apart to repair their own bodies. The other, the headless variant, saps the life energy from the persons body to bolster it's own constitution, thus making it tougher to kill.

Both tend to wield clubs in battle and are difficult to dispatch without a strong group.

Note: A third variation is known to exist, the Withered Shaman. A caster of a kind, these stargazers summon hordes withered maggots infested with negative energies to destroy their foes.

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[CryptWarden]

[tface=callig]The Withered Giants[/tface]

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"We heard the rumble of the ground, and then the boulders hailed down on us like rain." -Dwarven Giant Hunter

Retaining much of their shape and original strength, the Stone Hand Giants are H'bala's elite shock troops across Ymph. Intelligent to a degree, and immensely strong, these creatures are terrors to behold. Carrying three boulders that shatter and spray deadly shrapnel each, the giants are capable of making effective ranged attacks with devastating accuracy as well as moving in close to grind warriors beneath massively muscled legs and immense clubs.

To defeat them, overwhelming force must be employed. They are strong, have thick hides, and are difficult to bring down. Like wolves you must surround it and hack at it until it gives way.

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[CryptWarden]

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The Rotting Bears of H'bala


"We heard a grunt, and turned to face the rotting husk of a massive, enraged cave bear." ~Wyrm Watcher, Rover

These undead bears are often seen in the company of withered Stargazer and Fleshling patrols, and often one of the bloated pigs of H'bala will be nearby. They are exceptionally tough and difficult to kill. Thankfully, the average group will only encounter one on their journeys, often alone.

The bear is like all bears, tough, strong, fiercesome, and able to focus its attacks with frightening intensity upon an unfortunate victim. Further more, it houses within its chest a store of negative energy that can be released to bring it from the brink of destruction, repairing sinew, muscle, and bone before its spirit is released from the corpse that holds it.

The same tactics are employed here as they were against the Withered Giants. While they aren't as strong, they are twice as touch, and will take a beating before toppling to the ground.

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[CryptWarden]

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The Dead Pack

Wolves are a common beast on Ymph, and it is understandable that so prideful a creature, a being so filled with life, would fall so quickly to withering and join H'bala's dead pack. Even in death, the wolf is a creature of his pack.

Found in groups, these wolves harbor the withering bite of plague. When they howl, you heal the obscene hatred that H'bala harbors for all living things. There is a terrifying horror to these beasts that can send veteran warrior's fleeing. While not dangerous alone, a pack can certainly give any capable warrior a run for there money.

These are not difficult foes to slay, but the unwarded mind can fall prey to their howls and the weak of constitution can fall to the plague their rotting jaws bear.

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