Kerastes, also known as He Who Hungers, and The Wyrm That Crawls Beneath, is an immortal and undying Dragon, perhaps the first Dracolich. He dwells in the Realm of the Dead, and devours the souls of the unwary dead. It is the duty of the Lady Nïa to defend and shepherd them from his depredations.
Kerastes is an ancient and infamous monster, who depredated much of the mortal world before making his lair in the realm of the dead, burrowing deeper and deeper into its abysmal depths where he could not be rooted out and destroyed. It is not known how he made his transition into an undying creature, and indeed many myths exist of heroes who ventured into the realms of the dead and slew him, and yet he has re-emerged many times. It is thought that he not only pioneered the ritual of becoming a Dracolich, but spread it to mortal servants in order to create mighty creatures in his own image on the mortal planes. Worshippers of Kerastes often wear a bracelet of silvered bones about their left wrist, and recognize each other by animated tattoos upon their left wrists, which seem to 'burrow' out from the skin onto the wearer's palm when they wish it. When gathering, they wear robes of greys, and powerful cults are often led by liches. They plan to 'turn' nearby dragons, whether Good or Evil, into dracoliches under the control of the cult, and will often hire adventurers to attack a dragon's lair, in the hope that they will weaken or wound it and make it more tractable. They will then often approach the dragon and force it or offer it a poisoned broth, to drive the change into an undead creature. Statistics: Kerastes is a Neutral Evil minor deity, with small cells of cult members scattered all over the world. His worshippers have access to the Dragon, Evil, and Undeath domains. How you can use Kerastes, The Wyrm That Crawls Beneath in your game: - Adventurers might be hired unsuspectingly by a cult of Kerastes to slay a dragon. While the reward offered is sizeable, the dragon is much more so than promised, and your PCs may have to beat a hasty retreat. If they're watching carefully, they might spot their employer heading in the main entrance to the cave, clutching some kind of bubbling potion. - Servants of Kerastes might attempt to poison a nearby Good-aligned dragon for their own gain. Those who have dealt with the dragon might try to assist it in overcoming whatever ailment has been inflicted upon it, especially before the servants of Kerastes are able to carry out their vile plans. The cultists might attempt to interfere with your PCs in gaining the rare ingredients needed to cure the dragon's poison. - A Dracolich which has fully attained undeath is likely to have a cult of Kerastes either controlling it, or serving it, depending upon its power and willingness. If you are planning an adventure with a Dracolich, perhaps include a cell of warriors and spellcasters who can defend it, make up for some of its weaknesses, and abscond with its phylactery so that it can return to them if defeated. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 20 April 2019. Comments are closed.
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