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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
 Posted - 12 May 2020 : 05:05:41
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I've been rereading Dwarves Deep and thinking about Dareth, the dwarven realm in the far north. It was destroyed by a realm of white dragons and "bestial servant creatures." I was curious if anyone here had thoughts on what kinds of monsters those servant creatures might be. What would a bunch of white dragons, creatures not particularly known for their intelligence, gather to be minions in their realm and grunts in their armies?
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Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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maransreth
Learned Scribe
Australia
157 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2020 : 11:33:42
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Quaggoth is the first thought that came to mind.
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Asharak
Learned Scribe
France
270 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2020 : 13:01:43
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| Perhaps Remorhaz, Tirichik and Yeti. |
"Soyez réalistes : demandez l'impossible"
Sorry for my English... it's not my native tongue. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2020 : 15:16:52
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Yeti are noted in FR14 the Great Glacier as once having been a lot more common, and some are noted as working for white dragons.
From 2nd edition FR14 Great Glacier
In the upper regions of Nakvaligach, a cadre of white dragons has formed an alliance with the local yeti. The dragons provide food for the yeti in exchange for their servitude. The dragons and yeti often engage in joint hunting expeditions and terror sprees; there is no sight more dreaded by the Nakulutiuns than a flight of white dragons with screeching yeti astride their backs.
A clan of gargantua yeti live in the easternmost peaks of the Tuutsaas Chain. These giant yeti stand 20 feet tall and have sky blue fur. They are fiercely territorial, preying on remorhaz and all other trespassing creatures. (Gargantua yeti: Int average; AL CE; XC 5; MV 12; HD 8 + 4; #AT 2; Dmg 2-12/2-12; THAC0 11; SZ H; ML 13 XP 975.)
In addition, I wouldn't be surprised to find gnolls with white fur (more wolf like than hyena like), and I also wouldn't be surprised to find Urskan (bear folk). That being said, Seethyr and I were using the bear folk in Anchorome (and Alaghi as well, which are basically yeti), so I'd personally be less inclined to use them here. If I did however, I might state that the reason the Urskan are good smiths is that they picked up dwarven lore on metalsmithing and held dwarves as slaves for a period. Urskan are found in Frostburn, but not specifically canon to the realms. I would not be surprised though if Quaggoth (also known as Deepbears) have some relation to Urskan. It could even be something where some Urskan raided Dareth and were entrapped in the underdark by the dareth dwarves' traps, and they went on to become the Quaggoth of the Underdark (reducing in size from large to medium over time).
Also, this from demihuman deities may be of interest to you if you're messing around with the area that Dareth was in
The Aerie of the Snow Eagles is a crystalline citadel built atop the peak of Mount Sundabar in the distant land of Sossal, north and east of Pelvuria, the Great Glacier. The last redoubt of the avariel in Faerun, Aerdrie's preeminent temple has long been forgotten, even by the Fair Folk of Cormanthyr, Evereska, and Evermeet. From the steep, icy slopes of Mount Sundabar, the Children of the Winged Mother take flight across the frigid skies of the Cold Lands, fishing in the freezing waters of Sossar Bay, hunting across the icy reaches of the Great Glacier, and engaging in aerial acrobatics across the northern sky. The temple itself resembles an inverted glass cone built to replace the sheared-off mountain top of Mount Sundabar. (The avariel believe the peak was removed by a Netherese archmage seeking to create his own floating sky city before the fall of Netheril, but in truth it may have been destroyed when white wyrms destroyed the remnants of the dwarven kingdom of Dareth.) The crystalline, conical temple is nearly 3,000 feet in diameter at its base and 3,000 feet high at its peak.
Within the temple's glassteeled walls, endless zephyrs dance hither and yon and tiny rain showers erupt out of thin air, a never-ending manifestation of the power of the Lady of Air and Wind. The temple floor is overgrown with tropical plants nurtured by the brilliant sunshine and regular rainfall to create a jungle paradise. Rare birds from the farthest reaches of Abeir-Toril gambol and caw while young winged elves test out their wings overhead. The avariel community of Mount Sundabar, including the crystalline temple on the mountain top and winged elven nests on the mountain's flanks, is loosely governed by Winged Father Aquilan Greatspan, an avariel. Aquilan has led the last remaining major enclave of winged elves in Faerun for nearly five centuries, and his wise leadership has seen the avariel survive, if not exactly prosper, amidst the ruins of the Ice Kingdom of Dareth. Like the Stout Folk who preceded them, the greatest threat to the avariel is Hoarfaern, the realm of white dragons and their bestial servant creatures who dwell in the dwarf-carved halls of the northern Mountains of Dareth.
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Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2020 : 19:05:56
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I like the idea of white-furred gnolls.
A similar idea might be cold-based kobolds. |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 13 May 2020 : 03:09:05
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| Some great ideas, thanks everyone. I'd completely forgotten the yeti, and I'm not sure why. Wolf-aspected gnolls also sound like a great idea. Lots of big stuff, though; I'll need to give some thoughts on what kinds of smaller things the dragons could have that could fight the dwarves in the smaller tunnels (I like to avoid using kobolds). Thank you everyone. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3287 Posts |
Posted - 13 May 2020 : 14:04:07
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| Wolf-aspected gnolls that breath cold, and ride Winter Wolves! That is soooooo stolen! |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 13 May 2020 : 14:55:07
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Snow goblins from Frostburn would work as smaller humanoids as well if you didn't want kobolds. They aren't particularly known in present day in canon, but perhaps that's because they pretty much died out after the dwarves decimated them.
One thing I'm noting from reading the "Chosen of Nendawen" series is that it mentions Uldra and Frost Folk. Both are in the 4e Frostburn, and the Frostfolk are humanoids who made a pact with a being of winter in exchange some powers of ice. It might be interesting if there are some beings living there who essentially bound themselves to an entity of cold (Auril… the archfey Kunin Gatar from the chosen of Nendawen series... someone else...) and perhaps these people even have ties to the Durthan of Rashemen (perhaps some Durthans who AREN'T Rashemi). These "elemental" people might be some offshoot of Raumathar or Narfell (a third group that never developed an empire)… and maybe even there's "binders" amongst their numbers who work with spirits. Spirit Shamans amongst their numbers work too. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Dareth and White Dragon Servitors
