BRCS:Chapter nine/Creatures/The Gorgon

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Large Monstrous Humanoid (Awnshegh)
Hit Dice: 30d10+16d4+552 (916 hp)
Initiative: +5 (Dex, improved initiative)
Speed: 20 ft. (full plate; base speed 30 ft.)
AC: 48 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +15 natural, +10 armor, +10 enhancement, +3 deflection)
Attacks: Lifender +59/54/49/44 melee, kick +53 melee
Damage: Lifender 2d6+23 (15-20/x2) +2d6 unholy damage, kick 2d6+24 (19-20/x3)
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Gaze, Kick, Weapon Mastery, Spells
Special Qualities: Bloodline, Damage Reduction 35/+4, SR 32, Fire Resistance 20, Immunities
Saves: Fort +42, Ref +29, Will +32
Abilities: Str 43, Dex 13, Con 34, Int 19, Wis 18, Cha 17, Bld 60
Skills: Concentration +24, Craft (armorsmithing) +16, Craft (weaponsmithing) +15, Diplomacy +23, Intimidate +17,
Jump +26, Knowledge (history) +18, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +14, Listen +22, Ride +14, Scry +20, Sense Motive +23, Spellcraft +20, Spot +22, Warcraft +29
Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Cleave, Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, Dodge, Endurance, Expertise, Great Cleave, Great Fortitude, Improved Disarm, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (greatsword), Improved Critical (kick), Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Improved Unarmed Strike, Iron Will, Leadership, Lightning Reflexes, Mounted Combat, Quick Draw, Power Attack, Scribe Scroll, Skill Focus (warcraft), Spell Focus (evocation), Still Spell, Sunder, Trample

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Climate/Terrain: Any land (Gorgon's Crown)
Organization: Solitary (Unique)
Challenge Rating: 28
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Always lawful evil
Advancement: -

The Gorgon began life as Raesene, the oldest child of his father, the Lord of the First House of the Andu. From an early age, it seemed clear that he would help to shape the future of Cerilia. However, as a bastard child, the glory and attention went to his two legitimate half-brothers, Haelyn and Roele. Though his outward demeanor never betrayed him, Raesene envied them this attention and coveted it.

Nonetheless, he taught them what he knew of swordplay and horsemanship, and his tutoring gave them an excellent grasp of the fundamentals of warfare - fundamentals that would prepare them well and earn them praise. Raesene did not remain their teacher for long; as a man several years Roele's senior, he hungered to see the world. On his sixteenth birthday he left home to explore Cerilia.

When he returned, battle-hardened and scarred, his father gave him the title "the Black Prince" to reflect the bleakness inside Raesene. Still, Raesene served his father nobly, as well as his brother Roele when the Lord Andu passed away. But none could see what lay in his heart.

Then Azrai came to Cerilia. He studied Raesene and saw the kind of heart that his lieutenant would need, so the two made a pact. While Haelyn and Roele gathered the armies of the Andu, Raesene began his betrayal, drawing aside conspirators to aid him in his plan. As the Andu retreated to Deismaar, Raesene sprang his betrayal. His loyal followers slaughtered thousands of the Andu and their allies then joined the forces of Azrai. The rest, as they say, is history.

Raesene was in the height of the battle with Roele when the gods destroyed themselves atop Deismaar. Raesene absorbed much of Azrai's essence - nearly as much as the Vos Kriesha and Belinik did. Raesene was the first to discover bloodtheft, and later the first of the awnshegh to discover that abominations could grow more powerful through the rule of land.

Not long after Deismaar, he established his kingdom north of Anuire and began his generational harvest of the new bloodlines. He had spent many of the years since Deismaar cultivating and then destroying bloodlines, as well as raising an army to sweep across Anuire. No one could know Raesene's mind, and those who have tried to learn have been destroyed, as are those who try to challenge him.

Though it has been said that the Gorgon (as he came to be called) stole the bloodline of Roele when he slew Michael Roele, this is not known as a fact. Some regents of Anuire have whispered that Michael somehow managed to ward his bloodline from the Gorgon, and perhaps even weakened the Gorgon's bloodline, thus preventing the Gorgon from dominating Anuire.

The Gorgon is most recently known to appear as a stony skinned humanoid with horns atop his massive head. Hooves and goat-like legs adorn his lower half, and giantish strength allows him to carry his heavy frame. Little trace of humanity is revealed in his features; he has become almost entirely a creature of evil.

Combat

The Gorgon is a formidable combatant, one that knows practically no equals in the world. He has bested countless
creatures and heroes, and he stands as lord and master of the most powerful kingdom in Cerilia. The Gorgon prefers melee to all other forms of combat, as he practically cannot be defeated at it. If opponents try to assault him from afar, the Gorgon will rely on spells such as wind wall, gust of wind, and wall of iron to prevent such attacks from reaching him or to bring his opponents down. He may also retaliate with fireballs or use teleport to take the battle to his opponents. If prepared for battle, the Gorgon will likely have haste, blur, endurance, and see invisibility already cast. If opponents prove to be formidable magic-users or heavily boosted with magic, the Gorgon may cast antimagic field or greater dispelling to turn the battle into one that favors him - a brutal melee. The Gorgon is not above sundering the weapons of powerful fighters; if he can destroy any weapons they have capable of harming him, so much the better. If an opponent proves particularly irksome, the Gorgon will cast maze, and find a way to deal with that opponent when the spell ends, possibly by using multiple spells or resources, or even his limited wish. The Gorgon is almost always accompanied by his most faithful lieutenant and cohort, the Hand of Azrai. She will often have prepared spells to aid her master, including several applications of heal. If the Gorgon goes to war, he may ride a steed equivalent to a huge 18 HD nightmare.

Gaze (Su): Any opponent that comes within 30 ft. of the Gorgon and is within his line of sight must make a Fortitude save (DC 58) or die. The Gorgon may disable this gaze attack as a free action or he may use it as a standard action, targeted at any one creature (forcing two saves in a round) to either kill or petrify opponents, at his choice.

Kick (Ex): As a free action, usable only on opponents that flank him or attempt to do so, the Gorgon can use his Kick, causing considerable damage. This is treated as an attack of opportunity when such an opponent moves into position, and the Gorgon may further attack any one flanking opponent on his action. Further, Kick is treated as a special bull rush, possibly driving an opponent that gets hit backwards as if the Gorgon had pushed him as far as possible, without changing the Gorgon's position or making him subject to an attack of opportunity. Against a creature smaller than himself, the Gorgon's bull rush check is +20. On a critical hit, the Gorgon's Kick inflicts three times normal damage.

Weapon Mastery (Ex): The Gorgon is a master of practically every weapon known to exist. He is treated as having proficiency with all simple, martial, and exotic weapons. Further, for all simple and martial weapons, the Gorgon is treated as having the Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization feats. For exotic weapons, the Gorgon is treated as having the Weapon Focus feat.

Spells: The Gorgon is an accomplished wizard, with an extensive spell library containing nearly every wizard spell known to exist. The Gorgon casts spells as a 16th level wizard (having a total of 4/5/5/5/5/4/3/3/2 spells per day), and commonly prepares the following spells: Daze (x2), detect magic , light; charm person, enlarge, expeditious retreat, magic missile, obscuring mist; blur, endurance, fog cloud, glitterdust, see invisibility; dispel magic, gust of wind, haste, still see invisibility, wind wall; bestow curse, enervation, fire shield, scrying, still haste; sending, still fire shield, teleport, wall of iron; antimagic field, control weather, greater dispelling; forcecage, prismatic spray, still antimagic field; maze, still limited wish. The save DCs for these spells, where applicable, is 14 + spell level, or 16 + spell level for evocation spells.

Immunities: The Gorgon is immune to all polymorph and petrifaction effects, all attacks and effects that inflict energy drain, ability drain, and ability damage, and to all mindaffecting effects. The Gorgon's scarab of protection will protect him from up to 12 instant death effects or attacks. The Gorgon's armor will protect him from 75% of all critical hits, reducing them to normal hits instead.

Bloodline: The Gorgon has a formidably powerful bloodline; a True bloodline, derived of Azrai. His score of 60 grants him the following blood abilities: Minor - Alertness, bloodmark, detect illusion, fear, heightened ability (charisma), heightened ability (intelligence), iron will; Major - battlewise, detect life, enhanced sense, major resistance (non-magical attacks), persuasion, unreadable thoughts; Great - bloodform, divine aura, long life, major regeneration, regeneration, resistance.

The saving throw DCs for these abilities, where applicable, are 37 for minor abilities, 40 for major abilities, and 43 for great abilities. The caster level, where applicable, is 46th.

Equipment: The Gorgon carries the following equipment: Lifender - +5 keen unholy tighmaevril greatsword, Kingstopper - +5 moderate fortification full plate, A Gentle Word - +5 ghost touch large steel shield, Giant's Stead - Belt of giant strength +8, Ring of the Chosen of Azrai - a Ring of Three Wishes (two remaining), Cloak of Resistance +5, a Wand of Fireballs (16th level caster, save DC 19), and a Scarab of Protection. The Gorgon's armor is equipped with a special enchanted iron collar, protecting him from vorpal attacks. The Gorgon may also possess other items, probably less potent than those listed here, drawn from his vaults and collections of unique items.

Minions of the Gorgon

The Gorgon, as the ruler of one of the most powerful realms of Cerilia, commands a vast army and perhaps greater resources than any other being in the world (short of the gods thems elves). He has a vast treasury, containing numerous items of power, enormous amounts of wealth, and much lore lost to the ages bound in long-forgotten tomes. The Gorgon considers these material resources to be only a means to an end, the end being power. The Gorgon is already more powerful than any other mortal creature, yet he craves ever more power. He has a host of fell servants, the three most prominent of which are the Hand of Azrai, a mysterious priestess from the East; Kiras Earthcore, an old dwarf of Mur-Kilad that commands part of his armies; and Raizhadik the Wyrm, a dragon the Gorgon himself subdued long ago. The Hand serves the Gorgon for mysterious reasons all her own; she views him as perhaps the purest successor to Azrai, even above the new gods, and she draws her strength from her worship of the long-dead god of Evil. Kiras is the master of the Gorgon's armies, a great strategist in his own right who leads the Gorgon's armies with the skill of a warlord with hundreds of years of experience. Kiras has hidden within his heart thedesire to one day see the Gorgon deposed for his humiliation in servitude; his desire has gone unfulfilled for a long time. It has been said that the Gorgon once used foul magics to change Kiras's form for disobedience; whatever the truth of it, Kiras remains a dwarf to this day. Raizhadik is the greatest of the Gorgon's minions, not much short of its master in power. The Gorgon long ago subdued Raizhadik in a ferocious battle for control of the Gorgon's Crown. After the battle, the Gorgon chose to spare the dragon and it has served him faithfully since then, more out of fear of its master's power than anything else. It bides its time, hoping to one day outgrow its master in power, and seize lordship of Kal-Saitharak for itself once more. Currently, he is chained with great chains of iron that only the Gorgon himself may break, in the vast caves beneath the fortress of Kal-Saitharak. The Gorgon will only release Raizhadik to serve as a shock weapon with his armies, and he tries to keep his dominion of this dragon a secret. Aside from these three, the Gorgon has many other formidable lieutenants and creatures in his service.