Elder Evils

his unmoving form. These projections gave Father Llymic
his name, since the twisted monstrosity was hidden beneath
an illusion of a kindly old man. (DC 33)
Although dormant, Father Llymic still proved deadly.
Those fooled by his illusions were soon tainted by his corruption
and had to be destroyed. Although exposing him
to light caused dormancy, it also caused his form to radiate
waves of deadly cold. Soon, sheets of ice began to engulf
his body. The elves moved him to a mountaintop, where his
chill would not harm anyone and the light of the sun might
keep him dormant forever. The few remaining caretaker
elves eventually died, and Father Llymic was forgotten.
(DC 38)
Legends about Father Llymic grow vague beyond the
confines of his mountain prison. Some rumors hold that the
last great age of ice can be attributed to him, when darkness
covered the land and he was nearly freed from his lethargy.
One tale speaks of icy alien creatures that wear the tattered
clothing of mountain barbarians and prowl the high passes,
bringing freezing darkness with them wherever they go.
(DC 43)
GOALS
Father Llymic has never stirred on this world and his
alien thoughts are inscrutable to mortals. His terrifying
projection and unnatural children seek to change the
world to one more suitable to his existence. At the very
least, the world of Father Llymic is one of endless darkness
and deadly cold. If he wakes, nothing would survive aside
from Father Llymic and his chosen brood. (Knowledge
[the planes] DC 28)
Father Llymic’s first goal is to be released from his prison
of ice. Light of any sort causes the walls to thicken, but darkness
causes them to melt. Fortunately, the power of the sun is
such that even over long winter nights, his prison has never
come close to melting. (DC 33)
With each creature perverted by his touch, Father Llymic’s
power grows. As it does, the sun begins to dim, its light drawn
out to keep the prison secure. If he becomes strong enough,
the sun itself would grow dark. (DC 38)
With the darkening of the sun, Father Llymic might finally
live. Once he is free to bring his vision of reality to the world,
it would become a mirror of his alien home, a frozen paradise
of madness and death. (DC 42)
FATHER LLYMIC
IN THE CAMPAIGN
Father Llymic sleeps in an icy prison atop one of the world’s
tallest mountains. Locked away inside a glacier, he beckons
any who draw near to his form so that they might be transformed
into his servants. With each new servant, he gains
more of the strength needed to fully rouse.
Since he lurks in such an inhospitable place, this elder evil
is easy to add to any campaign. Only when Father Llymic
approaches his full might does the effect become noticeable,
as the sun begins to lose the power to contain him. The terrain
easily hides his brood, and travelers and remote mountain
clans go missing all the time. Only the most thorough
chronicler might notice that one mountain in particular is
full of strange tales regarding missing travelers and reclusive
natives. The obvious sign of Father Llymic’s coming—the
darkening of the sun—means that it is almost too late to
stop him from waking.
Timeline
What follows is a possible campaign timeline with Encounter
Levels to help you construct adventures around the key events
that might occur as Father Llymic awakens.
EL 7: An entire caravan disappears while traveling through
a nearby mountain pass. Headed by Tierad Rynesten, the
adventuresome daughter of a nobleman, the caravan left
three weeks ago but has not been heard from since. Tierad’s
father seeks out adventurers to track down the caravan and
rescue his daughter. Unfortunately for Tierad, he ran afoul
of a tribe of barbarians living in the mountain—a tribe
that secretly venerates the frozen god that dwells on the
peak. Although many of the drovers have been sacrificed
or eaten, some remain to be taken to Father Llymic for
his blessed touch. If the PCs free Tierad, she tells them
of the strange rituals practiced by the barbarians and the
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SIGN: DEAD SUN
The dead sun diminishes natural and magical lighting until the
sun no longer rises.
Faint: The radius of illumination from natural light sources
(both bright light and shadowy illumination) drops to half
normal, to a minimum of 5 feet. Sunrise occurs 1 hour later than
normal, and sunset occurs 1 hour earlier than normal.
Moderate: All spells and spell-like abilities that have the darkness
descriptor are enhanced: They are cast as though affected
by the Extend Spell feat, but do not require higher-level spell
slots or longer casting times?. The radius of illumination from
natural light sources drops to 5 feet. Sunrise occurs 2 hours later
than normal, and sunset occurs 2 hours earlier. Finally, average
temperatures drop by 2 degrees all over the world.
Strong: All spells and spell-like abilities that have the darkness
descriptor are strongly enhanced: They are cast as though
affected by the Extend Spell and Quicken Spell feats, but do not
require higher-level spell slots. In addition, spells and spell-like
abilities that have the light descriptor are impeded, meaning
that a caster must succeed on a Spellcraft check (DC 20 + the
level of the spell) or lose the spell or spell slot without effect;
even on a successful check, the light produced by the spell has
only half its normal range and no longer counters darkness
spells of any level. Natural light sources do not illuminate any
area at all, appearing only as dim spots. The sun rises for just
1 hour each day, and global temperatures drop by an additional
4 degrees.
Overwhelming: The sun vanishes altogether. Spells and spelllike
abilities that have the light descriptor, as well as alchemical
or magic items that generate light effects, cease to function.
Darkness spells continue to be enhanced as under the strong
sign. The average temperature plunges another 10 degrees and
drops by 1 degree further every day thereafter.
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CHAPTER 3
FATHER
LLYMIC
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