Elder Evils

CHAPTER 7
RAGNORRA
Illus. by Daarken
EL 10 (Faint Sign): Stories abound of healing springs and
mysterious adepts who control them. Throngs of people flock
to the springs to be cured. The PCs are asked to investigate,
perhaps by concerned authorities suspecting chicanery, or by
a church or healing organization afraid of competition.
Upon arrival, the PCs quickly discover that the waters do
seem to have a curative effect, but the springs are plagued by
bizarre aberrations. The “adepts” at the healing springs are in
fact agents of the Malshapers. They watch the PCs and notify
Irthicax Vane about their activities and effectiveness.
EL 15 (Moderate Sign): Reports of “ghosts” circulate in
small cities. These mysterious entities seem to be doing no
harm, but weird events occur soon after
their appearance. Strange rain falls
for several days, often from a cloudless
sky. Doors swell and burst with
rats, roofs spawn spiders, and bats erupt
from the sides of temples. The visitors
are Malshaper observers who report the
PCs’ investigations to Irthicax Vane.
He warns his colleagues, who signal
him to take action.
At the same time, powerful
undead appear in the cities and
destroy the swarms in an odd
frenzy. If the PCs parley
with intelligent undead,
they learn that the
sudden swarms
are a sign of a
corrupt form of
positive energy.
Sages might
ask the PCs to be
on the lookout for
legends about the
appearance of a red
comet—a distant,
heretofore unknown
specimen has appeared
in the night sky.
EL 17 (Strong Sign):
The fiery comet is now
easily visible at night and can even be discerned during
daylight. The undead are leaving the cities for unknown
destinations. Civil authorities want the PCs to monitor
this exodus and learn if the creatures are preparing for a
major assault.
Ragnorra has arrived to remake the world in her image
Meanwhile, Irthicax Vane makes his first move against the
PCs, sending Malshaper agents against them while they are
on this spying mission. The agents (typically 4th-level rogues
and bards) are no match for the PCs, though their numbers
increase with every attack. They are disturbingly disfigured,
with distended jaws, prominent or horned brows, protruding
teeth, or extra tongues. After each attack, more of the strange
rain falls. Greater swarms appear, along with ravaged corpses,
some seemingly fallen from a great height.
After the last attack, the rains begin again. Then, an object
falls from the sky, forming a small crater nearby. Malshaper
corpses twitch with life, becoming aberrations that slither
to the crater’s edge. A few moments thereafter,
an impossible horror emerges—an aboleth
mage (MM 9), which has enslaved the risen
Malshapers to serve as its “legs.” This variant
aberration is capable of breathing air as
well as water.
EL 20 (Overwhelming Sign): Ragnorra,
blazing with a miles-long tail of
corrupted essence, slams into the
world. Most of her body is consumed
in the impact, which creates
a superheated crater 30 miles in diameter.
The explosion can be heard
a thousand miles away, and
the tremors are strong
enough to knock down
buildings a hundred
miles distant.
The force and heat
of the collision spews
pulverized earth into
the atmosphere. This
material, along with
spores, ash, and fragments
of Ragnorra’s
body, forms a towering
plume visible
across the continent.
A twilight pall settles
over the world, and a
deadly, corrupting residue
constantly drifts down. Larger fragments of the elder evil’s body
spontaneously generate aberrations, some quite powerful.
The surge of twisted life energy corrupts and kills the
living, then raises them as aberrations again and again.
Creatures that have Intelligence scores of 6 or higher become
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98
MALSHAPERS
Ragnorra has twisted life not just on the Material Plane, but The Malshapers watch the Astral Plane for signs of Ragnorra’s
ascent. Once they detect movement, they scout out a
also on the Ethereal Plane and Plane of Shadow. A handful of
refugees from her prior ravages on these planes formed the suitable location. They strew samples of native life along her
Malshapers, a cultlike group dedicated to helping the Mother likely path, then redraw the astral runes to lure Ragnorra to the
of Monsters perform her grotesque art. These fanatics believe target world.
they have a duty to guide Ragnorra to every suitable world. Fleshwarpers (Lords of Madness 189) are common among
Scholars note, though, that they never target worlds on their the Malshapers, as are psions uncarnate (EPH 149) and other
home planes.
students of shunned arts that warp body and soul.
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