Villains' Lorebook.pdf - Department of Political Science

The Kraken
Society
Enemies of the North
Organization: For many years, the Kraken Society
was thought to be yet another organization that
gathered information and little else. Some have
even referred to the group as the “Heralds of the
Sea.” This was a deception on the part of the Society,
however; most believed the above because it was
what the group’s members wanted them to believe.
It’s now known that the Society is not only involved
in intelligence gathering, but also in kidnapings,
piracy, assassinations, and other extremes of
sheer brute force. The far-flung Society is led by an intelligent,
spellcasting kraken that calls itself Slarkrethel.
The massive squid roams the deeps of the
northern Trackless Sea, often making its home near
the Society’s western headquarters in the ruins of Ascarle.
The leader of the western faction is (or was) a
rogue illihid called Vestress. The mind flayer makes
use of surface allies such as High Captain of Luskan,
Rethnor (LE hm F16/T7), and Baron Khaufros, the
mayor of Yartar (and his doppelganger servant, Semmonemily),
and many undersea races such as the merrow,
scrags, kopoacinth, and giant squids. (These are
referred to as “Umberlee’s children.”)
History: Next to nothing is known of Slarkrethel
or how this being gained spellcasting abilities, or of
how a rogue illithid came to power in the organization.
The details of a recent plot of the Society are
known.
The Society was working with the High Captains
of Luskan in their efforts to reignite their war with
the isle of Ruathym. To this end, they set up a potentially
disastrous conflict between the sea elves in
the region and the humans of Ruathym, making
each believe that the other was responsible for atrocities
against their race. The Society was not aiding
Luskan out of the goodness of their hearts. Instead,
they planned to allow Luskan to conquer Ruathym
and then dominate both, giving the Society two
more bases of operations and putting many more resources
at their disposal.
While conflict did erupt between the two species,
they soon came to learn of their true enemy. Liriel
Banre and Fyodor of Rashemen became entangled in
these plots on their journey to Ruathym. During the
course of events, they convinced the humans and
the elves that both were being used. The heroes
managed to rally the forces of good and defeat the
schemes of both the High Captains and the Society.
Leaders/Important NPCs: Game statistics for the
illithid Vestress of the Kraken Society can be found
in the MONSTROUS MANUAL tome.
Slarkrethel, a kraken: AC -4; MV SW 3, Jet 21;
HD 20; hp 160; THAC0 5; #AT 9; Dmg 2d6(×2)/
2d6(×6)/7d4; SA casts mage spells as 20th-level wizard,
constriction, crush ships; SD immune to conch
horn of triton, poison ink cloud, airy water faerie fire,
control temperature, control winds (at will; once per
round), weather summoning (once/day), animal summoning
III (fish only, 3 times/day); MR 25%; SZ G
(125’ long); ML 19; INT 19; AL NE; XP 25,000.
SA: After striking tentacles automatically inflict 3d6 points
of constriction damage and can drag ships of up to 70’ in length
beneath the waves.
SD: The ink cloud is 70’×70’×120’ and causes 2d4 points of
damage per round to those exposed to it.
Spells (5/5/5/5/5/4/3/3/2): 1st— charm person, color
spray, detect magic, magic missile, shield; 2nd— detect
good, detect invisibility, invisibility, mirror image, ray of
enfeeblement; 3rd— dispel magic, hold person, slow,
vampiric touch, wraithform; 4th— confusion, dimension
door, polymorph other, shadow monsters, stoneskin;
5th— Bigby’s interposing hand, chaos, hold monster,
transmute rock to mud, wall of force; 6th— antimagic
shell, death spell, disintegrate, project image; 7th—
forcecage, mass invisibility, teleport without error; 8th—
Bigby’s clenched fist, maze, trap the soul; 9th—impris-
onment, time stop.
Slarkrethel is never encountered alone; his bodyguards
consist of 1d4 weresharks, an eye of the deep
(beholder-kin), 1d4 nereids, and up to four killer
whales. (These are likely charmed, as giant squid are
normally prey for these aquatic mammals.) Slarkrethel
is ruthless in combat; he never fights the same
foe twice.
The kraken has a wide variety of magical items,
including an amulet of proof against detection and location
and an unknown item that seemingly duplicates
the effects of the Elminster’s evasion spell.
Sources: Tangled Webs, The North boxed set.
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