0605 The Folk of King Capricorn

Murky waters, 50′ deep, dotted with patches of purple-flowering lilies and tangled weeds.

• Terrain: Aquatic, Dwelmfurgh
• Lost/encounters: 2-in-6. Encounters are 2-in-6 likely to be with Big Chook (p253).
• Within the Ring of Chell (p20): True fairies are afflicted with a spiritual malaise; teleportation and summoning are ineffectual; magic of illusion or charm has a 2-in-6 chance of failure.

Call of the Merfauns

Those who sail the waters of this hex during the day are sure to encounter the folk of King Capricorn—the merfauns who dwell in the lakebed here.

Sighting: Merfauns are typically sighted lounging and frolicking among the thick beds of weeds and white lilies that dot the surface of the lake.

Call: The merfauns call out to passing boats, merrily inquiring after exotic land-goods such as cheeses and ale, which they gladly trade for fish or silver coins stamped with the head of their liege, King Capricorn.

The Palace of King Capricorn

The lake bed is riddled with a complex of natural, water- filled caves, which have been expanded by the merfauns. 90 merfauns (DMB) inhabit this complex.

Guarded entrances: Four entrances to the open water exist, gated with rusty metal bars. Each is guarded by 1d3 merfauns (DMB).

The great hall: The entrances lead to a central cavern lit by glowing clam shells. Debauched feasts of pondweed and lake fish are served here, to the music of great drums and aquatic pipes, presided over approvingly by King Capri corn himself. 3 giant catfish (DMB) are chained here and can be commanded to attack intruders.

Living quarters: Smaller tunnels lead from the great hall into the private chambers of the merfauns, decorated with shells and stone carvings, with beds of soft weeds.

The King’s chambers: Guarded by 2 elite merfauns (16 Hit Points), the king keeps a harem of three honoured merfauns and three human men.

Treasures: A hoard of 850pp, 1,200gp, and 2,400sp is kept by the merfauns, along with 20 pearls (500gp each).

King Capricorn

An ancient, barrel-bodied merfaun man with huge, spiralling horns and a green beard as long as his tail.

Demeanour (Neutral): Jovial, brash, regal.

Speech: Bombastic, punctuated with rollicking roars. Woldish, Merfolk, Sylvan.

Desires: To be rid of the menace of Big Chook. Uninterested in the political concerns of the wider world.

Reward: For permanently dispatching Big Chook, the king awards PCs a whelk-encrusted horn which summons a giant catfish (DMB) for 1 hour, to aid one who blows the horn underwater. The horn can be blown once per week and works in any large body of water. It is worth 8,000gp.

Knowledge: The king fondly recalls how, in ages past, he would experience the exhilaration of swimming alongside Gheillough (p37), the “noble, magnificent silver-scaled water dragon that once embodied all the magicks of the Mere.” Wistfully, he notes Gheillough vanished some 400 years ago; since then, “the waters turned,” and Big Chook first started appearing. So too did other unsettling phenomena, such as an “awful, eel-infested mound” on the lake bottom, which Capricorn can direct PCs to (hex 0606).

Possessions: A Fairy Trident (p412)—1d6+2 damage— that inflicts an additional 2d6 electrical damage to Chaotic targets on a successful hit. Worth 7,000gp.

Combat stats: Merfaun (DMB), with 40 Hit Points and a +4 bonus to Attack Rolls and Saving Throws.