The Long Caverns: Karuat Lair (2)

The splashes of dripping water echo throughout the cavern. Tall creatures, with beaks and huge claws, walk like humans. They clatter at you, raising sword and claw against you. Pale stalagmites rise from a dark pool behind them.

This relatively undesirable space is settled by seven Karuat. The Karuat are from the underground of Highland. They came by way of the lake below Illustrious Castle. They are lost, and do not understand how they arrived here.

One of the Karuat uses a magical +2 long sword, +4 vs. dragons. Kelelmien is aware of this, and schemes to acquire the sword, or at least destroy it. The sword is Menverae from the Dwarves of the Eastern continent. Kelelmien lets them keep it for the moment because he prefers that Menvarae not be held by a stronger creature.

There is a hole above the pool which leads up two hundred yards to the side of the Great Mountains far north and west, in Fading Highland. Only someone skilled in climbing could even hope to use it. Worse, the world looks like Highland, but is a different world, closer to the edge of “reality”, winding down. This is the least-used entrance to the caverns, but occasionally small animals come through it.

Karuat: (Fantastic: 3; Survival: 22, 18, 16, 20, 20, 17, 18; Move: 9 walking, 6 water; Attack: 2 claws or sword; Damage: d4/d4 or by weapon; Defense: 6)