Dragon

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Monsters

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Dragon #

? W e ? r e   r u i n e d ,   y o u r   w i z a r d s h i p ! ?
s h o u t e d   a   f a r m e r ,   h i s   v o i c e   e c h o i n g   f r o m
t h e   s m o k e - s t a i n e d   r a f t e r s .   ? O u r   l a n d s   a r e
i n f e s t e d ,   a n d   i t ? s   n o t   e v e n   s a f e   t o   g o   n e a r
t h e   f i e l d s ,   l e t   a l o n e   g r o w   c r o p s   o n   t h e m ! ?
The angry, frightened crowd echoed his
s e n t i m e n t s   a s   a   r o a r   o f   s h o u t i n g   b r o k e   o u t
a c r o s s   t h e   m e e t i n g   h a l l .   I t   w a s   a   s e a   o f
c h a o s .

I   c l o s e d   m y   e y e s   a n d   p r a y e d   f o r   i n t e r n a l
p e a c e .   Why me?  I thought. Baron van
Kirwak IV owned these lands;  he  should
be here, taking command and solving this
problem. I was a mere sage tied to a petty
nobleman in the baron?s service ? hardly
the wizard everyone took me for. Now I
regretted putting ?experience with exotic
animals? down on my resume. All I had
actually done at the academy was change
the papers in the cages of the alchemical
laboratory animals.

My eyes opened and patience fled. ?I will
have order!? I shouted as I stood up at the
desk that had been set up for me at the
front of the village hall. ?Silence here! Let?s
have but one speaker at a time!?

I wished that I had a spell or two to cast,
just to impress the crowd, but I had none,
of course. Nonetheless, my voice seemed
to do the job well enough.

?Alright, your wizardship!? screeched a
withered, old man as he stepped forward.
?There?s something in our fields, and if we
don?t have a harvest to show the baron,
he?s going to kick us off our lands. Then
where will we go?? The crowd murmured
its concern over the question.

?I was sent here by the baron to find out
what sort of beast has been plaguing you,?
I told him. ?Then, perhaps, we can deal
with the beast. Now, this thing ??

?Yes, but what did it look like? The 
monster, I mean.?

?It was brown on top and pink on its
underbelly,? said a farmer leaning on a
crutch. ?I saw it the night we tried to kill
it. We looked for its tunnels, like a
giant mole?s, near the edge of one of the
fields. There were about fifteen of us, and
we weren?t thinking about being too quiet,
as everybody with sense knows bugs don?t
hear, Suddenly, the ground shook a little
bit, and right ahead of us, the earth
opened up! The monster had us! It looked
bigger than a horse, easy, and it caught us
off guard. The only thing I could think
about was running, and I ain?t ashamed to
say it, either! I dove to the side, towards
the woods, and I heard the thing make a
horrible hissing sound. Then something
wet hit my leg, and it felt like fire! I
crawled away. I could see some of the
others were still on their feet, and were
throwing pitchforks and the like at it.
Bounced off, every one of them. Then the
monster killed two of our dogs and scared
the rest of ?em across the country, and the 
rest of us took off for home.?

I looked at the man?s leg wound. From
what little I could see of the wound, I
judged it to be a burn. A light dawned
upon me. ?This monster,? I asked suddenly.
?Did it look like a praying mantis??


?Nope,? said the farmer. ?Looked like a
horn-headed devil!?

?Did not!? cried another farmer. ?It was
like a praying mantis, only a hundred
times bigger!?

?You were too far away to see it!?
shouted the injured farmer. The hall was
instantly filled with heated abuse.

In the turmoil, I picked up enough conversation to confirm what I had first suspected. I got to my feet and waved my
arms. ?Silence! SILENCE, IN THE BARONS
NAME! I have the answer! I know what
monster has been bothering you!?

You could have heard a needle drop. I
lowered my arms. ?What you have in your
fields is a beast called an anhkheg." I remembered when such a monster had been
captured and brought in for study at the
academy. It was big, ugly, and powerful,
but stupid; we had eyed it nervously as it
slammed itself against the sides of its
force-walled cage. My hands grew clammy
at the memory.

?They look like and are related to the
praying mantis,? I continued, ?but they are
of monstrous size and dig tunnels through
the soil. They use the substances found in
the earth as their food. But, when one of
them is greatly disturbed, it can vomit an
acid from its stomach that can dissolve
rock.? I looked at the farmer with the
bandaged leg. ?You are already aware of
this weapon, of course. Though they feed
upon soil, anhkhegs would prefer to get
live meat ? your cattle, your dogs, or your
children and yourselves.?

That got a rise out of them. I continued
when the cries of alarm died down. ?You
were wrong in thinking that the anhkheg
could not sense your coming. Anhkhegs
sense all vibrations in the earth around
them. They can detect a footfall from a
field away. The lot of you going to track it
down would have been easy for it to
detect.

?As for killing it ? an anhkheg has a
tough shell, and it takes enormous force to
break through it. It?s as thick as plate
armor. If you can kill one, you could even
make a strong shield from the chitin. You?d
have to treat it in chemicals and preservatives, of course. The point is that an
anhkheg was built to take what it wants,
from whomever it wants.

?But,? ? I raised a finger as I spoke ? ?it
does have a few weaknesses. All insects
hate smoke, and anhkhegs are no exception. If you had a large cage trap; you
could put it near one of the openings of
the monster?s tunnels. After blocking the
other exits, you could start huge, smoky
fires in several of the exits themselves. To
avoid the smoke, the monster would move
down the tunnel leading right into your
trap. Once captured, you could put the 
anhkheg to sleep by pouring a volatile
liquid, such as turpentine, onto or near
the beast.? The anhkheg we had studied at
the academy was captured in much the
same way.

The farmers looked glum at that, however. ?We don?t have any turpentine, your
wizardship,? one called. ?We could build
the trap, but what would we do if it broke
free? What if we missed a tunnel exit, and
the monster came back for us??

?We can?t even wound the ankee-thing,?
another farmer shouted. ?You said yourself that we couldn?t break its skin!?

?And what if it spit at us again?? shouted
the farmer with the wounded leg. ?It could
kill the lot of us!?

?I ain?t a-gonna look for no ankee?s tunnels!? shouted someone else. ?Why doncha
just burn the thing with your magic, your
w i z a r d s h i p ? ?


It took half a minute to still the crowd
again. ?The baron believes that you can
deal with this crisis on your own,? I lied,
not saying that the baron was too busy
counting his loot from his recent adventuring, and cared little for concerns at
home. ?I was ordered to save my powers,
and I must obey. But, there are other
options which you might try.? I was remembering more and more of that particular lecture in the academy, so long ago,
when the anhkheg was brought in. ?They
depend upon what condition the beast is
in. To take up these options, however, you
must be willing to part with some of your
c a t t l e   o r   g o a t s ,   t o   f e e d   t h e   m o n s t e r   f o r   a
few days or weeks. This is --?

The immediate uproar revealed the
town?s opinion. ?And what good would
that do?? shouted the man with the
wounded leg. 

?It would keep the creature where it is,
so that it doesn?t roam the area! With the
anhkheg satisfied for a short time, you can
bring about its destruction ? which you
surely must, if the anhkheg is a  female.?
The crowd began to fall quiet. ?You see,
there?s but one anhkheg out there, now.
Would you care to deal with a dozen??

Silence fell like a rock. ?You mean it
might breed?? asked the brawny youth,
his face pale.

?If you have a female, indeed it might,? I
told him. ?In the late fall of each year, each
anhkheg seeks out a partner and mates.
Soon after, the female kills the male and
starts preparing a nest, usually a widened
dead-end of a tunnel. But the female?s
attacks on creatures passing nearby become more intense, because she isn?t
gathering food just for herself. The food is 
for her brood." The audience shivered. I 
had them, now, and I enjoyed it. 

?When the female lays her grey, melonsized eggs in the body of the male, she
burrows into the side of the nesting lair to
secure a place for the winter. The eggs
hatch shortly after they?re laid, and the
young mature rapidly. The newborn
anhkhegs feed upon the male for the
duration of the snows; in the spring, the 
young feed on the rotting food that has
been stored over the winter by the
mother. The mother cares nothing for her
young once they?ve passed that first season, and as soon as she can, the mother
chases them from the nest.

?In short, if that is a female, you  must
keep the mother from roaming and wreaking even greater havoc on the countryside!?

The crowd was silent and white-faced.
They waited for me to continue. 

?You cannot take chances with the monster now. There are two alternatives open.
The first one is to stay away from the field
where it is, but occasionally send herd
animals out onto the pasture, to keep the
monster fed so that it doesn?t wander.
Then, about a month after the first snowfall, when the ground is frozen deep, you
locate one of its tunnels. The anhkheg will
be hibernating until spring, so you can go
down into the tunnels and dispatch the
beast and any eggs at your leisure. In hibernation, an anhkheg is helpless and hard to
awaken, even if attacked. It will be hard to
chop through the anhkheg?s shell or carve
off its legs and head, though picks and
shovels might chop into it well enough.
Long knives would be slow, but ??

?What about lumber saws?? asked the
youth suddenly. He was uncommonly
quick.

?Yes! Any lumber saws you have will do
the job,? I said, recalling some bit of lore
from a ranger who visited the academy.
?You?ll have to work fast, and saw at it
with all your might. When the anhkheg is
bereft of most of its important body parts,
cover it with any flammable liquid, like oil
or alcohol, and light it up. Get away from
it, as the heat of the fire will awaken the
anhkheg if it?s not totally cut into little
pieces. But, provided you soaked the beast
in fluid, the fire should finish off what you
started.?

?Why can?t we just cut it up and not
worry about the fire?? asked the farmer
with the leg bandage.

I glanced knowingly in his direction.
?There usually isn?t enough room in the
hibernation chamber to get all the way
around the anhkheg. Never leave a
monster?s fate to chance.?

?Mister wizard!? started the old woman
who had spoken up earlier; ?The winters
around here aren?t really cold at all, and
the ground only freezes down to about a
hands span. Is that gonna be enough to
put that thing out there to sleep, huh?? 

    Oh, the best-laid plans of mice and men 
. . . I questioned the old woman about the 
weather, then sighed. "From what you say, 
I fear that it would be hard to predict 
when or if the anhkheg would hibernate. I 
have heard that some do not if the snows 
are light." Everyone's face fell at that. 
Arguments broke out across the room as 
the farmers tried to decide what to do 
next, 

    "Listen to me!" I shouted above the rising 
buzz. "You have one final option!" Immediately, to my relief, the noise began
to subside. This was indeed their last
option ? aside from hiring adventurers to
destroy the anhkheg, which would cost
every last copper piece these wretched
people had.

?Before it settles in for a coming winter,
whether it is male or female, and whether
it hibernates or not, an anhkheg must
shed its old skin, in order to grow larger
for the next season. This period is when
it?s most vulnerable. As soon as it has shed
its old shell, the anhkheg secretes a smell
distasteful to predatory monsters and
other anhkhegs. It does this so that its
natural enemies stay away from it while
its shell is soft.? I could see questions forming on several lips, and I wanted to answer
them before the onlookers could
i n t e r r u p t .

?Having fed itself upon live meat for a
time, the anhkheg must rest, lose its old
shell, and strictly avoid any activity which
could deform or damage the impressionable new armor. For nearly a full week
after it sheds, the shell has the toughness
of a freshly tanned side of pigskin. In an
underground environment, the shell dries
much more slowly than it would in the air.
Furthermore, the animal is sluggish as its
body struggles to rebuild itself. Most of its
energy is used up in the process of hardening its shell, making it slow to react. It
cannot use its acidic spit, as its stomach
contents are being digested to give it its
needed energy.

?You must set up a watch on the field to
keep track of the beast?s activities, and
regularly give it some sort of animal to
keep it happy. When it doesn?t show for a
couple days, even after animals are released on the field, see if you can detect
the smell it gives off to keep others like it
a w a y . ?

One old woman cocked her head, eyeing
me thoughtfully. ?Sire, a question. This
smell it makes ? you can smell it through
the soil itself??

I nodded. ?Yes. It is quite strong.?

She squinted her eyes. ?And what does it
smell like??

I remembered the odor from school and
wrinkled my nose. ?It?s very pungent,
rather like rotting fruit.?

The old woman broke into a toothless
grin. ?I was down by the field this morning, and I smelled rotting fruit real strong,
but I didn?t know where it was coming
from. And we ain?t seen that ankee for
three or four days now!?

You could feel the atmosphere change as
she spoke. ?That may be the sign,? I said.
?If so, you?re in luck. All you need is the
courage to enter its tunnels and slay the
vermin. It is in your hands!?

My voice was drowned out by a large
cheer, then by loud, excited planning and
talking. Within minutes, the hall was
empty as the heartened crowd evaporated
to go anhkheg-hunting ? save for myself.

I reflected that I had accomplished my
mission, but at a price the baron would 
not be pleased to pay. If they conquered
the anhkheg, his subjects would see less
use for a baron who refused to deal with
monsters personally. If this kept up . . . I
thought of the brawny youth with the
quick mind and outspoken manner. Would
I someday serve him, instead?

I collected my things. It was then that I
noticed one other person in the hall with
m e -   a   g i r l   a b o u t   e i g h t   y e a r s   o l d .

?Nope!? she said, her disgust obvious, ?I
hate bugs!?

N o t e s
1. In basic appearance, the anhkheg
resembles a large praying mantis. This
g i a n t   i n s e c t   h a s   a   h a r d   c h i t i n o u s   s h e l l
which covers the top portion of its body
for AC 2, and a soft underside with AC 4.
The hardened shell of the anhkheg appears in a variety of colors, ranging from
yellow to brown to gray; the soft underside appears in various shades between
red and pink. Like the praying mantis, the
anhkheg has two sets of two legs each,
and one set of forelegs which it uses for
digging and in combat. The anhkheg also
uses its forelegs to hold small prey while
attacking with its mandibles.

As the anhkheg grows each year, it
sheds its hard shell for another, larger
shell. It is at this time of year ? usually in
the fall ? that the anhkheg is most vulnerable. The anhkheg sheds the shell in a day
or two; thereafter, it takes 1-2 weeks for
the new shell to reach the hardened consistency of the former. During the first
week, the anhkheg?s armor class is diminished to 5 for the topside and 7 for the
underside. One week after this, the shell
has hardened to its normal consistency.

During this molting period, the anhkheg
is very sluggish as its body struggles to
cope with and adapt to the rebuilding of
its exoskeleton. During this two-week
period, the anhkheg?s movement is half its
normal rate (6? above ground). Likewise,
the damage doled out by its mandibles is
roughly half the normal figure (1-10 as
opposed to 3-18). The anhkheg cannot use
its acidic spit at this time as well. In the
process of revitalizing its exoskeleton, the
anhkheg refrains from digging, as this
may cause damage to or otherwise deform
its impressionable armor. As a result, no
figure is given for underground movement
during this period. To protect itself from
predators or other anhkhegs (who may
attempt to evict the shedding creature
from its lair, or feed upon it in its weakened state), the anhkheg secretes an odor
which is repulsive to these possible predators. This odor (which is the result of the
anhkheg?s shell-hardening enzyme) smells
vaguely like rotting fruit to humans. Because of this aroma, most other creatures
(except for some mammals and the most
desperate predatory insects) avoid the
anhkheg during this period.

The size of the anhkheg varies with age 
and health, and is directly related to the
number of hit dice the individual creature
possesses. For instance, a 3-HD anhkheg is
roughly 10? in length, whereas a 4-HD
specimen is roughly 12?. This length increases in 2? increments with each additional hit die, with an 8-HD anhkheg being
approximately 20? in length. Generally
speaking, an anhkheg is half as tall as it is
long; thus, a 16? long creature is 8? in
height. As an additional note, the
anhkheg?s hit dice are almost directly
proportionate to the creature?s age. For
the first six months following birth, the
anhkheg has 1 HD; in the second six
months, the creature has 2 HD. For every
year of age following, the anhkheg gains
another hit die until it reaches 8 HD, at
which point the creature no longer grows.
Anhkhegs usually do not live any longer
than 10 to 12 years; these giant insects
grow quickly and, as a result, live a
relatively short time. 

In climates where winters are particularly severe, the anhkheg hibernates
through the cold season. Within a month
after the first snowfall, the anhkheg enters its lair to hibernate. During this time,
the anhkheg does not need to eat or burrow; instead, it lives off the supply of
protein and nutrition it has built up in its
system over the fall (part of the reason
that the anhkheg is most active in its predation in the autumn). In this stage of
existence, the creature can remain underground without detection for the entire
A favorite tactic employed by the
cold season, returning to the surface once
anhkheg involves burrowing 5-10? under
more when the first signs of spring
present themselves. In climates where
the earth?s surface and lying in wait until
winter is not a serious factor, the anhkheg
remains active throughout the year.

2. In addition to activity in preparation
for hibernation, autumn is also the mating
head. Usually, the anhkheg burrows close
season for the anhkheg. In the late fall of
each year, the male anhkheg seeks out a
enough to the surface to allow its antenfemale partner. This search is facilitated
by the female?s secretion of an odor which
nae to poke up through the softened soil.
attracts the male anhkheg, drugging the
insect with its aroma. In its dazed and
The anhkheg?s antennae are extremely
sluggish state, the male fertilizes the eggs
sensitive to vibration, a sense that fully
?and is immediately slain by the female.
Dragging the male into a widened, deadreplaces hearing (the anhkheg is otherwise
end tunnel, the female cracks the male?s
underside with its sharp ovipositor and
deaf). So sensitive is this sense that the
plants the eggs in its body.

The female anhkheg lays 2-12 eggs in
anhkheg is capable of detecting the apone laying, 75% of which are fertile and
will hatch successfully. These eggs, which
are gray in color and about 2? across,
hatch within one month ? usually before
the female adult begins hibernation. During the winter months, the newborn
anhkheg (known as ?nymphs?) feed off the
corpse of the male and grow as described
earlier. Within the first three to four
months of life, the newborn anhkhegs
take on the appearance and abilities of the
adult. Within the first year, young
anhkheg are able to bite for 1-4 hp damage, with an additional 1-4 hp damage per
turn from digestive enzymes. They can
also spit, and their digestive acid does 2-16
hp, damage, with adult ranges- In addition,
the adolescent anhkheg?s AC is 4 overall
and 6 for the underside for the first year;
thereafter, AC is as stated in the  Monster
Manual.

3. Although the anhkheg is generally an
unintelligent creature, it does have some
physical advantages and a few instinctive
bits of cunning that aid it in its predation.
A s   s t a t e d   i n   t h e   Monster Manual,  the
anhkheg burrows through the earth,
preferring soil rich in minerals and organic material. For the most part, this diet
of mineral and vegetation provides the
bulk of the anhkheg?s nutrition. Still, the
insect supplements its diet with regular
helpings of fresh meat (usually livestock,
though sometimes humans and other
accessible beings). Although the anhkheg?s
mandibles are not capable of tearing meat,
the anhkheg is able to break down its
meals with the aid of a strong digestive
fluid -a fluid which it also uses in combat.

    A favorite tactic employed by the 
anhkheg involves burrowing 5-10' under 
the earth's surface and lying in wait until 
it detects a potential victim passing overhead. 
Usually, the anhkheg burrows close 
enough to the surface to allow its antennae 
to poke up through the softened soil. 
The anhkheg's antennae are extremely 
sensitive to vibration, a sense that fully 
replaces hearing (the anhkheg is otherwise 
deaf). So sensitive is this sense that the 
anhkheg is capable of detecting the approach 
of a man-sized creature from as
far away as 300?; it can detect smallerAnhkheg tunnels resemble a maze in
than-man-sized creatures from as far as
their random design; although these corri-
100?, and creatures larger than man-sized
from as far away as 500?.

As an added advantage, the anhkheg has
superior eyesight due to its compound eye
change depth, intersect with other tunstructure ? though such vision is quite
nearsighted. The hundreds of small, black
nels, and often end abruptly. There are
lenses in its eyes allow the creature to see
with great clarity in gloom or at night with
usually only one or two entrances into the
6? ultravision (this sense is lost when
underground, however). Above ground, in
tunnels, though others sometimes appear
full daylight, the anhkheg?s eyesight allows
it a visual range of only 12?.

In burrowing, the anhkheg utilizes its
mandibles for digging, breaking down
neath the surface to surprise its prey. The
larger minerals with its digestive enzymes
and moving the earth with its forelegs.
tunnels are generally only as wide and tall
The anhkheg eats as it digs, disposing of
the minerals by digesting them. For the
as the anhkheg itself, about 3-6? wide and
most part, an anhkheg burrows continually; the creature seldom stays in one
4-10? high. Because of the terrain in which
place, unless hibernating, nesting, or waiting for prey. At all other times, the
anhkheg digs through an entire area at a
variety of depths and angles before moving on to another place. As a result, it is
not uncommon for an anhkheg to take up
temporary residence in a farmer?s field or
in a forest bed until it has cleaned the area
of most of its nutrient-enriched soil. An
anhkheg seldom burrows below a depth of
40?; below this level, it starts to meet with
hard-packed soil that is both difficult to
move through and distasteful to the creature; furthermore, below this point, the
water table of the land makes movement
difficult, if not impossible.

4. Because of the anhkheg?s nomadic
nature, the creature?s lair usually consists
of no more than a series of labyrinthine
tunnels ? some of which may have collapsed, others of which are still in use. For
the most part, the anhkheg does not lair in
any one particular habitat, except when
nesting or going into hibernation. In these
cases, the anhkheg usually converts a
dead-end tunnel into a small lair by widening the corridor to accommodate its purpose. Nesting lairs are fairly large
constructs, being 10-12? in height, 20-25?
wide, and 60-80? in length (room must be
allotted for the male anhkheg?s body in
addition to the female and her young). A
hibernation lair is usually much smaller,
being roughly the same size as the
anhkheg itself (this allows the anhkheg
insulation against the cold by providing
the earth as a buffer). 

    Anhkheg tunnels resemble a maze in 
their random design, although these corridors 
wind in relatively straight paths, they 
change depth, intersect with other tunnels, 
and often end abruptly. There are 
usually only one or two entrances into the 
tunnels, though others sometimes appear 
when the anhkheg bursts up from beneath 
the surface to surprise its prey. The 
tunnels are generally only as wide and tall 
as the anhkheg itself, about 3-6' wide and 
4-10' high. Because of the terrain in which 
they are built, these tunnels are often very 
unstable and are prone to collapse. Consequently, 
characters investigating these 
passages should be cautious; one wrong 
turn, and they could wind up with an 
early burial. 

Treasure in the anhkheg lair is usually
incidental, being left behind by the
anhkheg?s victims and generally ignored
by the insect which, because of its animal
intelligence, has no desire or use for treasure. As a result, there is no such thing as
an anhkheg?s ?hoard.? Monies and magic
left behind by victims usually remain with
the victim?s remains ? that is, those items
which have managed to survive the effect
of the anhkheg?s digestive enzymes. All
belongings on a victim?s body must save
vs. acid in order to survive the anhkheg?s
acidic secretion; those that do not are
simply devoured along with the victim.
Any surviving accoutrements or treasures
are discarded by the anhkheg; these will
often be found at various points in the
anhkheg tunnels. Items found are usually
at the point at which the victim was
consumed.

5. Because of its unique composition, the
anhkheg?s body provides a number of
?natural treasures.? For example, the hard,
chitinous shell of the creature makes
extremely good armor. If cured and preserved properly (otherwise, the shell withers and dissolves with time), the shell
maintains an AC of 2 or 4, depending on
which area of its body is used. This armor
is equal to scale mail in weight and encumbrance, though it offers protection equal
to that of plate mail.

The anhkheg?s eyes (and the fluid
therein) are useful to alchemists and
magic-users in the creation of sight-related
magic potions and items. Likewise, the
anhkheg?s digestive acid can be salvaged
and utilized as a regular acid. This chemical maintains its properties for up to six
months after the anhkheg?s death, delivering 1-4 hp damage and limited as listed in
the rules regarding acid in the  DMG,
pages 64-65 and 80-81. This chemical can
only be carried in a glass container and is
highly susceptible to breakage as a result.

There is a secondary enzyme sac located
in the creature?s head, very similar to a
small, acid-resistant bladder. Recovering
this fluid from the anhkheg requires very
adept hands, as it is very easy to break this
sac accidentally. Failure to successfully
remove the sac without breakage results
in damage to the handler.

Aside from this, the anhkheg?s mandibles
make reasonably good axe-heads, and its
legs (if cured and preserved) may be used
as maces and other concussive weaponry.
By removing out the meat inside and replacing it with some substance to provide
weight (sand, metal, etc.), these appendages can be formed into weapons delivering the same damage as their
counterparts.

Gaming notes by Robin Jenkins.