Tiamat’s exact functions as a goddess are difficult to establish. As her name indicates (see below), she was a deification of the primordial sea. Our best source of information for Tiamat is the myth Enūma Eliš , and in fact, there are only a handful of references to her outside of it. Enūma Eliš begins with a description of the two primeval seas, the salt … Continue reading The Salt Goddess is Dead. Long Live the Salt Goddess!
On the one hand, maybe I drop them with the chaos-bred of Kusarikku. On the other hand, maybe they are specifically snake/lizard/dragon-kin enough that they should go somewhere else (like the previously mentioned lizardfolk). Last campaign (all five sessions of it before the TPK), I was definitely playing up the later version D&D interpretation of scaled folk, rather than the early dog-faced version (which if … Continue reading Kobolds
So right now it looks like we’ve got (via the demonic offspring of Tiamat, ultimately): Undead, Lesser Corporeal (Gallu) Wights, Ghouls, Zombies, Skeletons (3, 2, 2, 1 HD) Non-Corporeal (Edimmu) Specters, Wraiths, Shadows (6, 4, 2 HD) Undead, Greater (via Rabisu) Liches, Vampires, Banshee (12, 7-9, 7 HD) Chaos Bred (via Kusarikku) Minotaurs, Ogres, Bugbears, Gnolls, Stone Goblins, Goblins (6, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1/2 … Continue reading Monster Genealogy for fun and profit
Bašmu or Bashmu (lit. “Venomous Snake”) was an ancient Mesopotamian mythological creature, a horned snake with two forelegs and wings. It was also the Akkadian name of the Babylonian constellation equivalent to the Greek Hydra. The Sumerian terms ušum (portrayed with feet, see Ninurta’s Dragon) and muš-šà-tùr (“birth goddess snake”, portrayed without feet) may represent differing iconographic types or different demons. Continue reading Bašmu
Pazuzu is often depicted as a combination of diverse animal and human parts. He has the body of a man, the head of a lion or dog, talons of an eagle, two pairs of wings, and a scorpion’s tail. He has his right hand up and left hand down. Pazuzu is the demon of the southwest wind known for bringing famine during dry seasons, and … Continue reading Pazuzu Izzat Ewe
In Akkadian mythology the Rabisu (“the vagabond”) or possibly Rabasa are evil vampiric spirits or demons that are always menacing the entrance to the houses and hiding in dark corners, lurking to attack people. It is said that pure sea salt can ban them as the salt represents incorruptible life (salt preserves, and life was first born from the sea). In Hell, they live in the Desert of Anguish, attacking newly arrived souls as they travel down the Road of Bone to the City of the Dead. Continue reading Rabisu
Bandit: HD 1; AC 7[12]; Atk 1 weapon (1d8); Move 12; Save 17; AL C; CL/XP 1/15; Special: None. Bugbear: HD 3+1; AC 5[14]; Atk 1 bite (2d4) or weapon (1d8+1); Move 9; Save 14; AL C; CL/XP 4/120; Special: Surprise opponents, 50% chance Giant Rat: HD 1d4hp; AC 7[12]; Atk 1 bite (1d3); Move 12; Save 18; AL N; CL/XP A/5; Special: 5% are … Continue reading More fun with Random Encounters
Nothing to see here, move along. Continue reading *Whistles Innocently*
Mukīl rēš lemutti, meaning “he who holds the head of evil”, was an ancient Mesopotamian winged leonine demon, a harbinger of misfortune associated with benign headaches and wild swings in mood, where the afflicted “continually behaves like an animal caught in a trap.” It was one of the two demons that followed people around, an “evil accomplice” also referred to as rabis lemutti (“he who … Continue reading Mukīl rēš lemutti
He appears in later iconography paired with Kusarikku, “Bull-Man”, a similar anthropomorphic character, as attendants to the god Šamaš. As one of the eleven spawn of Tiamat in the Enûma Eliš vanquished by Marduk, he was displayed as a trophy on doorways to ward off evil and later became an apotropaic figurine buried in buildings for a similar purpose. Continue reading Urudimmu
