The Mosok

 

The Mosok are large, aquatic Dragon Kings who once lived in both the Western Ocean and in lakes and rivers elsewhere in Creation. Spending most of their time in the water, they had little to do with humanity. However, they were quite social and lived in packs of several hundred to several thousand. Like the Anklok, they had little use for technology, living as they did in the open ocean. However, they also built villages and towns that were partly underwater and partly on various coral atolls and other small islands. Here, they raised their young, celebrated festivals, worshiped the Unconquered Sun and crafted plants and crystals to provide them with many useful amenities and weapons. Although they hunted the open ocean alone or in small groups, they always returned to their large and thriving settlements. This split between solitude and socialization made them the most changeable of the Dragon Kings, which only befits their element.

Most Mosok lived in the vast Western Ocean, but some dwelled in the various great rivers of the Realm and the Threshold. These Mosok had a similar way of life, but they also had far more contact with humanity. Mosok who live in fresh water both hunt and relax in the waters of rivers and lakes, but they spend much of their time on land and in moist environments such as swamps. Fresh- and saltwater Mosok are not separate breeds. Any of them can exist equally well in any body of water. To move from fresh to salt water or the reverse, a Mosok’s player must make a Stamina + Resistance roll for the character at a difficulty of 4. This roll can be made as an extended roll, with a new roll made every hour. However, every hour that the Mosok is in water it has not adapted to, it takes one unsoakable die of bashing damage. Although Mosok were superbly adapted for life in the water, they are not tied to the water like most amphibians. While none of them are happy doing so, they can remain away from the water indefinitely.

Their amphibious nature and their mixture of social and solitary pursuits were only part of their extreme and mercurial nature. Mosok shifted between extremes of mood with great speed. If provoked, a group of calm and joyful Mosok could become deadly warriors within seconds. They were also extremely adaptable and were willing to use any means necessary to solve a problem.

If straightforward and honorable solutions failed, Mosok were perfectly willing to use other, less savory, means. Except for their kin and their closest allies, the Mosok were willing to betray any comrade who became a liability or whose betrayal brought them a significant gain. Blackmail, assassination and similar pursuits were also perfectly reasonable activities for Mosok — they were far more concerned with the goal they wished to accomplish than with the exact path they had to take to reach it. Their Paths enabled them to especially excel at all forms of deception, and despite their hulking appearance, those who took to lives of crime became premier assassins and thieves.

During the First Age, few humans trusted Mosok. However, while they considered expedience to be far more important than casual loyalties, they were extremely devoted to their Clutch. Exalts who worked with Mosok learned that a Mosok who considered an Exalt to be a friend and a close companion would do anything for that Exalt, including sacrificing his own life. Mosok were creatures of extremes — moderation was completely foreign to them. Their excesses often made it difficult for them to gain the trust of others, but their effectiveness meant that few dared to underestimate them.

Appearance: Mosok look somewhat like large bipedal crocodiles. They have thick crocodilian hides, and while their limbs are longer in proportion than those of the Anklok, they are also quite wide, and their hands and feet end in webbed fingers and toes. Their flatted crocodile-like tails allow them to swim quite swiftly, and they only use their arms and legs to help them steer.

Breed Attributes: All Mosok gain +2 to both Strength and Stamina, as well as an additional +0 health level. These modifiers can raise their Strength and Stamina above 5. However, they may only raise these two Attributes above 5 by spending either bonus or experience points. They also add +4L/+4B to their soak. However, their clawed and webbed hands are so crude that they cannot use any tools or weapons not designed specifically for Dragon Kings. Even using such tools, they suffer a +1 difficulty to all Dexterity rolls involving fine manipulation, including all Craft rolls as well as any attempt to play a musical instrument or to pick a lock. Mosok are completely at home in the water. They can swim at their sprinting speed and can hold their breath for (Stamina x 10) minutes, plus 10 additional minutes for every success on a reflexive Stamina + Endurance roll. However, Mosok are clumsy on the land — they cannot sprint, and the distance that they can jump is halved.

Breed Abilities: Mosok excel at hunting, deception and life at sea. They have a natural affinity with Brawl, Larceny and Survival

Innate Weapons: Mosok possess claws, sharp teeth and a flat, heavy tail.

Weapon                 Spd         Acc         Dmg       Def

Bite                         +0            +0            +4L         -2

Claw                       +1            +1            +2L         +0

Tail                         +0            -1             +5B         -2

Common Natures: Bravo, Conniver, Explorer, Gallant, Jester, Rebel, Thrillseeker

Sobriquets: Croc Men, Children of the Sea, Deep Hunters

Concepts: Deadly assassin, cunning thief, clever sailor

 

 

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