In addition to the creatures that served in well-organized units, some of the Witch's creations struck independently of the main battlefront. Working apart from her structured elements, they instead sowed fear and panic among Morden's populace. Hundreds of miles away from the regions that her armies conquered, the banes effectively served as a warning of the dangers to come. In some cases, their presence or even their legend was so threatening that entire towns sent letters of surrender to the Chimera months before her armies could reach them.
The swamp kraken is one of the banes that the Chimera unleashed to work independently of her main forces. Though it is named for the swamps that it commonly inhabits, the creature has also been observed in lakes, streams, and even some fast-moving rivers. Its body is seldom seen, and many legends surround its full appearance. Instead, its prey most commonly sees the massive tentacles, which emerge from bodies of water seemingly far too small to contain them.
When hunting, a swamp kraken typically lies in wait near the shores of the bodies of water it inhabits. It is believed that they burrow beneath the beds of streams or small ponds to better conceal their bodies. When prey approaches, they use their agile and powerful tentacles to grab and crush their targets. Often leaving pieces of their victims scattered across the shoreline, the swamp kraken then drags their prey into the water for consumption.
Swamp Krakens represent a significant threat to isolated communities, as they are capable of completely isolating a small town or village from its primary source of water. In a few cases, residents have abandoned entire towns when the risk became too great to try to obtain water.
SWAMP KRAKEN
ATTRIBUTES: Agility d10, Smarts d4 (A), Spirit d8, Strength d12, Vigor d10
SKILLS: Fighting d10, Notice d6, Subterfuge d12, Swimming d8
Pace: 4; Parry: 7; Toughness: 8
AQUATIC: Pace 8
TENTACLES: Each round, a swamp kraken has 2d4 tentacles available for use to attack its prey. Tentacles always select the Grappling attack action. Once a foe is entangled, the swamp kraken attempts to incapacitate its prey. Only after they have stopped resisting is the prey dragged into the water for consumption. Tentacles can reach 2" from the shoreline of the body of water where the swamp kraken dwells. They may simultaneously launch their attacks from a region of up to three adjacent water-filled map squares.
Because the bane's body typically remains concealed beneath the water-characters can only engage the swamp kraken's tentacles in combat. Any time a tentacle is shaken or wounded, treat it as severed. Reduce the number of tentacles available for attack on later rounds by the number of severed tentacles.
Any round where the swamp kraken has no tentacles available for attack, it attempts to flee from the fight-most commonly by burrowing beneath the bed of the body of water or swimming away from its foes.
