Gibbering Horror
"Madness resides in all good folk, and it can take but a single word to reveal it."
There lives in the darkened corners of civilized society, every manner of despicable and low creature. The dim light of the day that still penetrates Cairne is enough to keep the shadows dark and what lies in them obscured, but some things cannot be contained within. The Gibbering Horror is an aberration born of madness and vile scientific practice. In the early days of the Order of Benevolents, a prodigy emerged named Fomick Instein. Fomick was a wonder to behold, as if she had an innate sense of the inner workings of reality. Unfortunately, her ability was matched only by her hubris, and it was her pride that led to the fateful night that unleashed the Gibbering Horror upon the citizens of Armuun. Fomick is credited with birthing the first Abhorrent Chimera, and the progenitor of that unholy process remains a unique anomaly among those that followed.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The Gibbering Horror in its resting state, appears as an amorphous mass of mottled flesh. Observing this creature in this state, the onlooker will be able to see the slight rise and fall of the creature breathing. The thick, rubbery skin that covers it is dull grey and coated with an oily sheen and small, short, thick hairs not unlike a boar. Once awakened, its true form is revealed, a shifting mass of flesh drooping with the loose folds of skin that cover it. It is devoid of any features such as eyes or a nose, but as it nears its prey, dozens of orifices will open up at random places, all over its hideous form, tooth filled mouths that create the cacophony voices it uses to debilitate and subdue. This Abhorrent Chimera is an amalgam of snakes, poison dart frogs, various oozes and slimes, and Fomick Instein, who was absorbed in the process of the creature's creation.
Ecology and Habitats
The creature moves about through the sewers and preys mostly on vermin there, but the crews that maintain the underground functions of Armuun are a favorite food source, and many have been lost through the years.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The Gibbering Horror remains mindless, having no real sentient form of thought. It lives only to devour anything in its path, the bigger the prey, the better. It primarily lives off of the abundant vermin that inhabit the sewers of Armuund, but will occasionally wander into areas frequented by people. It is relentless and silent, moving through, around, and over anything to get to its next meal drawn by scent , as the entire surface of its body functions as sensory perceptor, "tasting" surfaces and picking up scents in the same way a snake's tongue does. The Gibbering Horror in a creature unlike any other in Cairne. The unwitting and unwary are ignorant of the danger it poses in its resting form, leading to the uninformed approaching or even freely touching it, trying to figure out what the curious "thing" they just found is.
Civilization and Culture
Major Language Groups and Dialects
- All (Spoken only)
- Amorphous. The Gibbering Horror can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
- Poison Excretion. If a creature touches the skin of the Gibbering Horror, it must make a DC15 constitution save, or take 2d4 poison damage and be paralyzed for 1 hour. The creature takes half damage on a success and is not paralyzed.
- Cacophonous Utterance. Upon sensing a nearby target, the Gibbering Horror will begin to speak rapidly and loudly from all of its many mouths in every language known and unknown all at once. Each creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of the Horror and can hear the cacophony must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature will immediately drop whatever it is holding and begin slowly walking toward the Horror, allowing an attack on the victim. The victim is allowed an additional save every round until it reaches the Horror.
Scientific Name
Chimera
Geographic Distribution
Comments