Relictner

Relictner

(Creature)

Type

Humanoid
(dwarf, mortic)

CR

12

Environment

Any ruins

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Source: Borne by the Sun's Grace, pg(s). 86

Relictners are dwarves transformed into mortics by the curse of a mummy. They transform their homes into ruins and fill them with traps to kill visitors in the most gruesome way possible.

Appearance

Relictners resemble withered, prematurely aged dwarves, with grey, ragged hair and wrinkled faces, that move with unnatural agility. On average, they stand four feet tall and weigh 120 pounds.

Ecology

A dwarf that survives being cursed by a mummy might be infected with a small sliver of that power that might remain dormant for generations before it mutates, transforming its host into a relictner mortic and taking over the host's biological functions. The curse and host become bound in a twisted symbiosis: it is difficult to tell when the relictner ends and the curse begins, and removing the curse will kill the relictner instantly. The curse wears down everything the relictner sees or touches, leaving behind only ruins, while making it immune to other curses.

Habitat

After its curse manifests, a relictner will feel an urge to claim a building as its own, a vital part of its body. Relictners suffer from agoraphobic mania and melancholic lethargy if forced to leave home, and it takes great motivation for a relictner to leave its home.

A relictner's curse weakens and desecrates its home, transforming even the greatest works of architecture into ruins within months, where lives can suddenly end in sudden collapses or accidents. Relictners themselves are safe from these dangers, as the curse is self-aware enough to avoid harming its host. When a victim dies within their home, relictners feel a sudden rush of energy and confidence, especially if the death was painful and desperate, allowing them to stalk nearby survivors.

Some relictners hide among dwarves, but this is difficult, as it is easy to notice when dwarven works fall to pieces in weeks. Those that manage to do so usually make their homes in slums, where no one would notice one more ruined building. Most of the time, relictners are forced out and often seclude themselves alone or in small clans in abandoned halls (preferably those with curses or undead residents), which they fill with traps to snare the unwary.

Society

Relictners are viewed by dwarves as abominations that tear down their creations, and often offer their service to liches or mummies in exchange for residence. They delight in inventing creative traps to mutilate and kill their victims, and routinely lure visitors to their homes (as it is pointless to create traps that never get triggered). Duplicitous relictners even hire unwitting adventurers as capable targets to test their trap-making skill.