Thin, acrid smoke - a scent reminiscent of spices imported from the far reaches - lingers, floating, refusing to dissipate. Her eyes sting at its caress - but the man with four fingers had assured her it was worth her time. So here she is... staring at a thick curtain. The guard inquires; she replies - the passphrase four-fingers had given her. He nods. The curtain is drawn back ... more smoke ... and she steels herself against the visage. She steps in.
"No need, my pet, to hold yourself so stiffly," it says - sibilant syllables dancing off its scaled lips, velvet - "Come. Be seated with me."
The creature is nine feet long. Six feet, a lithe, cylindrical body - the thickest constrictor - ending in the face of a serpent - its eyes round, but its pupils slits: tilted the wrong way.
About the head is a headdress bedecked with pearls and aquamarine. In its hands... no... its paws... a hookah: a thin stream of smoke trailing from one of seven mouthpieces protruding from hoses attached to its slowly boiling center. Three more, a tail, curled around a second mouthpiece to one side of the grand cushion on which the creature is in repose, it's clawed legs crossed: short, stubby - dwarf-like legs, almost a parody attached to the frilled serpent."Partake, pet," it speaks again, satin, "Surely, you will not have had such as this before."
"I prefer to speak to business," she replies.
A pause. Down feathers.
The map case is where the creature has said it was. She should have felt it - this cushion isn't so soft as to disguise a vessel of treated leather and brass.
"Ah, pet, but the evening is still far afield, the moon still hours from awaking. Perhaps you would want to spend those hours here - your armor, it must chafe with the humidity of these parts..."
"I have things to prepare," she interrupts, "An afternoon's time is short."
She nods.
In the moment, she rises, departing half facing the creature, a disquieted crab-walk: keeping eye contact in either respect or suspicion - not sure which. Out of the smoke. Out through the staff corridors of the garden-tavern. Into the heat of the afternoon.
From behind a curtain on the wall, another reptilian face emerges. A crest, a frill, hangs loosely - relaxed - red, brighter than the deep hue of the curtain. Anticipation.
"Have four follow her." Brass. "Wait in the grass for her - and when she returns, kill her and bring the Eye to me."
The ridge of the eye raises - no brow to raise with it. A smile.
"She will return, if she survives. And then we will know she is worth her employ."
Serpents of Splendor
The Mushussu are a reptilian race with shimmering scales. Males and females are similar in size - taller than most humans - but slender. They have short legs not dissimilar to a bird that sprout just above a long, thick tail - appearing almost comically stunted when compared to the length of their frame.
Their arms are smooth, proportional, and terminate in thick hands that look almost like cat's paws with thumbs. Along their neck and up the sides of their head is a semi-retractable crest - ribbed, almost as though formed of skin and horns - the inside of which, which faces forward, is a bright crimson color.The avarice of the Mushussu knows no bounds. That which glitters speaks to them like it speaks to no other race - and given any opportunity, they will festoon themselves with expensive clothing and gaudy jewelry: albeit never in the wild... as they may risk spoiling them. The Caanish are untrusting of the Mushussu - not knowing whether to call them friends, foes, or even mercenaries - as they are as likely to turn for better opportunities as they are likely to honor their commitments. Their leaders - alchemists and transmuters - are more trustworthy than the rank and file, but the years of conniving that has gotten them to the station they occupy lends to experience in bargains that even the Caanish, building a society on mercantilism, are wont to display.
When there is a conspiracy, a money-laundering operation, or other sprawling illicit enterprise: it is not uncommon to find a Mushussu at or near the head of the pyramid.
Encountering the Mushussu
Mushussu are able to "retract" their lower legs - folding them behind their backs as a soldier at ease folds their arms - and move about on their bellies, like a snake. This gives them a 4-in-6 chance to surprise in tall grass - typically three feet, minimum - and increases their movement speed to 150' (50'), but while slithering like this, they suffer a -1 to hit in melee and their AC is reduced to 6, as they lose some agility. Slithering tends to be the preferred mechanism of locomotion outside of combat or social situations.| Mushussu | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Armor Class: | 4 | No. Appearing: | 2-8, (6-36) |
| Hit Dice: | 1+1 | Save As: | Elf 1 |
| Move: | 90' (30') | Morale: | 8 |
| Attacks: | 1 weapon or 2 claws | Treasure Type: | U (B) |
| Damage: | As weapon or 1-4 / 1-4 | Alignment: | Chaotic |
| Frequency: | Common | Chance In Lair: | 8% |
Preferred weapons of the Mushussu are pole arms - bladed ones like the glaive or the fauchard, especially. Many will carry slings or some throwing knives - as the benefit of range is not lost on them, but slithering is not conducive to carrying or using bow-style weapons.
For every 8 Mushussu appearing, the group will be accompanied by one Mushussu Sorcerer.
| Mushussu, Sorcerer | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Armor Class: | 5 | No. Appearing: | 1-3 (2-9) |
| Hit Dice: | 2+1 | Save As: | Elf 4 |
| Move: | 90' (30') | Morale: | 8 |
| Attacks: | 1 weapon or 2 claws, both -1 | Treasure Type: | V (H) |
| Damage: | As weapon or 1-4 / 1-4 | Alignment: | Neutral |
| Frequency: | Uncommon | Chance In Lair: | 16% |
Mushussu Sorcerers are as skilled with their weapons as their mundane brethren - however they prefer to orchestrate from the rear, serving as arcane support. In part, this is due to standard assumptions of marching order... but in part, also, they are seeking to protect their own scales by hiding behind a wall of underlings and hired blades.
Bodyguards - Mushussu Sorcerers encountered in the wilderness have a 50% chance of being accompanied by 4-16 mundane Mushussu bodyguards. In lair, a bodyguard is guaranteed.
Spellcasting - Mushussu Sorcerers can cast spells as a M-U of level 3. First level spells preferred by the Mushussu include Charm Person, Detect Magic, Darkness, Shield, and Ventriloquism; second level spells include Continual Darkness, Detect Invisible and Invisibility, Knock, and Wizard Lock.
Spoiler Alert!
The Deeper Lore section contains some notes to help a GM (me) to run the Mushussu in a way consistent with the archetype they are supposed to fill and some of the inspirations behind their creation. If you play in (or want to play in!) a game GM'ed by me, beyond this point will ruin some of the mystery for you for both Mushussu and for most of the sentient races: having some impact in the game world that isn't immediately available outside of player character discoveries.
Deeper Lore
The Mushussu are based on a mythological Babylonian dragon of the same name. Dragons, by association, in western literature tend towards the embodiment of greed: thus, Mushussu being greedy makes sense - as they are described as being serpentine, with one translation of their name being the "splendor serpent."In game, the Mushussu were once men - corrupted by Chaotic spirits, Akhkhazu, in the service of the goddess Dimmekur, who is incarnate the Peccata Clamantia of Violence: the impetus driving the cardinal sins Envy and Wrath. They are capable of normal reproduction - laying clutches of eggs, 4 to 8 at a time - in which case, the Chaos Seed is passed to the young from the mother - however they can also be created by the implantation of the seed by powerful magic, the kind of which the Akhkhazu are capable. In their origins, the Mushussu emerged from the corruption in opposition to the Dabrutu - who embody Wrath - and are envisioned by the Akhkhazu to serve as spies, strategists, and seers in the war against Law.
The Mushussu are not wont to reproduce commonly - as they seek their own gain and take almost no care of their young, who would serve as a drain on their own success.
This countermeasures a naturally long productive life span, keeping the ambient Mushussu population at a manageable level. There are stories - as a Mushussu takes as long as three decades to reach maturity - of wizened Mushussu sages using magic on pits of hatchlings to advance their age 15, 20 years in a single ritual: bypassing childhood and adolescence entirely in a quest for immediate and loyal underlings. This act would produce somewhat of a naive nest - which may account for their affinity for Chaos compared to the more experienced sorcerers - but with that naivety can be bought loyalty... at least for a time.The natural life span of a Mushussu is in the vicinity of 120 years - with those who have not reproduced living slightly longer, to 140 or so. This number is impacted, likewise, by the amount of largesse a Mushussu in question is able to attain: those more impoverished allowing their envy to impact their health - aging them more quickly and compromising their immune system. As such, Mushussu who consistently see themselves as attaining - fairly or not - less than others tend to live closer to 80 years at the maximum. Some may argue that the most wealthy, when targeted, suffer in health as well - their jealousy over subordinates attempting to subvert their success nagging at them as badly as seeing others succeed more would have - but the easy solution to this problem, for most, is for the Mushussu to surround themselves with allies either more loyal (as a human might be) or more stupid, arresting larcenous outcomes.
Public domain artwork respectfully pilfered and adapted from OldBookIllustrations.com and the National Gallery of Art on or about 8/13/2020. Attributions in alt text.
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