Teeny Tiny Tales of Terror: S is for Sinister

[Mangrum]

We already have a blurb for the hoard scarab on page 1...

The second one is for the hoard scarab swarm.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Soul kraken [Neither Man Nor Beast]

Unfathomed depths the dark sea holds,
Wandered far by mariners bold;
Unknown creatures there abide,
Things which never see the light...

The sea-witch cast her awful spell
To bring a servant up from Hell,
Its ten arms raised to do her will,
Its snapping beak those men to kill.
It seized upon that doughty ship
Its hull to maim, its rigging strip,
And every tar aboard did know
The sea-witch aimed to bring them low,
Down beneath the ocean wave,
Their blood to slake her kraken slave!

Ballad of the Stormrunner, traditional Darkonese

[Nathan of the FoS]

Spawn of Kyuss [Monster Manual II]

"Corruption is the way of all the earth," the corpse muttered, twisting against the bonds of force that held it. "You are dying even as we speak, your body failing, slowly but surely. Whereas I...I live. Even in death."

I saw then the worms writhing beneath its skin, and could not fully bite back a scream of horror as it continued, "Come closer...and I'll show you what it means to be immortal."

Laurent St. Reginald to Gennifer Weathermay-Foxgrove, working notes to Van Richten's Guide to the Walking Dead


Spectral panther [Monsters of Faerûn]

We were about to press forward, swords in hand, when von Kharkov raised a silver whistle to his lips and blew. Immediately four great black panthers sprang, as it seemed, from the walls themselves and ranged themselves before him.

"I'm fond of cats," he continued conversationally, "for the most part. And these are among my favorites. Night itself is not more silent, nor more deadly--as you are about to learn."

Private journal of Lazarus Jakes, adventurer

[Nathan of the FoS]

Spider, monstrous [Monster Manual]

Seeing my surprise--indeed, my terror--at the entrance to that grim lair, enroped about with threads as thick as cables, Meistersinger Lukas grinned. "What, Swiftsinger? Have you never heard of Grandfather Boar? Grandfather Tree? Grandfather Wolf?"

"Yes, of course," I replied.

Lukas kicked a skull--human, by its appearance--out of the way and lifted his torch higher as he set off into the tunnel. "Then why not Grandmother Spider?" his voice wafted to me. "Let us go make our salutations to her."

Journal of Matthew Swiftsinger of Skald

Spider, shroud web [Book of Sacrifices]

Baroness Obour smiled her thin cruel smile as Yeflem screamed and clapped his hand to his armored neck, took two more steps toward her, and fell. "Men," she said. "Always so quick to put on your armor and wave your swords. There are better ways to kill."

As she spoke, I saw a tiny black-and-blue spider creep from the neck hinge of Yeflem's plate, and remembered the cobwebs we had passed beneath to enter this chamber. She had anticipated our coming, and arranged all to receive us.

from Tyranny in Kislova, or, The Baroness of Blood, anonymous memoir

Spider, swarm

"Here I must leave you, gentles and churls," the Baroness continued, stepping back quickly. "I have arranged for your lodging and entertainment; I trust there will be no complaints."

As she spoke the floor beneath us collapsed, plunging us into darkness. At first I could not identify the strange gossamer threads which filled the air, nor the prickling which crossed my face and hands; but when Caronas screamed, just as Yeflem had, I knew what had befallen us. These were cobwebs, and spiders by the thousands or tens of thousands surrounded us in the dark.

from Tyranny in Kislova, or, The Baroness of Blood, anonymous memoir

[Joël of the FoS]

Sea cat [Monster Manual]
“No sir, I have seen big seals before, even the large ones from the frigid coasts. What attacked Humfred was something very similar, but also different. Seals are harmless. Listen to this: after it had dragged Humfred in the water, it looked at me in a strange way, like when my cat is purring after it got a mouse. There was something horribly playful in its attitude, the way it jabbed on the net floaters with its fin. It circled my boats a few times then disappeared in the depths… I really had the feeling it played with us, but in a deadly way... For the last time, I didn’t kill Humfred…”
- as told by Maynard, darlonese net fisherman

[Nathan of the FoS]

Spirit animal [Frostburn]

"What is he doing?" I asked Mikhail as the shaman bowed himself again before the circle he had prepared.

"He speaks to the unseen wolf, the totem," Mikhail muttered in return. "It guides, sometimes. He is a very great shaman to do such a thing."

Rising and standing on his feet, the shaman pointed to the east, where the moon was rising over a low hill; a great white wolf stood there, and for a moment I believed the moon shone through it, rather than merely reflecting from its pelt. It gazed on us for a moment, then trotted off toward the north.

"We follow," Mikhail said, suiting deed to word.

Larraby Quift, Adventures of a Wanderer


Swarm, jellyfish [Stormwrack]

I was preparing for my morning dip when the captain came on deck; seeing me, he shook his head emphatically and pointed over the side, saying only, "Maleaus." I could not understand what he meant by "bad waters", but Professor Jenkins laughed and pulled my arm, pointing to a vast pale-blue mass a few feet below the surface. "Jellyfish!" he said. "Thousands, I would suppose. They say a cloud like that one can kill sharks. Just as well you didn't go it, Simon."

Looking over the side at that vaguely obscene demi-organism undulating in the waves, I could only agree.

Simon Torrens, Travels in the Mists

Swarm, locust [Monster Manual]

I looked to the horizon, where a low dark line could be seen, quite unlike the usual clouds of the deep plains. "What's that, Master Halvarsson?" I said. "Bad weather coming?"

Halvarsson turned and blanched. "Aye, hell's hail," he said fiercely. "Those are locusts, Master Quift. We must spread the word at once." Turning, he ran for the house, shouting in his own tongue as he went; before we had reached his homestead I saw one of the hired men depart on horseback, apparently to spread the word.

"Will you be able to save the crops?" I asked, catching up to him.

"No," he said. "We will save the men and animals. I hope."

Adventures of a Wanderer, Larraby Quift

Swarm, viper [Fiend Folio]

"You are wrong, however," the General replied, his black eyes glittering. "I am not alone; in fact, my most faithful servants surround us now."

As he spoke a pretty little serpent, banded with red, gold and black, fell from the mango tree onto the table; picking it up with one hand, the General gestured to the vine-covered walls of the patio, and I saw that they writhed with snakes, both of that kind and of many others--fer-de-lance, boomslang, cottonmouth, copperhead, and other kinds with which I was not familiar.

Simon Torrens, Travels in the Mists


Swarm, wasp [Fiend Folio]

"Grandfather Boar," said Grandfather Wolf, "are you sure there is nothing I can do to make up for the grievous embarrassment I have, however inadventantly, inflicted on you, in stripping your fine long furry tail down to a curly little nub?"

Grandfather Boar said nothing, but grunted deep in his chest, still circling beneath the tree where Grandfather Wolf had hidden himself.

"In that case, let me make you a present," Grandfather Wolf said, and cut the branch holding the hornet's nest, and out rushed the Little People, each liveried in gold and black and with his poisoned sword in hand.

Alas, he might have thought better before doing such a thing! For Grandfather Boar (whose skin is thick, and full of fat) suffered but little as he fled; but Grandfather Wolf went home that night a pincushion, for the Little People treated him full sore for his rudeness.

How Grandfather Boar Lost His Tail, traditional Kartakan

[Nathan of the FoS]

Silver fox (elven fox) [Ravenloft Gazetteer I]

The elf-fox, or silver fox (Vulpus argentine) is not widely hunted, although its pelt is gorgeously ornamental; the more primitive among the elves of Sithicus are said to believe they are ancestral spirits, while the woodsmen of Kartakass and Valachan (though they agree on little else) both say that a hunter taking such a skin often simply disappears into the Mists. Because of this belief, and their coloring, the Valachani also sometimes refer to them as mist-foxes.

Harrald’s Bestiary, published in Il Aluk, 693

Sirine [Monster Manual II]

We came at last to the standing stone, engraved with strange inscriptions, where Doneth had arranged to meet us; the morning mist hung over the water, and the waters of the lake were dark and chill in the autumn dawn. As we stood we heard a snatch of song echoing over the water, seeming to come from the broken castle on its island, only just visible through the fog. It was heartbreakingly beautiful, and yet I seemed to hear the clash of swords, the screams of dying men, and the sobbing of a widow bereft in each note.

“How she must hate us,” Harespex muttered.

Bertram Mac Laren, Sixty Nights in Tepest

Splinterwaif [Monster Manual III]

Child of summer dawn,
Despoiled, hewn down, bereft!
How each green leaf weeps.

Thornheart they name you.
Now, each tear’s a drop of blood,
Every leaf a sword.

Thornleaf Songs, trans. Malcolm Hopper

[Nathan of the FoS]

Stitched [Van Richten’s Guide to the Walking Dead]
TAILOR OF MAYKLE, THE
IDENTITY: Never determined.
LOCATION: Maykle, Darkon.
DATE: October 743.
UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES: The victims were found arranged in their place of work, their eyes, mouths, and noses sewn shut. Suppurating wounds were found on their torsos and arms, but suffocation was the apparent cause of death. Most notable, however, was the "inscription" sewn into the chest of Master Gullsby White: "A timely stitch slays six."
RELATED CRIMES: Popular rumor related these killings to the burning of the gnomish tailor Master Eber Alloways' shop and home, which caused the death of his daughters Petreka and Alsanea. The victims (at least three of whom were business competitors of Master Alloways) were supposedly the instigators or the actual perpetrators of this crime, but lack of evidence lead to the case being thrown out of court. Master Alloways left Maykle after this sad incident and was resident in Corvia at the time of crime; no evidence was found to connect him to this second murder.

The Book of Murderers, Magnus Wolfsbane.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Sea spawn, master [Denizens of Dread]
Sea spawn, minion [Denizens of Dread]

"The autopsy is proving...unusual," Dr. Rathburn said, his usually cheerful face grim. "Please follow me. I apologize, by the way; it is more than commonly grisly."

I followed him into the morgue, where the victim's corpse had been laid on the metal dissection table. "Cause of death--the shovel blow from Donahue, of course. But I found this."

Even someone so inexpert in anatomy as I could see immediately that the long gray eel-thing which had entwined itself around the base of the skull and the spinal column was no human organ.

"Then Donahue...?" I muttered, still unbelieving.

"Probably correct about everything," the doctor replied, covering the corpse again. "Veck's actions were quite possibly controlled by this parasite."

"And the 'Master in the Sea' he spoke of?" I asked. "Could it have possibly really use that--thing--to control a human body?"

"At this point we can assume nothing," Rathbone replied. "We had better get Donahue out of the cell...and find a way to learn who is already at the 'Master's' beck and call."

Between the Tides, from Twelve More Tales of the Macabre, Jean Lafolie


Swarm, scarab beetle [Fiend Folio]

To the Most Noble Sef, Ivan Dilisnya:

We are devastated beyond measure to report that your request for a functioning colony of grave scarabs can no longer be fulfilled by this May. Unexpected difficulties with transportation and feeding have prevented delivery; Your Grace's erudition will already have supplied the trifling fact that the beetles in question are extremely aggressive and voracious, and the stupidity of an employee allowed the escape of the colony we had previously mentioned. We cheerfully refund the very generous sum you supplied to us, together with an added sum which we hope very much will alleviate any lingering discontent with our dismal failure. Please rest assured that the responsible employee has already been punished, in a way which Your Grace could not fail to find both amusing and apposite; accounts of the surviving caravan members indicate he was literally a mere skeleton a matter of seconds after carelessly opening the container in which they were held.

We remain Your Grace's most humble, abject, and apologetic servants,
Nissl Van Kant of Van Kant and Son,
formerly Van Kant and Sons


Swordwraith [Fiend Folio]

The wind blew more strongly as we approached the border; here and there we could still see metal (armor? the blades of swords?) mostly hidden in the short grass, and every so often a bone. "The spoils of war," Heron muttered.

"Aye, lad, for the lucky ones."

The speaker had emerged suddenly from the trees, a tall man, armored and bearing a sword; his eyes burned red beneath his helm, and the flesh had long since fallen from his bones. Heron muttered something in his own tongue, and the swordwraith laughed. "I'm no slave of the Witch-King, boy; we're still in Drakov's lands. Are you ready to die?"

"Are you, spirit? Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword," Milka said, her voice shockingly sweet and clear.

"I've already done that," it replied, and attacked.

Journal of Roger Arrowsmith, adventurer

[Mangrum]

It was an epic slog, but the letter S is finally put to bed.

[ChrisNichols]

Stitched [Van Richten’s Guide to the Walking Dead]
TAILOR OF MAYKLE, THE
IDENTITY: Never determined.
LOCATION: Maykle, Darkon.
DATE: October 743.
UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES: The victims were found arranged in their place of work, their eyes, mouths, and noses sewn shut. Suppurating wounds were found on their torsos and arms, but suffocation was the apparent cause of death. Most notable, however, was the "inscription" sewn into the chest of Master Gullsby White: "A timely stitch slays six."
RELATED CRIMES: Popular rumor related these killings to the burning of the gnomish tailor Master Eber Alloways' shop and home, which caused the death of his daughters Petreka and Alsanea. The victims (at least three of whom were business competitors of Master Alloways) were supposedly the instigators or the actual perpetrators of this crime, but lack of evidence lead to the case being thrown out of court. Master Alloways left Maykle after this sad incident and was resident in Corvia at the time of crime; no evidence was found to connect him to this second murder.

The Book of Murderers, Magnus Wolfsbane.

I just thought I'd say that this entry in particular is quite brilliant. I'd love to see more Book of Murderers entries.

Heck, it'd make a nice web project, or even a published supplement (if that were still possible).

Chris Nichols

[Nathan of the FoS]

Stitched [Van Richten’s Guide to the Walking Dead]
TAILOR OF MAYKLE, THE
IDENTITY: Never determined.
LOCATION: Maykle, Darkon.
DATE: October 743.
UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES: The victims were found arranged in their place of work, their eyes, mouths, and noses sewn shut. Suppurating wounds were found on their torsos and arms, but suffocation was the apparent cause of death. Most notable, however, was the "inscription" sewn into the chest of Master Gullsby White: "A timely stitch slays six."
RELATED CRIMES: Popular rumor related these killings to the burning of the gnomish tailor Master Eber Alloways' shop and home, which caused the death of his daughters Petreka and Alsanea. The victims (at least three of whom were business competitors of Master Alloways) were supposedly the instigators or the actual perpetrators of this crime, but lack of evidence lead to the case being thrown out of court. Master Alloways left Maykle after this sad incident and was resident in Corvia at the time of crime; no evidence was found to connect him to this second murder.

The Book of Murderers, Magnus Wolfsbane.

I just thought I'd say that this entry in particular is quite brilliant. I'd love to see more Book of Murderers entries.

Heck, it'd make a nice web project, or even a published supplement (if that were still possible).

Chris Nichols

Thanks! It would make a natural "short entry" contest, something like the BoS used to have every year; maybe we can get something together for QtR 14 along those lines.

[cure]

The description of the Shadow Spider's tactics (MM II) seems more than a little ill-considered.

Note that the spider has 5 intelligence and 13 wisdom so some cleverness and learning from experience should be expected, to say nothing of the elimination of utter stupidity through natural selection.

The creature grabs a target, slips off with it to a shadow plane larder, paralyses its victim (good for 4 rounds), then blithly wanders off to hunt some more, leaving its victim (after 4 rounds) to prepare an ambush for its return using whatever was in his possession and whatever is in the possession of all the previous victims, many of whom (to judge by the description) may well still be alive to assist in the effort.

Frankly, the creature seems to have taken a page out of a guide to playing a James Bond villan. No, don't kill poor James when you have the chance, or even properly immoblise him, for where is the sport in that . . . . Fine for stupid villans perhaps. Not fine for intelligent vermin.

Do you address this John? If so how?