Odin/SamikalElkmen

The Undead Elkmen of the Samikal Fens

In the deep wilderness northwest of Halta there lies a dark stain on the horizon, stretching from one end of a wide river valley deep into the primeval evergreen forest to the east. This smudge is the Samikal Fens, a sluggish morass of befouled waters dotted with island cedar groves and the rotting carcasses of massive redwoods, now half buried in the noisome sludge of the Fens. The thin rivulets and slow moving bayous stretch deep into the redwood forest to the east, slowly infecting the trees with rot and a cancerous malevolence all its own. In this fell forest of quicksand and shining eyes dwell fearsome barbarians and deadly Fair Folk, but even these deadly threats fear the true lords of the Fens, the elkmen.

It is believed that in the dimly lit forests of the Fens, there once dwelt an exiled Child of Luna. This Exalt became so bitter and vengeful of his exile that the very Abyss devoured his soul, corrupting the once mighty warrior into a twisted mockery of his former glory. Horrified by their master’s transformation, an entire tribe of elkmen rose to destroy the corrupted Full Moon. Little did they know that their fate would be forever entwined with his. With his dying breath the Lunar cursed his people with the same creeping rot that had consumed him, rendering them undead with a final, bitter curse.

Though many sought to end their cursed existence the elkmen soon discovered that their rotting, shambling bodies were nearly indestructible. Eventually madness began to take its toll, leaving a tribe of ravenous undead beastmen prowling the noxious swamp they had created in their rash attack on the fallen Lunar.

Despite their extensively decayed forms, little more than ragged skeletons in tattered robes, the elkmen are still formidable opponents. They stand more than seven feet tall, with massive bone white antlers extending another three feet. Few carry weapons, relying more on razor talons and antlers and raw ferocity. Most have gone utterly mad and attack anything entering their territory, but a few have formed small cults who gather to worship the dark powers of the forest. One such cult has become so extensive as to include several Fair Folk commoners and no small number of fallen barbarians. The eerie calls of the elkmen may be heard for miles when the mad horrors are on the hunt, their flaming green eyes flaring from empty ivory sockets. Some few of the fallen have learned the rudiments of necromancy and are capable of casting screaming bolts of green barrowflame at enemies.

I felt no need to stat the elkmen, since they could be made standard undead for a beginning circle or a horrid scourge of plague and torment for more experienced characters. If you absolutely must have premade stats, simply add a few Abyssal charms or necromancy to a standard beastman.