The Cats of Corrooll

The Cats are both a spell and a magic item. Without the item, you can't cast the spell. If you have the item but can't cast spells, it's useless. They are one in the same.

The Cats of Corrooll are a set of carved stone cat statuettes. Each cat has a unique appearance, and underneath each in an ancient script is the cat's name and a ritual phrase. The phrase roughly translates to “We scream at night, but we are not afraid.” Every statuette has the same ritual phrase. You can cast the spell as long as you have at least one cat.

When the spell is cast, each cat you have present at the time of casting will turn its head towards you, and speaks through the statuette, though they do not truly become animate with false life. The cats all have their own names and are more then happy to engage with polite conversation with anyone who casts the spell- they are friendly, helpful, polite, and they even like to flatter or flirt with the spellcaster. They want whoever owns them to like them and protect them. They don't want to be destroyed or trapped in a place where they can never be found again- an eternity of darkness at the bottom of a great sea is a terrifying prospect to a motionless, immortal entity.

The cats only want two things. The first is to stay safe, and the second is to stay together. Each cat will try to subtly manipulate its owner to acquire more cats. Each one grants power to its owner, so having more of them makes their owner more powerful and, therefore, the cats are more safe.

The cats are made of carved stone and are quite tough. They cannot be destroyed by falls (as they always land on their bases) but can be with magic hammers or items, especially ones shaped or based on dogs.

The Cats

Wherever at least one of the cats is being held; strange haunting begin to happen at night. Not in the same room, but in the city itself. Whatever town or village they are within, the cats will stalk. Every night they appear as formless specters, only appearing as a cat in the corner of your eye or from their frightening yowls. The cats examine the city, listen to every word spoken, watch sins committed through open windows, and sometimes even arrange accidents to kill people.

Every cat has a name and a voice. They can be made to move by speaking the incantation- the identical ritual phrase on each. Their heads will turn to look at the one who spoke it. The cats can then speak and tell the owner everyone and everything they have seen that night. Whatever the master wishes, they will tell him about. The cats have a strange memory- they can remember people, names, or commands but forget everything they have seen or heard when in their specter forms after the new moon. Their ability for spying is not unlimited; conversations held in windowless back rooms inside huge mansions will not be heard, unless it's a place a stray or wandering cat could reasonably roam.

For every cat you have in your collection, roll once each on your rumor/secrets table. You automatically know which rumors are true, or at least have a 4 in 6 chance to know if someone is spreading a false rumor.

You can also direct your cat's attention. Instead of gathering information, you can assign a cat an individual to keep tabs on. The cat will track their movements through the city, where they go or what they whisper if they are loud enough to be heard through a window or under a door. Especially wily marks, like rogues or elves, may require multiple cats to keep up with. Increase the number of cats you need by +1 if they know you're watching them as well.

Finally, as a last resort, the physical “bodies” of the cats can be used as a magic wand. Each cat statue can be used once per day like this, ejecting a black cat spirit with a hiss that deals 1d4+1 damage, save for half. Each cat statue you use as a wand cannot manifest that night, as this is exhausting.

Gossip from the Orc Slave-Pits

Roll 1d20

[1] The Great-Sow that rules this place learned a new curse, she's going to test it on one of us.

[2] The Orcs are considering doubling human rations, but don't eat them. It's made of people.

[3] The warden-orc has gotten a new bad ass prosthetic.

[4] The warden-orc is “collecting” slaves. He wants one each race, each gender, and each age.

[5] New arrivals to the pits are no longer gender segregated. They may want us to... breed.

[6] Many of us have already stolen some tools; we're almost ready to dig out.

[7] Many of us have already stolen some tools; we're almost ready to kill the orcs.

[8] There is a kind squealer-smith who pities us. He gets beat almost as badly as we do.

[9] Haunting music can be heard near the deepest work camp. It's coming from below.

[10] We're digging to find some ancient lost city or something.

[11] We're digging to fuel an orc war machine.

[12] We're digging just because the orcs want us to suffer.

[13] The iron we mine doesn't even go to make weapons. There is a great iron casket for someone important. Worst yet, I hear that the molten metal will be quenched in slave blood.

[14] You see those potions behind the bars there? They're gonna start making us drink them. Makes you work harder, feel no pain, and forget your old life.

[15] An orc gave me a shawl blanket today. I don't know what he wants from me.

[16] An orc made me lick his hooves today. I'm going to kill that piece of shit.

[17] There's a few elves in our camp. They cut their ears to blend in as humans. I think they are here to heal our sores, or maybe just to avoid being taken as magic-thralls by the orc magicians.

[18] Slaves have begun getting “paid” coins instead of fed or clothed, more coins for harder labor. They expect us to trade among ourselves for food and water!?

[19] Giant rats have been found in the walls. Anyone who turns this info in to the Orcs will be given their own cage and a thicker straw mat- the orcs are almost as hungry as we are.

[20] I've been designing a new digging machine. If we give it to the orcs, they won't need us anymore and will surely let us go. Right?

10 Fishing Village Rumors + 4 Magic Boats

You get a rumor each time you ask a fisherman in town for a story or rumor. Each rumor has a 1 in 6 chance to be true. If multiple rumors are true, they are all tied together in some strange way. If none of them are true, then this is the most peaceful town in the world.

 Fisherman Tales – 1d10

[1] He once caught a huge eel, which the family cut into round slices that never spoiled. He says his wife has still got one sealed away somewhere.

[2] Once he took a nap in his boat, and when he woke up he saw a river shark dancing on the surface of the water. As soon as he gasped, the shark jumped back into the water and pretended like nothing happened.

[3] Strange orange flickering lights are seen under the water on Sunday nights. If there was a new baby born that day, the lights turn blue and spin in circles instead.

[4] Secretly there is a current in the lake that can whisk a boat out to sea in the span of an hour. You have to knock on the right rock three times.

[5] The fish in this lake are just fine with worms, but if you want to catch the really big ones you have to bait your hook with human flesh.

[6] When it rains, a lonely fish man comes to the shallows to look for his lost love. If you leave a necklace of shells and bones by the shore, you'll sometimes get a glimpse of him dashing out of the water to grab it, before retreating to the depths.

[7] Once, I caught a talking fish. It said it was my grandmother, and said if I let her go she'll tell me about buried gold. I did let her go, but that bitch just swam to the bottom and disappeared.

[8] There was once a little boy in the village who could clap his hands and fish would jump onto shore or into his boat. But he became a soldier and went off to war.

[9] There's a giant crab in this lake. It's shell could be made into nearly impenetrable armor. The only thing that draws it to land is the music of a flute.

[10] Many years ago, an evil cult sacrificed virgins in this lake by tying rocks to their feet and drowning them. Their bones are still down there.

Fishing Boats – 1d4

Each fishing boat can be purchased from the master fisher or local lord of the village. He has 1d4+1 boats. If you roll a 4+1 assume that they are all collecting dust and he'll give a 20% discount.

[1] Armor Boat

Very strangely painted boat, with all kinds of metal joints, rivets, and straps on the inside of it. If dragged onto land and given about an hours time to twist the knobs, the boat collapses and reforms into a bulky suit of armor. Counts as platemail, but made of wood and has its AC permanently lowered by -1 each time an axe strikes it. Takes half as long to snap it back into boat form.

[2] Magician's Canoe

The front of this small boat has a carving of a horned woman, with polished stones for eyes. By smacking the side of the boat with an oar three times, the eyes release a blast of Magic Missile straight ahead, dealing 2d4 damage. It will require a large amount of skill to coordinate the boat's facing with the three oar taps to hit a moving target, but its trivial to hit something stationary.

[3] Razor Hull

Fatter then a normal fishing boat, this one has metal straps built down the sides studded with very sharp hooks and spikes all along its underside. Creatures who try to ensnare or ram the boat will take 1d6 damage if they do, and creatures with tentacles will be unable to get a grip.

[4] Unsinkable Raft

Large flat square raft, no sail or discernible features beyond its strong ropes that bind its logs together, which have been painted white. If the raft ever sinks, you can simply speak a keyword to raise it from the depths, lashing itself back together on the surface as much as it needs to and tightening its ropes around whatever is left of the wood. It is actually the ropes that are magic, not the logs, and by simply tying the ropes around anything underwater and saying the keywords they will raise it up. It can lift something as heavy as a boulder.