Eggeater + Eggeater's Pact

Humans are only preyed upon by a few species. The closest thing to a human predator is probably a big cat; a tiger or lion, which may be one of the reasons fear them but also revere them as well. Tigers are filled with a seductive power; a sort of evolved response of enforced respect or admiration towards a thing that could end you without much difficulty- a coping mechanism ingrained in inheritance.

For the People of Mozz, who were birds, they have this same response to their greatest predator- snakes.

Not all of the Mozz' were so loyal and devoted to their pantheon of Gods. Some of them were seduced and tricked by a massive snake- the Eggeater. Coming from the realms beneath the Earth, the greatest uncharted frontier for the Mozz, he brought riches and power to those who sacrificed the unhatched eggs of their own young. Stolen from their nests, this unthinkable sacrifice granted Eggeater more and more power; fed by his death-cult, until eventually the people of Mozz disappeared. Since then, Eggeater fell into a deep slumber- though he lives still.

Eggeater (14 HD, +4 AC, 1d10+4 bite, 2d10 constriction, Earthshake, Swallow, Spiritual Power)
Morale- 10

The Eggeater is a giant snake. It is a demigod; though it slithers drowsily around those who bring it offerings, it strikes fiercely in self defense. Every round, the Eggeater will attempt to constrict one member of the party- it can still perform its bite attack while it is curling up another person. If that person fails a save, they are constricted and take the constriction damage each turn they are wrapped up. If you confound its efforts to constrict someone (like wearing spiked armor, or being too hard to catch), the snake will slam its great tail against the ground in a rage. This causes a small Earthshake, which stumbles party members who are off balance (-1 Dexterity or worse) and causes animals born of the earth to take a morale check. This only applies to terrestrial animals and animal-companions; birds, flying sharks, and amphibious creatures don't count.

In addition, Eggeater can also swallow people whole. It will do this on an attack roll of 20 instead of its bite damage. The person is swallowed whole and deals 1d6+14 damage per turn as you are digested. If you manage to kill the Eggeater before the person within is dead, they can be cut out of the stomach and saved; otherwise they are digested, bones and all, upon taking lethal damage and cannot be revived by normal means.

Finally; Eggeater is a semi-divine being fed by many years of sacrifices. The snake gains 50% magic resistance to Cleric spells cast upon it; either giving a 50% chance to resist the spell entirely or reducing the damage of the incoming spell by 50%, whichever makes more sense.

Eggeater's Pact
The Eggeater is a hungry beast. It desires nothing more then to consume the People of Mozz- especially their eggs. It was once that loyal Mozz' cultists would bring him his meals, and he would return the favor with treasure and more. The people of Mozz may be gone, but it still may be possible to earn his favor.

If you wake Eggeater from his slumber in the Eggeater Shrine- he will attack those without an offering. If you leave an offering, Eggeater will emerge from underneath the earth with a tail curled around a handful of precious gems; and toss them into the air at your feet as a reward for the sacrifice. If you bring him an offering of any kind he will not attack you once he has consumed them, and return under the earth to go back to sleep.

Mummified Mozz' Monk - Grants 1 favor but no treasure.
Petrified Mozz Egg - Grants 3 favor and 1d3 gems worth 400 gp each.
Petrified Peacock Egg - Grants 5 favor and 2d6 gems worth 400 gp each.

If you reach 10 favor, the snake will not go under the ground when it has consumed its meal. The one in the party who represents them, is the most forward, or is the one who has the highest Charisma score will be chosen and approached by the snake. It will graze their forehead with one fang, just enough to leave a small scar. This mark becomes a Snakebite Sigil and grants the character +2 maximum HP and the ability to cast level 1 spells through the sigil as though it was a spell focus; glowing a bright green when being channeled for magic.

If you reach 20 favor, Eggeater will scratch a second mark by the first on the head of the one with the Snakebite Sigil. They gain +1 to their Charisma modifier, +2 more maximum HP, and the ability to sense gold, silver, and gemstones nearby in a 20 ft radius. The sigil is permanent but anyone carrying the mark will be ruthlessly targeted first in combat by the Eggeater and all the snakes in the Jungle if they ever attack the Eggeater; the snakes attempt to end the betrayer who ran away with their sacred mark.

Freeform Ritual Magic

Freeform magic is one of those things that is both enticing to some people, but extremely difficult if nigh-impossible to actually pull off in a way that is satisfying. Despite everything in the game already going via DM fiat, freeform magic requires just even a little bit more.

Regardless I've still always wanted to try it and think it fits well with high fantasy. If you're playing a Sage, add half your level to the roll if you're casting a beneficial, divination, or “sealing the ancient evil” type of spells.

Freeform Ritual Magic

For this system, all magic or “elements” is divided into 10 forms for ease of use. These are equivalent to the forms from Ars Magica.

Beasts (body and mind), Images (perceivable things), Plants, Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Mind, Body (of intelligent creatures), and Prime (magic itself).

To cast a spell, you need a ritual component similar to each form of magic you're using, as well as sympathetic elements to influence them, and finally a fetter to bind your spell to whatever you are casting it upon. Fetters are usually personal effects if cast on a person, a bit of silt or a brick if cast on a location, or an inanimate object itself if cast upon it.

For example, if you wanted to cast a spell on a rival shepards flock to make them stampede and flee you would need a Beast element, a fetter, and something that causes fear (especially to sheep). In this case, something like the wool of one of the sheeps in his flock could work for two categories.

Once your ritual is completed, roll d20 + intelligence mod. Depending on how difficult the effect is, it will be harder and harder to pull off. Ritual spells done this way must be localized and specific, you can't really cast a ritual spell to topple an empire unless you were really high level. Ritual spells often follow the magical path of least resistance, and so there is often a question is the ritual even had an effect at all. In the above example, a wolf might break into the paddock and cause the sheep to flee, which could be caused by the spell or not, nobody knows. Higher level characters could have ritual effects that display vulgar and obvious magic though, such as a ghostly spirit that appears to spook the sheep away instead of a subtle sort of thing.