Hollow Moon Cultures: Pteryx of the Apennines (2024)

Technology: Iron Age, steel forged;few complex machines used, but "assembly line" manufacturingprocesses are common
Lifestyle: Pedocratic communal fish-eaters, alien andaloof/oblivious
Population: About 6000 pteryx; 27,000+ troglodyte servants/menials;~1000 assorted others (pets, livestock & experimentalsubjects)
Mystaran Origin: Brasol Range of Davania, c. 12,500 BC
Literary Inspiration: ERBs Pellucidar novels (Mahars), Edwardiansocialists' "techno-utopias", and the animated sci-fi film"Fantastic Planet"

Description

Less a "range" of individualmountains, than a continuous ridge of upthrust rock between MareImbrium and the Great Spindrift Sea, the steam-capped lunarApennines present a forbidding appearance from a distance. Thoughnot exceptionally steep or geologically destructive -- thelava-wells which dot the southeastern side of the ridge seep moltenmagma only gradually, like a line of slowly-bleeding wounds in thebarren rockface, never cresting the banks of their heat-erodedchannels -- their weathered slopes and tephra-buried ledges speakof an antiquity which none of Matera's younger, still-growingvolcanoes can match. On the northwestern face, overlooking MareImbrium's crystalbarrens, the Apennines appear stark, lifeless andfeatureless, save where the vast, crevice-riddled cliff whichserves as their foothills abuts the stagnant Marsh of Putrescence.If approached from the seaward side, the southeast face bleeds itssluggish, glowing magma-rivers out of many shallow, maw-likecaverns, that gape open in scattered arrays from as high as 28,000feet above crystal-level -- just shy of the Apennine ridge'swindswept apex -- to as low as a few hundred feet above the sea'swaves. No race lacking the power of flight, or a conviction of itsown impunity in the face of Matera's natural cataclysms, would everdream of venturing into such a lava-striped and treacherousterritory ... much less, of establishing cities and places ofrefuge (!) in the very cave-mouths that vomit forth bothincandescent magma and sweltering heat.

Yet such are the places in which thepteryx -- oldest civilised race of Mystara's prehistory, andindisputably THE most powerful race of the present-day Hollow Moon-- have built their homes. By stupendous feats of magic andengineering, the ancient pterosauroids have tamed and channelledthe Apennine lava-flows so as to minimise the impact of Fire Timesupon their homeland, ensuring no single eruption or tremor canbuild up the seismic force to endanger their unique "suspendedcities". These are massive, communal aeries, cooled and ventilatedby brisk montane winds and illuminated by the red-glowing magmabelow, which dangle like gargantuan stalactites from the roofs ofthe lava-spilling caverns. Their weight supported by a combinationof magic and superior metallurgy, these cities cling like angular,unearthly beehives to the basalt ceilings of the lava-caverns, andare home to the pterosauroids and their most prized pets andservants. Far below these hanging communities, at the rear of thegreat lava-caves, multiple levels of dug-out workshops andmanufacturies -- mazes of unlit shafts, labour-halls and barracks,that burrow deep into the caverns' walls -- provide quarters andwork-space for the thousands of troglodyte labourers whom thepteryx (who consider themselves above all menial chores) employ andkeep order amongst. Subterranean passages from the dug-out levelsoffer clear access to the northwestern cliff-face and to thetroglodytes' Marsh of Putrescence, as well as to thoseroosting-places which are shared in common by the city-dwellers;but only flight (and a perilous flight at that, through theunpredictable thermals which rise from the lava*) can bring oneinto the pteryx's suspended research facilities and archives,thanks to the SoRs inhibition of mortalTeleport-magics.

(* - Persistent rumours amongMaterans hold that the pteryx can actually redirect the flow oflava from their caverns, if necessary, sending floods of magma downthe mountainsides at enemy armies ... and while no nation in livingmemory has dared send so much as a scouting party, to trespass uponthe pterosauroids' domain, most HM natives consider these rumoursplausible. With the pteryx, Materans say, it's a lot wiser toassume they can do anything, than to deny out-of-hand that they cando something. ;-))

Weather in the Apennines is quitestable -- even boring -- in contrast to the dramatic terrain. Asteady cloud of vapours rises from the boiling coastlines whereoozing lava meets the Great Spindrift Sea, to drift upward andblanket the seaward face of the mountain range. Carried theprevailing southeast winds, this perpetual fog-bank slowly rises upuntil it crests the ridgetop; crosses over the last few peaks invast "streamers" of mist, which give the Great Spindrift its name;and finally condenses into rain, above the mountains' northwesternflank and the Marsh of Putrescence, as the chill air of thecrystalbarrens supplants the heat of the Apennines' lava-streams.Only during Circle Tides does this unending fog -- which normallyobscures most of the range's southeasterly face, save its glowingtraceries of molten magma -- blow to one side or the other,revealing the mountainsides clearly to outside observers. At StormTimes, the fog-bank turns black and roiling with rain and thunder(lightning is rare, but conditions are still fairly hazardous forpteryx to fly through); Fire Times, though they never generatefull-fledged eruptions, may kick off showers of hot pebbles andash, at points downstream from the lava-rivers' cavernous"headwaters".

Temperatures in the lava-caverns aresufficient to do damage (1d4 hp/hour) to unprotected creatures, inthe deepest portions where lava wells up. But careful funnelling ofcold winds off the Great Spindrift into the upper portions of thesehuge chambers keeps the inhabited sections of the caverns at acomfortable (to Mesozoic reptiles) 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit:sweltering enough to leave most of the Hollow Moon's mammalianraces on the verge of heat exhaustion, yet balmy and soothing tothe pteryx and their troglodyte servants. The same humid winds thatcool the caverns' inhabited portions also blow away noxious gasesand smoke emitted by the lava-floes, or churned out by the smeltersand industrial facilities in the troglodytes' dug-out manufacturinglevels. In the upper parts of the cavern and the suspended cities,the air smells pleasantly of the sea, while the lower caverns andthe trog-warrens reek of brimstone, ash, and troglodytestench.

Of natural wildlife and vegetation,the Apennines have very little, save a few lichens and marmot-likemultituberculates. The pteryx subsist primarily on fish from theGreat Spindrift, hauled up in huge nets by their troglodytefishing-fleet. But the pterosauroids also enjoy fishing for theirmeals as a recreational activity, and have constructed manyartificial ponds and small lakes on ledges in the mountainsides.(These are rimmed with high walls of basalt, designed to blend inwith the background stone for aesthetic reasons, and they are noteasily recognised from below.) Most of these small fishing-pondsare stocked with trout, eels, pike, frogs, and other freshwaterdelicacies which the sea can't offer, and are laid out to look likenatural bodies of water. Comfortable perching-rocks are laid out ontheir banks or situated as tiny, artificial islets in the water. Afew of the larger ponds are left unstocked, and are used forspecial banquets in which "exotic" foodstuffs -- young giant squidfor example, or pesky-yet-edible animal varmints (such astrespassing humanoids) that have proven too much of a nuisance toturn loose -- may be sampled, as a change of pace in one'sdiet.

As for the permanent habitations ofthe pterosauroids, their city-aeries appear half-finished andutilitarian to other races' eyes. As creatures of the air, theydislike close confinement or being walled in; as natural telepaths,they have no concept of privacy or bodily modesty. The typicalpteryx roosting-complex -- of which each city has several, withabout 40-80 pteryx in residence at each -- consists of a centralcolumn 30-60' in diameter, securely affixed to the cavern'sceiling. Up to a dozen metal-braced floors encircle this column;these living-platforms (shared in common by the residents) arespaced out so each is at least 20' beneath the previous floor, thebetter to maximise air-circulation and allow room for itsoccupants' extended wings. Each circular floor of a pteryxroosting-complex is open to the air on all sides, and the floor'souter rim is kept clear of obstructions to offer convenient landingpads and launch-points for takeoffs by the residents. The uppermostlevel of a pteryx roosting-complex houses no pteryx, but troglodytehouse-servants and food-preparators live there full-time, cateringto the occupants' needs; their level DOES have a railing --something which the claustrophobic pteryx would abhor -- and itsouter edge is draped in cloth to block out the lava-light, sincetrogs prefer darkness. Embedded in the uncut stone of the cavern'sceiling, at the "root" of the building's central column, a smallcontingent of troglodyte guards watch over the network of securecorridors and shafts, that link each roosting-complex to the troglabourers' warrens, far below city-level in the walls of thelava-cavern. Supplies for the residence are hauled up from thewarrens-warrens with a block & tackle array, mounted on theunderside of the bottom-most platform. That floor, suspendeddirectly over the magma and prey to the worst smoke and heat, isalso left to servants' attentions, and serves mostly for storage(as well as the complex's latrine).

Within those parts of the complexwhich the pterosauroids (as opposed to their servants) inhabit,everything is arranged to suit the pteryx's rhamphorhyncid bodiesand communal temperaments. Floors are textured with small furrows,providing traction for the ungainly pteryx walk/scrabble; faintillumination is reflected inward by brass parabolic mirrors,mounted on struts along the rim of the next floor up, that catchthe red light of the incandescent lava below. Furnishings such assculptured rocks for roosting are placed farther in, near thecentral column. Still-flightless pteryx chicks -- what few thereare -- can be found there, safely away from the platform's rim, aswell as the warm, finely-crafted nursery-boxes in which busy pteryxmothers brood their single eggs. Networks of pipes, dumbwaiters,and servants' passages within the central column providemagically-channelled drinking water and fresh fish dinners toresidents upon request, the servants' attention being attracted bypull-ropes and bells. Magical knick-knacks and minor artisticworks, such as slowly-shifting displays of illusory shadows ordelicate, abstract sculptures that project emotions upon those whotouch them, are exhibited in niches along the column's walls, forall to admire and comment upon.

The real focus of pteryx life isn'ttheir roosting-places, however luxurious: it's their places ofstudy and research. For every major discipline pursued in a givenpteryx city, there's a building dedicated to that pursuit, similarin design to the roosting-complexes, but much more varied in thecontents of its floors. Most academic buildings -- which includesuch things as temples for clergy ("theologians") and the officesof city government ("scholars of administration"), as well asschools of art, magic, history or science -- come complete with alibrary (some volumes engraved on metal plates, others stored inglass orbs as telepathic impressions only a pteryx can "read");scriptorium for record-keeping (as copious and tedious as befits a13,000-year-old, sage-run bureaucracy! ;-D); facilities forcommunal study in the relevant discipline (wizards' and naturalphilosophers' labs, historical archives, art studios, museums, orwhatever fits the topic); individual facilities for each of themore-prominent local scholars (as per communal facilities, but withbetter equipment and security); and -- of course! -- a teemingcontingent of troglodyte guards, maintenance crews, stock-workers,janitors, and assistants/orderlies (to do all the grunt-work).Academic competition is about the only territorial impulse whichthe pteryx DO demonstrate, so individual scholars' workspaces aresecured against plagiarising snoopers (or pilfering troglodytes),and are walled off from each other on either side. On theopen-to-air face of their personal labs, pteryx wizards or clergyoften lay magical wards -- always powerful, though non-lethal -- todiscourage unauthorised pterosauroids from entering, on-the-wing.Those pteryx not skilled in magic usually hire extra troglodytes,loyal only to them*, for on-site security at their workspaces.Unlike roosting-complexes, pteryx research-facilities don't link upto the trogs' warrens in the walls of the lava-caverns: everythingthere, including the servants and guards**, is either hauled up viablock & tackle, flown up by the scholars themselves, ortransported via Levitation or other magical means. The mosthighly-sensitive workspaces, such as isolation chambers forexperimental spellcasting or cages for newly-discovered creaturesunder zoologists' observation, are built into the central columnsof their academic buildings, where yard-thick stone and resplenditesheathing can contain magical mishaps or irate monsters' escapeattempts.

(* - Note that troglodyte guards arethere to report snooping, corral the occasional wayward laboratoryspecimen, and curtail other trogs' kleptomania ... NOT to hurtpterosauroids who succumb to curiosity, and DO snoop. Pteryx"rivals" never let differences in opinion escalate to the pointwhere one or the other might be personally offended, let alonewounded. Ironically, a pteryx may amicably share its sleepingquarters and mealtime conversations with the very same "rivalscholar" it wards its workspace against! Likewise, magical wardsnever inflict harm on intruders, even to the point of waiting untilthey're a safe distance from the floor's rim before paralysing themor otherwise rendering them helpless.)

(** - Among other things, this meansthat the (flightless) troglodytes can't get out of the buildingwithout pteryx assistance! Even the block & tackle requires apteryx to fly down and authorise its unlocking, before it can haulanyone to or from the trog-warrens beneath the suspended city.Matera's ever-suspicious troglodytes aren't too happy about thisarrangement -- most of the best jobs are in the academic buildings;yet working there means agreeing to trap themselves hundreds offeet above molten lava, with no way out (except "extra-crispy";-D), should their bosses somehow become dissatisfied with them --but they've never been able to convince the pteryx (to whom thenotion of "fear of heights" doesn't translate at all) to changeit.)

While the open-air design of pteryxcity-aeries might make them appear vulnerable to flying attackers,the pterosauroids' benign security-wards on their workspaces areonly the tip of the iceberg. Materan folklore speaks of an immensespinel dragon -- one of the largest lunar dragons that ever lived-- who attempted to destroy a pteryx city several centuries ago, inretaliation for its being driven out of the Apennines. No soonerhad this dragon flown into the suspended city's lava-cavernairspace, than screens of magic similar to Walls Of Force sprang upfrom the rims of the buildings' platforms, sealing off everybuilding in the city from breath weapons; the brass mirrors whichusually direct light into pteryx dwellings swivelled to track it inflight, each one beaming forth a different-coloured ray of lightlike one of the seven layers of a Prismatic Sphere; and the metalchains and derricks of the buildings' block & tackle arraysbegan crackling and throwing huge sparks at one another, with thedazzling red energy of SoR-discoloured Chain Lightning*. By thetime the magma far below the city began welling up like a geyser,directly underneath the dragon, the suddenly-humbled wyrm hadsecond thoughts about its assault, and retreated from the cavern inconsiderable haste.

(* - Hey, these suckers held offmodule M3's Greater Carnifex (!!!) for a good 500-odd years, backin the Mesozoic! Even if pteryx civilisation HAS declined prettyfar since then, they're not gonna be pushovers. :-D)

Appearance and Dress

The pteryx are a breed ofintelligent rhamphorynchid pterosaurs: long-tailed flying reptilesof the Jurassic period. They are related, albeit only distantly, tothe Red Steel setting's krolli race; some obscure genetic link withdragons has also been speculated about, based upon their draconicappearance, long lifespans, and inherent magical abilities. Despitea strong physical resemblance, pteryx do not consider themselvesakin to skinwings or to any of Matera's lesser rhamphorynchidspecies, any more than humans think of themselves as close kin tolemurs or tree shrews.

Pteryx have leathery wings,wedge-shaped heads on slender "S"-curved necks, whip-like tailslonger than their bodies, and stubby legs that end in flat, webbedfeet. At maturity, a pteryx weighs about as much as a large humanmale, but is nearly twice as broad across the torso; much of itsinternal anatomy consists of air-sacs or lightweight, hollow bones,so its frame is much larger, for its mass, than a humanoid's.Top-heavy due to the massive flight-muscles in their powerfulchests, landbound pteryx move on all fours, their wing-hands andstunted hind legs scrabbling at the ground, and the tips of theirfolded wings jutting out over their backs at a 45-degree angle.Slouching around in this manner is uncomfortable and awkward forthem -- they prefer to fly, or paddle about like waterfowl on thesurface of calm water, as a means of locomotion -- so pteryxusually only perch, thus, when they are resting or carrying outstationary tasks (reading, conducting research, coordinatingservants' labours, etc). Crouched in this way, wings folded, withits neck curved like a swan's and its slender tail stretched outbehind, a pteryx at rest resembles nothing so much as a miniaturewyvern or dragon, right down to the reptilian "alienness" of itsunblinking, inscrutable gaze.

The wings of a pteryx are of tough,leathery skin, with a sparse coat of short, heat-retaining hairsover minute scales (like a rat's tail). Each wing's membrane isanchored along the pteryx's side, from hip to armpit, and issupported at its lead edge by the forelimb and greatly-elongatedfifth finger of the hand. A typical wingspan for an adult pteryx is22', but these creatures -- like many reptiles -- continue to growthroughout their lifespan, such that venerable individuals of 600+years may boast 30' wingspans. Halfway along their wings' leadedges, where a bat's thumb would be found, the pteryx have scaly,clawed hands with an opposable thumb and three slender fingers.While that portion of their wings which is necessary for flight isextremely muscular, pteryx hands are rather frail -- fragile, even-- and not suited for coarse labour. (That's what magic, ortroglodyte servants, are for. ;-D) They CAN perform all manner ofdelicate tasks, such as writing, painting, laboratory dissections,or the fabrication of small objects, with their wing-hands. Whenworking with their hands, pteryx squat on their haunches, and keepthe membranes of their wings folded tightly against their sides,out of the way. Pteryx hindquarters are bow-legged and unwieldy onland, but can propel them quickly across water or beneath the sea'ssurface. Their three-toed feet are webbed and triangular, withstubby claws and thick, tough scales, like those of a seagull orgoose. The tail is slim and whip-like, with a small diamond-shaped"rudder" at its tip ... yet another feature which suggests kinshipwith dragons, although a pteryx's tail-tip is oriented vertically,not horizontally.

Like modern sea-birds such as skuasor petrels, pteryx are fish-eaters built to crash-dive into theocean and snap up tasty meals just below the water's surface. Theirlarge eyes face forward for binocular vision, and their long,triangular muzzles bristle with many sharp teeth suitable forsnatching fish out of the water. These dozens of simple,needle-like fangs overhang their lips when their mouths are closed,giving the pteryx a perpetually-fearsome, snaggle-toothed look thatmammalian races find threatening. Pteryx snouts aren't beaked as inpterodactyls, nor do they have the large crests seen in genusPteranodon; apart from mouth, eyes, and nostrils set well back nearthe base of the muzzle -- an adaptation to keep water out of thenasal passage and salt out of the mouth; like seabirds, pteryx voidexcess salt from the fish they eat through nasal pores -- theirfaces are rather featureless. Ears are simple holes on the sides ofthe skull. In common with many other reptilian races, pteryx lackfacial muscles under their coarse, scaled skin, so they reveallittle emotion in their stiff, unmoving features: tension in thebody and wings, tail position, and overall posture serve asexpressive "body language", instead, for this species.

Coloration of scales in the pteryxrace varies a bit, from dull grey to olive green to reddish brown;slate grey is by far the most common. Scale colour has no greatsignificance in pteryx society, although unusual pigmentation isconsidered less attractive than slate grey. Pteryx eyes are largeand dark, with a hue that seems to shift from deep blue to violetto black as one watches them. A pteryx's unwavering gaze isextraordinarily penetrating, yet chilling in its coldly-analytical,unblinking intensity ... so much so, that it can freeze the unwarymammal who meets it in his or her tracks! (Fortunately, fewmammals' antics are sufficiently interesting to them, to invitesuch depth of attention from any pteryx.) The pteryx wear noclothing -- indeed, it puzzles them when captured humanoids displaysome odd, instinctive urge to wrap themselves in garments, despitebeing ill-adapted to the lava-caverns' heat -- and they do notornament their bodies in any way. Thus, unless they bear scars,display the leathery, drooping wrinkles of age, or are of someunusual scale-colour, it is all but impossible for outsiders totell pteryx of similar size apart. Even the neck-slung velvetpouches they often bear, to carry personal belongings or materialsfor spellcasting, are virtually indistinguishable from eachothers'. Pteryx are fastidiously clean creatures, washing aftereven the slightest encounter with dirt or messiness, and bathingfrequently in the Apennines' artificial lakes.

Although the pteryx themselves donot wear clothing, their troglodyte servants (who don't mind theheat) are required to dress in garments befitting their station inthe hierarchy of underlings, so the pteryx can tell at a glancewhich employees are authorised to do what. City guards andofficials' bodyguards are equipped with armour and weapons of asteel-like, resilient metal (titanium), plus special"heat-dampener" (asbestos) nose guards they can strap over theirfacial pits; the latter serve to prevent blindness, in the eventtheir duties take them too near the infravision-dazzling lava. Thepersonal servants of city officials, and the laboratory-aides andorderlies of natural philosophers or wizards, are garbed in tabardsof fine cloth that are woven to display the emblems of theirmasters' offices. Civil-service menials, such as floor-sweepers orfishing-fleet crews, wear tunics of a colour specific to theircategory of labour (cleaners wear sky blue, food-provisioners weardark green, food preparators wear dull brown, etc). House-servantsfrom roosting-complexes dress in light loincloths and vests, thelatter bearing the emblem of their specific complex on the back.For the miserable hordes "employed" in industrial work, a simpleloincloth is all that is provided by their troglodyte overseers.Captive "research specimens", "pets", or "livestock" -- such ashumans, cryions, vesper elves, etc -- are given no garments at all,being dumb animals, and are usually stripped naked upon first beingcaptured ("collected") from the wild, so their foolish instinct forself-covering won't drive the poor beasts to heatstroke.;-D

Customs

The pteryx of Mystara were apowerful, sophisticated race -- sage creatures who became mastersof many fields of magic, art, and science; and shrewd innovatorswho devised an efficient and equitable social order, as well as acivilised way of life. Sadly, while their descendants in the HollowMoon retain that social order and the advanced lifestyle of theirpredecessors, they lost their ancestors' flair for invention ororiginality thousands of years before the Spell of Remembrancecould perpetuate it. While other races' societies "flux" frombarbarism to Golden Age to decline to barbarism, over and overagain, the pteryx remain in a perpetual state of ennui -- isolated,aloof, complacent -- that borders on cultural hibernation. Weretheir power not so overwhelmingly vast, when they DO rousethemselves to action, Matera's other peoples might well write offthe pteryx of the Apennines as irrelevant to their lives. As it is,other races live with a nagging, quiet dread of these antiquereptiles, whose territory virtually no one but troglodytes everventures near, lest such trespasses provoke a catastrophic andblistering retaliation against the intruders' kind.

The irony of this is that the pteryxaren't evil, or even warlike. The pterosaur-folk shun battle andall forms of physical aggression -- their extermination by theGreater Carnifex happened, in part, because they could scarcelycomprehend, much less match, the carnosauroids' bloodlust -- andfind even the THOUGHT of intentionally causing injury to a fellowsentient being (!) to be distressing. As natural telepaths, pteryxcan sense each others' discomfort like their own, when in closequarters; thus, they are reluctant in the extreme to hurt or giveoffence to one another, and antagonism between even the most bitterrivals seldom rises beyond the level of a human shouting-match.Even THAT much expression of hostility's unusual, for pteryx arealso a dispassionate race, driven by logic and deductive reasoning,rather than by emotion: unless they've gone mad, pterosauroidssimply never work up the necessary anger or excitement to indulgein violence or cruelty, for its own sake. Furthermore, having onlytheir own (telepathic) example to go by, they expect every OTHERsentient race to behave with equal circ*mspection -- to rise abovethe "animal's" impulse of aggression and brutality -- and topartake of each others' emotional and physical well-being, exactlyas they do.

That's the problem. Virtually noneof the races of the Hollow Moon -- not the humans, not the cryions,not the vesper elves or aardovai or margasta -- can actually MEETthe extremely narrow definition of "sentience" which the pteryx --their expectations skewed by their own telepathic nature -- havehit upon! In their own experience, mental communication and mentalacuity go hand-in-hand; they don't grasp the idea that one mightexist, in the absence of the other. Tool-use, clothing, magic use,settlements and agriculture -- all the things other races use torecognise sentience, upon encountering an unfamiliar creature --mean nothing to the pteryx, for they can find precedents for all ofthem, in nature's most ignorant creations: sea otters use tools,caddisfly larvae clothe themselves, basilisks employ magic, antsbuild cities and farm crops. Nor does it occur to them that verbalspeech might constitute intelligent communication, for the pteryxhave no speech-centres in their brains, with which to discernpatterns of sound in the voices of others (they've never neededthem): they perceive spoken words as dissonant gibberish, just as atone-deaf person can't follow a tune. With ALL these mundane signsof intelligence dismissed as mere circ*mstantial evidence, by thepteryx, only the direct demonstration of telepathic ability -- or ameans of communication that PASSES for telepathy, such as thetroglodytes' scent-speech -- could really suffice to convince themof a race's self-awareness... and a mere ESP spell won't cut it,since they've long since convinced themselves that (demi)humanintelligence MUST be a myth or a misinterpretation of thedata*.

(* - This deep-rooted blindness toother races' intelligence isn't entirely the pterosauroids' fault.It's about two parts ignorance (despite their interminableresearches, pteryx actually don't pay all that much attention tothe outside world, so know very little about other races); twoparts mule-headedness (they're so set in their ways, they'realmost as fossilised as IRL pterosaurs!); one part denial and/orself-exoneration (they really aren't evil, so don't want to admitthey've been treating sentient beings like beasts, all along); andabout TEN parts magical "mental block". The last was inflicted uponher own race by a vengeful Demogorgon -- see the "HM Magic" posts-- in order to ensure they'd attack the (savage, but harmless topteryx) Ur-Carnifex without remorse. It's an Immortal-level cursewhich the crazed Entropic invoked using a major artifact, thousandsof years ago; nothing less than that artifact's permanentdestruction -- which I'll leave up to individual DMs, to design andwrite adventures about; good luck combing the four corners of theNearside for it, PCs! ;-) -- will shake the pterosauroids'conviction that (demi)humans are dumb animals, not people.Somebody will still have to break the news to them once theartifact's been dealt with, of course.)

Thus, while it's quite possible forPCs in the Hollow Moon setting to experience pteryx society*first-hand, they're only likely to experience it in one of threeways: as "pets" of pteryx juveniles; as "beasts of burden" in atrog-overseen work crew; or as experimental subjects -- i.e."guinea pigs" or zoo specimens -- in a magical or biologicalresearch lab. How pteryx collect and treat their pets andlaboratory specimens, and how burden-beasts are "herded" and keptunder control by their troglodyte minions, will be addressed under"Relations With Other Races". What follows here, under "Customs",is a description of pteryx culture, offered in terms of how thepterosaur-folk see themselves (i.e. as benign scholars with age-oldtraditions of learning, not ultra-powerful menaces or abusers ofcaptives). Human or demihuman PCs, if captured by the pteryx ortheir trogs, will get to witness this culture from the sidelinesduring their period of captivity... although much of it will seemcryptic or inexplicable, given that the pterosauroids' mentalcommunications will lie beyond the PCs' perceptions.

(* - Pteryx, due to their readyaccess to powerful magical items and their extreme dependency onmental contact with their own kind, are not available as a PC race.Sorry, munchkins! ;-D)

The Apennine pteryx have been acompletely urban culture for many thousands of years, dependingentirely upon magic and their hordes of troglodyte minions tosatisfy their material needs. Troglodytes fish the Great Spindriftto feed the pteryx, manufacture finished goods in their warrens andstaff the city-aeries as servants, and patrol pteryx facilities assentinels and personal bodyguards. Such dealings between pteryx andtroglodyte, the former as master and the latter as servant, dateback to the decades before their mutual exile to the Hollow Moon,when escaped trog slaves routinely sought sanctuary fromunforgiving Greater Carnifex slave hunters in the cities of thecarnosauroids' winged foes. In recognition that these trogs were"free" in their service, the pteryx instituted a policy of payingthem for their labour ... although the salary has become largelysymbolic -- brass pay-tokens with no real value outside theApennines are used, for all but the highest-ranking troglodyteguard-captains and foremen -- and both trogs and pterosaur-folk nowmaintain their relationship mostly out of an ingrained habit ofobedience, on the part of the cave-dwellers (many of whose familieshave worked in the same pteryx city -- and even the same building !-- for hundreds of generations); and unthinking complacency, on thepterosauroids' part.

However it arose, most Apenninereptiles (of either race) now consider the cities' long-standingsocial hierarchy -- i.e. one with the pteryx firmly on top -- to bethe natural order of things, not to be questioned or disputed.Within the ranks of the troglodytes, such authority-figures aswork-crew foremen, guard captains, and skilled lab assistants areheld the highest esteem; the common workers and guards in thesuspended cities -- whose positions are awarded to only a luckyfew, and involve direct contact with the pteryx -- rank justbeneath their overseers. The dug-out warrens' more-mobile workers,such as fishing-fleet crews, supply-haulers, and trading-postoperators at the edge of the Marsh of Putrescence, make up a"middle class" who are privileged in their freedom of movement; andthe countless weary labourers of the lower cavern's manufactories(who seldom even SEE a pteryx), are beneath everyone else. As arule, the more mobility a trog is permitted in the course of his orher duties, the harder his or her job is to qualify for, and(especially!) the more contact he or she has with the pteryx, thehigher that trog's position will be, in the larger community ofservants. Whatever status they might hold among their fellows, ALLthe Apennine troglodytes defer to their pteryx masters almostinstinctively, and try to impress, make themselves useful to,and/or kiss up to their employers at every opportunity.

Things get more complicated, whenyou look at how the pteryx themselves are organised. There is nosingle ruler of the Apennine pteryx, nor of any individualcity/aerie. Pterosauroid cities are each governed, by ancienttradition, by a council of sages -- learned elders, skilled inassorted fields, who've dedicated their declining years toadministering their respective disciplines' facilities andcoordinating the research of others -- with either seven, nine, orthirteen members, neither more nor less; the actual number isconstant for any given city. The councils' decrees are enacted by abewildering network of bureaucrats that have accumulated over themillennia: public works project-coordinators, oversight committees,special-purpose task forces (e.g. military-level magical researchgroups), and expert appointees entrusted with authority only underrare circ*mstances (e.g. pest-control operations) ... plus plentyof pteryx aides and troglodyte support-staff personnel, for everyone of these myriad officials. The makeup of the bureaucracy variesfrom city to city, in accordance with local needs and academic oreconomic interests, but most of the core functions of a 20thCentury municipal government -- food supply, water supply,policing, construction, education, disease control, sanitation --have some counterpart in the administration of each pteryx city.Judicial or correctional offices exist solely to prevent grosscriminal acts by troglodytes (petty pilferage is so ubiquitous, andinsignificant to the pteryx who get robbed, that it's ignored);pteryx regard crimes by their own kind as a symptom of insanity,and entrust such rare individuals -- whose disordered thoughts andemotional state invariably betray them -- to the care of the citycouncil's theological official (i.e. cleric). Troglodytes have novoice of their own in pteryx government; however, at least onepteryx official is always charged with seeing to the trogs' welfareand ensuring that their needs -- e.g. expanded warrens, more foodor water, "new blood" recruited from the Marsh's free troglodyteclans -- aren't neglected. While pteryx government isn't veryefficient -- even minor decisions take months to be made and yearsto be implemented, if they're anything other than routine -- itdoes get the job done, so far as running a "steady-state" societyis concerned. Usually, this is because it's a lot less bother forofficials to do their jobs and be done with it, than to let thingsslide: "slackers" are almost unknown among pteryx, who tend towardsworkaholism (and it's troglodytes who do the scut-work, anyway!);and those who fail to fulfil their duties can't easily concealtheir idleness or incompetence from their mind-reading fellows, soinept bureaucrats are quickly identified and replaced. There IS agood deal of nepotism and political favouritism, but this isusually limited to buttering up council-members, appointing one'smate or offspring to a position over other candidates, or curryingthe fickle favour of powerful spellcasters and other prestigiousscholars.

Apart from the tokens issued totroglodytes -- redeemable for food, trinkets, household items, andthe like, but of no value outside the Apennines; only the abjectdestitution and feuding of their cousins in the Marsh ofPutrescence, compared to the security and regular meals to be hadin the cities, drives new troglodyte workers to seek these jobs --there's no money, and very little trade or profiteering, in pteryxsociety. Any resource or commodity which is deemed necessary for acommunity's prosperity or security (fishing-boats, mines,manufactories, guards' equipment) is owned in common by all of thecity's residents, and held in trust by the officials who overseethat resource/commodity. On another world, the HM pteryx would beimmediately pegged as socialists; to Mystarans, the best analogythat might present itself is that of cloistered monks in someisolated monastery, all living and labouring in common. Allocationof food, trogs' clothing, manufactured goods, and so forth are allcoordinated by the bureaucracy -- so much of each staple must beissued to each building, per lunar "day", with allowance forpilferage; special items for research are arranged as needed --which practically runs itself, after 13,000 years of practice.Placing so much control over the distribution of resources in thehands of bureaucrats would lead to rampant corruption, over time,among most other races; for telepathic pteryx, however, any abuseof power that denied other pterosauroids basic necessities wouldforce the abuser to "feel" the neediness of his or her own people-- to feel hungry if they're without food, deprived if they can'tobtain things they need, fearful if they're without adequatesecurity -- so it's seldom that pteryx officials take advantage oftheir positions, for personal gain. A limited amount of tradeoccurs between the pteryx cities and the "outlander" troglodytes ofthe Marsh, with finished goods such as cloth or metalwork beingbartered for gemstones, rare ores, and other raw materials ofmanufacturing or magic. Because few trog "outlanders" feel at allcomfortable, in the intimidating presence of pteryx -- and becausethis exchange of goods constitutes a very minor, inessential partof the economic life of the Apennines -- it's one of the few tasksentrusted wholly to troglodytes.

The bureaucracy makes up fully 30%of most pteryx cities' adult populations. Of the remainder, another15% of adult pteryx engage in "practical" work -- architecture,metallurgy, ship construction for the fishing fleets, providingmedical care, educating pteryx chicks, etc -- either directly (forskilled work such as doctoring) or in a supervisory capacity (e.g.directing asbestos-muzzled troglodyte work-crews in lava-poweredsmelting plants and foundries). Only a few jobs, such as mining(too stressful for claustrophobic pterosauroids); assembly-linework (likewise, since it's all done in the dark, cramped warrens);or the aforementioned trading, are entrusted entirely totroglodytes without a pteryx overseer. The technological level ofApennine society is quite high -- it's not on par with IRL Earth,but is certainly a match for the gnomes of Serraine or Oostdok --but the easy availability of cheap troglodyte labour, and the lackof any real challenge to their power since arriving on Matera (i.e.no wars going on, to spur their advancement), has stunted thegrowth of pteryx engineering, to the point where they've neveractually seen a need for machinery or automation. Staple items,such as alchemical flasks or guards' armour, are built onassembly-lines, but this is more of a way to simplify the trainingof newly-recruited trog labourers (since they needn't learn morethan one task, before ignorant "outlanders" can get to work), thana drive for efficiency or an attempt to maximise productivity.Pteryx who (ugh!) work are generally drawn from those who neverreally had a "flare" for scholarship, and couldn't cut it asbureaucrats: it's a vocation of last resort, so far as society isconcerned ... although a few DO find it satisfying to actually makethemselves useful, so band together with other working-types intheir own (rather rowdy) roosting-complexes, and to hell with whatthe scholars and paper-shufflers think of them! :-D

A very special 1% of pteryx hold aunique position in their society: that of "communicators". Theseare those rare few who are born as identical twins -- hatched outof the same egg -- and whose mental link with one another is ableto function, even over distances of many miles. In ancient times,when the Greater Carnifex threatened their race, communicators wereregarded as so precious as to be pampered and privileged frombirth, for their exchange of long-distance messages and sharedmental images of battles in progress provided their fellows with anindispensable edge over the dreaded carnosauroids. On Matera, thisdesperate need for communicators in warfare disappeared forever;but twins still hold an important position in Apennine society,because they allow for the instantaneous transmission of messagesbetween pteryx cities, the effective coordination of large-scaleoperations beyond the mountains (such as pest-control campaigns),and reliable, "real-time" reporting of catches taken by the fishingfleet. As a group, communicators tend to be rather distanced fromtheir fellow-pteryx, because they live so deeply within theirheads -- and the heads of their own twins; indeed, some even opt towear jewellery or other distinguishing marks, to remind themselvesWHICH twin they are! -- that it's hard for them to relate to anyoneexcept another communicator, or vice versa. There are about 30pairs of communicators in the Apennines now, and most are split upbetween the various city councils, allowing the direct transmissionof mental messages from one city's council-members to a twin, thenfrom the other twin's mind to the second city'scouncil-members.

The whopping 55% of pteryx whor*main -- and for whose particular benefit, Apennine society isstructured -- spend their lives in artistic, scientific,theological, literary, historical, or magical endeavours ofscholarship. From their beginnings as a species, pteryx have alwaysregarded knowledge as a "higher calling", and accorded the highestrespect to those whose breadth of learning is demonstrablysuperior. (After all, in a telepathic shouting-match, the one whowins is the one who can THINK at their opponent, the mostforcefully! ;-D) Different HM pteryx cities have focused ondifferent areas of expertise, over the millennia -- one city willbe known for its great literature, another for the invention ofunique magical spells, a third for its physicists, and so forth --although all the cities have at least a token presence, for each ofthe other six disciplines. Young pteryx often emigrate to the citywhere their own discipline is most favoured, if they have aparticular flare for one field or another. The pteryx's interest intheir fields isn't at all a PRACTICAL one -- applied science (orart, or magic, or whatever) is regarded as "contaminated", bypragmatism unworthy of a true, "pure" thinker -- but rather, adrive to excel in traditional subjects that have already beenanalysed, investigated, and debated within an inch of their lives,thereby becoming acknowledged as the foremost authority on one'schosen topic. Unfortunately, after 13 millennia, virtually everyfield of study has had an acknowledged "master", whom living pteryxcan only struggle to emulate: so high has the bar been set, by now,that few will ever be more than a shadow of the great ones thatcame before them. At best, this leads their most-gifted scholars tounearth, and resurrect, long-forgotten ideas that some other pteryxdiscovered thousands of years ago, and which no one's gotten aroundto studying since; at worst, it leads those who find they can'teven keep up with their living rivals' achievements to eithercommit plagiarism -- tricky to execute, since they mustn't gloatwhere anyone would pick up on such telltale emotions; profitable,in that sneaking peeks at other scholars' insights can kick-startnew ideas of their own, that they CAN legitimately boast of -- orto investigate some topic that's so very obscure and off-the-wall*,nobody would WANT to challenge their "foremost authority"status.

(* - That crazy idea that humansmight actually be smarter than most pteryx think -- perhaps evenhousebreakable! -- would definitely qualify. :-D)

Needless to say, pteryx scholarshiphasn't gotten very far, in the past ten thousand years ... it'sactually pretty sad, how stagnant they've become, and without evenan SoP to blame it on. Most of their art and science is re-cycledfrom previous eras, and the Spell of Remembrance ensures that thereare ALWAYS dusty old records, to confirm it's all been done before.Still, once in a generation or so, one of those "off-the-wall"scholars will come up with something that's new (and worth talkingabout!) for a while. But in general, the only surprising things*about pteryx scholarship are the quirky ways it's organized --military tactics, for instance, are studied solely by a fewhistorians, since they haven't fought a war since their arrival onMatera -- and the omission of those subjects which are meaninglessto them: linguistics (they don't speak), music (they can't make outmelodies either), cooking (why would you want to burn yourfish...?), and the like.

(* - Pteryx have also developed someunique artistic and literary styles, in which emotional auras andthought-patterns are imbued upon the medium of expression, fromwhich they can be "read" by touch. But unless PCs are inclined toShapechange into pteryx-form, and thus acquire their mentalcapabilities, they won't be able to appreciate (or even perceive)the refinement and resonance of these culturalmasterpieces.)

Relations between pteryx cities arecordial, helped along by frequent mental contact via communicatorsand the exchange of young immigrants to cities where their chosendiscipline is favoured. In the event that cooperation betweencities would be to their mutual advantage -- for instance, when thefishing fleet gets itself into trouble during Storm Time, or whenpesky humanoid vermin need some culling -- city councils will holdjoint mental "meetings", using communicators' minds to "link" withone another in a massive telepathic teleconference. Because pteryxcannot inflict harm on their own kind without sensing the injuredparty's distress empathically, there has never been a war, or evena skirmish, between different pteryx cities ... although bands oftroglodytes who are employed in different cities DO get into brawlswith one another, pretty often, should their pathscross.

Once in a great while, a pteryxunder extreme mental distress will go insane, and become a dangerto itself and others ... the more so, in that the mental unrest of amad pteryx can cause others near it to become disoriented, morose,or even paranoid. Insane pteryx don't get violent, but they oftenact with a suicidal recklessness (e.g. turning loose all the beastsin the laboratories to watch them stampede) that threatens thepeace and security of their cities. The reasons for insanity vary:some mad pteryx are mages who toyed with magics beyond theirunderstanding; some unwisely attempt to use artifacts that havebeen non-functional since the SoR came into effect, yet retain uglyside-effects; some might even be pawns of Demogorgon, drivenbonkers in some equally-bonkers new scheme of hers. Two things thatare SURE to drive a pteryx insane, at least temporarily, are thedeath of a communicator's identical twin (as happened to Demogorgonherself), or a long isolation from all contact with fellow pteryx(their natural sociability can't stand it). The former iscorrectable only with clerical help, and though sanity may beregained, the bereaved communicator never really recovers from hisor her grief for the deceased twin, eventually dying a sad andunbearably-lonely death. Isolation-induced madness may be overcome,even without clerical attention, after several days of immersion inthe constant mental and physical company offellow-pterosauroids.

While the pteryx count theology asone of their great disciplines of study, they aren't a veryreligious people. Their traditional patron Immortal, when theystill lived on Mystara, was the Great One; however, theirs was aMUCH older dragon-Immortal, originating from a different worldentirely, who'd held the title of "Great One" long before thepresent patron of dragons attained Immortality under Terra'ssponsorship. The current Great One isn't as interested in thepteryx as his predecessor -- the Mesozoic dragon-Immortal was anadvocate of scholarship, whereas the modern-day incarnation is moreinclined to action than boring ol' books; as a formerprotégé of Terra, he also disapproves of how they'vedivorced themselves from nature -- so as the Great One's attentionand sympathy towards the pteryx have waned, so has their religiousdevotion.

In previous eras, Demogorgon madenumerous attempts -- some successful, some not -- to manipulate herformer people. In the present era, having been foiled by the HMpatrons and by her own deranged slip-ups far too often, she's givenup on them for the moment and withdrawn from plotting in the HollowMoon setting ... but if anything (like PCs' actions!) should rileup the pteryx for some reason, she's sure to notice (the Entropicpterosauroid keeps close tabs on the Apennines), and try to turntheir unrest to her own destructive/screwy purposes. One otherImmortal -- Opal, the Sun Dragon* -- has recently developed aninterest in the pteryx, and is considering revealing herself totheir clergy: their utter disdain for humanoid beings, and theirdevotion to their communities and meticulous education ofoffspring, appeal to Opal's own distrust of humans and advocacy fordraconic "family values".

(* - Opal thinks Demogorgon is adespicable savage who turned upon her own kind, and won't toleratethe pterosaur-Entropic's making trouble for the HM pteryx, ifindeed she becomes their second Immortal patron. So, if the SunDragon DOES get involved where the Great One can't be bothered to,there's gonna be one heck of a reptilian "cat fight" in Pandius,one of these days! :-D)

Names

Surprise! As mute telepaths, thepteryx don't NEED personal names. Instead, each individual acquiresa unique mental "signature", over the course of growing up, whichidentifies them to fellow-pterosauroids who communicate with themdirectly. When discussing a third party whom both they and thelistener know, a pteryx replicates the known individual's mentalsignature, rather than naming that individual.

Pteryx who are strangers, and don'tknow one another's mental signatures, refer to each other bywork-related titles (e.g. "Minister of Fisheries", "Dean of FineArts", "Second Senior Magist", etc). This is also how they refer toanyone the listener doesn't know, to chicks too young to haveestablished a clear signature (e.g. "the High Theologian'sdaughter"), and to historical figures whose original "signatures"have been lost. Since every pteryx either has a title, or is aclose relative of someone who has one, this works pretty well foridentifying others without the use of verbal names.

In written documents, pteryxofficials and influential scholars use personal emblems torepresent themselves. Only pteryx with a high position are awardedtheir own emblems (designed and issued by yet ANOTHER bunch ofbureaucrats, natch ;-D), so receiving one is a big status-symbolamong their kind: in effect, it proves the emblem's holder isimportant enough for people to write about, a lot! Emblems areextremely complex, and hard to draw without LOTS of practice, soit's very difficult (but not impossible) to forge someone else'semblem.

Because they're shut out of thepteryx's mental communications, troglodytes who serve individualpterosauroids are expected to refer to their employers by theirtitles; by pointing to the emblems on their tunic (assuming theirboss is important enough to merit one); or simply as "my boss".However, they also come up with plenty of smart-alec nicknames fortheir employers -- teasing at best, scathing at worst -- amongstthemselves, since the speech-deaf pteryx haven't got a clue whattheir servants are yammering about. ;-)

Pteryx refer to their various citieswith a mental image of their locale, but the Apennine troglodytesuse spoken names for their respective cities of employment. Inkeeping with the name of the original city Ka had sent to the HollowMoon, Attyx*, the suspended cities bear troggish use-names such asPerryx, Myttex, Corryx, Veddyx, and Nyzzax. Cities, like officials,have unique emblems for the purpose of writtendocuments.

(* - Ironically, the name "Attyx"was given to the pterosauroids' city by the Greater Carnifex, intheir early days before they'd fallen under the sway of the OuterBeings or turned against their Mesozoic neighbours! Along with"pteryx" and "Carnifex", it's the ONLY word from the original,pre-corrupted High Carnifex language that still survives, today;subsequent contact with the Outer Beings and their alien servitorsso-distorted the dialect of the Greater Carnifex and their variousdescendants, that it no longer resembles anything of thisplane.)

Thanks to their extremely close andlifelong empathic link, which inhibits their development of mentaluniqueness, the "signatures" of twin-born pteryx communicators areindistinguishable from one another. Unless they address them bytheir assigned posts and/or titles (e.g. "Perryx-to-MyttexCommunicator"), there's no way for a pteryx to specify WHICH memberof a pair of twins they're telepathically "talking" about! That'sjust peachy with the communicators, as they seldom think ofthemselves as separate individuals, and don't see any need to keeptrack of who's who. Pairs of communicators always receive personalemblems, thanks to their importance as transmitters of information,and the emblems of any given pair of twins are always exact mirrorimages of one another.

Roles and Genders

From the beginning of their race,the pteryx have made no social distinction between males andfemales, apart from what is necessary to perpetuate their kind.Because pteryx females become fertile only once every four Materanyears -- and because neither gender has much interest in courtship,except at those times; when it comes to mating, they're a bunch of"cold fish" :-) -- love and romance have little influence upontheir lives. Pteryx mate for life, usually selecting partners onthe basis of mental compatibility and common interests: artistspair-bond with artists, historians with historians, and so forth.There's a definite leaning towards eugenics among thepterosauroids, and young pteryx who fail to pass certain (moderate)tests of physical health and intelligence are forbidden to takemates. Communicators are an exception, as twins often begat moretwins, so are permitted to court partners even if their health orintellect is weak. Widowed pteryx do not normally remarry, thoughthere is no prohibition against it; as a rule, mating is seen as anuncouth obligation rather than a pleasure, so pteryx who've lostone partner tend to dedicate their remaining years to work,alone.

Courtship among pteryx is a lengthy,ritualised affair, involving elaborate "dances" of posture andgesture, performed on the surface of still ponds in the manner ofwaterfowl. Once paired, males and females immediately go back tothe orderly business of their lives, only withdrawing from theirwork for a few hours' tryst, when the female's fertile period comesaround. (Boring lot, aren't they...? ;-D) Pteryx females -- caughtup in their own research or other duties -- seldom have the time tobrood their single, leathery eggs, so use velvet-lined,magically-warmed "brooding boxes" the way other races use cradles.Newly-hatched pteryx are tended by troglodyte nursemaids and --when they aren't otherwise occupied -- by both their fathers andmothers. Once they've grown enough to begin learning to fly, andhave developed their own mental "signatures", pteryx chicks areeducated in both physical (i.e. flight, swimming) and mental(telepathic etiquette, writing, mathematics, etc) skills, by yetanother branch of the bureaucracy.

Language

The natural means of communicationfor the pteryx -- unfortunately, useable only within their ownspecies; were this not the case, Matera's history would be a LOTdifferent -- is telepathy: the innate ability to transmit mentalimages and concepts from one mind to another. For most pteryx, thisability functions only within a moderate range (180' or less), andwithin line-of-sight of one another; a pteryx must look directlytowards another of its kind -- although it's not necessary to SEEthem clearly; communication is still possible, if the recipient isblocked from view by fog, curtains, or other ephemeral obstacles --to send such messages. Solid objects, such as walls, will blocktelepathic contact between normal (i.e. non-twin) pteryx. Onceestablished, a mental "link" need be maintained by only one of itsparticipants, so one pteryx might look at another, while the otheris observing something elsewhere. Telepathic links are two-wayconnections, and can incorporate as many pteryx as can comfortablylook at one another: conversing in small groups, pteryx form ringsin which each looks at the pteryx to the left of him/her;"speakers" at large gatherings place themselves in clear view ofall the others, the better to "catch" their mental linkages, muchas a human speech-maker will stand at a podium. Pteryx cannot truly"read minds", in the sense of picking up thoughts of those whoaren't consciously sending them a message.

Twin-born pteryx, while theirtelepathy with others is no better than average, have theadditional benefit of constant, clear mental contact with theirtwins at distances of up to ten miles. Contact of this sort can beblocked only by lead (not a problem in the HM, where there isnone!), magical mind-shielding effects (e.g. Mind Barrier),confinement in an extradimensional space (e.g. a Portable Hole), ortravel into another plane or beyond the interior of the HollowMoon. Pteryx who telepathically communicate with one twin,automatically have their messages received by the other, from up toten miles away ... AND by any pteryx who are conversing with thatother, far-distant twin. Thus, these "communicators" act as livinginformation-conduits, through which other pteryx speak mind-to-mindover long distances: every city council has access to messages fromadjacent cities' councils, as well as border outposts, thetroglodyte fishing fleet (which always bears a communicator), andother sources of news, via relays of twins that can link up mindsin multiple council-chambers at one time.

Telepathic communication among thepteryx is EXTREMELY fast -- roughly eight times as rapid, in itstransmission of information, as a spoken language -- and is neversubject to ambiguity or the garbling of content. In addition toinformation, an impression of the sender's identity (their mental"signature") and emotional/psychological state are also received.It IS possible for a pteryx to hide his or her emotions from othersduring a mental "conversation", but this is extremely difficult forthem, and often incurs more suspicion (since such reticence isabnormal) than it abates. Since communication between pteryx is sofast, and the pterosauroids themselves, so utterly silent (theylack vocal cords), PCs will no doubt find encounters with thepterosaur-folk rather eerie: the great, leathery-winged reptilesmay peer at captured outsiders for half a minute, turn to oneanother for only a heartbeat or two, then set about whatever courseof action they've decided upon with a flawless, choreographedcoordination.

As a side effect of telepathy'sefficiency, pteryx don't like to resort to other modes ofconversation, which seem ridiculously slow and imprecise to them;nevertheless, even the best-trained of troglodyte minions sometimesrequire direction. To allow communication with their troghirelings, the pteryx have developed a simple language of handgestures and nods, with which to indicate tasks they'd like seen toor to chastise mistakes. After so many generations of service, theApennine troglodytes have become experts at "reading" their bosses'moods and instructions, and only raw recruits from the Marsh evermake significant errors* in interpreting the pteryx's commands. Formatters too complex for gestures to express, written forms ofinstruction -- e.g. blueprints for construction-work, maps fortravel-routes, etc -- are used to clarify things.

(* - The trogs, themselves, see tothe training of "new blood" in their duties. They know all thegritty details of their work, that the pteryx don't bother to keeptrack of... and, unlike their soft-hearted masters, the veteranservants don't hesitate to beat up or harass newbies who screw upon the job. An awful lot of "hazing" goes on, amongst thetroglodytes, when the bosses aren't looking. ;-))

The written language of the pteryx,like that of the Nithians and Hutaakans or of Patera's rakastas,consists of pictographs which stand for specific concepts. (Thisisn't surprising, considering that's how they communicate normally:with whole concepts rather than syllables or spoken sounds.) Aswith the other pictographic writing styles described inMystara-products, it takes at least a 13 Intelligence to read andwrite Pteryx. All HM pteryx are literate, as are those troglodyteemployees (e.g. file clerks) whose positions make itnecessary.

The Apennine troglodytes, in commonwith those of the Marsh of Putrescence -- the next "HM Cultures"topic -- have both a verbal language (which the pteryx don'trecognise as such), and an olfactory "language" of scentedsecretions (which ancient pteryx of Mystara once understood, butthe lunar ones have forgotten). Because the troglodytes'scent-based communication seems, to the pterosauroids, to work muchlike their own telepathy -- it transmits emotional states alongwith information; it's exclusive to one race; it can carry whole"images" (whole scents, rather) in a single, brief burst ofinformation -- troglodytes are erroneously assumed to be telepathsby the pteryx, and are regarded as sentient beings. This is ironic,since the trogs otherwise share none of those traits of empathy orcooperation which pteryx assume "sentient beings" must have ... butthe trogs know they're FAR better off in the Apennines, thanstarving and feuding back home in the swamps, so they do their bestto keep their more-brutish impulses hidden from their (monumentallynaive) betters. :-D

Relations With OtherRaces

So far as the pteryx are concerned,their relationships with "other races" are very good. Thetroglodytes -- a practical, hard-working, and easily-contentedfolk, albeit sadly devoid of imagination and abysmally lacking inculture or education -- provide them with a willing and obedientworkforce, that has proven faithful for thousands of years. Thehsiao, a seldom-seen race of scholarly flyers like themselves, areadmired for their ability to "rough it" in the wilds of thesouthern forests -- not that any PTERYX would consider such a life,oh no, it's so dreadfully cold and nasty in the wilderness, make nomistake...! ;-) -- and are left to their provincial,slightly-crackpot ways. The one other mentally-gifted race onMatera, the kopru, have never met up with the pteryx face-to-face;there have, however, been a few kopru-Charmed humans who have paiddiplomatic calls upon the pterosauroids (accommodated via ESPspells) over the centuries. The very existence of the kopru isunnerving to pteryx diplomats -- their mental contacts with theDominarchy's envoys always give them the creeps -- but so long asthe koprus' ability to control other beings seems limited tounintelligent creatures such as humans (which, they're happy tosee, are at least of use to somebody! :-D), the ruling councils ofthe Apennines aren't about to make a fuss over it.

That's how the pteryx see theirrelations with other races.

Unfortunately -- contrary to thepteryx's beliefs -- there are a LOT of "other races" on Matera,which their artifact-induced blindness prevents them fromacknowledging as sentient. For THOSE races, the only "relations"they have with the pterosauroids, are those of dumb animals tointelligent beings. Some Materan folk -- the vicious Ur-Carnifex,the supernatural bhuts, the venomous aranea and manscorpions -- areseen as inherently dangerous and unpredictable:potentially-aggressive wild beasts, like IRL cobras or grizzlybears; creatures to be avoided if possible, but killed withouthesitation whenever self-defence demands it. Conversely, many smallor graceful races -- aardovai, hin, margasta, gnomes, vesper elves-- are the objects of condescending affection, as they'reconsidered cute and prized as pets. Marine races -- shark-kin,merfolk, maeshimeri -- aren't directly threatened by the pteryx,but those of the Great Spindrift often see their hard-rearedschools of fish scooped up by fishertrogs, and dare not take actionto stop them for fear of retaliation. The most numerous and/orfast-breeding races -- goblinoids, cryions, humans,Cacklogallinians -- and those which occasionally venture totrespass on the pteryx's domain -- Modrigswerg, spinel dragons --are in the worst position of all: classified as "vermin", theybecome the targets of merciless "culling-operations", intended to(humanely) cut back their numbers, any time their populationsthreaten to outstrip their native "habitats" or to encroach uponthe pterosauroids' mountains. Only the fact that such masspest-control campaigns tend to happen only once in a pteryxlifetime, which is about 800 Mystaran years -- and the fact thatthe pteryx don't really WANT to drive such races extinct, lest theydisrupt the "ecology" of the Hollow Moon -- has allowed these"vermin" to rebuild their civilisations, time and time again. Themost-recent "culling operation" which the pteryx undertook wasdirected against the cryions of Mare Imbrium, some 140 Materanyears ago (805 AC, by Mystaran reckoning); and it resulted in thedeaths of more than 20,000 cryions ... fully 80% of them females,that being the most efficient way to lower a population'sgrowth-rate. There are yet a few furred-furred old bats, amongstthe eastern mnelds, who can spin haunting tales of the decimatingpteryx "pest control devices" which slew their mothers and sisters,when they were only wee pups. Even today, the number of cryions whoroam the northern crystalbarren is only a tiny fraction of what itonce was.

That's why other races -- even thehsiao (who've long since realised the futility of breaking thepteryx of their preconceptions) and the kopru (who don't dare crossthem) -- don't even go NEAR the Apennines, if they can help it. Infact, PCs who express an interest in exploring that region in thepresence of Materans will be warned away; their efforts to equipthemselves for such a journey will be foiled at every turn; and, ifall else fails, the characters may even find themselves thrown inprison, by sympathetic but determined HM natives, for their own(and everybody else's) good! None of the "vermin" races reallyknows WHAT it is, that triggers the pteryx to attack them -- toordinary Materans, it's a mystery, like Faerun's "Flights ofDragons" or the HM setting's own Doom Times -- so the best they cando, to prevent such holocausts, is to ensure NOBODY prods thepterosauroids into action, by intruding upon their starkisolation.

But just because the PCs won't havemuch cause to visit the pteryx on purpose, and just because otherraces avoid their realm like the plague, doesn't mean there's noother races in the Apennine cities, and no chance to haveadventures there. While the pteryx don't like to let the "dumbanimals" out beyond their mountains become a problem, they DOsometimes deem it worthwhile to "collect" such species from thewild, either as pets, beasts of burden, or specimens in theirnever-ending research. (Groups of travellers in regions wherewitnesses are few, such as small caravans or hunting parties ... oradventuring bands ... are ideal targets for a discreet capture.;-D) Depending on how fierce a resistance is expected, a"collecting team" sent to procure such captives might consist ofanything from a couple of troglodytes with blackjacks and a sack;to a few pteryx -- roughnecks of the unprestigious "working class",most likely -- sent to paralyse their quarry with their gaze; to afull-scale search-and-retrieve squad of pteryx wizards withreconnaissance-spells, trogs to beat the bushes, aerial coursers toherd the fleeing "beasts" into their captors' clutches, andmancatcher-armed troglodyte "handlers" to wrestle them into cagesor (more often) magical containment devices. Captures arewell-planned and executed with a choreographed precision, such thatinjury and stress to the quarry is minimised; troglodytes assignedto such teams are trained in wrestling and the use of suchincapacitating weapons as the blackjack, lasso, or bola. Captivesare routinely placed under long-lasting Silence spells, shortlyafter being "collected" -- not so much to prevent spellcasting, asto stop them from making a god awful racket -- and are strippednaked to prevent heatstroke (***blush***), immediately upon theirarrival in the hot Apennine lava-caverns. Initially, new captivesare kept in individual cages; later, those who've not yet beenassigned a specific function are housed together, in spartan,zoo-like quarters, segregated by species and (assuming a pteryx cantell the difference) by sex.

How pteryx captives are treated,once taken, depends entirely on which purpose they're used for. Ofthe options, becoming a "pet" to some playful pterosauroid juvenileis probably the easiest to live through ... although it's alsohumiliating in the extreme. A chosen "pet" is outfitted with amagical collar -- removable by non-pteryx only with a Remove Cursespell -- which pinpoints the "pet's" location, screeches an alarmif he or she ventures into dangerous or prohibited areas, and canadminister a mild shock of chastisem*nt whenever the pet's "owner"commands it. "Pets" are expected to beg for treats, learn tricks,come when beckoned, and otherwise satisfy their "owner's" demandsfor affection; on the bright side, they tend to eat well (raw fishand seaweed), are free to move around their owners' floor of theroosting-complex (oh, joy...!), and can usually count upon beingreleased into their "natural habitat" once their owners grow tooold for playthings (which SHOULD only take a couple ofdecades....). Most "pets" are of small or physically-gracefulraces, but any captive with the foresight to act "cute" orentertaining, when an eager young pteryx drops by to gawk at thefascinating animals just in from the wilds, might luck out (?) andspend the next twenty years on a leash, rather than on a chain-gangor in a laboratory. :-D

The most gruelling purpose for whichcaptives are utilised is that of "beasts of burden": crude meniallabourers and porters of goods, entrusted to the care of troglodyte"wranglers" in coffles of six or more. Chained together at theneck, with the same kinds of shock-inducing collar as pteryx "pets"wear -- but able to issue shocks of a much higher setting, that canpotentially knock a "burden-beast" unconscious if he or she won'tyield to the collar's increasingly-painful jolts -- these crewsare, in theory, assigned only the simplest tasks (hauling goods,pumping bellows, propelling millwheels, etc), which their limited,animal-level wits can grasp. In practice, the troglodytes also setthem to more sophisticated chores, such as metal-smelting, whicharen't to their taste -- when the pteryx aren't looking, of course-- as well as those tasks (such as cleaning the warrens'sewer-pipes :-P) which even a trog wouldn't lower itself to."Beasts of burden" are allowed enough food and rest, after eachwork-shift, to keep up their strength, but the hopelessness oftheir existence causes many of them to give up, and refuse tostruggle any farther. Even these aren't rendered completelyuseless, by their failure to perform as expected: while fish arethe mainstay of the Apennine diet for both pteryx and troglodyte,it's not the only thing they eat. (Waste not, want not, as theirCarnifex neighbours used to say.) Burden-beasts who fall ill or whosuffer minor injuries receive medical treatment, but those whobecome wounded too seriously for mundane veterinary care don'tusually merit a priest's attentions; as the pteryx are humane, theyput ailing "livestock" down quietly -- via painless, tastelesssedative-overdoses in their drinking water -- rather than let thepoor brutes suffer. With a life of such horrid treatment anddrudgery to look forward to, the only good side to being assignedto a coffle of "burden-beasts", is that such prisoners are in thebest position to escape from their captivity: unlike the "pets" andlaboratory specimens, they aren't trapped above molten lava in the"suspended cities", but are held in the troglodyte-warrens wherethere are passages to the outside; they often get the chance toswipe tools or even weapons, if their wranglers are careless ordistracted; and it's sometimes possible for a coffle of captives,acting in concert, to overpower their wrangler and flee as a group,perhaps bribing or coercing some other trog (maybe a menialgrunt-worker almost as oppressed as themselves) into helping themdepart, unnoticed.

Of all the possible fates for pteryxcaptives, being handed over to wizards or natural philosophers for"research" is the most uncertain. Some are merely placed inartificial simulations of their habitats, and kept as zoologicalspecimens for the rest of their lives. Some are kept in spartancages and fed various foods, either to determine their species'dietary preferences and/or nutritional needs, or to test chemicalsubstances with which the foods are laced. Some are kept thirstyfor hours on end, then given experimental potions to drink. Someare placed in elaborate "puzzle-chambers" or mazes, where theirability to solve such things is timed. Some are placed in cellswith other captives, of their own or other species, to see how theyreact ... or are dumped into the cages of powerful monsters, to seehow the MONSTERS react! Some are "conditioned" to perform specifictasks or bodily movements, with offerings of food or the threat ofpainful shocks. Some are deliberately addicted to drugs orpleasure-inducing magical energies, then tested to see if they'llpursue these stimuli even to the point of forsaking food or water.Some have their bodies altered surgically or magically; others havetheir brains altered, by one or the other method. Some areinspected in excruciating detail, then released back into "thewild" to rejoin their own kind, with strange indelible markings ontheir skin, and curious lumps (which Detect as magical) embeddedunderneath it. Some are taken into darkened laboratories -- shunnedand dreaded by the luckier, veteran "specimens" -- and never comeout again.

That's how other races see thepteryx. That's what Materans have to live with, as neighbours.That's what escaped "burden-beasts", released "pets", andtrapped-and-released "specimens" get to tell the rest of the HMpeoples, when those lucky few who DO regain their freedom rejointheir own kind. That's what Hollow Moon natives are reminded of,every time they catch a glimpse of those red trails of magmaspilling down from the Apennines and into the sea.

I don't suppose the Hollow Worlderswould care to swap, and let the Materans put up with Alphatians,instead ... would they? ;-D

History on Mystara

The race of pteryx attained itssentience around 18,000 BC, about two thousand years after theUr-Carnifex. Even before any true intelligence emerged among them,their pterosaur ancestors had lived in vast, communal flocks thatfished and soared in perfect coordination with one another. Perhapsit was this instinctive synchrony of action, ingrained forthousands of years before the pteryx became sentient, that ledtheir race to evolve telepathic rather than verbal methods ofcommunication; or perhaps their Immortal patron, the Cretaceous-eraGreat One, manipulated their development in order to permit this.For whatever reason, the pterosauroids have been able to sharetheir thoughts, emotions, and conscious recollections with oneanother, for as long as they have been capable ofreason.

In their earliest days, the pteryxactually looked upon Mystara's Ur-Carnifex as potential allies: thecarnosaur-folk were an older race than theirs, and their courage asbig-game hunters could not be overlooked. Having first spread alongthe Davanian coastline, the pteryx soon expanded inland, where theypopulated lakeshore cliffs and traded amicably with the ancestorsof the Kasepauk Ur-tribe. Although conversing with the groundlingswas difficult, a gestural language was developed which both couldmanage ... the same system of hand-signs and nods which is now usedto command the Apennine troglodytes. Pteryx in the continent'sinterior retained a rural lifestyle, fishing for their meals,performing handicrafts such as weaving with their delicatewing-hands, and nesting in groups on high, rocky ledges wherepredatory dinosaurs could not reach them.

But it was along Davania'scoastlines, where the populations of crowded pteryx rookeriesquickly grew into the tens of thousands, that their civilisationblossomed and their culture out-stripped their carnosauroidcontemporaries. Driven by their demand for food and nest-sites, thepteryx began constructing artificial ledges on which to live --first attached to natural rock faces, then to stray pillars of rockwhich protruded from the sea, and eventually to artificialrock-pillars they'd built themselves -- and fishing with trawl-netspulled by barges, rather than diving for their meals. As theirsociety became more sophisticated and their technology and magicprogressed, old customs of government by mental consensus weresupplanted by Councils of the learned, as larger populationsensured that not all pteryx in a settlement could "link" theirminds at one time. Education became the path to prestige withinpteryx communities, and this status-seeking accelerated theirrace's climb out of the Stone Age and towards a mastery ofmetalwork and spellcasting*. In time, the growth of affluentrookery-cities and the lure of new learning drew the inland pteryxback to the coasts, leaving the Ur-tribes (who were now regarded asbackward and ignorant) to their own devices.

(* - In the latter, the pteryx ofMystara had a special edge. Thanks to their ability to form "mentallinks", it was possible for more than one pteryx-wizard toparticipate in the casting of a given spell, thus pooling theirresources and surpassing the usual limits on spell-allotment whichare imposed by experience level. Two fifth-level pteryx mages, forexample, might cooperatively memorise and cast the same selectionof spells (including 4th and 5th level spells neither could handlealone) as if they were a single tenth-level mage. Alternately, thistechnique of "sharing" spells could be used to magnify the damage,area of effect, and range of spells which the "linked" spellcasterscast in synchrony. HM pteryx retain only a fraction of thespell-sharing ability of their ancestors, as described under"Spellcasters".)

In the millennia to follow, thepteryx developed their own styles of art, literature -- aconsiderable accomplishment, considering that even "words" were aforeign concept to them; had they never met the Ur-Carnifex, andlearned the use of (gestural) words, the pteryx might still lack awritten language! -- and architecture, as well as advancing inmundane science and magical theory. They had a brief flirtationwith the "high-tech" ways of Blackmoor, but abandoned the path ofautomation when the soullessness of cold, unthinking machineryproved innately-oppressive to a race with so much need for constantmental companionship. Soon after, "applied" science fell out offavour among their kind, and speculative theory took the place ofpractical engineering as the objective of most pteryx researchers.Only those technologies which were compatible with (e.g. medicine)or indispensable to (e.g. city construction) their bustling,communal lifestyles were retained, such that by 15,000 BC -- thedawn of the Carnifex era -- they'd gone back to relying ontrawl-nets for food and their own wings for travel. They'd alsobecome more than a little complacent (not to mention arrogant!),after so many millennia without any worldly competitors or serioussocial upheavals.

When the Greater Carnifex arrived,the sudden disruption of their placid, steady-state society hit thepteryx like a freight train. One moment, they were the unchallengedmasters of their planet; the next, their coastal territories wereawash in Ur-Carnifex refugees and raiders, all fleeing theencroachment of a new breed of groundling who were hounding theirbarbaric cousins into the sea. Soon, delegates from these newcomers-- metal-users like the pteryx themselves, albeit still primitiveby pterosauroids' cultured standards* -- came calling, makingovertures of peace via the nearly-forgotten gestural language ofthe inlanders. Leery of the Greater Carnifex's motives, but in needof military manpower with which to control or corral the Ur-tribes,the pteryx reluctantly allowed the newcomers free passage on theirshoreline territories, so long as they remained clear of thepterosauroids' offshore cities. Ur-Carnifex bands were swept up bylegions of their betters, and garrisons of Greater Carnifex wereestablished on pteryx land to guard the Davanian coasts againstUr-tribal stragglers turned pirate.

(* - At the time of their firstmeeting with pteryx, the Greater Carnifex had a degree ofcivilisation comparable to that of the Roman Empire in itsbeginning, although based upon magic rather than technology. Theydid not yet worship the Outer Beings, but were already ambitiousand bent on world domination.)

Unfortunately for the pteryx, theGreater Carnifex didn't content themselves with garrisons for long.Even as the Ur-tribes were being driven extinct, the new race ofcarnosauroids kept finding excuses -- always logical; alwayswell-argued; always SEEMING to benefit the pteryx, just as much asthemselves -- to bolster their existing coastal settlements or toincrease their presence in the domain of the pterosaur-folk. Toostaid and inflexible to admit things were changing, the pteryxCouncils kept giving up their lands and sovereignty, a piece at atime. By 14,000 BC -- the same year in which the last beleagueredUr-tribes were transported from the stark Brasol mountains to theHollow Moon -- the pteryx were virtually prisoners in their ownoffshore cities, having ceded every foot of coastline to theirerstwhile "defenders". As the Greater Carnifex expanded, thenewcomers also picked up much magical theory from thepterosauroids, for free dissemination of knowledge was a pteryxtradition that the carnosauroids were more than willing to takeadvantage of, gullible as the fish-eating flyers (who'd never seenhow the Ur-tribes were treated) proved to be.

Even the creation of troglodytes in13,500 BC, by carnosauroid wizards whose skills had at last come torival their own, did not unduly alarm the pteryx; after all, thescent-speaking trogs were invaluable go-betweens, for pteryx inmeetings with the Carnifex, and their own bad experiences withmachinery made magically-bred, living servants seem like anexcellent alternative. Were it not for their accidental discoveryof the Greater Carnifex's worship of the Outer Beings -- a cultthat'd supplanted Immortal-worship among the carnosaur-folk, duringtheir conquest of the Ur-tribes; and which they'd concealed fromthe finicky pterosauroids -- the pteryx might not have had theopportunity to fight back, at all! But once they'd realised toWHICH malignant powers the Greater Carnifex had chosen to givetheir loyalty -- not only to Beings whose worship was strictlyforbidden by the Immortals, but Beings whose very nature fostersINSANITY: a rational, dispassionate, mentally-adept pteryx's worstfear! -- a full-scale war to free themselves from Carnifexinfluence became their only possible option. Recognising theiroffshore cities weren't defensible against the carnosauroids' vastnavy, the pteryx took wing and emigrated en masse to the very samemountains of Brasol in which the Ur-tribes had once taken shelter.Forming an alliance of necessity with the troglodyte bandits andescaped slaves whom they encountered there, the pteryx held out asbest they could while they built themselves an army; cut off fromthe ocean's bounty, they were forced to live on mammalian vermin,or on such meagre fish-stocks as could be cultivated in artificiallakes or smuggled in from Attyx: the sole remaining ledge-cityunder pteryx control, which was located safely in the narrowAdakkian Sea* where the Carnifex had too few ships to overthrowit.

(* - This landlocked body ofsaltwater became the Adakkian Sound, in later millennia, when thestrait at its northern end opened it to the ocean.)

The tale of the Carnifex/pteryx waris too long to discuss here, but the scale of the conflict wasalmost incalculable. Tens of thousands of pteryx and Carnifex died,in the greatest of their battles, to say nothing of the more thantwo million troglodytes who'd fought on either one side or theother: for the Carnifex, as indoctrinated slave-soldiers; for thepteryx, as escapees who'd rather die than return to slavery. Even afew Greater Carnifex renegades -- "throwbacks" who still reveredtheir race's forsaken Immortals, and despised what a vile,unscrupulous breed the Outer Being cultists had made of theironce-honourable people -- sided with the pterosauroid forces, in alast-ditch effort to forestall the cultists' total subversion oftheir race. These few, nameless Carnifex heroes led the troglodyteground-forces while pteryx communicators coordinated pterosauroidattacks from the skies; putting principle before race-loyalty,these so-called "renegades" deserved far better from history, fortheir selfless deeds and courage, than to be branded as traitors bytheir fellow Carnifex and then utterly forgotten, as they havebeen.

Even with such steadfast allies, thepteryx cause was ultimately futile. The Outer worldly powers of theOuter Beings' chaplains were an equal match for the Immortals'support bestowed upon the pteryx and their allies, while Carnifexwizards' delvings into forbidden lore let them just manage tocounter the mind-linked pterosauroids' blistering spell-barrages.In the end, it was the enemy's sheer numbers -- and moreover, theirability to replenish them faster -- that sealed the fate of theMystaran pteryx. For all their millennia of study, thepterosaur-folk had never found a way to increase theirpainfully-slow rate of reproduction, such that a newborn pteryxcould not fight in the defence of its kind for at least 90 years,nor sire or lay more eggs until the age of 200. With attritionstaunchly on the side of their opponents, the pteryx's ability todefend their mountain retreats and Attyx slowly but steadilywithered away, and their attempts to take the war to the enemybecame more and more costly in pteryx lives andresources.

Around 12,500 BC, the GreaterCarnifex launched a flotilla of unprecedented size onto theAdakkian Sea, intending to destroy this last bastion of pteryxresistance outside Brasol and to cut off the mountain-aeries' onlysource of saltwater fish. Seeing that the city couldn't possiblyhold out against this fleet, Ka the Preserver plucked Attyx'srock-pillar from the sea and bore it to the Hollow Moon in itsentirety, along with several hundred pteryx warriors and residents... plus thousands of troglodytes who'd been working there asfishing-crews, labourers or marines. The waves unleashed by Ka'swrenching the city's foundations off the seabed swamped a quarterof the oncoming Carnifex fleet, and left half of its survivingvessels barely seaworthy; by the time the remaining fraction of thearmada reached Attyx's reported location, nothing remained abovethe restless waters to show the last pteryx city had everexisted.

With the evident sinking of Attyx,pteryx resistance collapsed in a matter of months. Small numbers ofpterosauroid guerrillas and deranged individual outlaws -- thenascent Demogorgon, among them -- continued to bedevil the Carnifexfor decades; and the "free" troglodytes -- knowing what horrificfates awaited them, should they fall once more into the hands oftheir hated masters -- made good upon their pledge to fight on,until the very last trog had fallen. But without the pteryx'smagical muscle or long-distance coordination of troops, nosubstantial, organized rebellion could be mustered by the remainingresistance-forces. Tiny pockets of pteryx eked out a life inhiding, or as trophies in bondage to gloating Carnifex overlords,until shortly before the end of the millennium; but as of 12,200BC, when priests of the Outer Beings finished sacrificing all ofthe healthy captives, there were no pteryx of reproductive age lefton Mystara. By 12,000 BC, even the few maimed or decrepit survivorswho'd been passed up for sacrifice were gone.

History on Matera

True to their character ascompulsive researchers/scholars, the FIRST thing the pteryx did,upon their arrival in the Hollow Moon, was ransack Attyx's archiveson planar cosmology, to try and figure out where the heck they'dbeen sent! Based upon what their records had to say about it -- andalso, the fact that they couldn't Teleport home or send messagesback to Mystara* -- the pterosauroids theorised that the Carnifexhad somehow banished the city to a 'pocket plane' of modest sizeand unusual configuration: one tiny, dim-lit universe among themultitude of Outer Planes their metaphysicists had often writtenabout, in the peaceful years before the war's outbreak. A cursoryexploration of their new environs seemed to confirm that theGreater Carnifex were responsible, as aerial scouting-partiesreported the existence of countless crude Ur-tribal settlements inthe wilderness ... also banished by their carnosauroid cousins, orso the pterosaur-folk assumed. Understandably, this discovery thatthey were so far from home distressed the pteryx first comersimmensely: for not only would their fellows on Mystara bemassacred, without Attyx's reinforcements to assist them in thewar; but there were no wizards or clergy, among the city's few,battle-oriented spellcasters, who possessed the necessary knowledgeor skill to travel from one plane to another! They would, itappeared, be stranded in this strange place for the foreseeablefuture, at least until the secrets of interplanar travel could berediscovered.

(* - The SoR hadn't been establishedyet, so Teleportation WITHIN the HM setting was possible; butMatera's bedrock already kept its interior partially isolated fromthe outside universe, much as the World-Shield had screened theHollow World from Immortals' discovery until Ka stumbled upon itsexistence.)

Well aware that they might be thelast surviving members of their species, and haunted by thegruelling memories of their terrible war, the usually-prudentpteryx went a little overboard (!) in their quest for animpenetrable refuge in their new "universe". A thorough search ofthe Nearside revealed no Greater Carnifex outposts or settlements-- apparently this plane was an oubliette, a prison without wardensinto which foes could be hurled and forgotten -- yet the fear oftheir enemies remained so pressing, they wouldn't feel secure withanything less than an inaccessible fortress ... one no carnosauroidarmy could even hope to REACH, let alone conquer! Several designswere tried, for cities more defensible than Mystara's offshoresea-pillars, but most were either too vulnerable to attackers whocould scale walls or fly, or too boxed-in and constricted for theclaustrophobic pterosauroids' nerves to cope with. After years ofwild proposals, botched construction, and ultimately-rejectedplans, the present arrangement of Matera's pteryx cities --inverted pillar-buildings which hang over molten lava, out of thereach of "groundlings"; and which take full advantage of themagma's heat, light, and wing-lifting thermals -- was hit upon, andthe pterosauroids settled permanently in the Apennines: in betweenthe Great Spindrift Sea, whose bountiful sea-life could sustainthem; and the noisome Marsh of Putrescence, to which many of theirtroglodyte soldiers and support-personnel (who'd been swept upalong with the pteryx, by the Carnifex banishment-spell) hadmigrated.

For the first couple of generationsafter their arrival, the HM pteryx explored the boundaries of theirnew world, recovered as much of their magical lore and technologyas possible from Attyx's ruins, and gradually built up their ownnumbers. Now that they weren't suffering losses in battle and couldraise families in safety, a post-war "egg boom" set in, bringingtheir population-count from a few hundred shell-shocked refugees toa self-sustaining 6000 individuals, more or less. New cities werefounded to house these Matera-born children, new Councils wereformed to govern them, and the pre-war role of communicators aslong-distance message-conduits was reintroduced. Many of the oldpteryx spells had been irretrievably lost, in the transfer to theHollow Moon -- as a lonely, backwater outpost in the Adakkian Sea,Attyx had been a humble fishing-port before the pteryx/Carnifexwar, not a centre of magic research or storehouse of ancient lore-- but the old city-garrison's stockpile of magic items ... AND asmall, but potent arsenal of artifacts (!) brought in as weapons oflast resort, after the war broke out ... helped to compensate forknowledge which had escaped their wizards. Likewise, though muchtechnology that could've served the pteryx well, had been leftbehind on Mystara, their continuing good relations with theirtroglodyte neighbours gave them an eager and compliant work-force,albeit one that demanded careful training and oversight.Eventually, as the trogs proved themselves reliable and theparanoid first comers passed away, the pteryx relaxed theirsecurity standards a bit, so that new access-points could be addedto their roosting-places for troglodyte servants and whole warrensof trogs could labour under the supervision of foremen of bothspecies.

The secrets of extra planar travelnever WERE rediscovered; and clergy in communion with the Great Oneverified that those pteryx who'd remained behind on Mystara had,indeed, been wiped out by the carnosauroids. No longer having anykin to return to -- and having found their new, dim-lit "universe"to their liking, with its lack of sunlight or hungry tyrannosaurs-- the HM pteryx abandoned their search for a way home, and settleddown into much the same sorts of peaceful, studious, dead-end livestheir race had led, before the Greater Carnifex emerged. Beyond thepterosauroids' mountains, troglodytes were building new kingdomsand colonising new territories, and the Ur-tribes were feuding asthey always had. But the pteryx were satisfied that neither thesetwo races, nor Matera's unclaimed wilderness, presented any realdanger to themselves, so had little to do with trogs apart fromtheir own hirelings, and nothing at all to do with theUr-tribesfolk. Just as they had on Mystara, they soon settled intosmug, socially-static complacency, aloof from the petty squabblingsof groundlings and outsiders.

Things once again got lively for thepteryx -- briefly -- when the Saurolunarian Conflict broke out.Awakened from her millennial hibernation by Thanatos, the homicidal(carnicidal...?) ex-communicator who'd soon be known as Demogorgonused a powerful, thought-corrupting artifact* to wipe away thenotion that "speaking" races -- the first category she could thinkof which excluded both pteryx and trogs, but included theUr-Carnifex -- were sentient beings from every HM pteryx's mind.Then, to provoke her former people into unleashing all-outdestruction upon the Ur-tribe savages, she deliberately coaxed agroup of pteryx fledglings, out on a "field trip" with theirinstructors, straight into a Dubi hunting-band's barrage ofsplinter-arrows. Seven fledglings and one teacher were broughtdown, speared, and devoured on the spot by the tattooed barbarians,their lack of vocal cords rendering them powerless even to screamor beg for mercy.

(* - This wasn't just yourrun-of-the-mill Entropic trinket, but an alien, OuterBeing-bestowed device Demogorgon stole from a Greater Carnifextemple, before Thanatos put her into suspended animation and shemissed her chance to use it against her sworn enemies; it wassomething which the deranged Entropic-wannabe could scarcely evenACTIVATE, let alone, control! Its effects upon her people were FARmore drastic, and lingering, than she'd ever intended, the bereavedcommunicator's thirst for vengeance against Carnifex of any form,notwithstanding. Even Demogorgon's sponsor, Thanatos himself, getsa bad case of the shudders if he thinks too long about THATparticular artifact's origin ... although ol' T-Bone would NEVERadmit it! ;-D)

Horrified, the surviving members ofthe group raced back to civilisation, where panicked mental imagesthe maimed, dying victims had transmitted to their fleeingcompanions passed from mind to mind, spreading the trauma of theirexperience among their elders and inciting outrage andgrief-stricken anger. Having already fallen into the habit ofthinking the savage Ur-Carnifex a mere half-step above bruteanimals, the spell-befuddled pteryx now demoted them to beasts, inevery respect -- beings whose lives, although not to be taken formere sport or idleness, were worthless in comparison to the safetyof their offspring! -- and so took such measures as seemednecessary and appropriate, to bring these dangerous "wild animals"under control. Magic items from the old stockpiles were allotted toCouncil-appointed "pest control" teams, spells once used againstthe Greater Carnifex were modified for use against the smaller"nests" which were Ur-tribal villages, and in a matter of days,every single Dubi in the offending hunters' stretch of brushlandhad been "put down" to the very last egg. Similar exterminationcampaigns were launched, during the following weeks, to wipe outthose Ur-tribes whose territory impinged upon the settlements ofthe pteryx's troglodyte trading-partners, or whose domains lay tooclose to the Apennines, or whose sheer numbers threatened to spillover and reoccupy the areas where they'd beenextirpated.

Pleased with the mayhem she'dunleashed, Demogorgon (now an Immortal fiend) repeated her trickseveral times -- provoking the Ur-Carnifex into trespassing on"purged" lands, then making sure the pteryx would perceive this asa threat to their offspring or their troglodyte subordinates --such that "pest control" campaigns became almost a routineoccurrence in the Nearside, happening numerous times in the life ofa pteryx, or every few generations from the Ur-tribes' point ofview. Indeed, so habitual a practice did "culling" the pesky bipedsbecome, that these same methods of population-control were appliedto a new breed of bat-like creature which had recently appeared onthe crystalbarrens, and which was proving bothersome to the trogs,as well! However, thanks to the very same artifact-induced mentalblock the pteryx-Entropic used to circumvent their compunctionagainst killing sentient beings, the Hollow Moon's pteryx neverreally SAW their Ur-Carnifex or cryion victims as "enemies";rather, they were seen as stupid, albeit potentially-dangerousbeasts ... beasts, which couldn't be allowed to run loose withinthe boundaries of civilisation, yet which posed no threat outsidethe settled lands, where they could safely be left to their"natural habitats". Thus, there was no genuine hatred felt towardsthe Ur-tribes, to make the pteryx long to exterminate them once andfor all -- no one can truly "hate" an animal species, to the samedegree they might hate other people -- and no real fear, to drivethem to massacre Ur-Carnifex beyond what prudent "culling" required(as there certainly would have been, had a SENTIENT threat to thepterosauroids emerged!). Demogorgon's success was thus only ahalf-hearted one, for while the HM pteryx were slaughtering theUr-tribes wholesale, there was no more passion or sense ofvindication to this mayhem, than in any other menial chore to whichthe disdaining-disdaining pterosauroids grudgingly setthemselves.

Nevertheless, while the bloodshedwasn't NEARLY enough to slake Demogorgon's sick cravings, it wastoo much for Seshay-Selene to stomach ... especially after thepteryx started "culling" the Immortal whale's cryion worshippers(!), along with the Ur-tribes. After a particularly-thorough purgeof the carnosauroid tribes in 5100 BC, the pteryx were startled todiscover that they'd been a bit TOO thorough: the whole Ur-Carnifexspecies seemed to have vanished from the face of the Nearside!Genuinely alarmed, for they'd never intended to drive the Ur-tribesextinct -- for all that the pteryx led an urban life, theircenturies-long lifespans gave them some insight into ecology andthe troublesome, long-term repercussions of disturbing the naturalorder -- they were relieved to find a tiny, remnant population onan all-but-inaccessible plateau, on the far side of Mare Imbrium.Regretting how they'd overdone things with their exterminationcampaigns, the pteryx immediately proclaimed the Ur-CarnifexTribelands to be a sacrosanct wildlife refuge, and left itsUr-tribes strictly alone, thereafter. They also establishedstandards of "acceptable cull ratios" and "minimal impact controlmeasures", by which to ensure they'd never again decimate apestiferous species beyond its capacity to recover. (Now doesn'tthan make us "vermin" feel better...? ;-D)

A little over a century after theUr-tribes' near-destruction, there was an unexplained shift in theworkings of magic within the pocket universe of the pteryx. Many oftheir oldest Mystaran magical items -- particularly those concernedwith mass destruction, 'Hold' effects, summoning of other planarbeings, or Teleportation -- ceased to function, while many spellsthat had worked fine, up until then, became entirely useless, ormanifested their effects in ways never previously recorded. Thecause of this shift in magical law was never satisfactorilydetermined, although reams of theories were proposed. Those magicitems or spells which had become too unreliable for the pteryx'sown safety were banned from general use; the offending items ofenchantment and spellbooks of prohibited material were archived inthe same kind of highly-secure vaults* in which Attyx's dangerousartifacts had been warehoused.

(* - Once in a while, a pteryx magewith more curiosity than sense will swipe something from one ofthese vaults, and try to unravel what's gone wrong with Matera'smagical laws, so the "lost" spell or item can be made functionalagain. Because such wizards approach the problem with atotally-mistaken concept of their surroundings -- they're stillliving in the Prime Plane, yet they try to apply principles ofOuter Planar metaphysics to the task -- they more often succeed ingoing nuts from the distorted logic of their work, than in actuallyfinding loopholes in the Spell of Remembrance'sstrictures.)

In the roughly 4000 Materan years*since the magical "shift", the number of new animal speciesemerging in their world has continued to accelerate, such that thepteryx have been hard-put to classify and study them all. For wantof any background information from outside, the pteryx hypothesisethat this explosion of new breeds of (mostly) mammalian lifeindicates the Greater Carnifex, back on their half-remembered worldof origin, have invaded another planet or plane ... one on whichmammals are a very common, if not the predominant, form of life(ick! :-P). Not wishing to share space with such varmints, they aredisposing of most of these verminous pests by dumping them into theOuter-Planar oubliette to which they'd consigned Attyx, so many,many millennia ago. The only other sentient races which theCarnifex seem to have rid themselves of, in this manner, are thehsiao -- a race of contemplative, forest-dwelling owls whom thepteryx feel they have much in common with; and who'd establishedtheir credibility, as "intelligent beings", via a clerical versionof the ESP spell -- and a recently-arrived and somewhat sinisterbunch calling themselves "kopru". The hsiao and pteryx seldom meettoday, but the two winged races had many mutually-instructiveexchanges of knowledge, in the days before the intervening landsbecame so overrun with groundlings. The kopru, OTOH, have neverbeen encountered face-to-face -- only by proxy, via human stand-insusing ESP; the true appearance of these creatures and thegeographic location of their lairs remain unknown -- but theirevident power to control animals' actions across great distancesunnerves the pteryx (whose own Charm-spells haven't been able to dothat, since the magic-shift!), so their responses to kopruovertures of friendship have been cool at best.

(* - The SoR went up several yearsafter the SoP, after the HM Immortals worked out all the desiredmodifications and Ka, Ordana and Korotiku had mustered enough PPsfor a second casting. Materan "years" are 18 months long, so 5000BC was four millennia ago, as Matera's calendar reckonstime.)

Between wariness of the kopru'sas-yet-unknown intentions, a disdain for "roughing it" in thewilds, and an overwhelming distaste for how vermin-infested theouter world has become, few pteryx ever even leave their homecities -- let alone, their mountains! -- anymore. About the onlypurposes for which they'll venture forth, nowadays, arepest-control operations, collection of critical research specimensfrom the field, or (for communicators) as "transmitters" in thecompany of the fishing fleet. The vast majority of living Materanshave never seen a pteryx in their lives, and -- barring another"culling" operation that's directed at them -- neverwill.

New NPC/"Monster" Race: Hollow MoonPteryx

Like devilfish or planar spiders,pteryx are not intended as a PC race. However, like those species,pteryx do have "classed" individuals among their number. Suchshould be portrayed as full-fledged NPCs -- complete with their ownpersonalities, quirks, and personal objectives -- by theDM.

Because of their psychologicaldependency upon one another, no pteryx who is captured by "vermin"or otherwise kept away from his or her people will remain sane forvery long. While a pteryx who is Charmed will regard theCharm-caster as a friendly animal, offer the caster food and waterif available, and beseech other pteryx not to harm them ("But hefollowed me home, Mother...!"), pterosauroids will not actuallyjoin parties of outsiders or accompany them into danger exceptunder physical duress.

Racial Ability Scores

Pteryx's statistics, like those ofother "monster" races, don't vary all that much from one individualto the next. Below are the Normal Monster statistics of a typicaladult pteryx. Scores of pteryx NPCs may be modified, if the DMdesires, using the "Monster Intelligence Table" -- which may addvariability to any ability score, not just Intelligence; note thatHM pteryx clerics MUST have a Wisdom of 13 or more -- on page 214of the Rules Compendium.

Strength -- 16 (7)
Intelligence -- 16
Wisdom -- 12
Dexterity -- 9 (14)
Constitution -- 11
Charisma -- 5 (12)

Scores in parentheses for Strengthand Dexterity are those which apply, when a pteryx's delicatewing-hands are employed, rather than its entire body. A pteryx NPCuses the first set of scores in combat and for purposes ofencumbrance, whereas the second set are applied whenever thecreature is using a non-weapon proficiency. The first Charismascore applies in encounters with outsiders, the second inencounters with fellow-pteryx or Apennine troglodytes.

Saving Throws

Pteryx save as magic-users with thesame number of levels as their hit dice. Wizards and clergy saveeither as their class-levels or their HD dictate, whichever is morefavourable.

Base Hit Dice and Attacks byAge

Like AD&D dragons, pteryx growthroughout their lives and gain hit dice over time. The base HD forpteryx of specific ages, and the damage inflicted by their naturalweaponry, are as follows:

Hatchling (flightless; 0-15 yearsold) -- HD 2+2; # At. 1 bite; Damage 1-4

Fledgling (half-speed flight; 15-40years old) -- HD 3+3; # At. 1 bite/2 kicks; Damage1-6/1-2/1-2

Juvenile (normal flight; 40-90 yearsold) -- HD 4+4; # At. 1 bite/2 kicks or 1 wing-buffet; Damage1-8/1-3/1-3 or 1-4 + special*

Adult (90-400 years old) -- HD 5+5;# At. 1 bite/2 kicks or 1 bite/1 wing-buffet or swoop**; Damage1-10/1-4/1-4 or 1-10/1-6 + special* or varies

Elder (400-700 years old) -- HD 6+6;# At. 1 bite/2 kicks or 1 bite/1 wing-buffet or swoop**; Damage1-12/1-6/1-6 or 1-12/1-8 + special* or varies

"Venerable One" (700-800+ years old)-- HD 7+7; # At. 1 bite/2 kicks or 1 bite/1 wing-buffet or swoop**;Damage 3-12/1-8/1-8 or 3-12/1-10 + special* or varies

(* - Treat a pteryx's wing-buffetattack as the "kick" optional attack of a dragon, such thatopponents of man-size or smaller must save vs Paralysis or beknocked over. Unlike the dragon's attack, there is no penalty tothe saving throw for every hp of damage suffered, nor is theknocked-down victim stunned as with dragonish wing-attacks. Maximumrange of wing-buffets for pteryx are 10' to either side forjuveniles, 15' for adults, 20' for elders, or 25' for venerableones.)

(** - Because the claws on theirhind feet aren't built for grasping, pteryx cannot Swoop for doubledamage as raptors can. They can, however, swoop down and pick upopponents on a roll of 18 or more, either using nets -- usuallycarried between two Swooping individuals; such nets can hold up tothree humans or one ogre, before they are full -- or their toothy,fish-trappers' jaws. An adult pteryx can carry off dwarf-sized orsmaller targets in its jaws, an elder can carry off human-sizedones, and a venerable one can handle up to gnoll-sized victims.Being snatched up by a pteryx's jaws inflicts normal damage on theinitial strike, and either half or no damage on each roundthereafter, as the pterosauroid chooses; when collecting"specimens" in the field, pteryx try not to damage captives oftheir jaws ... unless, of course, their struggles threaten toinjure the captor! Victims who resist capture may strike at theircaptor with a -2 to hit, but any hits inflict only minimal damage.Spellcasting is not possible, although magical items may beactivated. If a pteryx suffers more than 20% damage from a quarryheld in its jaws, or is struck more than twice by them for anyamount of damage, it must check morale or drop them involuntarily;if more than 40% damage is suffered, it lets go onpurpose.)

Strength bonuses to damage do apply,to pteryx natural attacks; thus, most pteryx have a +2 bonus todamage. Strength bonuses "to hit", however, do not.

A pteryx wizard gains +1 hp perlevel, in addition to his or her age-based HD. Pteryx clerics gain+2 hp per level, in addition to HD derived from age.

There are no "warrior" pteryxanymore, as physical combat-skills were eagerly abandoned by theirrace after the Carnifex Wars. Only as spellcasters do their hitpoints ever improve, beyond what their age and physical size makespossible.

Weapons and Armour

Apart from their naturalattack-forms, pteryx never wield weapons in combat. They arebasically cowards so far as close-quarters melee is concerned, andonly fight that way if they're cornered and there aren't any handytroglodytes to hide behind. A non-spellcasting pteryx beset byenemies will bite, kick, and batter opponents with its wings in afrenzy of panicked self-defence, but only until it is able toretreat or fly away. If confronted by a lone (demi)human insidetheir own buildings -- perhaps an escaped lab specimen or stray"pet" -- a pteryx whose hypnotic gaze (see "Special Abilities",below) fails to quiet them may throw household objects at thecreature or bang things together to make loud noises, to try tokeep the "beast" at a safe distance until trogs arrive to subdueit.

If rumours of pteryx researchers'vivisecting a select few of their humanoid captives are true*, suchghastly, meticulous procedures would inflict 1d3 hp of damage perturn upon the unfortunate "specimen" in question ... a particularlyslow and gruesome end, for high-level, high-hp characters! Scalpelsand other sharp laboratory implements, if seized by the "specimens"in a last-ditch attempt to escape, are far too small and flimsy toinflict more than 1d2 hp of damage per hit. Fortunately, thepteryx's aforementioned cowardice makes even THESE feeble weaponssufficient to keep would-be vivisectionists at bay, at least untiltroglodyte orderlies can be summoned.

(* - Which they are.)

When fighting airborne foes orstriking at "groundlings" from the skies, pteryx show considerablymore backbone, and make cunning use of nets, Swoop-attacks, and anassortment of magical or chemical grenade-like missiles. Pteryxweave capture-nets of a fireproof material that resists non-magicalcutting implements -- daggers give no +4 bonus to saves forescaping unless they are enchanted -- and is so slippery, except atthe edges where their reptilian wielders grasp them, that anyonecaught by their nets is treated as 3 HD/levels less powerful, whendetermining the nets' Special Weapon Effect upon them (p. 63, RC).Nets are used extensively, both by pairs of pteryx who Swoop as ateam, and by troglodytes trained to throw these capture-weapons orensnare opponents with them in melee, on "collecting"expeditions.

Grenade-like weapons employed by thepteryx are usually designed to either incapacitate without injury("collecting trips"), or to kill cleanly and with a minimum ofsuffering ("pest control" equipment). Chemical mixtures encased inbreakable ceramic spheres are most commonly used for 'live-capture'purposes, as these may be filled with tranquillising orincapacitating dusts, gases, or oils*, then dropped to scatter overa 15'-radius area of effect. Lethal poisons of several intensities-- some causing hp loss, others instant death; the former arefavoured, for use against weaker "vermin", to minimise any risk tothe pterosaur-folk themselves -- are also available, to equipindividual pteryx bombers who participate in "culling" operations.Deadlier effects such as firebombs (as per burning oil, but damageis doubled and continues for 5 rounds), concentrated acid-bombs(3d6 hp for a direct hit, 2d4 for an AoE "splash"; half damage onthe second round), or suffocating dusts (treat as yellow mouldspores) are avoided in most vermin-control efforts -- they're seenas needlessly-cruel -- although they're favoured when disposing of(legitimate) Lowlife-class monsters such as slimes or deadlyplants. Magical barrage-weapons are usually leftovers from the waragainst the Carnifex, and range in lethality from transparent orbsthat expand to encase their target in a Force Field bubble; tosound-blast missiles equivalent to a Horn Of Blasting in theirpower; to Eggs Of Wonder which release, not the usual bears orlizards or great cats, but ravening tyrannosaurs or enragedtwenty-ton ceratopsians!

(* - Typical pteryx-made soporificgases act as inhaled poisons, such that those who are exposed mustsave at -2 or fall unconscious for 3d4 turns. Dusts which causedisorientation act like a Confusion spell on targets who fail astandard save vs Poison, save that a victim's response is somewhatmore likely to be "do nothing" (roll reaction each round on 2d4+2,not 2d6). Gases which induce dizziness (save vs Poison or attack at-4 to hit), convulsions (save at -3 or be helpless), or blind panic(as Cause Fear, save is vs Poison) for 2d6 rounds have also beendeveloped. When (demi)humans susceptible to troglodyte-stench aretheir specific quarries, pteryx sometimes carry "stinkbombs" ofconcentrated trog-oil -- the same secretions with which theirservants weaken their foes -- for use against especially stubborn,uncooperative targets. So greatly is the nauseating reek of thissubstance magnified, after careful preparation by nose-plug-wearingpterosauroid alchemists, that it effectively reduces the Strengthof any non-reptilian humanoid who becomes drenched in the noxiousfluid, and fails a saving throw vs Poison at -4, to 3! Worse yet,while rinsing will diminish the trog-oil's effect to the usual -2to attack rolls, this "super-stench" can't be fully washed off (!)without use of a solvent developed by the pteryx themselves: unlessthe character is able to assume Gaseous Form, bathe the affectedskin in a potion of Sweet Water, or otherwise eliminate the oil'sresidue, the unlucky victim of such a bombardment will stink like atroglodyte -- oh, joy! -- for the next three weeks. (That's one wayto learn whether your friends are REALLY your friends, or not....:-P))

Some pteryx DO wear armour, whennecessity forces them to venture out of the Apennines -- can't betoo careful, with all those vermin about! -- or when working withparticularly unruly, savage monsters in their research. Pteryxarmour resembles hsiao armour in its design (metal-reinforcedleather breast piece; leather thigh and shin guards; form-fittedleather helmet with metal studs) and confers a base AC of 4 to itswearer, while reducing flying speed by 1/4. Most suits of pteryxarmour are enchanted to grant +2 protection or better -- theCarnifex Wars left plenty of magical armour to go around, andthey've had thirteen millennia to make more -- and to resist theravages of time and use, as well as to be buoyant in water (animportant consideration, since pteryx swim far more easily thanthey walk!). About 10% of pteryx armour is endowed with a specialpower, usually one of Ethereality, Haste (as standard Armourpowers), Protection (as the scarab), Water Breathing (as potion),Fear (as wand, but takes effect as per Charm armour power),Withering (as staff, but takes effect like the Energy Drain armourpower), Remedies (as ring, wearer only), Spell Turning (as ring,rare and highly prized), or Regeneration (as ring).

Needless to say, NONE of this fancyarmour will fit any other OD&D race's anatomy. Even hsiao aretoo squatly-built to fit into it, and even a tinydragon-hatchling's forelegs would get in the way.

Troglodyte guards in the pteryx'scities are equipped with lightweight titanium-alloy weapons andarmour. Encumbrance for such armaments is only 80% of the norm, forsimilar equipment as produced by other races. Blackjacks,mancatchers, nets, and grenades similar to the pteryx's ownbombardment-weapons are issued to members of capture-squads, manyof whom are selected for this job due to their great skill (Expertor better) at wrestling. Troglodytes who aren't guards have noauthorisation to carry weapons outside their warrens, and must makedo with their teeth and claws, or with whatever they can improvisefrom tools and household implements -- fish knives, mop-handles,livestock-handlers' whips, etc -- if threatened within thesuspended cities. On their own turf, most Apennine troglodytes keepat least a short sword or spear -- either home-made, stolen, orpurchased on the sly from the guards -- hidden away in theirquarters, in case of trouble or trespassers.

Pteryx issue armour only to thoseguards whose duties keep them within the cities and warrens, sincethey prefer to take advantage of the trogs' chameleon-likecamouflage gifts, when ambushing "vermin" or specimens. Chainarmour increases a trog's natural Armour Class of 5 to 4, whileplate increases it to AC 3; the former is issued to common guards,while the latter is reserved for personal bodyguards of officials,wizards, and other high muckety-mucks. Guards' armour, like thepterosauroids' own, is fitted to the troglodyte body and unwearableby most other races, although a broader-than-average lizard mancould don such gear once the stench of its previous owner has beenscrubbed away. Troglodyte guards normally carry shields -- eitheremblem-marked medium shields, for public appearances and forwide-open chambers; or small (sometimes knife-edged) bucklers, ifthey're guarding confined spaces where there's less room tomanoeuvre -- but must set them aside to cast large nets or to usecrossbows.

In emergencies, crack squads oftroglodyte guards may be issued +1 weapons, and a select fewenchanted crossbow bolts with magical Talents: Blinking, Disarming,Dispelling, Screaming, Stunning, or (for really BIG emergencies!)Slaying, as the situation warrants.

Note that some weapons wielded bytroglodytes elsewhere in Matera are not included among Apenninetrogs' selection of armaments. Such weapons are either unavailableas improvised weaponry (e.g. no trees in the mountains means noaxes), ill-suited to the confines of the cities' narrow tunnels(e.g. no swords larger than normal ones), or simply inappropriate(e.g. trident). Full details on the troglodytes of Matera -- withtrog-PC guidelines and sassy, mud-wallerin' flair, courtesy ofGeoff Gander! :-D -- will appear in the next "HM Cultures"post.

Apennine troglodyte melee weapons:Blackjack, club, dagger, mancatcher*, net (medium or large), spear,staff, sword (short or normal), whip Apennine troglodyte missileweapons: Crossbow/light, crossbow/heavy, net (very small tomedium), "dust bombs"** Apennine troglodyte armour: Chain mail,plate mail; shield (of shield-weapons, only knife shield isallowed) Apennine troglodyte shamans can use: Blackjack, club, net(any), staff, "dust bombs"; armours allowed, but not knifeshield

* - A mancatcher is a polearm withan open, pressure-triggered clamp at one end, used to grab andsubdue "specimens" in the field or to recapture escapees withoutkilling them. Attacking opponents with a mancatcher may be treatedexactly like attacking with a whip -- even damage is the same,should it be used to bludgeon instead of ensnare a foe -- but amancatcher can only reach to a distance of 6' before it becomesunwieldy. Once the hoop-shaped clamp encircles its target, it snapsshut and cannot be opened without the captive's passing a Strengthcheck; heavy-duty mancatchers sized for larger prey may imposepenalties to this check. (A save vs Death Ray indicates the victimescapes the initial capture attempt, but this does no good to analready-seized victim.) If the wielder of a mancatcher rolls anatural 20 on the initial "to hit" roll, both the target's arms arepinned to his or her sides by the clamp, and a Strength check onlyallows the victim to yank the weapon's handle out of its wielder'sgrip, not to break free. The wielder of a mancatcher may attempt a"Hook" special weapon-effect on anyone trapped within the weapon'shoop-clamp -- even if the Weapon Mastery rules are not otherwisebeing used in the campaign -- and may keep them pinned to theground, once fallen, with either a Strength check (the simplemethod) or a +8 bonus to his or her Wrestling Rating (if you'reusing the RC's Wrestling rules). A mancatcher's clamp must be sizedfor the target, if it is to be used effectively against them --human-sized mancatchers can trap elves and dwarves, halfling-sizedones affect gnomes and aardovai, and cryion-sized ones affectgnolls, for example -- and, once triggered, cannot capture anothertarget until its clamp is re-set, which takes 2 rounds.

** - These ceramic hand-hurledmissiles may be filled with any of the aforementioned chemicalswhich are used in pteryx aerial bombardments. AoE is a 5' radius,while range (and damage, should the wielder try to break thetarget's head as well as the container!) is as per thrown rocks. Ona "to hit" roll which equals the minimum number necessary to strikeits chosen target, the "dust bomb" fails to shatter on impact andmay, potentially, be thrown right back at the troglodyte who threwit; on a natural attack roll of 1, the wielder not only fails tohit, but must check Dexterity or accidentally break the missile'sceramic shell at his or her own location! (***gasp***)

The MOST dreaded weapons in theApennines' arsenal, so far as "vermin" races are concerned, aren'thand weapons at all. These are terrible battle-constructs developedfor use in the pteryx's ancient war against the Carnifex, andredesigned for the purpose of culling species whose numbers havegrown too great, or too bothersome, for the pterosauroids' liking.These killing machines are typically delivered to a "cull zone",instructed at to which targets they are to eliminate within precisegeographic boundaries, and then turned loose to wreak havoc withoutdirect supervision ... thus sparing the (rather squeamish) pteryxthe ordeal of actually WATCHING the carnage they've dispassionatelyunleashed. Most are quite capable of squashing a village flat orexterminating every living thing in it, single-handedly, in amatter of hours, and a few of the more widely-used types'descriptions will appear under "Monsters", below.

Clerics and Wizards

Those pteryx who become spellcasters-- which include a good 25% of their total adult population, albeitconcentrated mostly in five cities dedicated to the pursuit ofmagical studies -- become full clerics or magic-users, not justshamans or wokani. The only shamans in the Apennines (apart fromthe occasional captive "specimen") are a few harried troglodytes,come to minister to, and preach their Immortals' words for, thepteryx's servants and labourers; vastly outnumbered by theircongregations, these have little time to do anything but work withtheir own people. Because troglodyte wokani tend to cause trouble,either intentionally or by making the other trogs nervous, a wokanis never knowingly recruited into service by the pteryx.

Pteryx clerics may wear armour, canemploy any magical items useable by human clerics, and maypotentially attain the equivalent of 24th level as spellcasters,although the current highest-level cleric of the Apennines is only16th level. They cannot Turn Undead, although they can create holywater for use against such creatures. As priests of the Great One,pteryx clerics may invoke any one (but only one) of the followinggranted powers, once per 24 hours:

1) Gain dragon-like immunity to anysingle breath weapon-type's effects, such that non-magical versionsof that effect -- e.g. burning oil, blizzards, lightning storms,mundane animals' venoms -- cannot harm the cleric and saving throwsagainst its magical forms are automatically successful. Thisimmunity, which lasts for 1 hour, may be to fiery (red), electrical(blue), gaseous (green), acidic (black), cold (white), or venomous(sea) dragon breath. While immune, a pteryx cleric's body glows,faintly, in the colour of the chosen dragon type (paleyellow-green, for sea dragons).

2) Inflict bite-damage as a dragonrather than a pteryx, for the duration of one melee combat. 1st-4thlevel clerics bite as white dragons, 5th-8th as black dragons,9th-12th as green dragons, 13th-16th as blue dragons, 17th-20th asred dragons, and 21st-24th as gold dragons. Adult pteryx clerics'damage is as per a small dragon, elders' is as per a large one, andvenerable clerics' jaws are equivalent to a huge dragon's. Theteeth of a pteryx cleric who is using this ability count as magicalweapons, for the purpose of which creatures they can damage, with anumber of "pluses" equal to the dragon-type's number of asterisks(i.e. +2 for small, +3 for large, +4 for huge). While using thispower, a pteryx cleric's teeth -- normally a dingy off-white togrey colour -- will turn the same colour as the scales of thedragon-breed whose bite attack he or she is"appropriating".

3) Breathe, one time only, as anyone dragon type -- cleric's choice, but no single type may be usedmore than once a month; gem dragons' special breath-weapon effectsare not allowed, but sea dragons' venom-glob breath is apermissible option -- with the AoE of a small dragon's breathweapon and damage equal to the cleric's current hit points. Apteryx cleric who uses this granted power must save vs Spells orelse fall asleep, and snooze non-stop for 2-5 weeks much like agenuine dragon, as soon as the battle has ended.

About one adult pteryx in 12 is acleric of 1st level or more, and any group of 20 or more pteryxwhich leaves the Apennines will be escorted by a cleric ofsufficiently high level to Cure Serious Wounds, in case such aidbecomes necessary. Groups of ten or more will be accompanied by atleast two clerics who can Cure Light Wounds, as will groups of anysize who command more than 30 troglodytes*.

(* - Lay pteryx are not veryreligious and seldom suffer injuries in their home cities, so theclergy really don't have very much to do, and are eager toaccompany others outside where their Great One-given abilitiesmight be more appreciated.)

Pteryx wizards are much morenumerous than clerics, and their social status is also higher,owing to the prestige accorded to researchers of any kind. Aboutone adult pteryx in six is a wizard, their skills ranging from1st-level fledglings* who've just barely gotten started, right upto 36th-level Wish-casters of the sort who once held the GreaterCarnifex at bay, for centuries. The average pterosauroid mage isbetween 4th and 7th level, however, since there are very few withthe drive to master the higher levels' spells, and there aren'tthat many sub-adult pteryx of any kind! Whatever the factor is,that makes magic-users so rare among humans, magic's as universal aknack among pteryx as it is among elves -- any pteryx COULD learn,if he or she wished to -- but unlike elves, many lack themotivation to learn or are drawn to other vocations, such as art,science, the clergy, or the bureaucracy. In fact, at the momentthere are only two pteryx of 36th level in the world -- both ofthem cranky ol' venerable ones half crippled by arthritis, whohaven't seen the outside of a laboratory in centuries ;-) --although in times of genuine need, lesser wizards may potentiallycombine their skills (see below) to increase their powers to apoint where they approach these millennial antiques'capabilities.

(* - DMs with a vicious streak mightconsider having "pet" PCs' owners be fledgling wizards-in-training,and let them use the Gaz3 rules for magical screw-ups by underagemages. Of course, many of the Glantri Gazetteer's random effectswill have to be altered a bit, if they're to be suitable for pteryxkids' spell-casting mistakes. Plush toy ankylosaurs, anyone...?;-D)

Pterosauroid wizards cannot weararmour, but virtually all of those who leave their cities wearmagical protective items, instead -- collars with the effect ofRings of Protection are common, as are pectorals (decorative breastplates too flimsy to serve as armour) with the powers of magicalrings (Fire Resistance, Life Protection, Quickness, Safety,Survival) or Displacer Cloaks -- either created by themselves orone of their HM ancestors, or passed down since the Carnifex wars.Likewise, few wizards of greater than 3rd level will be without anon-protective magic item of some sort*, each with a ratherdifferent shape than what PCs might be accustomed to. The pteryxwizard's equivalent of a "wand" is an odd, palm-clutched devicelike a squashed set of brass knuckles (with only threefinger-holes, natch!) which can be gripped in a wing-hand and aimedat opponents equally-well in flight, on the ground, or whilepaddling or swimming underwater. Pteryx mages employ "clutchwands"that serve the same functions as every standard type of wand listedin the RC (although those which no longer work, thanks to the SoR,are kept sealed away in vaults), as well as every staff listed thatis useable by wizards, save those which are employed as meleeweapons (e.g. the Staff of Striking has no clutchwand equivalent).Leg bands with the properties of (non-cursed) magical rings --Memory, Seeing, Telekinesis, Truth -- or whose polished metalsurfaces can be used to scry as a Crystal Ball, are still moreexamples of magical items whose shapes and appearances are altered,when pteryx are their intended users and makers; DMs should feelfree to work similar changes, of their own devising, on otherpteryx magical items. A pteryx "scroll" is a smooth fist-sizedstone engraved with magic symbols, such that it may be 'read' bytouch even if the user can't see it; pteryx spellbooks are sculptedstone columns carved with similar markings, built into the verystructure of their laboratories, which are likewise 'read' bytouch.

(* - As with the Fire Island wizardsof Ierendi, the pteryx have magic items coming out of their ears:an arsenal once intended to equip armies with thousands of mages isnow divided up between less than a thousand of them! To determine agiven pteryx wizard's or cleric's magical possessions, use the sameguidelines as for NPC adventuring parties -- 5% per level in eachappropriate category; swords, other weapons, and (for mages) armourshould still be rolled, but are given to the pteryx's trogbodyguards if such an item is rolled up -- but do NOT reduce theodds of possession to 95%, for those of 20th level or higher.Instead, a %tile chance of 100% indicates the item is ownedautomatically; any %tile chance in excess of 100% is the chance ofa second such item. Thus, a 36th level pteryx wizard will alwayshave at least one item from each category (either for personal useor his or her bodyguards'), and has an 80% chance of having two ofthem. Items belonging to pteryx spellcasters will never be Cursedor otherwise baneful to their wielders.)

As a mute race, pteryx spellcastersdon't use verbal components to invoke their magic; rather, acombination of finger-twitches, head-bobs, tail and neckcontortions, and body-shivers serves as a form of gesturalspell-casting rite. Magical items of pteryx manufacture aretelepathically-receptive and triggered by direct mental commands... which, along with their oddities of design, makes them all butimpossible for other races to use.

In ancient times, the pteryx ofMystara had the power to memorise and cast wizard-spells in tandem,each sharing the thoughts of the other, such that two such wizards'combined spell-repertoires would be much broader than that whichboth their individual experience levels made possible. Pteryx ofthe Hollow Moon retain this gift, but aren't nearly as good at itas their ancestors; while the ancient "tag-team" casters couldmemorise and cast spells as if they were a single wizard of a levelequal to their own levels added together, pteryx "tag-teams"receive a selection of spells equal to a wizard of the more-skilledpartner's level, plus half that of the less-skilled partner (rounddown).

Thus, a 12th level wizard and a 7thwizard could study and cast their spells in combination, as if theywere a single 15th level wizard: they'd be able to carry 5 1stlevel spells, 4 spells of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th levels, 3 5th levelspells, 2 of 6th level, and 1 7th level spell. Note that this isactually FEWER 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level spells than the two couldhave cast, working independently of each other; however, by sharingthe mental chores involved in comprehending, "storing", andexecuting their spells, the pair become capable of one 7th levelspell per day ... a spell that'd normally lie entirely beyond eachpartner's understanding! Furthermore, spells the two pteryx casttogether will operate at the 15th level, for purposes of damage,amount of material affected, resistance to Dispelling, and otherlevel-determined factors. Such "combined studies" are normally usedto gain access to those necessary spells of which a city's currentgeneration of wizards is not capable -- as the 36th-levelers are sofond of pointing out, "kids today" aren't as up to snuff as theirpredecessors! -- or to magnify the potency of level-limited spelleffects (such as amount of weight lifted via Telekinesis); in aneducational sense, the technique allows mages-in-training toexperience magics of higher levels than they yet know how to cast,a bit at a time, so as to gradually prepare themselves for the nextlevel of expertise. Pteryx mages who study spells as a "tag-team",in order to access more powerful spells than they are entitled tolearn separately, must memorise ALL their daily allotment of spellsin this manner: the 12th and 7th level wizards in the above examplecouldn't choose to study their own 1st-3rd level spells, and then"team up" for the higher-level ones, for instance.

Alternately, pteryx can pool theirmental resources on single spells, in such a way that they increaseeither the area of effect (which may only be doubled; thus, thisrequires only two partners), or its range or duration (either ofwhich is multiplied by the number of pteryx who participate in sucha "mass memorisation"; as many as ten pteryx mages can cooperate,although that many casters may pose logistical problems when thespell is used). Doubling of AoE for "mass destruction" spells, inthe Hollow Moon, means that the SoRs effects are cancelled out bythe mental pooling and the standard spells' areas of effect apply,i.e. a Fireball affects a 40' diameter instead of 20'*.Multiplication of range is typically used so that flying squadronsof wizards may rain down spells from safe altitudes, well out ofrange of missiles and the spells of "vermin" beneath them.Durations may be multiplied provided they are not instantaneous ordependent upon concentration, and duration-enhanced spells (e.g.60-hour Floating Disks) are extensively employed in theconstruction of suspended cities. In earlier times before the Spellof Remembrance, multiplication of damage from attack-spells wasalso possible, but this power was lost in the "magic shift" and hasnot been recovered. "Tag-team" casting of entire repertoires, asabove, and team casting to increase the potency of individualspells, are not cumulative; a single pteryx wizard can'tparticipate in more than one such mental link, to his or her fellowcasters, at a time.

(* - Before the SoR, of course, twopteryx who combined their powers in this way could cast Fireballswith an EIGHTY foot diameter! Not only that, but as many as tenpteryx could "co-cast" in such a manner, so that the AoE wasmultiplied by the number of participants. This is why Seshay-Selenebarely managed to keep the Ur-Carnifex race from beingexterminated, even WITH her Immortal power as a Hierarch, and whyit took the Greater Carnifex more than a thousand years and nearlyten million dead troglodyte slave-soldiers, over that millennium,to pick off and destroy the slow-breedingpterosauroids.)

Spells which are memorised for"tag-team" casting must ALWAYS be cast in cooperation with thepartner(s) with whom those spells were memorised, and spells whichwere memorised alone cannot be cast cooperatively. Casting a spellthat was learned in tandem requires that the casters be mentallylinked to one another -- either one must be looking at the other(s)from no farther than 180' away, or else a pair of communicators or'relay chain' of non-casting assistants must act as a conduitbetween them -- and any disturbance to a participant, that occursduring the casting (e.g. any partner's being wounded) will disruptthe spell and erase it from the memory of all participants, as perany other interrupted attempt at spell use. Should a participant ina "linked" spell actually be killed while in the middle of a teamcasting, all other participants must save vs Death, or forget ALLspells -- "team"-memorised or otherwise -- currently carried inmemory! If the team-cast spell is completed without interruption,its point of origin may be any pteryx who took an active role inthe procedure, i.e. who actually cast the spell rather than servingas a passive conduit between casters.

As for the actual types of spellsfavoured by pteryx, much of their magic is of the sort whichdemonstrates their uncommonly-scientific view of the universe(Reverse Gravity, Infravision, Telekinesis), or employs basic,"raw" magical energy in lieu of discrete elemental forces (MagicMissile, Death Spell, Disintegrate), or offers protection from anoutside world they regard as generally hostile to "civilised"pterosauroids (Shield, Protection From Normal Missiles, ForceField). As with all HM natives, they tend to steer clear of spellswhich use lightning or fire, substituting other forms of damage forthese SoR-warped effects in their various battle-magics. Theseveral material-creation spells -- Clothform, Woodform, Stoneform,Ironform, Steelform -- are used regularly in construction orartistic endeavours, but are not so indispensable to these pursuitsas they are in Alphatia; Clones, Contingencies, Symbols, and MagicDoors are extensively employed by higher-level wizards -- orlower-level ones who team up to cast them -- for personal and labsecurity. Conspicuously absent from pteryx spell repertoires andmagic items are any spells granting communication, be it verbal,written, or mental, with other intelligent species: since no suchcreatures are thought to exist, save troglodytes who use signlanguage or hsiao or kopru who use ESP to communicate with thepterosauroids, no such spells have ever been deemed necessary.Leeriness of the kopru HAS motivated the pteryx to develop a MindBarrier spell, but as this spell also severs the subject's abilityto send or receive telepathic messages from other pteryx, itimposes a huge psychological strain upon the protected party and isrestricted to use only in the direst of emergencies.

Despite their seeming advantage inhaving a constant mental link to their twins, pteryx communicatorswho are magic-users gain none of the usual benefits from castingspells jointly. Indeed, since working together with their twins tocarry out mental tasks is their normal way of doing things, atwin-born pair who take up magic can't memorise spells in any way,BUT in combination -- they must study at the same time, whilesharing each others' thoughts -- and can ONLY cast spells jointly,so long as their mental link remains sound (i.e. no more than 10miles apart and on the same plane, etc). Communicators have theusual allotment of spells, apiece, according to their level (whichis always the same for both), but those spells can be freely passedback and forth, from one twin to another. Thus, if twins who are4th level mages split up, one accompanying the fishing-fleet ninemiles out to sea while the other remains on shore, the one who isout fishing could cast FOUR spells of the first and second levels-- two from his/her own mind's allotment, and two from his/hertwin's -- leaving both the voyaging twin and the one who staysbehind with no spells left for the day. Should the twin waiting onthe beach be wounded while the other is casting a spell, that spellis disrupted, as the process of casting takes place in both twins'minds at once. If the fleet sails beyond the ten-mile range limitof communicators' contact, before that happens, each twin is leftwith the usual two 1st level and two 2nd level spells of a 4thlevel magic-user.

Special Abilities

Special Abilities

The chief special ability by whichpteryx defend themselves, and by which they attempt to subduecaptives, is their uniquely-penetrating, timeless, reptilian gaze.Looking into the eyes of a pteryx is like looking into bottomlesspools of liquid darkness -- a darkness, which shifts subtly in tonefrom black to blue to purple to black, only in the darkest ofshades -- and such eyes' captivating attentiveness has a hypnoticeffect, upon non-pteryx, which is similar to being stunned (RC p.150). A victim cannot attack, speak, concentrate, cast spells, oruse magic items or skills while under the bewitching influence of apteryx's gaze. Limited self-defence from other attackers ispossible, but saving throws and armour class are penalised by 4.Victims are not truly paralysed -- they can move at 1/3 speed,shuffling clumsily as they stare into their captor's unblinking,fascinating eyes -- but will only do so to maintain their distancefrom the pterosauroid who hypnotised them, should it start to backaway. If a pteryx moves closer to their position, victims of itsgaze remain where they are, permitting the creature to close in andtouch them, tie them up, or even bite them (one automatic hit only,then hypnosis is broken) without putting up any show of resistance.The victim of a pteryx's gaze can be "led" back to captivity, as heor she will follow the pterosauroid as it retreats, moving justfast enough to maintain the same distance between his or her selfand the pteryx's eyes ... even if this means walking straight intodanger (e.g. onto a precarious cliff-edge) or imprisonment.Fascination with a pteryx's gaze lasts as long as eye contact ismaintained between the creature and its victim.

An initial saving throw vs Paralysisis allowed, to resist falling prey to a pteryx's gaze. Creaturesfor whom sight is only a tertiary sense are never affected, nor areopponents who keep their own eyes covered against meeting thepteryx's. If sight is a secondary sense, the saving throw vsParalysis is at a +2 bonus. The pteryx must direct its fullattention to an individual creature, to captivate it in thismanner; thus, a pteryx cannot place anyone under this kind ofinfluence in the same round during which it attacks or casts aspell. Likewise, a pteryx can only captivate one being at a time.The maximum range for a pteryx's gaze-attack is 10' per full HD itpossesses (i.e. 20' for a hatchling, 70' for a venerable one). Thestunned victim's trance will be broken instantly, if the pteryxintentionally ceases to make eye contact; however, a hypnotisedvictim will offer whatever feeble resistance he or she can, shouldothers try to drag him/her away or to block his/her eye contactwith the pterosauroid. A victim who is freed from a pteryx'scaptivating gaze will not fall prey to this same fascination, uponlooking into such a creature's eyes, again in the next 24 hours.Pteryx must make a deliberate effort to place someone under theinfluence of their eyes, so needn't affect each and everytroglodyte subordinate they glare at ... though they certainly DOuse their hypnotic gaze to reprimand disrespectful or unrulyservants, freezing them in their tracks to remind them who'sboss.

Should their gaze fail them, orshould they be faced by more than one opponent, pteryx who can'ttake wing or flee will hop from foot to foot -- kicking theirbroad, webbed, heavy-nailed feet at attackers like great, ungainlymoorhens -- while snapping their elongated, fish-trap teeth. Theymay batter enemies with their wings, on the ground or at thesurface of still water; from the air, they may make Swoop attacksto snatch up foes. All of these natural attack-forms -- alreadydescribed above, under "Weapons and Armour" -- are last-ditchdefences, only used by cornered non-spellcasters or by pteryx withno battle-spells memorised*. As a pteryx ages, it gains the use ofmore physical attacks, and the never-ending growth of its teeth andlimbs increases the damage it may dish out.

(* - If a wizard or cleric who'spersonally threatened has the necessary power, OTOH, he or she willusually hurtle magic at the attacker, non-stop -- no restraint orpulled punches at all, nor any attempt to conserve spells for later-- until the opponent is so severely-damaged as to be, not merelydead, but physically unrecognisable! Pteryx are NOT cool-headed ina crisis, as a rule, and they do not like surprises.)

Pteryx are slow-moving and awkwardon land, such that only their large size lets them sustain amovement rate of 60'(20'). In the air, however, they are fairlyswift -- flying speed 180'(60') -- and quite manoeuvrable for theirsize (MF 3, for DoE rules), in the agile manner of dragons. If therules for aerial manoeuvres from DoE are in use, pteryx have aninborn skill rating of 17 when flying. They can soar effortlesslyupon thermal updrafts (necessary for spellcasting on the wing), butcannot hover in place unless they're using a Levitate or Fly spellto enhance their manoeuvrability. In theory, all pteryx are capableof a three-manoeuvre climb, but in practice most aren't in anyphysical condition to attempt such steep ascents -- too fat andout-of-shape -- so only a "roughneck" of the working class, who'skept his or her muscles uncommonly fit, might be capable of that.Pterosauroids do find it much easier to take wing from positionshigh above the ground, or into columns of rising air like theperpetual thermals of their lava-caverns; yet pteryx -- unlikepterodactyls, but like other rhamphorhynchids -- can launchthemselves into the air from land or from the surface of water,given one round's "running room" to build up speed for take-off. Apteryx has the usual (HD x 1000, + 100/hp added) carrying capacityfor a flying creature, i.e. 5500 cn for an adult. Armour slows apteryx's flight speed, and immature pteryx are slower thanadults.

In water, pteryx are every bit asmuch at home as they are in the air, able to see underwater asclearly as above the surface and to hold their breath for up to 20minutes while diving. Pteryx can paddle along the water's surfaceat 150'(50'), or beneath the surface at 120'(40)'. Fishing, pteryxoften crash-dive into the ocean's surface -- which does them noharm -- to give themselves a burst of speed, swimming downwards, of240'(80') for the first round spent under the water. A pteryx inmagical armour, which they enspell to be neutrally buoyant, isslowed down to 90'(30') underwater, or 210'(70') on acrash-dive.

The natural armour class of pteryxis 6. Most use armour and/or magical items to improve upon this,before venturing beyond the safety of their mountains.

The telepathic abilities of pteryxhave already been described above ("Language"). DMs should keepthis power in mind -- as well as its limitations as to range (180')and its need for line of sight connections -- whenever two or morepteryx are engaged in the same battle, as these creatures willstrive to maintain mental contact with one another at all timesduring encounters. In military-style endeavours (i.e. "culling"operations or large-scale collecting expeditions), the precisionand lightning-speed of pteryx telepathy gives their forces a +15War Machine bonus to troops who are commanded by pteryx officers,or +40 for any units consisting exclusively of pterosauroids ...plus an additional +30 for every pair of communicators who are onhand, to monitor what's happening and instantaneously relayinformation between commanders.

Pteryx have an extraordinary senseof direction, left over from their distant heritage as migratorycreatures. A pteryx can tell which direction to travel in, to reachthe Apennines, from anywhere in the Hollow Moon ... even if it'sunderground, blind, or otherwise deprived of landmarks to guideit.

Special Hindrances

As an NPC race of monsters, thepteryx obviously don't have to be "balanced" with the other HMraces. Nevertheless, fate and evolution have saddled them with afew drawbacks.

Because of the delicacy and frailtyof pteryx wing-hands, and the fact that these "hands" are used toscrabble across the ground when walking, pteryx cannot wieldweapons in melee combat. In theory, pteryx might handle small,lightweight weapons such as blowguns or daggers; in practice, thoseof the Hollow Moon leave all forms of non-magical combat to theirtroglodyte minions and pest-control constructs.

Likewise, pteryx may not useshields. Only armour specially-built to fit them is of any use topteryx. Magic items designed for a humanoid frame and humanoidappendages -- even cloaks and rings -- are useless to thesecreatures, just as most pteryx-made magic items are unusable tohumanoids. Having no vocal cords, pteryx also cannot invokecommand-words for magic items of (demi)humanmanufacture.

They aren't exactly a courageouslot. Morale for pteryx isn't that bad when they're together ingroups of six or more (8), nor when they believe they're incomplete control of the situation, as when they're commanding a"collecting" or "culling" operation in the field (10). Shouldthings start to go seriously awry with the pterosauroids' plans,however, the morale of their entire group slips by 1 point forevery serious mishap* which confronts them, as confusion andnervousness pass from mind to mind and spread throughout the flock.Eventually, if resistance is stiff and surprises keep catching themoff-guard, pteryx leading such operations will get so anxious andjumpy that they pack up and quit the field ... at least until theycan regroup, calm down, and concoct plans for the next attack(usually along the lines of "sic the constructs on the filthycreatures and have done with it").

(* - DMs choice on which eventsmight fluster and distress the pteryx. Unexpectedly-high troglodytecasualties, destruction of a major pest-control construct, orstartlingly-effective tactics on the part of "dumb beasts" mightall catch them unprepared; the deaths of pteryx in battle willDEFINITELY upset them and depress their morale.)

Morale for pteryx who areencountered in groups of less than six -- the smallest group toever leave the Apennines, under normal circ*mstances -- and whodon't feel they have the upper hand, drops 1 point for eachindividual by which they are short of six ... i.e. five pteryx willhave a morale of 7, 6 is their morale in groups of four, threepteryx together have morale of 5, pairs' morale is 4, and singlepteryx have a morale of 3. The presence of spellcasters raises themorale of pteryx by 1, for every eight experience levels theirspell-casting companions possess (maximum of 10). Lonecommunicators count double toward the minimum group size of six, solong as their twins are within the 10-mile range of theirtelepathy; should they lose contact with their twins, no such bonusis granted, and the communicators' own morale drops by 2 (or fallsTO a 2, if the twin actually dies).

Should a pteryx be kept out ofmental communion with his or her fellows for long, there's a goodchance of the creature's losing his or her wits: awash in thethoughts, emotions, and bustling physical companionship of theirown kind throughout their lives, pteryx are psychologicallyunprepared to cope with isolation or loneliness. Pteryx can endureonly 12 hours out of touch with any other pterosauroids' minds, perpoint of Wisdom they possess, before suffering a complete nervousbreakdown. A mere 6 hours of mental isolation per Wisdom-point issufficient to reduce an emotionally-stable pterosauroid to anervous wreck, while 18 hours per point of Wisdom will render analready-broken pteryx catatonic; during the interval betweennervous breakdown and catatonic withdrawal, the pteryx will beclinically insane and prone to reckless or self-destructivebehaviour. Should a pteryx remain isolated for 24 hours per pointof Wisdom it has, it will literally curl up and die for lack ofcompany. Small groups of two or three, who have only each other tomind-talk to, can hold out longer -- for double or triple the timea single pterosauroid would last, respectively -- but it takes aminimum of four other individuals to provide enough "togetherness"to keep the pteryx emotionally secure, on a long-term basis. Thus,there are NEVER any pteryx communities, roosting-complex floors, orparties of travellers, which have less than fourmembers.

Having huge wings that demand wideareas from which to take off, pteryx need lots of room to feel atease. Tight spaces (less than 8' square) make them claustrophobic.A pteryx must pass a morale check to enter such a constricted spacevoluntarily, although it can force itself if it's a matter of lifeand death, e.g. if it's being chased.

With no vocal cords, pteryx mustrely on hand-signals to command their troglodyte minions. Inmilitary-style engagements where the trogs can't take time to lookat their commanders, this is augmented by a variety of noisemakingdevices -- whistles, drums, bells, firecrackers -- each of whichsignals a standard manoeuvre in combat. Unfortunately, whileApennine troglodytes are drilled extensively in these basicmanoeuvres, there's no way for pteryx to request novel orunorthodox tactics in the field; this is yet another reason whypteryx often call a retreat, when the tactics their trogs aretrained for aren't working as expected. Pteryx forces suffer a -30penalty under the War Machine rules, should the opposition pullsome totally unexpected stunt, to which the troglodytes haven'tbeen coached on how to respond.

In an AD&D game, pteryx wouldcount as Large creatures, for the purpose of weapons' damageinflicted upon them.

Sensory Modes

The primary sense of pteryx issight. They have good-quality night vision, and used to suffer -1penalties to hit in daylight, back on Mystara; on Matera, thepterosauroids have no difficulty functioning in the dim-litsurroundings. Unless they're using spells which simulate it, pteryxlack infravision. The eyesight of pteryx functions perfectlyunderwater, thanks to transparent second eyelids which close overtheir eyes and act like goggles beneath the surface. Unlike many HMspecies, pteryx see quite well by red-coloured light, such thatreflected light from the incandescent lava beneath their cities isadequate to illuminate their dwellings.

The secondary sense of pteryx istouch ... not merely "touch" in terms of physical contact*, butalso sensitivity to air-currents and very slight movements withinthe air (or, when swimming, the water) that surrounds them. Feelingeven the tiniest of drafts, pressure-changes, or variations in airtemperature within their immediate surroundings, pteryx can tellabout as much from their sense of touch as (demi)humans can tellfrom their own sense of hearing: whether someone is moving nearby,if they are speaking, their rough location, etc. So far asnon-pteryx observers can tell, this isn't any different from normalhearing ... except that thieves suffer a -10% penalty to their MoveSilently chances when sneaking past a pteryx, as the reptile candiscern how a thief's body has shifted its location, even when theactual movement made no noise! Luckily, this only applies if thethief is in the same room or corridor as the pterosauroid, sincethe creature's sensitivity to air-movements extends no farther; ifa character is in the next room over, and there's a wall betweenthe two rooms, he/she could jump and turn cartwheels all over theplace (!), and the pteryx won't notice there's something movingabout next door. Outdoors, a pteryx's ability to pick upair-currents extends for 100' around it, and is used mostly tolocate thermals and gusts on which the creature may soar, climb,and perform other aerial manoeuvres.

(* - The pteryx's sense of touch iskeener than most other races' in the conventional way, too, whichis why their writings are usually carved in rock or embossed onmetal: they 'read' by touch as easily as by sight. It's also partof why they're so afraid of melee or of "wild animals" less thanhalf their size. ALL of the pteryx's tactile sensations areenhanced, far beyond those of human or demihuman characters ...including pain.)

Tertiary senses of pteryx includehearing, smell and taste. While a pteryx CAN hear noises, tell howloud they are, and identify which direction they're coming from, ithas no power to recognise individual voices or pitches of sounds;it also can't distinguish the regularities of music, language, orother pattern-based sonic phenomena. Sense of smell among pteryx isactually rather sharp at birth, but constant exposure to thelava-caverns' fumes and to various alchemical compounds "burns out"every HM pterosauroid's olfaction by the time it's old enough tofly, leaving it only the rudimentary olfactory sense of anose-blind human*. Sensitivity to tastes is almost nil, and gearedstrongly toward a seabird's liking for salty fare.

(* - Ancient pteryx on Mystara couldunderstand the troglodytes' scent-speech. Materan pteryx have losttheir sense of smell, and with it, their knowledge of trogs'olfactory "language". Note that because the pteryx aren'thumanoids, they remain unimpaired by the stench of theirtroglodytes' foul-smelling skin oils ... although even THEY don'tlike inhaling its rank odour, if they can help it.)

Alignment

Many of Matera's pteryx are ofLawful alignment, believing that they should help their fellows andensure the well-being of their colleagues, cities, and people. Suchindividuals are sincere in their intentions to do good in the world-- for all that their misconceptions about other species'intelligence keeps them from living up to those beliefs -- andwould feel both miserable and ashamed of themselves, if ever theydiscovered the truth of what their kind have done tofellow-sentients. Bureaucrats and common (i.e. non-magical)scholars are usually Lawful.

OTOH, most pteryx wizards who makeit past 4th level are Neutral, as it takes a certain fiercecompetitive drive -- something most Lawful pterosauroids are toostaid and/or self-effacing to exhibit -- to attain much magicalskill, when you've got no needs to satisfy and no enemies' magicsto overcome. Likewise, the 15% of pteryx who do practical workusually develop Neutral tendencies, having found themselves stuckat the bottom of the heap in Lawful/traditional society. Clerics ofthe Great One are Neutral in accordance with their patronImmortal's views; natural philosophers who perform vivisections andthe like are also Neutral, having hardened their hearts to innocentanimals' suffering in the name of research.

Only insane pteryx are ever Chaotic.Living in and out of each others' brains, all the time -- and thus,being subjected to the constant pressure to conform, cooperate,comply with the majority -- any pteryx who DID have Chaoticleanings might well be DRIVEN insane, before long! :-)

General Skills

Pteryx always possess at least oneIntelligence-based skill that constitutes their field of expertise(scholars), professional office (bureaucrats), or "practical"vocation (workers). Clerics of the Great One must take the Ceremonyskill by which to honour their patron, and communicators must takethe Military Tactics skill by which to observe and report on"vermin" activities. No pteryx may learn any of the followingskills: Language (any), Lip Reading, Mimicry, Caving, DetectDeception, Blind Shooting, Quick Draw, Riding (any), Labour (any),Deception, Music, Singing.

Troglodytes of the Apennines mustlearn one work-related skill of some value to the pteryx -- eitherLabour, Craft, or Profession -- if they are to retain theirpositions as "employees".

Typical pteryxcity-dweller

Combat notes: Adult pteryx; AC 6; HD5+5; hp 28; MV 60'(20') Fly 180'(60'); # At. 1 bite/2 kicks or 1bite/1 wing-buffet or swoop; Damage 1d10+2/1d4+2/1d4+2 or1d10+2/1d6+2 + special or varies; SA hypnotic gaze; Save M5; ML 8;AL L

Typical medium-level pteryxwizard

Combat notes: Elder 10th levelpteryx mage; AC 6 (w/o magic); HD 6+16; hp 43; MV 60'(20') Fly180'(60'); # At. 1 bite/2 kicks or 1 bite/1 wing-buffet or swoop;Damage 1d12+2/1d6+2/1d6+2 or 1d12+2/1d8+2 + special or varies; SAhypnotic gaze, spells; Save M10; ML 9; AL N

Typical Apennine troglodyteguard

Combat notes: 2nd level HMtroglodyte; AC 4 (3 w/ shield); hp 9; MV 120'(40'); # At. 1 swordor 1 quarrel (+1 Dex bonus); Dam. 1d8 or 1d6; SD stench; Save T2;ML 10; AL N or C

Monsters

The only living "monsters" to befound in the Apennines are the ones in pteryx laboratories andzoological collections. Pteryx are just as prone to collectmonstrous creatures and mundane animals from the wilds, as humanoidraces -- in fact, they see no distinction between these two sortsof capture-expeditions -- and are usually up to the task ofcapturing such critters alive. Thus, just about ANY sort of monstermight turn up in a pteryx lab or display-cage, imprisoned bywhatever method (titanium bars, magical binding-rites, electricfence, holy water moat, etc) best keeps it undercontrol.

But it's the dreadful NON-living"monsters", also under pteryx control -- formidable constructsdeployed in their grisly pest-control operations -- that have donethe most to earn the Hollow Moon's pterosauroids their malign,unstoppable reputation. There are actually dozens of types ofpteryx "culling" devices, each designed to operate in a differentterrain or to utilise different methods of rooting out andexterminating designated "vermin". DMs are invited to invent theirown enchanted death-machines to stock the pterosauroids' arsenals,but descriptions of some of the more infamous pteryx pest-controlconstructs follow:

Catapulters -- AC 2; HD 18; hp 110;MV nil; # At 3 missiles or 6 arms; Dam by missiles' content or 1d8x 6; SA +4 to hit, poison gas; SD +1 weapons to hit, constructimmunities; Save F9; ML N/A; AL N

Stationary battle-platforms whichcan be disassembled and carried into the field, catapulters aredesigned for use against walled towns ("nests") or undergroundtunnel-complexes ("burrows") full of vermin. By enchanting entirebanks of catapults to fire ceramic barrage-missiles on their own,the pteryx can employ much larger projectiles and far more lethalcompounds that they'd dare to risk using, with living operators.Projectiles for catapulters are massive, disk-shaped objects about4' in diameter, of a sturdier ceramic than what is used in thepteryx's and troglodytes' chemical-filled weapons. Launched overthe walls of a town or into the mouth of a tunnel, these specialmissiles don't break open immediately; rather, a catapulter'sprojectiles are enspelled so that they'll land on their edges androll along the ground, at a speed of 150'(50'), in a randomdirection for 2-5 rounds or until something (such as any attack)knocks them over. At the end of this interval of rolling --intended to let such disks wander into every corner of the vermin"nest" -- the projectile topples onto its side and shatters,releasing its contents ... poison gas (as per Cloudkill, butnon-magical; SoR does NOT reduce AoE), in most cases.

Fully assembled, a catapulterconstruct has six self-co*cking "spoons", of which half can firetheir disk-projectiles in any given round; the other three willre-load themselves, bending to receive fresh ammo from chutes setbehind the array of launchers, while the first three fling theirprojectiles at targets. All six spoons are mounted, in turn, on aswivelling platform capable of rotating up to 120 degrees, givingthe weapon/creature a wide arc in which it can fire its missiles.Range for attacks is as per a standard heavy catapult, and all ofits artillery-attacks are at a +4 to hit. The maximum capacity fora catapulter's ammo-bin is 36 projectiles; a pteryx wizard mustcast a modified Floating Disc spell on each missile, no more than12 hours in advance, in order to prepare the ammo to roll afterlaunch. A catapulter counts as 8 heavy catapults, in the SiegeMachine rules, and the inclusion of such a construct inpest-control siege operations may also earn the pteryx force a BRbonus by virtue of its immunity to normal weapons. Catapulters lookpretty much like any other platform-mounted battery of siegeweapons, up until the moment the troglodytes who assemble thesethings fall back to join the infantry, and the constructs' spoonsstart chucking missiles all by themselves.

Should a catapulter's position beoverrun by enemies, and the construct is attacked in melee, it canfight back with its "spoons", bending them to strike at opponentsas if the entire battle-platform were under an Animate Objectspell. It can make 6 attacks per round, clubbing for 1-8 hp damage;such attacks receive no bonus to hit. Unable to flee, a catapulterthat's overrun will always fight until it is destroyed. Apart fromstandard construct-immunities and invulnerability to non-magicalweapons, a catapulter has no special defences. It saves at -4versus magical fire.

Hover-eyes -- AC -2; HD 10; hp 60;MV fly 90'(30'); # At. 2 (spotter) or 1 (hunter); Dam special; SD+2 weapon to hit, spell and construct immunities; Save F5; ML 9(spotter) or 12 (hunter); AL N

These flying constructs resemble 8'iron barrels with triangular fins mounted near their back end.Slow-moving yet manoeuvrable, hover-eyes are normally deployed ingroups ("convoys") of five, to float 40-60' above the ground andseek out vermin to target with the magical beams of energy whichare their sole attack-form. The front end of a hover-eye is onehuge, shatter-resistant crystal lens, from which it can emit theserays of magic in a 30-degree cone, to a maximum distance of 90'.Hover-eyes aren't intelligent, but they are capable of combing anarea systematically and of working together as a team to surroundand harry their prey. Hover-eyes can only be damaged by spells orby +2 or better weapons. They are immune to any spell of 5th levelor less which would specifically hamper their movements (e.g. Web,Slow). In the DoE rules for aerial manoeuvres, these constructs maybe treated as beholders so far as their ability to changedirection, rotate, or hover in place is concerned.

Within any convoy of 5 hover-eyes,there are three "spotters" and two "hunters". A spotter's magicalbeam inflicts no damage to creatures touched by it, but targets ofthe particular species which the hover-eye has been sent toeliminate must save vs Wands at -3, or be engulfed in luminous,orange Faerie Fire for the next 24 hours. Not only do verminoutlined in this manner become easier to spot, in the perpetual HMdarkness (range for sighting affected targets is quadrupled), butthe mystic energies which surround them act as beacons for "hunter"hover-eyes and other pest-control constructs in the vicinity. Untilthe effect wears off or is Dispelled (as 20th level caster), eachand every pteryx culling device that's currently operating within a1-mile radius (!!!) can sense the light-shrouded creature'sdirection and approximate distance from itself, and will close inupon that creature if not already engaged in pursuing a target ofits own. Once a target has been killed or captured, the Faerie Fireeffect upon it ends automatically. A spotter hover-eye can emit itsbeam of light-enshrouding magic twice in a single round. Oftenthese devices will float into an area where they sense vermin areconcealed and take up a stationary position overhead, then rotatein mid-air as they "paint" various potential hiding-places withtheir beams. Spotters can see invisible creatures, are neverdeceived by illusions, and are sensitive to heat, motion, andliving heartbeats within a 300' range. This type of hover-eyecannot be surprised, except by incorporeal beings (e.g. shadows,wraiths) or by enemies emerging from an extradimensional space.Note that spotters have no damaging attack-forms of their own, sorely upon other constructs -- usually, though not necessarily, thehunters in their convoy -- to eliminate targets they have "painted"with their beams. If it suffers severe structural damage (20+ hplost), a spotter withdraws from the field to preserve itself forfuture deployments.

Hunter hover-eyes resemble spotters,but are equipped to kill in a painless, yet efficient manner. Ifstruck by a hunter's beam, living creatures must save vs Wands at-3 or begin to asphyxiate, unable to draw oxygen into their lungs.Victims of this effect should be treated as if they were drowning(RC p. 90), such that they must pass Constitution checks -- save vsDeath, for monsters -- at an increasing penalty every round or die.Characters who succumb to asphyxiation may be revived as perdrowned characters, if help arrives in time; victims who are juststarting to suffer the beam's effect may be saved, before theyperish, if a Cureall or Create Air spell is cast upon them. Becausehunter hover-eyes often remain near their targets, keeping theirbeams tenaciously trained upon them until they have expired, it isoften necessary to destroy the hover-eye before its asphyxiatingvictim can be rescued. Hunters never retreat from the field, evenif faced with attackers -- such as undead or other constructs --which do not breathe and are unharmed by their beams*. A hunter mayemit a beam at fresh targets once per round, or may keep acontinuous beam trained at a target that was struck by itsasphyxiation-ray, during the previous round. Because they aren'ttoo selective about their targets if sent out alone, and have beenknown to suffocate the pteryx's own troglodytes (!) in error,hunters are always accompanied by the highly-sensitive spotters sothe latter can pick out and "paint" whichever targets areappropriate.

(* - Like all the pteryx'spest-control constructs, they're not very smart. Tenacious as pitbulls, but not smart. :-D)

Hover-eyes' rays are useable up to40 times per deployment, before they require recharging. Theprocedures for recharging a hover-eye's lens are similar to thoseused to recharge a magic item, and require that it return to theApennines for partial disassembly. Note that one of the hunterhover-eyes in a convoy will hold several charges (4-9 shots) inreserve, so that it can defend the other four constructs in itsconvoy, in the event they are attacked by monsters (or vengefulvermin) on their journey home. As their beams inflict no harm totargets, spotter hover-eyes are sometimes dispatched onlive-capture "collecting" expeditions, to find and illuminatespecimens which have proven too elusive for troglodyte trackers orpteryx aerial scouts to flush out.

Tentaculates -- AC -5; HD 30; hp170; MV 120'(40); # At. 4 tentacles or 2 vacuums or trample; Dam2d8 (x4) or special (x2) or 4d12; SA constriction, swallow,trample; SD +2 to hit, spell and construct immunities; Save F15; ML12; AL N

The "big baddies" of Apenninepest-control arsenals, tentaculates are huge, heavily-armouredmetal monstrosities that could pass for a cross between a WWII mainbattle tank, a robotic giant squid, and a vacuum cleaner. Thelow-slung, squarish body of this construct is equipped withcaterpillar treads, to carry it without pause over rocky, muddy, orbroken ground; on slippery ice or crystalbarrens, spikes pop out ofthe treads to increase traction (no movement penalties forterrain). Metallic tentacles 40' long sprout from the four cornersof the construct's back/roof, coiling up atop the tentaculate whenthey're not in use; and two collapsible suction-hoses -- whichretract into mere 5' cylinders when the tentaculate is at rest, butcan stretch out 20' in combat -- wide enough to "inhale" afull-grown minotaur protrude from its front and back faces. Thebody itself is about 20' long, 16' wide (with 3' treads), and 8'tall. Virtually unaltered since the Carnifex Wars, when they wereemployed heavily against enemy infantry, tentaculates are built tokill every groundling in sight, and for no otherpurpose.

A construct of this sort attacks"vermin" by grabbing and constricting with its tentacles, rollingover victims with its treads, or "swallowing" them with itspowerful suction-hoses. The tentacles make four attacks per round,striking for 2d8 hp of damage versus living targets, andconstricting for 3d6 points of automatic damage each roundthereafter until their captive is dead; alternately, victims up to400 lbs may be hurled off cliffs or against solid surfaces (fallingdamage applies) to free up the tentacle for more fighting. Shouldtheir prey take cover indoors or behind heavy obstacles, tentaclesmay crush or tear apart such obstructions, inflicting 2d4 points ofstructural damage per blow. Opponents may sever a tentacle byinflicting 45 hp of cutting damage to it, or just 15 hp damage witha Slicing weapon, but such damage doesn't count toward theconstruct's destruction.

The suction-hoses on a tentaculate'sfront and rear ends may not initiate attacks in the same round asthe tentacles, so are usually not deployed until the four longerappendages are all constricting foes. Each hose can suck in asudden rush of air, vacuum-cleaner style, once every second round.Anyone within 10' of the hose's end must save vs Breath Weapon --smaller than man-sized targets save at -2, larger than man-sized at+2; opponents larger than a minotaur or in excess of 800 lbs cannotbe sucked up -- or be drawn into its open end and "swallowed" bythe construct. Being "inhaled" by a tentaculate-hose inflicts 1d6hp of battering damage, as the victim tumbles down the armouredtube's interior*. "Swallowed" victims who fail to stop themselvesare sucked right into the heart of the tentaculate's "gizzard" ...a ghastly meat-grinding mechanism adapted, in a rare glimpse ofpteryx morbid humour, from ancient Greater Carnifex food-processingequipment. Anyone dumped into the grinding apparatus suffers 6d10hp damage per round, and can only escape if the construct is killedand broken open from outside. Attacking a tentaculate from withinis possible -- the grinding chamber's metallic walls are AC 1, andrequire only +1 or better weapons to hit -- but any weapon largerthan a short sword is too unwieldy to use in such confinedquarters. Suction-hoses may be severed by 60 hp of damage, or 20 hpwith Slicing weapons, but such losses don't count towardsdestroying the tentaculate.

(* - A save vs Death is allowed, tolodge oneself in the hose ... but only if the victim (i.e. theplayer) thinks of this RIGHT AWAY, and announces an intention tostop his/her descent, WHILE the DM is describing their plungethrough the pipeline! Success on this save -- again, modified forsize -- indicates the character has braced his/her arms and legsagainst the sides of the hose, and is clinging fast against theforce of its suction. A hose which is "blocked up" by a clingingcharacter cannot suck in any new victims, but if there's alreadyanother victim coming down the pipe, the clinging individual mustmake another save vs Death (unmodified) or be dislodged when thissecond party crashes into them; success indicates both victims areclinging to the sides of the pipe. If it's plugged up by a clingingvictim -- or by anything else it's "inhaled", for that matter -- atentaculate suction-hose will try to shake the stoppage loose,writhing and thrashing itself against the ground, inflicting 2d6 hpof battering damage to the "stoppage", and none (since the ground'snot a +2 or better weapon!) to itself. Piercing or cutting attackslaunched from outside, which damage the plugged-up tentacle, willinflict 1/3 damage on the clinging victim within; since both handsare needed to hang on against the hose's powerful suction, a victimcan't stay plugged in the tube and attack it fromwithin.)

If it's surrounded by too manyattackers to constrict or vacuum up, or if it's lost several of itsappendages, a tentaculate will trample with its massive treads for4d12 hp damage. Like a juggernaut, it can make a normal attack-rollvs single targets, or else roll straight into a group of victims,forcing each to save vs Dragon Breath or be run over. If the firsttrampling hit fails to kill a large, tough target, the tentaculatemay simply park itself on top of them (!) after the next successfultrample, inflicting 2d12 hp of additional crushing damage perround. Even if the construct is then killed, the tentaculate'swreckage -- which weighs about 20 tons -- may still crush a pinnedvictim to death, beneath its bulk. "Killing" a tentaculateinstantly puts a stop to its internal meat-grinding mechanism andturns off the suction from its hoses.

Tentaculates were designed to bevirtually indestructible. No spell under 4th level will affect atentaculate, nor weapons of less than +2 enchantment; fire andelectricity inflict 1/2 damage against them, or none with a savingthrow. Fortunately there are only six of these devices in thepteryx arsenal, which are in a functional condition.

Tentaculates don't distinguishbetween targets very well -- they can only tell creatures apart bytheir size and general shape (i.e. humanoid, quadruped, winged,etc) -- so are never employed in combination with troops. Moreoften they are released alone to wreak havoc, after an initialextermination-attempt with troglodytes and chemical bombardmentshas failed.

Crushers -- AC 8; HD 50 (see below);hp 300 (see below); MV 30'(10'); # At special; Dam special; SD +1to hit, construct immunities; Save F25; ML N/A; AL N

Simplest of pteryx constructs,crushers were invented as magical siege weapons for use againstGreater Carnifex fortresses, and are now used against vermin whose"nests" -- castles, deep caverns, etc -- prove inaccessible toother constructs. Crushers differ from other pest-control equipmentin that they are not self-directing; rather, a pteryx wizard of atleast 25th level -- or a "tag team" of pteryx whose shared mindsare equal to such a character -- must fly above the crusher,mentally commanding it to move, turn, and crush everything in itspath. Crushers' controllers are normally escorted by additionalpteryx spellcasters as bodyguards, as they circle above thesegargantuan, sluggish engines of demolition.

A crusher's appearance might seeminnocent enough, under other circ*mstances: it is, after all,nothing more than a featureless sphere of smoothly-polished basalt.But it's a *REALLY BIG* sphere -- half a foot in diameter per hp,which is about 12 stories high for a 300-pointer...! -- enchantedto slowly but inexorably roll along the ground, flatteningeverything in its path. The actual HD of a crusher would lie as farbeyond the D&D game's boundaries, as the hit dice of the PWAs'Behemoth. Rather, 50 HD of damage is the minimum number of hp whichmust be inflicted, to break off a sufficiently-large chunk of stonefrom its surface so this no-longer-rounded portion will halt itsmovement. Once a crusher has rolled onto the part of itself whichwas "flattened" by too much damage, it's effectively harmless,having no attack-forms apart from rolling over things. Crushershave a very poor armour class and only the most basic immunitiesfor a greater construct; given their sheer magnitude and theimmense quantities of magic necessary to enchant them in the firstplace*, the ancient pteryx who crafted these babies didn't see anyneed for bells and whistles. :-)

(* - In effect, crushers are acombined product of construct-crafting techniques, and the "hugemagic item"-creation methods now used by the Alphatians forfloating castles and the like. Combining these two fields ofenchantment was one of the last and greatest innovations of theMystaran pteryx, a breakthrough now lost to the few survivors oftheir race.)

As a crusher rolls along, under itscontroller's mental direction, it inevitably demolishes everyobstacle it encounters -- buildings, forests, bridges, walls --except mountains and other terrain-features larger than itself. Theeffect is as devastating to the landscape as an Earthquake spell,cutting a swathe of flattened destruction of a width equal to 1/8its circumference (e.g. a 300-hp crusher carves a 60' wide path)across the land's surface, and causing cave-ins and collapsedceilings throughout any subterranean tunnels underneath it.Creatures so foolish as to remain in front of a rolling crusherwill be killed if they don't save vs Death, with success indicatingthey've managed to dash to one side at the last minute. Luckily,the extremely slow movement rate of this spherical construct, andthe deep, powerful rumbling that's produced as it rolls along, givemobile creatures ample opportunity to get out of its way;unfortunately, other pest-control devices are usually on hand toattack, and cull, those "vermin" who abandon their dwellings andflee.

Crushers can roll equally-well onland, or along the sea bed, although they are obviouslyill-equipped to ascend steep slopes -- anything over 30 degrees isimpassable -- or to roll down narrow mountain roads. Deployingthese huge constructs is also a problem, as it can take many monthsto roll them from their storage-facilities to parts of the Nearsidewhere they are needed, and they inflict great damage to theintervening terrain. Thus, most crushers which have seen use inpest-control operations aren't stored in the Apennines at all;rather, they are hidden in strategic positions throughout theHollow Moon, in those regions where pteryx population-surveyssuggest they'll be most useful. To prevent vermin from chippingaway at the inert crushers, they are covered in soil to disguisethem as hills, rolled into the sea to become "islets" encrusted bybarnacles and seaweed, or simply parked in the least-hospitableportions of the crystalbarrens, where even cryions do notventure.

Needle-swarms -- AC 1; HD 1 per 5needles; hp 1 per needle; MV fly 240'(60'); # At 1 swarm; Dam 1-4per HD; SA surprise on 1-4 or 1-5, instant kill, ignore armour; SDweapon and construct immunities, self-replenishment, concealment;Save NM (single needles) or F1 per 10 needles (whole swarm); ML 12;AL N

While greater pest-controlconstructs of the pteryx are usually leftover war engines,needle-swarms were originally invented on Matera. These lesserconstructs are designed for eliminating "vermin" which live inmixed company -- i.e. who share their communities with species thepteryx DON'T want to "cull" -- without causing any collateraldamage to the "non-vermin" ... a show of selectivity which theirother, mass-destruction-oriented devices are incapable of. Sodifferent are needle-swarms from other pteryx culling devices, andso rarely does the cause of death for their victims come to light,that most "vermin" have no idea that these tiny, deadly constructs-- mistakenly assumed to be a tool of mage/assassins -- are themost plentiful weapons in the pterosauroids' arsenal: simple,subtle, painless and (thanks to their minimal HD) extremely easy tomake. This sort of construct is usually deployed in cities or othergathering-places, smuggled past the city's walls inside someinnocuous parcel borne by a troglodyte lackey who releases thedeadly swarm in secret. It isn't that often that the pteryx find itnecessary to employ needle-swarms: they're mostly a tool forrooting out vermin who've slipped past the pterosauroids' killingzones, and taken cover among creatures that aren't consideredpests.

A needle-swarm consists of 20 ormore ordinary-looking steel pins, about 2 inches in length andfinely-pointed at each end. Ordinary-looking, that is, except thatthey fly! Like minute Brooms Of Flying, the needles which make up aswarm can zip through the air with great speed and a phenomenalmanoeuvrability (MF 8 for DoE rules), darting about so quickly anderratically that they cannot easily be seen with the naked eye.They can surprise primarily-sighted creatures -- their usualtargets -- on a 1-4, if they simply attack from the air. Moreoften, needle-swarms will set themselves down in places where theyare either concealed (e.g. within the thatch of a roof or themattress of a bed), or won't be noticed (e.g. on a shop's shelfamong mundane needles and nails). Under such circ*mstances, theysurprise with a 1-5 on d6. Needle-swarms are patient hunters, andmay wait for days or weeks before a target of the designated"vermin" race appears. If discovered by creatures which aren't ofthe proscribed species, they don't move, resist being handled, orotherwise give away their nature; indeed, some Materans have usedneedles from a needle-swarm as tailors' pins, or as tacks forposting handbills on public walls, without ever suspectingit!

The deadliest ability of aneedle-swarm is its surprise attack. If a swarm can surprise itsdesignated target, there is a chance of it killing them instantly,as a single, well-placed pin streaks toward them at lightning-speedand drives itself into some vital organ (brain, heart, etc). Thechance of death is equal to the victim's chance of being killed bya headsman/thug (RC p. 184), whose HD are equal to those of theentire needle-swarm (i.e. 1 HD per 5 needles). Cause of death isusually difficult to determine, since the entry-wound is tiny andis delivered at discreet locations -- a nostril, an ear, beneaththe victim's hair or fur -- whenever possible. The killing needleremains securely lodged inside the victim's body, leaving the swarmshort one member, and making Raise Dead ineffective unless theneedle (which now ceases to be magical) is physically extracted.Should the "instant kill" attempt miss or its %tile roll fails, nodamage is inflicted, and the needle-swarm will either flee (if"non-vermin" witnesses are present) or resort to pack attackssimilar to those of mundane rats, piranha, or other "swarming"OD&D monsters. For every 5 needles in a swarm, damage for"pack" attacks increases by 1d4. Because needle-swarms can targeteven the tiniest exposed areas of an opponent's body, they ignorethe base AC value of armoured targets when fighting as a "pack";only magical bonuses, shields, and Dexterity contribute to the ACof someone assailed by a swarm of these flying steelpins.

Successful bludgeoning attacks on aneedle-swarm will "kill" a number of needles equal to the number ofhp of damage inflicted; thus, bludgeons such as maces or clubs arethe best means of vanquishing a needle-swarm. Slashing/cleavingweapons only "kill" one needle, for every 2 hp damage they inflict(round down), while piercing/stabbing weapons can only "kill" oneneedle per hit. A needle is "dead" if it gets bent -- even veryslightly -- by the force of an attack, as this causes its magic todissipate. Needle-swarms obviously aren't very sturdy compared toother pteryx constructs, but since they're meant to kill instantlyfrom ambush, they don't have to be. A swarm that is reduced to lessthan 5 needles can't attack effectively, so any survivors willretreat when they've been whittled down to 4 or less. Obviously, aneedle-swarm with just 5 members will be unable to attack a secondtarget, if its first victim is slain and the killing needle remainsbehind, embedded in their carcass! Should two decimatedneedle-swarms encounter one another, they merge and become a singleswarm, hopefully with enough members to attack newtargets.

Although needles of this sort areexpended quickly in any pest-control operation -- not only are theyeasily destroyed, but their successful "instant kills" always costthe needle-swarm one member -- they are able to replenish their ownnumbers, by transforming non-magical pins and needles into newswarm-members. One pin, needle or nail may be transformed every 72hours, if it's left in a pile with the other needle-swarm members;at least 10 already-enchanted needles must be present, in order fornew pins to become a part of the needle-swarm construct. Bent orrusty pins/nails, or former members of the needle-swarm which havebeen "killed", cannot be transformed into newswarm-members.

Because most HM natives who've heardstories about these things believe such deadly metal darts arecreated by non-pteryx, there are a number of shady individuals --eager to replicate what seems like an ideal assassin's weapon --who'd pay adventurers well for a captured needle-swarm with itsenchantments intact.

All pteryx pest-control devices havethe standard immunities of constructs (i.e. poison, mind-control,disease) plus an immunity to cold-based attacks. Models designed tooperate in volcanic environments are immune to fire and heat ratherthan cold.

Pteryx mages have developed spellsto repair damaged constructs, of comparable power to clerics' CureWounds spells. There's a Repair Light Damage spell, a RepairSerious Damage spell, a Repairall, etc. The spells' levels are asper the corresponding clerical Cures; they will only affectconstructs of pteryx manufacture. Pteryx constructs cannot bemended by conventional Cure Wound spells.

NPCs

One noteworthy pteryx whose workmight impact upon PCs is the Second Senior ComparativePsychologist, Emeritus Scholar of the Institute of DevelopmentalMedicine in Nyzzax ... better known as "Ol' Skinneybeak" to histroglodyte assistants.

Second Senior ComparativePsychologist, aka Ol' Skinneybeak

History: After a long, respectablecareer in theoretical comparative psychology -- one of many, manybranches of obscure, erudite, and ultimately-useless science whichHM pteryx resort to researching, now that everything else has beenhashed over ;-D -- the Second Senior Emeritus (a dignified elderwho certainly should've known better!) gradually began to fall preyto a strange delusion ... namely, the belief that some of hislong-term research specimens -- a pale-skinned human female, adarker-skinned human male, a giant spider, a small furry primate,and a half-grown male gnome* -- had demonstrated an inordinateamount of cunning, over the years, in escaping from their cages.None of the five showed any indications of kopru manipulation, norany capacity to communicate with one another (e.g. if one was showncertain objects, it could not direct any of the others to selectthe same objects from an assortment of possible choices**), yettheir performance in solving puzzles and mazes suggested theirbrains might NOT be as woefully underdeveloped as traditionalcomparative psychology held them to be. Ol' Skinneybeak has keptthese thoughts carefully hidden from other pteryx, lest hisacademic reputation be ruined; nevertheless, he has devised anelaborate experiment to look into the possibility that humans,spiders, and other lower life forms might be capable of rudimentarycognition and planning.

(* - The human female was a captiveCynidicean thief, while the male was a low-level Vedali mystic. Thearanea was one of the rare few of her kind who lack the minimumIntelligence to practice magic, in the HM setting; thus, she'dacquired some of the skills of a traditional thief, to compensate.The gnome had a knack for mechanical devices, like most of hisbrethren back in the Taurus Mounts. The small furry primate -- aperfectly ordinary night monkey from the margasta rainforests --was just lucky. :-D)

(** - The fact that none of thecaptives spoke the same (verbal) language, of course, neveroccurred to the Second Senior Emeritus! Pteryx telepathy, afterall, has no separate languages or dialects. Similar mistakes havebeen made throughout the history of the HM pteryx, in theirobservance of other races' behaviour.)

Personality: Ol' Skinneybeak is atypical pteryx -- fastidious, workaholic, unimaginative, a bit outof shape and more than a little out of touch -- who's stumbled uponfindings which markedly conflict with the safe, traditionalworld-views of his discipline and his people ... data he'd LIKE todiscount as nonsensical, but which have been nagging at himconstantly, in the back of his mind, for many years. Thisuncertainty is terribly distressing to the old psychologist, andhe's mostly doing his experiment to prove he's mistaken about hisspecimens' performance, because he can't cope with such doubts! Hismate is no help, in this time of personal crisis -- indeed, hehasn't seen her for months; she studies a different branch of thelife sciences altogether, and won't be fertile for another 2 years-- nor has re-reading the classics of theoretical comparativepsychology allowed him to regain his equilibrium. Perhaps the testresults will show him that his past results were just a fluke, andhe can go back to being his contented, complacent, close-minded oldself again; certainly, those are the results he's hoping -- andunconsciously confounding his experimental design, by making it farmore lethal than necessary -- for.

Appearance: The distraught EmeritusScholar is an elder, with a wingspan of about 28' and a small scar(from an escaped lab animal) across the left side of his muzzle.His scales are slate grey. He wears a brass legband that functionsas a long-range potion of Clairvoyance (300' range) three times perday, with which he observes experiments in progress by shutting hisown eyes and looking through those of the test specimens. "Ol'Skinneybeak" has no other distinguishing features: if you've seenone pteryx, you've seen them all.

DMing Notes: If you've come up withloads of ideas for cunning dungeon-traps or brain-teasingmechanical puzzles, but haven't gotten around to using them in anadventure yet, now's your chance! PCs who get captured by thepteryx just might wind up "assisting" the Second Senior Emerituswith his experiment: a gruelling physical and mental trial, stagedinside a huge, 3D mechanical maze, in which any weapons must befound or improvised, and many of their spells have been renderedineffectual. There, the characters must think their way pastelaborate death-traps, bypass obstacles using only the propsprovided for them, and overcome pitfalls through teamwork,wondering all along how come they're being forced to run a gauntletof mental challenges ... and how (or IF!) they'll be able to escapefrom the pterosauroids' clutches, once they've survived theircaptor's artificial "dungeon". Suitable obstacles to incorporateinto this giant rat-maze can be gleaned from old modules or issuesof Dungeon Adventures -- in which a number of "all-puzzle"scenarios have appeared -- as well as from puzzle-books, novels,websites, and other resources. Additional inspiration for'PCs-as-lab-rats' adventures can be found in the teen sci-fi book"House of Stairs" by William Sleator, the mature anti-vivisectionnovel "Doctor Rat" by William Kotzwinkle, or the 1998 sci-fi/horrormovie "Cube", directed by Vincenzo Natali. :-D

The Second Senior Emeritus, byvirtue of his long career and impeccable -- at least up until now-- scholarly credentials, has three troglodyte orderlies, fivelab-techs, and two guards (with chain mail and swords; the othertrogs are unarmed) assigned to his service. He is also assisted bythree pteryx adults, who are students of the Institute ofDevelopmental Medicine.