Aegir

Sometimes referred to as the “Black Horror of the Swamps,” the Aegir are a powerful race of water-dwelling creatures. Towering twelve feet tall or more and of generally loathsome appearance, Aegir, like cyclopes, often have but a single eye in the center of the forehead. They are shaggy and powerfully muscled, with broad, flat hands and feet adapted to swimming. Aegir are found in swamps, bogs, lakes, ponds, and some coastal areas, and are best adapted to an underwater existence, though they are capable of surviving on land as well. They possess only the most rudimentary intelligence, but have a certain animal cunning and are known to employ simple weapons and tools.

The Aegir are not true water-breathers, being more closely akin to certain species of water-dwelling mammals. An impressive lung capacity permits them to stay submerged for long periods of time. For the most part, Aegir dwell in caves, accessible by means of underwater entrances but filled with air. They prey on all sorts of aquatic creatures, but also come above from time to time to look for a change in diet.

In the Natural History, Chiron the Wise records some information on these swamp giants, but it is plainly a combination of second-hand reports and local superstitions, and not completely to be relied upon.

“The people of this district have long debated as to whether the attacks were the work of a beast, or the act of some supernatural visitation. There were those who claimed that it was the wrath of the river-god, who assumed the form of an immense, hideous man, dripping with river weeds and patches of stinking mud. Others maintained that this was not the incarnation of a deity at all, but a savage giant called Aegir, a cyclopean monster with a cruel hatred of all things human. This Aegir was said to have overturned boats, pulled swimmers down from below, and to have attacked townsfolk in the heart of the city itself in the early morning hours before the sun was awake.”

It is plain that Aegir and cyclopses are in some way related. In addition to the obvious similarities of physical appearance, both share a fondness for water, and are savage and dangerous. The cyclopses are by far the more intelligent of the two, and have developed a society and a rudimentary civilization, where the Aegir are rarely found in numbers. As with the cyclopses, Aegir would seem to be less common than they were in years past, a decline at least partially attributable to the encroachments of men.

Height/Length: 10-12 feet

Weight: 1800-2400 lbs.

Attributes: STA: 21, INT: 5, SPD: 8, WILL: 6-12, DEX: 10, CHA: 3, CON: 20, PER: 10-16

Level: 8-12

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Damage: Bite: 1-8, Claw/Fist: 1-8 (+STA), Horns: 1-8 or as per weapon employed (see Comments)

Special Attributes: Powerful swimmers, Armor: As leather armor

Hit Points: 30-70

Comments: Aegir can easily stay submerged for up to 1 hour without needing to breathe. Though most Aegir attack by grasping prey and dragging them below the water, some are said to employ crude clubs, spears, or nets.