TEXT: Beasts 
  Barbarians
  A Sword and Sorcery Savage Worlds setting 
  By Umberto Pignatelli
  &
  The Skinner  
  of Syranthia
  
  C r e d i t s 
  Author:  
  Umberto Pignatelli
  Editing:  
  Marguerite Kenner 
  Cover art: 
  Tomasz Tworek
  Dread Dominions Map: 
  Justin Russell 
  Interior art: 
    Magdalena Partyka, Joanna Krótka, Rick Hershey andJehremy Moler 
  (Empty Room Studio), Bradley K McDevitt, Peter Szabo Gabor
  Layout:  
   winnicki art studio (www.winnicki.pro) 
  This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.
  peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment 
  Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or 
  suitability for purpose of this product. Some artwork copyright Michael Hammes and Philip Reed, used under 
  license. www.roninarts.com 
  ©2011 Gramel Justyna Koryś, Beasts and Barbarians, Dread Star Dominions and all related marks and logos 
  are trademarks of Gramel Justyna Koryś. All Rights Reserved.
  Produced under license by Studio 2 Publishing, Inc. The Studio 2 logo
   is a trademark of Studio 2 Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.
  
  3
  Introduction 
  for the Game 
  Master
  Enerius arrived at the Great Library in Sy-
  ranthia many years ago. He was a curious 
  boy, eager to learn, and in the library he 
  hoped to satisfy his craving for knowledge. 
  But despite his intelligence, he couldn’t 
  learn how read.
  “It isn’t your fault, lad.” Said Velastios the 
  Old, one of the greatest Sages of the Library. 
  “Sometimes it happens. The brain of some peo-
  ple just isn’t made for written words.”
  Luckily for Enerius, he had other abilities 
  which allowed him to stay in the library. 
  He had nimble hands, and was especially 
  gifted in tanning skins to produce the fin-
  est vellum. An indispensable resource for a 
  library where hundreds of precious books 
  are copied to be saved from oblivion. He 
  also excelled in the art of embalming. He 
  processes many of the strange beasts killed 
  in the Arena of Syranthia or brought to 
  the Library by wandering Sages, to be 
  preserved forever and made available for 
  studying.
  In the end, Enerius became Master Tanner, 
  a very important position in the Library, 
  but not being able to read a single word 
  from the books he helped preserve greatly 
  frustrated him.
  One day while moving some old bookcases 
  in a dusty, out-of-the-way section of the 
  Library, he found a secret door. Curious, 
  he entered the dark passage and followed 
  it to a musty hall, full of ancient tomes and 
  scrolls. His heart was racing as he realized 
  he had found books nobody in the library 
  knew about! He picked one up at random, 
  ran his fingers over the cover and the pages, 
  which felt strange to the touch, and opened 
  it. It was written in an alphabet he had 
  never seen but, amazingly, he was able to 
  understand it, as if someone was whispering 
  words in his ears! He read the first tome 
  immediately, and spent the night reading 
  through the whole library and learning of 
  things he had never even suspected could 
  exist. All this he did at a speed inconceiv-
  able for any human being, and only later did 
  he notice the strange hypnotic words not 
  only stuck in his mind but also appeared 
  on his skin as clear as fresh tattoos.
  The books are grimoires of Keronian sorcery, 
  locked away here by the ancient Sages be-
  cause the sheer malevolence of their secrets 
  was too much for the human mind. The 
  Sages should have burned them but, out 
  of love for all books, they couldn’t bring 
  themselves to do so.
  As the years went by, the old magic in the 
  cursed books awoke and the dark library 
  slowly became a sentient creature. As its 
  old body rotted away; it needed someone 
  who would carefully copy and replace the 
  crumbling books. The dark library waited 
  until it found a suitable candidate: Enerius. 
  The Master Tanner is now subjugated by 
  the magic in the books and has turned into 
  their faithful slave. He knows the tomes 
  cannot be copied on normal vellum or pa-
  per. A very special material is necessary to 
  preserve their power: the smooth, delicate 
  skin of a young girl of fair complexion.
  This would have disgusted and shocked the 
  old Enerius, but it won’t stop the new one…
  
  The Skinner  of Syranthia
  4
  Terrors 
  in the Night
  The heroes are returning to Syranthia after 
  a journey or adventure. It is past midnight, 
  and all they want is a warm tavern with 
  food, beer, and some merry girls to kiss. 
  They are making for an inn they know well, 
  the Repented Scribe, where Anastasia and 
  Denera, very pretty sisters, offer their ser-
  vices as courtesans. Some time ago, one of 
  the heroes enjoyed Anastasia’s company 
  and now, with a fat purse, he is eager to see 
  the girl again.
  As they are walking past a dark alley, they 
  hear a woman’s voice cry out in fear. This 
  is not the safest area in town and the brave 
  heroes decide they should check what’s go-
  ing on. At the end of the alley, they see two 
  figures tangled together in a fight.
  The smaller one is a woman, while the other 
  figure, completely concealed by a dark cloak, 
  is by far the largest man the heroes have 
  ever seen.
  Just then, a pale moonbeam shines on the 
  girl’s face and the recog-
  nize Anastasia!
  “Help me!” she cries.
  As effortlessly as if he 
  were picking up a twig, 
  the hooded figure grabs 
  the girl, and in a show of 
  amazing agility, jumps 
  onto a barrel and up to 
  the roof of a nearby house!
  Chase 
  on the 
  Rooftops
  The hooded figure is a 
  supernatural creature 
  and one of the main 
  threats of this scenario. 
  Tugg, an embalmed Ape 
  of the Cannibal Islands, 
  was brought to life by 
  Enerius’ dark powers to 
  hunt for fair-skinned 
  girls.  He is very fast, 
  
  5
  Chase on the Rooftops
  and the heroes must chase him on the 
  rooftops if they want to save Anastasia.
  The chase is short (5 rounds) and based on 
  Agility. It takes the heroes across most of 
  the neighborhood and past many of Syra-
  nthia’s monuments and places of interest. 
  Jumping, tumbling, and running on slippery 
  eaves are all part of this scene, giving modi-
  fiers to the rolls or using different skills as 
  detailed below.
  Use Complications as normal, but Tugg 
  discards any deuce of clubs and draws a 
  new card.
  Following from the Ground. Some heroes 
  might not follow the kidnapper on the 
  rooftops, so they have to run down the 
  streets trying to anticipate his moves. They 
  join the Chase using Smarts (–4) and ig-
  nore the modifiers below. Heroes on the 
  street treat any card higher than Queen as 
  a Queen for purposes of Range.
  Since it is past midnight, the chase takes 
  place in Dim Light.
  The chase ends after five rounds or when-
  ever Tugg suffers two wounds. He stops, 
  drops the girl, and disappears by jumping 
  off some very tall building (see Trapped! 
  below).
  Chase on the  
  Rooftops Events
  Round One – Roofs of Grain Sellers 
  Road. Tugg runs along the roofs of Grain 
  Sellers Road, known to be very steep and 
  slippery! Chase rolls are made with Agility 
  (–2) and any melee attack suffers the same 
  modifier. If a hero rolls 1 on the skill die 
  on an Agility-based skill roll, regardless 
  of the Wild Die, he loses his footing and 
  slides down most of the roof, suffering 2d6 
  damage and is automatically Shaken.
  Round Two – Jump over Philosopher’s Al-
  ley! Tugg jumps a gap between two build-
  ings and the heroes must do the same! This 
  round the chase roll is based on Strength. 
  Any hero failing the roll doesn’t manage to 
  jump onto the next roof but clings to its 
  edge. He doesn’t receive any Action Card 
  in this round but he is safe. Only with a 
  critical failure does he fall! It is quite a drop 
  (20 feet, or 4”), but luckily he lands on a 
  pile of garbage. The hero only suffers 2d6 
  damage but has –2 to Charisma and Stealth 
  rolls until he washes. In addition, he must 
  deal with Philosopher, a Jademan beggar 
  who sleeps in the alley (hence its name) 
  and hates being disturbed.
  Round Three – Statues of the Merchant 
  Lords. Tugg makes for the famous Lane of 
  the Merchant Lords, flanked by tall statues 
  of the greatest personalities in Syranthian’s 
  history. He lands on the stone book the 
  statue of Erkelos the Learned holds in its 
  hands, vaults around the scepter of Niko-
  rios the Greedy and reaches the roofs on 
  the other side of the lane. This round the 
  heroes can decide to make a single Agility 
  based chase roll or two Agility rolls each 
  with a standard multi-action penalty (–2). 
  They add up the values of the cards received. 
  Due to the great abundance of obstacles, 
  any target under a ranged attack is consid-
  ered to be under Medium Cover.
  Round Four – Walls of the Great Library. 
  The chase takes the heroes to the walls 
  of the Great Library, battlements which 
  encircle its gardens. The battlements are 
  adorned with crumbling statues and offer 
  several hiding spots. It is a perfect place 
  to disappear without a trace. During this 
  round, Tugg uses Stealth as chase skill, try-
  ing to sneak out of sight, while the heroes 
  use Notice.
  
  The Skinner  of Syranthia
  6
  Round Five. – Tower of the Candle. Tugg 
  now feels the pursuers are closing in and 
  its ape instinct leads the beast to climb up 
  the Tower of the Candle, the tallest along 
  the southern wall of the Great Library. In 
  this round both Tugg and the heroes use 
  Climbing as chase skill. The top of the 
  tower is a dead end. Even if they fail the 
  roll the heroes manage to corner Tugg, but 
  they are puffing and panting (Vigor roll to 
  avoid being Fatigued for the remainder of 
  the scene).
  Now Tugg cannot escape. The beast is 
  trapped!
  Trapped!
  The mysterious kidnapper has made a mistake 
  in climbing the tower and now must turn 
  and fight!
  The cloaked figure paces quickly and silently, 
  as he has done throughout your mad chase 
  over the rooftops of Syranthia, and you feel 
  the stare of cold eyes concealed under the hood.
  “Please! Help me!” cries Anastasia, still trapped 
  in the giant’s arms.
  Suddenly, the hooded one throws the girl at 
  you and jumps off the tower!
  Any hero on the tower 
  must win an opposed 
  Agility roll with Tugg. If 
  the hero fails, he is hit 
  by the girl’s body and 
  falls, becoming Shaken. 
  A hero who wins the 
  opposed roll can run to 
  the parapet and see the 
  creature land in the gar-
  den, at least thirty yards 
  below. No normal man 
  could survive a similar 
  jump, but the hooded 
  figure stands up and 
  disappears among the 
  foliage of the Library’s 
  Garden!
  For now Tugg has es-
  caped, but at least An-
  astasia is safe.
  (WC) Tugg the Ape (1)
  
  7
  Anastasia’s Story
  Anastasia’s 
  Story
  Anastasia hugs you with all the strength of 
  her slender arms. “Thank you! May the First 
  One bless and keep you! Please, take me back 
  to the Repented Scribe.”
  During the trip, she fills you in on what is 
  happening.
  “It all started a week ago. Do you remember 
  my sister, Denera? So tender and sweet, and 
  very religious too, despite what you might 
  think of girls in our profession. We used to 
  visit the Temple of the First One every night. 
  We usually went together, but that evening I 
  was busy with a rich nobleman, so she went 
  alone.  Well, she simply didn’t come back to the 
  tavern. Her body was found in a dark alley 
  two days later, it was so horribly…”
  Anastasia cannot continue and starts sobbing 
  wildly.
  Anastasia cannot be persuaded in any way 
  to give more details. She is just too shocked.
  When she calms down a little, she continues. 
  “I don’t know who could have done something 
  like that to her. And today, I was at the temple 
  to pray for her soul but then it got dark.  The 
  thing… that attacked me is the same one that 
  attacked Denera, I am sure!”
  The heroes can ask Anastasia to describe 
  her assailant, but the girl only remembers 
  a very pungent smell (embalming liquids) 
  and something shimmering, like silver, un-
  der the hood (it was the Glyph of False Life, 
  which Enerius used to give life to the beast).
  Then the heroes arrive at the tavern. De-
  spite his rough appearance, the one-eyed 
  bartender Jozum has a good heart and 
  sends Anastasia to her room to rest. In the 
  meantime, he pours some of his best wine 
  for the party to thank them for saving the 
  courtesan and confirms Anastasia’s story. 
  Denera was killed in a gruesome way: she 
  was skinned like a rabbit. The city watch 
  has done some investigating but a dead 
  courtesan isn’t the biggest priority for them. 
  They have no suspects.
  Just then, a terrible scream is heard from 
  upstairs!
  The party rushes to the top floor and finds 
  the room Anastasia used to share with her 
  sister locked from the inside. A Strength 
  roll is enough to bash the door in but the 
  room is in total disarray, the window is bro-
  ken and Anastasia is missing! A strange 
  pungent smell still lingers in the air.
  Investigation
  Unless the heroes persuade him otherwise, 
  Jozum calls the city watch. The guards do 
  some routine questioning, but after a while 
  they just leave. Two days later Anastasia’s 
  body will be found in a dark alley, com-
  pletely skinned like her sister, unless the 
  heroes manage to unravel this mystery.
  Their investigation can begin with multiple 
  leads, detailed below.
  Anastasia’s Room. With a Notice roll, the 
  heroes find a few useful clues. On a success 
  they spot a tuft of long, brown fur on the 
  rug near the bed, which Anastasia probably 
  ripped from her kidnapper. They aren’t able 
  to recognize what creature it belongs to 
  because it is very rare. They’ll need to find 
  an expert (see The Great Library). 
  
  The Skinner  of Syranthia
  8
  With a raise, they also find the impression 
  of a hand on Anastasia’s pillow. It is very 
  large and not entirely human.
  In addition, on the bedside table they find a 
  strange hollow amulet, a sort of very small 
  vase containing a spent candle. With a 
  Knowledge (Religion) roll it can be rec-
  ognized as a holy symbol of the First One, 
  the strange divinity both Denera and An-
  astasia worship. 
  The heroes need to find at least the tuft 
  of fur. If the whole group misses the clue, 
  Jozum spots it. He also knows what the 
  strange amulet is and suggests the heroes 
  pay a visit to the House of the First One, 
  the temple of the foreign divinity.
  The Great Library. Understanding what 
  creature the fur belongs to is also crucial to 
  the investigation. Luckily, Syranthia City 
  is the main center of learning in the Do-
  minions, so the most logical thing to do is 
  to go to the Great Library and ask a Sage. 
  The Library is guarded but the heroes are 
  admitted inside. The main hall is buzzing 
  with activity and Sages, scribes, students 
  and servants are constantly walking back 
  and forth. Finding an expert in exotic ani-
  mals requires a Persuasion (–2) roll or a 
  good bribe to a servant (at least 30 Moons).
  In the end, they are sent 
  to Enerius, a Sage who 
  has long been studying 
  exotic animals.
  Enerius is a plain-look-
  ing, stiff man. He has no 
  idea what this creature 
  is but tries to hide his 
  lack of knowledge by 
  being rude.
  “Why you are wasting my 
  time in this way? This fur 
  is too ruined to be identi-
  fied. It could belong to a 
  bear or even to a large dog. 
  I must go now, I have a 
  tannery to run and much 
  else to do. Please, excuse 
  me.” 
  Enerius knows perfectly 
  well where the fur came 
  from and is worried the 
  heroes might find out 
  too. He goes to the tan-
  nery at once and starts 
  
  9
  Investigation
  working on something to stop them (see 
  Haunted Birds).
  The characters leave the Library disheart-
  ened and are walking through the garden 
  when they see a very old man, a Sage, sit-
  ting on a bench eating a peach. The man 
  greets them and asks what’s the matter. He 
  is Velastios the Old, a semi-retired Sage, 
  but still one of the most learned men in 
  the whole Library.
  If shown the fur, he examines it, smells it 
  and tastes it with the tip of his tongue. Then, 
  he says: 
  “This belongs to a Royal Ape of the Cannibal 
  Islands. No doubt about it. It tastes a bit salty 
  because the soil on the islands is volcanic and 
  this influences… well, I don’t think this is of 
  any interest to you. It is a very exotic beast, at 
  least in Syranthia.”
  If asked where he thinks this creature could 
  be found in the city, he suggests trying the 
  Arena, where all sorts of exotic beasts fight 
  and die for the amusement of the crowds.
  Velastios wants no reward or payment, he 
  only asks the heroes to come back every 
  now and then and entertain an old man 
  with the stories of their adventures. He has 
  been feeling lonely and useless since his 
  pupil, Justinus, left the Library to explore 
  the world.
  The Arena. The Arena of Syranthia isn’t 
  as big as the one in Faberterra, but it still 
  looks impressive. The fights take place in 
  the evenings and on holy days. Even when 
  not open to the public, the Arena is full of 
  gladiators training, cursing and boasting, 
  while servants sweep the steps, feed the 
  beasts, and so on. The heroes are looking 
  for the Master of Beasts, who is in charge 
  of all the animals in the Arena. But he is a 
  very important person, second only to the 
  Master of Games, and surely he has no time 
  to see the characters.
  Instead they can speak to Runikos, who 
  works in the beasts’ pens. If tempted with 
  a few Moons and some witty chat (a Per-
  suasion roll, some good role-playing or big 
  smiles from a pretty heroine), he can reveal 
  some useful information.
  “An Ape from the Cannibal Islands, you say? 
  Aye, we had one, but now it is gone. Ndami 
  got it.”  And he chuckles as he remembers the 
  story.
  He explains a little bit more.
  “The people who work here are sometimes paid 
  with ‘shares’ in the pens, which means they 
  come to own a little portion of all the animals 
  kept in the Arena. It’s a gamble, because if the 
  worker dies before retiring, his family can 
  claim no right. But if he doesn’t get killed by 
  some of these nasty critters, he can become the 
  owner of a whole pen and its content. Usually 
  he sells the beasts back to the Arena before 
  retiring. Well, Ndami, an old Savannah man 
  who worked here for many years, ended his 
  career owing three pits. Or better the three 
  beasts contained in them. He decided to keep 
  them and took them home with him! He said 
  they were old and tired, just as he was, and 
  deserved a quiet old age. The Master of Beasts 
  was really mad! He had planned to make the 
  old animals die in the Arena in some grue-
  some way. Tugg, the Cannibal Ape, was one 
  of them.”
  Ndami now lives in an abandoned villa, a 
  few miles south of Syranthia. Finding it 
  won’t be difficult, since Runikos’ directions 
  are very accurate. If questioned about what 
  other beasts Ndami took home, he men-
  tions a lion and a tiger, both as old and 
  shabby as the ape.
  
  The Skinner  of Syranthia
  10
  The Master of Beasts
  The trip to the abandoned villa where Nda-
  mi lives takes an hour on foot. The harvest 
  season has just ended, and the fields are 
  empty except for some crows pecking at 
  the few grains of wheat left on the ground.
  The villa is quite big and it must have once 
  belonged to a rich man. If the party has 
  investigated a little (Streetwise roll), they 
  know it is called the Contested Palace. Its 
  former owner, the son of a rich merchant, 
  lost it at the gambling table and, overcome 
  by shame, committed suicide. Therefore the 
  debt couldn’t be settled and nobody man-
  aged to claim ownership of the villa. It is 
  now abandoned and its garden overgrown.
  The gates are missing, stolen by thieves, and 
  the overgrown garden is as thick as a jungle. 
  The faint noise of flowing water is the only 
  sound perturbing the peace of this place.
  Following the sound, the party finds a 
  small clearing where a monumental foun-
  tain, covered with ivy but still working, is 
  spouting water.
  A small path leads off, probably to the main 
  building of the estate. Before the heroes 
  have a chance to take it, something unex-
  pected happens.
  You hear something heavy moving in the 
  vegetation, and then you see it. A huge tiger 
  is staring at you with bright green eyes! At 
  the same moment, you also hear a low growl 
  coming from behind you. You turn around 
  and see the imposing shape of a lion cautiously 
  approaching and sniffing the air!
  Despite their appearance, these beasts 
  aren’t dangerous. With a Notice roll (+2 if 
  the hero has any beast-related edge or the 
  Woodsman Edge), he can see they are very 
  old. With a raise, he also understands they 
  look more curious than hungry.
  Let the players role-play the encounter. The 
  animals won’t attack unless threatened.
  If the heroes keep their cool for a couple of 
  rounds, Ndami appears on the path. He is 
  an old Savannah Tribesman with an exag-
  gerated limp in his right leg.
  “Keep calm, strangers. Dharma and Roghro 
  aren’t dangerous, and neither am I. We are 
  too old to pose any threat.” He adds with a 
  toothless smile.
  If the heroes attacked the beasts, Ndami tries to 
  console them (with a Smarts roll he can calm 
  them down). He isn’t very collaborative, and 
  the heroes must use Persuasion, Intimidation 
  or some money (50 Moons) to appease him.
  Ndami politely asks the party why they are 
  here if they didn’t attack the animals.  Ndami 
  is a kind man, and once he is sure the heroes 
  aren’t here to send him and his beasts away 
  from the villa, he answers their questions.
  “Tugg the Ape, you ask? He…– yes, I say “he”, 
  not “it” – was my friend. He died of old age 
  a month ago. He killed many gladiators in 
  his life, but with me he was always as sweet 
  as a lamb.”
  If questioned about where he buried the 
  beast, he becomes uneasy, as if ashamed, 
  then continues.
  “I didn’t bury Tugg. The day after his death a 
  strange man came to the villa. He said he was 
  a servant of the First One, some weird god 
  of the Independent Cities. Tall and gaunt as 
  a vulture, he was. He told me Tugg had the 
  shape of a man and deserved to be buried as 
  a man. A very crazy thing it seemed to me, 
  but he gave me one hundred Moons for the 
  body. Dharma and Roghro need a lot of meat, 
  
  11
  Investigation
  so I took the money and he took Tugg away 
  in a cart.”  
  Haunted Birds
  While the heroes are chatting with Ndami, 
  have them make a Notice (–4) roll. If they 
  succeed, they notice a crow sitting in a 
  tree. It looks just like the ones they saw 
  in the fields on their way to the villa. Then, 
  another one arrives, then a third, a fourth, 
  and so on. A whole murder arrives over a 
  few seconds.
  These crows aren’t normal beasts, but em-
  balmed creatures animated by Enerius’ dark 
  magic. He sent them here to kill Ndami 
  and the heroes and eliminate anyone who 
  can link him to Tugg.
  The crows are vicious opponents and fight 
  to the last feather.
  Once the beasts are taken down, the heroes 
  discover they are embalmed specimens and 
  each has a strange silver symbol painted on 
  its head. With a Knowledge (Arcana) (–2) 
  roll, it is recognized as an ancient Keronian 
  rune meaning “awake”, common in corpse 
  animating sorcery. The rune disappears in 
  a few minutes.
  “These aren’t common crows” says Ndami with 
  curiosity. “The big one is an Imperial Crow 
  of Faberterra, those over there are Eye Peck-
  ers of the Caledlands, and the small one is a 
  Gemthief of Jalizor. They are all rare speci-
  mens, embalmed in such a perfect way! Surely 
  this is the work of a master, but I don’t know 
  anyone capable of bringing them back from 
  death.”
  It is definitely time for the heroes to visit 
  the House of the First One if they haven’t 
  already.
  (M) Ndami, Master of Beasts (1)
  (M) Dharma the Tiger (1)
  (M) Roghro the Lion (1)
  (WC) Murder of Embalmed Crows (1)
  The House of the 
  First One
  The temple stands in a run-down part of 
  the city. Despite being big, the building is 
  old and in need of repairs. Only one priest 
  lives in the temple; a tall, gaunt man simply 
  called the Caretaker.
  The heroes have two opportunities to visit 
  the Caretaker, and his behavior changes 
  depending on the heroes’ attitude. On the 
  first visit, the party hasn’t yet discovered 
  he bought Tugg’s corpse from Ndami. On 
  the second visit, they question him directly 
  about the ape.
  First Visit. The heroes see the Caretaker 
  about Anastasia, Denera and the gruesome 
  death of the first and the mysterious kid-
  napping of the second one. The Caretaker 
  doesn’t like speaking to non-believers, so 
  the quantity of information he reveals de-
  pends on how well the players do in a Social 
  Conflict roll based on Persuasion.
  Margin of 
  Result 
  Success
  0 
   The Caretaker doesn’t reveal any new 
  information. Both Denera and An-
  astasia are part of his small flock.
  1-2  Feeling the heroes are trying to help, 
  the Caretaker adds the girls came 
  to pray for the souls of their parents, 
  who died of the plague a long time 
  ago. He also hints he saw Denera’s 
  body, which was totally skinned.
  3+ 
   The party earns the Caretaker’s trust. 
  He reveals Denera’s body in still in 
  his custody, in the crypt under the 
  
  The Skinner  of Syranthia
  12
  temple. He is embalming it, trying 
  to make the disfigurement less vis-
  ible. He can show it to the heroes 
  (Spirit roll to avoid being Nauseated 
  for 1d6 hours). With a Notice (–4) or 
  Healing roll, they understand every 
  inch of the girl’s skin was removed 
  with great care to avoid ruining it. 
  The tool used was probably an em-
  balmer’s knife and its wielder must 
  have been a tanner or someone of 
  comparable skill.
  Second Visit. The heroes return to the 
  Caretaker when they discover he bought 
  Tugg’s corpse. If directly questioned about 
  it, his face clearly shows he is troubled, but 
  not for the reason the heroes think.
  “Yes, I bought the corpse from the man at the 
  old villa when I heard the ape was dead. I did 
  it because I wasn’t quite sure if it was a man 
  or not and, in doubt, it was my duty to give 
  him proper burial.
  Look around. The temple is falling to pieces. I 
  have fewer followers every day; the new gods 
  are luring them away like bees with honey.
  I paid a lot of money for the body, more than I 
  could afford, and I kept feeling uneasy while 
  I took the ape’s body to the crypt. 
  Then, a man wearing the robes of the Library’s 
  Sages came. He said he was an embalmer and 
  wanted the ape so it could be preserved for 
  study. He offered me a handsome sum and I 
  accepted, thinking embalming was as good as 
  a burial! I thought my god had sent the Sage, 
  but he did so only to test the strength of my 
  beliefs, and I failed! I sent that poor body to 
  be desecrated!”
  The Caretaker doesn’t know who the man 
  was. He only knows he was a Sage of the 
  Library, with no remarkable physical fea-
  tures, and an expert in embalming animals. 
  When the Sage arrived at the temple, the 
  Caretaker was busy praying with Denera 
  and Anastasia and thinks he introduced 
  them to him!
  At this point, it is time for the heroes to 
  go back to the Library and to identify the 
  mysterious person.
  If the heroes tell the Caretaker some night-
  marish creatures are involved in this story, 
  he turns pale, goes to the altar, picks up a 
  small metal lamp, and gives it to the party.
  “This is the Light of the First One, who leads 
  the dead ones to the otherworld. It will help 
  you against this great evil.” Then he bows and 
  leaves.
  See the sidebar to learn more about the 
  powers of the Lamp of the First One.
  Later in the night, the Caretaker will desert 
  the temple, never to return. He let his god 
  down and cannot bear it. He leaves this 
  story for good, but the Game Master can 
  devise some way to make him return later 
  in the campaign.
  (M) Caretaker, Priest of the First One (1)
  Heroes’ Journal: THe FirsT 
  one
  The First One is a very old god. He is mainly 
  worshipped in the Independent City of Hillias, 
  but his cult is probably far older. He is depicted 
  as a tall, hooded man, holding a lamp in his 
  right hand. The First One stands at the head 
  of the line of souls making their way to the 
  otherworld. His temples are lit by hundreds 
  of lamps and candles brought by his followers.
  Worshippers of the First One have great re-
  spect for the dead. It is their duty to ensure 
  the dead are properly buried so they can reach 
  the next state of existence, a concept similar to 
  the doctrines of the Path of the Enlightment.
  
  13
  The Skinner Revealed
  This is what most people know about the cult, 
  but some say the worshippers of the First One 
  can actually communicate with the dead.
  No priest of the First One will meddle with 
  the undead. Their very existence is an offense 
  to their god.
  THe ligHT oF THe FirsT one
  This bronze lamp is obviously very ancient 
  and crafted with skills now forgotten. Its pale 
  flame burns light blue and gives off a faint 
  smell of sandalwood. It is held from above by 
  a length of chain.
  The Lamp is a powerful relic. Its wielder gains 
  the Champion Edge against undead creatures. 
  In addition, any ally in his command radius 
  gains +1 Toughness against Undead attacks.
  The Lamp contains enough blessed oil to 
  work for the whole adventure. Without the 
  oil, which can be made only by priests of the 
  First One, it has no power.
  The Skinner 
  Revealed
  When the heroes arrive at the Library, they 
  might have only a vague idea of who their 
  man is (a Sage of the Library who embalms 
  beasts) or they might have made the con-
  nection and know Enerius is the man they 
  are looking for.
  If they already know Enerius is the culprit, 
  they deserve a Bennie.
  Enerius is nowhere to be found in the huge, 
  chaotic library. But they soon bump into 
  old Velastios, walking while reading an an-
  cient scroll and muttering to himself. He 
  is happy to help.
  “A Sage expert in embalming, you say? You 
  must be looking for Enerius. He is the best 
  tanner the library has had in decades. He 
  makes the finest vellum I have ever seen, as 
  smooth as the hips of a pretty girl… ehm… 
  not that I have touched any in the last fifty 
  years, obviously. And he also embalms exotic 
  animals for the Library. At this time of the 
  day he’ll surely be in the Scriptorium scold-
  ing some student for wasting precious vellum 
  with their poor handwriting. Let me show 
  you the way.”
  Going to the Scriptorium requires only five 
  minutes, but the party won’t get there. En-
  erius is speaking to a student at the far end 
  of the corridor when he spots the party. He 
  immediately darts off down a side corridor!
  The heroes run after him but, when they 
  reach the door at the end of the side cor-
  ridor, they find it locked.
  If they ask the puzzled student or Velastios, 
  they answer it’s the door to the embalming 
  laboratory.
  The Embalming 
  Laboratory
  The door is locked and quite sturdy. The 
  heroes can pick the lock or bash it in 
  (Strength roll). It isn’t a very difficult task 
  but it must be done quickly; the more time 
  Enerius has the more nasty traps he can set 
  on his path. Treat the lockpicking or bash-
  ing attempt as a Dramatic Task but without 
  a fixed number of rounds. The task ends 
  when the party manages to gather three 
  successes, with each raise counting as an 
  additional success. Up to two heroes can 
  work on the door in the same round but 
  they must be doing the same thing. One 
  cannot pick the lock while the other one 
  is trying to bash the door in.
  
  The Skinner  of Syranthia
  14
  Note the number of rounds the heroes use 
  to open the door. In the paragraphs below 
  they are referred to as Late Rounds.
  Laboratory. Once the door is open, the he-
  roes walk into a large embalming laboratory. 
  It is full of benches, bookshelves and so on, 
  but the main feature is a large metal tube 
  in the middle, where the corpses are kept 
  in a mixture of exotic liquids. An elevated 
  wooden balcony, accessible via a staircase, 
  runs around the perimeter of the room, to 
  allow students to watch the master at work 
  from above without hindering him.
  There are numerous workbenches, full of 
  acids and other Lotus substances used 
  in embalming. To slow down the heroes, 
  Enerius has put a glass bowl (plus one ad-
  ditional bowl per two Late Rounds) full of 
  acid perched precariously on the balcony’s 
  handrail. The acid pours onto the heroes’ 
  heads as soon as they enter the room! Each 
  character must make an Agility roll, with 
  –2 for each additional bowl. An adventurer 
  who fails the roll is sprayed by acid and 
  suffers 2d8 damage.
  Enerius leaves through another door while 
  the heroes are busy dodging the bowls.
  “You cannot stop me! I have only started saving 
  them!” he says, running away.
  He is speaking about the books of the Dark 
  Library.
  Gallery of Beasts. The second door leads 
  to a large, long corridor, where most of 
  the Library’s embalmed beasts are on 
  display. There are cats, snakes, dogs, and 
  much stranger beasts. Among them is 
  Tugg. Enerius has the power to animate 
  them by placing the Mark of False Life on 
  their heads. But he has little time now and 
  only manages to bring to life Tugg and a 
  few other creatures. Let the heroes make a 
  Notice roll to avoid being Surprised, since 
  the embalmed beasts attack them to cover 
  their master’s escape through another door. 
  Enerius keeps muttering nonsense:
  “The words! The words are crawling upon me! 
  You cannot understand…”
  The words written on Enerius’ skin are driv-
  ing him madder every day.
  (WC) Tugg the Ape (1)
  (M) Embalmed Beasts (1 per 2 heroes plus 
  1 per 2 Late Rounds)
  Empty Room. After dispatching the em-
  balmed beasts, the heroes rush after Enerius. 
  They enter a dusty hall with empty book-
  shelves along the walls. There are no doors, 
  so Enerius must be hiding somewhere. Just 
  then, Velastios the Sage reaches the party, 
  holding a torch, with a puzzled expression 
  on his face.
  “Wonderful!” He says “I haven’t been in this 
  room in ages.”
  There must be a secret passage somewhere, 
  and the heroes must find it. Let the group 
  make a Notice (–2) roll, which can be co-
  operative. In case of success, they find the 
  passage. Otherwise, at some point Velastios 
  says:
  “Weird, the light of the torch flickers if I stand 
  here? There must be a gap in this wall.”
  The heroes discover a shelf can be moved, 
  revealing a dark passage.
  Velastios looks very tired now. All the com-
  motion is too much for his old body. He leans 
  against a shelf and says: “I think I’ll wait 
  here. Take this torch, you will need it. And 
  be careful, the Library is much bigger and 
  more dangerous than you might think. We 
  
  15
  The Dark Library
  have never explored all of it, and I have no 
  idea where this passage leads.” 
  The Dark 
  Library
  In the Darkness. The passage is dark and 
  full of strange whispers, emanations of the 
  Dark Library and the light of the torches 
  can’t dispel it. Even the glow of the Light 
  of the First One is reduced to a pale, gray-
  ish halo.
  Advancing in this spooky place is danger-
  ous. The strange voices constantly whisper 
  words to the heroes, incomprehensible yet 
  terrifying. The only thing the adventurers 
  can do is tighten the grip on their weapons, 
  trust their companions, and go on, ignoring 
  the whispers.
  Leaving the darkness is a Dramatic Task 
  based on Spirit (–2). The roll is cooperative 
  and every member of the party must par-
  ticipate. Any supporting hero rolling 1 on 
  the Spirit die, regardless of the Wilde Die, 
  causes the leading hero to suffer –1 to the 
  roll because he has a negative influence on 
  his comrades (he says something unnerving, 
  trembles, and so on).
  The leading hero has a +2 bonus if the group 
  is holding the Light of the First One. If the 
  cooperative roll fails, every party member 
  must do a Fear check.
  The task lasts five rounds. There is no need 
  to count successes, the heroes must simply 
  endure the time.
  This scene is based on the heroes trying 
  to overcome fear as a group, so good role-
  playing (encouraging words to friends and 
  so on) should be rewarded (+2 to the roll 
  at the Game Master’s discretion).
  The dispel power, cast against Sorcery d12, 
  can drive away the darkness for one round 
  or for the entire scene if the caster wins the 
  opposed roll with a raise. 
  Rotting Knowledge
  You manage to cross the passage and you see a 
  faint light in front of you. The whispers fade 
  in the shadows, but you are aware they are 
  still there, like predators ready to pounce. 
  You enter a large room, its ceiling so high you 
  cannot see it in the darkness. The hall hosts a 
  large number of very old bookcases, and you 
  see pieces of books hanging down from the 
  shelves like the arms of rotting corpses.
  But it isn’t the books that catch your attention. 
  In the middle of the room, a naked girl is tied 
  to a rack. Anastasia is still alive! She looks 
  unharmed, except for being asleep.
  There are various other racks, on which sev-
  eral sheets of the purest vellum you have ever 
  seen are carefully placed to dry. A freshly made 
  book lies on a table, ready to be written upon. 
  You realize the book is made with poor Den-
  era’s skin!
  Enerius’ voice suddenly comes from behind 
  the bookcases. In his madness he has torn off 
  his vest and is now bare-chested. 
  “You don’t understand! I have to do it! Skin for 
  these books! Copy them to preserve them from 
  oblivion! See the words, they are crawling upon 
  me, asking for it!”
  And then to your dismay you see dozens of 
  black letters and runes moving under his skin, 
  like living tattoos!
  
  The Skinner  of Syranthia
  16
  With wild laughter, Enerius attacks you 
  wielding a razor-sharp skinning knife!
  This is the final fight of the adventure, in 
  which the heroes either perish or save 
  Anastasia!
  The room is 12” by 12”. The heroes came 
  through the only door, which opens along 
  the southern wall and is 2” wide.
  Place Anastasia’s rack in the middle of the 
  room. She is sleeping, drugged, so no stats 
  are necessary for her. Place the six Ensor-
  celled Bookshelves (see below) around the 
  room as you see fit, but at least 2” away 
  from each other.
  Enerius starts in a place of the Game Mas-
  ter’s choice, between 6” and 12” away from 
  the heroes.
  The main enemy isn’t Enerius, but the Dark 
  Library itself. The heroes are in its territory 
  now and its power is larger because the 
  bookcases can summon creatures made of 
  pure shadow, called Library Shadows (see 
  below). There is one sentient bookshelf per 
  hero, while the remaining shelves have no 
  power. Before the start of the fight, the 
  Game Master should secretly decide which 
  bookcases are ensorcelled.  The heroes have 
  no way of telling them apart from the nor-
  mal ones.
  The only way to actually destroy the library 
  and win the day is to burn the shelves (see 
  below), killing the malevolent intelligence 
  animating them. 
  Enerius fights to the death to save his be-
  loved library.
  (WC) Enerius the Skinner (1)
  (M) Library Shadows (1 per hero)
  Terrain and Props
  Ensorcelled Bookshelves: Each bookshelf 
  is 1” wide and 4” long. It has the power 
  to create a Library Shadow and to spawn 
  another when the current one is dispatched. 
  The Shadows are created within 3” of the 
  Ensorcelled Shelf.
  Given their size, the bookshelves have 
  Toughness 8 but they suffer double dam-
  age from fire attacks. A torch causes 1d10 
  damage, while the Light of the First One 
  causes 2d10 damage (both dice results 
  must be doubled). Whenever a shelf takes 
  a Wound it is destroyed and a terrible howl 
  is heard. Any living person within 12” must 
  make a Vigor roll or be Shaken. Any Li-
  brary Shadow the bookshelf spawned dis-
  appears. There is no need to keep track of 
  which shelf the Shadow belongs to, simply 
  destroy one at random.
  Improvised Torches: The heroes may arm 
  themselves with torches or similar flaming 
  implements. A simple torch can be made 
  by grabbing a handful of paper from any 
  bookcase and by setting it on fire (requires 
  a full round). This makeshift torch is con-
  sidered an Improvised Weapon but burns 
  out when a 1 is rolled on the Fighting Die, 
  regardless of the Wild Die.
  Rack: Anastasia’s rack is sturdy, but the 
  ropes restraining her aren’t. They have 
  Toughness 4, but there are four of them 
  and each must be cut to actually free the 
  girl. The rack is 2” by 1”.
  The End
  When the entire library is burning, read 
  the following:
  
  17
  Aftermath
  A huge blaze engulfs the room, and you hear 
  a thousand shrieking voices while the an-
  cient pages, full of forbidden knowledge, are 
  destroyed. You see Enerius’ shape among the 
  flames for the last time, but you have no time 
  for him. Taking Anastasia in your arms, you 
  flee the room. As you run down the corridor, 
  you meet a pair of Library Guards who see the 
  fire and quickly run off to ask for help.
  It takes all night to put out the fire but 
  luckily it is stopped before it spreads to 
  other parts of the Library. 
  The Captain of the Library Guards 
  would like to imprison you and 
  throw away the key, but luckily 
  Velastios’ words still have great 
  weight and, after an endless num-
  ber of questions, you are free to go.
  “Ahh…” says the old Sage, walking with you 
  toward the exit. “Love for knowledge can lead 
  a man astray, and that’s what happened to 
  poor Enerius. He never learned to read — he 
  cannot — and it caused him anguish. By the 
  way…” He rummages in his pocket and takes 
  out a strange walnut “…my pupil Justinus 
  sent me this strange fruit from the Cannibal 
  Islands. His letter says it has amazing effects 
  on the man who eats it.” 
  “Would you like to try it?” He asks, his eyes 
  shimmering with curiosity and expectation.
  Aftermath
  The heroes don’t get any richer in this ad-
  venture. They have saved a girl and stopped 
  a madman, reward enough. They also make 
  friends with Velastios the Old, who knows 
  much about a great number of disciplines 
  and has a lot of connections both in Syra-
  nthia and abroad.
  If the Game Master feels the heroes should 
  be rewarded in a more tangible way, he can 
  decide Anastasia insists on giving them 
  some of her savings (500 Moons) or the 
  Library pays them to keep their mouths 
  shut about one of the Sages being a mad-
  man (1,000 Moons).
  This adventure can lead to several interest-
  ing places. For example, the heroes might 
  go looking for the Caretaker, who is no-
  where to be found.
  Creatures 
  and NPCs
  Caretaker, Priest 
  of the First One
  Caretaker is more of a title than a name, 
  but it is the custom of the clergy of the 
  First One to drop their own name and 
  take a simple title. Nobody knows where 
  Caretaker came from, but something in his 
  accent suggests the Independent Cities or 
  maybe Caldeia.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit 
  d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d4, Knowledge (Embalm-
  ing) d8, Knowledge (Religion) d8, Investi-
  gation d4, Notice d6, Persuasion d6
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 5; Parry: 5; Tough-
  ness: 5
  Edges: Charismatic, Priest
  Hindrances: Vow (tenets of his faith)
  Gear: Staff (Str+d4, +1 parry, reach 1, 2 
  hands), robes
  Special Abilities
  • Curse of the Gods: An NPC priest can 
  invoke a curse upon someone. To do so, the 
  priest must make an opposed Spirit roll 
  (–2). If he wins, the target of the curse is 
  
  The Skinner  of Syranthia
  18
  affected by the Bad Luck Hindrance or the 
  lower trait power (Game Master’s decision) 
  until the end of the scenario. If he scores a 
  raise, the curse is permanent, at least until 
  the priest lifts it or the player atones in 
  some way. The Game Master should use 
  this ability only when strictly appropri-
  ate. It is never wise to call upon the gods 
  needlessly… 
  Dharma the Tiger
  This old tiger was the terror of the arena, 
  but now she is old and tired. She is a playful 
  beast, if not threatened, and very fond of 
  milk and honey.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), 
  Spirit d10, Strength d10, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Intimidation 
  d10, Notice d8, Stealth d8
  Pace: 7; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8
  Special Abilities
  • Bite or Claw: Str+d6.
  • Improved Frenzy: Tigers may make two 
  Fighting attacks each action at no penalty.
  • Low Light Vision: Tigers ignore penalties 
  for Dim and Dark lighting.
  • Pounce: A skilled tiger often pounces on 
  its prey to best bring its mass and claws to 
  bear. It can leap 1d4” to gain +4 to its attack 
  and damage. However, its Parry is reduced 
  (–2) until its next action when performing 
  this maneuver.
  • Size +3: Dharma weighs over 700 pounds.
  Embalmed Beast
  Beasts animated by Enerius’ dark powers.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4 (A), 
  Spirit d6, Strength d16, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Stealth d6
  Pace: 5; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6
  Special Abilities
  •  Bite or Claw: Str+d4.
  • Beast Type:  There are many types of 
  beasts in the Library preserved for study. 
  Roll a d8 for each beast and check the list 
  below to determine its type:
  Die 
  Beast Type.
  1 
   Dog/Wolf: Go for the Throat. Auto-
  matically hits the least armored loca-
  tion on a raise.
  2 
   Weasel: Iron Jaw. Str+d6 damage.
  3 
   Giant Bat: Fly. Pace 7 and Climb –3.
  4 
   Boa Snake: Grappler. +4 to Grapple 
  rolls.
  5 
   Hunting Leopard: Very Fast. Pace 10.
  6 
   Striped Boar: Thick Hide. Size +1 
  and Armor +1. Toughness 8 (1).
  7 
   Tricarnian Hairy Spider: Wall 
  Crawler. Can move on inverted 
  surfaces.
  8 
   Lake of Tears Crawling Octopus: 
  Many Tentacles. The octopus can 
  perform up to four attacks without 
  any penalty to its Fighting rolls. The 
  attacks can target different opponents 
  and have Reach 2.
  • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recovering 
  from being Shaken; immune to poison, dis-
  ease and called shots, except those linked 
  to its weakness.
  • Weakness (Glyph of False Life): Enerius 
  isn’t a true sorcerer, his powers derive from 
  the words written in the Keronian books 
  he found. He must place a silver symbol on 
  the head an Embalmed Beast to animate 
  it. A called shot (–4), strong enough to 
  cancel the Glyph (Toughness 4), destroys 
  the creature.
   Enerius the Skinner
  Enerius is a stern man, always ready to 
  presume other people pity him because 
  he cannot read or write. He is meticulous 
  in his work making vellum and embalming 
  animals, and demands the highest stan-
  dards from his assistants.
  
  19
  Creatures and NPCs
  The Dark Library has made Enerius mad, 
  turning him into a remorseless killer who 
  would do anything to reach his goal of 
  preserving and copying the ancient books, 
  the only ones he can read. The Library has 
  infected his body too, which is now covered 
  in small, alien letters and runes, migrated 
  from the books to his own flesh. Enerius 
  does his best to conceal them with long 
  robes and bandages, saying he has a skin 
  condition. The runes also give him super-
  natural speed and fighting skills.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit 
  d8, Strength d6, Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d10, Healing d6, Notice d8, 
  Knowledge (Embalming) d10, Knowledge 
  (Tannery) d10, Investigation d8, Persua-
  sion d6
  Charisma: –2; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Tough-
  ness: 6
  Edges: Combat Reflexes, Scholar, Trade-
  mark Weapon (skinning knife)
  Hindrances: Outsider (cannot learn to 
  read, a social stigma in the Great Library 
  of Syranthia)
  Gear: Iron skinning knife (Str+d4+1, AP 
  2), robes
  • Marks of Sorcery: Enerius has acquired 
  dark powers that manifest in the form of 
  glowing marks he can impress on people 
  and things with the touch of his hands. In 
  particular, he knows the following pow-
  ers: armor (the runes on his body glow), 
  blindness (mark of hidden darkness), stun 
  (mark of pain), zombie (mark of false life 
  — raises an undead creature, works only 
  on embalmed creatures). All these Powers 
  have Touch range (except the armor power, 
  which is personal). Enerius has 15 Power 
  Points and uses Spirit as Arcane skill.
  • Skin of Words: Enerius’ body is covered 
  with arcane runes which protect him. As 
  long as he is unarmored and the runes are 
  exposed, he receives a free soak roll for 
  each wounding attack, as per the Loincloth 
  Hero Edge (see Beasts and Barbarians).
  Library Shadow
  A vaguely human silhouette made of pure 
  darkness with burning red fissures for eyes. 
  It has long, dark claws and is mute.
  Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d4, Spirit 
  d8, Strength d16, Vigor d4
  Skills: Fighting d8, Stealth d12
  Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 4
  Special Abilities
  •  Claws: Str+d4. 
  • Demon: The Library Shadow is a demonic 
  creature. It is immune to poison and illness 
  and has +2 to recovering from Shaken.
  • Invulnerability: Mundane weapons, ex-
  cept those made of steel, cause no damage 
  to a Library Shadow.
  • Weakness (Fire and Light): The Library 
  Shadows are made of pure darkness, so they 
  are vulnerable to light and fire. A torch 
  deals them Str+d6 damage, while the Light 
  of the First One deals Str+d10 damage. The 
  light power causes them 2d6 damage per 
  round if they are caught in its Large Burst 
  Template, but a Shadow can make an Agil-
  ity roll to jump out of harm’s way.
  • Weakness (Bookshelf): Every Library 
  Shadow is created by one of the Ensor-
  celled Bookshelves. Destroying a shelf de-
  stroys the Shadow it created and prevents 
  the spawning of a new one. 
    Murder of 
  Embalmed Crows
  With a Survival (–2) roll, any character 
  with a good knowledge of beasts spots 
  something very strange in this murder of 
  crows. Each bird belongs to a different and 
  rare species: Imperial Crows from Faber-
  terra, Eye Peckers from the Caledlands, and 
  even Gemthieves from Jalizor. And they are 
  all silent, embalmed specimens from the 
  Great Library brought to life by Enerius’ 
  dark magic.
  
  The Skinner  of Syranthia
  20
  Swarms are treated as one creature. They 
  cover an area equal to a Medium Burst 
  Template and attack everyone within it 
  every round. When a Swarm is wounded, 
  its size decreases to a Small Burst Template 
  (see the Split Special Ability for smaller 
  Swarms). A further hit disperses the swarm.
  Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d4 (A), 
  Spirit d12, Strength d8, Vigor d10
  Skills: Notice d6
  Pace: 8; Parry: 4; Toughness: 9
  Special Abilities
  • Flight: The Murder of Embalmed Crows 
  flies at Pace 8 and has a Climb of –3.
  • Split: This murder is clever enough to split 
  into two smaller flocks (Small Burst Tem-
  plate) should its foes split up. The Tough-
  ness of the smaller flocks is lowered by 2 
  (to 7 each) and their Agility is lowered by 
  a die type.
  • Beaks: These crows are vicious beasts, hit-
  ting automatically with their beaks and tal-
  ons and causing 2d4 damage to everyone 
  in the template. The damage is applied to 
  the least armored location (victims in com-
  pletely sealed suits are immune). 
  • Swarm: Parry +2. The flock includes 
  dozens of creatures, cutting and piercing 
  weapons only deal half damage. Area-effect 
  weapons work normally.
  • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recovering 
  from being Shaken; immune to poison, dis-
  ease and called shots, except those linked 
  to its weakness.
  • Weakness (Glyph of False Life): The mur-
  der comes to life when Enerius places a 
  Glyph of False Life on the head of three of 
  the crows. Destroying one of these glyphs 
  considerably weakens the magic. First a 
  hero must make a Notice (–2) roll to spot 
  one of the three birds. Then with a Called 
  Shot (–4) he can hit the Glyph (Tough-
  ness 4). Any destroyed glyph automatically 
  deals a Wound to the swarm which cannot 
  be soaked.
  Ndami, Master of Beasts
  Ndami came to Syranthia forty years ago. 
  He worked in the arena, nursing animals 
  doomed to die, a fact which always sad-
  dened him. When he left the job he man-
  aged to save and take with him three of his 
  dearest animal companions: Dharma the 
  Tiger, Roghro the Lion, and Tugg the Ape.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit 
  d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Gambling d4, Healing 
  d6, Notice d6, Knowledge (Animals) d8, 
  Survival d8
  Pace: 7; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8
  Edges: Beast Bond, Beastmaster
  Hindrances: Lame
  Gear: Bronze knife (Str+d4)
  Roghro the Lion
  The king of the jungle is a fierce predator, 
  particularly in open grasslands where its 
  prey cannot seek refuge. Roghro has quite 
  a number of scars, left by the wounds he 
  received in the arena, but he is still a fear-
  ful opponent.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), 
  Spirit d10, Strength d10, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d8
  Pace: 8; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7
  Special Abilities
  • Bite or Claw: Str+d6.
  • Improved Frenzy: Lions may make two 
  Fighting attacks each action at no penalty.
  • Low Light Vision: Lions ignore penalties 
  for Dim and Dark lighting.
  • Pounce: Lions often pounce on their prey 
  to best bring their mass and claws to bear. 
  A lion can leap 1d4” to gain +4 to its attack 
  and damage. However, its Parry is reduced 
  (–2) until its next action when performing 
  this maneuver.
  • Size +2: Roghro weighs over 500 pounds.
  
  21
  Creatures and NPCs
   Tugg the Ape
  This powerful ape, bigger than a man, 
  comes from the fabled Cannibal Islands. 
  The Royal Apes of the Cannibal Islands 
  have a very erect posture, which can make 
  them pass for men of incredible height if 
  properly disguised.
  Tugg lived a hard life in the Arena of Sy-
  ranthia. He always killed his opponents 
  before becoming too old to fight. A kind 
  beastmaster, Ndami, took him away from 
  the Arena, but Tugg died of old age a few 
  months later. 
  His body ended up in the hands of Enerius, 
  the embalmer of the Great Library of Sy-
  ranthia, who animated him with his foul 
  magic, turning him into an undead slave.
  Many years in the Arena have made Tugg 
  a very skilled fighter.
  Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6 (A), 
  Spirit d8, Strength d12+2, Vigor d8
  Skills: Climbing d12+2, Fighting d10, In-
  timidation d8, Notice d6, Stealth d8
  Pace: 7; Parry: 7; Toughness: 10
  Special Abilities
  • Fists: Str+d4. 
  • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover-
  ing from being Shaken; immune to poison, 
  disease and called shots, except those linked 
  to his weakness.
  • Size +2: Tugg is nine feet tall.
  • Weakness (Glyph of False Life): Enerius 
  isn’t a true sorcerer, his powers derive from 
  the words written in the Keronian books 
  he found. He must place a silver symbol on 
  the head an Embalmed Beast to animate 
  it. A called shot (–4), strong enough to 
  cancel the Glyph (Toughness 4), destroys 
  the creature.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/Beasts & Barbarians/Savage Worlds - Beasts & Barbarians - Skinner of Syranthia.pdf