The Dead Queen 9 (27)

Old Gods of Appalachia

The Dead Queen is not of the Inner Dark or the Green—she is something else, more powerful than what those two forces have been able to harness or destroy. The two sides work together every seven years to bind her in a ritual that keeps her buried under the earth. But when the ritual needs to be renewed, she is free to stop them—and sometimes, somehow, she escapes early.

Denied a full life and motherhood, now death on a grand scale is her goal; there is not enough death in the world to let her heart truly know peace.

The Dead Queen is not too tall, pale like a ghost, her leaf-tangled hair hanging in tatters, and her bones pressing up against her skin. Her clothing is old and rotted, and her scent is the stench of fever and sweat-soaked bandages. Her baby is scrawny, with old eyes that glow like fireflies.

To the people of Good Mother Ministries, the Dead Queen is called the Good Mother and is worshipped as an angel of vengeance.

The Dead Queen is usually accompanied by at least two beasts of the dark earth, or more if she expects powerful foes.

Motive: Murder

Environment: Woods and settlements, especially near where she is buried

Health: 33

Damage Inflicted: Major wound (9 points)

Armor: 3

Movement: Short

Modifications: Might-based tasks, Might defense, and Intellect defense as level 10

Combat: The Dead Queen is immensely strong, able to tear off a grown man's head with her bare hands. She makes one or two melee attacks per round, whether these attacks are punches, clawing with her fingers, or merely grasping and squeezing.

The Dead Queen is surrounded by death magic, automatically inflicting 1 point of damage (ignores Armor) on every creature within short range at the start of her turn. As an action, she can concentrate some of this energy at one creature within short range, inflicting a major wound (9 points) (ignores Armor) on a failed Might defense roll. She recovers health equal to the amount of damage this death magic inflicts (whether passively from an area, as a directed attack, or both).

Her magical powers include (but are not limited to) the following, each of which she can perform as an action:

• Create two of her beasts of the dark earth, which follow her mental commands up to very long range. She can destroy any number of them at any distance as part of another action.
• Paralyze a person within long range, preventing them from moving, breathing, or even falling down. The affected character can attempt an Intellect defense roll each round to break free; each minute they remain paralyzed and not breathing, they move one step down the damage track. This paralysis persists even if the character takes damage.
• Create an earthquake in a short radius within very long range, lasting three rounds.
• Structures and terrain move one step down the object damage track each round and shed debris and rubble. Creatures in the area take 3 points of damage each round due to the general shaking, or 6 points of damage if they're in or adjacent to anything shedding debris.
• Imbue a helpless creature with death magic so they instinctively summon one or more beasts of the dark earth when harmed or threatened; the beasts indiscriminately attack everything in the area (except the imbued character) for several rounds, then expire.
• Curse a helpless creature with a strange affliction, such as seeing everything through a veil of death or being nauseated by all food.
• Control a sleeping character within long range like a puppet. This lasts minutes or hours, during which time the person thinks they're dreaming even as their body obeys the Dead Queen's silent commands. The character can attempt to break free with a new Intellect defense roll each minute.

Interaction: The Dead Queen only wants to bring death to the world. She cannot be persuaded or befriended, but she might (briefly) watch over someone she plans to ensnare and curse.

Use: Someone spotted a ragged-looking woman in the forest carrying a sick-looking infant. Bloody small footprints lead away from a grisly murder scene.

Loot: Leavings from the Dead Queen's body or clothing can be combined to create enough paralyzing poison to coat one or two weapons.

Connection: The character knows a witch or haint who once performed the ritual to imprison the Dead Queen. The character lost a loved one to the Dead Queen.

GM Intrusion: The Dead Queen conjures up a few more beasts of the dark earth as part of another action. The Dead Queen uses her strength to hurl a character a short distance, inflicting 8 points of damage, stunning them for a few rounds on a failed Might defense roll, and breaking one of their limbs (all actions with that limb are hindered by two steps until it is healed).