Big Red

Special Equipment:

If found in his lair, he has chunks of amythest below him, if encountered away from it, he allways has a large chunk gripped in one of his tentacles. It is from amythest that his power to cast spells comes from. (If you are using him in a world that is not Acqua, then make it some other kind of magical object.)

Appearance:

Big Red, being a Kraken, wears no clothes.His skin is normally a dark red but he can change his colour to show his feelings or blend into the background.When making a point he waves a tentacle around.As well as his beak, two of his tentacles have toothy mouths on the end as well.He can change his skin texture to be lumpy and bumpy like a rock or smooth and perfectly streamlined.

Background:

Big Red is one of the most powerful of all Krakens. There was once a Mage named Edward on Kossior Island, who had studied the Krakens in books and from dry land until he made a spell that would let him speak their tongue. For a long while he did not dare to use it, until news came from a nearby island of an attack by a boatload of pirates.It seemed likely that they would soon attack Kossior Island.

A great Kraken lived nearby and no human dared to go anywhere near it, but Edward decided to put his life in it's hands and ask it for help.

And so the Mage got into a small boat and paddled out to Big Red, who decided to eat him, but was enormously surprised when the puny human spoke in his own speech and forgot his hunger.The Mage asked for aid and promised amythest in return, for his island was blessed with a large amount of the stuff.

Big Red agreed and when the boatload of pirates turned up, he sank the boat and ate them. He was powerful even then. The Mage kept his word and placed several chunks of amythest in the sea next to Big Red.

And so it was that Big Red became the protector of Kossier Island, eating those who would cause harm to the islanders, scaring the sharks away so that they could swim without being eaten, and warning if a large wave was coming, for he could sense it. In return he got, over the days and weeks and months, a large supply of amythest, plus the occasional human sacrafice of a criminal, plus the threats that he ate.He also got a lot of respect, almost like a God.As he lay amongst the amythest, he grew bigger then many of his kind, basking in the magical field.

He ordered the islanders to begin amythest trading with other islands, allways taking his cut from any trade. All benifitted. The islanders, of which there were not very many, grew rich from the trade and had many luxuries.
And they no longer feared attacks by pirates. They opened an amythest mine and part of it, of course, went to *feeding* Big Red with his tribute.Big Red grew huge and proud and happy.

After a few years the De Maddens grew to hear of this illegal trading and sent a three master to punish the islanders and take over the amythest.-, but the captian made the mistake of shouting over to the islanders exactly what he planned to do to them.The Mage told Big Red, and Big Red pulled the three master below the waves and ate the entire crew.Whilst smaller ships had been sunk by Krakens,never had a three master been pulled underwater before. Big Red was not going to have any Company interfereing with him.

Years later the Company sent a ten master to the scene.News had leaked out and they wanted revenge on the Kraken.Big Red said a powerful spell of it's own kind that cracked open the bottom of the ten master and sent it to the bottom, the first time the humans had ever heard and seen a Kraken using magic.Kraken magic, by the way, only works if a Kraken uses it.Humans who try allways fail and become very ill as well.Big Red let a few survivors escape to report what had happened.The effort had shrunk him and turned a lot of his amythest into smoky quartz, but there was plenty more where that came from.

Now the islanders are rich and happy, although they cannot go to Banhoesea or islands close to it for fear of the Company's wrath.Big Red has regrown to an impressive size.He could probebly get even bigger but he does not want to get so big that he gets trapped by shoals.He is worshipped like a god and loves the praise.

Roleplaying Notes:

Big Red has a huge ego and is quite easily offended.Of course, one needs the right magical spell to speak with him.He is very proud of himself.Providing he is given respect and he does not feel threatened, he will be friendly to the PC's rather then hostile. Of course, if the 'From Good Fellow to Goodfella' plot hook is being used, he will be a lot more nasty and aggressive. Otherwise he has no real hatred for humans,as it is his link with humans that has enabled him to become as powerful as he is.

If he does get into a fight with the PC's,as well as striking out with his tentacles he can cast a spell on every third combat round. The GM should throw a dice to see the effect.

1-A ten foot wave sends the PC's flying and does one d6 roll worth of damage.

2-Each PC is struck by a Fear spell and must roll a d6...a one means that they flee

3-A spell summons sharks and other dangerous sea creatures to attack the PC's.

4-The next spell used by a PC against Big Red will automaticly fail.

5-A small water elemential is summoned against the PC's

6-No effect, the spell fails.

Every time he casts a spell he shrinks quite a bit until he reaches a minimum size of fifty feet from head to tentacle tip,of which half is tentacles.

His cartwheel size eyes will see through all but the strongest invisibility and illousion spells.

If he is wounded very badly he will try and submerge and flee into open water,rather then fight to the death.

Although meant for Acqua, the GM can tweak a few things around and use Big Red on any world with large bodies of water.

Plot hooks

From Good Fellow to Goodfella

Big Red has changed from the protecter of the community to, in effect, a marine Mafia boss, demanding large numbers of human sacrafices and terroising the islanders who dare not fish for food or visit other nearby islands.
The islanders smuggle someone out who offers the PC's a large amount of money to kill him or otherwise get rid of him.

Alternatly, Big Red has a McGuffin that the PC's need and wants them to go out on a quest for him.

Here is a link to Big Red's world of Acqua.

http://www.strolen.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2269