Our ranks swell with each passing day. The wastes tremble beneath your mighty steps and your war banners darken the horizon. Throughout the known lands, all know that the Horde approaches!
But before we march to our final conquest, let us take care to caution the eager, fresh-eyed warriors that have taken up our cause. For there are horrors that lurk in the sandy canyons and dusky hills, and they hunger for our flesh.
Strekleon: Enormous, leonine creatures, strekleons’ coats bristle with sharp, needle-like quills. Six feet high at the shoulder, strekleons stalk their prey and then pounce from a distance, bringing down their targets with their crushing bite and rending claws.
Strekleons are cunning beasts and hunt in prides. Each pride develops its own tactics, handed down to its cubs through the generations.
Most encounters with strekleons are driven by the beasts’ hunger. The beasts can sometimes be distracted by easier meals, but once the pride has committed to the hunt it is nearly impossible to avert their predation.
Gribb: Vulture-like, winged reptiles, adult gribbs have a wingspan as wide as the tallest kith. Their maws are filled with rows of small, sharp teeth, evolved for the tearing of flesh like jagged knives. Flocks are commonly found in the aftermath of kith battles, feasting on the flesh of the dead. Canny survivors of the wastes can often track the movement of war bands by watching the skies.
Gribb nests are hollow mounds built of spittle and crushed bone. The nests stink of rotting flesh and entrails – regurgitated meals for the gribbs’ young. On occasion, some relics that are too tough to be digested or crushed can be found amid the carnage at the base of the mound. Stone weapons and tools are the most common, but determined treasure-seekers can sometimes emerge with greenstone shards or an ancient raygun.
Our legends tell of giant gribbs large enough to serve as mounts. If true, these beasts must be hidden in the high Ancestor Peaks, or are so rare that they are witnessed only once in a generation.
Death Orm: Mighties of all the predators of the Purple Planet, the enormous worms swim the sandy wastes in search of greenstone shards. Defended by hard, chitinous hides, the massive orms mindlessly ignore most attacks, focusing solely on consuming the shards and whatever damned soul might be carrying them. Orms can attack from below, opening massive sand pits beneath war parties. Terrible in their wrath, death orms can easily destroy an entire war camp in moments, devouring the greenstone-bearing commanders and scattering helpless kith in every direction.
Astute veterans of the weirdling sun can sometimes detect the tremors that presage an orm attack, and cagey campaigners keep open bowls and buckets of moonmilk in camp for just this purpose. The orm’s approach sets off vibrations in the liquid, offering precious moments to prepare for the onslaught — whether to seek higher ground, pull up ranks in defense, or cast away the greenstone shards, in a desperate attempt to draw the orms away.
The Final Days Are Upon Us! If you haven't weighed in on our most recent poll, do so soon! A series of choices await us, but only once the Horde has spoken!
