Back so soon? Those last creatures worked well enough for you? Goooooood. Glad to hear it. And you got several new zombie servants out of the deal! That’s just the cherry on top as far as I’m concerned. So, what are you in the market for today? A desert tomb for your uncle you say?
Hmmmm…
Yes. Yes, I think I have exactly the creature in mind. Follow me in the back. Can I offer you some toast and ochre jelly? No? A little bit of methanol tea? Keeps you from looking older. I’ll have Gunther throw the kettle on. Wait. That’s right, I took his arms for another project. Another time to be sure.
Ah. Here we are. You’ll have to mo-
You’ll have to move closer! It’s a bit windy in here!
That’s better. Now, these creatures aren’t technically undead. They’re simply skeletal bodies that were preserved by the desert sands re-animated by air spirits. But that can work in your favor – enemies are liable to underestimate them only to realize their mistake when it is too late. They cannot be cowed by Clerical magic and divine might, and they are much more powerful than their frame suggests. That wind you hear makes attacking them from range a difficult prospect, and they are capable of generating powerful and blinding sprays of sand to debilitate opponents that get too close to them. I’ve even seen them use several magical tricks using the wind from time to time.
Now, the funny thing about them is that they seem to be bound to the location they were animated. You can get around that with sufficient magic, and that means you can also rebind them to certain locations. This fact, coupled with their albeit limited reasoning and ability to interpret orders makes them ideal guardians for places that you don’t visit very often – like a ziggurat in the middle of the desert for example. I’ll unbind them and provide you the binding ritual for a fair price.
So… what do you think? Doesn’t your uncle deserve the best?
Ben Erickson
