William Blackmoor wrote:
On the Queen:
As she dreamd of being the glorious queen in her mother's stead, it must be more than humiliating, to be now reduced to the powerful but in no way glorious "broodmachine" of antlike creatures, who don't love or fear her. Infact she is more a servant to the marikith than they are to her.
Nice. That's a good sight into her condition. Someone suggested that she goes into fits where she slaughters most of her brood, causing the Hive to shrink in size, and periods where she churns them out to achieve some end. I would also suggest that she has moved her lair further down into the sunken remains of the Old Timor Palace. She has turned the throne room into her egg chamber and she even uses her old room when she wants to get away from the kids.
On Timor's other possible inhabitants:
a) herded creatures: some ants herd lice (? those little insects that eat leaves) to milk them. Why shouldn't the marikith do something similare? there could be pockets of herded rats, giant centipedes or even humans (original inhabitants of Timor city, who might already have changed to strange albinos or even caliban) ?
Maybe they even cultivate some (dangerous) plants?
There are already large centipedes (Carrion Crawlers?). I don't think they are the type of creature that would have herds but instead eat whatever they catch. Marikith hunters probably don't need much to eat and likely deliver most of it to the Queen (have to keep her healthy). There are definitely vermin and some nasty plants, but I don't think they're the kind of creatures that would breed or cultivate them. Marikith hunters are disposible soldiers who exist to serve and expand the Hive. They aren't going to spend their time cultivating plants (though Illithids might).
b) undetected beings: undead might go below the marikith's 'radar' as long as the queen does'nt tell them what to look for. Slimes and oozes might also fall into this category
Definitely oozes and slimes. Someone suggested a fungus that could make ingestors invisible to the Marikith. I would suggest that we push that further; you can only find the fungus on the walls of the Hive and you the ingestor suffers damage to their mental stats for a time. Also, if you use it too often or too much you start to transform into a marikith hunter yourself.
c) to powerful to take out: for example a mage or lich might be left alone after he stomped a hundred marikith
This might be a little much. I can see a few Oygtahs lurking below but the Marikiths should remain the most powerful creatures as a whole. There could possibly be fiends locked away or even ancient dead in Old Timor tombs but they should be rumors; not the norm. Basically, if there aren't many liches in Paridon there aren't going to be many in Timor (where it is likely harder to study magic than above, what with the difficulty in getting supplies and keeping your library dry).
d) half-changed: The poison of the marikith might not have the same effect on all creatures, creating half-marikith creatures (imagine a half-marikith-alligator or kobolds )
I see a template coming on...
e) immune : some creatures might be immune to the poison at all like natural lycantrophes (wererats, drow werespiders) or other shapeshifters (another reason the dopp's and the marikith doesn't get along?). The suggested caliban of these sewers might be already to twisted to change.
Sure, but in extremely small amounts. I think we need to re-read the transformative poison description again to make sure there are certain races that are immune.
f) symbiosis: certain creatures might have found a way to get along with the marikith queen for whatever reason (like a coven of drow werespiders who worship her as an avatar of the spiderqueen. Maybe they are spared because of their beliefs, maybe it's because they have black skin and red eyes too and marikith hunters are to dumb to tell the difference? Notice what i already inclueded in my games sewers )
No, I don't think that would happen. The Hive exists to spread expand and consume, and as much as the Queen wants to be human she is driven by the instincts of the Hive. The marikith are the dominante society and will assimilate anything they come across. Besides, we don't want Timor to become a Ravenloft Underdark, so lets leave the Drow out of there. When it comes to what races you might find in Timor, let's look at Paridon. As above, so twisted and monstrous below.
g) hunter's hunted: maybe there is a natural predator for marikith too?
It comes down from a Spelljammer ship to hunt for the skulls of its prey. It has claws, can turn invisible, shoot magic missles from a projector on it's shoulder and sees in 2e infravision. Oh, and it bleeds phospheresent green and has a device that creates a Wail of the Banshee effect!
Let's leave the Marikith unmolested for now. The Queen already has her own Hatchling and the Doppelgangers to worry about.
h) the deep spawn: would a deep spawn (from the Forgotten Realms) be a boon (unlimited supply of cloned food) or a bane(unlimited supply of cloned adversaries) to the marikith ? It's a monster that fit's well with both Paridon and Timor i think.
It would be a bane. It might make a good rumor, but the Hive would want it destroyed as quickly as possible (especially since it can start churning out its own hunters to infiltrate the Hive).
I must've been conflating "Secrets of the Kargatane" with "Shadow of the Knife."
