Frank 44 Mag

A drow themed tavern mostly for iblith non-drow in Waterdeep. It came up in conversation and I don’t think many who follow this blog know of it.

The Crawling Spider tavern

This strange place has a mock underground decor done with plaster slurry and rock rubble. Glowing mosses and lichens have been placed on the walls and ceiling and are watered regularly. These, plus a few netted glowing globes, provide a dim light for the place. Stuffed spiders have been affixed to the ceiling or hang from threads. The staff, hired for their sensuous walks and love of company, wear black bodysuits and masks to make them look like drow. The Spider never seems to close. The visitor soon discovers that one of the cave mouths leads to the jakes and another to a cellar dance floor. Many cave mouths open off this floor and lead to tiny private caverns used for intimatepersonal conferencesand for planning shady business.

Patrons

Dwarves, half-orcs, and other subterranean dwellers who miss home, adventurers, and priests of all faiths, looking for a thrill! They form a regular clientele, and have ever since this place opened. The Crawling Spider has the most dedicated patrons. They will come clear across the city to drink here, ignoring other places. If visitors cause trouble, patrons will leap to take care of it. And they include many veteran adventurers among their number.

Menu

1 sp/head includes soup, a loaf of bread, meat, and fried greens. Ale: 2 cp/tankard Stout 4 cp Zzar or wine 5cp/tallglass. Whiskey is 1 sp/flagon

Proprietress

"Fimir Warrior" © Games Workshop.

[Commissioned by @alquitranofmystara​. If you check my page for supporting the Codex, you may notice one new addition that hasn’t been there before. “I am not interested in monsters from Warhammer”. I have done some Warhammer monsters before, namely a handful of skaven, but have declined conversions of things like Space Marines and Warhammer’s Orks. I figured that I was okay covering ideas that are more obscure bits of the lore. Until the fimir.

I love the look of the fimir, kind of a Muppet Viking. My friend growing up had a copy of Hero Quest, which had a few fimirs in it, so we used those as miniatures for all sorts of tough humanoids. But when I was doing the research for this entry, I found that they have a number of traits that fall into my list of Least Favorite Monster Tropes

They have a strong biologically determinate caste system, despite being chaotic (literally serving Chaos in WHF)

They have an uneven sex ratio and balance of power between the sexes

They can only reproduce via raping humans.

That last part has been quietly ignored in more recent editions of Warhammer Fantasy, as well it should be. But it continues to stress for me how grim and pessimistic and un-fun all of the Warhammer flavor text I’ve encountered is. So this is my last Warhammer monster. If you’re interested in a very deep dive into the fimir’s history, including why they were created, why they went ignored for a decade or two, and what Alan Lee piece inspired their look, check out this article.  My version strips out the biologically determinate caste system and replaces the rape with a different, less tasteless, form of reproduction.]

Fimir CR 3 CE Monstrous Humanoid This humanoid creature stands a head taller than a man. It has a beaked snout with a pair of curved tusks in the lower jaw, over which glares a single baleful eye. It is clad in mail and carries a stout axe. The creature’s tail ends in a lump of bone.

Fimirs are marsh-dwelling raiders whose numbers are bolstered by sinister magic. They were once fey creatures, but in dealing with demons they lost their connection to the First World. Fimir are sexless and can only reproduce by sculpting a new fimir body out of mud, reeds and bone, and then pouring life into it with the still beating heart taken from a humanoid sacrifice. As such, fimir need to raid other peoples on a regular basis in order to grow or maintain their numbers, taking captives for this awful ritual.

Fimirs prefer to fight from a position of strength, and usually travel in numbers. Their skin is amphibian like, smooth and moist, and dries painfully when exposed to direct sunlight. In order to minimize exposure, their formations usually fight from within a bank of magically conjured fog. The single eye of a fimir can see through this fog with ease, putting enemies at a disadvantage. Fimir usually wear armor and carry weapons into combat—axes, morningstars and longspears are all favored armaments. Even when unarmed, a fimir packs quite a punch in its club-like tail. Most fimirs have a solid mass of bone (dealing bludgeoning damage), but a few have bladed tails (slashing damage) or bony spikes (piercing damage) instead.

Fimir settlements are focused around a central stone stronghold, where the clan gathers to feast and boast, and several smaller outbuildings used as workshops or storage. Slaves do most of the menial tasks, either captives who have not yet been sacrificed or fimir who have fallen into slavery due to disgrace and failure. These drudges have their tails docked to deprive them of natural weaponry, and are sometimes used as fodder in warfare. Fimir advance by class level, with witch and barbarian being popular choices. Divine spellcasters among the fimir include sinister death druids and clerics of various demon lords.

Most fimir use male pronouns, but a few, particularly witches, take on feminine pronouns. Regardless of gender, fimir decorate their bodies with jewelry and tattoos.