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Legacy of the Dragons
Faradian Large Monstrous Humanoid Hit Dice: 9d8+45 (85 hp), dying/dead –6/–21 Initiative: +1 Speed: 30 feet AC: 30 (–1 size, +1 Dexterity, +8 natural, +12 armor), touch 10, flat-footed 29 Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+18 Attack: Large dire masterwork greataxe +15 melee (2d8+11) Full Attack: Large dire masterwork greataxe +15/+10 melee (2d8+11) and bite +15 melee (1d8+2) Face Space/Reach: 10 feet/10 feet (Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/10 feet) Special Attacks: Ensorcel weapon, dazzle, telekinesis Special Qualities: Blindsight 60 feet, immunities, precognitive flashes Saves: Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +13 Abilities: Str 20, Dex 12, Con 21, Int 17, Wis 21, Cha 19 Skills: Climb +13, Craft (weaponsmithing) +8, Intimidate +10, Jump +10, Knowledge (geography) +9, Knowledge (history) +9, Listen +10, +10, Wilderness Survival +11 Feats: Ambidexterity, Bloody Strike, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (heavy) B, Iron Will B, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (greataxe), Weapon Specialization (greataxe) Environment: Any land Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 8 Treasure: Double standard Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: +4 Living by their own strange code, the faradians are as enigmatic as they are fearsome. Nothing is truly black and white in the Lands of the Diamond Throne, and the faradians exemplify that truism. These towering warriors are as likely to murder a seemingly innocent person as they are to help someone in distress. The faradians are not what they once were. Long ago they served as allies and friends of the mysterious crystal weavers of days past. As such, they were also close companions of the grynlocs (see page 46). Despite their great strength, the faradians were farmers and herders living in and around the northern reaches of the Elder Mountains. In those days, the great kingdom of Sennes encompassed much of what was then called Terrakal. Queen Adrilashe decreed that she must have an elite force of bodyguards and troops. She commanded her allies, the Devanians, to bring the best and the brightest of the faradians to her generals, and they complied. The faradians were taught loyalty,
prowess, and strategy. They even learned sorcerous tricks from the mages of Sennes, who were at their height at the time. Thanks to their special connection to the akashic memory, the faradians ensured that once they were trained, all other faradians would share their knowledge, as would their future generations. Thus, an elite force of faradian warriors attended the monarch of Sennes and, eventually, Devania. Even as political tides turned and human rulers changed, faradians always served them as faithful warriors. When the dramojh invaded, the faradians held them off longer than anyone would have thought possible. The dramojh hated them for their power, but even more for their steadfastness and loyalty. Using sorcery, the demon-dragons captured a number of faradians and murdered the rest. For long years, the dramojh tortured their captives but could not break them. Finally, they used magic to give the naturally blind faradians sight—but no ordinary sight. They cursed the faradians with flashes of the future, but only terrible aspects of what would be. They tormented them with the horrors that were, that had been, and that were still to come. No one knows exactly what happened after that, but when the armies of the giants, sibeccai, humans, and others arrived at the dramojh gates bringing freedom, the faradians were still in the dramojh prisons. They would speak of nothing that had happened. Today, faradians are quite rare. When one sees them, they are usually doing something difficult to understand—they attack individuals seemingly at random, while providing cryptic advice to others. They show up in numbers to help defend a tower against bandit attack, then walk away wordlessly when the same tower is beset by shadow trolls. The truth is, in their ongoing visions of future horrors, they see things that they know can be changed. Their assistance helps others alter or avoid the terrible events still to come. This knowledge sometimes calls for strange—even violent or evil—acts, from a nonfaradian perspective, but they do not care, and they never explain themselves. Thus, today faradians enjoy a sinister and fearsome reputation. Tall and muscular, these humanoids stand at least 12 feet tall. They wear massive, gleaming armor covered in spikes and movable, shifting plates (usually a definitive harness with armor spikes). They wield huge dire axes and wear helmets that cover the part of their faces where their eyes would be, if they had eyes. The helmet always has an opening for the faradian’s mouth, which is large with many pointed teeth. A faradian’s hands and feet are large, too, and it has only four fingers on each hand and four toes on each foot. Its flesh is pale white, almost pink, not that most people ever see faradian flesh. Faradians speak Common as well as their own language, which is closely related to Grynloc, but much simpler. Though few in number, those who remain appear immortal and ageless.
