Aquatic Denizens of the Sea of Dread

image by Pindurski, source

The timing of this post accidentally coincides with the release of Threshold Magazine #31 which actually covers very similar subject matter. Which of these you as the reader prefer and maybe use in your games is up to you - perhaps elements of both could be combined in your campaign. 

With the exception of Safari Island the islands of Ierendi and Minrothad do not have the same extensive wilderness as the main continent of Brun which holds the bulk of the Known World. Traders’ Island, Alfeisle, Ierendi Island and Utter Island are all large enough to have areas a league or more away from towns and cities. But these are not inhabited by the sort of monsters one would encounter in the rugged forested foothills of Karameikos, the deserts of Ylaruam or the mountains of Rockhome.

A lot of the focus in official sources is the threat and problems of land-dwelling race, particularly pirates that threaten trading ships in these seas and occasionally raid villages. Pirates are almost the standard bad guys for Ierendi and Minrothad, taking the place of bandits and brigands and partially replacing the usual evil humanoids (orcs, goblins, ogres). They certainly have bases in hidden coves and small islets and can also be found in the more chaotic cities of Ierendi. However, there are other monsters that are far less human that threaten the inhabitants of these islands.

[A note on sources of monsters: This post will refer to monsters that are not in the two B/X rule books. In previous posts I have borrowed from both AD&D and also AC9 Creature Catalogue. I will do so again here - I hope this does not render this post useless for those without these sources.]

Humanoid Races of the Sea

Below the surface of the waves there are various competing species, some of them benevolent, some vicious and some are indifferent.

• Aquatic Elves (from Creature Catalogue) - These are not to be confused with the surface-dwelling sea elves of Minrothad, the aquatic elves live underwater. They are friendly towards other elves and mostly friendly to other civilised races, though they dislike and avoid pirates.
• Merfolk (from Expert rules) are among the most common of the ocean’s intelligent inhabitants and can be found throughout the waters. Some are nomadic while others have established underwater towns. Their attitude towards other races can vary but is rarely outright hostile, though they can get very defensive towards those they see as intruders.
• Shark-kin (from Creature Catalogue) are rarer and more reclusive than merfolk. Despite their name, they tend to leave humans alone unless they are provoked. However, when a tribal leader dies the shark-kin come ashore in a ritual to chose and appoint a new leader. When this happens they can be more erratic and unpredictable towards land-dwellers. Occasionally a pack of shark-kin will fall under the influence of evil devilfish, in which case they become hostile towards other races. 
  
  
  
• Sahuagin (from 1st Edition AD&D) are believed to be a chaotic offshoot of the shark-kin.They are far more aggressive and predatory, attacking any and all who they encounter. They are the sworn enemies of aquatic elves and mermen and unlike other undersea races they are capable and willing to attack human settlements on the shore (Sahuagin can cope with breathing air for up to 4 hours at a time). Like shark-kin they will tame and use sharks as both mounts and pets. They occasionally work with weresharks who, in human form, act as agents and spies for sahuagin. 
• Snappers (from Creature Catalogue) are bad-tempered and dangerous turtle-folk who are rarely encountered in Ierendian and Minrothad waters. They are more common further south around the Thanegoth Archipelago as they are amphibious and come ashore to breed and lay eggs, and the shores in the northern Sea of Dread are a bit too busy for their liking.
• Tritons (from Creature Catalogue) are generally well intentioned and tolerant towards humans. They tend to be more distant and aloof than aquatic elves. Though similar in appearance to mermen, they are tougher and more dangerous in combat and they all seem to have clerical spell casting abilities. As such merfolk will treat tritons with respect and occasionally ask them for clerical assistance. 
• Kna (from Creature Catalogue) are considerably larger than most aquatic humanoids and are perhaps the undersea equivalent of ogres and hill giants, although they are not related. Their attitudes towards other races is variable - sometimes trading, other times wrecking human and elves ships and looting the cargo. They sometimes act as mercenaries, hired muscle for other races. It is known that several tribes of kna have associated with sea dragons (see below), working with them to attack ships or demand payment, while others have fallen under the malevolent influence of either the devilfish or the kopru. Unlike some aquatic races, kna cannot cope with being out of water, so they leave land settlements alone.  

Non-Humanoid Monsters

• Kopru (from Creature Catalogue and X1: Isle of Dread) are inscrutable, alien and incredibly ancient as a race. They have a mind-influencing ability similar to a Charm spell that they will use both on intruders and to maintain an entourage of enchanted slaves (usually of the aquatic races mentioned here, particularly shark-kin and snappers). Sometimes a Kopru will simply use its mind-influencing on the leaders of a tribe and the rest of the tribe will follow the charmed leaders.
• Sea Dragons (from original Expert Rules and Creature Catalogue) are powerful and influential inhabitants of the sea, similar to their land-dwelling draconic cousins. They are not innately hostile towards humans and most other races but are greedy and selfish, often demanding tribute from ships for safe passage and reacting angrily towards those who ignore the sea dragon’s demands.
• Dragon Turtles (original Expert rules & Companion rules) are much rarer than sea dragons, and are considerably more powerful. Occasionally mistaken as uncharted islets because of their size and rock-like shells, dragon turtles can destroy ships and perhaps even threaten a coastal town if angry enough.
• Sea Serpents (from original Expert Rules & Creature Catalogue) are not very clever but are large enough to threaten boats and small ships. Although most other creatures leave them alone treating them as just large predators, sea dragons and sea giants occasionally put them to use as guards and oversized pets. 
• Weresharks (from  Rules Cyclopedia) are a type of lycanthrope, humans cursed to change into large sharks and hunt warm-blooded prey. They are found in many parts of human society, but pirates and fishermen seem to have the highest incidence of this type of lycanthropy. Interestingly enough sahuagin respect, almost revere, weresharks, but shark-kin despise them, viewing weresharks as sorcerous abominations. At least one wereshark is believed to live on Safari Island.
• Devilfish (from Rules Cyclopedia and Masters Rules) are evil vicious creatures similar in appearance to manta rays, but capable of clerical spell casting. Unlike some races they do not have settlements as they do not have hands and therefore cannot build, so they are nomadic, roaming across the Sea of Dread in schools of up to 50 members. They occasionally work with kna, with the devilfish masterminding attacks and the kna providing the brute force. 
• Sea Giants (from Masters Rules) are generally neutral and leave humans and surface races alone. They tend to live in deeper oceans, further south in the Sea of Dread than Ierendi and Minrothad. But they can get territorial, particularly when other creatures poke around the giants’ huge underwater homes. Because of the depths they dwell at, they occasionally encounter deposits of Neptunium, which they will mine and either use for themselves or sell to other aquatic races.
• Aquatic Hydrae (Expert Rulebook) are similar to their land-dwelling cousins though they have turtle-like flippers instead of clawed feet. They are not particularly intelligent and are often just marauding monsters, but powerful and dangerous monsters nonetheless.
• Sea Hags (from Masters Rules) are hideous and chaotic creatures that hate all other living things. They have a terrifying appearance that can scare away even brave adventurers, and a life-draining touch. It is rumoured that those killed by a sea hag's touch are not devoured but transformed into lacedons (see below). [Note: although there is another version of the Sea Hag found in the AD&D Monster Manual with a killing gaze, I am using the Masters Rules and Rules Cyclopedia version]
• Lacedons (from 1st Edition AD&D Monster Manual) are a type of ghoul that are found underwater. They have developed webbed feet and hands as well as slimy, green-tinged complexion. As with other ghouls they are undead, not humanoid, and do not need to breath at all, so are effectively amphibious. They are sometimes found in the service of sea hags
• Sea Lions (from 1st Edition AD&D Monster Manual) are quite unlike their real-life namesakes and are a monstrous combination of lion and large fish, attacking with teeth and claws.