Aridus, the Desert’s Howl

CR: 19 XP: 204,800

CE Huge outsider (air, fire, native)

Init: +12 Senses: blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision Perception: +29

AC: 34, touch 17, flat-footed 25 (+8 Dex, +1 dodge, +17 natural,, –2 size)

HP: 350 (20d10+240), regeneration 15 (cold)

Fort: +18 Ref: +20 Will: +20

DR: 15/cold iron and magic

Immune: fire, fear

SR: 30 THE LEGEND OF THE WENDIGO In real life, the wendigo is a cannibalistic, sometimes gigantic, spirit creature from the myths of the Algonquian peoples of the northeastern United States and Canada, a sinister counterpoint to the benevolent aspects of Gitche Manitou, the Great Spirit. It has appeared in fiction writings in many forms, most famously in the 1910 Algernon Blackwood short story, “The Wendigo.” In Cthulhu Mythos, the wendigo was introduced by August Derleth as Ithaqua, a Great Old One, and the mythological monster has also been featured as a supernatural beast in Marvel Comics. The wendigo even makes an appearance in Stephen King’s Pet Sematary as a guardian spirit near an ancient Micmac burial ground. The wendigo has been traditionally associated with winter, famine, and desperation or mental illness leading to cannibalism, and has also been seen as a vengeful guardian of nature, protecting the wilds from the destructive incursions of humans. These aspects are portrayed in films such as Ravenous and The Last Winter. So powerful was the wendigo mythology among its adherents that wendigo psychosis has been recognized by some psychologists as a culture-bound syndrome affecting people who suffer from an intense craving to consume human flesh and a fear that they will literally turn into wendigos from doing so, with some rare cases even ending in the voluntary execution of the afflicted to prevent the anticipated transformation. Reported cases have declined substantially since the turn of the twentieth century, and there is some question among researchers as to the validity of diagnosis in the earlier documented cases. Regardless of the outcome of such studies, the pervasive belief that something in the northern wilds once caused cannibalism and atrocities among numerous peoples of that region cannot be entirely dismissed. Wendigo

Weaknesses: vulnerability to cold

Speed: 30 ft., fly 120 ft. (perfect)

Melee: bite +29 (4d6+11 plus 4d6 fire), 2 claws +29 (2d8+11/19– 20 plus 4d6 fire)

Space: 15 ft. Reach: 15 ft.

Special Attacks: dream haunting, howl, rend (2 claws,, 2d8+16 plus 4d6 fire and 1d4 Cha damage), wendigo psychosis

Spell-Like Abilities: (CL 20th; concentration +28) At will—wind walk (DC 25) 3/day—empowered sirocco* (DC 24) 1/day—control weather (as druid), nightmare (DC 24)

Str: 33 Dex: 27 Con: 35 Int: 24 Wis: 22 Cha: 26

Base Atk: +20 CMB: +33 (+37 grapple) CMD: 52

Feats: Ability Focus (howl), Critical Focus, Dodge, Empower Spell-Like Ability (sirocco*), Exhausting Critical, Flyby Attack, Improved Critical (claws), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Tiring Critical

Skills: Bluff +31, Disguise +31, Fly +35, Intimidate +31, Knowledge (arcana) +27, Knowledge (geography) +27, Knowledge (nature) +27, Knowledge (religion) +27, Perception +29, Sense Motive +29, Spellcraft +30, Stealth +23, Survival +29

SQ: no breath * See the Advanced Player’s Guide. Over 3, 000 years ago in the southern parts of the vast Thuvian desert, the great alchemist Artokus Kirran was able to harness the power of the rare and beautiful sun orchard and create an elixir that temporarily halted the process of aging in whoever consumed it. While this monumental discovery ultimately united the city-states of the vast desert nation, its creation also inspired many people of baser intentions to entertain their own selfish thoughts of eternal life, spurring them to do whatever they must in order to obtain some of the legendary sun orchid elixir. It was under this banner of greed that the infamous rogue Jalari Zafikiri assembled a team of fellow bandits. Their mission was to infiltrate the famed Citadel of the Alchemist, and Jalari promised the members of his crew that they would be able to coerce the alchemist to provide them all with enough sun orchard elixir to last until the end of days. But when the bandits passed too closely to the House of Oblivion on their way from Merab to the Citadel, however, they were besieged by divs, and most of their food stocks were destroyed in the ensuing battle. Desperate to complete his quest, Jalari continued on with his remaining allies, but the desert was too vast. The once-powerful rogue began to go mad in the desert heat, and in the dead of night he slaughtered his fellow thieves for food. His own shame completed his insanity, and when Jalari ran at a dead sprint across the dunes, he took flight and died in midair, the spirit of a wendigo taking over the husk of his withered body in his stead. Now, certain isolated Thuvian tribes raise goat- headed totems to the beast that stalks the nearby sandstone cliffs and massive dunes. Its forlorn howl echoes on the evening winds, and villagers disappear only to turn up later as withered, half-eaten husks when they fail to maintain their monthly sacrifices on lonely, windswept altars.

Languages: Aklo, Common, Giant, telepathy 1 mile