NEH THALGHW (Brian Collector)
by Giulio CarolettiClimate/Terrain: any
Frequency: two exemplars known
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Brians
Armour class: 5
Hit dice: 10
THAC0: 11
Move: 18
Attacks: 1
Damage: 1d10
No Appearing: 1
Saving as: Cleric 20
Morale: Elite (14); when in frenzy 20
Treasure Type: Nil
Intelligence: 11-12
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
XP Value: 2'200
Brian Collectors are incredibly rare creatures, created by an unknown Glantrian wizard at the time of the Great War with Alphatia. The creature was first sighted by the Northman scholar Oddvar R. Fænaas, who immediately reported this strange sight to the scholarly association of the MML (Mystaran Masters of Light), but was at the beginning ignored. The sudden disappearance of several important personas responding to the name 'Brian' in the Known World (Sir Briane de Guilfort, an Averoigner; Brian McSellayne, a Hinterlander; Brianus Ellenicus, a Thyatian) and the strange circumstances of their deaths attracted the attention of the Northman, who travelled several months in search of the creature whom he believed was responsible. Oddvar managed to confront the creature in Ierendi, where it had just slain the poor noble merchant Aliel Brian; there he discovered the truth about the mysterious creature.
Brian collectors were in origin three Brain collectors, magically altered by Jherek Virayana in the Nightmare Dimension. The actual idea of the Glantrian Prince was to create a sort of monster that had an irresistible hunger for Alphatian wizards; to further this plan, he used as a component of the enchantment the brain of an Alphatian wizard spy who was known as Ellaryn of Brian. Everybody is able to guess by themselves how the things went!
The three beasts suffered an immense pain in their first years of existence as Brian collectors; secluded in the tower of Virayana, they were not fed, and their desire for a tasty Brian brain (or an Ellaryn brain, too: but an Ellaryn is not so easy to find as a Brian!) grew immensely, until they managed to escape from the tower during the War of Ethengar against Glantri. Thanks to the brave Oddvar R. Fænaas we are now rid of one of these foul beasts, but at least two more exist...
Special abilities: The Brian Collector is a strange creature; he may cast any spell a Brian he ate has known in life, of levels until the 3rd, and he may either attack with is bite, either with a spell.
A Brian Collector eats seldom, so when he meets a Brian he goes into a
hungry frenzy that gives him a THAC0 of 9 and 2 attacks each round.
Given
these abilities, soon we could find ourselves soon with a short number
of
Brians in Mystara...