Creatures:

N     Kappa:  Kappas are a race of malevolent, diminutive humanoids that bear a strong resemblance to turtles.  Despite their small size (an average kappa stands just over 2 feet tall and weighs about twenty pounds), kappas are accomplished martial artists, focusing on techniques of grabs and throws.
            Kappas have a stooped posture and a hard shell covering their backs, while thick but supple scales protect the rest of their bodies.  Their scales are usually green with yellow splotches, but occasionally dull blue with yellowish brown accents.  They have protruding pot bellies with pouches near the base of the abdomen.  Their feet are heavy and wide, with three webbed toes ending in hooked claws.  Their hands are similarly webbed and clawed, though they are quite dexterous.  Their heads are flat and plump, with a bowlike indentation on the top of the head, which holds water from the kappa’s home lake, river or pond.  Their broad mouths are filled with multiple rows of hooked teeth.  Their round, bright eyes are usually red or yellow, and covered by a transparent lid that enables them to see clearly underwater.  Most kappas have a long nose resembling a bird’s beak, but some have shorter more humanlike noses.
           Kappas speak common and their own language.
           Combat: Generally a kappa’s behavior is unpredictable and extreme.  Kappas delight in the discomfort of others, but they are usually polite at first, even to potential prey.  Potential victims can sometimes placate them by appealing to their vanity- complimenting their manners or offering gifts, for example.  But a hungry insulted or simply ornery kappa shows no mercy.  Kappas enjoy rending their victims with their claws, but sometimes engage in wrestling contests.  (IMPROVED GRAB; WATER IMMUNITY; HEAD BOWL)        
         *De’alyl Rilyntlar kappas are armed with lajatang
            De’alyl Rilyntlar kappa are faithful to the Luktirahcus, “She Who Carries the Blessed Waters,” and her demons.  Matron Nei D' Orbben keeps a vial that contains water from the kappa’s home lake.  The magic of the vial allows it to create a lake when poured into any crater, or pit.

N     Bakemono:  Bakemonos are the “goblins” of the Shadowlands- small, powerfully muscled humanoids with the intelligence and temperament of vicious attack dogs.  The bulk of the race, are much like hounds whose leashes are held by shadowlands ogres.  A few, those gifted with extraordinary intelligence, advance in levels (usually as warriors), and use armor and weapons, and lead their kin as warlords.
             The average bakemono is about 4 feet tall, 150 pounds and rippling with powerful muscles. 
             Bakemonos speak their own language.  Those with exceptional intelligence also speak Common.
             Combat: Most Bakemono are too stupid to use weapons, and they really have little need for them.  They leap to attack like bulldogs, clenching their jaws around anything they can catch, and raking with their filthy claws.  They attack in packs throwing themselves on their victims without fear or strategy.
               * De’alyl Rilyntlar bakemono wear leather armor.
           De’alyl Rilyntlar bakemono have been bred over centuries to be especially vicious and especially obedient to any house noble.  The only creature that can override a command from a house noble is the matron.  When given an order the bakemono unless otherwise instructed will follow the last order given.

N     Tsuno:  In recent years a new threat has appeared in the Shadowlands, previously unknown to the defenders of the Kaiu wall.  Similar in some ways to the ogres of that evil place, these monstrous creatures- dubbed Tsuno (horn) because of their prominent horns- show intelligence, ability to work together and magical affinity that has the Crab clan worried.
          Nearing a strong resemblance to Minotaurs, tsunos are large animalistic bipeds that combine the features of Shadowlands ogres, fierce bulls, and a hint of lion.  Their torso and arms are humanlike, though their hands are vicious claws.  Their legs are jointed like those of a bull, but end in three clawed toes.  Their heads resemble the skull of a bull with two long, straight horns jutting out from the temples, two smaller, curved horns above them and a line of short spikes running down their spines.  Manes of thick hair tumble down their backs turning into long, hairy tails.  They typically wear armor made of metal plates and carry cleaving weapons.  They stand 9 to 10 feet tall and weigh 500 to 600 pounds.
           Tsuno speak Shadowlands and Common.
           Combat:  Tsunos are mighty in physical combat, cooperating effectively to gain flanking bonuses, avoid being flanked, and make the best use of their numbers.  They possess a strange talent for magic bearing a striking similarity to the ancestor magic of the Lion Clan’s Kitsu Family*. (FEAR CONE;  SPELL-LIKE ABILITIES)
           *Kitsu family specialty spells (all spells have empower) are as follows: CURE MINOR WOUNDS; CURE LIGHT WOUNDS; COMMUNE WITH LESSER SPIRIT; CURE SERIOUS WOUNDS; CURE CRITICAL WOUNDS; HEAL; RESURRECTION; MASS HEAL; SOUL BIND.  All normal spells are also available.
          The tsuno of house De’alyl Rilyntlar are vicious warriors.  Given command over themselves the drow cautiously allow the massive creatures to govern themselves, so long as they are loyal to the house.  The tsuno have after several generations adopted the drow culture as their own, and each warrior swears a blood oath of fealty to the matron.

N     Wang-liang:  Consumed with jealous rage as their race enters the decline and humanity rises to the fore, the wang-liangs are an ancient, intelligent race of giants related to the common oni and the ogre mage.
                      A wang-liang stands approximately 10 feet tall and weighs about 600 pounds. Its body is covered in a soft pelt of lustrous dark brown or black hair; including a wild tangle of hair atop its head, and in males a long dark beard. Its feet end in two broad toes that end in hooked black toenails, while its hands have retractable claws.  Its eyes are wide and large, almost feline, with black irises rimmed in luminous, fiery red.  Its teeth are the sharp fangs of a carnivore. Wang-liangs wear a variety of light clothing, made of cotton or silk and usually dyed red or green.  In battle, they favor splint mail and wield exotic weapons like the lajatang.
                      Wang-liangs speak Giant and Common.
                      Combat: Wang-liangs despise humans and rarely pass up a chance to kill, injure, humiliate, or harass them.  For all that, they are creatures with a deep sense of honor, true to their word.  Their intelligence makes them cunning foes.  (SPELL-LIKE ABILITIES; REGENERATION; FEATS)
                   Lolth came to Matron Nei D' Orbben with knowledge of these angry giants.  Nei D' Orbben realized the potential such rage had, and used that same rage to manipulate the wang-liang into service.  The giants have not sworn fealty to the matron but they did however swear to follow her until their jealousy and anger has abided. 

N     Dokufu: The dokufu, or mountain spider, is an evil shape changer that implants its eggs into human bodies to provide food for its young, and then swallows the bodies whole so the eggs can hatch in its digestive tract.
              In its natural form a dokufu is a monstrous spider about 15 feet in diameter and 10 feet tall atop its thick legs.  It is covered with a heavy exoskeleton resembling the rocks of its mountain habitat.  In human form, a dokufu appears to be its actual age- impossibly old for a human.
              Dokufus speak Shadowlands and Common.
              Combat: In human form a dokufu uses surprise to entrap a solitary victim in its webs and forces eggs down the victim’s throat.  If attacked in human form, it reverts to normal form or flees.  In spider form it attacks with the razor like claws of its front legs.  (VOMIT SPAWN; WEB; IMPLANT EGGS; SWALLOW WHOLE; FRIGHTFUL PRESENCE; ALTERNATE FORM)
               Dokufus are as holy to the lolthites as any other spider.  Upon the fist encounter with one of the creatures, an entire house was obliterated.  They thought Lolth herself had come to destroy their house.  Its alternate form is not that of a human but now that of a drow.  Those who wear the Dually Rilyntlar house insignia are protected from the creatures.  Though not as likely to use its drow form to trick victims, the mountain spider is able to patiently wait, unmoving among the rock faces it blends with in the caverns of the underdark.