Death dirge

Death dirge Level 9 Family Humanoid family creatures Body Type Biped Classification(s) Corporeal undead Area(s) Found Plains of Bone Vornavian Coast The Graveyard BCS Yes HP 95 Speed ?

Attack Attributes Physical Attacks Closed fist 98 AS Warding Spells Calm (201) 53 CS

Defense Attributes Armor Double Leather (natural) ASG 8N Defensive Strength (DS) Melee 14 Ranged ? Bolt 17 Unarmed Defense Factor UDF 66 Target Defense (TD) Bard Base 27 Cleric Base 27 Empath Base 27 Paladin Base 27 Ranger Base 27 Sorcerer Base 27 Wizard Base 27 Minor Elemental 27 Major Elemental 27 Minor Spiritual 27 Major Spiritual 27 Minor Mental 27

Treasure Attributes Coins Yes Gems Yes Magic Items Yes Boxes Yes Skin a dirge skin Other None

Defender of a battleground long lost in the terrain, the death dirge still maintains its post relentlessly, battling all that would attempt to invade its position.  All that seems to remain in its consciousness are the orders to repel all who enter, a task it executes with single-minded fury.

Hunting strategies

• The Cleric base spell, Prayer of Holding (301) lowers the dirge's physical DS to -36. This costs 3 mana.
• Bone Shatter (1106) will work against them.

Other information

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Behind the Scenes

Death dirges were unusual in that their Rolemaster premise was sorrowful musicians who haunt old cemeteries, whereas the creature description they were given was instead that of wrathful soldiers. Those in the bog of The Graveyard are apparently the soldiers of Kestrel Etrevion when he used his "Amulet of Summoning". The paradox of being both wrathful and sullen is probably an allusion to the Fifth Circle of Hell from Dante's Inferno. These were considered two aspects of the same sin, so the wrathful would fight endlessly, and the sullen would stew below the surface of a muddy swamp. The stream feeding it would be symbolic of both the River Styx of Hell and the River of Life on Orhan (Liabo). The demonically ruined funerary gate nearby reflects that of the City of Dis, and was a Lord of Essaence style portal, the original gateway below by implication.

Near-level creatures

Level 7 blood eagle greater kappa hobgoblin acolyte hobgoblin shaman lesser burrow orc lesser red orc shelfae guard shelfae soldier Level 8 albino tomb spider bone golem crystal crab greater burrow orc greater orc greater spider mottled thrak thrak Level 9 brown spinner crocodile death dirge manticore snow spectre Level 10 cave worm giant marmot gnoll worker great boar rabid guard dog raider orc werebear Level 11 Neartofar orc shelfae chieftain wall guardian