Tarn Linnorm

Tarn linnorms are—wait.  Um…

tarn noun \ˈtärn\ : a small lake among mountains

Oh, right.  I knew that.

With two heads and an acidic breath weapon that is poisonous to boot, the CR 20 tarn linnorm is one of the most powerful and primordial non-unique linnorms around.  If you were a warrior in Golarion’s Land of the Linnorm Kings, bringing back both(!) heads of a tarn linnorm would see you installed on a throne for sure.  Tarn linnorms are proof that caves full of orcs and passes guarded by giants aren’t the only threats in the highlands.  The calm, placid loch that you’ve whiled away many an hour sculling across might actually be hiding a slumbering beast of tremendous power…

Speaking of which, I think the best use of a tarn linnorm might be against PCs who have never faced a linnorm before.  Imagine a campaign where defeating a certain dragon is supposed to be the climactic event.  Naturally, the party members have to build up to the deed—perhaps taking on a few smaller dragons or even one of their target dragon’s children.  Now at level 16 or 17, they’re almost ready.  But they hear of an old dragon who was an enemy of their nemesis and who may know how to kill it…or whose lair hides a powerful artifact.  Imagine their surprise when they meet this dragon, only to discover it’s like no dragon they’ve ever seen.  Imagine their surprise to discover it has not one, but two heads, and that neither head wanted to be woken up.  And should they kill it, their problems are only just beginning, because a tarn linnorm’s curse of death is potent indeed…

A beast called Grendel is supposed to live with his mother or mothers—tales differ—in the loch above Caer Tieg.  In reality the term “mother” is figurative; Grendel actually lives with his linnorm lover in a watery cave lined with cracked bones from their many, many victims.

Savarss wants to die—he is growing blind in one head and his other has nearly rotted off from gangrene—but the tarn linnorm cannot find a warrior in the highlands both mighty enough to finish the job and brave enough to risk his death curse.  He tears through village after village on his way south, aiming for the more cosmopolitan cities where there are dueling academies and magic colleges galore.  Surely he can find a dragonslayer in one of them…

The tarn linnorm Avantikatl slumbers in a lake in the cloud forest of Bolimar.  He is so old two different dynasties have built temples to honor him near his lair—temples now guarded by his couatl servants and interpreters.  Despite the differences in their alignment, the couatl’s revere him for his age and wisdom, and for his driving away a devil incursion in his youth.  By keeping him well fed and undisturbed, they are able to quell or divert his more murderous rampages.  Meanwhile, the cornugon he drove away wants revenge…

—Pathfinder Bestiary 192

Hey, music peoples!  This Saturday involved a great show, great music, and I was on time.  So naturally, the feed decided to cut off my first song (the Mountain Goats’ “The Best Ever Death metal Band in Denton” from the recently re-released All Hail West Texas) for no reason I can figure out.  Sigh.

But you should download and enjoy, because it’s 80 minutes of new music and 40 minutes of awesome music.  Speaking of which, I’m loving Haley Bonar and I’ve even belatedly boarded the HAIM train…  But remember, the link is only good till Friday…