Old changelings were not folklore. They were predators with victims. Individuals, families, communities. That history does not vanish because one of them survived looking adorable.
Ask Blog Note
This is an ask blog, so feel free to ask questions in the comments and interact with the characters directly. Good questions, funny replies, and in character exchanges may be featured in future updates.
Welcome to CodexMaledictus - Tales of Chaos and Beyond
Welcome to CodexMaledictus, the dark archive curated by Apollo Gavinci. This space is dedicated to weaving stories from the grimdark universe of Warhammer 40k, beginning with my favored faction, the Death Guard. Here, you will uncover tales rich in lore, battles echoing through the Warp, and the twisted fates of warriors and warlords alike.
The Death Guard holds a unique place within Warhammer’s history. Known for their resilience, unyielding loyalty to Mortarion, and the blessings of Nurgle, they embody the perfect mix of decay, determination, and dread. These initial stories will focus on their rise, their battles within the Eye of Terror, and the cursed gifts bestowed upon them by the Plaguefather.
Expect core narratives that dive into:
Character Spotlights: Delve into the lives and motivations of key figures within the Death Guard.
Weapon Lore: Discover the stories behind their most feared bioweapons.
Tales from the Warp: Experience the chilling accounts of their ventures through the Eye of Terror and their interactions with other Chaos Legions.
I’ve become very passionate about the stories I write and am happy to share them with fellow enthusiasts. I’m open to feedback, comments, and even requests for stories around specific units, characters, factions, or matchups you’d like to see.
And listen well, for the words I speak are steeped in the rot of truth. This archive of blighted tales and lore, drawn from the shadows of the Warhammer 40k universe, holds within it tales that may be conjured by the foul machine intelligences, the likes of ChatGPT by OpenAI. Yet, do not be misled, for this collection bears no mark of allegiance nor sanction from the dark lords of Games Workshop, whose grim dominion over such hallowed stories remains absolute. We lay no claim to the mighty characters, blood-drenched battlefields, or cursed lore they hold in their iron grasp.
Know this, we do not toil for profit, but rather for the sheer delight of sifting through the miasma of history, sharing our adoration for the rot-infested lore, and welcoming others into this grand decay of stories. Should any who rule these tales in rightful claim find disquiet in what festers here, reach out—send your missive to [email protected]—and it shall be dealt with swiftly, as is fitting for one who treads these cursed paths.
As the Codex expands, other factions’ stories will also emerge, each adding a layer to the galaxy's ever-darkening tale. Prepare to step into a world of endless war, plagued destinies, and forbidden lore. The archives await.
Keeping it simple, I wanted to practice with drawing hands and when it comes to oozes there's not a lot you need to convey just what it is and the light hitting off of it so more 1bit practice fun. Good piece.
Palette picked
Download this palette for free as a PNG, PAl, ASE, TXT, GPL or HEX file.
Dark fairies that lived here long before humans existed. They would take bones from other living creatures and use them to become stronger, but it twisted their minds and made them hungry for more.” ... Some took minor bones, like teeth, but others took spines, sternums, and even the occasional skull.
Bone Faeries
In the nicer myths, or bedtime stories told to children when they lose their small teeth – the tooth faerie is coming for abandoned and unwanted teeth. There have even been sightings of tooth faeries coming for the old and the dentured.
This is a cute picture if you believe that faeries are small and nice. Most of the time, faeries are not nice, and sometimes they are not small. Bone faeries stand just under six feet tall, with dragonfly-like wings spreading up to twenty feet wide.
Tooth faeries collect discarded teeth to grind for building, medicine, or high fashion. Bone faeries bones, discarded or not, out of an obsessive need to hoard them comparable a dragon. Most bone faeries have favourite creatures they like to take from, but they usually prefer to take from humanoid races over beasts or monstrosities. Sometimes they wait for a creature to die, and plunder the corpses like carrion. More often, their violent nature compels them to remove the bones aggressively from still living creatures.
[Commissioned by @coldbloodassassin, from the 2e module Hellbound: the Blood War and reprinted in Monstrous Compendium Annual 4. Does anyone know a good source of art for ooze and slime monsters? I’m mostly turning up fetish art of one kind or another through gallery sites like deviantArt, and I’m starting to run out of Magic cards.]
Darklore
CR 9 NE Ooze
This creature looks like a mass of mud congealed into a living form. Green-black veins run through its body, and it extrudes shapes disturbingly reminiscent of arms and faces as it moves.
A darklore is an extraplanar ooze, formed from the lost memories of the River Styx. As the Styx collects memories, some of those from the strongest willed people settle out and fall into the mud, collecting like flecks of gold in a river stream. After enough memories collect in a single place, they coalesce and form their own body, which lurches forth in search of more sinister knowledge to collect. Darklores are attracted to evil thoughts, feelings and secrets, but they will not hesitate to sup from the memories of even the holiest of creatures.
Darklores go where their prey is, so many of them lurk in marshy corners or waterways of Hell, Abaddon or the Abyss. Fiends are their favorite prey, as even the weakest of them contains enough knowledge of evil to make a satisfying meal. They cannot access the memories they consume, except as strange flashes of insight. Enough random awareness of the scope of reality’s evil infuses their very beings, however, to stun non-evil creatures they strike through pure revulsion. A creature knocked out by a darklore will not be slain, but their minds may be forever diminished by the experience. Seemingly for sport, a darklore may alter the memories of its unconscious victims, erasing its own presence or implanting a single bit of terrible information to haunt its prey.
Although they are dangerous, some creatures go out of their way to ally with darklores. A darklore can teleport not only itself, but other creatures or cargo, making them useful for those fiends without innate teleportation abilities or large loads to carry. In addition, random flashes of sinister lore occasionally surface from their morass of thoughts. A darklore working for or with another creature will demand regular feedings of evil knowledge, and will escape if its demands are not met.
Darklore CR 9
XP 6,400
NE Large ooze (aquatic, extraplanar)
Init +11; Senses blind, detect evil, Perception +6, thoughtsense 60 ft.
Defense
AC 22, touch 22, flat-footed 13 (-1 size, +7 Dex, +4 profane)
hp 112 (9d8+72)
Fort +11, Ref +10, Will +8
DR 5/good and bludgeoning; Immune gaze attacks, ooze traits, visual spells and effects, waters of the Styx; SR 20
Defensive Abilities stygian shield
Offense
Speed 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
Melee 2 slams +14 (2d8+8 plus horrible truth plus lore drain)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Spell-like Abilities CL 9th, concentration +12
Constant—detect evil
At will—clairaudience/clairvoyance, deeper darkness, greater teleport
3/day—divination, modify memory (DC 19)
Statistics
Str 26, Dex 24, Con 26, Int 9, Wis 17, Cha 19
Base Atk +6; CMB +15; CMD 32 (cannot be tripped)
Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Step Up, Weapon Focus (slam)
Skills Climb +11, Perception +6, Stealth +6, Swim +16
Languages Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 100 ft. (cannot speak)
SQ amphibious
Ecology
Environment any marshes or aquatic (Lower Planes)
Organization solitary
Treasure none
Special Abilities
Horrible Truth (Su) Any non-evil creature struck by a darklore’s slam attack must succeed a DC 18 Will save or be stunned for 1 round. This is a mind-influencing, evil effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.
Lore Drain (Su) A creature struck by a darklore’s slam attack must succeed a DC 18 Will save or take Intelligence damage. The amount of Intelligence damage is determined by the creature’s alignment. Good creatures take 1d3 points of Int damage, neutral creatures take 1d4 points of Int damage, and evil creatures take 1d6 points of Int damage. A creature reduced to 0 Int by this ability must succeed an additional DC 18 Will save or 2 points of the Int damage becomes Int drain. The save DC is Charisma based.
Stygian Shield (Su) A darklore gains a profane bonus to its Armor Class equal to its Charisma modifier.
