Karameikos - Vaults of Pandius

The Demography of Karameikosdevour them or weaving some of the mostdiabolic plots.Lastly, very small clans of primitive rock menlive scattered among the Cruth and BlackPeaks mountains.Humanoids, GiantBesides the giants mentioned in the mainsection above, trolls are not unknown to theinhabitants of the Grand Duchy, even if theyhave been encountered only very rarely so far(they are individual creatures, not families orclans), probably brought here fromelsewhere by their underground wanderings.LowlifeMany varieties of insect swarms and giantinsects dwell in the Grand Duchy’s wildlands:giant bees, giant centipedes, giant fire andoil beetles, giant ants and robber flies.Among monstrous varieties, both therhagodessa and the common carrioncrawler are found in the Grand Duchy. Hotunderground caves host a strange species offiery insects known as steam weevils.Giant arachnids are encountered everywherein Karameikos. Besides more commonvarieties, the giant crab spider, the giantblack widow, and the giant tarantella, theland hosts two additional native species: thegiant sand spider, which lives in the mostbarren and rocky spots of the Black Peaksrange, and the giant hunting spider, whichis found in eastern Karameikos and which issometimes trained by the humanoid tribesthat use it as warding animal. Also, thedangerous intelligent arachnid known as thegiant shroud spider makes its lair on thesouthern slopes of the Altan Tepes mountainsand at the edges of the Dymrak Forest.Worms are uncommon in this country,though caeciliae and the occasional, veryrare purple worm have been known toappear in farming lands from below theground and wreak havoc all around. Redworms (the fyrsnaca’s immature larvae)have been spotted in some undergroundvolcanic caves – a fact that has led some tospeculate that even fyrsnacas may lurk there.Additionally, giant leeches are known toperiodically infest some of the sweetwaterbodies of the interior.Unintelligent oozes and slimes, like theochre jelly and the green slime, can beencountered in many abandoned dungeons,as well as gray oozes, many of which arefound in ancient hutaakan ruins (thehutaakans used them to fill their particularvariety of rock living statues).Monstrous plants and fungi thrive here aswell. Nasty specimens like shriekers,sirenflowers, and yellow molds plaguemost underground complexes, while thedangerous aquatic plant known as the giantserpentweed is found in the Blight Swamp.MonstersA large variety of monsters of all types live inKarameikos. A number of doppelgangershide in the more isolated settlements. Oftenthese shapechangers work as a team, killingwhole families and taking the identities oftheir members. A similar behavior isfollowed by the much rarer mujinas.Solitary nagpas, forced to wander by thecurse affecting their race, are sometimesencountered in Karameikos; also tabi andgremlins are rarely encountered, oftenarrived in the Grand Duchy following anagpa or disembarked from the flying city ofSerraine. A handful of solitary minotaurs is29THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #1