Bugbears of the Frozen Tears
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Taking their name from the waterfalls plunging over the White Cliffs (whose half-frozen facade resembles streaming tears), the bugbears of the Frozen Tears are believed by many to be demons. Astride their glacier toads, they prowl the frigid passes of the White Cliffs, hunting for unwary travellers. Tormenting their quarry, they strike when the victim’s fear is ripe, claiming their heads as grisly trophies.
Society & Organisation
Much of a Frozen Tears bugbear’s life revolves around night hunts. The bugbears take sadistic glee in the terror they cause as they chase their victims, playing with them to induce as much fear as possible. When the bugbears finally kill their victims, they take the heads, using magic to permanently freeze their prey’s horrified expression.
The level of terror a bugbear inflicts determines their standing in the tribe. The more distressed their victims’ visages, the greater the bugbear’s status. This macabre contest determines mate selection and clan leadership. For males, they strive to hunt trophies that will make them worthy of mating with Yem, the White Mother.
All clans revere Yem, the White Mother, seeing her as the tribe’s leader. This ancient, shrivelled female bugbear dwells in a cave behind a nearly frozen waterfall near the top of the White Cliffs. Still fecund, long ago she made a pact with a demon to increase her longevity and fecundity. The offspring sired from her womb, whether male or female, are stronger and wilier than other bugbears. Known as the Sons and Daughters of Yem, these bugbears often become clan chieftains. Having a Son or Daughter of Yem as part of a family is a great honour and privilege. Within her lair, a cadre of her daughters (the Daughters of Yem), her current consorts (Frozen Tears warriors) and numerous bugbear children attend her. The children spend the first few years of their lives with the White Mother before going back to their fathers. During this time, Yem instils in them a sense of superiority and arrogance towards those weaker than them.
Personalities
Most of the Frozen Tears tribe comprises terrifying bugbear warriors. A few members of the tribe, however, are exceptional for one reason or another.
Yem: No one creature truly rules the Frozen Tears bugbears, but Yem, the hideous Witch Mother, acts as their spiritual leader and living goddess. Revered with equal parts love and fear, few bugbears dare to disobey her orders, and nearly all seek her blessing. A shapeshifter, the bugbear clans never know if she is watching them under the guise of wolf or bird, listening for any word of rebellion. Yem has lived far longer than any bugbear should, and no one in the tribe can remember a time when she was young.
Zega: A stunted, twisted bugbear, Zega’s appearance belies her inner strength, determination and utter lack of empathy with others. Wily, cunning and utterly vicious, she is the most feared and reviled bugbear female next to her mother, Yem.
Ecology & Lair
The Frozen Tears bugbears dwell in natural, hidden caves high atop the frozen peaks of the White Cliffs. Loosely organised by clans comprising a few small families, each group lairs in a network of interconnected caves and tunnels. There, they breed and train the glacier toads native to the region. The Frozen Tears ride these beasts when they hunt, giving rise to stories of fell demons, bearlike creatures that croak, haunting the valleys and passes of the White Cliffs.
Combat & Tactics
The Frozen Tears hunt in small packs mounted on glacier toads. Each pack usually contains a priest or sorcerer. The bugbears prefer to target lone travellers or small groups.
When hunting, they use illusionary magic to mimic the croaking of their glacier toads to hide their numbers and positions while they stealthily encircle their prey. Once in position around their suitably alarmed quarry, the warriors attack. The bugbears seek not to kill with this attack but instead to set their prey running. Then, the real hunt begins with the warriors darting around their sport. Priests or sorcerers support the warriors by casting fear-inducing spells. The bugbears keenly watch their victim’s face, searching for that perfect moment of terror in their eyes and facial expressions. Only then do they go for the kill.
When faced with a powerful foe that stands their ground, the bugbears use their glacier toads’ swallow ability to break their opponents. Like most sadists and bullies, the Frozen Tears have no stomach for pain or for seeing their own blood. If reduced to less than one-quarter hit points or more than half their number fall, the bugbears flee. However, they nurse grudges and seek to strike at those besting them when that foe, or preferably their loved ones, are most vulnerable.
Surprisingly for bugbears, the Frozen Tears bugbears do not consume humanoid flesh. It pleases them more to hear the nightmarish stories told of headless frozen corpses, some that are rumoured to come back to life. Instead, young warriors hunt the prolific deer and other animals in the region. The Frozen Tears warriors use a unique weapon—a double-bladed throwing kukri. They are fond of leaving one behind on a corpse to mark their kills.
Credit
This is a short extract from Bugbears of the Frozen Tears by John Bennett and Creighton Broadhurst.
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