Editing Star Spawn (section)

===MM3 Star Spawn Lore===
Distant stars glimmer in the reaches of the cosmos, portending the advent of sinister creatures, the culmination of dark conspiracies, and the occurrence of catastrophes. In the world, a green star flares brightly in the night, watched only by cloistered scholars and mad warlocks. With the sound of a thousand screams, a rift tears through the fabric of reality, releasing an aberrant monstrosity into the world. It surveys the surroundings and spots the glimmer of lantern light from a nearby farm. The creature then creeps forward, advancing on its target.

Star spawn come in all shapes and sizes, but most bear a semblance of humanoid features. The stars are their only masters. Although nihilistic cultists offer frenzied petitions to star spawn, the creatures follow their own ambitions. Warped by proximity to the Far Realm, the creatures have a purpose incomprehensible to even the most unbalanced humanoids.

Regardless, one can be sure that the appearance of a star spawn is a harbinger of terrible things to come.

Dungeoneering DC 33: Before his disappearance, the warlock Thulzar posed a question to the scholars and philosophers of the world. “Why do some stars hate the world?” he asked. None could answer the question, because the stars and their spawn have remained quiescent about what motivates their loathing. A silent war has persisted between the stars and the world for millennia. Sometimes called the Forgotten War, owing to the subtlety of the conflict compared to the Dawn War, this battle is more significant than most believe. Star spawn are the stars’ soldiers in this battle, and through these creatures’ influence in the world, the stars seek to unravel civilization—and, ultimately, life. With the aid of powerful looking-glasses, a few warlocks have dared to search the deepest parts of the sky for the answer to Thulzar’s question. Those who have retained their sanity—who have seen the place where the Far Realm meets the oblivion of space—have seen dark, sinister creatures stirring. Forgotten by the gods and the primordials, these malevolent creatures wait for something. They watch as Allabar, Opener of the Way, glides patiently across the sky, inciting the stars to war.

When a star spawn descends from the sky, it has no allies. Soon after, it might have an entire cult or town under its thrall. A spawn such as an emissary of Caiphon might disguise its form to insinuate itself within a town, gaining powerful allies there. Because star spawn seek to cause chaos and destruction, they find allies among [[demon]]s, [[tulgar]]s, [[undead]], [[elemental]]s, [[beholder]]s, [[mind flayer]]s, and [[aboleth]]s. Whether they are leaders or servants to such creatures, the spawn hold no allegiance to their allies; whether those creatures live or die is of little concern. Self-interest and the interest of the star it represents is a star spawn’s only motivation.

;Spawn of Ulban
A bolt of blue fire comes streaking down from the cosmos, racing across the night sky above a peaceful kingdom. The kingdom’s citizens look on with awe, yet soon they see the significance of the event. Rebellions spring up in the realm’s borders, and soothsayers cannot sense the future or provide guidance to the kingdom’s leaders.

The spawn of Ulban is a cunning star spawn whose presence upsets creatures’ ability to distinguish friend from foe. A spawn of Ulban assures itself a place of security while it undermines those around it. Foes must fight their way through traps and lackeys before they can confront one of these creatures. Even then, the spawn is a nimble combatant. For these reasons, a spawn of Ulban makes an excellent villain or villain’s sidekick

;Emissary of Caiphon
Caiphon lurks on the horizon and watches the world day and night. With each passing year, it bides its time, providing guidance. As times grow hard and a community is beset by famine, plague, or oppression, Caiphon grows bright, as if to remind people of its reassuring presence. When prayers to gods fail, people offer whispered pleas to the star for help. And Caiphon listens. When their calls grow loud enough, Caiphon sends one of its emissaries. A stranger might arrive in town one day, offering hints for how the people might end their suffering: The stranger subtly suggests that because the lord of the town hasn’t been afflicted by the plague yet, perhaps he has a cure. Soon, those who whispered pleas to Caiphon lie strewn across a vacant battlefield or at the walls of a fortress, victims of a desperate revolt they staged at the suggestion of the stranger.

An emissary of Caiphon magically disguises itself as a humanoid while it works to bring about the downfall of those around it. The creature operates covertly within a society, studying its inhabitants and learning their weaknesses. Thus, when one confronts an emissary of Caiphon, the creature already knows a good deal about its enemies. An emissary might jeer during combat to incite its foes to be reckless, or it perhaps has gathered allies that are resistant to the types of attacks its enemies make.

;Serpent of Nihal
The dreaded serpents of Nihal have long held a place of infamy in the annals of history. The jungle nation of Az-Kiral once had a mighty presence in the world due to backing from [[Zehir]] and his snaketongue cultists and [[yuan-ti]]. The leaders of the nation sought more power than Zehir alone could offer, and they began to search the stars for a force that would help them grow their nation into an empire. They found their solution in the form of Nihal, sometimes called the Serpent Star because of its slithering route across the sky. They created a portal to the star, and through it they brought serpents made of star-stuff into the world. Nihal had different plans, though, and the onslaught of serpents consumed the nation’s inhabitants, leaving its cities desolate. The dreaded serpents still wander the jungles of the cosmos, swallowing any prey they find, feeding Nihal’s unceasing hunger.

Where one serpent of Nihal is present, more lurk nearby. A serpent blinks in and out of reality, so in combat, a group of them might appear initially, only to be followed by more and more as the first round unfolds. A serpent on its own acts at the behest of Nihal. A powerful master might control a group of serpents, sending a slithering mass against its foes.

;Allabar, Opener of the Way
As it wanders the sky, Allabar seeks to fulfill a dire vision of the cosmos. A few stars are not confined to stationary positions, bound to watch distant worlds and exert minimal influence. Allabar is one such star, and it has used its mobility to generate strife between the creatures of the stars and those of the world. In the early days of creation, the [[Archomental|primordials]] created Allabar as a planet like the mortal world. The gods noticed the primordials’ new creation and experimented with it, attempting to create a thinking, living planet. The gods managed to ignite a spark of life within the planet, but they feared the power that their creation possessed. Thus, they cast away the planet, Allabar, into the [[Far Realm]].

In the Far Realm, Allabar was warped in body and mind, so when it returned to the cosmos millennia later, it came full of cunning and malevolence. In the intervening years, Allabar has instigated the stars’ hatred of the world. It has used its power to help create star spawn and transport them into the world  to sow chaos. Its ultimate goal might be nothing short of the world’s destruction, or it might plot something more sinister—perhaps to transform the world into a perverted semblance of life, much like itself.

Allabar is intelligent and cunning, so it tries to fight on its own terms. Allabar works to keep its foes close so that when they inevitably die, it can absorb them into its fleshy bulk. When Allabar is bloodied and senses that its enemies pose a true threat, it sprouts more tentacles and enters into a flurry of attacks.