Druun-Stillroot - The Roper
From the stone it watches—not with rage, but with purpose. The stalagmite was not there yesterday. Now it waits, tendrils twitching with hunger and something older still: memory.
Role in Its Society:
Druun-Stillroot is not just a predator—it is a relic. Stationed as a living guardian centuries ago by a long-lost Underdark civilization, it remains bound to its post by a half-remembered command. Though its mind is slow, it recalls vague truths of duty, ritual, and purpose, blending its natural hunger with eerie, near-religious vigilance. To the few still-living remnants of the Vault’s creators, Druun is a sacred beast—a godfang guardian not to be disturbed.
Appearance Description:
Druun-Stillroot resembles a massive, lichen-covered stalagmite fused with fossilized coral and ancient bones. Its stone-like hide is carved with deep, faded symbols of warding. Six long, glistening tendrils extend from around its bulk, each covered in jagged barnacle-like ridges. When active, a large, pale, lidless eye opens on its upper slope, glowing faintly with bluish light. It reeks of cave moss and long-decayed things.
Backstory:
Formed from a piercer that matured in the ruins of a sacred Underdark temple, Druun was bonded to the site by forgotten magic. Once a mere beast, it was alchemically altered and fed arcane-infused prey until it gained rudimentary awareness. Now it guards the Deep Vault of Veruun-Ka, a place sealed for so long that most maps no longer mark it.
Druun remembers its creators only as the Whispering Ones. It obeys no gods and speaks no tongue, but somehow it knows when to strike—and whom.
