 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Description
Dolmen wights are the dessicated, animated corpses of bronze age warriors who have been tasked with guarding the tomb of an ancient warlord. In some tribal cultures, eternal guard duty is seen as a high honor and warriors would actually compete to be chosen for the task. In others, warriors were brought to the tomb site under false pretenses, slain and pressed into ceaseless service.
Though their eyes appear sclerotic and their flesh leathery and brittle, dolmen wights are surprisingly observant and agile in combat. Their blades, however pitted and corroded they might appear, are always surprisingly sharp.
Behavior & Tactics
Relentless and fearless, dolmen wights will defend their assigned tomb with fierce tenacity. They use intelligent tactics (albeit ones that were current when they were living), and will coordinate attacks if multiple wights are guarding a site. If benevolently inclined, a wight may issue warnings to would-be tomb robbers, giving them a chance to walk away provided they never return. If evil, they will not hesitate to ambush intruders and slaughter them outright.
The animating force of a dolmen wight is centered in the metal torc about its neck. If this torc is removed (with or without the wight's head), the creature will collapse into a rotted heap.
Notes
Dolmen wights are not always evil. Adventurers might very well encounter wights of the "noble warrior" variety who may provide them with guidance or assistance. The image itself is an old one, but a personal favorite. Most images on this site have been reworked considerably before I post them, but this one has been left exactly as it was drawn in 2004.
1 Comment