The Shyka are tall, kobold-like reptilians with dragon snouts and reddish-brown scales. They harbor a burning hatred for dwarves, a trait bred into them by their dark patron, the black dragon Rothogomos. They are fanatically loyal to their god, believing that he devours those who fail to conform to his will.
They are not an old people, and they built nothing of the kingdom they now hold. Rothogomos bred them to occupy dwarven Argysis after he broke it in the Dragon Betrayal, and they are its only population today: his priesthood, his garrisons, and his eyes across a mountain emptied of the dwarves who raised every stone of it. To call Argysis a Shyka realm is to mistake the occupiers for the founders. The Shyka serve a conqueror in a dead kingdom that was never theirs.
Everything that makes a Shyka a Shyka was put there on purpose. The hatred of dwarves and the loyalty that never bends were both bred in to make a garrison that would never need watching, and they breed true down every generation. The trouble is that the war is finished. Argysis fell long ago, the dwarves who might retake it are gone or scattered, and a dragon as old and as strong as Rothogomos has no real need of soldiers to hold an empty mountain. The Shyka hold it anyway. They were made to occupy Argysis, so they occupy Argysis, guarding a victory that was won generations back against an enemy that is not coming.
The Shyka keep the old dwarven forges of Argysis swept and cold. They do not work them. None of them knows how, and the runes cut into the lintels mean nothing to them. They sweep them because Rothogomos told them the mountain was theirs to hold, and a held thing is a kept thing. The dwarves who could read the lintels have been gone for ten generations.
Wiry and fast, they fight in coordinated packs, overwhelming stronger enemies with sheer numbers and viciousness. Shyka society is strictly hierarchical, with priests of Rothogomos at the top and warriors just below. Those who displease the priesthood are sacrificed to their devouring god in elaborate rituals.
Vitals
- Size: Small
- Height: 4-5 feet
- Weight: 70-100 pounds
Aspects
- Servant of the Devourer
- Dwarves must die
Game mechanics
Pack Tactics
Passive ability. You fight best when your allies are close. You have A2 on attack rolls against a creature if at least one ally is within 5 feet of that creature. Additionally, you and your allies within 5 feet of each other can communicate tactical information as a free action through hisses and gestures that are difficult for outsiders to interpret.
Draconic Sorcery
Minor ability. You can channel a spark of Rothogomos's power. Spend 1 Rush Point to breathe a 15-foot cone of fire, dealing 2d6 fire damage to all creatures in the area (CN 12 Agility save for half). Alternatively, spend 1 Rush Point to harden your scales, gaining +2 to defense rolls until the start of your next turn.