II Mythos Races adept at luring raiding parties of adventurers into the Others probably: dragon’s lair ‘‘ are nervous around you Zoogs have a history of making direct pacts with monstrous creatures for mutual benefit, the way ‘‘ view you as a possible threat to children and small animals a crocodile might allow small birds to pick its teeth ‘‘ are interested in making a treaty with you clean Generally amoral and opportunistic, zoogs have ‘‘ are afraid you might lead them into a trap no objections to working with evil monsters, but they ‘‘ consider you to be wise in dark, unearthly lore also recognize the danger such creatures pose In some ‘‘ are ignorant of your complex social structure cases, if a particularly dangerous creature moves in, the Physiology zoogs may seek the assistance of a party of adventurers to rid their forest of the risk, and will offer enticements for this service This must be done before the zoogs forge a treaty with the monster, however, as zoogs always keep their word Playing a Zoog Zoogs are marsupials Both males and females have two, small, forward-opening pouches on each side of their abdomen Female pouches expand significantly when they house a litter of pouchlings The typical zoog is about the size of a small human child, yet their quadrupedal stance keeps them low to Other races are both fascinated by and a little fearful the ground All four of their limbs terminate in hand- of the curious and furtive zoogs They have developed like paws capable of fine work or wielding weapons a reputation for mysterious powers, cunning, and their In addition, they have long, bare, prehensile tails that specific form of faithfulness give them even more options for manipulation Their If you’re a zoog, you likely: ‘‘ see small animals (even pets or familiars) as potential food ‘‘ are attracted to creepy and uncanny places and things ‘‘ remember and honor your personal treaties and those that your forest has signed ‘‘ like to hide in dark corners and explore tunnels and burrows ‘‘ are curious, inventive, and cunning ‘‘ are extremely interested in traps, both magical and physical ‘‘ don’t share your secrets mouths have needle-like teeth, and their faces are adorned with small prehensile tentacles, which they primarily use to manipulate food but can also use to grasp small objects or help with delicate tinkering They have round, bulging eyes and large ears that grant senses as keen as those of a cat, if not keener Though they are naturally nocturnal, they are not hampered in bright light They can swim when they must and can climb as well as any monkey While they can use tools and often keep useful objects in their burrows, they cannot easily carry more than two such items around with them at a time (one in each pouch) Zoog voices are thin and breathless, most often described as “fluttering.” They cannot shout or make loud noises (except for an occasional frightened involuntary squeal), but they can pick up other languages and are fast learners They speak their own language, which is only taught to outsiders who have 41