Creatures & Monsters – A to Z: C is for Ciudach

From the myths of the Scottish and Irish peoples, the Ciudach is a giant with a taste for cannibalism that dwells in the caverns of mountainous regions. Standing fifteen feet tall and weighing as much as 4 oxen the Ciudach is the living embodiment of human savagery. While most giants can be considered a unique race unto themselves the Ciudach is descended directly from human clans that partook of human flesh as part of their meals. This combined with their worship of the evil spirits that inhabited their lands resulted in their monstrous size and strength but at the cost of their sanity.

Ciudachs are solitary creatures for they will devour not just any human being that crosses their path but each other as well. Their teeth are like that of wild boars with two large tusks on either side of the lower jaw. They use these tusks to rip the flesh off the carcasses from which they feed.

Ciudachs do not mate for there are no longer distinct sexes within the species. Instead as a Ciudach grows older it must feed more often and in greater quantity upon human and Ciudach flesh until it becomes engorged and fat. Eventually the Ciudach will enter a sort of hibernation and it will begin to split into two complete and full grown Ciudachs who recognize each other as being descendants of the same being. These two Ciudachs will immediately seek out new territory to live in, and given time will forget about their common bond completely. If a Ciudach did not need to venture far in order to find another to kill and devour it most likely killed its own sibling.

Ciudachs wear the remains of their victims upon their person. Human skins will be tanned into leather garments, and the skeletal remains of their meals will be turned into jewelry, tools, and if possible weapons. Their hair and beards will be matted with the blood of their victims.

Ciudachs will also use the blood of their victims to tattoo their own hides with crude drawings of their life’s history. The more tattoos that a Ciudach has the longer it has lived for. Some Ciudach that have been slain by heroes were thought to be three hundred years old judging by the tattoos and the historical events that they depicted.

Ciudachs are greedy and horde their treasure with a ravenous glee. The dwelling of a Ciudach will most likely be a cave or chasm near a road or on the outskirts of some civilization. Inside their will be an area with carcasses in different states of decay, and a work are where those remains are being fashioned into various items. Hidden within the dwelling there will be a great deal of treasure. Weapons, tools, and valuables of many different types kept in pristine condition by the Ciudach.

Ciudach prefer to use large clubs or axes when they attack other creatures. Often they will hear an approaching group of travelers, explorers, or another Ciudach, and they will charge at the noise as fast as they can hoping to catch the target(s) off guard. The Ciudach will then attempt to club or cleave as many victims as possible.

The Ciudach will then drag the bodies back to a location near its dwelling. Sometimes the victims are still alive at this point, but the Ciudach will kill them before bringing them into its dwelling. At this point the Ciudach will drain the blood from the bodies and collect it in a container of some sort for its tattoo ink, skin the bodies to begin the leather making process, and then it will bring the bodies into its dwelling to consume in a grizzly feast.

Ciudach are incredibly strong, hard to injure, and quick despite their great size. Yet their minds are weak and they are vulnerable to magic, psionics, and other skills and gifts that could be used to dominate the Ciudach’s will. Ciudach’s will rarely serve another when these tactics are used, but Ciudach have been known to run away in fear of those who possess these skills and gifts.

Stats

Speed: Ground (Good)

Scale: 2

Attacks: Tusks Rake (Fair, Scale 2), ClubAxe (Good, Scale 2)

Defenses: Thick Hide (Good), Vulnerable to Mental Domination (Mediocre) – Attacks against the Ciudach’s mind use this rank as the target.

Special Abilities: Giant’s Strength and Vigor (Superb, Scale 2) – The Ciudach can lift very heavy items easily. It rarely tires, and it fights to the death unless its opponent can exploit its vulnerability.

Treasure: Great. The proceeds from the treasure horde of a Ciudach is often enough for a young adventurer to equip themselves nicely with, and still have a long rest at one of the finer nearby inns.