Zentragals are Masters of Illusion
Stretching across Erendorn is a dark, dense forest. The bodies of trees are black and charred here and their branches entwine like emaciated fingers. A smell of rot lingers thickly in its humid air and hordes of the Undead roam in their thousands. This place is the Land of the Dead and even its outskirts are teeming with dangerous foes: the Zentragals.
Humanoid Spiders
The Dead Forest, which surrounds the Land of the Dead, is bordered by an undefined, seemingly empty wasteland. At its edges, the soft, musky earth begins to slope upwards and carcasses of corrupted trees lie brokenly among other pieces of wreckage. There is almost a total absence of light here, and the ground is covered in hundreds of cavities that retreat deep into the earth. The edges of these holes are coated in the thick residues of clotted webs and they exude strong odours of decay.
These are the homes of the Zentragals, a half-humanoid, half-spider species who are skilled in the dark art of deceptive magic. They are a species that uses illusionary abilities to lure, toy with and devour their prey, a species whose power is rooted in the ominous parts of life. These masters of illusion are notorious across the lands of Erendorn for their dark and destructive abilities.
Deceptive and Destructive Powers
Among their many illusionary powers, such as invisibility, one of the Zentragals’ preferred choices of deceiving their opponent is Mirror Illusion. This is a phantasmic power that the Zentragals use to summon 2 illusionary images of themselves. These decoys confuse the enemy, making them question their decisions and ultimately causing them to hesitate. Many who have faced the Zentragals have also reported other illusionary abilities. They have been said to suddenly vanish out of sight, to spin webs to walls before flying towards them, as well as forcing allies to attack one another with their deceptive mind tricks.
Meanwhile, as their opponents are mentally disoriented, the Zentragal is preparing its next move: going in for the kill.
For every deceitful power this race has in its arsenal, there is also a dark and destructive one. These creatures aren’t just illusionists, they are skilful killers; and once their targets are vulnerable, that’s when they strike. One of their destructive abilities, the Unholy Bolt, uses dark energy to inflict void damage on opponents by infecting the body and wracking the soul.
By dismantling and debilitating their prey with illusionary magic that toys mercilessly with their mind, the Zentragals are then easily able to use their forces of destruction to annihilate anything that stands in their path. No other race in Erendorn uses power quite like this, making the Zentragals a fearsome enemy.
Broods of Zentragals
The complex system of spider-holes that the Zentragals occupy underground gives these creatures a predatory advantage. With unparalleled senses for detecting sound and vibration, the Zentragals are quickly able to trap and devour any lost wanderer or stray creature that finds themselves in their territory. Their entire home on the edges of the Dead Forest acts like a giant spider web, catching unsuspecting victims who have a slim chance of escaping.
Scattered across many different clusters of underground lairs, Zentragals live in separate communities known as broods. Their hordes of spider-holes cover the grounds around the Land of the Dead for miles as each brood can contain thousands of Zentragals. But there can only be one leader.
The Broodmother Atova
The Broodmother Atova is the leader of the Zentragals and the cruellest, most powerful of them all. Many moons ago, she disappeared into the dungeons. No one knows why and no one knows for how long. But when she returned, she wore an amulet inscribed with primordial markings that instilled it with great power. Why the Broodmother Atova disappeared to the dungeons for so long, no one can say; but something happened in those treacherous depths that led to Atova becoming one of the most powerful and dangerous magic users in Erendorn.
Now, the Broodmother is leading her following of Zentragals towards their greatest ambition: to rise as a powerful force and become the undisputed ruling race of Erendorn.
Read last week's character profile for an insight into the minds of Erendorn's most psychotic killers...
