The Murkim in Wermspittle

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Tall, willowy and silent, the Murkim stare out from under their ragged hoods and ornate masks through unsettling milky eyes that see altogether too much. Twice burned in chains for certain unspecified allegedly abominable practices by the Military Tribunals under the Salavin Governorship and Cortellian Investment, ages before the Franzikaners or Pruztians ever arrived in Wermspittle, the Murkim have learned not to talk to strangers. Now they sulk in the dimly lit alleys and by-ways of this city they so detest and despise, waiting, watching for some sign from Below...

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Murkim
No. Enc.: 1d6 (5d8)
Alignment: Neutral
Movement: 120' (40')
Armor Class: 6
Hit Dice: 2+
Attacks: 1 (weapon or spells)
Damage: 1d6 or by weapon/spell
Save: M1 or T1 or F1
Morale: 7

Special: Murkim automatically Detect Magic visually and can dowse for magical energy sources at will (treat as Locate Object, but only in regards to magic items, objects, auras, etc.). They also See Auras and Identify Link at will. They also gain the ability to Hide in Shadows and Move Silently as a Thief two levels higher than their current HD.

Murkim advance as magic-users or dual-classed magic-user/thieves (or assassins) and there are rare ranger-types who specialize in hunting & combating either fungal or unbodied opponents.

Appearance

Murkim are taller than average, but exceedingly thin until reaching Middle Age (approximately 600 years old), at which point they tend to let themselves go, becoming rotund masses of mottled flesh that prefer not to move around too much. Murkim have milky eyes with no obviously discernible iris or pupil. Their skins are mottled with splotches of mauve, maroon and several shades of gray. The mottling of a Murkim's skin is believed to be random, however some claim to be able to tell which area a particular Mukim hails from by reading their markings. this is probably errant nonsense, but no one has actually refuted or proven it, so it remains a part of the street cant and folklore along the Low Streets.

When wounded, Murkin do not bleed like other humanoids, instead they exude a reddish froth from the wound, which closes over in 1d4 turns. They can also regain 1 hit point for every 1d4 hit points of blood they can drain from an immobilized victim. this ability cannot be used in combat. It is too slow and requires uninterrupted physical contact with the donor or victim.

The presence of yellow spotting indicates that the individual in question is seriously ill with an extremely contagious form of Yellow Pox that only affects Murkim. Those affected will be shunned by their fellows. Yellow Pox is a form of aethyric-fungal infection that is a lingering legacy of the centuries-long strife between the Murkim and the fungal colonies of Yellowhome. Because of the Yellow Pox, all Murkim tend to have a vigorously negative reaction to all forms of fungi, mold or ooze.

Lore

Their ancestors were known and shunned by the Pallid. The Tsalalians no longer speak their names, the glyph they once used to describe these people has been obliterated, purged from their collective vocabulary. They will tell you that they are older than the Ghouls, that they were here before the founding of Latterkamp. Perhaps it is true, maybe they are lying; all anyone knows is that the Murkim have been in Wermspittle as long as there has been white vapors prowling the lowest of the Understreets, gray ashes that fall like snow in late Spring and black rains in early Summer. It is uncertain if the Murkim are responsible for these things, or associated with them for obscure reasons, or if they are actually to blame for them in some way.

Murkim trade in shadows, simulacra and reflections, among other liminal things that they capture, bind and sell like animals or artworks to be devoured or digested, admired or invested according to the whims and fancies of those who would deal with them. They barter for figments and fragments, shards of old lore, scraps of ancient knowledge, the remnants of times long gone and places long forgotten. They love secrets and whispers, and have been known to buy lies and forgeries as easily and eagerly as authentic relics or legitimate objects. They are alleged to covet oneirical curiosities, feral dream-things and free ranging phantasms. Occasionally their penchant for such things run afoul of the Fantomists and others of their ilk, typically resulting in horrific episodes of sorcerous mayhem and aethyric violence.

The Murkim work with fixed mercury, orichalcum, and other exotic and mutable alloys, most of which are extremely hurtful to the undead or unbodied. It is for this reason that many Geist-Killers and their ilk will travel to the Middle Deeps in search of the most well-respected arsenal-keepers and notorious arms-dealers despite the risks.

Gloomwalk, Murksomosity, Blue Fog, Ill Wind, Electrum Needle, Evaporate, and Umbral Maiming are spells commonly attributed to the Murkim.

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