Ashoka Thrall, a Monster of the Shattered World

This is part of my ongoing series on the Shattered World setting, which contains pieces you can drop into your own game. Here is a zombie-like thrall of an ashoka.

TCP Zombie 2 by Jeff Preston

Ashoka Thrall

Introduction

Any intelligent creatures brought close to an ashoka become thralls within a few seconds. This usually occurs during a ceremony in which a brain squid brings captured humanoids in a temporary bubble of air down to the ashoka’s lair. The brain squid then takes its new thralls back into the world to carry out its plans.

Physical Description

A thrall is a dumb, weak creature whose only notable feature is its extreme loyalty to its brain squid master and the ashoka directing them. Thralls lose all conscious will, retaining basic automatic habits of breathing and sleeping, but will forego anything if directed by a brain squid or ashoka. A brain squid can order a thrall to hold its breath until it dies, and the thrall will do so.

Because of thralls’ need for detailed direction, they are usually kept close to their brain squid master to attend to its needs. There are rumors of thralls returned to their normal lives as “sleeper agents,” who act with perfect normality as they wait for the mental command of a brain squid. If true, then likely only one or two ashoka are capable of creating brain squids with this power.

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