New Monster: The Ballybog

Hi everyone, and welcome to the latest issue of Lazy Wolves, the publication for Lazy Wolf Studios and the Thrones & Bones games for Tales of the Valiant and Dungeons & Dragons.

Today's post presents a new monster for our Lazy Wolves subscribers, a small and mischievous fey designed by Sebastian Rombach, who made some of my favorite monsters in Tome of Beasts III (Kobold Press), and illustrated by Dio Mahesa. The fey in question is called a ballybog, and it is going to appear as one of many, many creatures in the forthcoming Katernia Bestiary (working title)—a project in development for later this year. 

Before I debut the pesky critter, I want to talk a little bit about the fey of my world. Fey come from a realm called Elsewhither, another plane of existence which intersects the world of Qualth strongest on the northern edge of the country of Katernia, where the country of Araland is located. For this reason, fey activity is strongest in Araland, though fey also appear in several neighboring countries, including Escoraine, Nelenia, Saisland, Tho Bovo, Turmany, and Ungland. But it is Araland that gets the brunt of them.

Now, it's a truth of the world that there are doors. Portals between here and Elsewhither. Some doors are big, and some doors are small. Small doors are everywhere—in mushrooms, in trees, under rocks, under bridges, in the shadows that you cast and maybe even in that old clay pot collecting dusty in the corner of your room. What's that doing there again?Small fey can come and go through these small doors as they please. They can even stay in the world of Qualth if they choose, and many do, living in the woods and mountains and streams and even under houses. 

But the big fey need big doors. "Big" in this context is synonymous with "powerful." The fey of the fairy courts are big, as are certain singular forces of the fey world. (You can read more about one of the courts in the novel Once Upon a Unicorn.)

These big fey would love to come through whenever they pleased, but that would not make for a very pleasant existence for the people of Qualth, most especially Araland. Thankfully, there are measures in place to restrict their access. This keeps them from coming and going as they please, and they can only crossover at certain times of the year, when the stars are right or the moon is full or a foolish and misguided mortal invites them in with a wild wish. How, exactly, they are kept out of Qualth is one of the Secrets and Clues of the world, but it will be revealed in a forthcoming adventure. (Why Norrøngard has its own brand of fey and isn't troubled by the fey plaguing Araland is explained in the adventure, Banner of the Bull).

So now you know something of the fey of Elsewhither.

And now, as a thank you to Lazy Wolves subscribers, I present the ballybog. If you use this critter in your Tales of the Valiant and Dungeons & Dragons games, I'd love to hear how i performed and what your players thought! Please come back and let me know. Drum roll please...