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Courtyard > Enemies > Craymen |
Craymen
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Classification: Non-Human Location(s): subterranean and/or damp areas Variations: White, Orange, Blue Known Weaknesses: sword, dagger, blackjack, arrows, mines, gas |
Description:
A mystery to even us, the craymen were at first believed to be agents of the Trickster. The fact that his minions are animal/human hybrids would lend credence to this belief, as well as the fact that Craymen were seen emerging from the Maw of Chaos during the Dark Project, but it is possible we were mistaken. The various minions of the Trickster - Apebeasts, Bugbeasts, Frogbeasts, Treebeasts, etc. - appear only in Pagan territories, whereas Craymen have been seen in other parts of the City as well. In addition to this, a thorough search of what archives we have left show that no Craymen were present during the siege of the Trickster upon the Hammerite Cathedral several years ago. We must therefore conclude that these creatures are not of the Pagans, but rather a unique race which heralded the call of the Trickster.
At no point have we documented Craymen among the ancient followers of the Trickster. Despite the loss of most of our library, even the Keeper Elders can remember none such tales -- a fact which causes us to believe they did not exist. To add to the mystery, Craymen were documented in caverns below the city shortly after the Old Quarter disaster - a time well before the appearance of the Trickster and his minions. Speculation runs rampant, of course, as to the beings' origins. Perhaps they were minions of the Trickster but have dwelled here on our plane since the ancient times rather than returning to the Maw after the Great Purging. Or perhaps they are merely part of our world and have avoided human contact until now.
At any rate, we do know something of the Craymen. They are large, much taller than a man, and possess enormous pincers - much like that of a crab - instead of hands. In fact, it is because of their appearance that the race is referred to as "Craymen", for they resemble exactly that - a large walking humanoid crayfish (what some in the coastal regions of the City call "mud-shrimp"). They appear to communicate via a series of low "clicking" noises, and walk with a slow crab-like shuffle. Do not be deceived, however - Craymen can move quite quickly when the need arises, as it often does upon detecting an intruder.
Three variations of the Craymen have been seen, although the only difference appears to be color. We have been unable to determine whether the variation is caused by actual sub-races or if it is simply the normal coloring variation inherent in many animals. It should be noted that the blue variation was the only one sighted emerging from the Maw of Chaos, but the significance of this fact (if indeed there is one) is lost to us.
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Weaknesses:
Craymen are susceptible to the same weapons and tactics as a human foe. They can be slain with the sword, knocked out with the blackjack or gas, and killed with a well-placed arrow. Of course, fire arrows or other explosive forces will also kill them, but such is not advisable due to the amount of noise and damage involved. Like the Bugbeast, the large size of a Crayman makes it impossible to pick up and carry. This must be kept in mind when attacking one of these creatures.
Threat Assessment:
Craybeasts are found in many underground areas of the city or near water. They are highly aggressive and can quickly reduce an opponent's health when attacking with their sharp pincers. Since it is unknown if the Craymen dwelled in the Maw or not, we cannot say what their current status is. The threat assessment for them must therefore remain at medium for the time being.
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