"Good morning," the Thing in the Well calls, "And how are we doing this morning Mrs. Westmen?" -- "Just wonderfully. How have you been keeping, Thing?" -- "Fine, fine. A little peckish, a bit in the mood for, you know, a nibble, a bite to eat. But don't worry yourself, perfectly fine." -- "It's quite alright Thing, I was just thinking I should bring by some lunch. How does a ham sound?" -- "You are too kind Mrs. Westmen, just too kind..." -- The Thing in the Well has lived in the village for longer than anyone can remember. It is traditional to fix regular meals for the Thing, and to present it with a sheep or pig on special occasions. Years ago a boy went down the well on a dare. He never returned. The subject has not been broached in the presence of the Thing. Instinct: To devour

• Politely collect tribute
• Leverage townspeople through secrets
• Purify water
• Hide in darkened waters

"The Old Ones, they knew much. Not the alchemy of man nor the sorcery of warlocks and the like. No, this is the magic of gears and pulleys, the sorcery of science. Watch your every step in the tower: be wary or you may call to life the ancient defense systems. You'll know the Defenders have awoken long before you face them, that's for sure; they're louder than a stomping giant and their hulls scrape the stone walls. You'll hear them coming, I'm sure you can avoid them, go on in the tower. Me? I... I'll stay out here. Got to have a lookout post, right?"

Instinct: Destroy all Intruders! *click* Defend the domain!

• Display immense and uncaring strength
• Soldier on, ignoring all damage until the last
• Reveal a hidden function from the depths of its gearworks

The Larva stage of the Gigaedes life cycle may not be as dangerous as a full grown one, but it can be dangerous nonetheless. It will eat the flesh of the victims of it’s mother until such time as it is large enough to enter it’s Pupa state. They grow extraordinarily quickly, faster than seems biologically possible. They hatch from their eggs about the size of a very large rat, and will grow to about the size of a dog. Once it reaches full size, it creates a giant stone encasement around itself as a Pupa. There it will lay dormant until blood touches the stone, when it will awaken as a fully grown adult Gigaedes. Instinct: Consume flesh.

• Consume flesh.
• Grow substantially in size.
• Enter Pupa State.

The Gigaedes is a creature of legend that can be read about in ancient scrolls. Scholars believe them to be long extinct, but treasure hunters insist they can be found in the old places of the world. Typically, you will find them in their dormant state, tucked safely away in their great stone Pupa, only awakening when blood touches the stone. Awakened, they are terrible to behold. A winged and six-legged insect standing 8-10 feet tall, and weighing as much as a horse. A great and terrible bloody proboscis extends forth from its inhuman face, 4 feet in length. As thick as a quarterstaff, it can impale any man easily, and the Gigaedes can suck every last drop of blood from a full grown human man in 30 seconds. As dangerous as this is, the most dangerous thing about the Gigaedes is it’s horrifying gaze. Those who claim to have somehow survived it say that the black of the Gigaedes’s eyes are as black as Death’s himself. Being caught in that gaze will root you to the spot, leaving you paralyzed and unable to stop the Gigaedes from drinking you dry. Thankfully, these creatures are rare. Gods forbid they should ever start to breed… Instinct: To drink blood and lay eggs.

• Suck the Blood from it's victims.
• Fly to safety.
• Return to it's Pupa state.
• Trap a hero in it's paralyzing gaze.