The Lions of Lopango (Released 1-2-25)
It’s been almost a year exactly since my last post and I am hoping to get working on some old and new projects during a short upcoming break I have in work. Here’s a story I’m beginning about two interesting wemic brothers that will soon end up in Lopango. Hopefully, the story blossoms into something more. I’d like to expand it to contain as much information as I can regarding wemics
The Lions of Lopango
The diversity of species in Lopango is legendary in its variety of peoples and cultures. Yet even here in a land of Gold Clad Giants, powerful scorpionfolk and death loving gnomes, few have seen beings the likes of Prr’tok and Gerrik. The Lions of Lopango as they are known, are of a species of humanoids known as wemics; lion-centaurs who exist in great numbers in other parts of the world. These two “siblings” however, are believed to be unique in the Land of Fire where lions or their humanoid counterparts are thought to be unknown.
The pair are not true brothers but have been bonded in friendship since they were cubs. Though Prr’tok pities Gerrik’s condition and is repeatedly disappointed by his questionable morality, his affection toward his closest friend is real. Gerrik on the other hand, sees value only in the protection his adoptive cub mate offers. Despite the belief that he is naive from outside observers, Prr’tok knows quite well where he stands, but still believes himself to be influencing change in his companion for the better. He also knows that his god, the great Winged Lion Nobanion, has a purpose for them both.
About
This article was designed to serve multiple purposes and can be used in a number of different ways. The duo of characters who constitute the Lions of Lopango could be used in either a Lopangan Campaign or elsewhere in the world as either allies or rivals. A number of plot hooks are given to assist the DM in introducing the pair.
Wemics themselves are also a focus of this article, introducing a number of new magic items, feats, character options, and even lore. In particular, the deity known as Nobanion is given great detail.
Finally, a new location is detailed, a place known as the Valley of the Puma, where a smaller subspecies of wemics can be found in large numbers. It is set in the Land of Fire in the Forgotten Realms known as Lopango, but can easily be dropped into other campaigns.
History of the Lions
Though birthed to different mothers, both Prr’tok and Gerrik were born on the Festival of the Pride, a holy day to the faithful of the lion god Nobanion in a remote region of the Shaar in 1471 DR. From the day of their birth to their first hunt, both young wemics were given special treatment among their kin, and druids and shamans alike believed their futures to be tied to the fortunes of the wemic race.
Though seen by many as spoiled, both cubs grew brave and stalwart as they entered their teens. Prr’tok grew into his faith in the Lion God and was trained in the ways of the paladin. His master was a holy warrior whom many believed was his father, for they both had the same piercing blue eyes - a trait almost unknown among the clans.
Gerrik on the other hand, began to show an aptitude for magic at a very young age, but not magic of the natural kind like his own forebears. Instead, Gerrik manifested the powers of a sorcerer, and accidentally burned his potential first mate with hands that “shone like the sun” according to the unfortunate female.
Gerrik became more reclusive as he continued to practice his abilities but his friendship with his cub mate never wavered. The two began to explore increasingly remote and even forbidden regions of the Shaar as they entered into adulthood. Together, they foiled a plan by a tribe of bullywugs to infiltrate the Shaar and kidnap young wemics to take their claws. The frog-like humanoids create talismans from the wemic paws which they believed brought them power. The duo’s heroism brought much attention, and elders thought the prophecies had begun to see their fulfillment.
Conflict however, began among the pair when Prr’tok told Gerrik of his plans to join the Legion of Lions. This order of wemics and werelion paladins devoted to Nobanion would likely not welcome Gerrik among their kind and Gerrik grew angry over the potential loss of his lifelong friend.
Anticipating his loss, Gerrik started to take increasing risks in his explorations and often led Prr’tok into dangers they barely survived. Prr’tok was too proud to admit to his companion that he found such ventures unwise, and vowed to follow Gerrik until such time as he was called upon by the Legion.
In their adventures, Prr’tok and Gerrik discovered yet another threat to their clan from a source far more dangerous than bullywugs. The paladin and sorcerer happened upon a sinkhole in the grasslands where they encountered a contingent of tentacle-faced illithids. The illithids were from the great underground city of Oryndall and had come to the Shaar to kidnap beings as diverse as the wemics and even the powerful elephant-like loxo, with whom the wemics had peaceful relations.
The mental blasts of the illithids were too strong for the duo and Prr’tok was thrown into a deep abyss to his apparent death while Gerrik was taken unconscious.
As Prr’tok descended into the darkened depths, surely falling to his death, he yelled out a final prayer to Lord Firemane, and Nobanion answered. For only a few crucial moments, feathered and glowing wings sprouted from the wemic’s back and slowed his descent. At the bottom of the abyss, Prr’tok was overcome with horror at the loss of his friend, but also awed at the gift from his deity. The wings soon after dissipated, but Prr’tok knew he had been chosen. He began his long, climbing ascent to rescue the one he had accepted as a brother.
Days later, weary but determined, Prr’tok found Gerrik unconscious and guarded by only a single illithid. The paladin beheaded the foul creature before it had even detected his presence. When he attempted to awaken his still-breathing friend, Prr’tok gasped in shock at what had become of the sorcerer. Gerrik’s fur was matted and full of mange, though it also had a hint of the same slime that covered the decapitated illithid. Prr’tok noted how one of his claws had withered and pulsed with purplish veins. Even Gerrik’s once luxurious tail had lost its fur and become a stubby, foul smelling rubbery thing, The worst however, became apparent when the wemic awakened. Long rubbery tentacles slid from the wemic’s mouth like four ghoulish tongues, each moving independently of one another. The tentacles at first lashed out at Prr’tok but Gerrik came to his senses and took in his surroundings. The paladin breathed a sigh of relief when he knew that his cub mate’s personality and soul were still intact - at least mostly.
For two full days Prr’tok prayed to the Lion God to heal his brother and though he could feel the power of Nobanion flowing through him strongly, only the wounds Gerrik had sustained came to mend. The change was seemingly beyond even the power of Lord Firemane.
Gerrik lamented his condition, howling in the night hours at his cruel fate. The pair had not had a true meal for days and when they came upon a beastly black scaled and wemic sized lizard in the dark tunnels, Gerrik lashed out at the creature with his tentacles. Within moments, the sorcerer ripped its brain right from its skull and consumed it before he could even contemplate the implications of his actions.
The pair sat in stunned silence and never spoke of Gerrik’s dietary needs. The rules which they would follow from that day forward needed not be discussed, but certainly the sorcerer knew Prr’tok would not abide the consumption of sentient beings. From that day forward, when the two would hunt together, Gerrik would always be the first to feed, and even the stoic Prr’tok would have to look away.
Returning to their tribe brought upon the duo heaps of praise from the elders, but it was difficult to ignore the looks of revulsion directed at Gerrik’s monstrous new form. It was only a single turn of the moon before the duo planned to abandon their home, as Gerrik because increasingly bitter.
The illithids had not just left the mark on Gerrik’s physical body however, and the sorcerer began seeing visions and images of memories that were not his own. In time he learned to control what he was able to see and he peered deep into the ancient past. Somehow, Gerrik’s brain had tapped into the great overmind of Oryndall, where knowledge lost to time remained in abundance. Gerrik was exposed to secrets of his own people - origins and histories of the wemics that the elders knew nothing of. In these memories he saw a homeland. A place whose name initially eluded him, until the name Katashaka came to him in a fevered dream not under his control.
On the morning when the Legion of Lions came to Prr’tok he was forced once again to make a decision he had thought already settled. He knew that he had been called by Nobanion but once believed the Legion to be the most assured way to serve his god.
Now, he was no longer so sure. Prr’tok, with the blessing of his blue eyed mentor and the acceptance of the Legion’s representative, decided instead to follow up on Gerrik’s strange visions. Was there a great homeland for the wemics? What mysteries would such a nation hold? What questions could they answer? Prr’tok knew of course that there were others of his kind in the Gulthmere and elsewhere in Faerun but Gerrik spoke of vast savannahs and plains where the wemics built entire cities! Nobanion was silent on the matter which piqued his curiosity even more. Gerrik, sensing power in his visions, perhaps power enough to reverse his condition, was all too eager to join his cub mate on a fool’s errand.
Two years later the cub mates found themselves on a ship known as *Valkur’s Oath.* It was a northman ship that set sail out of Waterdeep, headed for trade in the mysterious land of Maztica, and it was the only opportunity for the strange lion-men to find their way across the vast Sea of Swords.
From its onset, the journey had been fraught with danger. Pirates were narrowly evaded and there was even the distant sighting of a dragon late in the journey. A storm arose out of nowhere taking the crew and captain by surprise and the ship was blown heavily off course to the south. While unfortunate for the rest of the crew, south was exactly where the wemics wished to head. Prr’tok wondered if his cub mate had a hand in its sudden appearance but the sorcerer said nothing.
Low on supplies, Valkur’s Oath was forced to land when the storm subsided. It was here, in the northern reach of Lopango, where the paladin and the sorcerer began their True World adventures and bud the crew farewell. Headed ever southward the wemics have grown to love the mysterious land known as Lopango, and they have heard rumors of wemics even here in a hidden valley known as the Valley of the Puma. From Pichu Umu to Cuzcalac, the Lions of Lopango are known and accepted by many locals. Their adventures have only begun.
The illithids had not just left the mark on Gerrikpast. Somehow, Gerrik’s brain had tapped into the great overmind of Oryndall, where knowledge lost to time remained in abundance. Gerrik was exposed to secrets of his own people - origins and histories of the wemics that the elders knew nothing of. In these memories he saw a homeland. A place whose name initially eluded him, until the name Katashaka came to him in a fevered dream not under his control.
On the morning when the Legion of Lions came to Prr’tok he was forced once again to make a decision he had thought already settled. He knew that he had been called by Nobanion but once believed the Legion to be the most assured way to serve his god.
Now, he was no longer so sure. Prr’tok, with the blessing of his blue eyed mentor and the acceptance of the Legion’s representative, decided instead to follow up on Gerrik’s strange visions. Was there a great homeland for the wemics? What mysteries would such a nation hold? What questions could they answer? Prr’tok knew of course that there were others of his kind in the Gulthmere and elsewhere in Faerun but Gerrik spoke of vast savannahs and plains where the wemics built entire cities! Nobanion was silent on the matter which piqued his curiosity even more. Gerrik, sensing power in his visions, perhaps power enough to reverse his condition, was all too eager to join his cub mate on a fool’s errand.
Two years later the cub mates found themselves on a ship known as *Valkur’s Oath.* It was a northman ship that set sail out of Waterdeep, headed for trade in the mysterious land of Maztica, and it was the only opportunity for the strange lion-men to find their way across the vast Sea of Swords.
From its onset, the journey had been fraught with danger. Pirates were narrowly evaded and there was even the distant sighting of a dragon late in the journey. A storm arose out of nowhere taking the crew and captain by surprise and the ship was blown heavily off course to the south. While unfortunate for the rest of the crew, south was exactly where the wemics wished to head. Prr’tok wondered if his cub mate had a hand in its sudden appearance but the sorcerer said nothing.
Low on supplies, Valkur’s Oath was forced to land when the storm subsided. It was here, in the northern reach of Lopango, where the paladin and the sorcerer began their True World adventures and bud the crew farewell. Headed ever southward the wemics have grown to love the mysterious land known as Lopango, and they have heard rumors of wemics even here in a hidden valley known as the Valley of the Puma. From Pichu Umu to Cuzcalac, the Lions of Lopango are known and accepted by many locals. Their adventures have only begun.
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Update 2-24-24
First WIP is up for The Lions of Lopango 2-24-24
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Update 2-30-24
So I took my daughter to see Mufasa today and I came back laughing at the similarities between Mufasa/Scar and Prr'tok and Gerrik, my wemic brothers. It must have been subliminal when I was writing them up! Anyway, this might be the last update before the book is published because I have made a lot of progress! Check out the improvements and additional lore in the newest update for The Lions of Lopango 2-30-24.
Here's a really cool image of the god Nobanion that AI art helped me generate.
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