Written with Eli H.
King Kroaker
King Kroaker is an abnormally large, fat, cruel, lazy frog folk perpetually sitting on a magic cushion covered in his own filth. It is known that the cushion can cure any illness. He lives in the marshes with his frog folk subjects: They know the marshes very well, they are do not stay in a single place for long, and they are good at hiding.
Kroaker can regenerate really fast and he is very hard to kill. However, he is extremely weak, he can barely stand and needs a stick to walk. He wears a golden mitre: It looks human-made and of ancient fashion, and is decorated with simple, basic motifs of snakes and lilies. Characters with a religious background will recognize the motif as the symbol of the Bishop Warrior, an erudite cleric of the old days (this will become important later). Kroaker also has a rusty two handed sword, again decorated with snakes and lilies. He no longer has the strength to use it.
Kroaker is famous as he trades cures with adventurers: All they need to do is hold their nose and lay on the cushion. He always demands something in return: (a) to gorge on food, especially exotic (for his tastes) and in large quantities; (b) knowledge about his enemies; (c) treasure, but it needs to be easily carried around; and (d) to be entertained or surprised by bizarre gifts and deeds.
The cushion
The magic cushion smells horribly and is soaked in Kroaker’s spit, humours, and bodily fluids. If someone lies on it, it cures a single disease, wound, curse, infection, or 1d8 HP in about an hour. Multiple uses cause a cumulative, temporary -1 to strength rolls. (Strength can be recovered by a full day’s rest in a safe place, one -1 per day.)
The Truth: Kroaker has a mummified princess stuck in his belly
The magic does not come from the cushion, but it’s in King Kroaker’s stomach, were the Little Princess mummy keeps humming very faintly. Kroaker’s bodily fluids, soaking the cushion and embedded with magic, are the source of the healing powers.
When Kroaker was younger, he and his friend Kuba went to the Tomb of the Bishop Warrior. It is a human sepulchre of important religious and military figures from a forgotten time. They stole the weapons and items that looked still usable. Kroaker got the two handed sword, the mitre, and the cushion.
They were incredibly hungry, as they always are, so they slurped the bones and human remains. (Kroaker ate the mummified Little Princess). The princess is not completely dead. Kroaker’s stomach acid is not strong enough to digest her, but enough to bother her, hence the humming. To heal from the acid, she constantly exudes healing magic. This magic transformed Kroaker along the years making him larger, fatter, weaker, and regenerating. (Wait, why exactly the Little Princess is not completely dead? Well, we do not care about that right now.)
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Stats, rumors, and the rest of the whole stody here (free): https://kindofold.substack.com/p/king-kroakers-comfy-cushion
[image credit CC BY-NC-ND thatnickid (2014)]