II Mythos Races Zoogs rarely engage in artistic enterprises, though People experienced with zoogs eventually learn to they practice magic and the creation of magic anticipate their technique, so zoogs—aware of the items They create tools and can even perform metal- human ability to reason—are always ready to escalate working, though heavy blacksmithing jobs are beyond their traps to double or triple bluff hapless intruders them They often prefer to purchase items created by They think several steps ahead of their potential the labor of other races Their supple hands, dexterous victims, leading them sometimes to overthink their face tentacles, and inherent intelligence allow them to traps, as they expect trespassers’ minds to be as devious produce utensils of amazing delicacy and unparalleled and byzantine as their own For instance, when grace outsiders encounter a zoog trap in a forest, it might not Since their size renders them largely incapable of be real But it could be real, after all, because the zoogs heavy building projects, zoogs prefer to adapt existing know they’ll think it’s not real, so they make it real structures or natural formations to their own uses And even if someone evades that trap, the real peril Thus, rather than chop down a tree for lumber, they awaits once they lower their guard might hollow out its limbs and add peepholes, grow magical fruits from it, or direct its growth so its roots emerge aboveground and tangle with other nearby trees to form a nearly-impenetrable barrier This is not out of any inherent “love of nature” or druidic tendencies, but simply because these adjustments are easier for the small but clever zoogs to accomplish, rather than the large, crude manufacturing of other races Tricks and Traps Because zoogs are ambush predators who hunt in teams and because they are so small, they typically use snares, ruses, and deceptions to catch prey or defeat enemies They are keenly interested in related devices, and an entire zoog profession is made up of trap-makers, usually organized into a guild Zoog forests frequently have extremely elaborate traps that incorporate magical, physical, psychological, and living components Sometimes these traps are built in a series One set of traps might be designed to terrify or herd victims into a particular spot where other, deadlier traps await Zoogs know that humans are suspicious of their Some examples of favored zoog schemes are described below The Gem Trick The Trick: Just barely visible off the main forest path is a collection of glittering gems, which shine and glow in the dark The main road has a dark and spooky covered bridge over a gulch The Trap: The adventurers—who are, naturally, wise to zoog tricks—ignore the gems, and proceed confidently onto the bridge, happy to have avoided the too-obvious snare The bridge is hinged at one end, and the other side is blocked When the adventurers get a little ways onto it, it breaks loose on the opposite side, falls over, and points straight down The adventurers plummet to the bottom, unable to grasp any handholds on the slimy walls At this point, gigantic spiders from the woods crawl onto the bridge from above and descend upon the party The Finale: The zoogs reset the bridge, and, once the spiders have sucked the adventurers dry, fish out the remains, scavenge any useful gear, and use the dried-up flesh as “adventurer jerky.” forests and wary of traps As a result, zoogs usually lay multi-layer traps to maximize efficacy and lethality 49