Loot Tavern - [MW Original] Iceolotl - CR 2 Small Fey (Goblinoid) - $5 Reward

“We’ve been wandering the Low for days—what’s the worst that can happen if we take a little dip?”

—Lutecia, Hot Spring Enthusiast

Those who brave the arctic wasteland’s frigid nights must inevitably make a grueling choice: to endure the freezing temperatures without a fire… or to let the flames crackle and contend with what their warmth attracts. Shockingly, many take their chances with the icy winds, considering them far preferable to the cold, deadly embrace of the glacial plains’ most dangerous cuddlebugs—iceolotl.

Kleptothermic Cave Dwellers. Most iceolotls spend their entire lives in small communities built around subterranean rivers underneath glaciers, fed by hot springs, which provide the warmth they need to survive. Where “ordinary” goblins pilfer treasures and trinkets, these amphibious goblinoids steal heat from their environment—and nearby creatures—at a rapid pace. This occasionally causes problems for their communities; if too many iceolotls occupy a hot spring, it is unable to produce sufficient heat for each individual. To prevent such issues, iceolotl communities rigidly self-regulate their headcount, exiling excess members to ensure the survival of the rest. These exiles are forced to seek other communities or, most often, alternative sources of warmth on the surface. Larger groups are also known to venture above ground, usually due to the tunneling of a bulette or glaciershark disrupting their homes.

Cold, Harsh Truths. Inexperienced adventurers may assume that an iceolotl approaching with outstretched arms merely wants a hug—which, to an extent, is true. Only when the diminutive goblinoid has firmly embraced its warm, new friend, draining the heat from their body, does that terrible mistake become evident. In spite of this problematic behaviour, iceolotls are exceedingly friendly, happily welcoming and aiding strangers as long as their thermal needs are met. Philanthropists are in the process of devising a heat-producing apparatus capable of withstanding the iceolotls’ cuddlefests, hoping to keep the otherwise harmless creatures off the backs of adventurers and travellers. The only hurdle is finding and containing a sufficiently powerful heat source…

Get the stats for this fearsome foe in the ATTACHED FILES!

Enjoy the gorgeous rendered art for it HERE;