This now threatens to change, as is so often the case when adventurers are nearby. Noka has continued to push new boundaries with their chimeras, which has unfortunately led to minor instabilities in their behavior. A recent storm then frightened a group of them and sent monstrosities scattering into the nearby plains, some towards town. The animals must be recovered, ideally safely, before they can cause any issue for the townsfolk. Failing to do so could spell danger for people, the chimeras, and Noka’s beloved way of life.

There are several ways the party might come across Noka and their chimeras, depending on how they are traveling. Arriving in town could see the group overhearing talk about Noka’s creations being seen nearby and lead to the characters being asked to investigate. If the party is on the road, they may encounter Noka’s ranch first. Alternatively, they may be crossing the plains, where a run-in with one of the chimeras could lead to the party meeting with Noka.

Noka’s Ranch

The unkempt gravel and small stream continue through plains of shining green to find a circular wall of stacked stones. The wall greets the pathway with an opening and encircles a hemispherical mound in the earth that the brook bends to curve around, a door leading into the interior of the hill. It is otherwise unassuming, with only a small vegetable patch and the shade of a tree to decorate the property.

In opposition to the outside, stepping into the hill’s stone interior brings you into a fragrant, clearly inhabited space. The single room is laden with curious pelts and leathers, and its border is crowded with storage spaces of food, equipment, a surprisingly makeshift sleeping area, and an impressive selection of kegs and fermenting barrels to the side of the entrance. But perhaps most captivating of all is the smell that drifts from the home’s center, where a firepit supports a pot of bubbling stew that sings with an aroma of mixed meats and fresh vegetables.

Noka’s home may be quaint but contains everything they need to live happily. It is their own construction. Some time ago, they found the hill to be the perfect place to live quietly and personally built the structure and surrounding ranch, all the while living self-sufficiently, with only rare visits to town to source what they could not create themselves. This has led to no small amount of clutter, with a lack of visitors resulting in a lack of motivation to make the space presentable.

For those that look closely, Noka’s burrow is the perfect representation of its owner. Much of its floor is covered in the furs and leathers of Noka’s chimeras. The cooking pot in the middle likewise contains meats from odd combinations of animals and is left to simmer perpetually, Noka adding ingredients and serving from it whenever they need.

Clues about chimeras. Looking closely at the decorations in Noka’s home can give some insight into the chimeras they have created. A character that succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check of the animal skins notices that several of them seem to derive from more than one variety of beast. Examples of these include goat, badger, and even reptile hides, as well as various large feathers. A character that succeeds on a DC 13 Intelligence (Nature) check of the skins recognizes the same and can identify the particular animals present in each.

Map & Asset Downloads

Noka’s home is based on a combination of our own Dwarven Burrow and Dwarven Ranch battle maps. These are the perfect places for the characters to meet Noka, while our long list of map assets can be used for the many nearby locales that they might face the chimeras, from plains, to forests, to rivers…

Noka

(CG nonbinary dwarf druid)

A spry dwarf regards you with an expression of inquisition. They dust their hands on the tunic and thick overalls they wear, fluff their already impressively voluminous black beard, and raise their straw hat in a wave, beckoning you invitingly.

Noka is a friendly and accommodating individual who lives in seclusion as a result of their odd fascinations. They are content with this life, of course, as it allow them to live out their passions peacefully and without fear of harming anyone. This does not extend to all others who speak of Noka, many doing so with an air of judgment or even disgust, though the tone of their words does not appear to dent the happiness that Noka has found in their solitary life or the warmth they extend to anyone who visits the ranch.

Though their eagerness to create and taste new chimeras often drowns the voice of caution, Noka is not blind to the potential dangers of their work. They take extensive measures to prevent their pets from ever escaping or hurting others and feel great shame over the current situation. Noka is open in expressing their fear. There is not only the possibility of the chimeras harming someone but also of them drawing enough ire to cost Noka the life they so adore. Though Noka admits the selfishness of the latter concern, they also earnestly implore the party to show anyone scared of the chimeras that the creatures are not evil, but rather panicked and afraid, and reacting as any other beast might.

Noka’s Chimeras

Noka’s creations are all combinations of otherwise mundane beasts, crafted in the pursuit of new flavors and dishes. Each new variation is empowered with the abilities of the animals added to it, from enhanced senses to entire added limbs. These chimeras are Noka’s most beloved pets. And though the dwarf joyously describes them as ‘adorable’, ‘wonderful, and ‘largely harmless’, anyone tasked with fighting or capturing the monstrosities is unlikely to use the same descriptors.

Chimeric Venom Chicken

CR 1/8

The contented clucking of poultry chirps from a chicken amidst the grass as it pecks at the ground around it. You almost dismiss it for its mundanity but are drawn to the bird’s rear, where a green shape emerges, curving and winding outwards. A moment of inspection reveals scales, slitted eyes, and a forked tongue that licks at the air, revealing the shape to be a snake that grows from the chicken, looking out as the second head of a combined creature.

Farmers must always contend with local wildlife seeking to predate on their animals. This is often a losing battle, with smaller animals like chickens being lost to wolves, foxes, and the like. But what if they could defend themselves? This was the question Noka asked themself and answered with the creation of chimeric venom chickens. Fusing most of a snake to the chickens gives them eyes in the proverbial back of their heads and allows them to quickly strike at any predators that dare stalk them. The venom is relatively mild but has succeeded in warding away larger animals that would otherwise have fed upon the flock. And while Noka is curious about its potency against larger targets, they understand that nearby villagers should not be the next step in testing.

Chimeric Spiderfish

CR 1/8

A silver-scaled fish swims close to the shoreline, shimmering in the light. It quickly reaches the water’s edge, bobbing in place for a moment before unfurling eight arachnid legs that were clutched tightly to its underside. It then scuttles out of the water and onto land, eight eyes staring gormlessly as a pair of spider fangs emerge from its mouth.

Noka has always used fishing as a way to calm themself. Unfortunately, the stream that cuts through their farm is only small and the lake it flows to is too far away to be convenient. It would be far easier if the fish were not confined to such bodies of water and could instead wander onto shore and closer to Noka’s home. And now, with the creation of chimeric spiderfish, they can! Noka combined local fish with spiders to allow them to survive on land in limited bursts, where they then go fishing for the chimeras amidst the plains’ long grass. Noka also uses the creatures’ webs to create string, while the chimera’s venomous bite and penchant for webbing and subsequently drowning their prey are what their creator excitedly refers to as, “fascinating little quirks.”

Given the size of the spiderfish, their web action has been modified to only restrain targets that are Small or smaller. This comes with the addition of being able to slow Medium targets’ movement speed, to ensure that the attack is not wasted against most humanoid targets.

Chimeric Flying Pig

CR 1/4

The sounds of wingbeats and deep snorts draw your attention to a rotund shape covered in fur and slick with a coating of mud. The creature resembles a tusked pig but sports a mane of matted grey fur that extends across its back to cover its tail. From this fur grows a pair of eagle wings. These feathered limbs flex, their wingspan stretching large enough to carry the heavy porcine beast.

A critic of Noka’s work once told them that their dreams of chimeras would only come true, “when pigs fly.” This ironic inspiration spurred Noka spitefully towards their first successful creation: a winged boar. They have since refined the chimera. Noka first gave them larger wings, strong enough to carry their weight instead of acting as simple decoration. This came with the issue of the pigs occasionally taking flight and not returning. To solve this, Noka began including wolves in the chimeric mix, making the beasts more loyal and resulting in the current iteration of chimeric flying pigs. They did not foresee any problem with this combination of animals and abilities at the time, though the gift of hindsight now begs to differ.

Chimeric Mountain Goat

CR 1/2

Yellow goat eyes peer from within stripes of black fur that punctuate the creature’s white and grey body. Its face is likewise caprine save for worryingly sharp fangs and its badger-like coloration. The resemblance to the latter extends to its body, with front legs ending in thick claws, yet the rear is reptilian. Its fur gives way to a lizard’s scales and hind legs, with a long tail snaking behind it.

There are times when Noka’s enthusiasm for their work supersedes their culinary goals. One such deviation was inspired by reading about mountain goats, which Noka sought to replicate and even surpass through a chimera designed to traverse any terrestrial terrain. These chimeric mountain goats have been combined with both badgers and lizards, granting them limbs suitable for climbing and burrowing. Unfortunately, their brain remains that of a goat, leaving them both curious and often aggressive towards those they see as hierarchical competition, which tends to include anyone or anything that comes close to them.

Chimeric Kowlpie

CR 2

Black patches cover the creature’s otherwise white body, the length of which ranges from avian to mammalian to reptilian. Its head is an owl’s, though ram horns curl from its sides. Brown feathers extend in a plume across its back with expansive wings protruding from them, while its forelegs end in sharp talons. The rest of its torso resembles that of a cow but continues backward in a scaled, reptilian tail several times longer than the creature’s torso and ending in aquatic fins.

Noka’s love for their chimeras is like kindling for the sparks of inspiration. It takes only the slightest push to ignite their passion and send their curiosity spiraling over the possible delicacies they could create. One such spark was Noka’s learning about a creature known as the kelpie; a lakeside myth taking the form of an aquatic horse. This moment, followed by several months of testing, led to the creation of the chimeric kowlpie.

Noka cleverly named the kowlpie for both its resemblance to the inspiring creature and some of the beasts comprising the chimera, namely a cow and an owl. It is further enhanced by the inclusion of a goat, snake, and fish. These were intended to affect the flavor of the creature’s meat but have also made it significantly more dangerous. Not only can the kowlpie divebomb its prey with its horns, but it is also able to truly earn its namesake by binding targets in its serpentine tail, weakening them with poison, and dragging them to the depths. And though this is usually mitigated by its fondness for Noka, its fellow chimeras’ panic has spread to the kowlpie, sending it fleeing from the ranch and making it nervous and defensive.

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