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SpriggenMoE

Spriggans are creatures that caused havoc in Daventry during the cataclysm caused by the breaking of Mask of Eternity.

Background[]

The spriggan is found in several lands. They are evil and dangerous things. While they are rather dumb, they can be fast and powerful, and often run in packs. There seems to be a genetic relation between spriggans and Swamp Fiends. The spriggans who attacked Daventry were lead by the Boss Spriggan that had taken over the Castlekeep Ruins. Spriggans can also be found in the Underground Realm of the Gnomes.

The Spriggan haunts the hills and fields of Daventry. Called forth by the chaos that grips the land, this creature roamed freely and attacked viciously whenever provoked. The Spriggan was once thought to to be merely a myth in Daventry, used by generations of parents to keep their offspring close to the hearth or campfire after dark. Now, with all those children transformed to stone, Spriggans have emerged from the veil of legend to leap across the hillsides.

Although the Spriggan are very dangerous and prone to violence, they will not attack unless once ventures too close. Even without this territorial instinct, however, the Spriggan is best fought from a distance, as its long arms give it a definite advantage in close combat. Adventurers are cautioned to watch their backs when traveling through particularly hilly regions, as Spriggans are excellent climbers. It would be a painful shock to find that one had been lurking atop a cliff until it could leap down and attack from behind.[1]

See also[]

Behind the scenes[]

They are from Cornish myth and are believed to live in Small enclosed space, related to pixies.

Spriggans were depicted as grotesquely ugly, and were said to be found at old ruins and barrows guarding buried treasure and generally acting as fairy bodyguards. They were also said to be busy thieves. Though usually small, they had the ability to swell to enormous size (they were sometimes speculated to be the ghosts of the old giants). Certainly their disposition was poor, and they caused mischief to those who offended them. They sent storms to blight crops, and sometimes stole away mortal children, leaving their ugly changelings in their place. In one story, an old woman got the better of a band of Spriggans by turning her clothing inside-out (turning clothing supposedly being as effective as holy water or iron in repelling fairies) to gain their loot.

The KQ8 Hintbook and KQ8 website, Spriggan as a race name is almost always capitalized. In the game manual, it is listed as lower case (other than the title of the section concerning the creature).

The spriggans near the castle keep and the one inside the outhouse are slightly stronger than some of the other ones hopping around Daventry's countryside. The ones guarding the keep are referred as spriggan ruinguards in the monster notes file. The main one is the boss spriggan.

The KQ8 website offered an expanded backstory for the Spriggans, not found in the manual.

Several of the Spriggans found in the game in Daventry have titles listed in the file names and in the game's developer's mode. These include boss spriggan, ruin spriggans, bridge spriggan, and others. Having specific file names is tied to specific enemies AI, and scripting. For example the bridge spriggan is set to run back to the bridge if Connor runs away from him far enough. The ruin spriggans are scripted to only remain inside of the Castle Ruins and will not enter the gate area (and will go back to rest if Connor leaves the castle ruins).

References[]

  1. KQ8 website
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