<b>Taurog</b>
<b>Attributes:</b> Bearing 10 (+1), Nimbleness 10 (+1), Perception 9 (+1), Strength 15 (+4)*, Vitality 16 (+5)*, Wits 8 (+1)
<b>Reactions:</b> Stamina +5*, Swiftness +1, Willpower +1, Wisdom +1
<b>Defence:</b> 11
<b>Skills:</b> Armed Combat: Natural Weapons (Tusks): +8, Intimidate (Fear) +11, Observe (Smell) +7, Run +7, Track (Scent) +6
<b>Edges:</b> Hardy, Keen-eared, Keen-nosed, Night-eyed 2, Tireless, Travel-sense
<b>Flaws:</b> Hatred (Elves), Dull-eyed
<b>Special Abilities</b>
Armour (4, thick hide), Cloaked in Darkness, Cunning, Mighty Charge, Natural Weapon (Tusks, 2d6+5 damage), Terror, Trample
<b>Size:</b> Large (6 Wound Levels, +2 Healthy)
<b>Health:</b> 20
<b>Courage:</b> 4
<b>Renown:</b> 0
<b>TN Equivalent:</b> 20
<b>Unique Special Abilities</b>
Cloaked in Darkness: Deep shadow surrounds the Taurog like a cloak of darkness. All non-magical light within 10 feet of it is extinguished or dimmed, and anyone within this darkness suffers -5 test result penalty to all physical tests.
Stench: Taurogs have a foul stench. Any who approach within 10 yards must make a TN 10 Stamina test or suffer a -2 test result as long as they remain in the creature's presence.
Purity of Running Water: Taurogs are frustrated by running water. They suffer a –6 penalty to all tests while at the shores of a river or stream. They never ford or swim deep rivers, and need to make a Willpower test to cross even shallow streams and creeks.
<b>Description</b>
A Taurog (Sindarin for "Forest Demon") takes the form of a monstrous black boar, enshrouded in a billowing cloud of stinking darkness and swarming flies. Occasionally a baleful red eye or the flash of long, curved tusks pierces the shadowy veil, and those fortunate few who have come face-to-face with the creature and lived to tell of it report a terrible bestial visage with bony protuberances sprouting from brow, snout, and jowl. The hulking beast is nearly as tall at the shoulder as a Man full grown and weighs well over half a ton.
<b>History</b>
Two centuries after Sauron came secretly into Amon Lanc, renaming it Dol Guldur and establishing it as his new stronghold, he sent forth the fell Taurogs to herald the coming of the Shadow over Mirkwood. Whether the monsters were the result of some new sorcery or long forgotten evils summoned anew none can now tell, but the demons poured out of the blasted volcano at the Dark Lord’s pleasure, leaving death and destruction in their wake. Those few Elves who remained in the forest’s southern reaches were driven before them, ever northward.
The Elven-king resisted this terrific threat mightily, and the lore of the Woodland Realm is replete with stories of the hunting of these fearsome beasts. It is told how, in the year 1432, the king's Master of the Hunt, Arthalion Gelireth, was slain near the ruined city of Caras Amarth. During a ferocious fight with a particularly large and cunning specimen, Arthalion was caught on the Taurog’s tusks and bodily thrown across a narrow creek. Rushing to the aid of their fallen captain, his men turned to meet the monster's onslaught. They were amazed when the beast stopped his headlong charge just short of the water's edge. And so it was discovered that running water, even a shallow stream, presented an impassible barrier to the demon-boar. Soon the last of the Elves in the western wood withdrew to the lands north of the Forest River and east of the Gûlduin (River of Sorcery), where they were at long last able to wander the forest paths without fear. The westerly boundaries of Thranduil’s kingdom have been marked by these watercourses ever since.
<b>Habitat</b>
In the late Third Age, only a handful of these beasts haunt the deeps of Mirkwood. Active by day or night as their mood dictates, Taurogs lair in hidden forest caves or dense thickets. These are well known to other denizens in the area, who give them a wide berth. Taurogs are not part of the natural ecology and hunt only to sate their wanton appetite for destruction.
<b>Society</b>
After Sauron reenters Mordor, the few remaining Taurogs become miserable, solitary creatures, bereft of purpose and heedful of no master, often commanding a territory of over a hundred square miles. They do not reproduce or seek any other congress, one with another. Should one Taurog encroach on another’s demesne, combat to settle the dispute is certain, swift, and deadly.
<b>Usage</b>
Taurogs are usually encountered only in the deeps of Mirkwood, far from the beaten paths. They are mostly lazy, preferring sleep and their dark dreams to strenuous activity. Occasionally one is roused to aid the Giant Spiders of Mirkwood, who cannot suffer a superior Elven force to move through their territory with impunity.