ECOLOGY

Environment cold hills and mountains
Organization solitary, pair, gang (3–5), or clan (6–16)
Treasure standard

When Baba Yaga invaded the eastern lands, she brought these ungainly giants with her and left them here to fend for themselves once they had helped her conquer her enemies.

Brutish and rather stupid, these humanoids are clannish and shun even lightly populated areas, preferring cold hills and mountains. Occasionally a gang of veds (often an adult leading two or three adolescents) carries out raids against the mining camps in that region, claiming the lives of half a dozen miners or slaves. But such forced labor is easily replaced, and the ruler overseeing operations in the region don't view these depredations as a serious threat to their extraction industry.

Clans of veds rarely consist of more than a few mated pairs, their offspring, and one or two aged specimens that are commonly left to die when they become unable to pull their weight. Veds are omnivores; they prefer meat (eaten raw), but aren't averse to consuming winteryew bark for nourishment.

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of veds is their enormous lung capacity, which they are able to use quite aggressively. These giants can expel air from their lungs in a mighty blast, extinguishing small fires and knocking prone any who stand before them. The veds then descend on their victims, pummeling their prey viciously with simple but effective clubs.