Tomb tapper

Thaalud, more commonly known as tomb tappers or the faceless, were intelligent constructs designed by the ancient Netherese empire to defend it against the depredations of the phaerimm. Their existence can be traced back to the very beginning of the Shadowed Age of Netheril's history, when a group of arcanists created them to seek out the source of the magical drain that was beginning to reach across Netheril.

Description
Tomb tappers were tall, naked, sexless, hairless humanoids with hard, smooth blue-gray skin, claws that could dig through solid rock, and great toothed mouths in their bellies. Their featureless heads earned them the nickname "the faceless."

Behavior
A tomb tapper retained the memories of its ancestors, which meant that their behavior over many generations still adhered closely to their original "programming" to collect magic items and slay non-human spellcasters. They further had an almost compulsive drive to amuse themselves by molding the rock around them into twisting shapes.

Abilities
They communicated by means of a humming sound created by skin vibrations (a language partially understood by mind flayers) and by telepathy. They could detect magic at will.

Tappers saw via sonar (emitting inaudible sound much like a bat) that was accurate up to, making them susceptible to silence spells. This sense enabled them to locate invisibility and displaced creatures and objects, and it made them immune to visual illusions and other vision-related spells.

They were also immune to spells with mind-affecting or charming effects, such as hold monster, geas, and similar spells. They were also immune to all fire- and cold-based attacks. When killed, they permanently turned to stone.

Tappers were very adept at moving through and manipulating solid rock. They could animate rock once every two hours, could summon spike stones three times per day, and could use stone shape up to seven times per day. They could also dig through rock with their claws, but used their hammers to split rock when a smooth surface was desired.

Combat
A tapper attacked with iron-hard, long-fingered hands that delivered massive damage, and it also hurled itself atop opponents to bite with its abdominal mouth (crushing and tearing armor, rock, and bone). If it didn't want to close with opponents, it used a great, 10-foot-long hammer of arenite, a magma alloy harder than most rock. A tapper could wield this weapon one-handed and throw it with great accuracy. A favored tactic was to attack from unexpected angles through solid rock.

When faced with multiple foes, tomb tappers used their magical abilities to divide and conquer. They focused their initial assault on spellcasters, sometimes shoving them into their mouths to quickly dispatch them.

If killed, a tomb tapper's body turned to stone.

Society
Tomb tappers received their name from their habit of burrowing into the depths to plunder tombs, temples, and caves in search of magic items, which they carried off. They usually tried to seize magic from living beings that they encountered as well, having little respect for the difference between a living or a dead owner of a magical object. Magic was sacred to a tomb tapper; they never used any magic gained, instead choosing to protect and venerate such items. Tappers spent their long lives in the search for "The Source of All Magic", which they believed to be hidden deep in the earth. They were in awe of earth elementals, believing them to be created at this mysterious source, and were reluctant to attack them.

Tappers kept all magical items they found as treasure (owned by the clan as a whole). They guarded these watchfully. As personal treasure, they kept pretty rocks. These were stored in caverns of glowrock in the utter depths. It was widely rumored that beneath the Anauroch they had one grand central vault&mdash;known only as "The Tomb"&mdash;where they had stashed countless magical items.

Their ability to shape stone was used to craft tools and fortifications. While most of these creations were crude at best, some tomb tappers were capabale of fine craftsmanship.

Relationships
Tomb tappers were known to lend aid to dwarves and deep gnomes, but were known to be hostile toward drow, duergar, mind flayers, phaerimms, and umber hulks. They were known to keep umber hulks as slaves.

Ecology
Tomb tappers dewelt largely underground in the Underdark where their sonar and affinity for rock was most useful.

Tapper skin varied in porosity at will: through it, they took in needed water. Their jaws could crush rock to extract mineral sustenance. They could digest iron from blood and marrow if available, but they did not hunt to eat.

Although the original tomb tappers had been built as magical soldiers, they had since identified their own means of procreation.

History
Tomb tappers were created during the war between the Netherese and the phaerimm. Wrought from the fusion of magic, elemental earth, and the bodies of nine volunteers from the poor districts of Netheril, the archwizards created the first thaalud (tomb tappers). These faceless warriors were given a lust for magic, an inherited memory (giving access to the recollections of their ancestors), an ideology of the purity of magic, and an insane hatred for non-human spellcasting creatures.

Their union with elemental earth turned the thaalud into ground-dwelling beasts—delivering them into the realms of the phaerimm (the Netherese had no idea as to the source of the magic drain spells at the time they created the tomb tappers). Nevertheless, their plan succeeded.

In the centuries after the fall of Netheril, tomb tappers became independent as the world forgot the ancient methods of their creation. During the tappers' excursion into the depths, they ran afoul of mind flayers, umber hulks, drow, and duergar. Because of the tomb tappers' incredible recollection, the actions of these races were not forgotten... or forgiven. Their primary enemy, though, was the phaerimm, whom they attacked over all other targets.

With the return of Thultanthar in the, and the subsequent refounding of the Netherese Empire in the 15 century DR, many tomb tappers returned to the service of their ancient masters. The returned Netherese also reintroduced the ancient method for manufacturing more of the thaalud, and soon a great number of new tomb tappers were being created as guardians, construction workers, and siege weapons.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Dungeon #180: "The Spiral Gate" • Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
 * City of the Spider Queen
 * Novels
 * Final Gate • The Adversary
 * Video Games
 * Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 * A Blight in the Darkness • Wings of Death
 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 * A Blight in the Darkness • Wings of Death