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Deathleech Puppeteer
Description: A deathleech puppeteer is a gaunt undead monstrosity that towers over even the tallest human. Its limbs appear stretched and too long for its slight torso; its skin is pulled tight across its frame with boney protrusions piercing its flesh . Its fingers are unnaturally long and bend at odd angles. A long, thin strand of ligament extends from each of its fingers (except the thumbs) and appears to move of its own accord.
Deathleech puppeteers are commonly found in graveyards or picking amongst the dead following large battles. Most have developed an obsession with physically stronger creatures, and, if forced to flee a foe, will hunt that enemy until either their quarry is assimilated into the puppeteer’s collection, or the puppeteer is destroyed. They are fairly intelligent and serve as assassins as long as they are paid in corpses of powerful creatures.
Powers and Abilities: Deathleech puppeteer’s finger ligaments deliver negative energy to living creatures. When driven into the skull of a corpse, a ligament animates the body as a zombie. These zombies are faster and stronger than a normal zombie of the same type and provide the deathleech puppeteer added abilities while acting as a moving wall of flesh. These zombies are tethered to the puppeteer; if the ligament is destroyed or removed, the zombie reverts to a corpse. Deathleech puppeteers may animate eight zombies at a time, one from each finger ligament. Most choose to control a few stronger zombies over many weaker ones. The puppeteer can leech the negative energy infusing a zombie into itself, destroying the zombie, but allowing the puppeteer to heal its wounds or amplify its spell-like abilities. Its magical abilities revolve around strengthening its zombie "puppets" and disabling opponents so that they too may be killed and reanimated.

Gem of Immediate Defense
Aura Moderate Conjuration and Transmutation; CL 9th
Slot Neck; Price 5000 gp; Weight -
Description
When held against a suit of armor that is currently worn by the gem’s wearer for three rounds, this small quartz gem transmutes the armor into smoke, which the gem absorbs and stores. As a move action that provokes an attack of opportunity, the wearer activates the gem causing the smoke to billow out around him, solidifying into the armor at the start of his next turn. During the round the smoke is billowing out, the wearer only gains the benefit of the armors enhancement bonus and takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls as the solidifying smoke is cumbersome. When the armor solidifies, he is granted all of the bonuses inherent to the armor (armor, enhancement, etc.) Only one suit of armor can be stored at a time.
The stored armor is sized and fitted to the wearer who stored the armor. If the gem is activated by someone else, he suffers a -2 penalty to his maximum dexterity bonus and armor check penalty until the armor is readjusted (taking as much time as the “Don Hastily” column of table 6-7: Donning Armor on page 153 of the Core Rulebook). If the wearer is of a different size from the creature that stored the armor, the armor does not solidify (the wearer still takes the -2 penalty to attack rolls and gains the enhancement bonus to AC on the first round; the smoke is then reabsorbed). If the wearer is wearing armor at the time of activation, the gem does not function. If the gem is destroyed while storing armor, the armor is lost forever.
Construction
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, gaseous form, secret chest; Cost 2500 gp

Hi there. Been reading these boards for a while, but this is the first time that I've asked for help. (Please be gentle).

My party bypassed the fingerlings in the basement of Bhal-Hamatugn in Chapter 4. Also, Nabthatoron managed to escape in Chapter 5. I'd like to combine these later in the AP (Nab gains control of the Fingerlings and goes looking for the people who embarrassed him, etc.), but I have no idea of how long it would take for the Fingerlings to mature into a somewhat daunting force.

Any ideas? I know that I could always mature them at the pace of story (when it makes sense in the pacing of the campaign), but my players tend to pick up on things that are out of place. And I think that springing fully grown, competent, half-dragon Kuo-toa soldiers on them would kind of suspend their disbelief.

Any ideas on a timeline would be helpful. Also, I have no problems with making this a part of another campaign if it is outside of the timeline of Shackled City.

Thanks,
OT