Imperial Nature: Flora and Fauna

[Basilisk]

The Eternal Empire

The Imperial Codex

This thread serves as a list of all Imperial flora and fauna, linked below.

Regular Plants:
Enchiridion

Regular Animals:
Barghest

Mounts:
Ragdila
Xiuhcoatl
Thairoch
Siodra
Reathoc

Monsters:

[Basilisk]

The Eternal Empire

Barghest

Quick Facts: Massive, reptilian hounds. Both wild and domestic, wild ones are pack animals
Height: 36-40 inches at the shoulder
Width: 16-18 inches
Length: 48-52 inches
Weight: 150-180 pounds (180 pound Barghest is really fat)
Native to: Originally from the Central Imperial Region
Locations: Domestic Barghests can be found all over the empire and where Imperial soldiers are located, occasionally in other cities, but rare. Wild ones can be found in the Central, Eastern, and Southern regions.


Appearance: Barghests are large, scaly reptiles that closely resemble a large dog in appearance, but with some key differences. They have spiky backs and hard sides. Sharp talons and fangs give them a nasty offensive arsenal, but a soft underbelly gives them a noticeable vulnerability. With such small eyes, they rely more on scent and hearing to navigate.

Habitat: Barghests prefer rocky fields and forests to live in in the wild, but they're an adaptable species and can adjust quite well to urban or sub-urban environments if they're domesticated.

Lifespan and Development: Barghests are hatched from solid eggs and take two Arcs to fully mature. They can live for up to twelve Arcs before dying of old age.

Diet: Barghests are obligate carnivores. They can eat fruit and vegetables, but they don't gain any real nutritional value from, and have to consume meat regularly. They have a particular fondness for deer and elk meat.

Temperament: Barghests can be pretty calm and relaxed, even the wild ones don't get violent just because someone crossed their path. But they are territorial, if they feel like their home or pack/family has been threatened, they will do their very best to tear the offender to shreds. They can also be trained as war beasts, and it's not uncommon to see them fighting alongside the legions, akin to the wolves of the scouts, but far less intelligent.

Abilities: Barghest hides are incredibly tough, barring the softer underbellies. Lighter blades and spears will be unable to penetrate their scales, and even heavier weapons and blows don't do as much damage as they might. For this reason, the scales of dead Barghests are sometimes worked into a light armor.

Credit: Write-up: Basilisk
Image: Found by Uiyaejn

[Basilisk]

The Eternal Empire

Ragdila

Quick Facts: Massive, tortoise-like creatures. Domestic pack animals. Very smart for an animal.
Height: 96-104 inches at the top of the shell.
Width: 48-54 inches
Length: 120-128 inches from snout to tail.
Weight: 500-600 pounds (600 pound Ragdila is really fat)
Native to: The Sacred Forest of the Eternal Empire
Locations: Found all over the Eternal Empire, and occasionally in Rharne, Yaralon, and Volanta.


Appearance: Ragdila's are huge creatures that resemble tortoises on the surface, looking much like a common tortoise but for their immense size. The biggest difference, besides the obvious size difference, is the eyes. Ragdila's are remarkably clever animals, with some claiming that they understand speech, and it shows in their eyes, which are far more alert than a regular tortoise.

Habitat: Ragdila's are most naturally found in the Sacred Forest of the Eternal Empire, with some saying they were a gift to Raskalarn from the guardian of the Sacred Forest, Maguon. They have since spread over the entirety of the Eternal Empire, with some making it to it's neighboring regions of Rharne, Volanta, and Yaralon. They dislike desert travel, however, and they are to big to ship across the ocean, so they have not spread to the Hotlands or Athart.

Lifespan and Development: Ragdila's can live for up to 200 Arcs, and they mature rapidly, being full grown in a mere 1 Arc. They hatch from soft-shell eggs the size of man's head.

Diet: Like regular tortoises, Ragdila's are herbivores, except that they eat nearly five times the food of a regular tortoise.

Temperament: Ragdila's are extremely calm, to the point where it is claimed that they are impossible to anger. This isn't quite true, as they have bitten people who abuse them in the past, but this rare. For the most part, they are docile, sweet-natured animals, to the point of being good with children.

Abilities: Aside from their size, Ragdila's are incredibly intelligent animals. While no one is entirely positive that they can, in fact, understand speech, it has been proven that they never go astray when carrying a load, meaning its entirely possible, if unwise due to robbers, to leave them unsupervised with a load of goods. It's unknown if this is due to intelligence or some ability that lets them always find their destination, however.

Credit: Basilisk

[Basilisk]

The Eternal Empire

Xiuhcoatl

Type of Mount: Air
Mount Speed: Cut land travel time by 1/4. Can't travel over large bodies of water.
Rarity: Rare
Typical Size: 3 feet tall from belly to back/680(Really skinny) - 800(Really fat) pounds/40 feet from tip of tail to tip of snoot, spends most of its time not in flight coiled into a ball 10 feet in diameter. Wing span is 40 feet, but wings fold against the body when not in use. 2 feet wide.
Diet: Specifics very depending on the region, but usually feeds on larger predators or prey.
Trainable: Varies. If raised from infancy, easy. Caught in the wild, difficult. The Sacred Forest in the Eternal Empire will occasionally give one as a gift, in which case they are pre-trained. A trained one can be purchased for 3000 GN/3 ON, but finding one for sale is rare and will require notable IC work.
Pack Mount: Can carry up to 250 pounds without inhibiting its flight abilities, in addition to 2 riders of up to 180 pounds each.
Native to: Sacred Forest, Southern Region forests, Eastern Region mountains.
Locations: Most commonly seen in the Sacred Forest, but can be found in the forests of the Southern Region and in the Eastern Regions mountains, albeit more rarely.

Appearance: The majority of the body is a truly massive serpent, solid muscle and scales. However, it has a coat of feathers running down its back that serve to help keep it warm during its flights. The most noteworthy features are, of course, the great wings rising from the Xiuhcoatl's back, gifting it the power of flight. The Xiuhcoatl has a form of natural armor on the top of it's head, as well as several spikes jutting from its back. These spikes are primarily believed to be used as a defense against predators. However, as the Xiuhcoalt lacks any known predators, this considered a theory formed due to a lack of any solid evidence of the spikes use.

Habitat: Xiuhcoatl prefer heavily forested environments, nesting in the strongest trees and preying on the forests most dominant predators. They have been known to make their home in the mountains, however, though this is rare and the reason behind them doing so is unknown, though it is believed to have to do with population control. Like all reptiles, the Xiuhcoatl don't care for the cold, though they handle it better than most due to the feathery coat on its back. Like all serpents, the Xiuhcoalt eats less than one unfamiliar with serpents might assume. If one is able to feed a Xiuhcoatl 300 pounds of food every seven trials, or roughly two deer, then the great serpent will be well content. If given the opportunity, the Xiuhcoatl will overfeed so as to avoid having to hunt again so soon, though this makes them sluggish and is not recommended for any wishing to use these great serpents as a mount.

Lifespan and Development: Xiuhcoatl are born from softshell eggs, with reproduction taking place in the same fashion as a normal serpent. The infants are roughly 50 pounds and 5 feet long. Their mothers feed them small bits of meat, usually 5-15 pounds every seven Trials. The infants will stay with their mother for two years, during which their size and appetite will steadily increase. After two years, they will be able to fly on their own and will seek their own nest. At this point, a Xiuhcoatl will be fully grown. They can live for up to 80 Arcs, though their ability to fly and hunt is greatly diminished in the last 2 or 3 Arcs of their life.

Uses: As a flying mount, the Xiuhcoatl excels at traveling over land that would otherwise be impassable, making travel both easier and more convenient. However, they are not the fastest of fliers, owing to their great size, and can be outstripped by the faster fliers of Idalos with regularity. That being said, owing to the noodle-esque shape of their body, they can maneuver in ways other flying mounts simply cannot, and there are tales of people flying these great serpents through buildings.

Temperament: Like most serpents, the Xiuhcoatl is a calm creature, difficult to anger and relatively quick to calm itself. That being said, they are also stubborn unless trained, frequently doing the exact opposite of what their trainers tell them to do, apparently out of sheer stubborn desire not to be trained. They are, however, loyal to their riders once properly trained and there are stories of Xiuhcoatl who have belonged to a rider since birth refusing to leave their side even after their die. They also have an odd playful streak, though this usually does not serve the rider. Xiuhcoatl saddles and saddle bags have to specially designed to account for the creatures love of doing corkscrews through the air while in flight. There is also a tale regarding a Xiuhcoalt belonging to an Imperial Marshal that regurgitated a dead Barghest onto the floor of the Imperial Throne Room in front of its riders feet as a show of affection, though this has yet to be confirmed.

However, should one manage to anger a Xiuhcoatl, they would be well advised to flee for their life. In addition to the very real possibility of being consumed whole, there is a well documented event where one of the great serpent crushed a guard tower between its coils to attack a hunter that had killed its children. And of course, they are also venomous. One should take great care to never anger a Xiuhcoatl if they can possibly avoid it.

Abilities/Tricks: The Xiuhcoatl possess three main combat abilities. The first is their venom, a lethal toxin capable of slaying even the most resilient of beasts, with rumors abounding that a bite from one was able to fell a dragon, though no proof of this was ever discovered. The second is the strength of their coils, as they are able to crush stone structures in their coils if provoked enough. Finally, their relatively slow speed of flight does not translate to slow movement on the land. A grounded Xiuhcoatl can move and strike as fast as any cobra.

However, between their temperament and the fact that Xiuhcoatl scales aren't any harder than those of any other serpent, they are not recommended primarily as a battle mount.

Information: Like most serpents, Xiuhcoatl love to sleep and bask in the warm sun, and are generally fairly lazy creatures as far as exercise goes.

Credit: Basilisk. Who else would write this? XD

[Basilisk]

The Eternal Empire

Enchiridion

Quick Facts: Grow near water, easy to grow in large quantities, the stem of the plant holds an air pocket
Height: 6 inches
Width: 8 inches
Length: 4 inches
Fruit: None
Poison: None
Native to: Grows anywhere there's water
Locations: Anywhere there's water

Appearance: Enchiridion is a short, fat, green plant, found near large bodies of water. Most of the width is found at the base of the plant, where it grows into a large bulbous shape. The individual plants grow a single, large leaf they use for photosynthesis. The roots tend to be short and and gnarled, generally no longer than a the roots for a single flower. When pulled from the roots, the base of the plant has a small hole in it.

Habitat: Enchiridion is found virtually anywhere there are even decently sized bodies of water. Domestic growers have found that Enchiridion will grow if planted near something so small as a medium sized fish pond. Outside of the water requirement, the plant has proven remarkably hardy and has been found anywhere from the shores of Viden to the Hotlands Claypan. In addition, they're an evergreen plant, and can sprout at any time of the year.

Lifespan and Development: The seeds are picked up and transported by small animals and wind gusts. Once planted, the seeds will sprout in a few days, then reach full growth within thirty days. They only live for a year, and will collapse and decay at the end of their life span.

Uses: The Enchiridion has one single use. The bulbous part of the plant is an air pocket, and when pulled, people can use it as an air supply by holding the small hole in the base in their mouth. The air supply in the air pocket is incredibly limited and isn't good for more than about two minutes of air. However, water can't get into this air pocket, and so people have been known to take several of these underwater at a time.

Temperament: It's inert.

Abilities: The bulbous part of the plant holds an air pocket with about two minutes worth of air.

Credit: Basilisk

[Basilisk]

Thairoch

Developed by Basilisk

Price: Available at Wealth Tier 6 within the Eternal Empire, costs 7 WP at Tier 6 or higher elsewhere.
Habitat: Found everywhere due to being used by the Imperial Sky Watch, but in the wild, it's mostly found in the Korlasir Region, Old Dynaash, and the Southern Plains.
Lifespan and Development: Thairoch are born in live litters, take two years to reach maturity, and live for up to twenty years, though their utility as mounts rapidly declines in the last few years of their lives. They prefer to live in family groups, though they can adjust to being moved from family group to family group fairly easily.
Diet: Thairoch largely subsist on a vegetarian diet of fruit and vegetables. For tamed Thairoch, the most common feed is what is commonly referred to as a cold stew, a bunch of fruit and vegetables thrown into a pot and broken up to let the juices mix. However it should be noted that Thairoch cannot eat grains, grasses, or leaves, and they are strictly non-carnivorous. Thairoch only need one pound of food a day, but they function better when their feed is split up into at least two meals, as they get overfull and slow if they eat all their feed at once.
Temperament: Despite their fearsome appearance, Thairoch are known for a surprisingly gentle temperament. They tend to bond quickly with their riders and will frequently consider them part of their extended family group. That said, Thairoch are protective of their family groups and haven't an ounce of fear in them. According to legend, the incident that led to them being adopted as they flying mount of choice for the Imperial Army was a single Thairoch single handedly attacking Raskalarn after it mistook her as a threat to an injured family member.
Abilities:
Carrying Capcity ~ Thairoch can carry enough weight to support a single armored rider, their weapon, and their food and camping supplies for a 10-day of travel. The supplies are usually removed from the Thairoch for combat.
Flight and Climbing ~ In addition to the obvious flight afforded by their wings, Thairoch have pretty flexible claws that make them excellent climbers, though they can't fly and use their foreclaws at the same time.
Excellent Hearing and Echolocation ~ Thairoch have the same amazing hearing that most bat-like creatures do, and possess the echolocation of a bat as well, though they are not as strictly nocturnal as bats are.
Weaknesses:
Low defenses ~ Like most flying creatures, Thairoch have very little in the way of natural armor. They have hollow bones and while they have fur instead of feathers, this doesn't afford them much more in the way of defenses than a birds feathers.
Weak offense ~ While the claws and teeth of a Thairoch are sharp, these do not make for a particularly great offense, as they are largely a flying creature. Their foreclaws cannot be used while in flight, and it's usually more trouble than it's worth to try and bite something while in flight, as Thairoch are not possessed of a particularly long neck.
Excellent Hearing ~ The excellent hearing of the Thairoch can be as much of a handicap as it is a boon. Loud noises can severely injure a Thairoch, especially at close range. There is, in fact, a standing order in the Imperial Army not employ Thairoch against the forces of Rharne should it ever come to a fight between them, as the sonic abilities of Ilaren's Blessed would render them a liability rather than a benefit.
Fast Facts Skill Levels Required

Fast Facts

Knowing It
-- Eternal Empire: Novice
-- Idalos: Competent
Wealth Tier
-- Eternal Empire: Tier 6
-- Idalos: Tier 6 + 7 WP for import
Sell/Buy It
-- Eternal Empire: 7 WP
Rarity
-- Eternal Empire: Common
-- Idalos: Rare
Finding It
-- Eternal Empire: Novice
-- Idalos: N/A
Collecting It
-- Eternal Empire: Competent
-- Idalos: N/A
Using It
-- Mount: Competent Flying
Killing It
-- Novice
Capturing It
-- Competent
Danger
-- Low
Tending It
-- Novice

[Basilisk]

Siodra

Developed by Basilisk

Price: Available at Wealth Tier 6 within the Eternal Empire, costs 7 WP at Tier 6 or higher elsewhere.
Habitat: Wild specimens are only found around the Winter Reach, tamed Siodra can also be found near the Northern Hotlands due to the Imperial Empire using them as sea mounts for the navy.
Lifespan and Development: Siodra are hatched from clutches of eggs. It takes them about a year to reach maturity, and they have a lifespan of ten years. They prefer to live in small schools, with even the tamed Siodra used by the Imperial Army as mounts not doing well if forced to live in larger groups for long periods of time. Their schools are not generally family groups, being more a matter of safety and convenience, so they handle being moved from school to school exceptionally well.
Diet: Siodra are exclusively carnivorous, eating roughly sixty pounds of food over the course of fourteen trials. Siodra, like most sharks, prefer to eat a lot of food at once rather than eat more slowly over the course of the feeding period. Their preferred diet is fish and those who keep, raise, or train Siodra often keep large groups of breeding fish for the animals. Siodra can eat non-fish meat, though it usually has to be left in the water for a good while to make it enticing to them. Siodra flat out refuse to eat dry food unless they're starving.
Temperament: Siodra are very calm and methodical sharks, noted for not having a particularly troublesome temper or for being easy to frighten. They can, however, be quite implacable, with Siodra being willing to chase down prey for miles if necessary in order to sate their hunger. They are also virtually impossible to control if they are allowed to grow hungry, as they will prioritize their food over any other matter, no matter how well trained. Siodra owners are always careful to keep their sharks well fed, and there are cases of Siodra taking bites out of their riders if they are ridden while hungry. A full Siodra, however, will follow commands quite readily so long as it is properly trained. These qualities have made them excellent sea mounts for the Imperial Army, so long as they are kept fed, of course.
Abilities:
Quick Swimming ~ Siodra are very quick in the water, easily able to keep up with most sailing ships in anything but the strongest natural winds. They are also agile enough to turn comfortably at top speed.
Strong Jaws ~ Siodra have very strong jaws, able to bite most marine life in half with a single chomp and penetrate leather armor or chainmail with ease. They are also able to tear oars out of mortal hands, should they be pursuing a oar-propelled vessel.
Gills ~ Siodra are fish, and as fish, they have no need to break the waters surface to breath, meaning they can stay underwater indefinitely.
Weaknesses:
Weak Hide ~ The biggest weakness of the Siodra is that their hides are not particularly strong. While they won't chafe from a saddle or harness, they are easily pieced by tooth, claw, or blade. While they are large enough to survive most small wounds, they do not fair well under a sustained assault.
Weak Snoot ~ Siodra are like most sharks in that they have a very vulnerable spot at the end of their nose. A blow to the nose of a Siodra will short-circuit their nervous system for a bit, stunning the Siodra and driving an untrained Siodra into immediate retreat.
Still A Fish ~ Siodra cannot breathe at all when out of the water and are basically completely helpless out fo the water.
Fast Facts Skill Levels Required

Fast Facts

Knowing It
-- Eternal Empire: Novice
-- Idalos: Competent
Wealth Tier
-- Eternal Empire: Tier 6
-- Idalos: Tier 6 + 7 WP for Import
Sell/Buy It
-- Eternal Empire: 7 WP
Rarity
-- Eternal Empire: Common near Imperial Ports
-- Idalos: Very Rare
Finding It
-- Eternal Empire: Novice
-- Idalos: N/A
Collecting It
-- Eternal Empire: Competent
-- Idalos: N/A
Using It
-- Mount: Competent Aquatic
Killing It
-- Novice
Capturing It
-- Competent
Danger
-- Low unless it's hungry, then high
Tending It
-- Novice

[Basilisk]

Reathoc

Developed by Basilisk

Price: Available at Wealth Tier 7 within the Eternal Empire, costs 10 WP at Tier 7 or higher elsewhere.
Habitat: Wild Reathoc are exclusively found in the Southern Plains, near the Yaralon border. Tamed ones can be found all over the empire, with the exception of the Volcanic Mountain Range and the Winter Reach, due to their use as siege mounts by the Imperial Army.
Lifespan and Development: Reathoc are born in egg clutches buried in the sand or dirt, and hatch 56 Trials after being laid. It takes 2 arcs for a Reathoc to reach maturity, and they live for up to 40 arcs after, though elderly Reathoc start to suffer from back and joint issues, especially if used extensively in combat as siege mounts. Reathoc are solitary creatures by nature, though they can manage well with other members of their species if need be. They tend not to move in close knit groups, however, and prefer not to be stabled too close to other Reathoc.
Diet: Reathoc are large animals and need to eat twelve to fifteen pounds of food per day. They exclusively eat meat, and a not small portion of the empire's military food budget goes to keeping the Reathoc fed. Aside from being pure carnivors, Reathoc are not picky about what their feed entails and will eat people if not kept fed. A hungry Reathoc is a very dangerous Reathoc, and anyone who is considering keeping one for private use should be absolutely certain they can handle the costs of feeding it, or else they risk their own lives.
Temperament: As the above indicates, Reathoc's can be aggressive. They are are also some of the most fearless animals in the empire, and if someone makes an enemy of a Reathoc, the oversized crocodilians will utterly refuse to retreat unless they are badly injured. Given that a Reathoc can be provoked just by firing on it and are quite a threat on their lonesome, this made them ideal siege mounts for the Eternal Empire once they were tamed.
Abilities:
Carrying Capacity ~ Reathoc can carry a great deal of weight, over 1000 pounds. As a result of this, they are usually carrying battering rams as well as ballista platforms on their backs, as until they reach old age, they are able to do so with little strain upon their bodies.
Tough Hides and Strong Jaws ~ Reathoc hides are incredibly durable, able to resist blows from most swords and arrows. In addition, they have an extremely powerful bite, capable of crushing armor in their jaws.
Swimming ~ Given a deep enough body of water, Reathoc can swim quite well, even able to carry their siege armaments while doing so.
Weaknesses:
Big Eaters ~ Reathoc take a lot of food to sustain, as has been stated, which means they can't be separated from a food source for long.
Soft Underbelly ~ Despite the durability of a Reathoc's upper hide, their underbellies are much softer, making them more vulnerable to attacks against their stomachs.
Slow ~ Reathoc are slow, especially on land. They have about the same land movement speed as a Ragdila, and are only slightly faster in the water.
Fast Facts Skill Levels Required~ please fill this in using this page for reference.

Fast Facts

Knowing It
-- Eternal Empire: Novice
-- Idalos: Competent
Wealth Tier
-- Eternal Empire: 7
-- Idalos: 7+10 WP
Sell/Buy It
-- Eternal Empire: 10 WP
Rarity
-- Eternal Empire: Uncommon
-- Idalos: N/A
Finding It
-- Eternal Empire: Novice
-- Idalos: N/A
Collecting It
-- Eternal Empire: Expert
-- Idalos: N/A
Using It
-- Land Mount: Expert
Killing It
-- Expert
Capturing It
-- Expert
Danger
-- High
Tending It
-- Expert