Etzos Fauna Directory
This is not to be confused with the Players' Development Forum.
Again, this is NOT for newly proposed ideas, begging for approval.
This is where the approved entries go.
Like the Flora topic, this will include critters from Rhakros to Sirothelle, Ocean to ocean.
There may be overlap with other cities' F&F files. Just figure migration or territorial disputes driving some of them to range beyond their normal zones.
Again, this is NOT for newly proposed ideas, begging for approval.
This is where the approved entries go.
Like the Flora topic, this will include critters from Rhakros to Sirothelle, Ocean to ocean.
There may be overlap with other cities' F&F files. Just figure migration or territorial disputes driving some of them to range beyond their normal zones.
Fauna
The Guipy Fish: This is a fairly common fresh-water fish that grows to be about half a foot long. They primarily eat a specific type of river weed called "Clump" that sticks together when combined with saliva. Normally, the subsequent lump swells in the animal's throat, and kills them. These fish, however, excrete a gel that coats their throats. The gel combines with the seaweed, and breaks apart the bonds while not affecting the seaweed itself. Many alchemists and herbalists know of this gel, and it is frequently used as a thinner in medicinal circles.
Golden Salamanders: These yellow and black amphibians thrive in extremely hot parts of the volcano, either next to geysers or even in the lava itself. Contact with cold water will mark its end. Their body is coated in a poisonous milky substance that ensures it is completely fire proof and for this reason, golden salamanders are prized among the Aukari. The flipside is if the substance has contact with the body of an Aukari or any other organism, it will cause the infected area to slowly burn away. Golden salamanders are bred in large blast furnaces and are then killed and skinned but the process is difficult, costly and very dangerous. The milky substance is then used to coat objects to ensure they are well fireproofed. The substance is left to dry and the poison evaporates away. Tampering with the final coat will nullify the fireproof properties of the substance. The Aukari often pay large sums of money to fireproof important objects they wish to protect.
Voracious Caterpillars: Located around Sirothelle, these three feet long grey colored caterpillars spend a short period of time eating anything they set their sights on from plants to animals – nothing can survive the onslaught of the Voracious Caterpillar. The pupation stage takes longer. The caterpillar creates a mesh-like cocoon to look similar to volcanic rock, in order to be concealed from predators. The siphon butterfly emerges from the cocoon.
Siphon Butterfly: These large two foot high butterflies emerge from the voracious caterpillars. These are black with two yellow ‘eyes’ lined in white on each wing. At night time, the yellow eyes are phosphorescent and can be seen from miles away. This is an attempt to lure potential predators towards it. The butterfly’s wings are razor sharp and several ‘flutters’ can dash their bodies to pieces. The butterfly uses a retractable tube from the end of its abdomen to siphon the blood from the open wounds. The Aukari use the thin wings of the butterfly for the cutting of cloth and other minor things – it is far too fragile for conventional weaponry.
Acid Crocodile: These extremophiles live in boiling hot sulphur mud baths. They survive this by using multiple vents in their back to exhaust heat and gases. They spit acid from their mouths to burn their victims. They bite is powerful enough to pull their victims into the boiling hot pool for the kill. The blood from this crocodile has excellent healing properties.
Rainbow Sea Snake: This snake is notable for its iridescent scales used to dazzle prey. Incredibly quick in water and armed with a venomous bite, one would need nets and skill to catch these live. The scales fetch a modest price at any market. Primarily a phenomenon of the waters off the Island of Yithiral, these marine reptiles do frequently infest the waters off the coast of Foster's Landing and the Bailey Peninsula.
Rock Turtle: These enormous turtles have a shell that looks similar to a large rock. Swimming in schools, they float about to encourage all kinds of animals to sit on its shell. It will sink into the water and using its razor sharp beak to kill its prey. Schools of these turtles, disguised as rocks, alarm venturing ships. The turtles then herd these ships toward real rocks, causing the ships to be wrecked and the turtles to feast on the survivors. These behemoths have been known to cause alterations to coastal charts between Yithiral and the western continent.
Torpedo Fish: These foot long fish swim in schools and enjoy timber as part of their diet. Upon seeing a ship, they will torpedo toward the underside at high speed, teeth agape, creating dents and will eventually breach the hull after some time. They then proceed to feed on the ship itself. Foster's Landing is occasionally troubled by these nuisances, but most ships carry stores of disposable wood to divert their appetite.
Acid Slug: Dwelling throughout Unibor's dark forested areas such as Scyn's forest, this slug is one of many large creatures that roam the dark forest. It feeds on moss, fungi and even carrion. If in danger of its being attacked, it will roll in a ball and create an unpleasant smelling acid that coats its body.
Sicklepede: Living throughout the Unabor, on both sides of the Orm'Del Sea, the legs of these 10-foot long myriapods are razor sharp yellow 'sickles' that cleave the ground and trees as they move. They can also cut apart predators that pose a threat. if killed, the legs can be used for weaponry and tools.
Bird of Riches: Sighted in Korlasir as well as Etzos, this rare bird has silver and gold metallic feathers that glitter in the sun, a clear diamond-like beak and golden eyes. They live in caves rich with minerals and they feed exclusively on gold. Rarely do they emerge in the forest, but if tracked, one can be led to riches beyond imagining. A favorite of the Immortal Delroth, mortals are well advised to steer clear of them.
Unicorn Rhino: These large shrub feeding herbivores can reach 7 foot high (2.1m) and 13 feet long (4.0m) and some can weigh up to 1600kg. They dwell in the south eastern and south western forest areas and are known primarily for their straight, foot-long, horn that protrudes from the top of their skull. The horn is extremely sharp and durable - capable of easily driving itself into timber, or the bodies of predators that make the mistake of attacking them. If killed, the horn can be claimed by a difficult and arduous process of separating it from the skull. The effort is worth it though - for the horn can be used for weaponry and armor.
Canopy Anvil: Like a large armadillo, the anvil dwells in tree tops of the northern eastern Idalos and north western Idalos forested areas. It will sit for long periods of time in the tall canopies of a tree and use its keen eyes to spot a victim walking below. Anvils can time their decent perfectly: leaping from the canopy as the victim approaches the drop zone. The anvil rolls in a ball to expose its back made up of overlapping scales that are curved in such a way to absorb the impending collision. The anvil will then strike the victim and often kill it instantly with sheer blunt force. If it misses, the ground may not be able to absorb the impact like its victim and this could kill the anvil. The anvil has teeth that is used to feed upon the victim, consuming huge amounts before lumbering back up the tree.
Mornis: The mornis is an enormous flightless bird at 10 feet tall and weights up to half a tonne. It roams about most of the southern, eastern and central Unabor forests. It has a powerful beak that can easily snap branches from tree tops to access fruits. Its beak as well as its sharp claws can be used to ward away any predators that attack it. The feathers of this bird are thin with an ochraceous brown color. If collected, these can be used to make fine quills.
Giant Leech: These large leaches have the ability to latch onto their victims without it being felt. They also employ camouflage to continue to remain undetected. The leach waits on branches and leaves in swampy areas, attaching itself to a victim to suck their blood. Its saliva has anesthetic properties. Removing the leach before it has finished feeding can cause infection.
Jungle Rat: Larger than a hare, these rats drool white mucus heavily at the mouth, are carriers of several diseases, including rabies. They often live in the thick jungle and swamp areas. They are prone to biting in self-defense, transferring a multitude of life threatening diseases – so beware!
Colossus Eel: This slimy eel lurks in the swamps and are large in size, growing up to fifty feet long. It feeds upon young king crocodiles and can even attempt a young therion. When they bite, a second set of teeth in their mouth are used to secure and then draw the prey into the mouth. Finally, their hundreds of teeth contain a toxin that infuses a relaxant into the victim before swallowing the prey whole.
Light Owl: These small owls live in the dark undergrowth of the rainforest. They have phosphorescent feathers that light up entire areas. One feather collected can light a campsite or a room for a few weeks before beginning to dim. They are difficult at being caught due to their quick reflexes. However, their feathers fall from their wings often and it is commonplace to find them on the rainforest floor.
Gliding Python: These bright green snakes live at the tops of tree canopies. Projecting itself from a branch, they are able to spread itself flat and glide along the air. It can maneuver itself to fall upon monkeys and other animals, rapidly coiling themselves around and squeezing the victim to death.
Apes: There are hundreds of different species of monkey and most of live in the forest canopy. They range from a few inches in length to several metres – the infamous Gorn.
Gorn: Almost ten feet high (3 metres) and weighing up to 1200 pounds (540kg), the Gorn is a large ape that walks on all fours and feeds upon mostly bamboo. They are large enough to keep the thunder jaguar in check, though their young are vulnerable. They have long brown hair, though there is a low percentage strain of white morph.
Parasites: The bane of the rainforest – parasites such as mosquitoes, ticks, lice, spread a multitude of disease from which one is advised to do all that is possible to protect oneself.
Name: Shift
Quick Facts: Stealthy, Deceptive, Dangerous, Genderless
Height, Width, Length, Weight: Varies based on age.
Native to: Shifts have been found in all regions of the world, though whether they originated there, or were simply imported is difficult to ascertain given their nature.
Locations Throughout Idalos
Appearance
Varies depending on form and age. Younger Shifts are typically quite small, reaching only the size of rodents. Adolescent Shifts are larger, and can anywhere between the size of a dog to a deer. Adult Shifts reach the size of elk, moose, or even bears. Ancient Shifts are seldom seen, but could presumably reach the size of truly large creatures, bordering around fifteen to twenty feet in height with only a few examples granting that number throughout history.
A Shift in its natural form appears quite similarly to a Yludih, albeit they typically move upon four legs and are bestial in stance. They lack discernible facial features, other than a mouth, though they do have clearly defined heads, and limbs. They are formed entirely of light or dark blue crystals which jut outwards from a central mass in sporadic fashion, giving them the appearance of something quite sharp to behold.
A Shift in an adopted form will take on the appearance and mannerisms of its chosen creature, imitating them almost perfectly; a trait which makes the Shift extremely difficult to identify properly.
Habitat : The Shift has been found throughout the entirety of Idalos, which makes it difficult to discern where they prefer to live. Typically, however, they are found in greater concentration in more temperate climates, choosing to avoid extremes such as the Heart of the World or the plains of Oscillus if at all possible. Nonetheless, Shifts can be found anywhere. They are known to burrow into the side of cliffs, or to hide in the tops of trees when possible.
Lifespan and Development :
A Shift has four distinct stages of development.
Youth/Childhood – 0 – 1 Arc At this stage, the Shift is at its weakest. It spends most of the first trials after its birth attempting to observe and better imitate the behavior of its first chosen creature. They are typically more cautious and easily frightened than in other stages. Shifts are this level of development usually only imitate a single type of creature, and rarely transform into others.
Adolescent –2-4 Arcs. At this stage, a Shift has grown more attuned with its abilities, and takes far less time to observe and adapt its own mannerisms to fit those of a target creature. Adolescence is highlighted by an incredible increase in transforming behavior, and an Adolescent Shift can change dozens of times in short succession as it attempts to find the best pattern to imitate. Inversely to most creatures, Adolescent Shifts are typically the most passive of their kind, and focus more upon seeing the outcomes of their different forms than on actual hunting.
Adult – 5-75 Arcs. At this stage, the Shift has typically grown comfortable with a chosen pattern, and whilst capable and willing to transform, will often stick to a set of five or six regular transformations in their hunting. They are far more dangerous than their younger counterparts, and focus more upon the act of hunting as a result of their increased metabolism due to greater size. Shifts become capable of Shattering; their strange form of reproduction, at this stage. They are incredibly territorial in regards to other Shifts, which plays into the act of Shattering. Shattering occurs when a pair of Shifts meet in the wild, and proceed to fight one another. The victorious Shift will tear the other into small shards, usually about a foot in length, and proceed to hoard them in its den. It will then lay near the shards, transferring small amounts of its life-energy slowly into the shards over the course of several trials. Eventually, these shards will begin to bud new crystal fragments, at which point they are abandoned by the victorious Shift. These fragments will grow for something like thirty trials until they become a litter of Youthful Shifts.
Ancient – 76 Arcs-Onward. The number of Shifts which reach this lifespan can be counted on two hands. Little is known about these gargantuan creatures, though they are known to exist through word-of-mouth and written testament. Stories of brave hunters confronting vicious beasts only to encounter crystalline behemoths are not so uncommon as to be thought completely false. It is assumed that these Shifts behave in a similar way to their Adult counterparts, but in truth, they are far from their younger brethren. Ancient Shifts hunt down truly large beasts as prey, typically swallowing down hundreds of pounds of food before ascending to the tops of mountains or deep into the darkest depths, and then slumbering for nearly an entire Arc before returning from their self-imposed coma.
Diet: Shifts are technical omnivores, though their preference for meat is so great that they might as well be carnivorous. Their typical meal is taken from living beings, though they take three different portions from their prey. First, meat and flesh are taken to act as general fuel for the creature, and to sate its metabolism. Second, bones are taken to allow for further calcium buildups, and crystalline growth and mending. Third, latent electrical energy is absorbed via prolonged contact with prey, and is theorized to affect the innate life-force of the creatures. This means that their standard hunting pattern is to suddenly spring upon a creature from their disguised state, remove its ability to move, or disable it, and then slowly suck away their fill of electricity before consuming them.
Temperament: Differs depending on age of creature, as defined above. Shifts, especially Youths and Adolescents, can be coerced into becoming ‘pets’ by feeding them, and most are unlikely to assault something which feeds them… however, caution is advised, as once a Shift reaches Adulthood, it tends to lose much of its trust in mortal-kind. One curious aspect of their kind is that they typically embody a temperament more suited towards their disguise. A Shift dressed in the coating of a Squirrel is likely to be flighty, whilst one dressed in the guise of a Bear is more liable to be aggressive. It is unknown whether this is simply the creature attempting to better imitate its chosen animal, or whether there is a more mental change which occurs when the animal shifts.
Abilities:
Shifts are possessed of many abilities.
First and foremost, they are capable of transforming their appearance by means of shifting crystals into that of nearly any animal, though this requires some observation of their appearance and behavior to pull off well. Intriguingly, Shifts are effectively incapable of becoming two-legged beings, because they lack the coordination required, as well as the ability to make two of their limbs simply cease to exist for the purposes of the illusion. On the flip side, they can choose to retain their crystalline form to be overlooked as decorative knick-knacks.
Second, Shifts are hardy crystalline beings, which means that their hides are extremely resistant to cutting implements. Their hide is typically on par with average steel plate, which means that it can be pierced, though doing so is a difficult matter.
Third, Shifts cannot be properly imitated by Becomers. That is to say, their natural forms may be possessed and taken as totems by the Becomer, but their ability to transform is lost in translation in the process, though the reason for this is difficult to discern, and the subject of much study and research.
Credit: Noth
Quick Fact: Unintentionally beneficial Leech of Lisirra's
Native to: The Southern Continent
Location: They are now found the world over.
Lifespan & Development: Lisirra's Blight Drinker is an epimorphic organism, which means it does not change much as it grows, its body design and function being essentially changeless for its entire life. They are always white in color and hardly get any larger or longer than the average man's hand. They only breed in stagnant or slow moving waters and a healthy leech can have a lifespan of up to two or three years.
Abilities: Consumption of decaying material, and indefinite stasis of any chemical reactions from these materials.
Uses: Medical benefits of sterilization through elimination of rotting tissue, and chemical advantages of delaying reactions of otherwise volatile compounds.
Perhaps one of the world's more misunderstood creatures Lisirra's blight drinker has a name that associates with an immortal that makes it seem like some tool for evil. In fact, this useful little leech is possibly one of the few creatures of nature that combat's Lisirra's influence on the world. These little white leeches don't drink blood like their brethren, but pus and decay.
Living in stagnant lakes and lazy rivers, these white leeches live off decaying plants and animal. And for that reason, they emit a near unbearable smell and have a taste that only the most starved of predators could bear. Often seen in rotten tree trunks or on corpses of animals near water, these small creatures can smell decay and will slowly crawl towards it to feast upon the decomposing dinner.
That said, what makes these tiny creatures true marvels is their inability to eat anything that isn't rotten or dead. These creatures, while symbiotic, aren't parasitic, in fact, they would likely starve on a live host. However, it has been discovered that these creatures can save gangrenous wounds and pox-filled infections of the flesh. Placing these creatures on infected wounds over the course of a night or even days can save injuries that no normal medicine or non-magical surgeon could hope to clean. Nature's grim janitors, these little creatures consume pus and rotten flesh alike leaving behind raw but otherwise uninfected flesh.
Lisirra's Blight drinker has only in recent times been considered something beyond disgusting vermin. As a creature that smells as bad as it is hard to look at, they were for the longest time considered something to be avoided; and in the case of being seen near a populated area, exterminated. After all, the odor hardly makes them easy to be around. It was only in recent times, when rumors of these little monsters being used to beat gangrene and other near deadly wound infections, that they became viewed as something better than parasites.
Their origins, while not well known, do in fact lie with Lisirra, though their purpose and reality are actually quite different. The Intention for them had been as a means to further spread Lisirra's influence by feeding on things infected with diseases and acting as carriers to spread the diseases further. However in that aspect the creatures were failures; the Plague Lord neglected to place a natural aggression to attack healthy tissue into these organisms.
They consumed unhealthy disease ridden flesh as expected, but did not attack healthy and uncorrupted organisms, making them only good for the consumption of disease, and in reality an enemy of Lisirra's goals. As such, she attempted to have the species eradicated. But like most vermin, they proved near impossible to eradicate and by the time she'd nearly succeeded, her efforts were noted, and enough of these leaches had been discovered by alchemists and doctors alike, who preserved the species.
While very similar to the slug or leech their are some particular differences that set the Blight drinker apart from their cousins. One, unlike leeches, the blight drinker does not directly attach themselves to a victim they instead have a small circular mouth ringed with tentacles that secrete mild digestive fluids, these fluids are thought to be both acidic and antibiotic in nature considering the ability of the tentacles to dissolve and scoop rotten materials into the creatures small maw.
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the leech is it's alchemical properties. Their ability to withhold and store toxins translates into one of the most powerful if unknown inhibiting agents on Idalos. The digestive fluids of the leech being able to put external elements into a near infinite stasis until a catalyst is introduced, making them able to be used for some of the most creative poisons and subtle medicines for those with the knowledge of how to use them.
Credit: Symbri, with input by Maltruism
Width: ~10 inches
Length: ~50 inches
Weight: up to 50 lbs
Native to: Found throughout Idalos
Locations: Found throughout Idalos
Appearance: Probably the closest comparison to a Tootl'gok, or Tootle as the birds are often derogatorily called, is a chicken. That side, no even the simplest of beings would have trouble telling the difference between the two. Firstly, Tootles are entirely feather and hairless. Instead they are covered in a medium tough hide that is generally yellow on top and white or cream on the undersides. The males also have blue accents on their faces and blue faux-eyes on both sets of wings.
The double wings are unique to the males, with females having only the smaller first wing set. Tootles are primarily flightless, though they can make some fairly impressive leaps, and can glide, the females more clumsily than the males.
Their next most obvious characteristic is the long, thick tail which ends in a relatively flat almost spade shaped appendage. Tootles can balance on this for both threat and courtship displays, or use it to whack their many predators with varying degrees of success. They are also capable of clumsily grasping things, though they rarely do so except when running a piece of food away from other Tootles. Both their tails, wings and legs have short stubby claws, and a particularly aggressive Tootle going for the face can be a dismaying prospect.
Habitat: Tootles can and do live basically anywhere except extreme cold climates and true deserts. Although it is thought that they originated in Southern Idalos, the speed with which they breed and their relative hardiness made them an ideal food source and they were quickly taken all over the world by enterprising explorers both for meat and eggs.
Lifespan and Development: Tootles can live up to around 5 Arcs. They reach sexual and physical maturity in roughly a season. The females lay between 5 and 10 eggs per clutch, and will clutch every season if there is a male present. They usually live in groups ranging from 5 to 20 individuals. The smaller groups will often have only one male, but males will tolerate each other in larger groups.
Where it not for the fact that almost any predator can and does prey on them, they would quickly overbreed, and when kept in captivity if not culled, this is a very real possibility.
Diet: Tootles are scavengers and will eat very nearly anything. Grains, fruit, vegetable, meat, occasionally wholly inedible things that they ought not to be eating.. They are voracious and greedy eaters, and put on weight quickly when given easy access to copious amounts of food.
Temperament: In a word; stupid. Tootles breed quickly, otherwise they'd be dead. Individual temperament can vary from passive to the point of hiding a head under their wing when threatened, to territorial to the point of launching themselves noisily at anything that offends them all appendages extended and ready to attack. The singular guarantee is that they are dumb.
Abilities: Relatively fast reproduction rate.
Uses:
Name: Jere Buex, J’boo, Fire Bee.
Life span: Betwee 30 to 60 Trials
Habitat: Uncommon in Southern Idalos, but common in the temperate forests of Western, Northern and Central Idalos.
Physical description:
Jere Buex otherwise know as a Fire Bee, looks similar to a common honey bee. The visual difference lies in the blue near the end of their abdomen and at the start of their wings. To further prevent them from being mistaken for other bees, Jere Buex also carry the strong scent of smoke to ward off predators.
Abilities:
Unlike the sting from a normal honey bee, The Jere Buex’s venom can leave a nasty burning lesion on the skin. The sting is incredibly painful and can last for days. Some victims are left with lasting scars that flare up from time to time if the stinger is not properly removed.
If a Tunawa gets stung however, it can be fatal. The burning properties of the bee's venom ignites in the small creature and kills them with in a matter of trills.
The hive of a Jere Buex, lets off a strong sent of smoke to ward predators away. It isn’t clear how this happens but it seems like a variation of pheromones that have evolved to smell like smoke.
Behaviour:
Jere Buex are docile, like most bees they don’t sting unless provoked and typically die if they do. They are, however, attracted to the flowers of Tunawa, causing the plant people to lash out at them in fear. If Tunawa chose to take arms against the Jere Buex, the usually harmless bee will strike back without question.
Life cycle:
There life cycle and colony dynamics are exactly the same as typical honey bees. They have queens that spend their days producing eggs, worker bees which are infertile females and drones which are the males that spend most of their lives seeking out female queens to start new colonies.
The eggs the queen lays hatch into larvae, then grow into pupates until they finally reach their final stage.
History:
Their development is a mystery; many blame Lissara but there is no proof of her involvement. Seen as little more than pests to most, few have really cared to do much investigation. To Tunawa however, they are considered great enemies. Fearing the Jere Buex’s stings, Tunawa warriors took action and nearly drove the innocent creatures to extinction in Desnind.
Practical Uses:
The honey of the Jere Buex has warming effects that can help ward off the effects of cold weather if consumed. It has the same effect on Tunawa as well, but they are incredibly fearful of it. If a slave owner were to give their Tunawa slave Fire Bee honey, it would be an act of cruelty. Many grim stories of what can happen when the Jere Buex honey is consumed have been passed down form Tunawa to Tunawa for generations. Most Tunawa won't even touch it because they firmly believe it will permanently scar their bark. The warming affects the honey gives only cement the superstitious notion that the honey causes Tunawa to slowly burn into ash from the inside. It takes a Tunawa of great mental fortitude to convince themselves they won’t burst into flames when they consume it.
Due to Tunawa’s fear of the honey it can be used as a ward against them. A ring of fire honey is sometimes a more effective trap than a cage, since most Tunawa are be too fearful to cross it.
- Credit to Niv -
Name: Fogan
Aka: Aelig’s Nefarious Newts.
Life span: 30 Arcs
Size: Body is 6 to 7 inches in length
Habitat: Found near fresh water lakes and streams.
Physical description:
For the most part Fogan resemble Newts and Salamanders. What sets them apart is the small set of glowing eyes that fit in the middle of their forehead and the many additional limbs in a style reminiscent of a centipede.
Their skin ranges greatly in colour and design. The brighter the colour, the more toxic the skin; though this rule isn't always followed.
A Fogan’s eyes come in a vast array of colours that never seem to synch up. If one is blue another might be a darker or lighter version of it but no two will be the same hue.
Abilities:
Their strange eyes aren’t just for show. If anyone makes eye contact, for even a moment, with the glowing eyes of a Fogan, they start to see very lifelike Illusions derived from the victim's own imagination. The creature has very little control of the outcome, but it usually doesn’t end well for the victim. Under the influence of a Fogan's gaze, friends can become monsters and monsters can become small children in need of assistance. The illusions usually last for about 10 bits, but a person with excellent skills in meditation can recover quickly than most. A trick commonly used by people familiar with Fogan to counter it's illusions is to use some kind of reflection to spot the creatures location. Since a Fogan's magic gaze doesn't reflect, this trick works wonders in avoiding the creatures trap.
While they may not be able to communicate with other races, they have proven to be more intelligent and clever than one might expect. It isn’t uncommon for them to utilize primitive tactics, like ambushes and distractions. If one were to cut open the head of one of these creatures, they would see that Fogan actually have two intertwined brains that work together in harmony and help keep it sharper then most creatures of a similar size.
Behaviour:
Fogan usually enjoy playing tricks on those that dare enter their territory but there are a few stories of them helping travellers. It's believed that the distinction they make is based on how well a person respects nature, but it seems this is most likely an urban legend.
They tend to be solitary creatures, except during mating season, which occurs sometime in early spring. During this time they are known to make haunting wails and screams that sound distinctly humanoid in order to attract a mate. If someone is nimble enough to get one in their grasp it will hiss like a feline or scream like a young child.
They are nocturnal creatures and typically hide in the mud during the day. Their glowing eyes attract insects, which make up the bulk of the Fogan's diet.
Life cycle:
When Ymiden begins, they start their mating calls during the night to attract their ideal mate. The breeding process begins by having the male mount the female; and when they are successful the female deposits her eggs into the closest river. Out of a batch of anywhere from 20 to 100 tiny eggs, only a handful of the imbalanced abominations will be lucky enough survive exposure to the elements and continue to the next stage. After a week the Fogan eggs hatch into tadpoles that look fairly typical. After about a season, they slowly develop into full grown Fogan and their odd characteristics become known. They seem to stop aging after reaching maturity, until they suddenly fade out of existence as if they were never there. Oddly enough, if they are killed before they reach their expiry date, their bodies remain to be used in the creation of poisons, drugs and more creative uses.
Hibernation begins in late Vhalar where Fogan slowly start to fade until they can no longer be seen, They only appear again when the cold weather dissipates. No one is really sure why they go to in the cold months but they are never seen or heard from during this time.
History:
Fogan are believed to be creations of the God of illusions and chaos, Aelig, who for whatever reason abandoned them in the wilds, from which they spread forth like a plague to various regions of the world. Some dismiss them as abandoned mistakes, but most would agree that they were made intentionally to spread as much discord as possible. Whatever the reason, they don’t seem to be going anywhere.
Practical Uses:
Skilled poison crafters are known to use the blood of the Fogan to give their victims varying degrees of hallucinations based on it’s potency. The blood of a Fogan glows brightly so it usually needs to be mixed with something to hide it’s true nature. Usually something with an overpowering colour or thick consistency will do the trick. Only competent poison crafters can properly draw the creatures blood, and dilute it enough to hide its true nature while also keeping the desired outcome intact.
While not potent enough to kill humans, the poison that secretes from certain variations of Fogan is enough to make humans feel an exhilarating high. From just a single lick, an intense feeling of Euphoria can be felt instantly and intensely for anywhere between one and four breaks. To prepare the Fogan for use, one ether needs to give the poor creature a sedative or beat it to an inch of its life. This practice is illegal for its cruelty and for how unpredictable it can make people on it.
Credit: Lapis
Height: Claw to horn tip: 8-15 Ft
Width: 3-6 Ft
Length: 20-40Ft
Weight: 350-1000 pounds
Native to: Ocean coral reefs, and beaches with lots of greenery nearby.
Locations: Most typically seen in Coral Reefs that are far away from cities, so typically only Mer or very lucky travelers see these beautiful creatures. They are most commonly seen around the isles near Ne'haer and Rahkros, but even more so around Strosdyn; though there have been tales that they can be found along the shores between Desnind and Quacia, as well as some reports of sightings on the shores on the way up to Melrath.
Appearance: Nicknamed Nuiel by sailors and Mer alike, the Nuielafruchia have quite a reputation for having an eye-catching beauty that would even make a man's wife jealous. Scales like pearls, they are a creamy white with accents of pinks and blues. These are then accented by a water repelling fur that ranges from pink to purple. Along with the sheer size of an adult Nuielafruchia, they have a pure majesty about them.
As a quadruped, it has long claws, sharp teeth, and a long tail. The tail helps with balance and swimming while the legs help them with land travel. And these creatures are often hunted for all of these things.
Habitat: Nuielafruchia tend to live in underwater caves that are found in coral reef drop offs, though on occasion they can be found in some land caves that empty and fill with the tides. Pretty much, if there's a cave in or near water, there's a high chance one of these beauties is in it. It is thought that they don't really have a much of a preference but to tend to stay in warmer waters.
Lifespan and Development: As a serpent like sea creature, Nuielafruchia are egg laying creatures. Every clutch of eggs is considered of great importance and the mothers will protect them with their lives. So it is best to back off if one is found, lest you wish to incur the mother's wrath. Every clutch has around 3-6 eggs. It's rare to see any more or any less than that. It takes between 170 to 190 trials for the eggs to hatch. These eggs are laid typically in mid to late Ashan as mating season for the Nuielafruchia is in late Zi'da and all of Cylus.
Once born, Nuielafruchia pups stick to their family unit for about 3 seasons before going to find their own dens, often sticking close to the family unit's area. Though these creatures are not actually physically mature until after about 5 full arcs.
When they are old enough to mate, males try to impress females with a mix of a show of dominance and a dance that makes the spines on their head and back, along with their fur flow majestically. If the female finds the right male, she will score his horns to mark him as hers with her own horns and her claws. Marking them as mates for life.
These creatures are social and communicate with sounds that seem almost like a high pitch whistling, much like a mix between dolphins and a whales. Though unlike what might be expected, it's actually quite pleasant to the ears even with how high pitched it seems.
It is assumed that these creatures tend to live as long as 200 arcs. Though there's no real evidence of this or any particular reason as to why this is thought.
Diet: As a carnivorous creature, Nuielafruchia are mostly pescatarians. Preferring the salty taste on their tongues to the taste of land creatures. This is mostly because of two things, their capability of digesting most fish scales and bones, while things like fur and hide tend to make them sick. The reason for this is unknown, but they have been known to throw up whole bodies of animals such as cats, monkeys, dogs, and other smaller creatures. Though they have been known to eat many birds as well. as feathers don't seem to bother their innards.
With how large these creatures, when they aren't taking care of their young, most of their day is spent hunting for food in the open ocean, catching things like tuna, krill, and even crab or lobster to fill their large bellies. Eating most of their prey whole. Using their scales to draw the attention of most fish.
Temperament: For the most part, Nuielafruchia are quite calm and gentle creatures, and have been known to save drowning children from time to time. They have a family structure much like dolphin pods and it's rare to find one alone. But watch out, if you find yourself too close to a clutch of their eggs, you might want to run, as female Nuielafruchia are extremely protective of their eggs. To the point that they will not hesitate to kill those that get to close. Being allowed anywhere near their eggs is a massive sign of trust from the creature.
Abilities:
Strong Swimmers
Due to their serpentine body structures, along with their four legs, they have a lot of muscle and swimming power. At top speeds they can break through ice covered ocean with general ease. As long as the ice isn't much thicker than 6 inches.
Pearlescent Scales
These scales allow them to attract prey with ease, and quickens their hunt for food. They glitter even in the dullest of moonlight
Tough Scales
The toughness of their scales allows for protection from most bigger animals. Though they still can be harmed if a fight goes on too long, most sharks can't harm them, and most creatures with poison stingers can't penetrate the scales.
Non-Retractable Claws
These claws are made of condensed bone, so they are quite hard and not easy to break either. Allowing them to grow quite long and sharp over the years.
Water Resistant Fur
This resistance to water allows the Nuielafruchia to not be weighed down by their own features.
Credit: Juniper
Golden Salamanders: These yellow and black amphibians thrive in extremely hot parts of the volcano, either next to geysers or even in the lava itself. Contact with cold water will mark its end. Their body is coated in a poisonous milky substance that ensures it is completely fire proof and for this reason, golden salamanders are prized among the Aukari. The flipside is if the substance has contact with the body of an Aukari or any other organism, it will cause the infected area to slowly burn away. Golden salamanders are bred in large blast furnaces and are then killed and skinned but the process is difficult, costly and very dangerous. The milky substance is then used to coat objects to ensure they are well fireproofed. The substance is left to dry and the poison evaporates away. Tampering with the final coat will nullify the fireproof properties of the substance. The Aukari often pay large sums of money to fireproof important objects they wish to protect.
Voracious Caterpillars: Located around Sirothelle, these three feet long grey colored caterpillars spend a short period of time eating anything they set their sights on from plants to animals – nothing can survive the onslaught of the Voracious Caterpillar. The pupation stage takes longer. The caterpillar creates a mesh-like cocoon to look similar to volcanic rock, in order to be concealed from predators. The siphon butterfly emerges from the cocoon.
Siphon Butterfly: These large two foot high butterflies emerge from the voracious caterpillars. These are black with two yellow ‘eyes’ lined in white on each wing. At night time, the yellow eyes are phosphorescent and can be seen from miles away. This is an attempt to lure potential predators towards it. The butterfly’s wings are razor sharp and several ‘flutters’ can dash their bodies to pieces. The butterfly uses a retractable tube from the end of its abdomen to siphon the blood from the open wounds. The Aukari use the thin wings of the butterfly for the cutting of cloth and other minor things – it is far too fragile for conventional weaponry.
Acid Crocodile: These extremophiles live in boiling hot sulphur mud baths. They survive this by using multiple vents in their back to exhaust heat and gases. They spit acid from their mouths to burn their victims. They bite is powerful enough to pull their victims into the boiling hot pool for the kill. The blood from this crocodile has excellent healing properties.
Rainbow Sea Snake: This snake is notable for its iridescent scales used to dazzle prey. Incredibly quick in water and armed with a venomous bite, one would need nets and skill to catch these live. The scales fetch a modest price at any market. Primarily a phenomenon of the waters off the Island of Yithiral, these marine reptiles do frequently infest the waters off the coast of Foster's Landing and the Bailey Peninsula.
Rock Turtle: These enormous turtles have a shell that looks similar to a large rock. Swimming in schools, they float about to encourage all kinds of animals to sit on its shell. It will sink into the water and using its razor sharp beak to kill its prey. Schools of these turtles, disguised as rocks, alarm venturing ships. The turtles then herd these ships toward real rocks, causing the ships to be wrecked and the turtles to feast on the survivors. These behemoths have been known to cause alterations to coastal charts between Yithiral and the western continent.
Torpedo Fish: These foot long fish swim in schools and enjoy timber as part of their diet. Upon seeing a ship, they will torpedo toward the underside at high speed, teeth agape, creating dents and will eventually breach the hull after some time. They then proceed to feed on the ship itself. Foster's Landing is occasionally troubled by these nuisances, but most ships carry stores of disposable wood to divert their appetite.
Acid Slug: Dwelling throughout Unibor's dark forested areas such as Scyn's forest, this slug is one of many large creatures that roam the dark forest. It feeds on moss, fungi and even carrion. If in danger of its being attacked, it will roll in a ball and create an unpleasant smelling acid that coats its body.
Sicklepede: Living throughout the Unabor, on both sides of the Orm'Del Sea, the legs of these 10-foot long myriapods are razor sharp yellow 'sickles' that cleave the ground and trees as they move. They can also cut apart predators that pose a threat. if killed, the legs can be used for weaponry and tools.
Bird of Riches: Sighted in Korlasir as well as Etzos, this rare bird has silver and gold metallic feathers that glitter in the sun, a clear diamond-like beak and golden eyes. They live in caves rich with minerals and they feed exclusively on gold. Rarely do they emerge in the forest, but if tracked, one can be led to riches beyond imagining. A favorite of the Immortal Delroth, mortals are well advised to steer clear of them.
Unicorn Rhino: These large shrub feeding herbivores can reach 7 foot high (2.1m) and 13 feet long (4.0m) and some can weigh up to 1600kg. They dwell in the south eastern and south western forest areas and are known primarily for their straight, foot-long, horn that protrudes from the top of their skull. The horn is extremely sharp and durable - capable of easily driving itself into timber, or the bodies of predators that make the mistake of attacking them. If killed, the horn can be claimed by a difficult and arduous process of separating it from the skull. The effort is worth it though - for the horn can be used for weaponry and armor.
Canopy Anvil: Like a large armadillo, the anvil dwells in tree tops of the northern eastern Idalos and north western Idalos forested areas. It will sit for long periods of time in the tall canopies of a tree and use its keen eyes to spot a victim walking below. Anvils can time their decent perfectly: leaping from the canopy as the victim approaches the drop zone. The anvil rolls in a ball to expose its back made up of overlapping scales that are curved in such a way to absorb the impending collision. The anvil will then strike the victim and often kill it instantly with sheer blunt force. If it misses, the ground may not be able to absorb the impact like its victim and this could kill the anvil. The anvil has teeth that is used to feed upon the victim, consuming huge amounts before lumbering back up the tree.
Mornis: The mornis is an enormous flightless bird at 10 feet tall and weights up to half a tonne. It roams about most of the southern, eastern and central Unabor forests. It has a powerful beak that can easily snap branches from tree tops to access fruits. Its beak as well as its sharp claws can be used to ward away any predators that attack it. The feathers of this bird are thin with an ochraceous brown color. If collected, these can be used to make fine quills.
Giant Leech: These large leaches have the ability to latch onto their victims without it being felt. They also employ camouflage to continue to remain undetected. The leach waits on branches and leaves in swampy areas, attaching itself to a victim to suck their blood. Its saliva has anesthetic properties. Removing the leach before it has finished feeding can cause infection.
Jungle Rat: Larger than a hare, these rats drool white mucus heavily at the mouth, are carriers of several diseases, including rabies. They often live in the thick jungle and swamp areas. They are prone to biting in self-defense, transferring a multitude of life threatening diseases – so beware!
Colossus Eel: This slimy eel lurks in the swamps and are large in size, growing up to fifty feet long. It feeds upon young king crocodiles and can even attempt a young therion. When they bite, a second set of teeth in their mouth are used to secure and then draw the prey into the mouth. Finally, their hundreds of teeth contain a toxin that infuses a relaxant into the victim before swallowing the prey whole.
Light Owl: These small owls live in the dark undergrowth of the rainforest. They have phosphorescent feathers that light up entire areas. One feather collected can light a campsite or a room for a few weeks before beginning to dim. They are difficult at being caught due to their quick reflexes. However, their feathers fall from their wings often and it is commonplace to find them on the rainforest floor.
Gliding Python: These bright green snakes live at the tops of tree canopies. Projecting itself from a branch, they are able to spread itself flat and glide along the air. It can maneuver itself to fall upon monkeys and other animals, rapidly coiling themselves around and squeezing the victim to death.
Apes: There are hundreds of different species of monkey and most of live in the forest canopy. They range from a few inches in length to several metres – the infamous Gorn.
Gorn: Almost ten feet high (3 metres) and weighing up to 1200 pounds (540kg), the Gorn is a large ape that walks on all fours and feeds upon mostly bamboo. They are large enough to keep the thunder jaguar in check, though their young are vulnerable. They have long brown hair, though there is a low percentage strain of white morph.
Parasites: The bane of the rainforest – parasites such as mosquitoes, ticks, lice, spread a multitude of disease from which one is advised to do all that is possible to protect oneself.
Xyzzch
Quick Facts: A Fast Breeding, Slow Growing Spider with Three Genders, Highly Territorial and Very large. The adults form webs outward from a central female spider, in a protective spread over their domain.
Rarity: Uncommon
Abundant|Common|Uncommon|Rare|Very Rare|Limited To: X|Unique
Hatchling
Height: 1ft Tall | 30 cm
Width: 1ft Wide | 30 cm
Length: 1ft Long | 30 cm
Weight: 5kg | 11lbs
Neutral Adult
Height: 3ft Tall | 91 cm
Width: 4ft Wide | 121 cm
Length: 3ft Long | 91 cm
Weight: 40kg | 88lbs
Male Adult
Height: 4ft Tall | 121 cm
Width: 5ft Wide | 152 cm
Length: 4ft Long | 121 cm
Weight: 70kg | 154lbs
Female Adult
Height: 6ft Tall | 182 cm
Width: 7ft Wide | 213 cm
Length: 6ft Long | 182 cm
Weight: 120kg | 264lbs
Native to: Caverns, Secluded Swamps, Dark Canopied Forests, Surface Caves and Underground Locations. Fertile lands are a usual preference.
Locations: Eastern Idalos, Southern Idalos, North Eastern Idalos, and South Western Idalos.
Appearance: Eight hardy legs, their legs are thinner at the tip, meaning when their legs strike in a kick or stomp, they make for effective puncturing attacks. A tail websack exists for spinning a web in the three adult varieties. The neutral gendered and female spider’s back is usually smooth, with the male having extrusions of chitin. Mostly black, they have stripes of beige up their legs, their eight eyes being the same color as their skin, and found just above two small mandibles, which are mostly used for chopping up their food. On the larger female, these mandibles are capable of unleashing a blinding spit, the glands for which are located just below them.
Habitat: They prefer dark areas, heavily canopied forests, caves, and underground you’ll find they go very deep indeed, if the food is still plentiful. The level of moisture doesn’t matter, the level of food does matter, they are not small creatures and they need a fertile area to thrive, though lesser groups of Xyzzch can exist in more barren lands. The most noticeable thing about the Xyzzch’s habitat is that neutral gendered Xyzzch tend to setup webs near other Xyzzch in a network, spreading out from the female protectively. This both expands their domain slowly and sets up a network of webs, usually leaving space for animals to move and live in between, so food can reach the central areas.
Lifespan and Development: Starting as 9ft tall or 9ft long egg sacks, between twenty and twenty five spiderlings will hatch from each sack. Females laying up to five egg sacks at once, and preferring to lay them in close view of food. This makes the hatchlings vulnerable to predators, and also brings predators into the spider’s webs to be fed off in turn. Most hatchlings will die off within two trials, depending how much food exists, twenty to thirty will survive to the first gender stage of adulthood. If no prepared food exists at all in their mothers webbing, no dead or decaying animals are nearby, and it looks like all the hatchlings are going to starve, it is rare but possible they will swarm the female who laid them, overwhelming her to feed on their mother. This can gradually create shifts in territory from the inside out if females are killed, splitting their domain. Though the hatchlings are not picky about exactly who they swarm, and if another easier prey such as a male Xyzzch is nearby, they will be preferred. Meaning preparing food for her hatchlings is of paramount concern to a Spidermother when they are about to give birth, and she will often rather die than run from threats to her webbing, not for the webbing, for its stored food supply. Unlike their smaller cousins where the male is often consumed in mating, here three or four males are kept around, to be a preferred choice for the hatchlings if they ever run out of food, and to defend the webbing rather than expose the female. Hatchlings have a very long growing period, lasting twenty arcs from hatchling to adult, and another two if they grow further into a male or female, for a full life expectancy of 65 arcs.
Birthing hatchlings every arc, the Xyzzch are rapid breeders and can overwhelm an area all too easily, requiring fertile lands or predators thinning their numbers to thrive in. What limits their population to a swarm like behaviour, is the length of time hatchlings take to grow to maturity, the amount of hatchlings they produce, and their obvious food concerns. They go through three gender stages after hatchling, starting as a 1ft tall hatchling, the ones that survive will all grow to about 3ft tall as a neutral adult, with no gender or mating instinct. These neutral adults often form their own web structures, many building around the female mother's webbing for safety in numbers, and replacing her if she dies, they also serve to protect the Spidermother indirectly as they spread out from her in layers. If there is enough room for an entirely new female, at least three thousand square feet, or a female is missing, the largest of the neutral spiders nearby will instinctively grow to become a female, taking one of the neutral gendered spider’s webs, usually with its quick death to take their place. If more than one female grows in the same space, or they become too close due to being moved around, they will always fight to the death to assert their territory. Three of four of the most hardy neutral spiders will become males, and they will coexist often without incident. The female spider will choose who is to breed, often taking more than one male in case she becomes hungry during the act. The fact a neutral spider can grow into a female, means only two spiders of many hatchings need to survive, for these spiders to come back in another two arcs, making eradicating them a lengthy, often lifelong affair. What makes it longer, is that they take so long to grow to full size in the first place, a population systematically wiped out decades ago, all the way to eggsacks, could suddenly surge again two decades later if the extermination is not done very thoroughly.
Diet: Very large insects, birds, small reptiles, small mammals and sometimes larger creatures if they can be taken by surprise. The food is wrapped in webbing to preserve it for later, this also serves to cage it. Unlike small spiders, the Xyzzch doesn’t put the victim to sleep, so it is usually killed first, but this isn’t a requirement if it stops moving from fright. A live victim can expect to be stuck in the webbing for anything up to a season, dying of starvation most likely before being eaten. A skilled survivalist will know this, and know that if he is wrapped up he can still escape in his own time, especially if help is at hand, but if he fights to the death he has no such luxury.
Temperament: Exceptionally territorial, neutral Xyzzch will always attack if you are in or near their webbing, preferring to wait till you are surrounded. Considering anything they catch food, the bigger the better in fact. If they had to choose between two meals, it would be the biggest one they could take without being killed. The neutral gendered Xyzzch work together to a point if webs are threatened. You will see them lashing out at each other in warning rather than to cause harm. If a fight does break out between two Xyzzch one will always die. When not defending against predators or larger prey invading their webs, individual Xyzzch are isolationist, preferring to remain in their webs or nearby, but by the nature of how often they breed, it makes them constantly expand where their webs are placed. Forever a game of population control for a mother Xyzzch, depending on how many egg sacks she lays, too many hatchlings and they might consider her food, too few and the territory around her own webbing will weaken, she must guess correctly how many egg sacks to lay or pay the price. Males show less intelligence and more instinct, which is likely necessary given the chance of them being eaten when breeding, or the increased chance of them becoming hatchling food, meaning they never withdraw from defending their female. Neutral adults are a mix, they will preserve themselves by withdrawing when in serious pain, but won’t allow their webbing to be damaged even if they are hurt. It is rare a female would flee rather than die, if her food supply was ruined and she was hurt she might, she would then seek out the safest neutral web, taking it over by force.
Abilities: Hatchlings have numbers, and a swarming behaviour, otherwise they are no problem for a swing of a sword or an experienced mage if they can avoid being overwhelmed. Neutral Adult Xyzzch use their already existing webbing, and surprise attacks or drops, having thumping legs which can break bone. Spiders in folklore have seven or eight times a human's strength for their size, while this doesn’t quite hold true to folklore legend at this size, they still have the strength of something almost twice their size, making them able to exert considerable force on a small area with their legs if they stamp or kick you. Giving normal metal armor a run for their money if they hit, they will probably make a dent in most metals, though your sword strikes will still cut into them, if you see them coming in time.
It is the male and female Xyzzch however that you have to be careful of, while the neutral’s bite is comparable to a dogs teeth, and their kick a horses kick, a male spider's bite is comparable to that of a bear, so you can imagine what their kick can do. Thankfully you won’t find these arachnids looking for you, you actually have to go looking for them, deep in their web structures. Males have a natural hardened chitin armor around their bodies, instinct driven to fight to defend females till the death, so they will likely not be seen until you are nearing where the female is. A male’s hardened outer shell is comparable to steel, their mouths, eyes, and underbellies are their weakspots. The underbelly of a male is akin to a leathery hide, and they are much more likely to spin smaller webs to their advantage, or try to catch you in one if you stand still.
Female spiders are a juggernaut, more intelligent and more lethal still, you will only see a fully grown female spider at the heart of the web structure, after having killed most of the males, and several neutral Xyzzch, usually with many hatchlings waiting ready to swarm at you. Females will frequently try to catch you in shot webbing, thankfully because of their size you will not usually miss them coming. Their bite is devastating, and their kicks enough to puncture all but the hardest metals. Their chitin hide is said to be harder to pierce than cobalt, and if that wasn’t enough they have a blinding spit attack from a small mouth below their eyes. Go for the eyes if you ever find yourself face to face with this creature, and even then it will probably take more than one eye. Their underbelly is like steel, good luck getting underneath them though, it’s not a place most would want to be! Anyone caught in the spit of a female Xyzzch can expect to spend two trials blind, their sight will come back in flicks of color slowly but surely, if they survive the assault that is.
Research Notes: Researchers note that regular travellers will rarely if ever come across a female or male Xyzzch, more likely encountering a neutral one. Neutral Xyzzch are still a handful but do serve to not only keep the female and its eggsacks insulated, but also keep people safe from running across a more lethal variety of arachnid. It is rumoured experienced adventuring parties sometimes hunt down the mothers, because the unspun webbing from their tail’s websack, is worth a pretty coin or two for clothing manufacture, matching that of silk, only hardier. Of course mother spiders never leave their nests, so getting to them is difficult, and then killing them is a different matter entirely! Sadly already spun webbing cannot be used for clothing, made coarse during the spinning process. The regular neutral and male adults Xyzzch’s websack isn’t worth a fraction of the same, its quality will buy a few meals, but won’t make you rich.
Local Folklore differs on the Xyzzch, some place them squarely in Sintra’s obvious domain and creation. Others whisper they are a natural creation of some great and terrible creature beneath the earth, or pets of a terrible being from another realm, and a few learned folk insist that others make up far too many stories, that they are merely well adapted, fearsome predators.
Credit: Kaladis Anar
Rarity: Uncommon
Abundant|Common|Uncommon|Rare|Very Rare|Limited To: X|Unique
Hatchling
Height: 1ft Tall | 30 cm
Width: 1ft Wide | 30 cm
Length: 1ft Long | 30 cm
Weight: 5kg | 11lbs
Neutral Adult
Height: 3ft Tall | 91 cm
Width: 4ft Wide | 121 cm
Length: 3ft Long | 91 cm
Weight: 40kg | 88lbs
Male Adult
Height: 4ft Tall | 121 cm
Width: 5ft Wide | 152 cm
Length: 4ft Long | 121 cm
Weight: 70kg | 154lbs
Female Adult
Height: 6ft Tall | 182 cm
Width: 7ft Wide | 213 cm
Length: 6ft Long | 182 cm
Weight: 120kg | 264lbs
Native to: Caverns, Secluded Swamps, Dark Canopied Forests, Surface Caves and Underground Locations. Fertile lands are a usual preference.
Locations: Eastern Idalos, Southern Idalos, North Eastern Idalos, and South Western Idalos.
Appearance: Eight hardy legs, their legs are thinner at the tip, meaning when their legs strike in a kick or stomp, they make for effective puncturing attacks. A tail websack exists for spinning a web in the three adult varieties. The neutral gendered and female spider’s back is usually smooth, with the male having extrusions of chitin. Mostly black, they have stripes of beige up their legs, their eight eyes being the same color as their skin, and found just above two small mandibles, which are mostly used for chopping up their food. On the larger female, these mandibles are capable of unleashing a blinding spit, the glands for which are located just below them.
Habitat: They prefer dark areas, heavily canopied forests, caves, and underground you’ll find they go very deep indeed, if the food is still plentiful. The level of moisture doesn’t matter, the level of food does matter, they are not small creatures and they need a fertile area to thrive, though lesser groups of Xyzzch can exist in more barren lands. The most noticeable thing about the Xyzzch’s habitat is that neutral gendered Xyzzch tend to setup webs near other Xyzzch in a network, spreading out from the female protectively. This both expands their domain slowly and sets up a network of webs, usually leaving space for animals to move and live in between, so food can reach the central areas.
Lifespan and Development: Starting as 9ft tall or 9ft long egg sacks, between twenty and twenty five spiderlings will hatch from each sack. Females laying up to five egg sacks at once, and preferring to lay them in close view of food. This makes the hatchlings vulnerable to predators, and also brings predators into the spider’s webs to be fed off in turn. Most hatchlings will die off within two trials, depending how much food exists, twenty to thirty will survive to the first gender stage of adulthood. If no prepared food exists at all in their mothers webbing, no dead or decaying animals are nearby, and it looks like all the hatchlings are going to starve, it is rare but possible they will swarm the female who laid them, overwhelming her to feed on their mother. This can gradually create shifts in territory from the inside out if females are killed, splitting their domain. Though the hatchlings are not picky about exactly who they swarm, and if another easier prey such as a male Xyzzch is nearby, they will be preferred. Meaning preparing food for her hatchlings is of paramount concern to a Spidermother when they are about to give birth, and she will often rather die than run from threats to her webbing, not for the webbing, for its stored food supply. Unlike their smaller cousins where the male is often consumed in mating, here three or four males are kept around, to be a preferred choice for the hatchlings if they ever run out of food, and to defend the webbing rather than expose the female. Hatchlings have a very long growing period, lasting twenty arcs from hatchling to adult, and another two if they grow further into a male or female, for a full life expectancy of 65 arcs.
Birthing hatchlings every arc, the Xyzzch are rapid breeders and can overwhelm an area all too easily, requiring fertile lands or predators thinning their numbers to thrive in. What limits their population to a swarm like behaviour, is the length of time hatchlings take to grow to maturity, the amount of hatchlings they produce, and their obvious food concerns. They go through three gender stages after hatchling, starting as a 1ft tall hatchling, the ones that survive will all grow to about 3ft tall as a neutral adult, with no gender or mating instinct. These neutral adults often form their own web structures, many building around the female mother's webbing for safety in numbers, and replacing her if she dies, they also serve to protect the Spidermother indirectly as they spread out from her in layers. If there is enough room for an entirely new female, at least three thousand square feet, or a female is missing, the largest of the neutral spiders nearby will instinctively grow to become a female, taking one of the neutral gendered spider’s webs, usually with its quick death to take their place. If more than one female grows in the same space, or they become too close due to being moved around, they will always fight to the death to assert their territory. Three of four of the most hardy neutral spiders will become males, and they will coexist often without incident. The female spider will choose who is to breed, often taking more than one male in case she becomes hungry during the act. The fact a neutral spider can grow into a female, means only two spiders of many hatchings need to survive, for these spiders to come back in another two arcs, making eradicating them a lengthy, often lifelong affair. What makes it longer, is that they take so long to grow to full size in the first place, a population systematically wiped out decades ago, all the way to eggsacks, could suddenly surge again two decades later if the extermination is not done very thoroughly.
Diet: Very large insects, birds, small reptiles, small mammals and sometimes larger creatures if they can be taken by surprise. The food is wrapped in webbing to preserve it for later, this also serves to cage it. Unlike small spiders, the Xyzzch doesn’t put the victim to sleep, so it is usually killed first, but this isn’t a requirement if it stops moving from fright. A live victim can expect to be stuck in the webbing for anything up to a season, dying of starvation most likely before being eaten. A skilled survivalist will know this, and know that if he is wrapped up he can still escape in his own time, especially if help is at hand, but if he fights to the death he has no such luxury.
Temperament: Exceptionally territorial, neutral Xyzzch will always attack if you are in or near their webbing, preferring to wait till you are surrounded. Considering anything they catch food, the bigger the better in fact. If they had to choose between two meals, it would be the biggest one they could take without being killed. The neutral gendered Xyzzch work together to a point if webs are threatened. You will see them lashing out at each other in warning rather than to cause harm. If a fight does break out between two Xyzzch one will always die. When not defending against predators or larger prey invading their webs, individual Xyzzch are isolationist, preferring to remain in their webs or nearby, but by the nature of how often they breed, it makes them constantly expand where their webs are placed. Forever a game of population control for a mother Xyzzch, depending on how many egg sacks she lays, too many hatchlings and they might consider her food, too few and the territory around her own webbing will weaken, she must guess correctly how many egg sacks to lay or pay the price. Males show less intelligence and more instinct, which is likely necessary given the chance of them being eaten when breeding, or the increased chance of them becoming hatchling food, meaning they never withdraw from defending their female. Neutral adults are a mix, they will preserve themselves by withdrawing when in serious pain, but won’t allow their webbing to be damaged even if they are hurt. It is rare a female would flee rather than die, if her food supply was ruined and she was hurt she might, she would then seek out the safest neutral web, taking it over by force.
Abilities: Hatchlings have numbers, and a swarming behaviour, otherwise they are no problem for a swing of a sword or an experienced mage if they can avoid being overwhelmed. Neutral Adult Xyzzch use their already existing webbing, and surprise attacks or drops, having thumping legs which can break bone. Spiders in folklore have seven or eight times a human's strength for their size, while this doesn’t quite hold true to folklore legend at this size, they still have the strength of something almost twice their size, making them able to exert considerable force on a small area with their legs if they stamp or kick you. Giving normal metal armor a run for their money if they hit, they will probably make a dent in most metals, though your sword strikes will still cut into them, if you see them coming in time.
It is the male and female Xyzzch however that you have to be careful of, while the neutral’s bite is comparable to a dogs teeth, and their kick a horses kick, a male spider's bite is comparable to that of a bear, so you can imagine what their kick can do. Thankfully you won’t find these arachnids looking for you, you actually have to go looking for them, deep in their web structures. Males have a natural hardened chitin armor around their bodies, instinct driven to fight to defend females till the death, so they will likely not be seen until you are nearing where the female is. A male’s hardened outer shell is comparable to steel, their mouths, eyes, and underbellies are their weakspots. The underbelly of a male is akin to a leathery hide, and they are much more likely to spin smaller webs to their advantage, or try to catch you in one if you stand still.
Female spiders are a juggernaut, more intelligent and more lethal still, you will only see a fully grown female spider at the heart of the web structure, after having killed most of the males, and several neutral Xyzzch, usually with many hatchlings waiting ready to swarm at you. Females will frequently try to catch you in shot webbing, thankfully because of their size you will not usually miss them coming. Their bite is devastating, and their kicks enough to puncture all but the hardest metals. Their chitin hide is said to be harder to pierce than cobalt, and if that wasn’t enough they have a blinding spit attack from a small mouth below their eyes. Go for the eyes if you ever find yourself face to face with this creature, and even then it will probably take more than one eye. Their underbelly is like steel, good luck getting underneath them though, it’s not a place most would want to be! Anyone caught in the spit of a female Xyzzch can expect to spend two trials blind, their sight will come back in flicks of color slowly but surely, if they survive the assault that is.
Research Notes: Researchers note that regular travellers will rarely if ever come across a female or male Xyzzch, more likely encountering a neutral one. Neutral Xyzzch are still a handful but do serve to not only keep the female and its eggsacks insulated, but also keep people safe from running across a more lethal variety of arachnid. It is rumoured experienced adventuring parties sometimes hunt down the mothers, because the unspun webbing from their tail’s websack, is worth a pretty coin or two for clothing manufacture, matching that of silk, only hardier. Of course mother spiders never leave their nests, so getting to them is difficult, and then killing them is a different matter entirely! Sadly already spun webbing cannot be used for clothing, made coarse during the spinning process. The regular neutral and male adults Xyzzch’s websack isn’t worth a fraction of the same, its quality will buy a few meals, but won’t make you rich.
Local Folklore differs on the Xyzzch, some place them squarely in Sintra’s obvious domain and creation. Others whisper they are a natural creation of some great and terrible creature beneath the earth, or pets of a terrible being from another realm, and a few learned folk insist that others make up far too many stories, that they are merely well adapted, fearsome predators.
Credit: Kaladis Anar
Arphene
Name: Arphene
Quick Facts: The Arphene has the typical colouring of a wasp, to ward predators away. It also has a poison bite that can cause severe irritation over time if left untreated.
Height: The Arphene is 2-5 inches in height.
Width: The Arphene is 4-6 inches in width.
Length: The Arphene, from wing to wing, is typically 8-12 inches in length.
Weight: The Arphene weighs very little, about 0.1 of an ounce. This gives them additional aerodynamic control when avoiding predators.
Native to: Rhakros
Locations: The Arphene can be seen in Central Idalos, but have been known to have been introduced to Northern Idalos by alchemists who wish to use their wings and poison for medicinal purposes.
Appearance: The Arphene have the typical warning colours of a wasp, being that of yellow and black to ward potential predators away from them. The unique appearance of the Arphene comes together through it's somewhat draconic head, and it's draconic incisors; which are capable of leaving a powerful irritant on it's prey's skin on contact. Their wings feel soft to the touch, almost like feathers, whilst their head and spine feel scaly, much like a reptile.
Habitat: The Arphene have an irritating corrosive in their fangs, a poison which they use to hollow out holes in many of Rhakros' trees to live in, as well as lay their eggs in. This corrosive substance allows the Arphene to create an all-season habitat that keeps them safe against predators and the cold.
Lifespan and Development: Many Arphene larva are birthed during the Cold Cycle of the year, around the weekly period of the 89-93 of Zi'da, their mothers hiding them within the soil as they grow and feed on the worms and nutrients hidden in the soil during the cycle. The larvae themselves becomes chrysalises around the time of the Rebirth cycle, many chrysalises being formed by Arphene larvae around the time of the 79-83rd of Ymiden in the Rebirth Cycle, the larvae themselves hatching into adults during Saun. When mating, the Arphene have an odd courtship ritual. The males will often bring back dead birds and other Arphene they have killed as tributes to their potential mate, and usually, the male with the largest kill pile attracts the most mates, the tribute themselves often the Arphene male's other competitors.
It is theorized that the Arphene were an experimental creation by Lisirra. Deciding later that they were not potent enough, the Immortal went to their nesting trees and eradicated them. But one strain had found it preferable to burrow into the ground to nest. Lisirra failed to notice this development and this one strain survived her malice, and this resulted in the creatures' instinctive compulsion to avoid the presence of their creator from then on.
Diet: The Arphene are omnivorous; they eat many of Rhakros' leaves, berries and pieces of bark, however they have been known to sample that of the flesh of small animals when in swarms such as field mice, or that of other insects when they are on their own.
Temperament: The Arphene are extremely territorial and will swarm on predators who are too close to their habitat, however if you remain a safe distance away, the Arphene are graceful and beautiful creatures, unlikely to harm you.
Abilities: The Arphene have an irritant in their bite that can deter predators, as well as a keen sense of sight or smell. The Arphene are dangerous in swarms for this very reason as the irritant can become necrotic and corrosive if too much of it is applied to the skin of prey. But in controlled doses, it is very effective in decontaminating and sterilizing germs and neutralizing other, more powerful, toxins. The arphene can reach speeds of up to five miles per break, making them especially dangerous when angered or swarming,
Credit: Fethryn
Height: The Arphene is 2-5 inches in height.
Width: The Arphene is 4-6 inches in width.
Length: The Arphene, from wing to wing, is typically 8-12 inches in length.
Weight: The Arphene weighs very little, about 0.1 of an ounce. This gives them additional aerodynamic control when avoiding predators.
Native to: Rhakros
Locations: The Arphene can be seen in Central Idalos, but have been known to have been introduced to Northern Idalos by alchemists who wish to use their wings and poison for medicinal purposes.
Appearance: The Arphene have the typical warning colours of a wasp, being that of yellow and black to ward potential predators away from them. The unique appearance of the Arphene comes together through it's somewhat draconic head, and it's draconic incisors; which are capable of leaving a powerful irritant on it's prey's skin on contact. Their wings feel soft to the touch, almost like feathers, whilst their head and spine feel scaly, much like a reptile.
Habitat: The Arphene have an irritating corrosive in their fangs, a poison which they use to hollow out holes in many of Rhakros' trees to live in, as well as lay their eggs in. This corrosive substance allows the Arphene to create an all-season habitat that keeps them safe against predators and the cold.
Lifespan and Development: Many Arphene larva are birthed during the Cold Cycle of the year, around the weekly period of the 89-93 of Zi'da, their mothers hiding them within the soil as they grow and feed on the worms and nutrients hidden in the soil during the cycle. The larvae themselves becomes chrysalises around the time of the Rebirth cycle, many chrysalises being formed by Arphene larvae around the time of the 79-83rd of Ymiden in the Rebirth Cycle, the larvae themselves hatching into adults during Saun. When mating, the Arphene have an odd courtship ritual. The males will often bring back dead birds and other Arphene they have killed as tributes to their potential mate, and usually, the male with the largest kill pile attracts the most mates, the tribute themselves often the Arphene male's other competitors.
It is theorized that the Arphene were an experimental creation by Lisirra. Deciding later that they were not potent enough, the Immortal went to their nesting trees and eradicated them. But one strain had found it preferable to burrow into the ground to nest. Lisirra failed to notice this development and this one strain survived her malice, and this resulted in the creatures' instinctive compulsion to avoid the presence of their creator from then on.
Diet: The Arphene are omnivorous; they eat many of Rhakros' leaves, berries and pieces of bark, however they have been known to sample that of the flesh of small animals when in swarms such as field mice, or that of other insects when they are on their own.
Temperament: The Arphene are extremely territorial and will swarm on predators who are too close to their habitat, however if you remain a safe distance away, the Arphene are graceful and beautiful creatures, unlikely to harm you.
Abilities: The Arphene have an irritant in their bite that can deter predators, as well as a keen sense of sight or smell. The Arphene are dangerous in swarms for this very reason as the irritant can become necrotic and corrosive if too much of it is applied to the skin of prey. But in controlled doses, it is very effective in decontaminating and sterilizing germs and neutralizing other, more powerful, toxins. The arphene can reach speeds of up to five miles per break, making them especially dangerous when angered or swarming,
Credit: Fethryn
Queen of the Lake
Name: Queen of the Lake
Quick Facts: The Queen of the Lake is the prize fish of nearly every pond and lake across Idalos' temperate regions. The females are large, predatory creatures with a voracious appetite and a unique hunting adaptation. They able shoot projectiles from their mouths to stun small mammals on the water's edge, or that hang over the water in trees' branches. This is their preferred method of hunting for the females. The males are significantly smaller and much more abundant. Nearly every pond will have a single queen and several princes. The size of the queen is controlled by the size of the lake, while princes tend to always remain the same size.
Height: Queens - 2 ft high at a minimum, others have been found to be upwards of 6 feet high. Princes 5 inches.
Width: Queens - 2 ft wide at a minimum, others have been found to be upwards of 6 feet wide. Princes 3 inches.
Length: Queens - 4 ft long at a minimum, others have been found to be upwards of 12 feet long. Princes 6 inches.
Native to: Temperate Ponds and Lakes, fresh water only, particularly with a lot of nearby plant and tree growth.
Locations: Temperate and forested areas of North, Central, Western, Eastern, and Southern Idalos
Appearance:
Female: The Queen of the Lake is a large, fat fish. She isn't particularly agile, though she is incredibly strong. Her skin is leathery in appearance and can come in a wide variety of colors so as to camouflage in with her lake, with earthy colors being most common. Bright colors are less common, but in ponds with colorful grown it may exist. She is about as wide as she is tall, and twice as long. She has several rows of very sharp, very strong teeth for ripping through flesh and bone.
Male: The Princes are much smaller and agile creatures, looking nothing like the Queens. They are almost exclusively bright colors, with yellow being the most common. They are skinnier in their proportions, nor as long as the Queen. They have large fins for maneuverability and big eyes to watch for threats, which is usually a hungry Usurper Queen.
Habitat: The Queen of the Lake live in temperate ponds and lakes, away from the brutal colds and extreme heats. Ponds with a lot of shore side growth and overhanging tree branches are almost certain to have a Queen in them. They do not live in areas with moving water such as rivers, nor can they survive in salt water.
Lifespan and Development: Queens and Princes alike are born from a vast laying of eggs the female lays once per arc. All of the eggs are identical, the size of a small marble, the color of mud, and laid all about on the lake bed. And among each laying is a single Usurper Queen, which is identical to all the rest of the Princes, an evolutionary necessity so the reigning Queen cannot eat the new possible usurper. The eggs take only about 20 trials to hatch. The Princes are tiny and bright, and will grow to full size in forty trials.. The Usurper starts off the same size as the infant Princes, but will grow to the base size for Queens in an arc, if she lives that long.
While the life of Princes is fairly standard, the Usurper Queens go into hiding, so to not be found by the reigning Queen, and feeding off of males until she is big enough to challenge the reigning Queen. Only then can she go surface hunting. Princes only live 2-3 arcs naturally, but Queens can live upward of 50 arcs.
Diet: Reigning Queens are surface feeders, using their ability to spit rocks and bone projectiles with extreme speed and accuracy to stun birds, squirrels, and other small creatures. Anything that she can stun, she will eat. At bigger lakes, a massive female has been known to eat deer who come to the water to drink, and there have been reports of people being eaten as well, particularly small children.
Usurper Queens almost exclusively eat Princes, but will eat other fish in the lake as well.
Princes are omnivorous. They eat algae, plant life, other smaller fish, really anything they can get a hold of that the Queen and Usurper Queens haven't eaten.
Temperament: Queens are extremely territorial, particularly of the shore line and surface area of their lakes. With their ravenous diet anything that moves in this area is a potential target to be attacked and eaten. Usurper Queens are more docile, until it is time for them to challenge the reigning Queen. Princes are skiddish, preferring to flee away from anything, and prefer to go after the easiest of food.
Abilities: The most notable feature of the Queen is the ability to shoot projectiles. These projectiles are sometimes smooth, round stones she finds in the lake. But more commonly used are the stones she makes herself within her stomach, formed from the partially digested bones of her prey. These bony projectiles seem to fly further and more accurately than stones, and are highly sought after by those looking for ammo for slings and slingshots.
The Queen has very thick, leathery skin, which only grows stronger with age to protect her from Usurpers. This skin when treated is waterproof and excellent at stopping attacks from piercing weapons.
Finally the queen's teeth are incredibly sharp and strong, able to cut through flesh and bone with ease. These teeth are often fashioned into daggers, arrow heads, and jewelry.
The Princes have no special abilities.
Credit: Qit'ria
Quick Facts: The Queen of the Lake is the prize fish of nearly every pond and lake across Idalos' temperate regions. The females are large, predatory creatures with a voracious appetite and a unique hunting adaptation. They able shoot projectiles from their mouths to stun small mammals on the water's edge, or that hang over the water in trees' branches. This is their preferred method of hunting for the females. The males are significantly smaller and much more abundant. Nearly every pond will have a single queen and several princes. The size of the queen is controlled by the size of the lake, while princes tend to always remain the same size.
Height: Queens - 2 ft high at a minimum, others have been found to be upwards of 6 feet high. Princes 5 inches.
Width: Queens - 2 ft wide at a minimum, others have been found to be upwards of 6 feet wide. Princes 3 inches.
Length: Queens - 4 ft long at a minimum, others have been found to be upwards of 12 feet long. Princes 6 inches.
Native to: Temperate Ponds and Lakes, fresh water only, particularly with a lot of nearby plant and tree growth.
Locations: Temperate and forested areas of North, Central, Western, Eastern, and Southern Idalos
Appearance:
Female: The Queen of the Lake is a large, fat fish. She isn't particularly agile, though she is incredibly strong. Her skin is leathery in appearance and can come in a wide variety of colors so as to camouflage in with her lake, with earthy colors being most common. Bright colors are less common, but in ponds with colorful grown it may exist. She is about as wide as she is tall, and twice as long. She has several rows of very sharp, very strong teeth for ripping through flesh and bone.
Male: The Princes are much smaller and agile creatures, looking nothing like the Queens. They are almost exclusively bright colors, with yellow being the most common. They are skinnier in their proportions, nor as long as the Queen. They have large fins for maneuverability and big eyes to watch for threats, which is usually a hungry Usurper Queen.
Habitat: The Queen of the Lake live in temperate ponds and lakes, away from the brutal colds and extreme heats. Ponds with a lot of shore side growth and overhanging tree branches are almost certain to have a Queen in them. They do not live in areas with moving water such as rivers, nor can they survive in salt water.
Lifespan and Development: Queens and Princes alike are born from a vast laying of eggs the female lays once per arc. All of the eggs are identical, the size of a small marble, the color of mud, and laid all about on the lake bed. And among each laying is a single Usurper Queen, which is identical to all the rest of the Princes, an evolutionary necessity so the reigning Queen cannot eat the new possible usurper. The eggs take only about 20 trials to hatch. The Princes are tiny and bright, and will grow to full size in forty trials.. The Usurper starts off the same size as the infant Princes, but will grow to the base size for Queens in an arc, if she lives that long.
While the life of Princes is fairly standard, the Usurper Queens go into hiding, so to not be found by the reigning Queen, and feeding off of males until she is big enough to challenge the reigning Queen. Only then can she go surface hunting. Princes only live 2-3 arcs naturally, but Queens can live upward of 50 arcs.
Diet: Reigning Queens are surface feeders, using their ability to spit rocks and bone projectiles with extreme speed and accuracy to stun birds, squirrels, and other small creatures. Anything that she can stun, she will eat. At bigger lakes, a massive female has been known to eat deer who come to the water to drink, and there have been reports of people being eaten as well, particularly small children.
Usurper Queens almost exclusively eat Princes, but will eat other fish in the lake as well.
Princes are omnivorous. They eat algae, plant life, other smaller fish, really anything they can get a hold of that the Queen and Usurper Queens haven't eaten.
Temperament: Queens are extremely territorial, particularly of the shore line and surface area of their lakes. With their ravenous diet anything that moves in this area is a potential target to be attacked and eaten. Usurper Queens are more docile, until it is time for them to challenge the reigning Queen. Princes are skiddish, preferring to flee away from anything, and prefer to go after the easiest of food.
Abilities: The most notable feature of the Queen is the ability to shoot projectiles. These projectiles are sometimes smooth, round stones she finds in the lake. But more commonly used are the stones she makes herself within her stomach, formed from the partially digested bones of her prey. These bony projectiles seem to fly further and more accurately than stones, and are highly sought after by those looking for ammo for slings and slingshots.
The Queen has very thick, leathery skin, which only grows stronger with age to protect her from Usurpers. This skin when treated is waterproof and excellent at stopping attacks from piercing weapons.
Finally the queen's teeth are incredibly sharp and strong, able to cut through flesh and bone with ease. These teeth are often fashioned into daggers, arrow heads, and jewelry.
The Princes have no special abilities.
Credit: Qit'ria
Skaldal
Name: Skaldal
Quick Facts: The Skaldal is a strange little creature that moves around on all four as well as two legs, similar to some kind of chimp. They are known to travel in large groups of anywhere from 10 to 40 depending on the location. They have little in regards to natural weapons to defend themselves with, the most they have are large incisors that are more so for eating as they are a mix of both foragers and scavengers. Skaldals love anything that sparkles, shines, or seems valuable. They like stealing from stupid people who leave their valuables somewhere easily accessible. They say finding a Skaldal den is as good as following a treasure map to its conclusion. Because the large groups they live in and the multiple generations that use the same den as a home, the treasure will pile up to great amounts, though dens are stupidly hard to find.
Height: 3 feet (when sitting on hind legs)
Width: 16 inches roughly
Length: 3 feet. Adding in the tail will add an extra foot and a half.
Weight: 4 and 5 kg (9 and 10 lb)
Native to: Usually forested areas. Both warm and cold climates but not to extremes.
Locations: Central, North, and West are the easiest places to find the Skaldal however they can be found in the East and South even if it is rare.
Appearance:
The Skaldal are small black creatures that look like a cross between a monkey, a rabbit, and a very furry cat. Most if not all have large yellow eyes that are cat like or rabbit like in nature, depending on the tribe. There is a small amount of very rare Skaldal who have blue eyes. Skaldal with this eye color is usually born blind or with severe vision problems, more often than not leading to their demise. One of the very noticeable traits of the Skaldal is the fact they have human like hands with long fingers and opposable thumbs, this is often where the comparison of monkeys comes from in combination with its feet and tail.
Habitat: A Skaldal will take up residence in any area with proper tree cover. They tend to stay in the trees as often as possible since it's a good place to forage as while as steal from the unwitting. Skaldal dens aren't so much dens as they are a clump of trees close enough together to hold the entire tribe. Usually, a hole will be dug out under the tree for them to keep the treasures they collected as well as to hide the sick or pregnant tribe members. It's easy to mistake these small dens for fox holes, making it hard to locate the treasure even if you know where a tribe of Skaldal live. Some will even disguise the area through the use of whatever natural material is in the area. Skaldal will try to pick an area with a mild temperature or somewhere that is only a little above the mid line. Skaldal are not prepared for either extreme, however, they'll have an easier time dealing with the cold than the heat thanks to their thick coats.
Lifespan and Development: Skaldal are born in litters of usually around 3-6. Most young Skaldal won't survive due to illness or the general weakness of the species. Skaldal are social animals that stay in tribes in order to protect the young and the old. Usually, Skaldal becoming of breeding age at about 2 years old. Young Skaldal stay in tree based nests at all times. They usually stay towards the center of the tree keeping them far from the ground while also out of the way of large birds of prey. Between the ages of six months and an arc, the Skaldal aren't old enough to wander far from home. They are, however, allowed to exit the tree and are often tasked with the job of taking care of younger litters. Once they reach an arc and a half of age the tribe will start to take them out to forage. Occasionally a Skaldal will leave it's tribe once they reach breeding age. Skaldal only live about 10-12 arcs tops.
In a tribe, there is usually one or a couple Alpha Skaldal. They aren't necessarily the leaders of the group, by they are the most highly skilled. They'll be smarter or stronger than the average Skaldal. This advantage usually makes them the protectors of their tribe leading to an Alpha to being much more aggressive than the average Skaldal.
Diet: Skaldal are generally accepted as very small and weak creatures. They are known to be foragers and what little meat they do capture is usually scavenged or small rodent like creatures caught by the Alpha Skaldal. Most tend to harvest berries from bushes or fruits and nuts from trees. Some Skaldal are born with slight mutations to their hands which give them the ability to efficiently dig, these Skaldal tend to hunt for roots. Alpha Skaldal, depending on the Skaldal, will hunt small creatures. For example, smarter Skaldal steal from others while stronger Skaldal steal it themselves. Depending on the area they live in they can catch small rodents, fish, or the lost meals of foolish travelers and farmers alike. Because the nature of their diet the Skaldal have built up a powerful immunity to most plant based toxins. Animal and chemical poisons are a different matter, but if you're trying to kill a Skaldal with poison from a plant be it the roots, leaves, or berries, then it's better you give up while you're ahead.
Temperament: Skaldal tend to lean towards a trickster personality, they are tiny and mischievous. When a member of the tribe locates a predator they will chase the predator out with simple tricks such as throwing rocks at them from the trees or causing them to run into things in an attempt to catch one as prey. However when a Skaldal is faced with a threat that can catch them most of the tribe if not all of the tribe become cowards. They will flee to the best of their abilities and if that fails they'll offer tribute from their hoards, often handing over the prettiest and by extension the most expensive items of their hoards.
Alpha Skaldal tend to react a bit different, tricking and trying to fend off a foe until the bitter end. They will not hand over their treasure and they are the most likely to attack with what little skill they have in the area of fighting. If you win the favor of an Alpha Skaldal by helping their tribe in some way then they'll finally offer treasure in return. Someone who has won the favor of an Alpha Skaldal will always be remembered the tribe even sometimes generations later. They will still treat the person as a friend, occasionally offering gifts or running to them when trouble arises.
Abilities: The tail of a Skaldal is very useful for climbing as it functions similar to a monkey. They have claws but the shape and side of the claws are for the purpose of better climbing. Skaldal actually have thumbs and nimble fingers which helps them collect food. High poison resistance. Some Skaldal are born with more scoop like hands and claws which help more with digging than with climbing.
The signature ability of the Skaldal, however, is their ability to secrete fluids from their skin that accelerates bark growth within the areas they make their nests, making it grow around the perimeter, to the point of making the clump look like a single tree and helping mask the den's scent from predators.
Credit: Nightshade
Quick Facts: The Skaldal is a strange little creature that moves around on all four as well as two legs, similar to some kind of chimp. They are known to travel in large groups of anywhere from 10 to 40 depending on the location. They have little in regards to natural weapons to defend themselves with, the most they have are large incisors that are more so for eating as they are a mix of both foragers and scavengers. Skaldals love anything that sparkles, shines, or seems valuable. They like stealing from stupid people who leave their valuables somewhere easily accessible. They say finding a Skaldal den is as good as following a treasure map to its conclusion. Because the large groups they live in and the multiple generations that use the same den as a home, the treasure will pile up to great amounts, though dens are stupidly hard to find.
Height: 3 feet (when sitting on hind legs)
Width: 16 inches roughly
Length: 3 feet. Adding in the tail will add an extra foot and a half.
Weight: 4 and 5 kg (9 and 10 lb)
Native to: Usually forested areas. Both warm and cold climates but not to extremes.
Locations: Central, North, and West are the easiest places to find the Skaldal however they can be found in the East and South even if it is rare.
Appearance:
The Skaldal are small black creatures that look like a cross between a monkey, a rabbit, and a very furry cat. Most if not all have large yellow eyes that are cat like or rabbit like in nature, depending on the tribe. There is a small amount of very rare Skaldal who have blue eyes. Skaldal with this eye color is usually born blind or with severe vision problems, more often than not leading to their demise. One of the very noticeable traits of the Skaldal is the fact they have human like hands with long fingers and opposable thumbs, this is often where the comparison of monkeys comes from in combination with its feet and tail.
Habitat: A Skaldal will take up residence in any area with proper tree cover. They tend to stay in the trees as often as possible since it's a good place to forage as while as steal from the unwitting. Skaldal dens aren't so much dens as they are a clump of trees close enough together to hold the entire tribe. Usually, a hole will be dug out under the tree for them to keep the treasures they collected as well as to hide the sick or pregnant tribe members. It's easy to mistake these small dens for fox holes, making it hard to locate the treasure even if you know where a tribe of Skaldal live. Some will even disguise the area through the use of whatever natural material is in the area. Skaldal will try to pick an area with a mild temperature or somewhere that is only a little above the mid line. Skaldal are not prepared for either extreme, however, they'll have an easier time dealing with the cold than the heat thanks to their thick coats.
Lifespan and Development: Skaldal are born in litters of usually around 3-6. Most young Skaldal won't survive due to illness or the general weakness of the species. Skaldal are social animals that stay in tribes in order to protect the young and the old. Usually, Skaldal becoming of breeding age at about 2 years old. Young Skaldal stay in tree based nests at all times. They usually stay towards the center of the tree keeping them far from the ground while also out of the way of large birds of prey. Between the ages of six months and an arc, the Skaldal aren't old enough to wander far from home. They are, however, allowed to exit the tree and are often tasked with the job of taking care of younger litters. Once they reach an arc and a half of age the tribe will start to take them out to forage. Occasionally a Skaldal will leave it's tribe once they reach breeding age. Skaldal only live about 10-12 arcs tops.
In a tribe, there is usually one or a couple Alpha Skaldal. They aren't necessarily the leaders of the group, by they are the most highly skilled. They'll be smarter or stronger than the average Skaldal. This advantage usually makes them the protectors of their tribe leading to an Alpha to being much more aggressive than the average Skaldal.
Diet: Skaldal are generally accepted as very small and weak creatures. They are known to be foragers and what little meat they do capture is usually scavenged or small rodent like creatures caught by the Alpha Skaldal. Most tend to harvest berries from bushes or fruits and nuts from trees. Some Skaldal are born with slight mutations to their hands which give them the ability to efficiently dig, these Skaldal tend to hunt for roots. Alpha Skaldal, depending on the Skaldal, will hunt small creatures. For example, smarter Skaldal steal from others while stronger Skaldal steal it themselves. Depending on the area they live in they can catch small rodents, fish, or the lost meals of foolish travelers and farmers alike. Because the nature of their diet the Skaldal have built up a powerful immunity to most plant based toxins. Animal and chemical poisons are a different matter, but if you're trying to kill a Skaldal with poison from a plant be it the roots, leaves, or berries, then it's better you give up while you're ahead.
Temperament: Skaldal tend to lean towards a trickster personality, they are tiny and mischievous. When a member of the tribe locates a predator they will chase the predator out with simple tricks such as throwing rocks at them from the trees or causing them to run into things in an attempt to catch one as prey. However when a Skaldal is faced with a threat that can catch them most of the tribe if not all of the tribe become cowards. They will flee to the best of their abilities and if that fails they'll offer tribute from their hoards, often handing over the prettiest and by extension the most expensive items of their hoards.
Alpha Skaldal tend to react a bit different, tricking and trying to fend off a foe until the bitter end. They will not hand over their treasure and they are the most likely to attack with what little skill they have in the area of fighting. If you win the favor of an Alpha Skaldal by helping their tribe in some way then they'll finally offer treasure in return. Someone who has won the favor of an Alpha Skaldal will always be remembered the tribe even sometimes generations later. They will still treat the person as a friend, occasionally offering gifts or running to them when trouble arises.
Abilities: The tail of a Skaldal is very useful for climbing as it functions similar to a monkey. They have claws but the shape and side of the claws are for the purpose of better climbing. Skaldal actually have thumbs and nimble fingers which helps them collect food. High poison resistance. Some Skaldal are born with more scoop like hands and claws which help more with digging than with climbing.
The signature ability of the Skaldal, however, is their ability to secrete fluids from their skin that accelerates bark growth within the areas they make their nests, making it grow around the perimeter, to the point of making the clump look like a single tree and helping mask the den's scent from predators.
Credit: Nightshade
Burrowing Ant
Name: Burrowing Ant
Quick Facts:Large, panther sized ants that live in colonies of several hundred
Height: Approximately 2’
Length: 2-4’
Weight: 30-50lbs
Native to: Unknown IC, OOC: Hiladreth
Locations: Western Idalos
Appearance:These ants were at one point regular sized. An enterprising magician sought to create a set of sentient ants that would assist him in crossing the Fields of Gauthrel.
He eventually found a group of people willing to permanently undergo the transformation, but something went wrong. Whether the magician overestimated his abilities, or perhaps something else unexpected happened. All that is known is that the magician died and the ants disappeared for decades. It was only in the last few arcs that reports of abnormally large ants have begun to trickle in.
The ants are, physiologically, identical to regular ants. Their bodies are simply much larger, and as a result their colonies are much smaller. They are jet black without exception, disappearing into the darkness of the night quite easily.
They retain some basic sentience, however that only serves to make them much harder to kill. Luckily they are not hostile unless their nest is disturbed.
Habitat: The ants live in Western Idalos.The type of land they live in doesn’t matter, with the exception of water. The ants cannot swim, and retain a fear of deep water. As such they avoid any where that they cannot touch the bottom- lakes, oceans, rivers.
They live in colonies, like regular ants, however their colonies are significantly smaller. The sizes range from 100 up to 500 with a mature queen. The older and more powerful the queen, the more ants will obey her. It is possible for a powerful queen whose colony has been lose to steal away another queen’s population.
Lifespan and Development: Identical to the reproductive cycle of regular ants. The drones live for five arcs at most, the queens living up to fifty.
Diet: They eat a mixed diet- small rodents, birds and other insects are all viable prey for the ants, but they also will eat grasses and berries. They are mainly scavengers, however, dragging bodies back to their nest in groups to tear apart and eat.
Temperament: The ants are fairly timid, tending to avoid humans whenever possible. The only exception is when their nest is disturbed, and their behaviour can best be likened to a hive of bees when this happens. They swarm, using pheromones to communicate quickly and efficiently.
Possibly due to the nature of the humans that were first turned into them, the ants bear an incredible hatred for any Immortal Spawn. Using some unknown method they are able to detect and track them as soon as they are within 5 miles of their nest. Battles with them are incredibly bloody, the ants often taking heavy losses. Several ant colonies have been monitored, and have actually exterminated themselves by attacking Spawn before they were able to rebuild their strength.
Abilities: Their bodies are incredibly tough, the exoskeleton behind useful as makeshift armour. Their bites are powerful, and they can pull limbs off, were they so inclined. Their human origins have left them with an increased intellect, and they can send complex pheromone signals easily.
Credit: Vluharqih
Quick Facts:Large, panther sized ants that live in colonies of several hundred
Height: Approximately 2’
Length: 2-4’
Weight: 30-50lbs
Native to: Unknown IC, OOC: Hiladreth
Locations: Western Idalos
Appearance:These ants were at one point regular sized. An enterprising magician sought to create a set of sentient ants that would assist him in crossing the Fields of Gauthrel.
He eventually found a group of people willing to permanently undergo the transformation, but something went wrong. Whether the magician overestimated his abilities, or perhaps something else unexpected happened. All that is known is that the magician died and the ants disappeared for decades. It was only in the last few arcs that reports of abnormally large ants have begun to trickle in.
The ants are, physiologically, identical to regular ants. Their bodies are simply much larger, and as a result their colonies are much smaller. They are jet black without exception, disappearing into the darkness of the night quite easily.
They retain some basic sentience, however that only serves to make them much harder to kill. Luckily they are not hostile unless their nest is disturbed.
Habitat: The ants live in Western Idalos.The type of land they live in doesn’t matter, with the exception of water. The ants cannot swim, and retain a fear of deep water. As such they avoid any where that they cannot touch the bottom- lakes, oceans, rivers.
They live in colonies, like regular ants, however their colonies are significantly smaller. The sizes range from 100 up to 500 with a mature queen. The older and more powerful the queen, the more ants will obey her. It is possible for a powerful queen whose colony has been lose to steal away another queen’s population.
Lifespan and Development: Identical to the reproductive cycle of regular ants. The drones live for five arcs at most, the queens living up to fifty.
Diet: They eat a mixed diet- small rodents, birds and other insects are all viable prey for the ants, but they also will eat grasses and berries. They are mainly scavengers, however, dragging bodies back to their nest in groups to tear apart and eat.
Temperament: The ants are fairly timid, tending to avoid humans whenever possible. The only exception is when their nest is disturbed, and their behaviour can best be likened to a hive of bees when this happens. They swarm, using pheromones to communicate quickly and efficiently.
Possibly due to the nature of the humans that were first turned into them, the ants bear an incredible hatred for any Immortal Spawn. Using some unknown method they are able to detect and track them as soon as they are within 5 miles of their nest. Battles with them are incredibly bloody, the ants often taking heavy losses. Several ant colonies have been monitored, and have actually exterminated themselves by attacking Spawn before they were able to rebuild their strength.
Abilities: Their bodies are incredibly tough, the exoskeleton behind useful as makeshift armour. Their bites are powerful, and they can pull limbs off, were they so inclined. Their human origins have left them with an increased intellect, and they can send complex pheromone signals easily.
Credit: Vluharqih
Ascended Mantis
Name: Ascended Mantis
Quick Facts: Five foot tall Praying Mantis
Height: 5’
Length: 2’
Weight: 150-200lbs
Native to: Frost Lake Woods (North of Etzos)
Locations: Frost Lake Woods (North of Etzos)
Appearance: These mantises are visually very similar to their much smaller cousins. Their body is made up of several segments, but their bright green colouring has been mottled, resulting in an odd camouflage pattern of dark and light green across their whole body. Their shells are different, however. While their smaller cousins have hard exoskeletons, the Ascended Mantis has a shell that reacts to force.
When the shell is struck, whether by blade or hammer, the material around the strike becomes near impenetrable. The rest of the time, the shell is soft and pliable, allowing the Mantis incredible speed and flexibility. They have a limited amount of locations they can protect simultaneously, and the best strategy is to attack from multiple sides at once.
They were named as a joke; the praying mantis finally made its prayer heard, and it became Ascended. The joke was spread at the same time as the news of the insect, and the original name has been lost as it is simply remembered as the Ascended Mantis.
They still have retained their large mandibles, however they have gained an extra pair of serrated legs.
Habitat: The deeps of Frost Lake Woods. The dislike humanoids and dislike sunlight. They stick to the shadows, and will often go out of their way to avoid search parties. This has led to many assuming they are mere myth, despite multiple scientific books describing them in great detail.
Lifespan and Development: These creatures live up to 10 arcs, with similar developmental and reproductive stages as a typical praying mantis.
Diet: The insects eat small game and birds for the most part, relying on their impossibly fast reflexes to snatch them mid-run. They are also scavengers, and are not opposed to eating other game, should they catch it. They are not likely to hunt humans, though if found dead, they would most definitely be eaten.
Temperament: The Ascended Mantis is very removed from the world. It will try to run from humans whenever conflict arises, only fighting when there is no other option. Should it fight, however, it should not be underestimated. The speed it moves at can only be rivalled by the Thunder Cat, and the blades on its arms are sharp and strong enough to shatter all but the toughest of swords.
Abilities: Very fast with a strong exo-skeleton. Their shell has been used in alchemy, imbuing items with the ability to react to force. It requires a complicated and lengthy distillation process to create, and takes the body of a fully grown Mantis to imbue a breastplate with this trait. It is worth noting that metals cannot bond with this, however cloth, leather and fur can all gain the protective benefit of metal armour when this is used.
Credit: Vluharqih
Quick Facts: Five foot tall Praying Mantis
Height: 5’
Length: 2’
Weight: 150-200lbs
Native to: Frost Lake Woods (North of Etzos)
Locations: Frost Lake Woods (North of Etzos)
Appearance: These mantises are visually very similar to their much smaller cousins. Their body is made up of several segments, but their bright green colouring has been mottled, resulting in an odd camouflage pattern of dark and light green across their whole body. Their shells are different, however. While their smaller cousins have hard exoskeletons, the Ascended Mantis has a shell that reacts to force.
When the shell is struck, whether by blade or hammer, the material around the strike becomes near impenetrable. The rest of the time, the shell is soft and pliable, allowing the Mantis incredible speed and flexibility. They have a limited amount of locations they can protect simultaneously, and the best strategy is to attack from multiple sides at once.
They were named as a joke; the praying mantis finally made its prayer heard, and it became Ascended. The joke was spread at the same time as the news of the insect, and the original name has been lost as it is simply remembered as the Ascended Mantis.
They still have retained their large mandibles, however they have gained an extra pair of serrated legs.
Habitat: The deeps of Frost Lake Woods. The dislike humanoids and dislike sunlight. They stick to the shadows, and will often go out of their way to avoid search parties. This has led to many assuming they are mere myth, despite multiple scientific books describing them in great detail.
Lifespan and Development: These creatures live up to 10 arcs, with similar developmental and reproductive stages as a typical praying mantis.
Diet: The insects eat small game and birds for the most part, relying on their impossibly fast reflexes to snatch them mid-run. They are also scavengers, and are not opposed to eating other game, should they catch it. They are not likely to hunt humans, though if found dead, they would most definitely be eaten.
Temperament: The Ascended Mantis is very removed from the world. It will try to run from humans whenever conflict arises, only fighting when there is no other option. Should it fight, however, it should not be underestimated. The speed it moves at can only be rivalled by the Thunder Cat, and the blades on its arms are sharp and strong enough to shatter all but the toughest of swords.
Abilities: Very fast with a strong exo-skeleton. Their shell has been used in alchemy, imbuing items with the ability to react to force. It requires a complicated and lengthy distillation process to create, and takes the body of a fully grown Mantis to imbue a breastplate with this trait. It is worth noting that metals cannot bond with this, however cloth, leather and fur can all gain the protective benefit of metal armour when this is used.
Credit: Vluharqih
Scolor Spider
Name: Scolor Spider
Quick Facts: Large Spider with a Milkable Gland
Height: 1"
Width: 4"
Length: 4"
Weight: <1kg
Native to: Etzos and Surrounding Countryside
Locations: Etzos and Surrounding Countryside
Appearance: The spider is relatively unassuming, a mottled brown fur covering its body. It has eight legs and looks very similar to a wolf spider found in Northern Idalos. The spider prefers to create their webs over holes in the ground, catching those who fall into the trap. The holes are not a threat to humans, and often these spiders are viewed as a pest rather than a threat.
Habitat: These spiders more or less surround Etzos for several hundred miles. They prefer living underground and dislike overly wet terrain. Forests are ideal, though grasslands come in a close second. Farmlands also rank highly, as any pests that infect crops will become easy prey for the spider.
Lifespan and Development: They are born from a large sack of eggs, as are most spiders. They then scatter, falling off their mother as she makes her final trek. They are not territorial, and often one might find three or four of these spiders within a few square meters, though much of that is based on chance. When it comes time to mate, the female spiders travel, searching for a mate.
During mating, the mother will snap off the father's penis inside of her, creating a rudimentary "plug" to ensure she stays fertilized. The male spider becomes incredibly aggressive during this time and will fight nearby unmated males. Their posion gland goes into overdrive, producing inordinate amounts of toxin. If they don't use it, the excess will drip off their stinger. After several trials, the male spider will die from starvation, all his energy having gone into creating the toxin.
The mother spider then returns to her original nesting grounds, dropping off baby spiders along the way. When she arrives, she will die and provide sustenance for those spiders who managed to hold on the entire time. Theses spiders are far more likely to survive than their counterparts, which leads to finding these spiders in scattered clumps.
Diet: They will often eat small rodents such as mice or voles. Their poison causes the animal to stiffen and cramp, allowing the spider to freely drink of their blood. They spin a thick, heavy string that catches these animals and can assist in decomposition. Often larger animals such as a cat can be slowed down enough by the venom to be drunk from. It typically wears off after two to three breaks, longer the smaller the animal is. If a human is bitten, they would experience slight cramping of the nearest muscle and swelling in the area. This would dissipate after two to three breaks.
Temperament: Non-territorial until post-mating when the male becomes extremely agressive. These spiders never target humans, nor does the agression transfer to species other than their own.
Abilities: Their poison is currently being processed in Etzos to isolate the muscle-stiffening aspect, which is then to be used for torture purposes.
Name of Material: Scolor Spider Stiffener
Type of Material: Fluid obtained from processing Venom
How To Gather: Harvesting
Gathering Requirements/Processing Requirements: Detection-Competent or Animal Handling-Competent/Poison-Master
Rarity: Rare
Uses: Potent Muscle Contractor / Paralytic
Estimated Price: 25GN per fluid oz, 35GN per Spider
Native to: Etzos
Information: Note that this must be discovered through RP - No books or people exist with this knowledge.
Credit:Vluharqih
Quick Facts: Large Spider with a Milkable Gland
Height: 1"
Width: 4"
Length: 4"
Weight: <1kg
Native to: Etzos and Surrounding Countryside
Locations: Etzos and Surrounding Countryside
Appearance: The spider is relatively unassuming, a mottled brown fur covering its body. It has eight legs and looks very similar to a wolf spider found in Northern Idalos. The spider prefers to create their webs over holes in the ground, catching those who fall into the trap. The holes are not a threat to humans, and often these spiders are viewed as a pest rather than a threat.
Habitat: These spiders more or less surround Etzos for several hundred miles. They prefer living underground and dislike overly wet terrain. Forests are ideal, though grasslands come in a close second. Farmlands also rank highly, as any pests that infect crops will become easy prey for the spider.
Lifespan and Development: They are born from a large sack of eggs, as are most spiders. They then scatter, falling off their mother as she makes her final trek. They are not territorial, and often one might find three or four of these spiders within a few square meters, though much of that is based on chance. When it comes time to mate, the female spiders travel, searching for a mate.
During mating, the mother will snap off the father's penis inside of her, creating a rudimentary "plug" to ensure she stays fertilized. The male spider becomes incredibly aggressive during this time and will fight nearby unmated males. Their posion gland goes into overdrive, producing inordinate amounts of toxin. If they don't use it, the excess will drip off their stinger. After several trials, the male spider will die from starvation, all his energy having gone into creating the toxin.
The mother spider then returns to her original nesting grounds, dropping off baby spiders along the way. When she arrives, she will die and provide sustenance for those spiders who managed to hold on the entire time. Theses spiders are far more likely to survive than their counterparts, which leads to finding these spiders in scattered clumps.
Diet: They will often eat small rodents such as mice or voles. Their poison causes the animal to stiffen and cramp, allowing the spider to freely drink of their blood. They spin a thick, heavy string that catches these animals and can assist in decomposition. Often larger animals such as a cat can be slowed down enough by the venom to be drunk from. It typically wears off after two to three breaks, longer the smaller the animal is. If a human is bitten, they would experience slight cramping of the nearest muscle and swelling in the area. This would dissipate after two to three breaks.
Temperament: Non-territorial until post-mating when the male becomes extremely agressive. These spiders never target humans, nor does the agression transfer to species other than their own.
Abilities: Their poison is currently being processed in Etzos to isolate the muscle-stiffening aspect, which is then to be used for torture purposes.
Name of Material: Scolor Spider Stiffener
Type of Material: Fluid obtained from processing Venom
How To Gather: Harvesting
Gathering Requirements/Processing Requirements: Detection-Competent or Animal Handling-Competent/Poison-Master
Rarity: Rare
Uses: Potent Muscle Contractor / Paralytic
Estimated Price: 25GN per fluid oz, 35GN per Spider
Native to: Etzos
Information: Note that this must be discovered through RP - No books or people exist with this knowledge.
Credit:Vluharqih
Sinith Slug
Name:Sinith Slug
Quick Facts: It’s a slug…that’s red.
Height: 1/2”
Width: ¼”
Length: 1”
Weight: 5-10g
Native to: Rhakros Jungles
Locations: Rhakros Jungles
Appearance: The slug looks like a regular slug, save that its skin holds a distinctive reddish hue. It is slimy and can be squished between ones fingers.
Habitat: They live in the Rhakros Jungles. They prefer wet, damp and dark environments. Being blind, they have no need for light, and are actually quite averse to being in the sun.
Lifespan and Development: They can only be born in the adrenal gland of a corpse - any animal or human that has that gland is fair game. The slug, when it finds an adrenal gland, will sit and wait for another slug. They then mate, both partners setting their eggs deep inside the gland. The baby slugs, when they emerge, will eat the adrenal gland first, before moving on to eat the remainder of the body.
Diet: Same as regular slugs - leaves, plants and decomposing matter. An enterprising young torturer, long ago, realized that these slugs prefer to eat the adrenal glands, a taste left over from their early arcs. If the adrenal gland is cut up into small enough pieces, the slugs will eat it instead of attempting to mate and lay eggs in it.
Temperament: It’s a freaking slug. They do sluggy things.
Abilities: The torturer’s experiments were carried on for several generations until someone came upon the current method for preparing "Ash".
Name of Material: Ash
Type of Material: Powdered Sinith Slug
How To Gather: Harvesting
Gathering Requirements/Processing Requirements: N/A/Poison- Master
Rarity: Very Rare
Uses: Potent Fear Enhancer, Medium Hallucinogen
Estimated Price: 100GN for dose of processed form, 1GN for enough slugs to create a dose.
Native to: Jungles of Rhakros
Information: The slug must be kept alive, then set inside a sealed container that contains no oxygen. The container is then heated for several hours. If at any time the slug erupts into flame, the batch is spoiled and it is useless. Once the slug has died, the container is removed from the heat and allowed to cool before grinding the slug up. The resulting powder is a dark grey color, looking very similar to common fire ash.
Once introduced to the bloodstream, the victim will experience intense fear as the hallucinogenic effects take hold. The trip is terrible- this drug is not for recreational use. It will discover whatever someone is most afraid of and that fear will come to haunt them- creating an illusion of insects crawling over them, or standing on the edge of a high cliff, or a clown stalk you.
Once the effects wear off it has no long lasting effects, but repeated usage will cause more and more frightening situations. At some point the victim’s heart will give out, though where that point is varies from person to person.
The secret remained largely hidden for many arcs, and to this trial the slug is not well known- the difficulty involved in preparing it correctly combined with its small habitat range means many write it off as an urban legend. If the slug is fed cut-up adrenal glands it will produce a significantly higher quality Ash- doubling the length of the trip, gram for gram, over the non-fed slug.
Credit: Vluharqih
Quick Facts: It’s a slug…that’s red.
Height: 1/2”
Width: ¼”
Length: 1”
Weight: 5-10g
Native to: Rhakros Jungles
Locations: Rhakros Jungles
Appearance: The slug looks like a regular slug, save that its skin holds a distinctive reddish hue. It is slimy and can be squished between ones fingers.
Habitat: They live in the Rhakros Jungles. They prefer wet, damp and dark environments. Being blind, they have no need for light, and are actually quite averse to being in the sun.
Lifespan and Development: They can only be born in the adrenal gland of a corpse - any animal or human that has that gland is fair game. The slug, when it finds an adrenal gland, will sit and wait for another slug. They then mate, both partners setting their eggs deep inside the gland. The baby slugs, when they emerge, will eat the adrenal gland first, before moving on to eat the remainder of the body.
Diet: Same as regular slugs - leaves, plants and decomposing matter. An enterprising young torturer, long ago, realized that these slugs prefer to eat the adrenal glands, a taste left over from their early arcs. If the adrenal gland is cut up into small enough pieces, the slugs will eat it instead of attempting to mate and lay eggs in it.
Temperament: It’s a freaking slug. They do sluggy things.
Abilities: The torturer’s experiments were carried on for several generations until someone came upon the current method for preparing "Ash".
Name of Material: Ash
Type of Material: Powdered Sinith Slug
How To Gather: Harvesting
Gathering Requirements/Processing Requirements: N/A/Poison- Master
Rarity: Very Rare
Uses: Potent Fear Enhancer, Medium Hallucinogen
Estimated Price: 100GN for dose of processed form, 1GN for enough slugs to create a dose.
Native to: Jungles of Rhakros
Information: The slug must be kept alive, then set inside a sealed container that contains no oxygen. The container is then heated for several hours. If at any time the slug erupts into flame, the batch is spoiled and it is useless. Once the slug has died, the container is removed from the heat and allowed to cool before grinding the slug up. The resulting powder is a dark grey color, looking very similar to common fire ash.
Once introduced to the bloodstream, the victim will experience intense fear as the hallucinogenic effects take hold. The trip is terrible- this drug is not for recreational use. It will discover whatever someone is most afraid of and that fear will come to haunt them- creating an illusion of insects crawling over them, or standing on the edge of a high cliff, or a clown stalk you.
Once the effects wear off it has no long lasting effects, but repeated usage will cause more and more frightening situations. At some point the victim’s heart will give out, though where that point is varies from person to person.
The secret remained largely hidden for many arcs, and to this trial the slug is not well known- the difficulty involved in preparing it correctly combined with its small habitat range means many write it off as an urban legend. If the slug is fed cut-up adrenal glands it will produce a significantly higher quality Ash- doubling the length of the trip, gram for gram, over the non-fed slug.
Credit: Vluharqih
shift
Quick Facts: Stealthy, Deceptive, Dangerous, Genderless
Height, Width, Length, Weight: Varies based on age.
Native to: Shifts have been found in all regions of the world, though whether they originated there, or were simply imported is difficult to ascertain given their nature.
Locations Throughout Idalos
Appearance
Varies depending on form and age. Younger Shifts are typically quite small, reaching only the size of rodents. Adolescent Shifts are larger, and can anywhere between the size of a dog to a deer. Adult Shifts reach the size of elk, moose, or even bears. Ancient Shifts are seldom seen, but could presumably reach the size of truly large creatures, bordering around fifteen to twenty feet in height with only a few examples granting that number throughout history.
A Shift in its natural form appears quite similarly to a Yludih, albeit they typically move upon four legs and are bestial in stance. They lack discernible facial features, other than a mouth, though they do have clearly defined heads, and limbs. They are formed entirely of light or dark blue crystals which jut outwards from a central mass in sporadic fashion, giving them the appearance of something quite sharp to behold.
A Shift in an adopted form will take on the appearance and mannerisms of its chosen creature, imitating them almost perfectly; a trait which makes the Shift extremely difficult to identify properly.
Habitat : The Shift has been found throughout the entirety of Idalos, which makes it difficult to discern where they prefer to live. Typically, however, they are found in greater concentration in more temperate climates, choosing to avoid extremes such as the Heart of the World or the plains of Oscillus if at all possible. Nonetheless, Shifts can be found anywhere. They are known to burrow into the side of cliffs, or to hide in the tops of trees when possible.
Lifespan and Development :
A Shift has four distinct stages of development.
Youth/Childhood – 0 – 1 Arc At this stage, the Shift is at its weakest. It spends most of the first trials after its birth attempting to observe and better imitate the behavior of its first chosen creature. They are typically more cautious and easily frightened than in other stages. Shifts are this level of development usually only imitate a single type of creature, and rarely transform into others.
Adolescent –2-4 Arcs. At this stage, a Shift has grown more attuned with its abilities, and takes far less time to observe and adapt its own mannerisms to fit those of a target creature. Adolescence is highlighted by an incredible increase in transforming behavior, and an Adolescent Shift can change dozens of times in short succession as it attempts to find the best pattern to imitate. Inversely to most creatures, Adolescent Shifts are typically the most passive of their kind, and focus more upon seeing the outcomes of their different forms than on actual hunting.
Adult – 5-75 Arcs. At this stage, the Shift has typically grown comfortable with a chosen pattern, and whilst capable and willing to transform, will often stick to a set of five or six regular transformations in their hunting. They are far more dangerous than their younger counterparts, and focus more upon the act of hunting as a result of their increased metabolism due to greater size. Shifts become capable of Shattering; their strange form of reproduction, at this stage. They are incredibly territorial in regards to other Shifts, which plays into the act of Shattering. Shattering occurs when a pair of Shifts meet in the wild, and proceed to fight one another. The victorious Shift will tear the other into small shards, usually about a foot in length, and proceed to hoard them in its den. It will then lay near the shards, transferring small amounts of its life-energy slowly into the shards over the course of several trials. Eventually, these shards will begin to bud new crystal fragments, at which point they are abandoned by the victorious Shift. These fragments will grow for something like thirty trials until they become a litter of Youthful Shifts.
Ancient – 76 Arcs-Onward. The number of Shifts which reach this lifespan can be counted on two hands. Little is known about these gargantuan creatures, though they are known to exist through word-of-mouth and written testament. Stories of brave hunters confronting vicious beasts only to encounter crystalline behemoths are not so uncommon as to be thought completely false. It is assumed that these Shifts behave in a similar way to their Adult counterparts, but in truth, they are far from their younger brethren. Ancient Shifts hunt down truly large beasts as prey, typically swallowing down hundreds of pounds of food before ascending to the tops of mountains or deep into the darkest depths, and then slumbering for nearly an entire Arc before returning from their self-imposed coma.
Diet: Shifts are technical omnivores, though their preference for meat is so great that they might as well be carnivorous. Their typical meal is taken from living beings, though they take three different portions from their prey. First, meat and flesh are taken to act as general fuel for the creature, and to sate its metabolism. Second, bones are taken to allow for further calcium buildups, and crystalline growth and mending. Third, latent electrical energy is absorbed via prolonged contact with prey, and is theorized to affect the innate life-force of the creatures. This means that their standard hunting pattern is to suddenly spring upon a creature from their disguised state, remove its ability to move, or disable it, and then slowly suck away their fill of electricity before consuming them.
Temperament: Differs depending on age of creature, as defined above. Shifts, especially Youths and Adolescents, can be coerced into becoming ‘pets’ by feeding them, and most are unlikely to assault something which feeds them… however, caution is advised, as once a Shift reaches Adulthood, it tends to lose much of its trust in mortal-kind. One curious aspect of their kind is that they typically embody a temperament more suited towards their disguise. A Shift dressed in the coating of a Squirrel is likely to be flighty, whilst one dressed in the guise of a Bear is more liable to be aggressive. It is unknown whether this is simply the creature attempting to better imitate its chosen animal, or whether there is a more mental change which occurs when the animal shifts.
Abilities:
Shifts are possessed of many abilities.
First and foremost, they are capable of transforming their appearance by means of shifting crystals into that of nearly any animal, though this requires some observation of their appearance and behavior to pull off well. Intriguingly, Shifts are effectively incapable of becoming two-legged beings, because they lack the coordination required, as well as the ability to make two of their limbs simply cease to exist for the purposes of the illusion. On the flip side, they can choose to retain their crystalline form to be overlooked as decorative knick-knacks.
Second, Shifts are hardy crystalline beings, which means that their hides are extremely resistant to cutting implements. Their hide is typically on par with average steel plate, which means that it can be pierced, though doing so is a difficult matter.
Third, Shifts cannot be properly imitated by Becomers. That is to say, their natural forms may be possessed and taken as totems by the Becomer, but their ability to transform is lost in translation in the process, though the reason for this is difficult to discern, and the subject of much study and research.
Credit: Noth
Horned Carowa
Name: The Horned Carowa
Quick Facts: The Horned Carowa is one of the largest bird species and is often considered one of the most dangerous. An aggressive nature that can become even more so when attacked, and combined with their large and dangerous legs and horns makes them both pests and menaces to those who have to live nearby. They are a common cause of death for the unprepared traveler when in Central or West Idalos and their Northern variant is even more vicious. The only benefit for humanoids is the fact that their meat is incredibly rich in nutrients and they lack tough muscle in their upper body. There is no size difference between the North and the West/Central variant. Horned Carowa are completely flightless. The core of their horns can be ground into an "Alchemical Primer".
Height: They range from 10 to 20 feet, though usually most don't get bigger than 12. It is rare for the birds to reach full size in nature, and often a Carowa of that size is killed as quickly as possible to reduce menace to travelers and towns in its area.
Width: The Carowa has a body width of about 3-5 feet across, depending on its height. It's wing span is a different matter entirely, often being equal to or larger than the height of the bird itself.
Weight: Anywhere from 3,000 to 6,000 lbs
Native to: Open plains areas though it has been known to adapt to more forested areas.
Locations: Central, West, and remote parts of North Idalos.
Appearance:
The Horned Carowa comes in two different appearances. Central and Western Carowa are known to have long, muscle-covered legs which lead up to a large and rather plump body. The best thing to compare them to is a cassowary. Their upper bodies are usually covered in soft, exotic looking plumage that comes in a variety of colours. Both genders flaunt vivid colors to attract each other. The males are known to have much stronger horns protruding from the top of their head, while the females have smaller horns on the top of their beaks. The legs of the female are more powerful. They're the ones in charge of digging up the nest, and are often left in charge of protecting the nest while the male goes out to hunt. Their stronger legs give them the ability to better protect chicks.The males are the hunters and foragers, likely the evolutionary cause of the large horns.
Northern Carowa, however, usually come in colors more camouflaged to their environment. It isn’t to protect them from predators as much as it is to hide them from prey. They are vicious and savage creatures who have adapted to the more dangerous parts of the world. As such they are far more muscular on the upper half, their feathers are more brittle, and are far more violent.
The reason for color differentiation between the two variants is rather simple. When they were imported out of the mountains, there were several breeders who strove to create the most beautiful birds, seeking to create the newest exotic pet. Needless to say their attempts failed, but the coloured birds escaped. Several generations later, the brightly coloured animals had replaced their duller, northern compatriots.
Habitat: Originally the Horned Carowa were only native to Northern Idalos. They were unappetizing, but considered to be one of the better food sources due to the high nutrition content. Someone came up with the idea to try to breed them in Central Idalos to be more docile and better tasting. That idea didn’t work and several escaped animals led to an explosion of their population. Without the harsher conditions the birds were used to they were able to thrive very quickly and cause chaos in the area. They are easily adaptable, unchecked they can cause a lot of problems. Those of the West and Central however are much weaker meaning they're easier to deal with. Their position as apex predator in nearly every place they're found means that the only threats come from two sources: their natural enemies, the Zelroux, and hunting parties.
The Carowa was confined to the Northern parts mainly due to the fact that the Zelroux lived primarily in West and Central Idalos. The other reason has to do with their population. The Carowa is a terrible parent during the egg stage- they care little for the eggs and if too much attention is required to protect them, the parents will often eat the eggs rather than spend the time to keep them safe. This rare survival rate of eggs keeps the population in low numbers. If the Carowa moved too far away from each other it would be impossible for young Carowa to find mates during the proper season.
A Carowa will try to remain close to where it hatched often going so far as to drive its parents out once it's strong enough. The territory of a Carowa can vary anywhere from 200-1000 acres depending on just how strong the Carowa is. Males tend to have larger territory while the females have more resource rich territory.
Lifespan and Development: Typically a Carowa will be born in a small nest of 3-5 eggs, usually a shallow hole with a bedding of leaves and grasses. At most, one of those eggs will survive. Carowa tend to have little time or energy for their young until after they have hatched. Female Carowas dig holes in the ground that function as nests. The female Carowa will remain in the area and cover the nest with leaves during the day time. If she leaves to hunt the father may remain in the area, though it's unlikely. At night the female Carowa will sit on the nest, however that is the extent of the attention the eggs recieve. Parents will rear their one child that hatches with great care and patience. The child will be fiercely protected by both parents at this point, however that is not to say that it will be coddled.The baby Carowa will be taught how to hunt and fight until the age of 2 years old when it is officially mature.
Territory is usually stolen from an older Carowa by a younger Carowa. The Carowa are a ruthless species that focus on little more than survival, and have no bonds to other Carowa. As such Carowa will often fight with each other over territory, the old giving way to the young. At the age of 2 a Carowa usually forces its parents out of their territory. When a Carowa reaches 3 years of age they will be old enough to breed. When mating season comes, all mature Carowa gravitate towards each other. They vie for attention by stomping the ground to make large vibrations and emit ear shattering screams. Once they've gathered they choose a mate (males often fighting over females for both variants) and the mates choose one territory to go to, often the female's.
The main predator of the Horned Carowa is a creature known as the Wild Zelroux. They will avoid areas where they find signs of a Wild Zelroux, or if they cannot avoid it, will clump up in even-numbered bunches. They avoid odd number groups for an unknown reason.
Diet: Carowa tend to eat anything smaller than themselves. This often includes animals, plants, and sentient species of all kinds.
When hunting, the Carowa of the West and Central areas tend to throw any idea of stealth out the window due to their flamboyant coloration. Once they've located their prey they will chase them down in a manner best compared to a cheetah, relying on speed and endurance. They mainly attack by jumping and kicking with their powerful legs, though males are just as likely to head butt an enemy. The males use their horns to both attack foes and prey, impaling anything they can on them.
In the North, however Carowas tend to spend a lot more time stalking their prey, mainly due to their superior camouflage. It's hard to stay silent in areas like thick forests, but the North Carowa is known to patiently sit and wait for prey. Once their unsuspecting meal has gotten close, they'll emerge from their hiding place as suddenly and quickly as possible, relying on surprise. They aren't particularly fast, but they have a lot of endurance and will follow prey for miles.
They need to eat a good amount because they exert a lot of energy catching prey and fighting, but due to their ability to eat nearly anything, it is rare for one to starve to death. Because each Carowa has a very large territory, they don't tend to cause as much damage to the ecosystem as one would expect. They kill a large animal about once every week and the rest of time is spent foraging for whatever they can dig up between kills.
Temperament: The Carowa are extremely vicious creatures, known for their territorial aggressiveness. They avidly hunt anything which enters their territory, be it sentient or beast. They lack a sense of fear in almost all cases, and they don’t understand the concept of pain. They tend to go in a rage when wounded, and will attack anything that causes them pain. They can notice patterns and things that stick out, they know how to outsmart foes like a fox could, but they have no higher level of thinking. Carowa are solitary creatures. Large groups of Carowa, rumored to terrorize towns, only truly occurs with the immediate threat of a large group of Zelroux.
Males are more flamboyant, often including an excess of posturing and threats of aggression, while a clash between females will instantly result in a fight. Carowa tend to avoid fighting with the opposite gender. Sometimes, when a Carowa pushes another Carowa out of its territory, they will allow it to live and keep a small piece of the land, but more often than not one Carowa will kill the other. This decision has numerous factors, such as the gender of each Carowa and if familial ties exist.
Abilities: Giant tree sized muscle legs and a decreased sense of pain.
Credit: Nightshade
Quick Facts: The Horned Carowa is one of the largest bird species and is often considered one of the most dangerous. An aggressive nature that can become even more so when attacked, and combined with their large and dangerous legs and horns makes them both pests and menaces to those who have to live nearby. They are a common cause of death for the unprepared traveler when in Central or West Idalos and their Northern variant is even more vicious. The only benefit for humanoids is the fact that their meat is incredibly rich in nutrients and they lack tough muscle in their upper body. There is no size difference between the North and the West/Central variant. Horned Carowa are completely flightless. The core of their horns can be ground into an "Alchemical Primer".
Height: They range from 10 to 20 feet, though usually most don't get bigger than 12. It is rare for the birds to reach full size in nature, and often a Carowa of that size is killed as quickly as possible to reduce menace to travelers and towns in its area.
Width: The Carowa has a body width of about 3-5 feet across, depending on its height. It's wing span is a different matter entirely, often being equal to or larger than the height of the bird itself.
Weight: Anywhere from 3,000 to 6,000 lbs
Native to: Open plains areas though it has been known to adapt to more forested areas.
Locations: Central, West, and remote parts of North Idalos.
Appearance:
The Horned Carowa comes in two different appearances. Central and Western Carowa are known to have long, muscle-covered legs which lead up to a large and rather plump body. The best thing to compare them to is a cassowary. Their upper bodies are usually covered in soft, exotic looking plumage that comes in a variety of colours. Both genders flaunt vivid colors to attract each other. The males are known to have much stronger horns protruding from the top of their head, while the females have smaller horns on the top of their beaks. The legs of the female are more powerful. They're the ones in charge of digging up the nest, and are often left in charge of protecting the nest while the male goes out to hunt. Their stronger legs give them the ability to better protect chicks.The males are the hunters and foragers, likely the evolutionary cause of the large horns. Northern Carowa, however, usually come in colors more camouflaged to their environment. It isn’t to protect them from predators as much as it is to hide them from prey. They are vicious and savage creatures who have adapted to the more dangerous parts of the world. As such they are far more muscular on the upper half, their feathers are more brittle, and are far more violent.
The reason for color differentiation between the two variants is rather simple. When they were imported out of the mountains, there were several breeders who strove to create the most beautiful birds, seeking to create the newest exotic pet. Needless to say their attempts failed, but the coloured birds escaped. Several generations later, the brightly coloured animals had replaced their duller, northern compatriots.
Habitat: Originally the Horned Carowa were only native to Northern Idalos. They were unappetizing, but considered to be one of the better food sources due to the high nutrition content. Someone came up with the idea to try to breed them in Central Idalos to be more docile and better tasting. That idea didn’t work and several escaped animals led to an explosion of their population. Without the harsher conditions the birds were used to they were able to thrive very quickly and cause chaos in the area. They are easily adaptable, unchecked they can cause a lot of problems. Those of the West and Central however are much weaker meaning they're easier to deal with. Their position as apex predator in nearly every place they're found means that the only threats come from two sources: their natural enemies, the Zelroux, and hunting parties.
The Carowa was confined to the Northern parts mainly due to the fact that the Zelroux lived primarily in West and Central Idalos. The other reason has to do with their population. The Carowa is a terrible parent during the egg stage- they care little for the eggs and if too much attention is required to protect them, the parents will often eat the eggs rather than spend the time to keep them safe. This rare survival rate of eggs keeps the population in low numbers. If the Carowa moved too far away from each other it would be impossible for young Carowa to find mates during the proper season.
A Carowa will try to remain close to where it hatched often going so far as to drive its parents out once it's strong enough. The territory of a Carowa can vary anywhere from 200-1000 acres depending on just how strong the Carowa is. Males tend to have larger territory while the females have more resource rich territory.
Lifespan and Development: Typically a Carowa will be born in a small nest of 3-5 eggs, usually a shallow hole with a bedding of leaves and grasses. At most, one of those eggs will survive. Carowa tend to have little time or energy for their young until after they have hatched. Female Carowas dig holes in the ground that function as nests. The female Carowa will remain in the area and cover the nest with leaves during the day time. If she leaves to hunt the father may remain in the area, though it's unlikely. At night the female Carowa will sit on the nest, however that is the extent of the attention the eggs recieve. Parents will rear their one child that hatches with great care and patience. The child will be fiercely protected by both parents at this point, however that is not to say that it will be coddled.The baby Carowa will be taught how to hunt and fight until the age of 2 years old when it is officially mature.
Territory is usually stolen from an older Carowa by a younger Carowa. The Carowa are a ruthless species that focus on little more than survival, and have no bonds to other Carowa. As such Carowa will often fight with each other over territory, the old giving way to the young. At the age of 2 a Carowa usually forces its parents out of their territory. When a Carowa reaches 3 years of age they will be old enough to breed. When mating season comes, all mature Carowa gravitate towards each other. They vie for attention by stomping the ground to make large vibrations and emit ear shattering screams. Once they've gathered they choose a mate (males often fighting over females for both variants) and the mates choose one territory to go to, often the female's.
The main predator of the Horned Carowa is a creature known as the Wild Zelroux. They will avoid areas where they find signs of a Wild Zelroux, or if they cannot avoid it, will clump up in even-numbered bunches. They avoid odd number groups for an unknown reason.
Diet: Carowa tend to eat anything smaller than themselves. This often includes animals, plants, and sentient species of all kinds.
When hunting, the Carowa of the West and Central areas tend to throw any idea of stealth out the window due to their flamboyant coloration. Once they've located their prey they will chase them down in a manner best compared to a cheetah, relying on speed and endurance. They mainly attack by jumping and kicking with their powerful legs, though males are just as likely to head butt an enemy. The males use their horns to both attack foes and prey, impaling anything they can on them.
In the North, however Carowas tend to spend a lot more time stalking their prey, mainly due to their superior camouflage. It's hard to stay silent in areas like thick forests, but the North Carowa is known to patiently sit and wait for prey. Once their unsuspecting meal has gotten close, they'll emerge from their hiding place as suddenly and quickly as possible, relying on surprise. They aren't particularly fast, but they have a lot of endurance and will follow prey for miles.
They need to eat a good amount because they exert a lot of energy catching prey and fighting, but due to their ability to eat nearly anything, it is rare for one to starve to death. Because each Carowa has a very large territory, they don't tend to cause as much damage to the ecosystem as one would expect. They kill a large animal about once every week and the rest of time is spent foraging for whatever they can dig up between kills.
Temperament: The Carowa are extremely vicious creatures, known for their territorial aggressiveness. They avidly hunt anything which enters their territory, be it sentient or beast. They lack a sense of fear in almost all cases, and they don’t understand the concept of pain. They tend to go in a rage when wounded, and will attack anything that causes them pain. They can notice patterns and things that stick out, they know how to outsmart foes like a fox could, but they have no higher level of thinking. Carowa are solitary creatures. Large groups of Carowa, rumored to terrorize towns, only truly occurs with the immediate threat of a large group of Zelroux.
Males are more flamboyant, often including an excess of posturing and threats of aggression, while a clash between females will instantly result in a fight. Carowa tend to avoid fighting with the opposite gender. Sometimes, when a Carowa pushes another Carowa out of its territory, they will allow it to live and keep a small piece of the land, but more often than not one Carowa will kill the other. This decision has numerous factors, such as the gender of each Carowa and if familial ties exist.
Abilities: Giant tree sized muscle legs and a decreased sense of pain.
Credit: Nightshade
Wild Zelroux
Name: Wild Zelroux
Quick Facts: The Wild Zelroux is a strange creature that evolved completely separately from the Horned Carowa. However, thanks to various advantages, they evolved to be the perfect predator to the Carowa. A Zelroux is a very rare and powerful creature, often being highly sought after. A Zelroux as a companion is sign of either status, power, or luck as those are the three things you'll need in order to find and tame one. They adapt to the nature of their master and will act as they see fit to please their masters. In the wild, Zelroux act similarly towards an alpha; the master taking the form of an alpha in the hierarchy of a pet Zelroux. Natural advantages over the average beast make them powerful predators.
Height: 6-10 feet while standing (including the horns).
Width: 30-inch chest width.
Length: Typically 8-16 feet long from head to the tip of the tail.
Weight: 400-600lbs, size dependent as well as area dependent.
Native to: Forests and plains
Locations: Central Idalos is the likeliest place find a Zelroux. However, very small groups have been known to live in the east, west, north, and south Idalos. A number have been taken to the south to be used as companions and Carowa hunters, thought these are still very small numbers.
Appearance: The Zelroux vary between the two genders. Both, at their most basic level, have a form that is wolfish in nature with a touch of lion. Usually the size of a Zelroux depends on its position in the pack dynamic. Larger Zelroux will tend to take over the pack. The average Zelroux tend to range in size from small to medium. Both genders have large saber cat like teeth on either side of their muzzle. These teeth are hollow, like the fangs of a rattlesnake, with poison glands that are activated by muscles in the sides of their muzzles. At the same time, these muscles can block pressure to make sure a bite does NOT cause any venom to come out. Muscle use to release poison in conscious, the process is similar to the flexing of an arm muscle. At birth these fangs are non existent, once a Zelroux gets its first set of fangs they aren't hollow and the poison glands haven't activated. At about 4 seasons a Zelroux finally gets their first set of hollow fangs and they start to produce poison. Training is necessary during this stage of life to make sure the Zelroux knows how to control the muscles. The claws of a Zelroux are hooked to allow for better grip, similar to their fangs which are hooked inward to keep prey from escaping. Each claw is deeply serrated in a way that causes multiple punctures, bettering the ability to grip. Both genders can reach speeds of 35-40 mph on a clear stretch of land and their bite pressures have been documented to reach 2000 pounds per square inch.
The females tend to be slightly smaller than the males. Often they are more wolf-like in appearance. Their tails resembling that of a lion with a wolf's fur. They have longer legs and ears than the males and are built more for tracking and chasing down prey than anything else. The females also have a much more lion-like head when it comes to shape, they still have the elongated snout of a wolf the head itself is lion like.
While the females are adapted for hunting purposes, the males have adapted to protect the territory, pups, and females. They have much stockier, more powerful looking bodies that are somewhat more lion-like. Their heads and tails are a lot more on the lines of a wolf. The males have large manes that form around their necks and while they have shorter limbs, they have a lot more power in their compact bodies. The males additionally have very elk-like racks of antlers that adorn their heads.
Habitat: Zelroux often try to stick to forested areas, though they will leave these areas should they need to. They enjoy any kind of cover and will adapt to their surroundings. Few Zelroux like wide open plains, but they will go to plains like areas for the soul purpose of Carowa hunting.
Lifespan and Development: The Zelroux is a pack animal, usually living in groups ranging from 8-14 sometimes being smaller or larger. In a pack, there is a usually an alpha male and an alpha female. They are the mother and father figures of all the other Zelroux. Usually the pack will consist of their children and any others they took in who have lost their own pack. It is very rare for a Zelroux to leave its pack. The alpha pair are the two in the pack who are the breeding pair, though their may be a "beta" pair that is allowed to breed depending on circumstance. The pups are raised by the males of the pack while the females go off to hunt.
At one arc of age a pup will start to learn how to aid its pack. If its male then it'll start to rough house with the older males in order to learn how to fight. It is at this age that the rack of a male will start to grow in. Females on the other hand will start to be taken out on hunting trips almost immediately, expected to quickly build up the strength of muscle to run with the rest of the group and be able to start bringing prey back for the males. At arc two a Zelroux, though not yet of breeding age, will fully be considered a part of the pack. Age three is when a Zelroux is officially of breeding age and can leave their pack. However that doesn't happen often.
At the top of the pack is the mother and father figure. Usually this pair is highly respected by every other member of the pack. Alphas are to be highly respected. Because they both rule over two different aspects of the pack neither one holds full control. The female won't be able to turn the males against the male alpha and the reverse is equally true. As such, the two alphas have to work together in unity. The loyalty of the members of the pack is something that can't be summed up in a couple of words. It's the willingness to risk one's life, travel to the ends of the earth and back, and to fight off any beast at the command of an alpha. Alphas tend to be smart and powerful, often being on the older end of the spectrum and having long lived under their own pair of alphas before heading their own pack. Rarely are there problems within the pack that cause fighting, but they are possible and can sometimes end in a lower ranking Zelroux getting kicked out by the alpha.
Because the importance of the alpha in everyday life, it is extremely traumatic when one loses their pack. When a Zelroux loses its pack, after trying everything to find it again, it will have one of two responses. Some Zelroux will try to become their own alpha and start to fill out their own pack. More often though, a Zelroux will try and find a new alpha figure. Usually they will first try to find another pack to join. Depending on the size and blood relations though, this may not be impossible. In which case a Zelroux will stoop to making anything its alpha. This is the rare case in which a human might be able to acquire a Zelroux. If one finds a Zelroux without a pack, by earning its trust you may take on the position of its new alpha. A Zelroux will adapt to its alpha in any way that it can, becoming over protective and following orders as best it can. They are easy to train but hard to find.
When a pair of Zelroux packs come face to face with each other, they will usually pass each other by, being wary but not aggressive. However, on rare occasions one pack may attack the other. This is called Claiming, an event where both alphas (male and female) will come face to face with one another. The female will start to lunge at each other, darting around to try and get at the other, while the males will start wrestling each other, each trying to overpower the other through use of horns and physical strength. Whichever alphas earn the respect of more members of both packs walk away the winners. Sometimes the defeated alphas will take whoever they impressed and run, on other occasions they will become the unofficial betas of the new pack.
Upon the death of a Zelroux usually there will be great mourning. The Zelroux's corpse will be buried and the pack will stand vigil at the spot for a couple of trials. Packs are tight and the death of each member is a pain to carry. If the death is of an Alpha, that pain is even more sharp. In some cases the remaining alpha will pick a new mate. However, sometimes the remaining alpha will be too distraught to move on; either becoming so depressed the pack has to care for them for the rest of their life, or going to far as to kill itself. Usually this is hard to do, leading to a horrifically painful scene. If this is the case, then a new pair of Alphas will step up. It takes a lot of work for the new alphas to get the pack back into working condition.
Diet: Zelroux tend to stick to the consumption of meat as they can only taste savory, sweet, and bitter. All plants taste alike to a Zelroux. The preferred prey of the Zelroux tends to be avian or equine beasts. A favorite of the Zelroux is the Horned Carowa because despite the dangers of hunting one, the Carwoa provides sustenance for a long time. Zelroux tend to hunt once every couple of trials to keep themselves going. The rest of their time is spent either resting to save energy or patrolling their territory. They try to waste as little energy as possible to avoid going hunting often. Zelroux will bury left over prey if they know they'll be returning to the area soon. In some cases they might even bring the carcass along by tearing it apart and slinging it onto the back of the largest Zelroux.
Usually it is the female Zelroux that hunt, though they are occasionally accompanied by males to take down larger and stronger prey such as the Carowa. When hunting, females usually work in a groups of about three. The females because their smaller, more agile bodies are masters of stealth and can go undetected while they encircle their prey. Once their prey is well surrounded, the three will jump out together, the highest ranking Zelroux lunging first. They will either trap their prey and take it down or be able to wound it severely and chase it down. To separate prey from groups or herds, the males will come in and disrupt the herd, allowing the females to surround one of the weaker herd members. When a target is more powerful than themselves, they will keep it ringed and isolated until more females arrive to fill in this circle to ensure the animal does not escape. At this point the males will enter the circle and start to attack. Often a Zelroux won't attack anything outside of avian or equine beasts unless they are truly desperate, so attacking sentient races is something rare and almost unheard of.
Temperament: Zelroux are pretty mild mannered towards everything that isn't prey or trying to attack them. They stick to Carowa and large animals like moose, deer, elk, etc. so they don't bother people or farmers. Only in extreme desperation will they attack anything outside a prey animal or a threat. When it comes to threats, only hunters who are actively trying to bother them are seen as threats, or anything that gets close to the pups. When a threat is spotted, the first response is for the alphas to check things out. From there the rest of the pack will follow the directions of the alpha. Zelroux are pretty intelligent. Not equal ti humans, but they do outrank the cognitive abilities of many other animals. They are able to understand orders over time and function on a level above the average beast when it comes to self preservation. They are as smart as smart can get with animals and not smarter than that.
Abilities: Poison, strange claws, females are fast while males are strong.
Credit: Nightshade
Height: 6-10 feet while standing (including the horns).
Width: 30-inch chest width.
Length: Typically 8-16 feet long from head to the tip of the tail.
Weight: 400-600lbs, size dependent as well as area dependent.
Native to: Forests and plains
Locations: Central Idalos is the likeliest place find a Zelroux. However, very small groups have been known to live in the east, west, north, and south Idalos. A number have been taken to the south to be used as companions and Carowa hunters, thought these are still very small numbers.
Appearance: The Zelroux vary between the two genders. Both, at their most basic level, have a form that is wolfish in nature with a touch of lion. Usually the size of a Zelroux depends on its position in the pack dynamic. Larger Zelroux will tend to take over the pack. The average Zelroux tend to range in size from small to medium. Both genders have large saber cat like teeth on either side of their muzzle. These teeth are hollow, like the fangs of a rattlesnake, with poison glands that are activated by muscles in the sides of their muzzles. At the same time, these muscles can block pressure to make sure a bite does NOT cause any venom to come out. Muscle use to release poison in conscious, the process is similar to the flexing of an arm muscle. At birth these fangs are non existent, once a Zelroux gets its first set of fangs they aren't hollow and the poison glands haven't activated. At about 4 seasons a Zelroux finally gets their first set of hollow fangs and they start to produce poison. Training is necessary during this stage of life to make sure the Zelroux knows how to control the muscles. The claws of a Zelroux are hooked to allow for better grip, similar to their fangs which are hooked inward to keep prey from escaping. Each claw is deeply serrated in a way that causes multiple punctures, bettering the ability to grip. Both genders can reach speeds of 35-40 mph on a clear stretch of land and their bite pressures have been documented to reach 2000 pounds per square inch.
The females tend to be slightly smaller than the males. Often they are more wolf-like in appearance. Their tails resembling that of a lion with a wolf's fur. They have longer legs and ears than the males and are built more for tracking and chasing down prey than anything else. The females also have a much more lion-like head when it comes to shape, they still have the elongated snout of a wolf the head itself is lion like.
While the females are adapted for hunting purposes, the males have adapted to protect the territory, pups, and females. They have much stockier, more powerful looking bodies that are somewhat more lion-like. Their heads and tails are a lot more on the lines of a wolf. The males have large manes that form around their necks and while they have shorter limbs, they have a lot more power in their compact bodies. The males additionally have very elk-like racks of antlers that adorn their heads.
Habitat: Zelroux often try to stick to forested areas, though they will leave these areas should they need to. They enjoy any kind of cover and will adapt to their surroundings. Few Zelroux like wide open plains, but they will go to plains like areas for the soul purpose of Carowa hunting.
Lifespan and Development: The Zelroux is a pack animal, usually living in groups ranging from 8-14 sometimes being smaller or larger. In a pack, there is a usually an alpha male and an alpha female. They are the mother and father figures of all the other Zelroux. Usually the pack will consist of their children and any others they took in who have lost their own pack. It is very rare for a Zelroux to leave its pack. The alpha pair are the two in the pack who are the breeding pair, though their may be a "beta" pair that is allowed to breed depending on circumstance. The pups are raised by the males of the pack while the females go off to hunt.
At one arc of age a pup will start to learn how to aid its pack. If its male then it'll start to rough house with the older males in order to learn how to fight. It is at this age that the rack of a male will start to grow in. Females on the other hand will start to be taken out on hunting trips almost immediately, expected to quickly build up the strength of muscle to run with the rest of the group and be able to start bringing prey back for the males. At arc two a Zelroux, though not yet of breeding age, will fully be considered a part of the pack. Age three is when a Zelroux is officially of breeding age and can leave their pack. However that doesn't happen often.
At the top of the pack is the mother and father figure. Usually this pair is highly respected by every other member of the pack. Alphas are to be highly respected. Because they both rule over two different aspects of the pack neither one holds full control. The female won't be able to turn the males against the male alpha and the reverse is equally true. As such, the two alphas have to work together in unity. The loyalty of the members of the pack is something that can't be summed up in a couple of words. It's the willingness to risk one's life, travel to the ends of the earth and back, and to fight off any beast at the command of an alpha. Alphas tend to be smart and powerful, often being on the older end of the spectrum and having long lived under their own pair of alphas before heading their own pack. Rarely are there problems within the pack that cause fighting, but they are possible and can sometimes end in a lower ranking Zelroux getting kicked out by the alpha.
Because the importance of the alpha in everyday life, it is extremely traumatic when one loses their pack. When a Zelroux loses its pack, after trying everything to find it again, it will have one of two responses. Some Zelroux will try to become their own alpha and start to fill out their own pack. More often though, a Zelroux will try and find a new alpha figure. Usually they will first try to find another pack to join. Depending on the size and blood relations though, this may not be impossible. In which case a Zelroux will stoop to making anything its alpha. This is the rare case in which a human might be able to acquire a Zelroux. If one finds a Zelroux without a pack, by earning its trust you may take on the position of its new alpha. A Zelroux will adapt to its alpha in any way that it can, becoming over protective and following orders as best it can. They are easy to train but hard to find.
When a pair of Zelroux packs come face to face with each other, they will usually pass each other by, being wary but not aggressive. However, on rare occasions one pack may attack the other. This is called Claiming, an event where both alphas (male and female) will come face to face with one another. The female will start to lunge at each other, darting around to try and get at the other, while the males will start wrestling each other, each trying to overpower the other through use of horns and physical strength. Whichever alphas earn the respect of more members of both packs walk away the winners. Sometimes the defeated alphas will take whoever they impressed and run, on other occasions they will become the unofficial betas of the new pack.
Upon the death of a Zelroux usually there will be great mourning. The Zelroux's corpse will be buried and the pack will stand vigil at the spot for a couple of trials. Packs are tight and the death of each member is a pain to carry. If the death is of an Alpha, that pain is even more sharp. In some cases the remaining alpha will pick a new mate. However, sometimes the remaining alpha will be too distraught to move on; either becoming so depressed the pack has to care for them for the rest of their life, or going to far as to kill itself. Usually this is hard to do, leading to a horrifically painful scene. If this is the case, then a new pair of Alphas will step up. It takes a lot of work for the new alphas to get the pack back into working condition.
Diet: Zelroux tend to stick to the consumption of meat as they can only taste savory, sweet, and bitter. All plants taste alike to a Zelroux. The preferred prey of the Zelroux tends to be avian or equine beasts. A favorite of the Zelroux is the Horned Carowa because despite the dangers of hunting one, the Carwoa provides sustenance for a long time. Zelroux tend to hunt once every couple of trials to keep themselves going. The rest of their time is spent either resting to save energy or patrolling their territory. They try to waste as little energy as possible to avoid going hunting often. Zelroux will bury left over prey if they know they'll be returning to the area soon. In some cases they might even bring the carcass along by tearing it apart and slinging it onto the back of the largest Zelroux.
Usually it is the female Zelroux that hunt, though they are occasionally accompanied by males to take down larger and stronger prey such as the Carowa. When hunting, females usually work in a groups of about three. The females because their smaller, more agile bodies are masters of stealth and can go undetected while they encircle their prey. Once their prey is well surrounded, the three will jump out together, the highest ranking Zelroux lunging first. They will either trap their prey and take it down or be able to wound it severely and chase it down. To separate prey from groups or herds, the males will come in and disrupt the herd, allowing the females to surround one of the weaker herd members. When a target is more powerful than themselves, they will keep it ringed and isolated until more females arrive to fill in this circle to ensure the animal does not escape. At this point the males will enter the circle and start to attack. Often a Zelroux won't attack anything outside of avian or equine beasts unless they are truly desperate, so attacking sentient races is something rare and almost unheard of.
Temperament: Zelroux are pretty mild mannered towards everything that isn't prey or trying to attack them. They stick to Carowa and large animals like moose, deer, elk, etc. so they don't bother people or farmers. Only in extreme desperation will they attack anything outside a prey animal or a threat. When it comes to threats, only hunters who are actively trying to bother them are seen as threats, or anything that gets close to the pups. When a threat is spotted, the first response is for the alphas to check things out. From there the rest of the pack will follow the directions of the alpha. Zelroux are pretty intelligent. Not equal ti humans, but they do outrank the cognitive abilities of many other animals. They are able to understand orders over time and function on a level above the average beast when it comes to self preservation. They are as smart as smart can get with animals and not smarter than that.
Abilities: Poison, strange claws, females are fast while males are strong.
Credit: Nightshade
Kathor (shadowhound)
Name: Kathor, the Shadowhounds
(please do ignore the spikes coming out of its back, and the electricity-kinda aura. I'm too lazy to edit it out
)
Quick Facts: Pitch black, quite large wolves, nocturnal, incredible agility, stealth potential during the night
Height: Ranging from 2' to 4'2" at the shoulder
Width: Ranging from a foot to 20 inches (I suck at this one, please tell me if this measure is awful)
Length: Ranging from 5'5" to 8'5"
Weight: Ranging from 360lbs to 500lbs
Native to: Forests around Etzos
Locations: Throughout the entire Western continent - West Idalos, west part of Central Idalos, and some bits of the west part of North Idalos
Appearance: The kathor appear to be hound, or even wolf-like creatures, only larger in every way. They can grow up to the height of an average human, and the length of a serpent, and their weight is far greater. Their fur is pitch black, no matter if male or female, or where they were born. In the night, they can often be looked at and not noticed, because of their color, which is what makes them such good hunters and gives them their nickname, Shadowhounds. They have retractable claws on their paws, much like cats, but a head in the shape of a wolf's. The kathor have a mane around their necks much like a lion's, which appears to be too stiff for normal hair, just like the hair on their tails.
Habitat: The kathor prefer dense forests, especially darker ones, their natural camouflage making them blend in well. Females often live in packs with a single male in forest clearings or caves, claiming such areas as their own territories, while most other males are loners that don't have their own territories. These lone kathor live a nomadic life, often found resting on strong tree branches during the day, travelling and hunting during the night. Pack territories aren't large, and will often shift depending on the time of arc and the current needs of the pack. Unless challenging the pack leader or wanting to mate, lone kathor don't venture onto pack kathor territory, but are otherwise careless on which predator's grounds they walk.
Lifespan and Development: At birth, a kathor is usually about 2 pounds, never going beyond 3, and those born far smaller are are often abandoned and left for dead by their mother. At birth, males and females are similar in size, except males more often have lighter eyes. The kathor are born blind, with their ears flopping down, just like a wolf. In the first few weeks, the kathor are indistinguishable from black wolf puppies. Only at about three seasons of age does the difference start showing, as the kathor do not howl yet and the kathor mothers more often leave the pups with the pack leader to go hunting, and for longer periods of time. Unlike wolves, the kathor pups are not very dominant, and if approached by humans at this age, they can be impressionable. From 2 to 5 seasons of age is the most common time for the kathor to be tamed by eager adventurers and many different western military forces, as their bloodthirstiness doesn't develop for several arcs.
From that point on, almost every aspect of their growth is the same as a wolf's, up until their first or second arc of life. At this point, the female kathor are regulars on nighttime hunting trips with their pack, while males are shunned away by the pack leader and forced into the wilderness. Roughly 60% of males survive until their third arc of life. These exiled males sometimes move in groups until they are fully developed and able to take care of themselves, but it is equally common for them to live alone. Many foolish attempts at taming and capturing these exiled males had been made throughout the West Idalos' history, usually resulting in humans dying, since at this period in their lives the male kathor are at their most aggressive. They will attack anything on their path, and groups of these males have been known to engage in fights with the Ne'haer Cliff Lurkers. Around the third arc of their life is when the Kathor can be considered sexually mature, however the kathor have been known to grow throughout their entire lives, at a significantly slower rate.
The Kathor have incredbile senses, starting from about this point. Their vision rivals a hawk's, both during the day and night, and they can smell things miles away. Their hearing takes a back seat during these formative arcs, and it doesn't fully develop until their seventh or eighth arc. As well as the senses, the kathor's agility increases significantly at this period, and they become the predators that they're known as. The packs often feast on hooved animals such as deer, elk, and bisons, depending on the region they're living in. In times of hunger, the pack will hunt minor animals such as rabbits, beavers or badgers. The male kathor often choose smaller prey as a result of hunting either alone or in small groups. The male loners will often attack predators in their area since the kathor are usually on the top of the local food chain. Some large kathor have even been known to kill a bear, but this is a rare occurrence considering bears and kathor hunt different prey and often don't often come near each other.
Come mating season, mostly near the end of Cylus and early to mid-Ashan, the females from the packs and male loners often pair. The pack leader, of course, has the advantage of choosing whichever female kathor he prefers, but these wolf-like creatures will only mate with a single partner per season. After the mating season is usually the time when lone kathor challenge pack leaders for their dominance over a pack. Unlike wolves, this fight is rarely to the death, and winning does not guarentee control over the females. The females choose who they will follow and even if the lone kathor loses, some females from the pack may choose to follow him.
Then, after 90 trials of gestation, new Kathor pups are born, usually in groups of two to four. The cycle starts all over again, and keeps repeating itself until a kathor's death. The kathor, however, don't die easy, as they have been known to live for over 30 arcs in the wilderness, approximately 26 in captivity, simply for the lack of daily exercise while captive. The kathor have been known to foresee their own death, and thus leave their pack, or their usual territory, in search for a place to die. Each kathor finds a different place suitable for this, and there is no information on how they determine where they want to rest forever.
Diet: Carnivorous. Mostly mammals, packs usually hunt larger animals such as deer while loners hunt beavers, otters and rabbits, while also preying on smaller predators such as foxes, coyotes and sometimes even smaller wolves and wildcats.
Temperament: During the early stages of their life, they are quite friendly towards humans, and as they mature this friendliness turns into bloodthirstiness, as most kathor are not afraid of sentient beings. During mating season the kathor are very territorial and protective towards all of their species. After the mating season, however, is when things are the most dangerous for humans. Each male kathor will view humans as challengers, tracking them down and attacking. The females are more friendly after the mating season and this is usually the time one wants to try to tame or capture a female kathor. The older a kathor gets, the more respect and wariness they will gain towards humans, and near their 27th and 28th arc of life, they will even allow humans on their hunting territory, unless the specific kathor/pack has been wronged by humans (hunted for food, fur/attempted capture of the kathor). The kathor are often very aggressive towards other animals, excluding large predators such as a Zelroux or a larger wildcat. Towards those ones, these wolf-like creatures act with a sort of respect, sensing the strength. The Horned Carowa and experienced human hunters are two of the only things that actively threatens the kathor, and lone males will often find a tree to climb if they catch wind of a Carowa anywhere near them. With packs, it is somewhat different, as they are be more territorial. Larger kathor packs, of over a dozen members, have been known to take down a Carowa that threatens them, but they often simply try to scare the large birds off. Rarely, the Kathor may elect to abandon their territory rather than fight.
Abilities: The kathor have very strong senses, allowing them to be one of the best nocturnal predators on the western continent of Idalos, however, their vision under bright light suffers because of this, and they struggle during the day, if they had already adopted the nocturnal lifestyle. A wild kathor's day vision varies depending on the individual kathor, but it is often that lone kathor have better day vision than humans and their subspecies, while a kathor that has lived in a pack most of their life's is about the same as a human's. This is for one simple reason, the lone kathor often have need to operate during the day too, so they have more reasons to adjust to the increased amount of light. Their vision, if raised in captivity and forced to accept a daytime cycle, can be just as sharp during the day, but in this case, they lack the night vision the wild kathor have. While their sense of smell is definitely superior to a normal wolf's, the kathor often can't smell over very long distances, but their sense of smell is said to be so precise, they can not only know which species and gender they are smelling, but what that individual member of the species ate earlier that trial, and when. Many different examples are given when talking about a kathor's sense of smell, and while they can't be confirmed scientifically, or at least haven't been confirmed yet, they all talk about its extreme precision. They are also quite agile from arcs of developing and growing in dense forests filled with trees and obstacles. The kathor have the ability to jump incredibly far and high, and get bursts of speed before jumping. They rely heavily on the element of surprise when hunting and if their prey is not caught with one or two swift jumps, they will give up the chase and move on.
Credit: Aeon
(please do ignore the spikes coming out of its back, and the electricity-kinda aura. I'm too lazy to edit it out
)Quick Facts: Pitch black, quite large wolves, nocturnal, incredible agility, stealth potential during the night
Height: Ranging from 2' to 4'2" at the shoulder
Width: Ranging from a foot to 20 inches (I suck at this one, please tell me if this measure is awful)
Length: Ranging from 5'5" to 8'5"
Weight: Ranging from 360lbs to 500lbs
Native to: Forests around Etzos
Locations: Throughout the entire Western continent - West Idalos, west part of Central Idalos, and some bits of the west part of North Idalos
Appearance: The kathor appear to be hound, or even wolf-like creatures, only larger in every way. They can grow up to the height of an average human, and the length of a serpent, and their weight is far greater. Their fur is pitch black, no matter if male or female, or where they were born. In the night, they can often be looked at and not noticed, because of their color, which is what makes them such good hunters and gives them their nickname, Shadowhounds. They have retractable claws on their paws, much like cats, but a head in the shape of a wolf's. The kathor have a mane around their necks much like a lion's, which appears to be too stiff for normal hair, just like the hair on their tails.
Habitat: The kathor prefer dense forests, especially darker ones, their natural camouflage making them blend in well. Females often live in packs with a single male in forest clearings or caves, claiming such areas as their own territories, while most other males are loners that don't have their own territories. These lone kathor live a nomadic life, often found resting on strong tree branches during the day, travelling and hunting during the night. Pack territories aren't large, and will often shift depending on the time of arc and the current needs of the pack. Unless challenging the pack leader or wanting to mate, lone kathor don't venture onto pack kathor territory, but are otherwise careless on which predator's grounds they walk.
Lifespan and Development: At birth, a kathor is usually about 2 pounds, never going beyond 3, and those born far smaller are are often abandoned and left for dead by their mother. At birth, males and females are similar in size, except males more often have lighter eyes. The kathor are born blind, with their ears flopping down, just like a wolf. In the first few weeks, the kathor are indistinguishable from black wolf puppies. Only at about three seasons of age does the difference start showing, as the kathor do not howl yet and the kathor mothers more often leave the pups with the pack leader to go hunting, and for longer periods of time. Unlike wolves, the kathor pups are not very dominant, and if approached by humans at this age, they can be impressionable. From 2 to 5 seasons of age is the most common time for the kathor to be tamed by eager adventurers and many different western military forces, as their bloodthirstiness doesn't develop for several arcs.
From that point on, almost every aspect of their growth is the same as a wolf's, up until their first or second arc of life. At this point, the female kathor are regulars on nighttime hunting trips with their pack, while males are shunned away by the pack leader and forced into the wilderness. Roughly 60% of males survive until their third arc of life. These exiled males sometimes move in groups until they are fully developed and able to take care of themselves, but it is equally common for them to live alone. Many foolish attempts at taming and capturing these exiled males had been made throughout the West Idalos' history, usually resulting in humans dying, since at this period in their lives the male kathor are at their most aggressive. They will attack anything on their path, and groups of these males have been known to engage in fights with the Ne'haer Cliff Lurkers. Around the third arc of their life is when the Kathor can be considered sexually mature, however the kathor have been known to grow throughout their entire lives, at a significantly slower rate.
The Kathor have incredbile senses, starting from about this point. Their vision rivals a hawk's, both during the day and night, and they can smell things miles away. Their hearing takes a back seat during these formative arcs, and it doesn't fully develop until their seventh or eighth arc. As well as the senses, the kathor's agility increases significantly at this period, and they become the predators that they're known as. The packs often feast on hooved animals such as deer, elk, and bisons, depending on the region they're living in. In times of hunger, the pack will hunt minor animals such as rabbits, beavers or badgers. The male kathor often choose smaller prey as a result of hunting either alone or in small groups. The male loners will often attack predators in their area since the kathor are usually on the top of the local food chain. Some large kathor have even been known to kill a bear, but this is a rare occurrence considering bears and kathor hunt different prey and often don't often come near each other.
Come mating season, mostly near the end of Cylus and early to mid-Ashan, the females from the packs and male loners often pair. The pack leader, of course, has the advantage of choosing whichever female kathor he prefers, but these wolf-like creatures will only mate with a single partner per season. After the mating season is usually the time when lone kathor challenge pack leaders for their dominance over a pack. Unlike wolves, this fight is rarely to the death, and winning does not guarentee control over the females. The females choose who they will follow and even if the lone kathor loses, some females from the pack may choose to follow him.
Then, after 90 trials of gestation, new Kathor pups are born, usually in groups of two to four. The cycle starts all over again, and keeps repeating itself until a kathor's death. The kathor, however, don't die easy, as they have been known to live for over 30 arcs in the wilderness, approximately 26 in captivity, simply for the lack of daily exercise while captive. The kathor have been known to foresee their own death, and thus leave their pack, or their usual territory, in search for a place to die. Each kathor finds a different place suitable for this, and there is no information on how they determine where they want to rest forever.
Diet: Carnivorous. Mostly mammals, packs usually hunt larger animals such as deer while loners hunt beavers, otters and rabbits, while also preying on smaller predators such as foxes, coyotes and sometimes even smaller wolves and wildcats.
Temperament: During the early stages of their life, they are quite friendly towards humans, and as they mature this friendliness turns into bloodthirstiness, as most kathor are not afraid of sentient beings. During mating season the kathor are very territorial and protective towards all of their species. After the mating season, however, is when things are the most dangerous for humans. Each male kathor will view humans as challengers, tracking them down and attacking. The females are more friendly after the mating season and this is usually the time one wants to try to tame or capture a female kathor. The older a kathor gets, the more respect and wariness they will gain towards humans, and near their 27th and 28th arc of life, they will even allow humans on their hunting territory, unless the specific kathor/pack has been wronged by humans (hunted for food, fur/attempted capture of the kathor). The kathor are often very aggressive towards other animals, excluding large predators such as a Zelroux or a larger wildcat. Towards those ones, these wolf-like creatures act with a sort of respect, sensing the strength. The Horned Carowa and experienced human hunters are two of the only things that actively threatens the kathor, and lone males will often find a tree to climb if they catch wind of a Carowa anywhere near them. With packs, it is somewhat different, as they are be more territorial. Larger kathor packs, of over a dozen members, have been known to take down a Carowa that threatens them, but they often simply try to scare the large birds off. Rarely, the Kathor may elect to abandon their territory rather than fight.
Abilities: The kathor have very strong senses, allowing them to be one of the best nocturnal predators on the western continent of Idalos, however, their vision under bright light suffers because of this, and they struggle during the day, if they had already adopted the nocturnal lifestyle. A wild kathor's day vision varies depending on the individual kathor, but it is often that lone kathor have better day vision than humans and their subspecies, while a kathor that has lived in a pack most of their life's is about the same as a human's. This is for one simple reason, the lone kathor often have need to operate during the day too, so they have more reasons to adjust to the increased amount of light. Their vision, if raised in captivity and forced to accept a daytime cycle, can be just as sharp during the day, but in this case, they lack the night vision the wild kathor have. While their sense of smell is definitely superior to a normal wolf's, the kathor often can't smell over very long distances, but their sense of smell is said to be so precise, they can not only know which species and gender they are smelling, but what that individual member of the species ate earlier that trial, and when. Many different examples are given when talking about a kathor's sense of smell, and while they can't be confirmed scientifically, or at least haven't been confirmed yet, they all talk about its extreme precision. They are also quite agile from arcs of developing and growing in dense forests filled with trees and obstacles. The kathor have the ability to jump incredibly far and high, and get bursts of speed before jumping. They rely heavily on the element of surprise when hunting and if their prey is not caught with one or two swift jumps, they will give up the chase and move on.
Credit: Aeon
Lisirra's Blight drinker
Lisirra's Blight Drinker
Quick Fact: Unintentionally beneficial Leech of Lisirra's
Native to: The Southern Continent
Location: They are now found the world over.
Lifespan & Development: Lisirra's Blight Drinker is an epimorphic organism, which means it does not change much as it grows, its body design and function being essentially changeless for its entire life. They are always white in color and hardly get any larger or longer than the average man's hand. They only breed in stagnant or slow moving waters and a healthy leech can have a lifespan of up to two or three years.
Abilities: Consumption of decaying material, and indefinite stasis of any chemical reactions from these materials.
Uses: Medical benefits of sterilization through elimination of rotting tissue, and chemical advantages of delaying reactions of otherwise volatile compounds.
Perhaps one of the world's more misunderstood creatures Lisirra's blight drinker has a name that associates with an immortal that makes it seem like some tool for evil. In fact, this useful little leech is possibly one of the few creatures of nature that combat's Lisirra's influence on the world. These little white leeches don't drink blood like their brethren, but pus and decay.
Living in stagnant lakes and lazy rivers, these white leeches live off decaying plants and animal. And for that reason, they emit a near unbearable smell and have a taste that only the most starved of predators could bear. Often seen in rotten tree trunks or on corpses of animals near water, these small creatures can smell decay and will slowly crawl towards it to feast upon the decomposing dinner.
That said, what makes these tiny creatures true marvels is their inability to eat anything that isn't rotten or dead. These creatures, while symbiotic, aren't parasitic, in fact, they would likely starve on a live host. However, it has been discovered that these creatures can save gangrenous wounds and pox-filled infections of the flesh. Placing these creatures on infected wounds over the course of a night or even days can save injuries that no normal medicine or non-magical surgeon could hope to clean. Nature's grim janitors, these little creatures consume pus and rotten flesh alike leaving behind raw but otherwise uninfected flesh.
History
Lisirra's Blight drinker has only in recent times been considered something beyond disgusting vermin. As a creature that smells as bad as it is hard to look at, they were for the longest time considered something to be avoided; and in the case of being seen near a populated area, exterminated. After all, the odor hardly makes them easy to be around. It was only in recent times, when rumors of these little monsters being used to beat gangrene and other near deadly wound infections, that they became viewed as something better than parasites.
Their origins, while not well known, do in fact lie with Lisirra, though their purpose and reality are actually quite different. The Intention for them had been as a means to further spread Lisirra's influence by feeding on things infected with diseases and acting as carriers to spread the diseases further. However in that aspect the creatures were failures; the Plague Lord neglected to place a natural aggression to attack healthy tissue into these organisms.
They consumed unhealthy disease ridden flesh as expected, but did not attack healthy and uncorrupted organisms, making them only good for the consumption of disease, and in reality an enemy of Lisirra's goals. As such, she attempted to have the species eradicated. But like most vermin, they proved near impossible to eradicate and by the time she'd nearly succeeded, her efforts were noted, and enough of these leaches had been discovered by alchemists and doctors alike, who preserved the species.
Biology
While very similar to the slug or leech their are some particular differences that set the Blight drinker apart from their cousins. One, unlike leeches, the blight drinker does not directly attach themselves to a victim they instead have a small circular mouth ringed with tentacles that secrete mild digestive fluids, these fluids are thought to be both acidic and antibiotic in nature considering the ability of the tentacles to dissolve and scoop rotten materials into the creatures small maw.
Alchemy
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the leech is it's alchemical properties. Their ability to withhold and store toxins translates into one of the most powerful if unknown inhibiting agents on Idalos. The digestive fluids of the leech being able to put external elements into a near infinite stasis until a catalyst is introduced, making them able to be used for some of the most creative poisons and subtle medicines for those with the knowledge of how to use them.
Credit: Symbri, with input by Maltruism
Sintra's Pet
Name: Sintra's Pet, or Giant Spiders
Fee; free to use your imagination for a spider of the listed size
Quick Facts:Massive spiders
Height: 4-8’
Length: 8-20’
Weight: 100-1000lbs
Native to: Jungles of Rhakros
Locations: Jungles of Rhakros
Appearance: This is a group of wildly different spiders. Every single breed found in the world has been collected carefully and grown to unnatural sizes. Their colouring doesn’t change, and terrors such as a ten foot Kidnapper Spider has been spotted, or a five foot Black Widow.
Habitat: The spiders retain most of their original characteristics, however they have all adapted to living in the jungle. It was rumoured they were created by Sintra to spread out and terrorize the dark places of the world, however due to the constant falling out between her and Lisirra they were drawn to the jungles of Rhakros. They still act and hunt the same way their smaller counterparts do, be it by trap, web or surprise.
Lifespan and Development: Identical to the original species, but all have their lifespans increased drastically, some claiming to have seen the same spider living for up to a hundred arcs.
Diet: Anything that moves in the forest is fair game. The large spiders manage their increased dietary requirements by feasting on the large flies and other bugs that live in the jungles around Rhakros.
Temperament: The spiders hold onto a thread of their original temperament, but Sintra's constant conflict with her sister has led to them acting far more volatile than they should be. Most of the species will actively hunt humans in the jungle, though all would eat any unfortunate souls caught in their traps.
Abilities: Sintra has twisted these creatures to terrorize her sister's city, but Lissira fought back with disease and pestilence. Their very blood carries innumerable diseases, though Lissira was unable to eradicate them despite her best efforts. Rumours abound that Sintra takes revenge against any that kill her pets, but the truth of the matter is far more likely due to the diseased blood. Monster hunters are not the cleanliest, and successfully fighting a Giant Spider usually ends with the victor covered in the fluids of the other.
Vials of the spider's blood are sold as a poison, though any accomplished poisoner scorns such inaccurate and blunt methods.
Credit: Vluarqih
Fee; free to use your imagination for a spider of the listed size
Quick Facts:Massive spiders
Height: 4-8’
Length: 8-20’
Weight: 100-1000lbs
Native to: Jungles of Rhakros
Locations: Jungles of Rhakros
Appearance: This is a group of wildly different spiders. Every single breed found in the world has been collected carefully and grown to unnatural sizes. Their colouring doesn’t change, and terrors such as a ten foot Kidnapper Spider has been spotted, or a five foot Black Widow.
Habitat: The spiders retain most of their original characteristics, however they have all adapted to living in the jungle. It was rumoured they were created by Sintra to spread out and terrorize the dark places of the world, however due to the constant falling out between her and Lisirra they were drawn to the jungles of Rhakros. They still act and hunt the same way their smaller counterparts do, be it by trap, web or surprise.
Lifespan and Development: Identical to the original species, but all have their lifespans increased drastically, some claiming to have seen the same spider living for up to a hundred arcs.
Diet: Anything that moves in the forest is fair game. The large spiders manage their increased dietary requirements by feasting on the large flies and other bugs that live in the jungles around Rhakros.
Temperament: The spiders hold onto a thread of their original temperament, but Sintra's constant conflict with her sister has led to them acting far more volatile than they should be. Most of the species will actively hunt humans in the jungle, though all would eat any unfortunate souls caught in their traps.
Abilities: Sintra has twisted these creatures to terrorize her sister's city, but Lissira fought back with disease and pestilence. Their very blood carries innumerable diseases, though Lissira was unable to eradicate them despite her best efforts. Rumours abound that Sintra takes revenge against any that kill her pets, but the truth of the matter is far more likely due to the diseased blood. Monster hunters are not the cleanliest, and successfully fighting a Giant Spider usually ends with the victor covered in the fluids of the other.
Vials of the spider's blood are sold as a poison, though any accomplished poisoner scorns such inaccurate and blunt methods.
Credit: Vluarqih
tootl'gok
Name: Tootl'gok
Quick Facts
Height: 16-26 inchesWidth: ~10 inches
Length: ~50 inches
Weight: up to 50 lbs
Native to: Found throughout Idalos
Locations: Found throughout Idalos
Appearance: Probably the closest comparison to a Tootl'gok, or Tootle as the birds are often derogatorily called, is a chicken. That side, no even the simplest of beings would have trouble telling the difference between the two. Firstly, Tootles are entirely feather and hairless. Instead they are covered in a medium tough hide that is generally yellow on top and white or cream on the undersides. The males also have blue accents on their faces and blue faux-eyes on both sets of wings.
The double wings are unique to the males, with females having only the smaller first wing set. Tootles are primarily flightless, though they can make some fairly impressive leaps, and can glide, the females more clumsily than the males.
Their next most obvious characteristic is the long, thick tail which ends in a relatively flat almost spade shaped appendage. Tootles can balance on this for both threat and courtship displays, or use it to whack their many predators with varying degrees of success. They are also capable of clumsily grasping things, though they rarely do so except when running a piece of food away from other Tootles. Both their tails, wings and legs have short stubby claws, and a particularly aggressive Tootle going for the face can be a dismaying prospect.
Habitat: Tootles can and do live basically anywhere except extreme cold climates and true deserts. Although it is thought that they originated in Southern Idalos, the speed with which they breed and their relative hardiness made them an ideal food source and they were quickly taken all over the world by enterprising explorers both for meat and eggs.
Lifespan and Development: Tootles can live up to around 5 Arcs. They reach sexual and physical maturity in roughly a season. The females lay between 5 and 10 eggs per clutch, and will clutch every season if there is a male present. They usually live in groups ranging from 5 to 20 individuals. The smaller groups will often have only one male, but males will tolerate each other in larger groups.
Where it not for the fact that almost any predator can and does prey on them, they would quickly overbreed, and when kept in captivity if not culled, this is a very real possibility.
Diet: Tootles are scavengers and will eat very nearly anything. Grains, fruit, vegetable, meat, occasionally wholly inedible things that they ought not to be eating.. They are voracious and greedy eaters, and put on weight quickly when given easy access to copious amounts of food.
Temperament: In a word; stupid. Tootles breed quickly, otherwise they'd be dead. Individual temperament can vary from passive to the point of hiding a head under their wing when threatened, to territorial to the point of launching themselves noisily at anything that offends them all appendages extended and ready to attack. The singular guarantee is that they are dumb.
Abilities: Relatively fast reproduction rate.
Uses:
- Food - Tootle eggs are edible and in taste are closer to duck than chicken, their meat is also edible, with the tails being particularly prized as almost entirely edible meat. They are slightly more savoury and stronger flavoured than chicken and tend to be moist and easy for even novice cooks to prepare.
- Leather - Their hides are usable for leather goods, the wings of the males in particular are often utilized in capes to flaunt the eye pattern. Though not the strongest or longest lasting, it is curiously water resistant.
- Insult - At best being called a Tootle means you're useful but stupid, at worst, just stupid.
Jere buex
Life span: Betwee 30 to 60 Trials
Habitat: Uncommon in Southern Idalos, but common in the temperate forests of Western, Northern and Central Idalos.
Physical description:
Jere Buex otherwise know as a Fire Bee, looks similar to a common honey bee. The visual difference lies in the blue near the end of their abdomen and at the start of their wings. To further prevent them from being mistaken for other bees, Jere Buex also carry the strong scent of smoke to ward off predators.
Abilities:
Unlike the sting from a normal honey bee, The Jere Buex’s venom can leave a nasty burning lesion on the skin. The sting is incredibly painful and can last for days. Some victims are left with lasting scars that flare up from time to time if the stinger is not properly removed.
If a Tunawa gets stung however, it can be fatal. The burning properties of the bee's venom ignites in the small creature and kills them with in a matter of trills.
The hive of a Jere Buex, lets off a strong sent of smoke to ward predators away. It isn’t clear how this happens but it seems like a variation of pheromones that have evolved to smell like smoke.
Behaviour:
Jere Buex are docile, like most bees they don’t sting unless provoked and typically die if they do. They are, however, attracted to the flowers of Tunawa, causing the plant people to lash out at them in fear. If Tunawa chose to take arms against the Jere Buex, the usually harmless bee will strike back without question.
Life cycle:
There life cycle and colony dynamics are exactly the same as typical honey bees. They have queens that spend their days producing eggs, worker bees which are infertile females and drones which are the males that spend most of their lives seeking out female queens to start new colonies.
The eggs the queen lays hatch into larvae, then grow into pupates until they finally reach their final stage.
History:
Their development is a mystery; many blame Lissara but there is no proof of her involvement. Seen as little more than pests to most, few have really cared to do much investigation. To Tunawa however, they are considered great enemies. Fearing the Jere Buex’s stings, Tunawa warriors took action and nearly drove the innocent creatures to extinction in Desnind.
Practical Uses:
The honey of the Jere Buex has warming effects that can help ward off the effects of cold weather if consumed. It has the same effect on Tunawa as well, but they are incredibly fearful of it. If a slave owner were to give their Tunawa slave Fire Bee honey, it would be an act of cruelty. Many grim stories of what can happen when the Jere Buex honey is consumed have been passed down form Tunawa to Tunawa for generations. Most Tunawa won't even touch it because they firmly believe it will permanently scar their bark. The warming affects the honey gives only cement the superstitious notion that the honey causes Tunawa to slowly burn into ash from the inside. It takes a Tunawa of great mental fortitude to convince themselves they won’t burst into flames when they consume it.
Due to Tunawa’s fear of the honey it can be used as a ward against them. A ring of fire honey is sometimes a more effective trap than a cage, since most Tunawa are be too fearful to cross it.
- Credit to Niv -
Fogan salamander
Aka: Aelig’s Nefarious Newts.
Life span: 30 Arcs
Size: Body is 6 to 7 inches in length
Habitat: Found near fresh water lakes and streams.
Physical description:
For the most part Fogan resemble Newts and Salamanders. What sets them apart is the small set of glowing eyes that fit in the middle of their forehead and the many additional limbs in a style reminiscent of a centipede.
Their skin ranges greatly in colour and design. The brighter the colour, the more toxic the skin; though this rule isn't always followed.
A Fogan’s eyes come in a vast array of colours that never seem to synch up. If one is blue another might be a darker or lighter version of it but no two will be the same hue.
Abilities:
Their strange eyes aren’t just for show. If anyone makes eye contact, for even a moment, with the glowing eyes of a Fogan, they start to see very lifelike Illusions derived from the victim's own imagination. The creature has very little control of the outcome, but it usually doesn’t end well for the victim. Under the influence of a Fogan's gaze, friends can become monsters and monsters can become small children in need of assistance. The illusions usually last for about 10 bits, but a person with excellent skills in meditation can recover quickly than most. A trick commonly used by people familiar with Fogan to counter it's illusions is to use some kind of reflection to spot the creatures location. Since a Fogan's magic gaze doesn't reflect, this trick works wonders in avoiding the creatures trap.
While they may not be able to communicate with other races, they have proven to be more intelligent and clever than one might expect. It isn’t uncommon for them to utilize primitive tactics, like ambushes and distractions. If one were to cut open the head of one of these creatures, they would see that Fogan actually have two intertwined brains that work together in harmony and help keep it sharper then most creatures of a similar size.
Behaviour:
Fogan usually enjoy playing tricks on those that dare enter their territory but there are a few stories of them helping travellers. It's believed that the distinction they make is based on how well a person respects nature, but it seems this is most likely an urban legend.
They tend to be solitary creatures, except during mating season, which occurs sometime in early spring. During this time they are known to make haunting wails and screams that sound distinctly humanoid in order to attract a mate. If someone is nimble enough to get one in their grasp it will hiss like a feline or scream like a young child.
They are nocturnal creatures and typically hide in the mud during the day. Their glowing eyes attract insects, which make up the bulk of the Fogan's diet.
Life cycle:
When Ymiden begins, they start their mating calls during the night to attract their ideal mate. The breeding process begins by having the male mount the female; and when they are successful the female deposits her eggs into the closest river. Out of a batch of anywhere from 20 to 100 tiny eggs, only a handful of the imbalanced abominations will be lucky enough survive exposure to the elements and continue to the next stage. After a week the Fogan eggs hatch into tadpoles that look fairly typical. After about a season, they slowly develop into full grown Fogan and their odd characteristics become known. They seem to stop aging after reaching maturity, until they suddenly fade out of existence as if they were never there. Oddly enough, if they are killed before they reach their expiry date, their bodies remain to be used in the creation of poisons, drugs and more creative uses.
Hibernation begins in late Vhalar where Fogan slowly start to fade until they can no longer be seen, They only appear again when the cold weather dissipates. No one is really sure why they go to in the cold months but they are never seen or heard from during this time.
History:
Fogan are believed to be creations of the God of illusions and chaos, Aelig, who for whatever reason abandoned them in the wilds, from which they spread forth like a plague to various regions of the world. Some dismiss them as abandoned mistakes, but most would agree that they were made intentionally to spread as much discord as possible. Whatever the reason, they don’t seem to be going anywhere.
Practical Uses:
Skilled poison crafters are known to use the blood of the Fogan to give their victims varying degrees of hallucinations based on it’s potency. The blood of a Fogan glows brightly so it usually needs to be mixed with something to hide it’s true nature. Usually something with an overpowering colour or thick consistency will do the trick. Only competent poison crafters can properly draw the creatures blood, and dilute it enough to hide its true nature while also keeping the desired outcome intact.
While not potent enough to kill humans, the poison that secretes from certain variations of Fogan is enough to make humans feel an exhilarating high. From just a single lick, an intense feeling of Euphoria can be felt instantly and intensely for anywhere between one and four breaks. To prepare the Fogan for use, one ether needs to give the poor creature a sedative or beat it to an inch of its life. This practice is illegal for its cruelty and for how unpredictable it can make people on it.
Credit: Lapis
glowbug
Name: Glowbug
Quick Facts: Small. Emit Light. Live Underground.
Height: 0.4 inches.
Width: 0.4 inches.
Length: 1 inch.
Weight: About 20 grams.
Native to: Underground cave systems.
Locations: All regions except for Oscillus.
Appearance:
The average Glowbug appears very much like a firefly in their appearance. They have six small jointed legs attached at the thorax. The joints along the legs allow for increased mobility during ground movement. The abdomen of the Glowbug is mostly covered by two pairs of wings. These wings are kept under a light wing cover which is shifted to the side of the bug whenever flight is about to occur. It is useful for ensuring that no hazardous materials, or excessive grime find themselves attached to the sensitive wings of the creature as such a thing would prevent it from flying. A set of four antenna are found upon their heads. The first pair of antenna are used for traditional sensing of the environment as is found in most common insects, however the second pair is focused more on determining the age of light markers, and is thus very sensitive to chemicals which cause bioluminescence. The general color scheme of the Glowbug is mostly gray, but it has a shifting texture to it in an attempt at throwing off predators which might believe them to be part of their underground habitat. The only part of the Glowbug not following this color scheme is a bright tail at the end of the creature. The tail is slightly segmented away from the remainder of the abdomen, and can be released at any point on command by the bug. Sexual dimorphism occurs in the creature as males tend to emit a bright orange light, and females emit a calmer green glow. This feature is what gives the bug it's name.
Habitat:
The Glowbug is typically found in underground caverns, or cave systems, and very rarely leaves these. It prefers the constant temperature of around 50-55 degrees Fahreinheit which is provided by living subsurface. It tends to live near sources of ground water, and typically hangs from stalagtites near these watering areas. They do not dislike bright lights as some creatures living underground might, but typically do not swarm around them as many surface bugs do, and instead prefer the general darkness interspersed with points of light. They have managed to spread to all continental areas minus Oscillus, and can usually be found in the deeper parts of caves.
Lifespan and Development:
Glowbugs are hatched from eggs located within the indents created by broken stalagtites. After being hatched, the worm-like larvae attach themselves to the wall of the indent using a sticky saliva. They consume whatever remains of their eggs slowly, and convert part of their meal into more saliva to keep themselves hanging. After a week and a half, the larvae develop a collective cocoon around themselves, and pupate for another week. Any larvae that die within the cocoon tend to be consumed by their relatives, and help to prolong their lifespan. At the end of the week, the larvae emerge, having grown wings, and other features common in Glowbugs. They do not immediately possess the ability to glow, and must rely on the marking of other older Glowbugs for around two weeks before they begin to glow themselves. Once the ability to glow is gained, the Glowbugs have reached sexual maturity. About once a month, the Glowbug will feel the urge to mate. Females will locate a broken stalagtite indentation, or another suitable hole in the ceiling, and emit a soft green glow. Males will be attracted to these holes, and will begin the reproductive process. Once a male has mated with a female, it will release it's own glow within the hole to ward off any competitors. The female will release the fertilized eggs within the indent, and will then return to it's normal habits, leaving the process to repeat for the next generation. Glowbugs have a lifespan of about four months, though exceptionally healthy ones have managed to make it to five months.
Diet:
Glowbugs are carnivorous scavengers. They may occasionally feed upon slugs, or snails that find themselves within the caves, but their main source of food actually consists of creatures many times their size. When a suitably large creature passes near them, the Glowbug will release their glowing tail onto the creature. The tail will attach to the animal, and provide a glowing marker for it's location. The Glowbug will then follow the marker. The marker allows for the animal to be better seen, and may either reduce it's ability to catch prey, in which case it will starve, or allow for larger predators to more easily locate it, and kill it. The Glowbug will then wait for the predator to finish feasting upon the dead animal, and will then consume whatever remains of it in a great feast. The tail will eventually regrow itself after a couple of days, and allow for the process to repeat. The Glowbug must eat once every two days, and will consume around ten grams of meat upon each feeding. Females intending to mate will consume fifteen grams of meat to counteract the loss of nutrients inherent in laying eggs.
Temperament:
Glowbugs are somewhat territorial with one another in regards to the stalagtites where their reproduction occurs, but are otherwise very communal creatures, and work well with one another to mark prey. They do not mind the presence of sentient beings as they are unused to their presence, and are generally left alone, but will very quickly scatter at the sign of another cave creature as some tend to prey upon the Glowbugs. Their method of hunting means that they will sometimes tag sentient lifeforms that enter.
Abilities:
Excellent vision in terms of distinguishing light from dark. Any semblance of light within the dark space will be noticed by the Glowbug. They can also determine how long any bioluminescent material has been active, and can sometimes identify where it was created, or by which animal. Ability to glow in the dark, and to tag other animals with an easily detachable tail. The tail also regrows after two days.
Credit: Noth
Height: 0.4 inches.
Width: 0.4 inches.
Length: 1 inch.
Weight: About 20 grams.
Native to: Underground cave systems.
Locations: All regions except for Oscillus.
Appearance:
The average Glowbug appears very much like a firefly in their appearance. They have six small jointed legs attached at the thorax. The joints along the legs allow for increased mobility during ground movement. The abdomen of the Glowbug is mostly covered by two pairs of wings. These wings are kept under a light wing cover which is shifted to the side of the bug whenever flight is about to occur. It is useful for ensuring that no hazardous materials, or excessive grime find themselves attached to the sensitive wings of the creature as such a thing would prevent it from flying. A set of four antenna are found upon their heads. The first pair of antenna are used for traditional sensing of the environment as is found in most common insects, however the second pair is focused more on determining the age of light markers, and is thus very sensitive to chemicals which cause bioluminescence. The general color scheme of the Glowbug is mostly gray, but it has a shifting texture to it in an attempt at throwing off predators which might believe them to be part of their underground habitat. The only part of the Glowbug not following this color scheme is a bright tail at the end of the creature. The tail is slightly segmented away from the remainder of the abdomen, and can be released at any point on command by the bug. Sexual dimorphism occurs in the creature as males tend to emit a bright orange light, and females emit a calmer green glow. This feature is what gives the bug it's name.
Habitat:
The Glowbug is typically found in underground caverns, or cave systems, and very rarely leaves these. It prefers the constant temperature of around 50-55 degrees Fahreinheit which is provided by living subsurface. It tends to live near sources of ground water, and typically hangs from stalagtites near these watering areas. They do not dislike bright lights as some creatures living underground might, but typically do not swarm around them as many surface bugs do, and instead prefer the general darkness interspersed with points of light. They have managed to spread to all continental areas minus Oscillus, and can usually be found in the deeper parts of caves.
Lifespan and Development:
Glowbugs are hatched from eggs located within the indents created by broken stalagtites. After being hatched, the worm-like larvae attach themselves to the wall of the indent using a sticky saliva. They consume whatever remains of their eggs slowly, and convert part of their meal into more saliva to keep themselves hanging. After a week and a half, the larvae develop a collective cocoon around themselves, and pupate for another week. Any larvae that die within the cocoon tend to be consumed by their relatives, and help to prolong their lifespan. At the end of the week, the larvae emerge, having grown wings, and other features common in Glowbugs. They do not immediately possess the ability to glow, and must rely on the marking of other older Glowbugs for around two weeks before they begin to glow themselves. Once the ability to glow is gained, the Glowbugs have reached sexual maturity. About once a month, the Glowbug will feel the urge to mate. Females will locate a broken stalagtite indentation, or another suitable hole in the ceiling, and emit a soft green glow. Males will be attracted to these holes, and will begin the reproductive process. Once a male has mated with a female, it will release it's own glow within the hole to ward off any competitors. The female will release the fertilized eggs within the indent, and will then return to it's normal habits, leaving the process to repeat for the next generation. Glowbugs have a lifespan of about four months, though exceptionally healthy ones have managed to make it to five months.
Diet:
Glowbugs are carnivorous scavengers. They may occasionally feed upon slugs, or snails that find themselves within the caves, but their main source of food actually consists of creatures many times their size. When a suitably large creature passes near them, the Glowbug will release their glowing tail onto the creature. The tail will attach to the animal, and provide a glowing marker for it's location. The Glowbug will then follow the marker. The marker allows for the animal to be better seen, and may either reduce it's ability to catch prey, in which case it will starve, or allow for larger predators to more easily locate it, and kill it. The Glowbug will then wait for the predator to finish feasting upon the dead animal, and will then consume whatever remains of it in a great feast. The tail will eventually regrow itself after a couple of days, and allow for the process to repeat. The Glowbug must eat once every two days, and will consume around ten grams of meat upon each feeding. Females intending to mate will consume fifteen grams of meat to counteract the loss of nutrients inherent in laying eggs.
Temperament:
Glowbugs are somewhat territorial with one another in regards to the stalagtites where their reproduction occurs, but are otherwise very communal creatures, and work well with one another to mark prey. They do not mind the presence of sentient beings as they are unused to their presence, and are generally left alone, but will very quickly scatter at the sign of another cave creature as some tend to prey upon the Glowbugs. Their method of hunting means that they will sometimes tag sentient lifeforms that enter.
Abilities:
Excellent vision in terms of distinguishing light from dark. Any semblance of light within the dark space will be noticed by the Glowbug. They can also determine how long any bioluminescent material has been active, and can sometimes identify where it was created, or by which animal. Ability to glow in the dark, and to tag other animals with an easily detachable tail. The tail also regrows after two days.
Credit: Noth
Nuielafruchia
Nuielafruchia
Quick Facts
Width: 3-6 Ft
Length: 20-40Ft
Weight: 350-1000 pounds
Native to: Ocean coral reefs, and beaches with lots of greenery nearby.
Locations: Most typically seen in Coral Reefs that are far away from cities, so typically only Mer or very lucky travelers see these beautiful creatures. They are most commonly seen around the isles near Ne'haer and Rahkros, but even more so around Strosdyn; though there have been tales that they can be found along the shores between Desnind and Quacia, as well as some reports of sightings on the shores on the way up to Melrath.
Appearance: Nicknamed Nuiel by sailors and Mer alike, the Nuielafruchia have quite a reputation for having an eye-catching beauty that would even make a man's wife jealous. Scales like pearls, they are a creamy white with accents of pinks and blues. These are then accented by a water repelling fur that ranges from pink to purple. Along with the sheer size of an adult Nuielafruchia, they have a pure majesty about them.
As a quadruped, it has long claws, sharp teeth, and a long tail. The tail helps with balance and swimming while the legs help them with land travel. And these creatures are often hunted for all of these things.
Habitat: Nuielafruchia tend to live in underwater caves that are found in coral reef drop offs, though on occasion they can be found in some land caves that empty and fill with the tides. Pretty much, if there's a cave in or near water, there's a high chance one of these beauties is in it. It is thought that they don't really have a much of a preference but to tend to stay in warmer waters.
Lifespan and Development: As a serpent like sea creature, Nuielafruchia are egg laying creatures. Every clutch of eggs is considered of great importance and the mothers will protect them with their lives. So it is best to back off if one is found, lest you wish to incur the mother's wrath. Every clutch has around 3-6 eggs. It's rare to see any more or any less than that. It takes between 170 to 190 trials for the eggs to hatch. These eggs are laid typically in mid to late Ashan as mating season for the Nuielafruchia is in late Zi'da and all of Cylus.
Once born, Nuielafruchia pups stick to their family unit for about 3 seasons before going to find their own dens, often sticking close to the family unit's area. Though these creatures are not actually physically mature until after about 5 full arcs.
When they are old enough to mate, males try to impress females with a mix of a show of dominance and a dance that makes the spines on their head and back, along with their fur flow majestically. If the female finds the right male, she will score his horns to mark him as hers with her own horns and her claws. Marking them as mates for life.
These creatures are social and communicate with sounds that seem almost like a high pitch whistling, much like a mix between dolphins and a whales. Though unlike what might be expected, it's actually quite pleasant to the ears even with how high pitched it seems.
It is assumed that these creatures tend to live as long as 200 arcs. Though there's no real evidence of this or any particular reason as to why this is thought.
Diet: As a carnivorous creature, Nuielafruchia are mostly pescatarians. Preferring the salty taste on their tongues to the taste of land creatures. This is mostly because of two things, their capability of digesting most fish scales and bones, while things like fur and hide tend to make them sick. The reason for this is unknown, but they have been known to throw up whole bodies of animals such as cats, monkeys, dogs, and other smaller creatures. Though they have been known to eat many birds as well. as feathers don't seem to bother their innards.
With how large these creatures, when they aren't taking care of their young, most of their day is spent hunting for food in the open ocean, catching things like tuna, krill, and even crab or lobster to fill their large bellies. Eating most of their prey whole. Using their scales to draw the attention of most fish.
Temperament: For the most part, Nuielafruchia are quite calm and gentle creatures, and have been known to save drowning children from time to time. They have a family structure much like dolphin pods and it's rare to find one alone. But watch out, if you find yourself too close to a clutch of their eggs, you might want to run, as female Nuielafruchia are extremely protective of their eggs. To the point that they will not hesitate to kill those that get to close. Being allowed anywhere near their eggs is a massive sign of trust from the creature.
Abilities:
Strong Swimmers
Due to their serpentine body structures, along with their four legs, they have a lot of muscle and swimming power. At top speeds they can break through ice covered ocean with general ease. As long as the ice isn't much thicker than 6 inches.
Pearlescent Scales
These scales allow them to attract prey with ease, and quickens their hunt for food. They glitter even in the dullest of moonlight
Tough Scales
The toughness of their scales allows for protection from most bigger animals. Though they still can be harmed if a fight goes on too long, most sharks can't harm them, and most creatures with poison stingers can't penetrate the scales.
Non-Retractable Claws
These claws are made of condensed bone, so they are quite hard and not easy to break either. Allowing them to grow quite long and sharp over the years.
Water Resistant Fur
This resistance to water allows the Nuielafruchia to not be weighed down by their own features.
Credit: Juniper
Southwood Alligator
Southwood Alligator
and
"South-Tooth" / "Gator Tooth"
and
"South-Tooth" / "Gator Tooth"
The Southwood Alligator lives along the Southwood River and the waterways that branch off from the river and in marshlands/swamps. They live on mostly land animals who come to the shores to drink water, but are opportunistic feeders that prefer fresh raw meat. They can crack bones with their teeth and jaw, swallowing entire animals whole. A full-grown adult Southwood Alligator can weigh anywhere from 500lb to 999lbs, and be 8ft to 14ft in length. They reproduce fast and frequently, usually anywhere from 80-100 hatchlings every cycle but out of that, only around 10 survive into the next arc. Of those who survive, they go from tiny babies to full-grown adults within an arc.
They are known as dangerous predators to the people of Etzos, but outside of Etzos, the Southwood Alligator is also known for having teeth which when ground up into a powder can be peddled as an aphrodisiac enhancement for stamina, endurance, and strength... with varying results. When combined with powder made from Southwood Alligator scales, mixed with Southwood River algae and then dried out for a few trials, this makes an actual stimulant drug known as "Southwood Gator Tooth" or for the sake of time, "South-tooth" (or "Gator Tooth"). It can be ingested in a myriad of ways, often smoked or dissolved and then injected into a vein.
South-tooth is considered both a medical and a recreational drug. The difference is in the dosage. South-tooth can cause any of the following effects (depending on the individual, the quality of the drug, and how much they've taken within the same trial): Hyper-alertness, euphoria, intense confidence, insomnia, boundless energy, heightened tolerance to pain, paranoia, loss of appetite, constant thirst, depression, mania, and various other stimulant effects.
Credit: Carver
They are known as dangerous predators to the people of Etzos, but outside of Etzos, the Southwood Alligator is also known for having teeth which when ground up into a powder can be peddled as an aphrodisiac enhancement for stamina, endurance, and strength... with varying results. When combined with powder made from Southwood Alligator scales, mixed with Southwood River algae and then dried out for a few trials, this makes an actual stimulant drug known as "Southwood Gator Tooth" or for the sake of time, "South-tooth" (or "Gator Tooth"). It can be ingested in a myriad of ways, often smoked or dissolved and then injected into a vein.
South-tooth is considered both a medical and a recreational drug. The difference is in the dosage. South-tooth can cause any of the following effects (depending on the individual, the quality of the drug, and how much they've taken within the same trial): Hyper-alertness, euphoria, intense confidence, insomnia, boundless energy, heightened tolerance to pain, paranoia, loss of appetite, constant thirst, depression, mania, and various other stimulant effects.
Credit: Carver
Mounts
Obsidian Panther: The main carnivore prowling the foot of the Heart of the World, the large obsidian panthers have a shimmering black coat and yellow eyes. The end of the tail of the male panther can exude a fire-like aura used intentionally to attract female mates or unintentionally when leaping for the kill. Prowling up to high altitudes to search for prey and being exposed constantly to toxic gases and ash, the panther has developed a highly efficient body system and uses little oxygen. At lower altitudes with oxygen rich environments, it is a tireless and quick predator. Available through the Point Bank only.
Grey Velox: Located in the mountains of the island and the western coast, this large wolf-like animal, is both very agile and can reach very quick speeds. It has a grey-blue coat with a white mane under its head, peppered with black and sable patches. It had one blue and one brown eye. It hunts in packs of no more than two. It is known also for its intelligence and keen senses. They are one of the few predators who can hunt bronze boar. A rare few have been transplanted to the western continent. Available through the Point Bank only.
Hyx: The Hyx is a rare, large (ten foot long body length), fox-like animal, reclusive, extremely intelligent and sly. It has been decimated by the introduction of the Immortal’s Spawn and few remain. They often hunt for stave gazelle. They inspire many to write poetry of these sad animals, for it is said that the hyx knows of the slow death of their species. The hyx, is difficult to outsmart and therefore hard to kill. Their intelligence is admired by many races and they are known to develop a complex and rich pact with their owners, often offering themselves as a mount. Available through the Point Bank only.
Storm Shrike: These enormous bright blue birds are masters of manipulating air currents to cause storms. They typically operate in the seas north of Yithiral. Their aim is to use the storms to round up schools of fish who are influenced by weather patterns and feed on them. This bird is a bane to those who travel by sea. Roosting primarily on the island, they do show up all too frequently along the coast of the western continent. Available through the Point Bank only.
Scython (Sigh-Thon): Prowling about the Unabor on Western and Eastern Idalos, the Scython is a large cat creature and is often called the King of Unibor. It grows up to 500kg (1102lbs) and is likened to the size of a horse. Its coloring ranges from buff to yellowish, reddish or dark brown. Its teeth consist of two large canine and the rest of its teeth are serrated. They are used to tear away large chunks of its prey in order to bleed them to death. They hunt in packs, preying mainly on unicorn rhinos. An unusual characteristic of these great predators is that they often horde trophies of their prey in their tree hollow lairs, be it from the horns of the unicorn rhino to the armor and weapons of brave warriors. Available through the Point Bank only.
Destiar: This elusive horse has been seen throughout the Unibor. It is said that the horse appears to recent heroes and cowards alike after a great test of their will. Those who have crumpled under adversity and mount this horse will sink into it and the cloak will wrap about and suffocate the rider to death. But those that are indeed worthy, whom have fought hard, are served loyally by this horse 'til death. The destiar is known for its glowing white, wispy mane and tail; and its ethereal 'cloak', shrouding its bodies and covering its eyes. The blindfold does not seem to inhibit the horse's vision but is said to aid the horse's impartiality when judging. The shroud acts like wings that flutters about when it runs and also reduce its weight, allowing it to gallop at great speeds. Available through the Point Bank only.
Thunder Ocelot: This large ocelot has the ability to leap upon prey faster than the eye can register. A loud cracking thunder resounds from the movement, followed by a cloud of air, all caused by the breaking of the sound barrier. This final movement spanning only a few meters, takes so much effort from the ocelot, that the creature can barely hobble let alone climb a tree afterward. The bite of this ocelot, due to the speed of its attack, is precisely aimed to the skull of the victim. It is so powerful that its teeth can penetrate the skull and deliver a fatal wound to the brain. Available through the Point Bank only.
King Crocodile: These crocodiles mostly dwell in swamp areas. They can grow to 29 feet (9 metres) long. It has thick armor plates over its body, a very large head with rows of large teeth. They are capable of explosive speed in the water and almost as fast on land. Their sharp teeth are suited at seizing and gripping, dragging victims into water to drown. Death rolling is used to tear the prey into pieces small enough to be swallowed whole. Their bite has more force than even the thunder ocelot and can crush a therion skull between its jaws. Available through the Point Bank only.
Grey Therion: These enormous herbivores live at the blackwater swamps and grow up to 3 metres tall at the shoulder and five metres in length and can weigh up to 6000kg. Two thick horns rise above the nose and two smaller horns below the jaw are used for protection from predators. Their skin is made up of thick armor like skin for further protection. Available through the Point Bank only.
Name: The Slogah / Slogallah
Type of Mount: Land / Water
Mount Speed: Slower than a horse by land, faster than a horse by water.
Rarity: Rare, except in the far western continent, by Melrath, and curling down around the outskirts of The Fields of Gauthrel, where they are common.
Typical Size: The Slogah stands at a good 6' or more at the shoulders while on four feet; the Slogallah perhaps 1/2' less.
Diet: Berries and thick leaves when available, or wetland type foliage. They thrive on "Bloat Grass", a feature of the western plains, but they are not averse to eating twigs and roots as well.
Trainable: Yes, they possess a calm demeanor that allows them to be trained easily. But they love to dive in water and a special bridle has been devised that keeps their nostrils open to dissuade them from this. One of the best ways a trainer can show praise is to allow the beasts some dive time as a reward for good behavior.
Pack Mount: The Slogah is the pure pack mount, easily toting a good 1/2 ton, or pulling double that in a wagon. With just a rider and light load, it can maintain a 25mph speed for as long as a horse can gallop. The smaller, rider-oriented Slogallah tops out at a little over 1/4 ton of pack capacity, and can maintain unpacked speeds of 35mph.
Locations: They are still most frequently encountered on the far western peninsula of the western continent. But Uthaldrian breeding programs have brought them to be available all across the northern half of the western continent. It is not believed that any have yet appeared on the eastern continent.
Appearance: The Slogah is like a somewhat thinner and taller bear with a thick, furry tail and paws that could almost be called "webbed", which account for their good swimming speed. They tend to light brown fur, but can shade in highlights of black or red, which sometimes make them look striped.
Habitat: One may be sitting, fishing, beside a river in a deep, deciduous forest and suddenly have a slogah rise from the water with a mouthful of water plants. This could be at any time of the arc, but only in areas where it does not get too hot during Saun. Their thick hide and fatty layers making them largely immune to the cold of Zi'da and Cylus. They range out onto plains as well to feast on Bloat Grass, but they prefer not to be so exposed.
Lifespan and Development: A mating produces only a single cub, every other arc, with both conception and birth occurring during Ashan. For its first three arcs, the parents attend it closely. Then it moves on to become a part of the pack, its parents having no greater impact on its upbringing than any other pack member. The parents also move on from each other then, becoming available to other adult Slogah for mating purposes. The average life span of the slogah is thirty to forty arcs, its fertility encompassing all but its first and last five years.
Uses: The Slogah is an exceptional pack animal, and the Slogallah is a serviceable mount for day-to-day riding, though their loping gait has led to the development of a spring-mounted and heavily padded saddle, as well as sled-like wagons with light flotation bags to accommodate crossing rivers and lakes. They are too sluggish to be of much use in warmer zones of Idalos, but it has been found that their sweat has a unique component, that can be processed to create an oil that completely masks a human's scent. This is a greatly prized asset for hunters, and there is a stockade maintained, south of the Fields of Gauthrel, where the plains become a desert that borders the sea, where these gentle giants are kept hydrated and ridden to a sweat daily. In a pinch, the meat is edible, if a bit grainy and oily tasting. The hide, on the other hand, cures easily and keeps a wearer quite warm in cold climes, for those more concerned about function than fashion.
Abilities/Tricks: Their ability to stand on their hind legs can make the stout claws on their feet into a surprisingly formidable weapon. Their thick hide and fatty layer gives good protection against attacks, which only seem to provoke the creature to greater and greater ferocity. This can, unfortunately, bring the brute to forget it has a rider. But the Slogah is a loyal animal, and even if it should dislodge its rider in a rage, it will quickly recall its masters' scent and calm down, or even take a protective demeanor.
Information: Discovered a few hundred years ago in the forests north of the Fields of Gauthrel by an expedition of herbalists from Melrath, the Slogah have become a fairly common mount and pack animal for those traveling in temperate to cold regions. The Melrathians, surprised by the sudden appearance of the large beasts, fell immediately into a defensive panic, expecting the large brutes to attack.
As it happened, the humans had seen the Slogah feeding on berries that were now only remaining at the top of the shrubs, so they were standing on their hind legs. The beasts ignored the humans up until the point that their cries of alarm became annoying to them. At this point they dropped to all fours and moved off, avoiding further contact.
Intrigued by their unexpected passivity, the humans sent word of this new species to the animal trainers of Uthaldria. Techniques in animal training and breeding was almost an art for the people of Uthaldria and they welcomed the furry giants into their menagerie. At first, they were only recognized as a pack animal. But the Uthaldrians soon bred a thinner, quicker hybrid, the Slogallah, as a riding animal.
Credit: Maltruism
Mount Speed: Average travel speed of 45km/hour, with a top of 60km/hour.
Rarity: Common, bred and exported from Oakleigh and Rynmere, ridden throughout Idalos.
Typical Size: Min shoulder height of 15h (156cm), max shoulder height of 17h (172cm). Average weight of 550kg.
Diet: Requires a minimum of 2% of body weight in forage per day. Suitable foods include hay, grains, and fresh grasses.
Trainable: Yes. Intelligent and docile temperament makes this horse easy to train.
Pack Mount: Can carry 20% of body weight (Ave 110kg), and pull up to 1.5x of its weight (Ave 825kg).
Native to: The Eastern Settlements, specifically the Oakleigh foothills.
Locations: Specifically Rynmere and the Eastern Settlements, but used as war horses throughout Idalos.
Appearance: The Oakleigh Destrier is a powerfully built warhorse and working horse, compact but elegant. The head is of a medium length and straight in profile, the nose broad and proud. The neck is long and thick, running to defined withers and a massive chest. The back is short and broad, leading to strong hindquarters and a well rounded croup. The mane and tails grow thick and long, and must either be trimmed or braided back. The breed is commonly found to carry grey and black coats, often with a dapple patterning over the haunch and back. However most colourations can be found and none are discouraged or selectively bred out. Bluer toned coast are prized and encouraged, as they often fetch a higher price.
Habitat: The Destriers are a hardy horse that thrive well in all weathers found throughout Rynmere and the Eastern Settlements. However, extreme temperatures that are not usually experienced in these regions can stress the horse and potentially harm the horses health.
Lifespan and Development: A Destrier, if cared for well, can live a natural life of 25-30 years. They reach sexual and physical maturity at five years, and begin training under harness and saddle at two years of age. Typical pregnancies last for 5.5 seasons, with the foal being able to stand and run within hours of birth. They are generally weaned around 2.5 to 3 seasons of age.
Temperament: The Destrier is an intelligent horse, with a sensitive and docile personality. When treated with respect they are quick to learn, are responsive and cooperative. They do particularly well as battle horses due to their calm and resolute nature. They are difficult to spook and are extremely loyal to their rider.
Information: Historically a wild horse native to the Eastern Settlements, the Oakleigh Destrier was domesticated and used for labour and as a battle steed for many generations. They have been selectively bred with various other species of horse in order to obtain the now recognised standard of horse, and are well know for their robust health and incredible strength.
Credit: Murphy Clyde
Grey Velox: Located in the mountains of the island and the western coast, this large wolf-like animal, is both very agile and can reach very quick speeds. It has a grey-blue coat with a white mane under its head, peppered with black and sable patches. It had one blue and one brown eye. It hunts in packs of no more than two. It is known also for its intelligence and keen senses. They are one of the few predators who can hunt bronze boar. A rare few have been transplanted to the western continent. Available through the Point Bank only.
Hyx: The Hyx is a rare, large (ten foot long body length), fox-like animal, reclusive, extremely intelligent and sly. It has been decimated by the introduction of the Immortal’s Spawn and few remain. They often hunt for stave gazelle. They inspire many to write poetry of these sad animals, for it is said that the hyx knows of the slow death of their species. The hyx, is difficult to outsmart and therefore hard to kill. Their intelligence is admired by many races and they are known to develop a complex and rich pact with their owners, often offering themselves as a mount. Available through the Point Bank only.
Storm Shrike: These enormous bright blue birds are masters of manipulating air currents to cause storms. They typically operate in the seas north of Yithiral. Their aim is to use the storms to round up schools of fish who are influenced by weather patterns and feed on them. This bird is a bane to those who travel by sea. Roosting primarily on the island, they do show up all too frequently along the coast of the western continent. Available through the Point Bank only.
Scython (Sigh-Thon): Prowling about the Unabor on Western and Eastern Idalos, the Scython is a large cat creature and is often called the King of Unibor. It grows up to 500kg (1102lbs) and is likened to the size of a horse. Its coloring ranges from buff to yellowish, reddish or dark brown. Its teeth consist of two large canine and the rest of its teeth are serrated. They are used to tear away large chunks of its prey in order to bleed them to death. They hunt in packs, preying mainly on unicorn rhinos. An unusual characteristic of these great predators is that they often horde trophies of their prey in their tree hollow lairs, be it from the horns of the unicorn rhino to the armor and weapons of brave warriors. Available through the Point Bank only.
Destiar: This elusive horse has been seen throughout the Unibor. It is said that the horse appears to recent heroes and cowards alike after a great test of their will. Those who have crumpled under adversity and mount this horse will sink into it and the cloak will wrap about and suffocate the rider to death. But those that are indeed worthy, whom have fought hard, are served loyally by this horse 'til death. The destiar is known for its glowing white, wispy mane and tail; and its ethereal 'cloak', shrouding its bodies and covering its eyes. The blindfold does not seem to inhibit the horse's vision but is said to aid the horse's impartiality when judging. The shroud acts like wings that flutters about when it runs and also reduce its weight, allowing it to gallop at great speeds. Available through the Point Bank only.
Thunder Ocelot: This large ocelot has the ability to leap upon prey faster than the eye can register. A loud cracking thunder resounds from the movement, followed by a cloud of air, all caused by the breaking of the sound barrier. This final movement spanning only a few meters, takes so much effort from the ocelot, that the creature can barely hobble let alone climb a tree afterward. The bite of this ocelot, due to the speed of its attack, is precisely aimed to the skull of the victim. It is so powerful that its teeth can penetrate the skull and deliver a fatal wound to the brain. Available through the Point Bank only.
King Crocodile: These crocodiles mostly dwell in swamp areas. They can grow to 29 feet (9 metres) long. It has thick armor plates over its body, a very large head with rows of large teeth. They are capable of explosive speed in the water and almost as fast on land. Their sharp teeth are suited at seizing and gripping, dragging victims into water to drown. Death rolling is used to tear the prey into pieces small enough to be swallowed whole. Their bite has more force than even the thunder ocelot and can crush a therion skull between its jaws. Available through the Point Bank only.
Grey Therion: These enormous herbivores live at the blackwater swamps and grow up to 3 metres tall at the shoulder and five metres in length and can weigh up to 6000kg. Two thick horns rise above the nose and two smaller horns below the jaw are used for protection from predators. Their skin is made up of thick armor like skin for further protection. Available through the Point Bank only.
Slogah / Slogallah
Type of Mount: Land / Water
Mount Speed: Slower than a horse by land, faster than a horse by water.
Rarity: Rare, except in the far western continent, by Melrath, and curling down around the outskirts of The Fields of Gauthrel, where they are common.
Typical Size: The Slogah stands at a good 6' or more at the shoulders while on four feet; the Slogallah perhaps 1/2' less.
Diet: Berries and thick leaves when available, or wetland type foliage. They thrive on "Bloat Grass", a feature of the western plains, but they are not averse to eating twigs and roots as well.
Trainable: Yes, they possess a calm demeanor that allows them to be trained easily. But they love to dive in water and a special bridle has been devised that keeps their nostrils open to dissuade them from this. One of the best ways a trainer can show praise is to allow the beasts some dive time as a reward for good behavior.
Pack Mount: The Slogah is the pure pack mount, easily toting a good 1/2 ton, or pulling double that in a wagon. With just a rider and light load, it can maintain a 25mph speed for as long as a horse can gallop. The smaller, rider-oriented Slogallah tops out at a little over 1/4 ton of pack capacity, and can maintain unpacked speeds of 35mph.
Locations: They are still most frequently encountered on the far western peninsula of the western continent. But Uthaldrian breeding programs have brought them to be available all across the northern half of the western continent. It is not believed that any have yet appeared on the eastern continent.
Appearance: The Slogah is like a somewhat thinner and taller bear with a thick, furry tail and paws that could almost be called "webbed", which account for their good swimming speed. They tend to light brown fur, but can shade in highlights of black or red, which sometimes make them look striped.
Habitat: One may be sitting, fishing, beside a river in a deep, deciduous forest and suddenly have a slogah rise from the water with a mouthful of water plants. This could be at any time of the arc, but only in areas where it does not get too hot during Saun. Their thick hide and fatty layers making them largely immune to the cold of Zi'da and Cylus. They range out onto plains as well to feast on Bloat Grass, but they prefer not to be so exposed.
Lifespan and Development: A mating produces only a single cub, every other arc, with both conception and birth occurring during Ashan. For its first three arcs, the parents attend it closely. Then it moves on to become a part of the pack, its parents having no greater impact on its upbringing than any other pack member. The parents also move on from each other then, becoming available to other adult Slogah for mating purposes. The average life span of the slogah is thirty to forty arcs, its fertility encompassing all but its first and last five years.
Uses: The Slogah is an exceptional pack animal, and the Slogallah is a serviceable mount for day-to-day riding, though their loping gait has led to the development of a spring-mounted and heavily padded saddle, as well as sled-like wagons with light flotation bags to accommodate crossing rivers and lakes. They are too sluggish to be of much use in warmer zones of Idalos, but it has been found that their sweat has a unique component, that can be processed to create an oil that completely masks a human's scent. This is a greatly prized asset for hunters, and there is a stockade maintained, south of the Fields of Gauthrel, where the plains become a desert that borders the sea, where these gentle giants are kept hydrated and ridden to a sweat daily. In a pinch, the meat is edible, if a bit grainy and oily tasting. The hide, on the other hand, cures easily and keeps a wearer quite warm in cold climes, for those more concerned about function than fashion.
Abilities/Tricks: Their ability to stand on their hind legs can make the stout claws on their feet into a surprisingly formidable weapon. Their thick hide and fatty layer gives good protection against attacks, which only seem to provoke the creature to greater and greater ferocity. This can, unfortunately, bring the brute to forget it has a rider. But the Slogah is a loyal animal, and even if it should dislodge its rider in a rage, it will quickly recall its masters' scent and calm down, or even take a protective demeanor.
Information: Discovered a few hundred years ago in the forests north of the Fields of Gauthrel by an expedition of herbalists from Melrath, the Slogah have become a fairly common mount and pack animal for those traveling in temperate to cold regions. The Melrathians, surprised by the sudden appearance of the large beasts, fell immediately into a defensive panic, expecting the large brutes to attack.
As it happened, the humans had seen the Slogah feeding on berries that were now only remaining at the top of the shrubs, so they were standing on their hind legs. The beasts ignored the humans up until the point that their cries of alarm became annoying to them. At this point they dropped to all fours and moved off, avoiding further contact.
Intrigued by their unexpected passivity, the humans sent word of this new species to the animal trainers of Uthaldria. Techniques in animal training and breeding was almost an art for the people of Uthaldria and they welcomed the furry giants into their menagerie. At first, they were only recognized as a pack animal. But the Uthaldrians soon bred a thinner, quicker hybrid, the Slogallah, as a riding animal.
Credit: Maltruism
Oakleigh Destrier
Oakleigh Destrier
"Spur your proud horses hard, and ride in blood."
~ William Shakespeare
Type of Mount: Land~ William Shakespeare
Mount Speed: Average travel speed of 45km/hour, with a top of 60km/hour.
Rarity: Common, bred and exported from Oakleigh and Rynmere, ridden throughout Idalos.
Typical Size: Min shoulder height of 15h (156cm), max shoulder height of 17h (172cm). Average weight of 550kg.
Diet: Requires a minimum of 2% of body weight in forage per day. Suitable foods include hay, grains, and fresh grasses.
Trainable: Yes. Intelligent and docile temperament makes this horse easy to train.
Pack Mount: Can carry 20% of body weight (Ave 110kg), and pull up to 1.5x of its weight (Ave 825kg).
Native to: The Eastern Settlements, specifically the Oakleigh foothills.
Locations: Specifically Rynmere and the Eastern Settlements, but used as war horses throughout Idalos.
Appearance: The Oakleigh Destrier is a powerfully built warhorse and working horse, compact but elegant. The head is of a medium length and straight in profile, the nose broad and proud. The neck is long and thick, running to defined withers and a massive chest. The back is short and broad, leading to strong hindquarters and a well rounded croup. The mane and tails grow thick and long, and must either be trimmed or braided back. The breed is commonly found to carry grey and black coats, often with a dapple patterning over the haunch and back. However most colourations can be found and none are discouraged or selectively bred out. Bluer toned coast are prized and encouraged, as they often fetch a higher price.
Habitat: The Destriers are a hardy horse that thrive well in all weathers found throughout Rynmere and the Eastern Settlements. However, extreme temperatures that are not usually experienced in these regions can stress the horse and potentially harm the horses health.
Lifespan and Development: A Destrier, if cared for well, can live a natural life of 25-30 years. They reach sexual and physical maturity at five years, and begin training under harness and saddle at two years of age. Typical pregnancies last for 5.5 seasons, with the foal being able to stand and run within hours of birth. They are generally weaned around 2.5 to 3 seasons of age.
- Foal: Either gender, less than a year old. Suckling: A nursing foal. Weanling: A foal that has been weaned.
Yearling: A horse of either sex that is between one and two years old. - Colt: A male horse under the age of four.
- Filly: A female horse under the age of four.
- Gelding: A castrated male horse.
- Mare: A female horse four years old and older.
- Stallion: A non-castrated male horse four years old and older.
Temperament: The Destrier is an intelligent horse, with a sensitive and docile personality. When treated with respect they are quick to learn, are responsive and cooperative. They do particularly well as battle horses due to their calm and resolute nature. They are difficult to spook and are extremely loyal to their rider.
Information: Historically a wild horse native to the Eastern Settlements, the Oakleigh Destrier was domesticated and used for labour and as a battle steed for many generations. They have been selectively bred with various other species of horse in order to obtain the now recognised standard of horse, and are well know for their robust health and incredible strength.
Credit: Murphy Clyde
verdmaw
Name: The Verdmaw
Quick Facts: Fearsome looking winged beasts.
Height: Ranging from 30 to 36 Inches
Width: Approx. 50 inch wingspan fully grown
Weight: Approx. 8 Kilograms fully grown
Appearance: A strange creature with the wooly torso and tail of a canine. It has large bat-like wings instead of fore legs and sharp talons on the ends of their hind legs. The head has a draconic shape with a shell that resembles a skull over the muzzle with jagged teeth like spikes along the lower edge. Exposed green skin can be seen on the face and on the cat like ears that sit under the curved black horns on its head. The males have a bright green stripe of fur along its chest.
Habitat: Verdmaw typically make their nests in mountains but use forested areas as their hunting grounds. The nests are out in the open but there is usually at least one parent tending to it to protect it from danger.
Lifespan and Development: Despite their wooly appearance, Verdmaw lay light emerald green eggs with black speckles and come in small batches of 1 or 3 at a time. They take approximately a season to hatch and The pups come out hairless for the first cycle of their life. They are dependent on their parents until their hair and horns grow in, afterwards they set out on their own to start their own nests. They live for 8 years in the wild, but nearly double that if domesticated.
Domestication and Training: The eggs are taken from the nest and incubated by animal trainers. If this early warmth is maintained, the verdmaw will not develop such thick fur. If they are also subjected to a regimen of appropriate exercises, they can carry considerable weight for their size. This includes members of the Tunawa race.
Diet: Verdmaw’s diet consists of small vermin and birds that can fit into their talons. They hunt for a meal at least once per trial and typically capture their prey by silently sweeping down snatching them from the ground.
Temperament: Wild Verdmaw’s typically avoid humans but will defend their nests aggressively and fiercely if one comes to close to their young. Domesticated Verdmaw make intelligent and loving pets despite their intimidating appearance. Unfortunately they can become very protective of the ones they bond with. It is advised to trim their nails for the safety of others and are not recommended for children.
Abilities: Flying, Night vision, hard shell on their heads and excellent eye sight.
Price: They are sold for 50gn as simple pets, but adults trained and conditioned to serve as mounts go for 100gn, when they can be found.
Credit: Niv
Quick Facts: Fearsome looking winged beasts.
Height: Ranging from 30 to 36 Inches
Width: Approx. 50 inch wingspan fully grown
Weight: Approx. 8 Kilograms fully grown
Appearance: A strange creature with the wooly torso and tail of a canine. It has large bat-like wings instead of fore legs and sharp talons on the ends of their hind legs. The head has a draconic shape with a shell that resembles a skull over the muzzle with jagged teeth like spikes along the lower edge. Exposed green skin can be seen on the face and on the cat like ears that sit under the curved black horns on its head. The males have a bright green stripe of fur along its chest.
Habitat: Verdmaw typically make their nests in mountains but use forested areas as their hunting grounds. The nests are out in the open but there is usually at least one parent tending to it to protect it from danger.
Lifespan and Development: Despite their wooly appearance, Verdmaw lay light emerald green eggs with black speckles and come in small batches of 1 or 3 at a time. They take approximately a season to hatch and The pups come out hairless for the first cycle of their life. They are dependent on their parents until their hair and horns grow in, afterwards they set out on their own to start their own nests. They live for 8 years in the wild, but nearly double that if domesticated.
Domestication and Training: The eggs are taken from the nest and incubated by animal trainers. If this early warmth is maintained, the verdmaw will not develop such thick fur. If they are also subjected to a regimen of appropriate exercises, they can carry considerable weight for their size. This includes members of the Tunawa race.
Diet: Verdmaw’s diet consists of small vermin and birds that can fit into their talons. They hunt for a meal at least once per trial and typically capture their prey by silently sweeping down snatching them from the ground.
Temperament: Wild Verdmaw’s typically avoid humans but will defend their nests aggressively and fiercely if one comes to close to their young. Domesticated Verdmaw make intelligent and loving pets despite their intimidating appearance. Unfortunately they can become very protective of the ones they bond with. It is advised to trim their nails for the safety of others and are not recommended for children.
Abilities: Flying, Night vision, hard shell on their heads and excellent eye sight.
Price: They are sold for 50gn as simple pets, but adults trained and conditioned to serve as mounts go for 100gn, when they can be found.
Credit: Niv
Pets
Pwazon Manje
Species: Avian
Rarity: Rare
Typical Size: Approx. 3 ft. tall, though not incredibly heavily. Think of them as decorative pieces.
Diet: Plants and materials that are considered poisonous to all other species.
Trainable: Difficult
Native to: Rhakos
Appearance: The Pwazon Manje are known for their brilliant plumage, often attributed to the poisons stored within their feathers. In fact, they’re perceived as both beautiful and horrific, endowed with a human face and torso. While they do not have beaks, they do have sharp teeth and elongated canines, referred to as fangs. Some Pwazon Manje have been noted to mimic speech, usually manifested in song, much like a parrot.
At the midpoint of their wings are small fingers, much like a bat's, that somewhat resemble claws. They’re used for grappling and hooking, as some unfortunate breeders may learn. When their wings are folded, they are much like arms in length, and these finger/claws work like crude hands. They come in a variety of colors, and while they are usually on the large size, there are rare cases in which some Pwazon are notably smaller due to breeder preference. They tend to have a wingspan of around 11 to 20 ft. A record-breaking measurement was found by one breeder to be 22 ft in wingspan, but there have been few cases of anything similar.
Due to a hollow bone structure, they weigh much less than initially thought, at roughly 10 to 14 kg ( or around 30 lbs ). While they are capable of flight, most breeders tend to discourage it unless called for, like for special occasions or festivities. Even then, it is noted that flight tends to be limited. In cases where the Pwazon Manje live in the wild, they are nearly fluorescent. This often makes them easy to spot, as well as making predators wary of them due to the warning coloration they possess ( being brightly colored often mirrors being poisonous and therefore not a desirable meal ).
Lifespan and Development: Pwazon Manje, when well cared for, tend to live up to 42 arcs. They, however, tend to live longer lifespans when not in captivity. Many breeders, though, will claim the opposite, to encourage sales on the belief that the customer is helping the creature.
The birds do not breed often, for some still unclear reason. A mating pair may wait for two or three arcs before having their first brood. In captivity, the breeder may take only one egg. It typically takes around 300 trials for a Pwazon Manje to hatch from their egg, and another 20 before color begins to show on their wings. Until that time, they remain translucent. Upon reaching the trial of their first coloration, it is then that the mating pair decides which of the two chicks to keep, typically killing and feeding the duller colored of the chicks to the more brightly colored ones. Doing so allows for the toxins in the remaining chick to build, thus giving them brighter plumage. However, in captivity a breeder may intervene and remove the runt of the pair before it is killed. Often times, they are still killed, but cleaned and fed as a delicacy. Or, depending on the breeder, they are used to train the lesser skilled breeders.
It takes about a full arc for chick to become fully grown, and another to reach sexual maturity. Plumage typically becomes brighter and more flamboyant to match the development of their individual traits or to suit the needs of the breeder/owner. They are usually separated from their parents from the time they reach maturity, but are not officially sold off until they reach sexual maturity. This enables the breeder to arrange mating pairs according to their needs or owners, often using them as political bargaining chips because of their rarity and the wealth they tend to project.
If taken care of properly, the Pwazon Manje will remain colorful until it reaches “old age”. It is usually around the time when the Pwazon Manje has been isolated for too long. Their feathers either fade or fall out, usually both, and they become much less vocal. Like other things that reach the end of years, they also begin to lose their appetites. Most breeders attribute this to old age and their bodies being unable to keep up, but in actuality it is a result of loneliness and depression. Living in their true habitats, it is likely that the birds will be surrounded by others of their own species and do not face the same isolation as one in captivity.
Temperament: Pwazon Manje are typically seen as demanding and, well, can be summed up as divas. Their need for attention is seen as arrogance due to their usually haughty nature. Because of their human faces, it is quite clear what one might be thinking at any given time. However, some have been noted to be able to play tricks on their breeders, with fatal results, through their facial expressions. They are fairly hostile if not cared for properly, but may also be very attached to those that have imprinted on them since their birth. It’s not uncommon for Pwazon Manje to come across as contemptuous in their expression and in some cases, their speech. They can be found both in captivity and in the wild, though it is difficult to see them in either instance due to their rarity.
Information: Pwazon Manje are not only known for their beautiful plumage, but the deadly toxins that flow through their veins. Most do not often release said toxins (typically through bite and reproduction ) because it the source of the pigmentation of their plumage. This toxin is primarily a defense mechanism against predators, but is also glandular in nature in the saliva and reproductive DNA. It has been found though, that if a feather is plucked, the calamus tip would hold some blood within the end of the hollow shaft. This would hold toxin, though not enough to be deadly.
Diet often dictates the colors of their feathers, leading most breeders to feed them a variety of poisons plants, insects, and animals. Their hostile nature makes them difficult to breed and many breeders have been known to be killed by the Pwazon Manje they attempt to breed.
Credit: Yndira
Binturayeaye
Name of Breed: Binturayeaye
Species: feline
Rarity: Rare/legendary
Typical Size: Small in size, these cute creatures can easily by carried, and love to climb.
Diet: Their diet consists of mostly protein, but will occasionally eat herbs and greenery. Eating too much greenery causes them to get sick.
Trainable: These lovable felines are fairly hard to train, but respond well to a reward system. They seek to gain praise and enjoys interaction. If they go a long time without companionship of either their masters or another binturayeaye they will go into depression and refuse to eat or drink. They have natural abilities to catch fish and are great swimmers despite their feline traits. Their large eyes and mouth serve to aid them in seeing underwater and catching larger fish. They can also climb trees are very intellectual creatures, but if not given direct attention will lash back or attempt to run away.
Native to: These feline can be found across the shores and rivers of Idalos. They can live only in temperate climates and are mostly nomadic. Being a smaller animal and having good meat, they are often hunted by other animals, and as such are very rare to come across.
Appearance: These feline range in colors of brown, black, and white. You can not find any of a different color. They have two layers of coat. The thick undercoat aids in keeping them warm when diving deeper to hunt for fish, and their overcoat helps to repel water. Being a furry animal with a flayed tail, the binturayeaye are incredibly warm. Their large eyes are unmistakable to recognize their species. They have vision that is said to surpass an eagles when underwater. Their ears are very long and create a pocket of air to protect water from going into their ear canals. They have retractable claws that can grow to an astounding three inches if taken care of. As such, they have paws larger than most of the medium and smaller sized felines.
Lifespan and Development: Binturayeaye can live for a very long time, as long as they remain happy with a companion reaching ages of 80 years at max. When young the binturayeaye travel with their mother by grabbing a hold of her tail and following wherever she goes, including under water. This is how they train and learn to hunt fish, climb, swim, and evade predators. When they reach full development they will go on a long journey to find either a master or another pack of binturayeaye to mate. Always seeking approval and praise, the binturayeaye will often catch fish and gift it to others. It is not uncommon if a binturayeaye is nearby for those camping out near a river or ocean to strangely see a fish appear nearby.
From even a young age, they are lively, lovable, and appreciative. They enjoy to snuggle and the epiphany of the term "clingy."
Temperament: The binturayeaye can be trained to perform other tasks, as they are incredibly intelligent. They are very friendly, almost too friendly. When demanding attention they can lash out and attack if they do not get what they want, or just outright run away to get what they want from someone else. They are not as loyal as other pets, but with the right training can more loyal than most dogs.
Information: They are experts at swimming and seeing underwater. They can climb to great heights and carry things in their mouth. They hunt for fish, and can vocalize or imitate simple words much like a parrot, except sounding more like a feline vocalization.
Credit: Tai'klein
Species: feline
Rarity: Rare/legendary
Typical Size: Small in size, these cute creatures can easily by carried, and love to climb.
Diet: Their diet consists of mostly protein, but will occasionally eat herbs and greenery. Eating too much greenery causes them to get sick.
Trainable: These lovable felines are fairly hard to train, but respond well to a reward system. They seek to gain praise and enjoys interaction. If they go a long time without companionship of either their masters or another binturayeaye they will go into depression and refuse to eat or drink. They have natural abilities to catch fish and are great swimmers despite their feline traits. Their large eyes and mouth serve to aid them in seeing underwater and catching larger fish. They can also climb trees are very intellectual creatures, but if not given direct attention will lash back or attempt to run away.
Native to: These feline can be found across the shores and rivers of Idalos. They can live only in temperate climates and are mostly nomadic. Being a smaller animal and having good meat, they are often hunted by other animals, and as such are very rare to come across.
Appearance: These feline range in colors of brown, black, and white. You can not find any of a different color. They have two layers of coat. The thick undercoat aids in keeping them warm when diving deeper to hunt for fish, and their overcoat helps to repel water. Being a furry animal with a flayed tail, the binturayeaye are incredibly warm. Their large eyes are unmistakable to recognize their species. They have vision that is said to surpass an eagles when underwater. Their ears are very long and create a pocket of air to protect water from going into their ear canals. They have retractable claws that can grow to an astounding three inches if taken care of. As such, they have paws larger than most of the medium and smaller sized felines.
Lifespan and Development: Binturayeaye can live for a very long time, as long as they remain happy with a companion reaching ages of 80 years at max. When young the binturayeaye travel with their mother by grabbing a hold of her tail and following wherever she goes, including under water. This is how they train and learn to hunt fish, climb, swim, and evade predators. When they reach full development they will go on a long journey to find either a master or another pack of binturayeaye to mate. Always seeking approval and praise, the binturayeaye will often catch fish and gift it to others. It is not uncommon if a binturayeaye is nearby for those camping out near a river or ocean to strangely see a fish appear nearby.
From even a young age, they are lively, lovable, and appreciative. They enjoy to snuggle and the epiphany of the term "clingy."
Temperament: The binturayeaye can be trained to perform other tasks, as they are incredibly intelligent. They are very friendly, almost too friendly. When demanding attention they can lash out and attack if they do not get what they want, or just outright run away to get what they want from someone else. They are not as loyal as other pets, but with the right training can more loyal than most dogs.
Information: They are experts at swimming and seeing underwater. They can climb to great heights and carry things in their mouth. They hunt for fish, and can vocalize or imitate simple words much like a parrot, except sounding more like a feline vocalization.
Credit: Tai'klein
Beslun
Name of Breed: Beslun
Species: Canine
Rarity: Common
Typical Size: Quite small; 5 inches tall, 7 inches long, 9 with tail. ~2 lbs weight,
Diet: "Beslun cookies", made from various plants and fish. Depends on the city in which the cookies are produced.
Trainable: To an extent. One can train a Beslun to follow, sit, perhaps roll, but not to bring newspapers or stand guard
Native to: Area around Ne'haer
Appearance: The beslun appear to be small husky puppies, with several small, feather-like tails and bunny ears. The fur on their bodies is in some places dark, in others completely white, depending on the beslun, while on its tails and ears the fur ranges from pink to orange, along with the white. Their eyes are the only strange thing about them, as they have no iris or pupil, they are simply colored, mostly in bright colors, such as bright blue, pink, and yellow. The beslun's fur can be described as the softest thing a mortal can touch, and so people are very prone to cuddling them. The fur is, however, rendered completely useless once it goes off the beslun's body, or the beslun dies. In one of those cases, the fur goes on to become thick and itchy.
Lifespan and Development: The beslun have a really short life cycle, which causes many parents to have difficult conversations about death with their child, whose beslun pet had just died. They typically live up to four arcs, and the oldest one recorded lived under perfect conditions in Ne'haer, for 5 and a half. The beslun are born like all other mammals, except they are so small and fragile at birth, any non-expert is advised not to go near it for at least an arc after birth. Their bones are soft in the first year, and their fur isn't fully formed. They require a lot of care to survive at first, but as their fur grows, they become more and more capable of living in the world. The beslun born in the wild most often die, as this animal has been domesticated for several centuries, and is not used to the harsh conditions of the outside world.
After one year of age, the beslun are sold as pets, mostly to parents, so they can make their child happy with this fluffy creature. During the first year, the beslun eat only berries, no matter what kind, since their teeth haven't been fully formed. Afterwards, they can eat almost any vegetable, but, specifically during the 2nd and 3rd year of their life, a beslun's favorite food would be small fish. Considering plants are necessary for their well-being, many beslun experts take on the job of making "Beslun cookies", made from various vegetables, sometimes even berries, and fish.
After the third year of their life, the beslun begin aging, and they start liking vegetables more and more, since that is what they need to keep their bodies running. The beslun's fur, which is colored from birth, starts growing paler, and whiter. Once the beslun is ready to die, most of its colored fur would be extremely pale, if not completely white. The beslun mate during their 2nd and 3rd year of life, and are usually in the gestation process for 26 days before giving birth. One thing worth noting is that a beslun from Ne'haer will never mate with any beslun born anywhere else, and the other way around, as the beslun's original home was Ne'haer.
Temperament: Extremely friendly. Run instead of fighting if attacked.
Information: The beslun have a habit of chewing on soft surfaces, like human skin, when they're hungry. They are great animals for rich people to have as pets, and to be carried in their purses. Some adventurers even decide to carry one of these cuties on their shoulder, as there have been legends of the beslun's eyes mesmerizing all kinds of Immortal-made monsters. Those are, unfortunately for the adventurers, just legends.
Credit: Aeon
Species: Canine
Rarity: Common
Typical Size: Quite small; 5 inches tall, 7 inches long, 9 with tail. ~2 lbs weight,
Diet: "Beslun cookies", made from various plants and fish. Depends on the city in which the cookies are produced.
Trainable: To an extent. One can train a Beslun to follow, sit, perhaps roll, but not to bring newspapers or stand guard
Native to: Area around Ne'haer
Appearance: The beslun appear to be small husky puppies, with several small, feather-like tails and bunny ears. The fur on their bodies is in some places dark, in others completely white, depending on the beslun, while on its tails and ears the fur ranges from pink to orange, along with the white. Their eyes are the only strange thing about them, as they have no iris or pupil, they are simply colored, mostly in bright colors, such as bright blue, pink, and yellow. The beslun's fur can be described as the softest thing a mortal can touch, and so people are very prone to cuddling them. The fur is, however, rendered completely useless once it goes off the beslun's body, or the beslun dies. In one of those cases, the fur goes on to become thick and itchy.
Lifespan and Development: The beslun have a really short life cycle, which causes many parents to have difficult conversations about death with their child, whose beslun pet had just died. They typically live up to four arcs, and the oldest one recorded lived under perfect conditions in Ne'haer, for 5 and a half. The beslun are born like all other mammals, except they are so small and fragile at birth, any non-expert is advised not to go near it for at least an arc after birth. Their bones are soft in the first year, and their fur isn't fully formed. They require a lot of care to survive at first, but as their fur grows, they become more and more capable of living in the world. The beslun born in the wild most often die, as this animal has been domesticated for several centuries, and is not used to the harsh conditions of the outside world.
After one year of age, the beslun are sold as pets, mostly to parents, so they can make their child happy with this fluffy creature. During the first year, the beslun eat only berries, no matter what kind, since their teeth haven't been fully formed. Afterwards, they can eat almost any vegetable, but, specifically during the 2nd and 3rd year of their life, a beslun's favorite food would be small fish. Considering plants are necessary for their well-being, many beslun experts take on the job of making "Beslun cookies", made from various vegetables, sometimes even berries, and fish.
After the third year of their life, the beslun begin aging, and they start liking vegetables more and more, since that is what they need to keep their bodies running. The beslun's fur, which is colored from birth, starts growing paler, and whiter. Once the beslun is ready to die, most of its colored fur would be extremely pale, if not completely white. The beslun mate during their 2nd and 3rd year of life, and are usually in the gestation process for 26 days before giving birth. One thing worth noting is that a beslun from Ne'haer will never mate with any beslun born anywhere else, and the other way around, as the beslun's original home was Ne'haer.
Temperament: Extremely friendly. Run instead of fighting if attacked.
Information: The beslun have a habit of chewing on soft surfaces, like human skin, when they're hungry. They are great animals for rich people to have as pets, and to be carried in their purses. Some adventurers even decide to carry one of these cuties on their shoulder, as there have been legends of the beslun's eyes mesmerizing all kinds of Immortal-made monsters. Those are, unfortunately for the adventurers, just legends.
Credit: Aeon
Feathered Rat
Life span: 5 to 7 Arcs
Habitat: wherever common rats can be found
Physical description:
Feathered rats are a rare version of the common rat found in the dank corners of the world. Their unique features are the golden yellow scales that go along their backs, and the puffs of plumage that cover the base and ends of their tails. They usually have subtle highlights of pastel colours that glimmer through in patches on their scales and feathers.
Abilities:
Unlike the common rat, feathered rats are immune to disease and typically live much longer. Their natural vitality also allows them to be more agile and quick on their feet giving them to the speed they need to evade predators with greater ease. Their speed can make it nearly impossible to catch them without the use of traps and careful planning.
Feathered rats' docile nature might be considered a disadvantage within the rats' social hierarchy, but they are believed to have a strange calming affect on other rats. Even the most aggressive rat will become placid once it enters within a foot radius of a feathered rat. The affect dissipates when the creature steps out of the feathered rat's area of influence and it will go back to its usual self. This ability can work at a much weaker level on other rodents, but people have also been known to feel a calming affect from prolonged exposure to the creature.
Behaviour:
Their temperament is serene when they are free of danger, and they never seem to show any aggression. They are much more likely to experience flight than fight when it comes to dangerous situations. If caught and domesticated, a feathered rat would make a great pet. Its docile nature and ability to master simple tricks, make it an exotic pet that many nobles and well-off individuals like to wear on their shoulders.
Life cycle:
About one out of every twenty rats born to a nest is a feathered rat. They live within the nest for the rest of their lives, often outliving their parents and siblings. But they remain dependent on the company of other rats until the day they die.
Feathered rats are usually sterile and the rare few that can breed will have just as likely a chance of birthing normal rats as any other. There are breeders who feel that the secret to making feathered rats more likely is by ensuring the utmost health of the intended breeding pair. This common belief has never been proven, but many still swear by it.
History:
Rats were not always the disease carrying vermin they are considered in Idalos today. Before Lisirra got her tainted hands on them, they were considered benevolent creatures that could calm the most violent of souls and cure nearly any disease with their feathers. Not content with a tiny creature undoing her hard work, Lisirra cursed the innocent creature harshly and even made some of them into her own personal servants. Moseke did her best to lift the curse but it was too strong to fully relieve; instead only a few were born strong enough to resist and they were never what they were before.
Practical Uses:
Feathered rats no longer have the ability to cure any disease but their feathers can be beneficial in helping relieve anxiety, anger management and other social disorders. The feathers are also used as effective pain killers and as a cure for the common cold. Their healing properties are unlocked by infusing them into tea or by grinding them into powder and applying them to the area of pain.
- Credit to Lapis -