-Creatures of Althanas-Bestiary, Book 1.

[Winterhair]

I know that Althanas players can simply create their own creatures for purporses, but I felt that this was missing. Kind of like a bestiary, lets have people post creatures they would like to introduce permanently to the World of Althanas, so that other people who would like to use other's creatures know kind of what they would be like in general.

The format goes kind of like this.

Creature Name:
Level equal to:
General Appearence:
General Abilities:
Other, Unique facts, etc:

That is, if anyone would want to. If not, well, mods can go ahead and close it. I just thought it would be a nice addition to the site. It worked really well on another site I joined.

[Karuka]

We have beastiaries around, to be honest. They aren't all complete, but they're there.

[Winterhair]

Alright then. I didn't see any that were recent. Mind if I leave this up for a couple days though, just to see if it has any takers?

[Caden Law]

*Pops in.* Admittedly, there are bestiaries. But a thread like this can always stick around for the sheer fun of it and the fact that submissions don't have to be made directly to Staff. Y'all can just swoop in for amusement's sake and swipe any good ones. A tweak here, a tweak there...voila!

For what it's worth, once the Catacombs Quest is over, I'll contribute a few to this. :D

[Winterhair]

I'm making my own contribution,

Creature Name: Oni Dancer
Level equal to: 2
General Appearence: http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs16/f/2007/140/9/2/Okami_Predator_by_daiapollon.jpg
General Abilities: Dancing swordsman, artistic magic
Other, Unique facts, etc: None. This creature is open to whoever wants to make it their own.

[Ataraxis]

It'd probably work better if they actually have some sort of role, history, goals or lack thereof. Otherwise, we can just get random nice pictures from Deviantart, give them a name and post them up!

What's fun isn't the picture, it's the concept itself, and if you make the concept actually fit with a region instead of having a one-size-fits-all creature, you're more likely to see that creature used.

[Winterhair]

Meh, it was a quickie just to get things started. But your right. If someone wants to, you can expand upon the guy.

[Max Dirks]

This is an amazing idea. I encourage everyone to contribute.

[Corvus MacCallum]

When I get back tonight, if I wind up going anywhere at this rate I'll put together a profile on two of my monsters for a good example of how this sorta thing'll work. For now you get the names of them, the Blazen Dragon and Findren Blood-Fiend.

[Caden Law]

Meh, it was a quickie just to get things started. But your right. If someone wants to, you can expand upon the guy.


Creature Name: Oni Odoru
Level Equivelent: 2+
General Appearance: The Oni Odoru are a race of demons following a humanoid pattern: Two legs, two arms and a head all joined by a main body and neck. On the whole, the species' skin is blue, with tones ranging from light to dark. Their hair is very coarse, and often either black, grey or stark white. They differ from humans in that their feet resemble a cat's paws, with sharp claws and enough strength that they can effectively climb trees and hang from branches without the use of their hands. Their faces tend to be almost elvish; elongated and slant-eyed, with the forehead sloping back into a bony crest covered by a thin, bald layer of skin. Their canine teeth are much, much sharper than a human's. Most Oni Odoru dress in simple commoner's clothing with oriental styling, and the men often go shirtless. It's not uncommon for members of the species to grow their right hand's fingernails out into six inch long claws, sturdy enough to compare to forged iron.
Unique Abilities: The Oni Odoru have natural affinities towards art, music, stealth and deception. The younger they are, the better they can hide in shadows. This ability is lost as they age, unless they train specifically to keep and expand upon it.
Cultural Notes: The Oni Odoru are rarely found outside of nomadic raider tribes, plaguing supply caravans and occasionally travelling into larger villages as entertainment and thieves. Many tribes insist on tattooing males atop the forehead and crest once they reach puberty, while the few that don't are known to imitate other tribes for any number of reasons.

The Oni Odoru are also known for their Demon Artists; specially trained Oni who wears ritualized porcelain masks bearing tribal and animal motiffs, along with stylized necklaces. Both of these serve as good luck charms. The primary weapon of the Demon Artist is a spear-sized paintbrush, ritually soaked in blood. It can be used as anything from a staff weapon to a lash to a magic impliment, and many are hereditary weapons from father to son or mother to daughter -- and, occasionally, from husband to wife or vice versa as part of marriage rites. Their symbolic value, combined with their ability to hold blood and other liquids, and the pure Liviol that most Onifude have as cores, make them excellent casting tools. As a rule of thumb, Demon Artists are usually (but not always) Level 4 or higher.

More common are the actual musical troupes for which the Oni Odoru are named. These groups use a mixture of song and dance, heavily influenced by the performance arts of Kabuki, to do everything from inducing illusions to influencing how an opponent thinks or acts in a battle. Like Demon Artists, the Oni Odoru troupes tend to wear stylized masks, but often made of lacquered wood. Their weapons are typically concealed in their musical instruments, or openly used as part of their performance. They're generally Level 2 or higher.
Howzat? D:

[Corvus MacCallum]

Creature Name: Findren Blood-Fiend

Level equal to: 1

General Appearence:

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l167/Corvusmoore/bloodfiend.jpg

From what few accounts of the Fiends survive the sucking mire of Findren their size varies from that of a very large hound to a donkeys stature. Their gait is a very unstable lope and rapid probing of the ground, at times supporting its entire weight purely by those two bone blades while the rest of its body catches up. This would give the impression of an inbalanced creature but its been clearly noted the creature just has different mentalities for movement when hunting and when face to face with its prey.

Its body-tone is usually a very dull grey, almost like dusted concrete, the bone blades of course retain that simple colour associated with the calcium edifices. Its only sound apart from the scuffling of feet and clacking of claws on particulary hard surfaces the most that can be made out is a ragged sucking of air, never coming outwards its a constant inhale. While they appear gaunt and dried out a thin film of mucus has been noted on fresher kills, this seems to lend a weakness to poisons and harming it through liquids but so far hunters have only noted it makes the Fiends immensely difficult to handle in a bare knuckle fight.

General Abilities: Fiends have a pleasantly strange way of feeding themselves, with the mouth seeming just a flimsy tube of flesh its actually entirely muscle but posesses no teeth, its small thin frame also lends itself to a lack of complex digestive functions. The Fiends defeat their prey through repeated slashing and cutting through quick dashes, leaps and other forms of hit-and-run tactics. When the enemy becomes fatigued they move onto impalement with a great deal of knowledge on the best places, usually targetting a good spot to feed from.

Once the target has ceased being a threat those muscled tubes of flesh suckle off the wounds, particulary bountiful ones being around the heart and brain get treated to the maw forcing itself inside for a more direct gain of blood.

Other, Unique facts, etc: There is no mystery that the Fiends are a magically created species but despite them being solely prolific in the Findren wetlands, a kingdom of pure marshes, mires and bogs, their creator has not been discovered or hinted towards.

Their slim frames lend themselves to a very low amount of damage tolerance and they can be quite easily dispatched given the right timing, however while many are killed there has been no lowering of sightings, nor increases, it seems the population is constantly fixed though high.

[Winterhair]

Howzat? D:

Great job! I love it. And Corvus, what a great contribution. Its nice to know that some of the lower levels can have cool monsters to battle as well.

[Caden Law]

Belatedly...
Name: Dead Man-at-Arms (Dead Mauller)
Level Equivelent: 0+
General Appearance: Extremely varied. In fact, the only commonalities among the Maullers tend to be that all wear ancient, generally degraded armor and full-body leathers that hide whether or not there's even anything inside the armor in question. Even open helms tend to be shaped to hide their faces, though their eyes are occasionally visible as glowing yellow lights. Beyond their, weapons vary but they tend to favor sword-and-shield or twin curved swords.
Unique Abilities: Some Maullers explode when defeated. Thus far, they can only be distinguished from ordinary Maullers by virtue of glowing lines that appear in symmetrical patterns on their armor. So far, the only observed Exploding Mauller was effectively a stink-bomb with the concussive power of a football tackle. Chances are, the types of explosions vary.
Miscellaneous Notes: The Dead Men-at-Arms are believed to be the reanimated corpses of ancient fallen warriors, each one resurrected with a specific task in mind. Alternative theories suggest that they may be golems set into motion for the same purposes. Regardless, they move somewhat slowly into battle but attack and defend quickly. They generally seem to possess a good grasp of tactics and strategy, and they never speak. Apparently, defeating one is a simple matter of doing enough damage. Once beaten, they tend to collapse into dust and ruins left over from the armor and weapons they were using -- exceptions being the Exploding Maullers.

To date, the only Maullers spotted have been found in the recently unearthed Catacombs beneath Scara Brae. Rumors have persisted for years of similar creatures roving certain tombs at night, however, and reports have also come in from the front lines of the recent Raiaeran War have also made reference to similar creatures in the ranks of Xem'zund's armies.

[Lord zin]

Creature Name: soul-eater
Level equal to: 4
General Appearance: http://arnistotle.deviantart.com/art/Undead-Arctic-Creature-52953898

Height: (standing strait up)6’8 (on all legs) 6’3
Wight: unknown

General Abilities: The soul-eater can lift 3x‘s that of a human. On all fours he can reach speeds up to 60 mph. once he has his prey on the pinned he will suck out its soul though the mouth.


Other, Unique facts, etc: The soul eater is not effected by the extreme cold, or heat of regions like the far north, or deep desert where they are most commonly found. They do not just hunt human, or elves. They will hunt down anything with a soul usually beating it to the edge of death, but not killing it. The soul-eater does not kill its prey because it needs it alive to extracted the soul. No one really know that much about the soul-eater, or how it was born. There is said to be about six soul-eaters romping the lands to date. There has only been one recorded as to been slain by a non-natural cause, so we do believed that they can be beaten with a sword, or magic. It is warned though about where you take on the soul-eater, because they are so fast, and in the wrong environment can easily gain the upper hand. It is recommend that one be fought in a wide open space, with a few good men to help you.

(I love the idea of this thread, and i hope this big guy works. If not let me know, and i will fix him up real quick. If you can not see the image go here.
http://arnistotle.deviantart.com/art/Undead-Arctic-Creature-52953898 )

[Melancor]

Creature Name: Thorn Bird/ Siren Ivis/ Panic
Level equal to: 3
General Appearance:


http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m145/Poseidon1776/Dibujos025.jpg


Size:- 5" from head to claw.
-Wing span of ~5" e/a
-Tail longitude: ~7"-8"


The Thorn has been spotted from Slavar to Corone and rarely in the mountains of Fallien. This variation of climate can change their feather colour, from white, to sky blue, to emerald green, to jet black. Under its large feathers it possesses an elaborate, eye-like pattern which colour can be either, crimson red, amber, or emerald green. Its main habitat are the norther forests of Raiaera, but it can fly for long periods of time from its home, reason for some specimens found in Corone and Fallien. It can adapt to live in any forest which trees are high and strong enough to support its weigh. The Thorn Bird lacks of legs, but instead it has two finger-like claws which uses to grasp to tree branches. It has a long, strong, feather patted, prencil tail that it also uses to grasp, or to attack.

It's diet consists of Large mammals, such as deers, cows, or even wolves. It can also eat large insects when in need. To hunt, Thorn Birds' lure animals with their eye-pattern feathers. Setting on top of a tree, or hanging from a tree branches with their tails (on flying fox fashion) it utilizes the sun or moon light, and the glossy, mirror-like surface of its interior feathers, to casts a light that attracts insects. This patter not only attracts insects, but it is believed that it can have an imnotic effect on the large forest mammals who can travel up to 50 miles to follow the lust of the eye-like pattern. The animals that approach the bird will stand before its presence, until the night or the day sets, or until the bird brakes it's position. When in such luck, the Thorn Bird will wait until the animal has become exhausted, and then launch a violent attack.

The bird will swoop down and cover its prey with it's large wings, creating confusion upon its victim. When the bird finds itself in this situation it will use its second set of wings to maneuver above the animal. It will wrap his long tail around the animal and try to submit it, or crush it's bones to invomilize it. In term, it will uncover a large 12' sting on its chest and bury it on the victims neck, or back. The toxins in the Thorn bird's venom dissolve the flesh like acid, and it can produce up to a liter of this a day. The Thorn bird will only use the smaller sting on his tail when attacking a small mammal, such as a rat, but it can use both upon a large prey. For these stingers, the bird acquires its name. It is believed that the Thorn Birds will attack humans as well, as it does not discriminate an easy meal.

After the prey is dead It will keep injecting its venom on the corpse until the animals interiors turn into a thick soup. The Thorn Bird uses its long beak to suction the content to the bone. The Thorn Birds are known for their clever way of hunting and their violent personality completely opposed to their unusually beauty. Only the females use the luring method to hunt, as only females carry the eye-like feathers. The males with recur to directly attacking their pray from above, but the females are fond of this behavior as well.

The Thorn Bird is a very rare creature, since it has been hunted for its exotic plumage and for attacking farmers' cattle, it's population has been pushed more an more deep into the forest.

The Thorn Bird will only lay one egg after five years its been conceived, and this very same egg will only hatch after five years. the females will leave the eggs abandoned inside trees after craving a tight nest into the large trunks. their eggs are around 1.5" large, and they are very hard to crack from the outside. After the infant has been born it will be perfectly able to care of itself, it will feed off insects and small rodents until it reaches 4" of size. These birds have been known to live ~125 years, and they will shed their plumage every 10, their feathers are used in some rituals as it's believed that they will increase someone's life-span.

The Thorn Birds are known for their ferocity and their violent, stealthy and swift attacks. They can be very strong and ruthless, thus they only fear larger raptors than itself.

It is recommended to defend from these animals with long rage attacks.


What do you people think?

[Aeraul Smythe]

Name: Wyrmfolk
Level Equal To: 0 to 15+
Physical Characteristics: Wyrmfolk tend to be universally humanoid in terms of general shape; two legs, two arms, one head, and no tail or wings. Generally, this is where the resemblances end. Wyrmfolk are covered in scales, ranging in strength and texture from near-chitin to inhumanly soft and smooth. Their hands end in four fingers, including the thumb, tipped with sharpened nails that grow stronger with age. Their feet end in four sharp-nailed toes as well, though it's not uncommon for younger members of the species to have a raptor-like toe-claw for the first fiteen or sixteen years of life. Their heads are variably draconian, but always retain the characteristics of a saurian snout, sharpened teeth and a crest of some sort rising from the top-back of the skull, usually covered with the thickest, hardest scales on the Wyrmfolk's body. These crests never stop growing, and they serve many different purposes ranging from physical weapons to displays of seniority and Brood status.

Wyrmfolk skincolors tend to vary from a deep, vivid red or blue to an almost glossy shade of black. Their equivelent to albinism is, apparently, being born bright green or yellow. Their eyes carry from one end of the color spectrum to the other and back again, and often change over the years -- though all members of any given Brood usually have same-colored eyes for the first sixteen to seventeen years of their lives. Wyrmfolk molt about once every six months during childhood, and once every three years upon entering adulthood. This ability to 'shed themselves' is so strong, particularly among magic-oriented family lines, that some Wyrmfolk can regenerate lost limbs through the molting process.

Wyrmfolk generally speak without the actual use of their mouth to make sounds. Their voices and words are produced almost entirely in the throat. As a result, most Wyrmfolk rarely bother synching their mouth movements with their words when in a comfortable setting -- though some groups are known to do this for the benefit of foreigners. It's not a joke to say, Wyrmfolk can speak through their damn noses.

Beyond these commonalities, Wyrmfolk tend to vary considerably as far as size, speed and strength go. Centuries of regulated breeding have lead an ethnic diversity more similar to dogs than humans, dwarves or elves. There are Wyrmfolk purpose-bred for strength, often towering head-and-shoulders above the rest and having enough physical power to wrestle mountain trolls and win. There are also Wyrmfolk purpose-bred for magic, who generally have much more slender builds and whose brains actually extend into their crests to help increase their memory and multitasking abilities. The list goes on.

Male and female Wyrmfolk typically have much more incommon than your average male and female human or elf. In some breeds, the only way to tell one from the other is with a good look at the genitals, while most typically develop psuedomammalian characteristics like breasts or slighter figures than their male counterparts. Others still can be differentiated because females in some breeds are considerably larger than males.

It bears mention that very few Wyrmfolk retain their ancestral abilities to naturally breathe fire, and only one in ten thousand has wings or a tail -- let alone both. While firebreathing can be learned and is considered a gift, most Wyrmfolk regard tails and wings as deformities, and members of the species born with them usually end up ostracized, mutilated, or killed at birth.

Cultural Details: Originating somewhere in Dheathain in the generations before the fairer Draconian people came to prominence, their exact histories are unknown. It's believed that the Wyrmfolk were originally a product of Dragons somehow breeding with humans, magical experimentation by humans in an attempt to replicate the powers of Dragons, or some combination thereof. Outside of that, no-one can be sure on the grounds that certain Draconians have gone to great lengths to obliterate historical evidence of any sort.

As far as most of the world is concerned, Wyrmian history begins not long before the original discovery of Dheathain. A huge refugee population of Wyrmfolk, apparently driven out after a series of bloody, genocidal wars with the Draconians, fled to the Western lands of Althanas in an event known in Wyrmfolklore as the Sorrowing of Ways. Upon arrival, the refugees splintered across every continent like lead shot from a scattergun. Many sought integration into native societies with varying degrees of success and failure, and many more simply set up shop and made the best of it as vagabonds for good or ill.

The Wyrmfolk of today are an incredibly varied lot that, despite all the odds, have retained a few critical shreds of commonality from continent to continent. Virtually every member of the species in the Western Lands belongs to a tribal or clan-like extended family of some sort. These are typically called Broods, though other names are often assigned in areas where the word has negative connotations.

While the majority of Wyrmfolk speak the native tongues of whatever land they inhabit, most of them also cling to a variant of Dheath to some extent. This language has no common name among the Wyrmfolk themselves, but Draconian scholars have dubiously christened it Diúltach Dheath. Most Dheathainian-influenced scholars simply refer to it as Low Dheath. The degree to which Wyrmfolk favor Low Dheath varies considerably; citydwellers only use it for formal situations, whereas frontier Broods are known to use it in everyday life. Despite the huge spread of the Wyrmfolk, all Broods speak the same Low Dheath.

Generally, Wyrmfolk culture is easily regarded in a negative light. Part of this is due to Draconian propaganda, but part is due to their cultural tendecies to favor 'unsophisticated' weapons and traditionally darker forms of magic. To give examples: Your average Wyrmian fighter is most likely to use a large battle-axe, and your average Wyrmian magic user is going to be a ruthless Warlock nine times out of ten. This doesn't do them any favors, because Warlocks tend to be revered almost religiously among the Broods. Many Wyrmian Warlocks are known for their ruthless pursuits of power and knowledge, to an extent that they've often drawn fire from traditional human and elven Wizarding groups. As if that wasn't enough, most Warlocks guard their secrets even more jealously than Wizards, and the feuds between them are infamous for their tendency to spill over into the streets. And pretty much everything else within a five mile radius.

Religiously, most Wyrmians share a common faith with their Draconian cousins in that they worship the same general pantheon -- albeit from different angles, as each Brood favors a different God or Goddess. It's also common for Wyrmfolk to adopt worship of local gods, particularly the ones regarded as being wicked, evil, or somehow weaker than their brethren. Rationale for this is typically along the lines of, We got a bad rap. So did they.

Wyrmfolk are able to interbreed with the other species of Althanas, and most Broods have no issues with this. They reproduce in much the same way as humans, though females have about a 50/50 chance of giving birth to live young or laying eggs. Hybrid children inherit most of their features from the Wyrmian parent, though their finger and toe count and the shape of their teeth typically mirror their non-Wyrmian parent. Wyrmian genetics are so strong that a hybrid will retain the main features of his or her Wyrmian ancestors for up to six generations of solid interbreeding with another population, and certain characteristics can be 'awakened' in a Wyrmian descendent as far as twenty generations down the line. For obvious reasons, the only species almost all Broods have trouble accepting into the family are Draconians.

Misc: Sample Wyrmian Broods include...

Scara Brood - Located in the island-nation of Scara Brae, particularly in the city itself. The majority of Scaras Brood are merchants and dockworkers, but a few noteworthy individuals exist in the local religious community. The most famous Scaran Brood member is Ardal BarScara, a member of the Temple of Y'edda Priesthood.

Brae Brood - Another Scarabrian Brood, though much smaller and far more secretive than their Scara cousins. Brae is known for being affiliated, however loosely, with the Scara Scourge. Most of its membership is believed (but not proven) to consist of Warlocks. At this time, the most famous Brae Brood member is a rarely seen fugitive Warlock by the name of Kayze AlBrae, a wanted member of the Scourge and the primary reason why the Brae are considered affiliated with them. His current whereabouts are unknown.

Dama Brood - Local to the Liviol Forest region, though extremely elusive. Dama Brood is unique among the Western Wyrmfolk for two reasons: Every member is some shade of green, effectively making them all albino, and the Brood as a whole practices something akin to Druidism. Hard, nasty Druidism, that is. The sort that involves human sacrifices and wild hunts against those who trespass into their ever changing, ill defined territories.

Rone Brood - Inhabitants of the Coronian coastline, its members are known for having a controlling stake in several shipping and fishing companies. They maintain close ties to their Scaran dockworker cousins, and offer transport to any region in Western Althanas at (relatively) bargain rate prices. Unfortunately, Rone members often deal with the stigma that comes with rumors of piracy and slave trafficking. Whether or not these accusations have any merit, the Ronian Brood soldiers on. Its best known member is Captain Biorach RoneSeil, commanding officer onboard the Sturmkind. Somewhat amusingly, Biorach is known more for his oddly fitted bicorne hat and tan riding pants than for the fact that he's killed around seventy-two men in duels and boarding actions (be it defensively or otherwise).

Icetongue Brood - Arguably as elusive and considerably more problematic and perplexing than even the Dama Brood. Icetongue is the only known Brood to penetrate into the Arctic North of Salvar, and its members have been spotted as far out as the very edge of Sulgoran's Axe. There are even unconfirmed reports of Icetongue barbarians attending ritual ceremonies at the Circle of Icehenge. The most famous Icetongue Brood member is commonly known only as Sulgore, in tribute of her apparent homeland. While few of the stories concerning Sulgore can be confirmed, Salvic officials have been able to consistently identify her signature weapon as a lightning-imbued Damascus Axe named Niornil, reportedly able to set fires in the wake of some of its attacks.

The Guild of the Black Diamonic - Not so much a Brood as a subversive brotherhood of Wyrmfolk Warlocks, known as much for their ability to carry out information warfare as they are for their rumored pacts with and powers over demonic forces. Actual membership is unknown due to a hundred different walls of silence that stretch across every known Brood, but virtually all Warlocks are suspected. Almost nothing is known about them, and their membership is unconfirmed. The only reason people even know they exist is because several members were killed and autopsied by Clerical Mages in service to the Church of the Ethereal Sway.
Idea wholly inspired by a few pictures from D&D 4E. However evil or good it might otherwise be. Pictures linked to below:
1 (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/dx0111ps_rotd_dragonborn.jpg)
2 (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rodragon_gallery/94118.jpg)

I meant to include a few sample NPCs...but that can wait, dagnabbit.

*Sputters off to handle Othersitely Things.*

[Aeraul Smythe]

Name: Kobold
Level Equivelent To: 0-5?
Physical Characteristics: Short. Very short. Your average Kobold, male or female, is approximately three feet tall at most, though some 'giants' have been recorded as hitting four and a half feet tall. Kobolds are generally a thin, wiry looking bunch, with posture varying from tribe to tribe based on proximity to humans and other 'civilized' species; the closer the tribe is to civilization, the more upright they are. More remote tribes have postures reminiscent of raptors, up to and including an S-bend at the neck. All Kobolds have a rigid tail, though its length and flexibility varies by the tribe; the longest tend to match the length of the Kobold's upper body, while the shortest are usually about six inches to a foot in length.

Universally, it's very difficult to differentiate Kobolds based on gender, though the females tend to be a small bit larger in some tribes. They breed similarly to reptiles, including the laying and hatching of eggs. Gestation prior to egglaying is around thirty days, with the eggs taking another two months to hatch. While Kobolds mature quickly (childhood lasts all of two years at most), they're generally a long-lived species, able to reach ages in excess of 250 in some tribes (and even longer than that, among the magic users). Despite being reptillian in most regards, Kobolds are usually warmblooded. While small and somewhat frail compared to larger species, Kobolds are fast and very agile.

Owing to heritage or arcane tampering, many Kobolds possess the ability to breathe fire, conduct electricity, or sense the presence of leylines and energy fields (particularly those of a spiritual or magnetic nature). Despite getting a bum rap for being 'simpleminded,' Kobolds are not to be confused for stupid: Their straight-and-narrow approach to thinking actually makes them far more cunning and quick to learn than many 'advanced' races -- including humans, elves and dwarves.

Cultural Notes: Kobold history is literally one great big question mark after another. They may or may not date all the way back to the mythical War of the Tap, or they could be a relatively recent offshoot of Wyrmfolk or Draconians. Their exact origins may even tie directly to the golden ages of dragons themselves, as many tribes have long maintained a form of ancestor worship that centers around dragons.

As of today, Kobolds are viewed somewhat unfairly as being little more than parasites. And for the most part, they pretty much are. They live in their own tribal communities, largely keeping to themselves except when convenience dictates otherwise. Urban Kobolds tend to band into tight-knit minorities in any city they inhabit, mucking about with outsiders only when it proves profitable or necessary. More primitive Kobold tribes, specifically the lot that inhabit the wilderness, tend to survive by raiding small caravans, killing and eating everything they can stomach, then fencing or using the goods as convenient.

Incidentally, Kobold tribes only band together in an urban environment. Out in the wild, they lean towards fractitious infighting as a way of life. It's literally next to impossible to put two wild Kobolds from two different tribes next to each other without having a death match inside of five seconds or less.

Kobold religion is just as fragmented and varied as everything else about them: Some, mostly urban tribes, tend to worship the gods of more established races. Others, especially urban tribes with large numbers of magic users, tend towards something like antitheism; they acknowledge the existence of gods, but despise them for reasons unknown. Wild Kobolds are much more prone to ancestor worship and bloody-minded druidism centered on worship of the earth itself, rather than respect for anything living on, in, or anywhere around it.

Also of note is that Kobolds tend to speak tribal dialects of something passively similar to both Dheath and Common, with some versions being drastically older than the current forms of either, often to the point of being downright unrecognizable.

Misc: Example Tribes include...

Tuck'ra Tribe - Wild. Known for being one of the more elusive tribes, along with being vindictively tenacious, ridiculously foresighted and just plan lethal. They're among the best trapsetters and ambush hunter-raiders anywhere in the world, and can often be found well below the treeline of mountains in and around Corone. Tuck'ra Kobolds lean towards druidism, with their shaman boasting proficiencies in geomancy and 'ground lightning.'

Gan'lopun Tribe - Urban. Arguably the largest magic-oriented tribe in existence. Gan'lopun has practiced magic for at least as long as Kobolds have existed on official historical records, and its ancient lore (most of which can be readily confirmed) date it all the way back to a time before the mythical War of the Tap. These Kobolds have practiced magic for so long that it's literally in their blood. It shows in that certain Gan'lopun magi, dubbed Mad-Eyes by jealous practitioners of other races, are hatched with deformed pupils that resemble fractal spiral patterns. While functionally blind and illiterate, Mad-Eyes literally see the world with magic instead of conventional eyesight, and grow to develop such an uncanny understanding of magic that they can replicate most spells at a glance -- even the divinely powered ones. Incidentally, Mad-Eyes tend to go completely and utterly insane by age fifty. Those that don't are revered among Gan'lopun.

Crag'sen Tribe - Mostly wild. An Aleraran tribe, best known for its proficiency in firearms. While not exactly at the level of the Drow, Crag'sen mechanists have reverse-engineered firearms technology over the centuries. Their actual guns tend to resemble comedically proportioned blunderbusses, capable of firing just about anything that can be crammed into the barrel. Of note is that Crag'sen technically developed some of Althanas' first native-made magic guns, using arcane power as a replacement for gunpowder. These Iron Caster guns are usually only seen in the hands of Crag'sens magic users, serving a role somewhere between scout-snipers and medium-ranged artillery. When an Iron Caster hits you, there's generally not gonna be a whole lot left.

Kung'sanai Tribe - Variable. Kobolds native to Akashima. Kung'sanai is among the largest and most diverse Kobold tribes, its members ranging from wild raiders to urban citizens, spanning the classes from monastic to merchant to mage or warrior. They're the largest tribe with no set religious beliefs or hierarchy, and among the most recognizable for their blazing red skintones. Their most common form of 'special Kobolds' are the Akateme -- literally translated as Red Bastards. They're essentially monastic ninjas who wear tight red uniforms and go around slitting high-priced throats in all sorts of unexpected ways. Their monastic roots show in that Akateme ninjutsu is especially potent against demonic or angelic opponents, though nobody's sure what it is they use to fuel their own powers.

Catakobolds - Wild? Not so much a tribe as it's the only thing anyone can think of to call them. This is a population only recently discovered in the catacombs beneath Scara Brae, and as such they're almost a complete mystery. About the only certainties are that they've got glowing, bony ridges along the brow, spine and tail, and their pupils are unusually colored. Beyond that, speculation is that they're inbred to the point of savage, animalistic insanity due to the extreme isolation of the catacombs' environment. Judging by the apparent age of the catacombs themselves, these Kobolds may be as old or older than the Gan'lopun. They apparently have it in for the local Fungans.

Next up: Fungans. Huzzah.

[Ashiakin]

As Regions Admin, I really like this idea and hope lots of people contribute. Everyone should be sure to say what region their creature is from, though (I notice some have.) Also, don't just post these and forget about them--use them in your quests and encourage other people to do the same. Having an idea is great but it won't really become a part of Althanas unless you work at it.

[Winterhair]

Thanks Ash. I'm honest quite surprised at how far it went without me. But I'd like to support that we should use these in quests and stuff, not just stick em in here for the hell of it. Hell, I might use one in an upcoming quest myself. Can't always just use your average giant spider/wolf/goblin, right?

[Xos]

Having just now found this, I can honestly say a complete World Bestiary would be nice, though it would never truely be complete. However, as I go along, I will definatly be posting a number of entries.

Although a directory at the beginning might be nice, to guide people to the creature type they want, and then have links to the different creatures of that type. Or am I missing such an already implemented idea?

[Nautilus]

Creature Name: Flaming chicken
Level equal to: 0+
Habitat Fallien, any large desert.
General Appearance: Your average chicken with average chicken intelligence, only covered in bright orange/golden flames.
General Abilities:
The flaming chicken is known for it's speed, hardiness, and the fact that if you kill it, it momentarily flares at such a high temperature that when the flames disappear in death, the body is left fully cooked inside and out. Killed most easily with bow and arrow.
Species info:
Flaming chickens prefer desolate desert areas and are strictly nocturnal. They are nomadic, travelling in massive flocks of up to two hundred members for protection from predators. Although they possess what look to be wings, Flaming chickens cannot fly and as such have developed the ability of extreme speed, and can be seen rocketing across the dark desert landscape at an even forty MPH.

They are known for starting wildfires and are most likely to be seen populating areas with little or no vegetation. A traveller may also be alerted to their approach by the extreme cacophony of clucks and warbles they emit when they are running together. It is not known how Flaming chickens procreate as they are not only extremely elusive critters, making an appearance only when they are shooting past you at forty miles per hour, but they die rapidly in captivity. Diet and life span are unknown as well.

[Winterhair]

I lol'd.
I am SO going to use this. :)

[Ataraxis]

That sounds like something out of the Fourth Coming.

This bestiary is a very good idea, and I'm probably going to put up entries very shortly.

[Soldier of Fortune]

No one said Nekojins couldn't be bad!

Name: No formal name has been given to them, for they are individuals in themselves, but some people call their group The Clan.
Race: Nekojin.
Level: Usually 0-1, but some of the leaders can be as strong as a level 4 perhaps.
Environment: Outskirts of West Akashima mainly, sometimes found in the Royal Army training section of Eastern Concordia, looking to prey on unsuspecting recruits.
Appearance: Varied. (pretty much up to player)
Abilities/Skills: Again, varied. Clansmen wield a wide assortment of weapons, usually iron or steel and can have a motley assortment of talents.

Characteristics: At the start, The Clan was an organized effort to bring forth an individual Nekojin country, apart from Akashima, but nowadays they're just random groups of Nekos that have resorted to their more primal nature, becoming more tribe-like. No one knows if they have any real goals, but they're very hostile.

Just got this one off the top of my head, I will probably incorporate them into a solo I am currently planning.

[Valanthe]

Excerpt from the Encylopedia Monstrosity, a bestiary from the far distant future:
Researcher: Xos Xilanthese

Creature Name: Abomination
Level equal to: 0-5
General Appearence: Vary's by Abomination
General Abilities: Vary's by Abomination, see below.
Other, Unique facts, etc: The Abomination has long been considered one of Nature's most Horrific accidents. Spawned by presently unknown conditions, Abominations can show up practically anywhere, seeming to be unlimited by environment. Abominations typically have the combined physical characteristics of three to five other species local to the environment in which they appear, and as such has the physical and magical traits inherrent in those species. Each Abomination has only one purpose, and thus one universal ability, the ability to steal and Devour souls. Some can speak common, some can't.

Example: In Scara Brae I first encountered the Abomination. It had the body of a crab, tenticles like an Octopus, and a fish tail. A very passive Abomination compared to others I found in later years, and still Abominations others have found in their travels accross Althanas. This one was a weak and newly formed Abomination.

_______

After extensive, tiring, and sometimes life threatening research on behalf of my self and others, I have discovered that Abominations devour souls to nourish their own. The more they drink, the older they become, the more powerful they get until they simply burst from devouring too many souls.

When they die, smoke billows from their body, as has been discovered by several unfortunate victims, inhaling this smoke causes you to slowly transform into an Abomination yourself. This can be cured, but only in the early stages, and only by a healer with more than a few years under his or her belt, sometimes requiring rare ingredients involving extensive journies to get.

[DT!]

Creature Name: Morpheus' Pet, aka Sleeper Beasts
Level equal to: Normally 0-10 depending on size.
Habitat: Have been rumored to be seen around the world, but eyewitnesses and many documentations put the birds in the Fiorair Swamps.
General Appearance: Very Bird of Prey, these avian like monsters have rather large and sharp talons with some very decorative colors of feathers of seemingly every color in the spectrum and varying in beak designs. Like a snowflake no two sleeper beast is alike except for two things: The sleep sac or Sleeping Song that releases a strange knockout gas that comes from a special gland in their throats and the "Alpha variation" only seen in the Alpha birds. A switchblade like ability that releases very sharp blades on it's beak, but again they could very from thin blades to GIANT AXES! On another note they have clawed wings that strangely have a wide range of motion besides flying. Adventurers might want to be careful of that.
General Abilities:
There are two abilities you should really watch out for:
Lullaby of the Gods: The sleeping gas emited from the Beasts mouth when it starts to sing. It was said to even put the most hardy of men to sleep with one tone. Though it is strong it is only strong when inhaled so having a breathing apparatus(gas mask would work wonders) or not breathing for a short period of time(not recommended) could solve this pesky problem quietly and effectively.
Dreamer's Feathers: The multicolored feathers of the Sleeper Beast are quite glamorous. Problem is that they have a sort of strange ability to blend into the surrounding. Disappearing from sight even. Quick way to solve that is to have a powerful nose...or to sully their beautiful feathers. Blood really does work wonders on helping that.
Species info:
Morpheus' Pets or Sleeper Beasts. These elusive birds are hard to get information on. There have been at least 10 killed in the past year and none captured alive though there are many a buyers out there willing to pay top dollar for the capture of one of these beasts. As of yet no one has been able to capture them and have resulted in serious injury and death. There was one account where a king sent out an army to try to tame one of these beasts for way and lost his entire repertoir of soldiers except for one man who was smart enough to switch sides during war instead of risking his life against these mighty beasts. Needless to say that king is not with us anymore. Please use extreme caution against these birds.

[Crystal Suncrest]

Creature Name: Shadows.
Level equal to: See Below
General Appearence: They look like a shadowy version of whoever they are attacking.

General Abilities: See Below
Other, Unique facts, etc: These creatures look, act, and fight like a slightly higher level version of whatever foe they are facing. They usually travel in packs of 4 or more and can be quite a handful without the right strategy.

The best way to take them down is to trick them into all attacking someone fairly weak, then have an extremely strong person take them all out at once before they notice that he/she is attacking.

(Please note, the form they take is based on who they are attacking.)

[Inkfinger]

This is why I shouldn't think at work. I tried to make them jive with any of the regions I placed them in histories, but if you're a region creator and don't want my Frankensteinian critters in your region, well smack away.


Creature Name: Harecat / Battle Hare
Level equal to: 0-10, depending on level of domestication, age and a variety of natural factors.
General Appearance:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/OzymandiusJones/th_coloreddeathbunnies.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/OzymandiusJones/coloreddeathbunnies.jpg)
[click for full-size]

Harecats have the general build of Earth’s European hare, on steroids. Their DNA has been tweaked so that the general size of a harecat ranges between four and ten feet in length, and between three and six feet tall at the shoulder. They are sturdier than either the original cat or hare part would imply through a mixture of magic and the relatively natural effects of a size increase. They do, however, maintain the natural agility and flexibility of the two donor species.

Harecats have the head and face of a hare, with the eyes, ruff (or mane) and teeth of their cat half. Their front paws are feline in shape, as is their tail, while their back paws are leporid in nature. Their front claws are retractable and razor sharp, while their back claws are dull and cannot retract.

They come in all natural fur colors for hares and cats, and they have been known to be bred to maintain a certain fur pattern. It is not unheard of –though it is certainly not common- to see a harecat with a tiger-striped pattern, or a lion’s mane. The cat-patterns are most common in the Salvar/Alerar mountains, where harecats were specifically bred to maintain their snow-leopard patterns.

History: They say that there is a fine line between genius and insanity. The creators of the harecats (occasionally called Battle Hares to reassure their riders) crossed that line.

Twice.

Originally, these strange animals were the brainchild of a bored Fallien sorcerer who lived far to the North, beyond the mountains of Zaileya, in isolation. He combined a desert hare with a typical lion, and was delighted when the spell created a beast the appropriate size to be a mount. Convinced he had created the Next Big Thing, he made the beast a mate…

And they, promptly, turned on him and ate him before escaping into the wild.

Twenty years later, an adventuring wizardly archeologist found the sorcerer’s stronghold, surrounded by the beasts’ offspring. He barely escaped with his life…and the sorcerer’s notes on the fantastic beasts he had created. The wizard recognized the spell for what it was – in short? Cracked genius. He took the spell with him to Akashiman, to his home deep within the Shirayama mountains, where he set about modifying the spell to make the beasts it produced more viable, more naturally disposed to domestication, and he used the local wildcats for the cat portion of the spell…

History repeated, however, in that the wizard was killed by his own creations before they fled further into the mountains. It continued to repeat when an entrepreneurial dwarf magician happened upon his cottage in an exploration expedition. He spotted, almost immediately, what had gone wrong in both cases. He took the spell with him to his home on the borders of Salvar and Alerar, and created his own version, a combination of hare and snow leopard. He made six of the beasts which he then, immediately, let loose in the mountains with a tracking spell set on each harecat.

The harecats left him alone, and he tracked them until the females had their first litter. He tranquilized the beasts, and took a male and a female kit from each, and raised the young from birth. It worked far better than attempting, as the previous two magicians had, to gentle a “fully grown” beast.

The magician and his keep soon prospered from their domestication of the creatures, eventually sending hunters out to capture the young of the Fallien and Akashiman versions of the harecats. He remains, a century later, the best breeder of Harecats in the world.

Unique Abilities: All harecats are extremely resistant to the elements, though there is some variation: Akashiman harecats thrive best in woodlands and are excellent swimmers, Fallien harecats are masters of the sands, and the Alerarean harecats work best in the cold.

They are natural sprinters, but can maintain a steady lope if trained properly. They can jump lengths up to thirty feet, though this length is severely diminished when carrying a rider and varies, of course, with the harecat’s size. All three subspecies are good at mountain climbing, and all three can climb trees, though the Alerarean and Fallien harecats do not climb as well as their Akashiman brethren.

They are fairly intelligent for animals, and have excellent senses. They are also natural-born hunters, but they have no magical abilities. However, their thick coats make them resistant to damage, whether through physical or magical attacks.

Wild harecats are hunted for their pelts, which retain their superb resistance, but hunters are advised to hunt with caution, as they may find themselves the hunted.

Miscellaneous Notes: Harecats have two litters a year, ranging between one and five cubs per litter. Cubs are considered adult at about two years of age. Harecats, despite their fearsome nature, are very skittish, and will more often run when surprised than attack. That being said, a harecat in its own territory and on its own terms, will quite happily stalk any creature it comes across. They are also omnivorous.

[Corvus MacCallum]

Creature Name: Boil-worm, commonly with the Region in front of it.

Level equal to: Simple for even novices, problem is in swarms.

General Appearence: Fleshy tube of a creature, slime slicked surface a swirl of browns and blacks with vestigal fins protruding roughly half-way down the worms body. Typically starts off around 4 inches and progresses up to a non-enhanced peak of 3 foot, though its preferred ecosystems make reaching its full size nigh impossible. Apart from the fins showing a previous existence as a long-bodied fish, its only other feature is a wide rimmed maw at the front, along with a pair of slits just above functioning as both nostrils and the creatures attacking mechanism.

Habitat: Almost exclusively located within marshes, rarely some will find themselves being siphoned down rivers but rarely survive for very long. They are entirely reliant on the muddy, still-waters for camoflauge. There is no specific region of kingdom they are contained within, but the warmer a regions climate the smaller the boil-worm population.

General Abilities: Boil-worms have a pair of nostrils that function as their source of attack, with muscle compressions throughout their whole body a sharp spurt of a clear mucus can be launched through the water with a great deal of force, more than enough to stave off dilution, this attack can also be forced through the air.

When a boil-worms mucus lands upon exposed skin it causes very sudden inflammation and itching, the surface of the skin also becomes far weaker and will rupture if scratched. Typically this just results in a small trickling of blood for the Boil-worm to suck up later. In humanoids the effect wears off after a few hours though can be sped up by not giving the area any contact, along with splashings of cold water.

There are two main problems with a Boil-worm attack on humanoids. Infection is the most common since a worm can sustain any number of malcontent bacteria in its maw through the sickly lands it prefers. Another is the rare communal mind-set that develops in very long established populations of Boil-worms, where multiple worms will attempt to spit at the same target, such attacks can leave a traveller bed-ridden and heavily bandaged for most of a week suffering severe skin irritation and possible blood-loss if they can't refrain from scratching.

Other, Unique facts, etc: Boil-worm mucus is stored within the very back of the creature and has a small number of uses, one in particular is that a pin tipped in the mucus works as a single-jab deterrant to Leeches who will immediately disconnect from their prey. The mucus can also be used to coat weapons and cause severe bleeding, internal and external, its a very rare choice though as Boil-worm mucus dries out and becomes worthless within ten minutes of being launched. For some assasins who store their own Worms that is ample time to infiltrate and maim, but for most, its just never considered.