Bestiary

Preface

A variety of beasts and monsters exist within Terrasphere. Below is a few examples of those inhabiting areas such as Falderen, Yladia, and Hyland. Members are allowed to come up with their own enemies.

Astorea

Bloodstalk

Jungles and thicker wooded areas are plagued by carnivorous plants of all shapes and sizes. One of the few lethal to larger creatures, including humanoids, is the Bloodstalk. When motionless it blends perfectly with other kinds of vines, but upon sensing the movement of prey it blindly lashes out much like a snake to strike with a venomous “mouth” at the end of its body. The bright red flower-like mouth is lined with venomous thorns that cause paralysis.

Size	Medium
Type	Carnivorous Plant
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Ensnare – The vines wrap around a foe, much like a large constrictor, and attempt to strangle or crush their prey.

Orc

Warbands and hunting parties of orcs were not a common sight until recent times, but their activity grows throughout the forests of Astorea. These green, gray, or brown-skinned humanoids are masterful fighters and adept survivalists. Despite their lumbering size, they show a surprising skill for stealth in wooded areas giving their ambushes great lethality. Orcs encountered in Astorea show no interest in peace or negotiations, focused solely on their raids. Common ranks of orcs encountered are warriors, trappers, warchiefs, and the occasional shaman.

Size	Medium
Type	Humanoid
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Berserk – Orcs are capable fighters, but the more damage they take the more dangerous they become. Rage fuels their speed and damage with every bit of damage suffered.

Specter Astorea is full of ruins and ruins are places full of secrets, both good and bad. Not everyone in the past had a happy ending and the ghosts of those full of resentment or slain through great violence linger in the rubble. Specters appear as transparent versions of who they were in life, often still showing injuries that killed them. They retain their minds and personalities, but have been driven mad by a hatred and jealousy of the living. Some seek to kill the living so they may join them in suffering while others seek to possess them to feel alive once more.

Size	Small to Medium
Type	Incorporeal Undead
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Incorporeal – Specters cannot be harmed by non-magical means. Weapons without any magical enchantment or buffs phase right through them as easily as these ghosts move through objects to ambush their targets.

Spriggan Spirits of the wilds and masters of Naturamancy, Spriggans are passive unless they feel a threat to the flora or fauna of their homes. Spriggans appear humanoid in shape, but with cervine legs and massive antlers that change from the wood of their body to sharply pointed bone. Their bark-like skin is constantly changing as plants grow and wither sporadically. Younger Spriggans can be told apart by their smaller antlers and the simple mosses and ferns growing from them. Ancient Spriggans have antlers so massive they couldn’t move through the forest if even the trees didn’t move out of their way in respect. Rare flowers and herbs decorate their bodies, as well as weapons lodged in their skin from mortals too weak to slay them.

Size	Medium
Type	Humanoid Plant
Behavior	Neutral
Ability	Treestride – All Spriggans are able to teleport by merging themselves with other plantlife, most commonly trees, to appear from another plant at will within a certain range. The oldest individuals can travel entire regions in a moment.

Flying Alligator It’s easy to hear ‘Flying Alligator’ and think it a joke, but some portions of the northern region of Astorea know how very serious a pairing of words that is. An immensely large beast began to nest at the border years back, but never cause issue. Now, however, her many offspring have grown. Juvenile Flying Alligators are exactly what they sound like. Horse-sized alligators with dragon-like wings and an appetite to match. They spend their days often lazing in water, but take to the skies en masse when disturbed. The flock members generally hunt on their own, but will defend their nest and their mother as a whirlwind of tooth and scale.

Size	Large
Type	Reptilian Monster
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Snap Maw – Like any self-respecting alligator, the Flying Alligators bite down on prey with unmatched power before rolling in an aptly named Death Roll to shred flesh and bone off the body. Unlike regular alligators, Flying Alligators also bite down on enemies and fly upwards before plummeting at incredibly speeds. Just before impact they swoop up to level out while releasing their prey to break them against rocks, packed earth, or water. Hitting water that fast is akin to hitting cement. Don’t get bit.

Brisshal

Dire Beasts

Due to ceaseless hunting both from Falderen hunters and players spawning in, the wildlife in Brisshal is incredibly out of balance. Even herbivores have turned much more aggressive out of defense. This has caused an increase in Dire versions of normal beasts. Larger and more powerful, these highly aggressive variants will unflinchingly attack anything that crosses their path. The most common of these are Dire Wolves, Dire Boars, Dire Bears, and Dire Stags.

Size	Medium and Larger
Type	Beast
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Dire versions of animals rarely have extra abilities, though they are all stronger. Some animals present with berserker modes upon hitting half or quarter health.

Slime

While there are certainly more dangerous varieties of oozes, the typical Slimes of Brisshal are small in size with a variety of effects depending on the color of their bodies. The small blobs of can cause anywhere from burning to electric damage, but the most common are the green acidic kind. They generally have little health and don’t deal much damage with their striking pseudopods so long as an enemy isn’t sucked into their main body.

Size	Small
Type	Ooze Monster
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Each colored Slime has a different ability. Red Slimes can appear like molten drops, dealing severe burns. The Black Slimes have tar-like bodies that trap foes to them. The rare Clear Slimes paralyze the prey caught inside of their bodies, as if stopping time. There are countless types of these enemies and despite their low danger level, it is suggested adventurers use caution.

Livestone

While Slimes are common throughout Brisshal, the Livestone is an incredibly rare creature found only in Brisshal’s caves, including the Starter Dungeon. It appears to be a regular boulder until it senses a meal nearby. The creature can create from one to four pseudopods, which it strikes out with or spins around the cave to knock prey prone or unconscious. Because of its sensitivity to light, it will remain hardened and passive when exposed to sunlight or Illumancy.

Size	Large
Type	Ooze Monster
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Stoneskin – A Livestone can harden its entire body to be as tough as rock, negating all damage but bludgeoning and Geomancy during the ability. However, it cannot move while hardened and must end the ability to attack.

Will-o-Wisp

A Will-o-Wisp is no evil spirit or malicious remnant of something foul. These Undead are whispers of lost souls, often of children, who wandered too far from home and met their early demise. Unaware of their deaths or the dangers that killed them, they hypnotize other beings and lead them to where they died in hopes of being taken home. Sadly, said location or beast generally kills their hapless helper too. While immune to physical damage, Will-o-Wisps have very little health and even the weakest magical cantrip can banish them for a time.

Size	Small
Type	Incorporeal Undead
Behavior	Docile
Ability	Charm – Gazing into the glowing orb and flowing smoke-like light of a Will-o-Wisp mesmerizes the target. The voice of the Will-o-Wisp tells them anything to get them to follow, often convincing them to come play with them, to help save them, or even to simply return home. Only banishing the Will-o-Wisp breaks the hold.

Crystallized Zalra

Zalrisis Beasts

Crystallized Zalra is blighted by an odd disease, Zalrisis, that turns organic matter into solid crystal. Both flora and fauna of the region are at risk of being turned entirely into it, but life thrives here all the same. Though it is painful while still growing, the infection is not lethal and many animals and monsters have adapted to flourish in the environment alongside their new flesh. Almost all livings things encountered in this region will have anywhere from a single tooth to their entire body turned into quartz, gemstones, and the like.

Size	Any
Type	Any
Behavior	Any
Ability	All crystallized beasts and monsters retain their intelligence and their abilities. Most kinds of crystal however are much stronger than flesh and many kinds of fighters can find themselves struggling to damage their hardened bodies.

Moonstone Werewolf

Wolves, Dire Wolves, and Werewolves are dangerous creatures to face, but the Moonstone Werewolves offer a far more lethal enemy. Their flesh has hardened into solid moonstone, their fur now shattered shards of crystal. They are difficult to harm and require no food, water, or rest. Whoever they were before they are now trapped in their bestial forms, forever roaming portions of Zalra that they have claimed for their own hunting grounds. Survivors claim they are capable of speech, but refuse to talk directly to their prey. Instead they speak to themselves of their mother moon and argue over who eats what organ.

Size	Medium
Type	Humanoid Monster
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Blighted Bite – The bite of members of this pack does not transmit lycanthropy. Instead, a bite left untreated runs the risk of infecting the victim with Zalra’s infamous crystal disease, Zalrisis.

Shardborn

Most dangerous in the region are obviously crystallized creatures moving in the crystal plantlife, but one creature does not hide its unnatural nature with familiar shapes. The Shardborn are assumed to be some form of Elemental, but what plane they could come from is unknown. They appear to detest the Nerra, going to far as to destroy the trees of the Glass Forest. These entities are all vaguely humanoid with bodies entirely made out of floating shards of crystal bound together with a magical force. They range from lightning fast versions that almost resemble humans and boasting large crystal blades for arms to massive golems the sizes of buildings who care fire spears of crystal at distant foes. The most dangerous are capable of casting their own magic, often crippling the mind with psychic blasts.

Size	Medium to Large
Type	Elemental
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Psionics – Regular Shardborn are limited to physical fighting, but the floating casters of their kind are able to unleash a variety of spells that target the mind. They can charm, deceive, sedate, confuse, and mentally harm those fool enough to get in range.

Forge Drake

Forge Drakes are coyote-sized nightmares for much of Crystallized Zalra. Rather than hunting down meat like creatures not yet turned to crystal or those that require no food who have succumbed to Zalrisis, the Drakes feed on the crystal itself. These wingless lizards can easily survive on the crystallized plantlife of the region, but seem to delight in hunting down animals instead. The packs, sometimes of up to twenty or more individuals, delight in chasing down any creature in the region with the slightest bit of flesh turned to gemstone. The fangs and claws of a Drake are perfect at cleaving straight through the hardened flesh, as if it were butter, and the intense heat their internal organs produce can melt the crystal into a smooth liquid they lap up. If their prey is only partially crystallized, they will devour every bit of crystal before leaving the creature otherwise unharmed in their wake. Adventures will find that the Forge Drakes are equally drawn to the scent of gold in pockets.

Size	Medium
Type	Reptilian Monster
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Searing Gaze – Forge Drakes are dangerous enough because of their numbers, but their mastery of heat gives them a further edge. The burning gaze of the group is literally that. Burning. Skin blisters and metal heats when these monsters set their sights on an enemy. Woe to the adventurer with heavy armor or metal weapon grips.

Nerra

With long, willowy bodies and mirrorlike skin, the Nerra are an unearthly beauty that unsettles even the most experienced of travelers. Little is known about them beyond their enjoyment of scaring, tricking, or killing those that wander into their sight. Nerra are found in only one place, The Glass Forest. They are rare and clever, hiding out of sight in reflective surfaces like the puddles along trails or the glassy bark of the crystal trees. They even hide inside the mirrored bodies of passing creatures infected with Zalrisis. Many have fallen to their broken shard weapons and cruel Phantasmia magics, but some claim to have escaped by entertaining them. Jokes, songs, art, or doing something interesting. The stories point to them enjoying betrayal of companions the most.

Size	Medium
Type	Elemental
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Hall of Mirrors – A Nerra can enter and exit any mirrored surface big enough for their bodies to move through. All mirrors seem connected for them, though how is unknown, and they can emerge from any other reflective surface. However, time still appears to move the same and they cannot instantaneously move from one to another.

Druuk

Pirate

Neither beast nor monster, but could be described as both by the common man, the pirates that populate and circle Druuk Island are unparalleled criminals. Of course, not all crews are immediately violent, but all are great opportunists. You survive so long as you are more powerful than they. Or useful. Different crews fly under different flags and take orders from different captains, but all adhere to a code of honor among thieves when in port. The high seas are another matter entirely.

Size	Medium
Type	Humanoid
Behavior	Neutral
Ability	Reinforcements – If you pick a fight with one crewman, you’re likely to find yourself in the middle of a bar brawl rather quickly. Pirates are quick to call out for their fellows and love a good fight. However, fights outside of towns and near ships can be a disaster waiting to happen. If it looks like the pirates on land might lose, desperate enemies or heartless captains may call for the cannons to be fired on you.

Flying Snapbeak

The shorelines, sandbars, and reefs around coastal areas are plagued by a tough and surly beast. Snapbeaks appear like ordinary snapping turtles. Or would, if they weren't twice the size with a shell that can split into two armored wings. They cannot fly due to their weight, but are able to launch themselves out of water and across short distances on land. They are careful about this due to the soft flesh of their unprotected back being exposed while their wings are spread. The barnacled, shelled beasts are luckily very lazy and so long as an enemy gains enough distance they soon give up the fight. A famous pirate captain was said to have used the carved off wing of a Snapbeak as a shield and many stories tell of her breaking even a leviathan's teeth upon the hard, jagged material.

Size	Medium
Type	Aquatic Beast
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Shellshock – A Flying Snapbeak lunges from the water or nearby land to attack an enemy, stunning them with a heavy hit. The rugged texture of the monster also causes awful skin abrasions.

Hydra

Easily twice the size of your average horse, these multi-headed reptilians are as deadly in water as on land. Hydras can have anywhere from a singular neck and head to well over ten. Each head removed generates two more, creating a flurry of attacks that are near impossible to block and dodge as the number of heads grows. They primarily hunt in the water and eat large amounts of fish, but maliciously enjoy fighting smarter prey like humans closer inland.

Size	Large
Type	Amphibious Monster
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Flurry of Fangs – As a hydra gains more and more heads it becomes more and more deadly. Each head is capable of striking and thinking independently, but not with enough intelligence to fight for dominance with each other. Instead, they coordinate incredibly fast strikes meant to force their enemies into the bite of another head.

Hangmen

Slain by Falderen military or fellow pirates, Hangmen are a common tale on ships passed from sailor to sailor. An inglorious death at the hand of anything but the sea is a shameful way to die for those without a home on land. They rise from their graves, endlessly seeking their ships and captains and the waves they called home. For the crimes that led them to the gallows, they are cursed to never rejoin the sea. They are too far gone for redemption and driven by their hunger for home and a worsening hunger for flesh.

Size	Medium
Type	Humanoid Undead
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Cursed – Other undead can be cut down or smited, but Hangmen are cursed. There is no rest for them and regardless of how they are destroyed, their bodies, ashes, and the like will eventually reform in their graves where they will rise again to seek the sea. In battle, a Hangmen not crippled or torn apart will keep getting back up regardless of its health. Fire helps. Lots and lots of fire.

Haunt

Places of great tragedy have a great power all their own and sometimes create what are know as Haunts. A Haunt is less an individual or group of ghosts and more of a sentient location. They are akin to trapped zones, lashing out at those who cross paths with them and trigger an attack. Shipwrecks, sites of betrayals, mass graveyards, housefires, and the like provide the perfect storm of negative emotion and tormented souls to manifest these occurrences. Getting rid of a Haunt is nearly impossible without powerful, divine magic to unbind the collected souls from the location. Every hapless person who falls victim to a Haunt joins it, their soul trapped in the tangle of beings. Every new soul is a new set of hands and a greater fury.

Size	Any
Type	Undead Mass
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Desperate Hold – A Haunt isn’t necessarily sentient, but has enough intelligence from the combined souls trapped there to know how to hurt. Hundreds of thousands of spectral hands burst from the area to grab or claw at targets. Haunts in water, quicksand, or similar are the most dangerous of these kinds due to how easy drownings are to commit.

Dunnstads

Giant Crab

Most dangers of the sea stay in the sea, but the Giant Crabs are no such mercy. These large critters are at home wherever they go and can be found startlingly far inland in the region. Their bright red and chitinous plating is difficult to crack and the huge claws can be quicker than one expects. A Giant Crab will oftentimes grab onto prey and proceed to slam it into the ground or nearby rocks, as if to crack it open. Luckily they seem easily distracted by shiny things to which they are attracted. Many of the creatures can be seen fixing shining rocks or pieces of metal to their shells.

Size	Large
Type	Aquatic Beast
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Pincer – The claws of a Giant Crab are powerful indeed. Their Pincer attack can crack metal almost as easy as it can crack bone. Once you’re in their grasp it is nearly impossible to be freed without the Crab willing or destroying the claw itself.

Fishmen

Serpents and riptides aren’t the only danger on the high seas. Strange fishfolk populate many underwater formations and sometimes even open ocean. While normally content to hunt underwater, land-dwellers can find themselves competing with the beings over fishing waters. These monsters are far more fishlike than human, though are all capable of walking bipedal on land for limited time and have hands fit for wielding weapons. Spearmen, Net-Casters, and Tidespeaker mages are various kinds that those wandering Dunnstads find themselves at odds with.

Size	Medium
Type	Humanoid Monster
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Ocean’s Blessing – Tidespeaker Fishmen can make use of every drop of their home, commanding Hydromancy spells of various levels. Strength varies with individual, but all are adept at dragging under anyone fool enough to come too close to the depths.

Siren

The small villages of the Dunnstads coastline are full of salt of the earth peoples, many of them having lived their lives on or by the sea. With it, comes superstitions. Fishbone charms, windchimes, odd kites, and the like dot these villages and all will swear that their charms are the ones that keep the Sirens and their songs away. The sea around Dunnstads is full of these half-woman half-fish monsters that delight in singing other beings to their watery doom. There are many kinds of fish they are mixed with, often matching the kind of fish found in their region and depth. Most are voracious hunters who lure folks with promises of what they most desire, but some can be curious enough to speak with land-dwellers. They rarely use weapons, preferring their sharp nails and shark-toothed mouths.

Size	Medium
Type	Aquatic Humanoid
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Serenade – All sirens have a song entirely unique to that individual. It is unknown what language they actually are singing in, since each listener will hear their song as promises of their desires in the listener’s mother tongue. This song charms the listener and compels them to swim into the grasp of the Siren. Only a powerful will, an act of magic, a severe injury, or mercy from the Siren can free them.

Plague Rat

Inland Dunnstads is full to the brim with fertile farms that provide much of the food to Pormont and all of Dunnstads’ many villages and ports. Humans, Faerins, Felis, and the like aren’t the only ones who get a good meal. Rats the size of your neighbor’s cat gnaw their way into granaries, cilos, cellars, shops, and homes daily. Their shaggy, greasy, brown fur is matted and full of pests like ticks, fleas, and mites. They have an awful temper and will attack just as boldly alone as they would in a swarm.

Size	Small
Type	Mammalian Beast
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Diseased – Both taking from and dealing damage to a Plague Rat can be risky business. The foul beasts carry countless diseases in their blood and spit, while their pelts are home to bugs carrying even more illnesses. Bites, scratches, and blood splatter are all weapons for these beasts.

Anteloper

Once common in Pormont, the Antelopers have moved farther south into Dunnstads to escape predation by the Grass Gnolls. These graceful cervines are colorful mixes of yellows, oranges, and reds that are reminiscent of a sunset. Between their horns and their three pairs of legs, Antelopers are easily one of the fastest creatures known in all the regions. Their two, spiralling black horns rise from their foreheads and meld together to form a singular tip with which they can manipulate the wind to increase their speed as they please. They are incredibly noble in looks and temperament, often allowing people to draw close so long as they don’t pose a threat or otherwise attempt to touch one. Noble houses in Dunnstads often bicker over who best deserves the beast for their crest while nobles in Pormont fume over the regional shift of their prized heraldry beast.

Size	Medium
Type	Mammalian Beast
Behavior	Neutral
Ability	Gore – The two, spiraled horns of the Antelopers are generally through which they cast the Aeromancy passive magic that gives them their speed. However, they serve just as well as lances. An Antelopers magically gifted speed coupled with the unbreakable antlers makes for a painful and deadly charge straight through most creatures.

Esuilus

Spore Thrall

The spore storms of Esuilus are notoriously toxic, but another danger lurks. A rare species of fungus in the region occasionally infects animals and monsters of all shapes and sizes to turn into walking breeding grounds. These corpses are puppeteered by the fungus, appearing much like your typical undead besides the grotesque mushrooms and lichens growing out of their bodies. The fungal growths glow bright enough to even be visible inside the bodies of their victims.

Size	Small to Large
Type	Any
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	All Spore Thralls keep the abilities and fighting styles of their regular types, unless it requires sentient levels of intelligence, as the fungus can only mimic rather than think for itself.

The Hive

Not all things possessed by the spores are mindless puppets. Regular ants in the world are able to farm fungus like a man would crops. In Esuilus, they do the same. The Hive are a widespread collection of cat-sized ants that live in harmony with the glowing growths that turn others into corpse slaves. Each ant is solid black in color, but decorated with swirling patterns, jagged stripes, or scattered speckles of glowing spores. Their “anthill” stretches beneath nearly the entire region of Esuilus and it’s not uncommon to find the holes that lead down into their nest below. While they occasionally scavenge, these insects are picky. The hivemind of The Hive demands only the best food for their larva and the spores they tend to.

Size	Small
Type	Insectoid Monster
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	One Mind – The Hive are connected as one being made of countless parts and do not need to communicate with one another. What one knows or sees, they all do. They use this often in combat to outplay and overwhelm their targets. When in danger, they can even pile together to form a giant mass in the shape of other animals or beings that The Hive has seen to fight as.

Carrion Crawler

Be careful that what you kill is worth it, for the smell of death draws monsters of all kinds closer in hopes of a meal. One of the worst is the Carrion Crawler. These monsters are grossly bloated maggots that scuttle about after the smell of rot on many, spindly legs. They are always heralded by a foul smell and boast a voracious appetite. They prefer to act as scavengers, but will attack anything stupid enough not to run at the first whiff of them on the air. They generally ignore their own kind, but will fight with each other over food. They lack the intelligence to work together.

Size	Medium
Type	Insectoid Monster
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Feeding Frenzy – Large amounts of corpses or injuries dealt to a Carrion Crawler create so awful a stench it acts like a vulture signaling to others. The longer you stay, the greater the chance a swarm of the foul creatures will find you.

Roper

The Ropers of Esuilus have adapted to blend into the underside of mushroom caps, disguise themselves as rotted tree trunks, and most commonly as harmless rock formations. They are impossible to see until they move to strike, lashing out with long tendrils to haul prey closer to their needle-toothed maws set beneath a single eye. Attacking tendrils does no damage to the beast and only striking the main body can rid the area of these ambush predators. The most dangerous are those high above that are difficult to hit and have a habit of dropping prey to damage them in the fall before grabbing them again.

Size	Large
Type	Monster
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Regeneration – Ropers can almost immediately regrow their lost or damaged tendrils and, if left alone for a day or so, can completely heal damage dealt to their bodies.

Myconid

The Myconid are a colorful, monstrous race of fungal beings. Their shapes and sizes come in untold varieties and colors, all with the ability to create their own spore clouds and survive the toxic spore storms of their home. They are neutral and shy by nature, but will turn aggressive when approached, cornered, or defending a location. If any method of communication exists for them, it has yet to be discovered. Those who have tried to speak peacefully with them have either been left incapacitated or dead, depending on the color myconid they crossed paths with.

Size	Small to Large
Type	Humanoid Monster
Behavior	Neutral
Ability	All Myconids can create a spore cloud, much like the spore storms of the region, depending on their types. Yellow and gold create paralyzing spores, green and brown create poisonous spores, blue and white create sleeping spores, red create blinding spores, and black and purple create necrotic spores.

Hyland

Crag Cat

Screams of terror echoing across the mountains is a deceptive ploy used by the Crag Cats, a species of big cats that hunt in the high altitude. Their cries mimic those of a person in distress, but they don’t require a foolish do-gooder to wander their way. These beasts are phenomenal trackers. Their pure white fur allows them to blend into the upper peaks throughout the year, but roam farther down during the winter to find more prey.

Size	Medium
Type	Mammalian Beast
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Spellshed – The pure white fur and skin of a Crag Cat has the odd ability to resist magical damage, use the mana to energize themselves, and even reflect a spell back at the caster.

Yeth Hound

At first glance, a Yeth Hound looks like an oddly large, ash colored hound. It isn’t until they turn to face you that the truth is clear. The heads of these monsters are human faces emerging from the furred neck of a canine. Their eyes glow red and curling fangs jut from their lips. They hunt in pairs at night and are deathly afraid of the sun, though sunlight and magical light do not harm them.

Size	Medium
Type	Canine Monster
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Frighten – The barks and howls of a Yeth Hound instill fear in their prey. Enemies are compelled to either flee from them or are frozen in place from the terror. Those who survive an encounter are plagued by nightmares for weeks afterwards.

Earth Elemental

Elementals are rare due to the requirement of Summoning magic or rifts between the worlds, but Hyland is a glaring exception. The mountains are plagued with Earth Elementals that ambush camps and travelers, cause tremors and landslides, and often meld back into the mountain before being slain. These magical embodiments of Geomancy are made of various kinds of rock cobbled together into a body, protecting a central core that looks much like a glowing pearl. Destroying the core of an Elemental is the only way to slay it for good. They are sometimes accompanied by monstrous Stone Dwarves who defer to the Elementals.

Size	Medium and Larger
Type	Elemental
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Tremor – All Earth Elementals are able to create small earthquakes and tremors, either by will or by physically slamming the ground around them. When they use their bodies to create them, they are able to summon spires of shape stone from the ground to skewer opponents and deal extra damage.

Stone Dwarf

Ancient stories of the Dwarves depict advanced underground cities and an honest, if rugged folk. Whether there was ever truth to that is a mystery, as the Dwarves sighted now are nothing by monsters. They stand roughly the size of a Faerin, with a far thicker build. Their clothes are hair are dirty and disheveled, braids half ruined and dirt ruining the fine golden thread of their tunics and armor. The Dwarves appear from old passages into the mountains to attack passing people and animals before vanishing back into the depths. They speak in mumbling words of two different languages, but there is little intelligence to be found in their eyes. Instead, they seem to defer to the Earth Elementals.

Size	Small
Type	Humanoid Monster
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Parties of Stone Dwarves are always accompanied by at least one Lesser Earth Elemental and wield intricate, but ancient weapons. They are immune to Geomancy and are all capable of basic Geomancy spells when in the presence of an Earth Elemental.

Freezer Bison

Unlike most herd animals, Freezer Bison are highly competitive for food and will attack or ignore another one that is in danger. They attack travelers even more willingly. Rather than herding together for defense, they do so for the sake of breeding and eating those that die in the inhospitable climate. These large animals have thick white coats to protect from the cold and make good use of the short, but sturdy horns jutting from their temples. Despite such aggression, they are seen as animals rather than monsters. There is no evil in their assaults, just a desperate need to survive.

Size	Large
Type	Mammalian Beast
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Glacial Charge – A single Freezer Bison is a one-beast army. They start slow with aggressive displays and a slow, shuffling step closer to their enemy. With a speed and momentum that defies their size, they suddenly charge and trample anything in their path. Herds do not protect one another, but a herd on the move is a kind of natural disaster. Anything caught between the herd and their destination is leveled. It’s rare, but even villages have been turned nearly to rubble by a panicked or impatient group of Freezer Bison.

Norfova

Bloodcursed Beasts

Animals of all shapes and sizes that once flourished in Norfova have been corrupted by the curse of blood magic that has leached into the very soil of the region. These Bloodcursed versions of normal animals are often somewhat larger than their smaller cousins, much like Dire versions of beasts. They all share maddened minds, twisted instincts, bloodlust, and physical corruption that is often in the form of disgusting growths, emaciation, partially rotted bodies, or mutations such as extra limbs or eyes. All give off a faint magical presence. The most commonly encountered are the infamous Bloodcursed Wolves.

Size	Small and Larger
Type	Beast
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Most of these corrupted animals retain the same skill set as their normal and Dire versions. However, the rarest of these creatures have passive Hemomancy skills or spells.

Garuda

High above the mountains, mesas, and cliffs of the Norfova wasteland are massive eagles the size of horses casting far larger shadows on the world below. These large birds boast ruddy orange and red plumage with dizzying white patterns on the undersides of their wings. Their talons are easily a foot long each on average, but are made more for clinging to rock than hunting. They are often scavengers and passive, save a curious nature, toward intruders in their territories. Grow too close to a nest, however, and prepare for the fury of the parents. And the rest of the extended family.

Size	Large
Type	Avian Beast
Behavior	Neutral
Ability	Thundurus Shriek – A Garuda's cry can shatter eardrums, the sound echoing for miles across the wasteland that will often summon others of its kind to aid it. Or to join the feast.

Inkwing Wasp

The vague shapes of humanoids trapped in a black hive-like mass of secretions can occasionally be spotted in clusters throughout the wastes. These are the corpses-turned-nests of the Inkwing Wasps. A subspecies of giant wasp native only to Norfova, these vicious creatures are roughly the size of your average hawk. Their bodies are so deep a red it appears black until the harsh sun above Norfova hits them, turning them a bright scarlet. Their name comes from the black wings that buzz a warning to travelers and the black ink substance they fire at their foes. They have a nasty habit of turning enemies into nests and laying eggs in them. Tread carefully.

Size	Medium
Type	Insectoid Beast
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Ink Spray – The wasps, as there is rarely just one, spray a black ichor from their stingers that hardens almost immediately. When an enemy has been incapacitated in the cement-like casing, and all other threats are neutralized, they begin to build a new nest around the body to feed their offspring.

Giant Leech

Water is a precious resource in the cursed region and, while most creatures act peacefully around it to be able to drink their fill, some take advantage. Giant Leeches, possible having moved and adapted from wetter jungle climates, have invaded some bodies of water throughout Norfova. They have a pale white body that is nearly see-through and grow roughly to arm-length. When well-fed, their bloated and blood-filled stomachs are visible through their fragile skin.

Size	Medium
Type	Aquatic Beast
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Bloodletting – A leech bite, even without it actively attached and drinking, can be incredibly dangerous. Their saliva prevents blood clotting and resists magical healing.

Harpy

These half-human, half-bird creatures are an intelligent race of hunters. Their societies are secretive and often considered savage, like the gnoll packs of Pormont, but are often left alone because of their reclusive nature. A harpy and her flock do not attack unless their territory or sisters are in danger. Harpies can be mixed with any kind of bird, though flocks are often similar to one another, and use a variety of ranged weaponry. When they draw in for a close fight, they make use of their wicked talons. Some flocks have tamed Garudas that fight, hunt, and nest with them in their homes in the high caves of cliffsides.

Size	Medium
Type	Humanoid Monster
Behavior	Neutral
Ability	Serenade – The song of a harpy is enchanting, luring in those with weak wills and putting them under the control of the harpy flock. The charm can be broken by magical interference, a strong willpower, or by walking into the harpy's grasp. When close to one, the song becomes a blood-curdling shriek like nails on a chalkboard as the illusion breaks.

Pormont

Grass Gnoll

Pormont is stalked by a large number of hyena-like humanoids known as the Grass Gnolls. Semi-nomadic, matriarchal by nature, and prone to high levels of aggression, the Gnolls are a dangerous enemy when in decent numbers. A lone Gnoll will flee rather than fight, but once in the company of its packmates the tides turn quickly. Their culture is often criticized as savage and primitive, but very few people have lived long enough to make it into a pack's camp or witness their interactions when not at war. Common varieties of this enemy are Hunter and Berserker class Gnolls. In massive raids or warparties one may find themselves facing down the terrifying Gnoll Felmancers or the Grass Gnoll Matriarch of the pack.

Size	Medium
Type	Humanoid Monster
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Pack Tactics – The more there are, the stronger they are. These hyenamen provide each other buffs in combat in the form of war cries and howls while they gang up on foes with both melee and ranged fighters.

Chirper

Chirpers are yellow-feathered creatures somewhere between a baby chick and a penguin, often only two or three feet tall. Long antennae extend from their foreheads to detect danger, prey, and to channel electricity. They are common in plains, namely those of Brisshal and Pormont, but there is tell of rarer varieties in other regions. They are weak and cowardly birds, fleeing most dangers. Weaker enemies are ganged up on and bullied with vicious pecking. The small flocks stick together, but occasional strays can be found. These individuals are incredibly tame and follow those that offer food or affection.

Size	Small
Type	Avian Beast
Behavior	Docile
Ability	Spark Whip – Chirpers attack with their antennae, swinging them at a close target and attempting to stun their attacker. It's rumored some Chirpers can shoot sparks like a projectile however there is no proof yet to the claim.

Manticore

These wingless Manticores hunt the low mountains of Pormont in spring and summer. During fall and winter, however, villagers in the lowlands had best be wary. This species of Manticore has the body of a lion, the curving horns and back hooves of a goat, and a scaled tail ending in a snake’s head. It is unsure if the two heads share a mind, can communicate, or act entirely independently of one another. What is surely known is the lethal pattern of their fighting style and just how effective it is.

Size	Large
Type	Hybrid Monster
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Manticores stand out in the differences of their abilities. All of them use their horns as battering rams to stun opponents, leaving an opening for their tails to strike. Depending on the type of snake, their venom can have different effects. Most commonly the venom cause a rotting of the flesh or paralysis, but some claim one simply puts its prey to sleep. So deep a sleep the Manticore can eat them alive without waking them.

Kelpie

The shoreline of Pormont is a far safer place to be than the regions further south, but even it is not without dangers. Formed from the foam of the sea, majestic steeds ride from the nightly tides across the rolling fields of the region. Foolish travelers or youth out late may find themselves tossed onto the back of these beautiful mounts and whisked away. They frolic and allow themselves to be ridden until they grow near enough to the shore. Suddenly their tempers turn and their bodies begin to rot as they race for the water, intent on drowning their rider. Those who fight a Kelpie onland break the illusion and must be careful not to be trampled beneath their water-logged hooves.

Size	Large
Type	Undead Beast
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Charge – There is no mortal alive faster than a charging Kelpie. Running was never an option. A Kelpie prefers to fight by kicking or biting, but have no qualms slamming their considerable bulk into slow-moving targets to prone them. If you aren’t on your feet, then you’re under theirs.

Troll

Stupid as stupid can be, but a dangerous foe nonetheless. Trolls are lesser giants and adapted to the rough terrain of the low mountainous region they call home. Their skin is a sickly grey with splotches of green and blue and draped with long strands of greasy black hair. While their short legs and long arms make them look clumsy, they are surprisingly quick and nimble on the rocks and slopes. It’s a small mercy these powerful idiots are too dumb to make and use weapons.

Size	Large
Type	Humanoid Monster
Behavior	Aggressive
Ability	Regeneration – Trolls can regrow their limbs in a few days time and, should the removed limb be big enough, grow new trolls from the severed pieces. Only fire and acid damage can prevent their incredibly fast healing.