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Tweak says, "omg! my butts gone!!"

Midsummer Nights Mod Journal (midsummer_mods) wrote,
@ 2008-08-12 16:18:00

The Beastiary

THE BEASTIARY
. . . mythical creatures of the Craftlands
jump to...
Dragons. Gryphons. Heartlost. Lampyridae.
Nyxen. Pegasi. Phoenix. Rock Wolves.
Salamanders. Sprites. Storm Wings. Taroch. Unicorns.

In addition to ordinary fowl, beasts, and other creatures such as bears, rabbits, sparrows, etc that are also found on Earth, The Craftlands are home to a number of more dangerous, magical beasts...

DANGER SCALE
1 – Not Very Dangerous / Benevolent
2 – Slightly Dangerous / Occasionally Tamable
3 – Moderately Dangerous / Occasionally Tamable
4 – Moderately Dangerous / Untamable
5 – Very Dangerous / Untamable
6 – Extremely Dangerous / Untamable

DRAGONS
Dragon is the name given to particular breed of creature and there are actually several sub-breeds of dragon:

--WYVERNS
Level: 6
Life Span: 500 Years
Weaknesses: Water. Shadow. Sensitive underbellies.
Intelligence: Wyverns have an intelligence level on par with that of animals such as eagles or falcons.
Location: The Carthak Mountains and Deep in the Western Caves
Special Uses: The scales of young wyverns are used to make counterfeit gold or copper coins. Full grown wyvern scales give off heat and are often use to warm rooms in the winter.

Also known as “Fire-Type Dragons” or “Red Dragons”, wyverns are the fire breathing beasts that are depicted in most fairy-tales or classical Earth myths about dragons. They are the largest of the breeds, being easily larger than a house or a barn, and have a huge wingspan that makes them powerful flyers. They are covered in scales with a raised ridge of spikes along their backs from the tip of their noses to the tip of their tail. They have a crown of horns around their heads, which allows them to perform a form of attack known as a “Charge” in which they bow their heads and rush their opponent. When they are young wyverns are a dark gold color or copper color. Once they are full grown their scales turn any shade from light carnation red to very dark blood red.

--DRAKE
Level: 6
Life Span: 500 Years
Weaknesses: Earth. Sensitive underbellies.
Intelligence: Drake have an intelligence level on par with that of animals such as sharks or crocodiles.
Location: Lake Maeb and areas near the Imlan River
Special Uses: Drake scales can be used to purify water.

Also known as “Water-Type Dragons” or “Blue Dragons”, drake are long, thin, and sinewy. They aren’t able to fly. Instead, the wing like appendages that grow from their backs are actually fins that allow them to move with lightening quick speed through the water. They range in size from eight to twenty feet in length and are very rare. They have powerful teeth and fangs and they are able to manipulate the body of water in which they submerge themselves. When they are young drake are clear and transparent. Once they are full grown their scales turn any shade from light robin’s egg blue to dark violet blue.

--WYRMS
Level: 6
Life Span: 500 Years
Weaknesses: Air. Fire. Blind.
Intelligence: Drake have an intelligence level on par with that of wild animals such as wolves.
Location: The Elderwoods, The Weywoods, and The Erebus Moors
Special Uses: None

Also known as “Earth-Type Dragons” or “Green Dragons”, wyrms don’t have arms or legs, but instead move on their bellies in the same way that snakes do. They can move quickly over dry land, with a speed faster than that of a horse. Their favorite and most used trick, however, is to burrow underground. A wyrm has a very long, slender body that is completely covered in hard scales, a line of spikes the run down it’s back, and a pair of curved horns on either side of its head. Wyrms range in size from twenty to forty feet long. Wyrms are blind and rely on the vibrations of the earth and their strong sense of smell in order to find their target. They range in color from bright green to dark forest green.

--IMPS
Level: 3
Life Span: 500 Years
Weaknesses: Earth. Shiny things.
Intelligence: Imps have an intelligence only slightly less than that of a human.
Location: Anywhere
Special Uses: Although they are very difficult to tame, imps can make good pets.

Also known as “Air-Type Dragons” or “White Dragons”, imps are the most mild but also the most clever of their species. Imps have short legs and long bodies with wide spanned wings that allow them to fly, glide, and hover effortlessly. They have a single horn in the middle of their heads and their bite is poisonous. Imps are small in size, usually no bigger than a foot in size. The majority of imps spend their entire lives simply collecting anything "shiny" for their nests and are drawn to anything metallic or sparkly like bees to honey. They are very clever and are good at causing trouble and mayhem. However they can also be very cute and like to be petted. Imps range in color from white to pale gray.

GRYPHONS
Level: 4
Life Span: 300 Years
Weaknesses: Fire. Bright light.
Intelligence: Gryphons have an intelligence a few degrees less than that of a human
Location: The Carthak Mountains
Special Uses: Their feathers are used in the creation of truth spells and truth potions.

Gryphons are creatures with the head, beak, and wings of an eagle but the body of a lion and a long sinewy tail like that of a serpent. Growing as tall as a human, gryffon are dangerous creatures and can cause a lot of damage. They protect their nests and guard their young with ferocious determination, making their homes from thick branches and their own feathers in hard-to-reach places on rocky mountain plateaus. They mate only once in their entire life, producing only one egg, so it's not advisable to get between a parent and their chick. It is impossible to speak lies in the presence of a gryffon.

HEARTLOST TREE
Level: 6
Life Span: Immortal unless killed
Weaknesses: Fire. Hibernate in the Winter and Fall.
Intelligence: The Heartlost Tree has an intelligence on par with creatures like trapdoor spiders.
Location: Queen Daltima ordered all Heartlost trees to be burned, so now they exist only in The Weywoods.
Special Uses: These fruit can be carefully harvested and used for it's paralyzing qualities. The flowers can also be carefully harvested for their pheremone qualities.

Heartlosts are the most dangerous thing in The Craftlands. They look like a beautiful tree with silvery bark, bright glossy green leaves, and long scarlet vines. From very early Spring, the tree is covered in a profusion of dipping sprays of beautiful gold flowers that follow and emphasise the weeping form of the tree. In the late spring and summer red, pear shaped fruit grows among the branches. A stunning piece of botany seemingly, but the Heartlost tree is a hunter and a killer. The tree gives off a scent much like pheremone, which lures anyone who smells the fragrance towards it and one taste of the fruit is paralyzis the eater. There are all mechanisms in order to get it's prey within reach of the tree's crimson vines, which can move to wrap around the victim, allowing the tree to eat them. Heartlost Trees feed on the pain of it's prey as much as on the prey itself.

LAMPYRIDAE
Level: 1
Life Span: 10 Days
Weaknesses: Killed by own defense mechanism
Intelligence: Lampyridae have an intelligence average to most insects
Location: Any marshlands or boggy area
Special Uses: Upon aggravation, the lampyridae will burst into flame, providing a good source for fire if desperate.

Also known as Phoenix Beetles, Lampyridae are small beetles that are known to glow in the dark. As long as they do not feel threatened, they're harmless and have actually been known to land on humans deep within the marsh. Like many small bugs, a single lampyridae can cause little to no harm. When aggravated or threatened, they will burst into flame as a defensive mechanism, but a single lampyridae can only leave the slightest burn upon the flesh. If a swarm is threatened, however, or they feel the need to protect their nest, the lampyridae will chase after their target. Only one need ignite to cause a chain reaction and set the entire swarm alight, causing a great deal of damage. This defense also kills them instantly.

NYXEN
Level: 6
Life Span: 100 Years
Weaknesses: Fire. Bright light. Sensitive sense of smell.
Intelligence: Nyxen have an intelligence level slightly greater than that of horses.
Location: The Black Valley and The Erebus Moor
Special Uses: Nyxen hooves are almost harder than diamonds and when shaped into a dagger, they are nearly indestructible. Hair from a nyxen's tail and mane can be used to fashion the strings of instruments and bows that are sturdier and more durable than usual.

Nyxen resembled Pegasi, except they are darker in color and their diet has changed them, giving them fangs and cloven, claw-like hooves that are razor sharp. Their eyes are black and very large, allowing them to see best in the dark. Nyxen are meat eaters and their diet has been known to include anything from field mice to humans. For this reason most of the Nyxen in the western lands were hunted and killed off, however they still exist in the eastern regions. A nyxen’s large eyes makes it very sensitive to bright light and their also have very powerful and thus delicate sense of smell.

PEGASI
Level: 1
Life Span: 100 Years
Weaknesses: Fire
Intelligence: Pegasi have an intelligence level slightly greater than that of horses.
Location: Special farms that breed them.
Special Uses: Pegasi are rare and those that can afford to buy and / or own them use them for transportation.

Pegasi are large horses with massive wings. They are extremely rare and are usually only found in places that breed them specially. Due to their scarcity they are also extremely expensive and a single Pegasus can cost three times its weight in gold to buy.

PHOENIX
Level: 4
Life Span: Immortal
Weaknesses: Water
Intelligence: Unknown.
Location: Unknown. Occasionally sighted briefly in various areas.
Special Uses: Phoenix feathers radiate heat and light and so are often used for illumination and/or warming up a room in the winter.

Phoenix are elusive, magnificent fire birds with brilliant red and gold feathers that seem to flame. Phoenix are sometimes glimpsed from afar and their feathers are often found but no one has ever gotten close to these birds nor seen one for more than a few seconds.

ROCK WOLVES
Level: 4
Life Span: 50 years
Weaknesses: Sensitive Hearing. Fire.
Intelligence: Rok Wolves have an intelligence level on par with that of normal wolves.
Location: The Colorwoods, The Western Caves, The Thistlewoods, The Barokai Hills, The Erebus Moor, and The Carthak mountains.
Special Uses: Rock Wolf hides are often used as armor.

Rock Wolves are much like their ordinary counterpart in social structure and hunting patterns, however they are far more fierce and territorial. Rock Wolves are slightly larger than ordinary wolves and have fangs that overlap their jaw, like those of a sabertooth tiger. Their eyes are set wider apart and further back in their heads. Rock Wolves have powerful teeth and claws that can actually break and cut stone allowing them to build dens in solid rock. Their skin is very tough beneath their fur and it takes a great amount of force and strength to penetrate a Rock Wolf's hide with a blade. They are dark gray in color and their eyes are dark gold. Rock Wolves are frightened of fire and they have a very strong sense of hearing that makes then sensitive to loud noises.

SALAMANDERS
Level: 5
Life Span: 200 years
Weaknesses: Fire. Attracted to Gold & Gems. Their Blindness
Intelligence: Salamanders have an intelligence just slightly less than that of a human. Some older Salamanders are capable of speech.
Location: The Elderwoods and The Weywoods. Female Salamanders with kits make their homes in underground caverns and caves called dens, while solitary male Salamanders live inside the trunks of very large trees.
Special Uses: None

Salamanders are huge, human sized lizards that are dark green or brown in color. They have sharp burs on the back of their feet and wrists and the tip of their tails that are extremely poisonous, which they use to kill their prey. They are blind but have an extremely sharp sense of hearing, smell, and taste that more than compensates for their lack of sight. Salamanders usually feed on larger forest animals such as deer, and sometimes rabbits or boars. Salamanders have also been known to go into human farms to kill and eat livestock such as cows and sheep. Salamanders have an intense love of gold and gems and they will attack humans to acquire these treasures, storing them in large hordes inside their dens. Salamanders can occasionally be bribed with such treasures. The opposite happens as well; in which a Salamander has kidnapped a human in order to ransom them back in exchange for gold and jewels.

SPRITES
Level: 2
Life Span: 500 years
Weaknesses: Opposing Element.
Intelligence: Sprites have an intelligence level on par with that of dogs.
Location: Sprites can be found in any natural environment corresponding with their element. Lightening sprites are usually found in areas where there has been a recent thunder / lightening storm. Shadow sprites are usually found in places like underground cellars or pantries, caves, or other places where sunlight is blocked out.
Special Uses: Sprites are very handy as pets and companions.

Sprites are tiny particles of concentrated elements that form spontaneously. They usually range in size from a marble to a baseball depending on their age and tend to appear as luminous balls of colored light (the color corresponding to what type of sprite they are). Sprites are very powerful and have the ability to control and harness the element from which they come. Fire Sprites, fire instance, can ignite flames, make themselves or surrounding air very warm, etc. There are six different types of sprite: Water (blue), Earth (green), Air (yellow), Fire (red), Lightening (white), and Shadow (black).

STORM WING
Level: 4
Life Span: 20 Years
Weaknesses: Their only weak spot is the neck, as everywhere else is covered by metal feathers. Their young.
Intelligence: Storm Wings have an intelligence level slightly greater than that of major hunting birds likes falcons and hawks.
Location: Mountains.
Special Uses: Their feathers, as heavy as they are, can be worked into armour and weapons that prove invaluable with their supreme defense and attack qualities.

Storm Wing birds are an oddity even by Craftland standards. Their feathers are metallic which makes them very sharp and gives the birds extreme defensive capabilities. Anyone coming in contact with a Stymphalian would be speared to death in short order. They roost in high places in mountainous areas, but their feathers are so heavy they can't actually fly. Stymphy young, however, have downy feathers that make them just as vulnerable as other birds and it takes around two weeks for their metal feathers to grow in.

TAROCH
Level: 5
Life Span: 50 years
Weaknesses: Very bright light. Fire
Intelligence: Taroch have an intelligence level slightly greater than that of ordinary spiders.
Location: The Western Caves and caverns in The Carthak Mountains
Special Uses: Taroch web silk is tough enough that, after proper refinement, it can be used to create nets of all kinds for trapping, fishing, baiting and so on. With dyes added and the silk weaved, it can be sewn into bags and clothes and is a popular choice for formal gowns and accessories.

Taroch are giant spiders almost one metre in diameter with bright green eyes, sharp teeth and long legs that curve under it to double its size when extended. They can often look like innocent cloth heaps in the darkness, luring the unwary into a false sense of security as they lay down to sleep. By morning, they wake to find themselves imprisoned by spider webs so thick, sticky and tough they're impossible to break without help. Like any spider, they can spin beautiful webs and produce silk threads that are perfect for weaving fabrics and nets. They move fast, can see in the dark by sensing the vibrations of movement, and can paralyse their prey by wrapping them tightly in webbing.

UNICORNS
Level: 4
Life Span: 2000 years
Weaknesses: Fire
Intelligence: Unicorns have an intelligence level high above that of ordinary horses.
Location: The Forest of the First Queen, The Colorwoods, and the Valley of Origins
Special Uses: Unicorn horns are used for numerous potions. They can also be used to purify water and as universal antidote to poisons. Hair from a unicorn's tail and mane can be used to fashion the strings of instruments and bows that are sturdier and more durable than usual. Unicorn hair can also be used to weave very fine, expensive garments.

The unicorn is a rare and powerful white horse-like creature that lives alone in forest areas or with a herd numbering between ten to twenty. The greatest physical differnce between a white horse and a unicorn is the creature's cloven hooves and the single spiral horn that grows from the center of the unicorn's forhead. The unicorn also has the ability to heal most of the injuries it sustains. Unicorns are usually peaceful if not harassed or threatened but can become very dangerous if provoked. Taming a unicorn is impossible, despite former attempts by many, but they have been known to be particularly gentle and playful towards children and virgins (both male and female).