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digitalsatyr23 · 4 months

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Creatures of Arachnia (The Underworld)

Every culture has their own name for the deep dark caverns beneath the world's surface, but one common name given is simply "The Underworld." Some of its denizens are subterranean races, others are wandering spirits, and others still are man-made monsters - chimeras and other experiments long abandoned and forgotten by the passage of time. Listed here is but a small sample, reported by huldra in Southern Tenrai, exploring their corner of the Underworld beneath the village of Qulala...

Barbed Platyguin

Description: "A small creature waddles through the water towards you. Wet and fuzzy, it looks up at you with round green eyes that shimmer with an innocent light. It's then that you notice its body is covered in barbs, its beak is sharp, and its talons are reaching out for you..."

Lore: With eyes like innocent puppies and hearts of stone, the barbed platyguin is an unusual predator in the Underworld. Cute, cuddly, yet diabolical in nature, it is said that they were transmuted from petrified ancient beasts. When they emerged from their stone eggs, they instinctively began making use of their calming aura before going in for the kill. Deemed too dangerous for the surface world, they were banished to the wet reaches of the Underworld, and there they stayed, hunting and killing whoever was too foolish to realize the danger they presented.

A typical platyguin stands just under 4ft-tall and weighs about 90 pounds. Its tactics usually involve approaching an unwary foe, using its disarming aura, then immediately blasting their prey with paralyzing gas from their beaks, after which point they will either maul the victim on the spot or drag the foe underwater, where the victim likely drowns while they are eaten alive.

Beithuddie

Description: "A majestic creature gallops towards you, stopping just a few feet away. His upper body is like that of a muscular huldra, with wild flowing hair, an angular face, and piercing eyes. His ears are like fins, and he wears fine jewelry, along with simple leather armor protecting his shoulders and arms. Small scales blend in with his skin as it tapers down towards his lower half, which is like that of a four-legged drake, blue and serpentine, with each leg ending in three black talons. Then a tail slithers its way around, looking like that of a small sea serpent, and in unison, the creature's head and tail speak to you."

Lore: Beithuddie are an alchemical cross between willing sjora and serpents, resulting in the strange centaur-like fusions that they are today. Their creation dates back hundreds of years, and while they lead very different lives underground, the beithuddie consider themselves allies of Southern Tenrai to this day. The beithuddie largely live underground for two reasons: 1) They try to ensure that nothing too dangerous ever reaches the surface world, and 2) They have laid claim to the watery caverns of the Underworld for so long it is considered their ancestral home. While they do not mind occasionally surfacing, only a handful in power in Qulala know of their existence, so their appearance can be somewhat surprising to the unaware. Even so, legends of these creatures exist in the village and even outside of it. It is said that if a beithuddie meets you, you will be blessed with a decade of good luck.

Beithuddie are of two minds, with one being the more humanoid-looking torso on one end of the creature and the other being their serpent tail. Each part of their body can even speak, though they will rarely make use of both halves to do so. It is believed that the front half of a beithuddie contains all of its goodness whereas the back-end controlled by the serpent is where a beithuddie's wants, desires, and primal urges reside - though this is far from true. Neither side is divided, as they are two halves of a whole. Beithuddie do not have internal monologues, however, and their two halves may converse with one another whenever they need to think things over.

Beithuddie culture is one of honor, duty, hard work, but also resting when it is needed and finding pleasures in one's existence, either through art, music, play, or seeking out a mate. When two beithuddie court one another, first their front-halves converse, then their back-ends. If each pair are in agreement, the serpent heads will coil around one another as if in union. The pair spends time together, getting to know each other, bonding, and eventually mating. While not as common as male and female relationships, beithuddie have been known to engage in homosexual unions, and even find interest in other races - albeit their interest is tempered with their knowledge that their anatomy can present problems. Despite this, beithuddie are highly devoted to those who they consider their loves, and willingly give their lives if it means their spouse and children (birthed or adopted) get to live another day.

Bolt Phantom

Description: "The dark cavern suddenly lights up with a spark, and the ghostly phantom of a bird appears before you, its feathers white and cyan. As it floats around, you see blue and purple electricity follow in its wake."

Lore: Bolt Phantoms are bird-like spirits of death and storms, often the reincarnation of creatures that have died as a result of a lightning strike. Their shrill call seems to mimic what the dying scream of a humanoid would sound like, rather than the call of a bird. Despite their origins, bolt phantoms are most often found underground rather than above ground, as the earth often claims or "grounds" the spirit of the deceased, processes the ether, than generates these foreboding phantoms.

A bolt phantom is very simple in nature. It simply floats about its territory, making eerie songs before it takes notice of living prey. Bolt phantoms love to chase and harass the living, hoping to add another poor soul to its electrified choir. As hostile and destructive spirits, the only way to know peace is to strike it down so the soul may finally reach Styx and reincarnate properly.

Crested Cave Hydra

Description: "A towering tangle of white-scaled serpents with blue underbellies, this beast reaches over thirty-feet-tall. Each head has two glowing blue eyes, a long forked tongue, and colorful crest feathers that show every color of the rainbow."

Lore: The king of the upper-most region of the Underworld, the crested cave-hydra is a chimeric hydra infused with draconic and elemental essence, leading to its destructive powers. Fire, ice, lightning - it can do it all. It is an intelligent creature as well, speaking in the tongue of its distant ancestors. Proud, wrathful, yet inquisitive, a crested cave hydra will happily converse with its next victims, seeing it as a kind of formality - though it will show no mercy to those who strike first and ask questions later.

Long ago, hydra eggs were stolen and experimented on, which led to this new breed of beast. Originally meant to be living engines of war, they ultimately proved too proud to be ordered around and would have otherwise laid waste to the countryside, so the few existing adults were slain while the remaining eggs were taken back underground, where they were eventually raised by the existing hydras deep beneath the earth. Inevitably, such beasts are rejected by their cousins and must migrate further up. With no home above or below, these solitary beasts carve out a life of solitude and hatred.

Cyclopes Tree

Description: "What you thought was an old petrified tree suddenly comes alive. A gigantic eye opens, as well as a fang-filled maw. As an overly long tongue rolls out, its bloodshot eye takes notice of you, shimmering with a magic glow."

Lore: A transmuted breed between certain kinds of lizards and dead, petrified wood, the creatures that emerged were slow but clever predators that learned how to magically manipulate space, teleporting their prey to them so they didn't have to give chase. In addition to this, its saliva can naturally slow its targets down, making them easy pickings for this sharp-toothed beast. A relatively simple but nonetheless feared denizen of the Underworld. According to old legends, these creatures were engineered for war and would have been strategically placed in forests where they would naturally blend in with their environment, but the creatures proved too hostile and hungry to be brought to heel, so instead they were banished to the Underworld where their magical abilities made them ideal predators.

Fungal Corpse Hound

Description: "The pitter patter of paws makes its way towards you, and as it grows closer, you notice an eerie green glow - first from its backside, and then from its eyes. Soon enough, this pale bony hound comes into full view, its back dominated by bubbling green slime and mushrooms."

Lore: A unique type of mushroom grows in the Underworld, one that is easily identifiable by its bright green glow. This mushroom has many unusual properties, not the least being its adversity to any type of kinetic energy. Once thoroughly wiggled, the mushroom will naturally burst with explosive force, sending its built-up spores everywhere. Some call these "Boomshrooms" while others call them "Nitroshrooms", but whatever the case may be, they're dangerous… Worse yet, they share properties of other mushrooms, which can raise the dead. Of course, this was no accident. These creatures were bred due to alchemical experiments. Slain foogs were to be used as charging suicide bombers against attacking northern huldra, and despite the danger they posed, the experiments were a success… For a time. The ethics of these creations were highly contested, and after much debate, the remaining creatures were quietly escorted underground. While the exact body the shrooms are connected to may vary, they're always certain to leave an explosive impression on newcomers.

Gravefrost Snail

Description: "You feel a deathly cold as you realize the cave around you is full of snow and ice crystals. Soon enough, you find the source - a strange dog-sized snail with a shell of spine-covered ice. Its body is like a serpent's skeleton, and its skull has two long horns."

Lore: Spirits of cold and death, these creatures form from animals and people dying slow, painful deaths due to freezing winters. Transformed into malevolent undead, they use their ice powers to propagate their own kind, creating even more gravefrost snails in the process. Naturally attracted to water and moisture, they can be found near rivers, lakes, or even underground - which is the case here, as they patrol the Underworld in search of more living prey to slay. Despite true snails having no skeleton to speak of, gravefrost snails seem entirely composed of spiny bones, their spiked shell, and their horned skull for a head. Why they take on this appearance is debated among scholars. Some believe the bones are a physical manifestation of the deal soul that turned into the spirit, while others believe that the spirit simply collects the bones, forming it into a physical body. Indeed, gravefrost snails are curiously social with their own kind, sometimes coming together like hermit crabs and exchanging shells. Perhaps there is more to this spirit than meets the eye…

Iridescent Eye-Slug

Description: "Crawling out of a simple mud hut is the most colorful snail you've ever seen. About three feet in height, its body is made up of rows of different colors, being bright orange, yellow, cyan, sapphire, and ocean blue, repeating in myriad patterns of a bumpy, slimy form. The snail has two eye stalks, as well as a large bump on its back covered in polyps and ringed with blinking human-like eyes."

Lore: These slow-moving creatures are magically gifted, both in terms of offense and defense. Many develop magical abilities as they age, with each eye on their backside controlling one ability at a time. While very simple-minded, they have an intuitive ability to make use of their magic in order to survive or even pass the time. Many learn how to magically manipulate mud, resulting in mud-shaped structures and simple small mud golems (often referred to as "mud buddies" by delvers).

Iridescent eye-slugs are herbivores, preferring to eat roots, moss, or leafy greens, but on rare occasion they'll also nimble on corpses, especially the blood, which contains vital nutrients the slug needs. Eye-slugs are passive by nature, but if intruders venture too close, they'll feel threatened and lash out with magical attacks. Curiously, the iridescent eye-slug is telepathic, and will sometimes communicate simple messages in Undercommon. It also uses this ability to communicate with other eye-slugs, and they're very social animals as a result. Eye-slug communities range in size from 4-10, and small mud huts in tight clusters are a sure sign of such a community.

Magic Pot

Description: "What seemed like an ordinary chalice comes alive, and a creature made of slimy black goo manifests, its form like that of a fuzzy black monster with four arms, three red eyes, and a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. Sporting a top knot and beautiful jewelry, the creature grins at you before it speaks."

Lore: Extremely dangerous denizens of the deep, the magic pot is a name given to strange oily creatures that often take up residence in jeweled pots, vases, goblets, and cups. Why this is, no one knows for sure, but it is believed to be a behavior carried over from their early years spent as ambush predators. When they're young and still developing their powers, magic pots have been known to lie in wait before springing on their victims, either jumping out of a cup or pot to attack.

Magic pots are devious beings known to trick people, either getting the jump on them or trying to gain sway over their victims' minds through the art of suggestion. They do this by asking a series of trick questions. The more questions their target gets wrong, the more frustrated and desperate they become, making them easier targets for the magic pot to control. Once their target's will is sufficiently shaken, they become just weak enough for a magic pot to mentally paralyze them, allowing the magic pot to leave its current home and seek out a new one inside the victim's body.

A horrifying sight to behold, magic pots love nothing more than to slither into a victim's mouth, take control over the person's body, and move them around like puppets. When this occurs, the victim's only hope is to be knocked unconscious or restrained, after which time a magic pot will either attempt to escape or find a new host to invade and possess. While exceptionally deadly, a magic pot is at its most vulnerable when not inside of a host, and it knows this, so it will do whatever it can to find a new host. Many older magic pots have found that gold, jewels, and magic items are the perfect way to entice unwary adventurers and delvers, for greed and pride may blind people to the true danger a magic pot represents. The only surefire way to avoid the danger is to either flee at the sight of the creature or answer all of its questions correctly. Magic pots hate to lose, but they are compelled to follow their own rules in order for their magic to work. As such, if their questions are all answered correctly, the magic pot will have no choice but to leave its treasure behind and seek a new victim elsewhere.

Man-Serpent

Description: "A pack of humanoid serpentfolk make their way towards you. Their muscular bodies are covered with smooth brown scales, and are pale along their neck, torso, and inner arms. Wearing thick pants, leather armor, and waist cloths, the creatures point curved blades at you and stare with malicious green eyes."

Lore: A type of chimeric creature made through the willing union of huldra and serpent, this led to the creation of a physically capable but temperamental race known as the man-serpents. Strong, durable, with keen senses, poisonous flesh, and a lust for battle, they proved too difficult to control as guards and soldiers and were banished to the confines of the Underworld, where they have carved out a part of the caverns for their own uses. Despite their aggressive nature, man-serpents are content to live in the Underworld so long as they are left alone. However, they will not hesitate to attack invaders and take prisoners, either ransoming them back to the surface world for wealth or simply eating them.

In the hundreds of years they have existed, man-serpents have developed a very efficient albeit cold-hearted culture. The weak, crippled, and old are culled from their ranks, leaving nothing but either the young (who must still grow and train) or healthy adults. However, these killings are not committed without some shred of "honor" (if it can be called that). Those who are sentenced to die are given a time and a weapon, and if they prove themselves capable of surviving the attack, then their time alive is extended. As such, perhaps the most fearsome man-serpents of all aren't the young and brash, but the old and scarred. These long-lived serpents have proven themselves worthy of life time and time again, putting their would-be executioners to the sword.

Life in a man-serpent village could be described as training, exercise, and sculpting. Indeed, the only art that seems to exist in their society is that of people who work with their hands, making strange and twisted-looking statues to deities unknown to all except the man-serpents themselves. Once upon a time, a captured man-serpent was interrogated and questioned about his peoples' statues. The man-serpent replied, "When I dream, I hear the voice of God."

Mind Reaver

Description: "You pass by a pool of water in the cave, and for just a moment, you swear you saw a glowing blue eye staring back at you. You turn, thinking to spot the source, but you see nothing. It's then that you feel an immense force worming its way into your mind."

Lore: There are whispers from delvers who claim to have undergone strange changes in demeanor, outlook, and personality for a time. Exact details vary, but one thing that is always mentioned is that before this change, the delver saw a blue cat-like eye staring back at them. In some cases, the delvers never made it back at all. Signs of in-fighting among groups or even suicide has been reported. But why? The answer is the insidious mind reaver.

Born with incredible mind-altering powers, the mind reaver is a type of magical starfish that loves nothing more than to prey upon the living and mess with their heads. While gaining unwitting allies or a new source of food is useful enough, their true aim is to simply cause misery. No one knows the true reason why they do this. Perhaps it's out of spite for being born as such intelligent yet slow-moving and lowly things. Maybe they hate surface dwellers. Maybe they're spirits of pure spite. Whatever the case may be, encounters with such monsters can be deadly. All it takes is a nudge in the right direction to change a person's outlook on life…

Polyp Snake

Description: "This man-sized sea green serpent has orange eyes, a pale underbelly, and strange orange polyps that wriggle and writhe along its head and backside. It turns its head, almost inquisitively so, like it's deciding whether to talk to you or eat you."

Lore: Chimeric creatures that are a cross between giant snakes and water spirits, polyp snakes have made their home in the watery depths of the Underworld, using stealth and sleep-inducing venom to aid in their hunts. Most typically, a polyp snake with hide in a watery hole using the water as cover, using its sensitive polyps to detect movement, then lunge at prey passing by the water at the last possible second, knocking them out and dragging them into the depths below. While polyp snakes are ambush predators, they have been known to chase down prey at great speeds when desperate, able to swiftly close the distance between itself and even the fastest of foes.

According to local legends, these beasts can communicate with the dead, though they seldom do so except to sate their curiosity. They are not dumb animals, and can even communicate in dragon's tongue, but they are also creatures of few needs, so little in the way of culture has been found among their lot. Even so, polyp snakes can sometimes be found holding conversation with another of their kind, and a few have even been found whispering in its slithery tongue to seemingly nothing… Perhaps if a polyp snake could be reasoned with, more could be learned about them, and they could act as mediums between the living and the dead.

Ratfolk, Spinetail Clan

Description: "A pack of ratfolk inch their way towards you, their fur grey and white, their ears, hands, feet, and tails a bright pink, and their eyes a deep red. Wearing thick metal armor with spikes and skull motifs, they all point their spears at you, clinging together in a tight formation."

Lore: A breed of tough tinkerer ratfolk that have learned to thrive in the harsh environment of the Underworld for countless years. They breed fast, train fast, and lead short but fulfilling lives as warriors, hunters, guards, and soldiers. A typical spinetail ratfolk stands around 4'2" and weighs 90 lbs. Most are born with dark grey and white fur with bright pink tails. As they grow older, many members of the clan develop rigid bony spines along their backside and tails (hence the clan name). While these do not offer much in terms of defense, it allows for easy identification should an encountered ratfolk's allegiance be called into question. Spinetail ratfolk are fiercely loyal to members of their own clan and near xenophobic of everyone else, and such behavior has proven important to their continued survival. They consider the man-serpents to be their greatest rivals in the Underworld and, should the opportunity present itself, they try to ambush any hunting parties they encounter. Spinetail ratfolk believe they are at constant war with the snake people, and one day wish to wipe them all out so the Spinetails might reign supreme over their cavernous territory.

Spinetail society is very simplistic and rigid. The strong rule over the weak, and while females have some rights, it is a largely accepted reality that females must devote their efforts to breeding and raising children. As such, the Spinetail clan is patriarchal by design - although not as harshly as one might imagine. Because of the importance of breeding and raising children, females are seen as extremely valuable members of society and are protected at all costs. As a natural consequence of this, females are only encountered within the Spinetail clan's village, as men are the ones sent out to hunt and patrol the caverns. It is considered of utmost importance that men in the clan breed with a female at least once before death - though especially weak or pitiful males may have trouble in this regard, as the stronger males hoard mates. It is believed that as long as the strongest among them continue to breed and produce offspring, the Spinetail clan will continue to grow in strength. This means that weaker males are not only ostracized in their society, but also considered more expendable. Of course, once a male has "fulfilled his purpose", any would be considered expendable. The life of many is prioritized over the life of the individual. This has been ingrained into their society so much that a single warrior will gladly give his life if it means the rest of the his hunting party survive. A troublesome combination of traits indeed…

Tarantula Smith

Description: "By the time you realize you're stuck in a web, it's too late. You see the web vibrate as a gigantic tarantula with pale grey fur skitters towards you. It has three large red eyes that almost seem cute compared to its toothy mandibles, and its legs are curiously covered in metal plating, as if it were wearing armor."

Lore: Mind mages of the deep, tarantula smiths are intelligent arachnids that were created via transmutation long ago, even before the huldra of Qulala had established themselves in the region. Some say they were creatures made by the Carthagians, though proof of this has yet to be unearthed. What is known about the tarantula smiths is that they're intelligent, resourceful, and have a great love of metallurgy. Their unusual abilities allow them to telekinetically manipulate metal and other minerals, bending, morphing, heating, and chiseling them as if via unseen hands and tools. This is most often used to create armor for their legs and bodies, which they can be seen sporting, but in a pinch, a tarantula smith might use its power to toss a boulder or two at would-be invaders!

While no one has been able to hold conversation for long with these beasts, it has been found that they are able to understand certain tongues, and if appeased with an offering of metal, they will go back to their business. Of course, since southern huldra abstain from metal, such things are in short supply in the village. Nevertheless, those who are prepared to make this offering will find their travels through the Underworld a little safer. Who knows? Maybe if they're lucky, they could even get their weapon repaired or improved! Few people can claim they've had their sword smithed by a giant spider!

Trick Slime

Description: "You hear a strange sound like 'mofu mofu' and turn, realizing a seven-foot-wide purple slime creature is bouncing towards you. Sporting a pair of purple feathered wings, it flutters to the ground and sticks its tongue out at you, not a singular thought behind its dozens of yellow eyes."

Lore: These unusual alchemical creatures are the result of haphazard research into immortality. Effectively offshoots of existing slime creatures, they have the uncanny ability to swap their lifeforce with that of another living being. This trick, used in self-defense, has brought low many unwary delvers in the Underworld. Such a fearsome ability is only outdone in the sheer silliness the creature exudes. Large, cute, and unapologetically stupid, this winged slime will tackle living prey as a means of consuming it, ignoring obvious signs of danger until it comes close to death, at which point something shifts in the creature's nonexistent brain and it finally uses its trickswap ability.

As an odd extension of its love of lifeforce and positive energy, if it is fed a healing potion, it will become delighted with this gift and leave treasure behind before vanishing. No one knows where trick slimes go when they vanish, but many hope that they never return…

Twintail

Description: "Flying gracefully through the air, you notice a pair of bright blue stingrays, each sporting two yellow horns and antennae, as well as yellow barbs lining their wings. They have forward-facing cat-like eyes, and they quickly size you up before swooping in to attack."

Lore: Air and water-borne predators, the twintail is a stingray known for its yellow horns and barbs, as well as its twin stingers, earning it its name. Twintails can be found throughout the Underworld in search of prey, and are especially known to hunt mind reavers, which bear a weakness against the twintail's electric attacks due to their water-soaked bodies. Twintails are immune to the effects of their own abilities, however, and their hides are highly sought after for their ability to shrug off electricity and cold temperatures. The creatures are even immune to poison, making them able to hunt a variety of the deadly denizens of the Underworld.

Typically, Twintails hunt in pairs. The second twintail could be anything, from a sibling, mate, parent, or even a child. Twintails are naturally social creatures and loathe being alone, so they will use a second twintail to improve their chances of success in a hunt. Once their prey has been killed, the creatures will either pick up the creature and fly away with it to be devoured with its hunting partner later, or if circumstance allows, they'll land on the ground, awkwardly shimmy over using its body and wings, and begin eating the creature on the spot. Their prey needn't be dead for the feast to begin, for as long as their prey has stopped moving or struggling, a twintail will not hesitate to begin gobbling up chunks of meat - so long as no other threats are present.

#arachnia #arachnia fables #fantasy #dark fantasy #my writing #writeblr #worldbuilding #fictional fauna #fantasy monsters #fictional creatures #chimera

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digitalsatyr23 · 8 months

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Humans of Arachnia

Many great kingdoms have risen and turned to ash throughout Arachnia's history. People change, migrate, intermingle, and create something new. Though their histories, culture, and origins differ, in the years following the Great Cataclysm, ten primary ethnicities continue to persist.

(Warning: Long post is long)

Gaire/Gairen: Resourceful, hardworking, and adaptable, the Gaire (gai-reh) are the backbone of Boccovia. They are the farmer, the local militia, the lenient guardsman, and the friendly pickpocket. Gairen folk tend to live in small, tight-knit communities near plains and mountains, tending to fields and flocks. Also known as the laughing people, they have endured countless hardships and continued to find happiness and joy in their lives through song and dance. They aren’t pushovers, though. When there’s no one else to answer the call, Gairen take matters into their own hands. They are the ones that carry the torch and the pitchfork. They are the ones that see monsters for what they really are. When they feel that their communities are threatened, these peace-loving commoners can transform into an angry, snarling mob in the blink of an eye.

Gairen are about middle-height compared to the rest of their kin. The Gaire tend to have thin, sinewy muscle and coarse skin from the labor they devote themselves to. Good-humored and good-natured, Gairen have a curve to their mouths that make them look like they’re always grinning. Gairen most commonly have brown eyes, though blue is becoming more prevalent. Their hair could be ashen blonde, wood brown, or charcoal black, which they wear long if they can get away with it. Most Gairen have rosy skin which tans nicely in the midday sun. Gairen women tend to be a bit plumper, both because they like to treat themselves with good food and drink when they can, but also because a bit of fat is looked at favorably, not to mention how handy it is during the freezing winters.

Gairen never write the laws, merely uphold them. While they keep the peace and abide by whatever code is in place, Gairen also look at vigilantes favorably, as they know that laws can only go so far when concerning true justice. Gairen towns and villages are headed by mayors, who help gather taxes to improve on anything needed in the settlement and pay for any military or personal support to help deal with local threats, such as monsters and bandits. A traditional Gairen home involves two working parents, and at least two children who help with cleaning and feeding livestock. With the rise of literacy, Gairen families try to give their offspring the best education they can afford, hoping their children will have better options when they’re all grown up. Since their communities are so small, everyone tends to know everyone, and the local jail may be filled with conversation between old friends sharing a drink between bars.

Magi: A rare and powerful breed of humans, Magi (ma-jai) are the only humans naturally capable of magic who don’t have the blood of supernatural beings in their veins. Through their powers, humanity has achieved greatness. They are the blood and bones of the Empire. As Boccovia has traditionally been a mageocracy, even the weakest Magi are considered nobility. Holding both arcane and political power, they amass wealth and work tirelessly to perfect their arts in their traveling towers. While Magi are an uncommon type of human, they can be found all over Boccovia and many are appointed as lords to watch over settlements. When they aren’t politically inclined, they are usually moving from place to place, trying to unearth whatever arcane secrets were buried by the Great Cataclysm. They are highly intelligent and have greater stamina than their slim forms let on. Perhaps it was their power, perhaps it was their status, but their egos have long since been bloated and they see the rest of humanity as beneath them.

Magi are among the tallest humans. As lanky as they can be overbearing, they tower over their peers and look down on them – both figuratively and literally. Magi have a great deal of physical endurance from a young age, though they rarely develop strong muscles. This is because many forego physical tasks all together by using their arcana to manipulate themselves and objects around them. The brain of a Magi is actually bigger than that of a regular human’s, though their overall size makes the difference hard to notice. Further still within their bodies, there is a unique organ that allows them to absorb small traces of ether like vitamins and it is through this that they are able to naturally use magic. Due in part to their ability to absorb ether, Magi are also less likely to be harmed by mana, and in fact they harbor a natural fascination and obsession with such materials. Magi also have a second heart, and it’s because of this that they can become so physically capable – if only they pushed themselves to do so. Magi can be born with natural hair or eye colors, but are also prone to unusual colors as well. Those born near certain types of mana take on hues similar to them. This is most striking in their eyes which glow in the dark, shimmering with eerie arcane hues.

In spite of the amount of arcane and political power Magi share, they make up only a fraction of the population. For every 1,000 humans born, only a single Magi emerges. Those born as Magi are seemingly random, thought to have been gifted with power through Giccacius’s blessing. Those who hold political offices use their power in a careful and calculating manner, directing workers and resources to seemingly unknowable ends. Settlements that are ruled or at least controlled by Magi have laws favoring magic users. Some Magi have even stressed a potential law to ban the use of magic by non-Magi, but this law is unlikely to pass as it would make finding sorcerers quite difficult. For you see, in order to increase the chances of breeding a new Magi, said Magi will seek out mates of a magical inclination – including humans who draw their lineage from supernatural sources. It is not all that uncommon for a poor farmer to sell off their son or daughter to join a Magi’s harem, though from a practical standpoint this is a life of luxury. Those who join a Magi’s harem never have to worry about food, water, or shelter. They bask in wealth and are always treated well. Another curious facet of Magi are they only use members of their harem for procreation, as they view sex for pleasure as beneath them. Since Magi live in a mageocracy, the best way to rise up in Magi society is to become an arcane master. The ruler of Boccovia (often called the Sage King, despite Boccovia being an empire) is typically the strongest of their flock. If ever a Magi wanted the throne for himself, he need only challenge the Sage King. Prospective usurpers should be careful, however, as even when they defeat the king they still have to pass the tests of The Burning Prophets. These primordial beings are rumored to have been some of the first humans, and it is they that choose a monarch to rule over humanity. Those who they deem unworthy of the throne are smote and absorbed into the bodies of the prophets, and then they seek out a more appropriate ruler. Power isn’t everything in the world of the Magi… You also have to know how to use it.

Geire/Geiren: Once a sprawling civilization of unimaginable wealth and power, the Geire (gi-reh) have long since fallen from grace and are now the cursed denizens of the deserts. They stalk the shadows for shelter from the sun and live out days of solitude in the arid wastelands they call home. Sometimes they delve into the ancient ruins of their ancestors, seeking answers to the curse that has befallen them, while others have long accepted their fate and give thanks for the blessed cold nights under the moon. Geiren are formidable swordsmen, some of which are known to dance beautifully upon the sands while cutting their enemies to ribbons. To cross a Geiren bladedancer is to invite death. To defeat one is to know true mastery of the blade.

Though they tend to hunch over somewhat, Geiren are relatively tall by human standards and their lack of reliable food and water means many are rather thin. Though once colored with a deep brown skin, their ancient curse has left them albino, with pale as the moon skin and equally white hair along with striking red or yellow eyes. It is a common practice, though, for Geiren to use certain plants and berries to make dyes and color their hair, with black being the most common shade. They burn profusely under the sun, and thus most of their hunting and traveling takes place at night. In order for bladedancers to learn the lightning-fast reflexes required of their style, they often hunt bare-handed for snakes and similar creatures. To gain an edge against the desert predators they hunt, Geiren sometimes grow out and sharpen their nails, leading to a somewhat bestial appearance. They dress in flowing dark robes, with men and women alike covering their mouths, only allowing their intent to be viewed from their eyes.

Geire live in small nomadic tribes, settling wherever they can find peace and quiet from monsters, the Scarro, and slavers. Because the desert regions are so rarely traveled by other Boccovians, Geiren and other desert denizens are easy pickings for slavers looking to avoid the law. Though a fully trained bladedancer is formidable, it is all too common for inexperienced youths to meet their ends at the hands of more experienced, better equipped raiders. Those tribes who do have properly trained warriors are able to maintain a certain level of peace amongst themselves, to which they spend much of their time practicing their ritual dances, scavenging for food, and reciting prayers to the gods. In their hearts, they have given up hope for having their cursed lifted, but it is tradition to pray to the gods in the hopes of catching their eye. Another common trait among Geiren that makes them vulnerable to outsiders is they tend to sleep during the day and awake at night, for very little can be done under the blistering sun. The strongest among them do what they can to watch over their slumbering tribesmen and plan out with the village chieftain where to move next.

Scarro: An enduring people, the Scarro (sk-ah-row) have been riding upon the desert plains for thousands of years. Having been attacked by countless civilizations throughout history, the Scarro have persisted. Among their enemies are the Geire, who had once enslaved them, as well as the Black Marketeers who seek to make the same mistake as the Geiren had centuries ago. Powerfully built, passionate and proud, Scarro sandriders are a fearsome lot that have kept their deserts safe from monsters time after time. Though they have made some trade agreements with The Boccovian Empire, they are by and large their own people. They make their homes in the same blistering sands as the scorpions they cherish. The sandriders train young scorpions from an early age and raise them to become gigantic things and ride them into battle, and Scarro even bind weapons into their long hair braids to emulate the stinging tails of the scorpion. They fashion fine armors out of chitin and scout out the plains in search of prey. Once you cross them, you will be hard-pressed to fully escape their grasp.

Scarro are similar in size to the mighty Craeger, and just as muscular. Their skin ranges from bronze to a dark brown, their eyes range from brown, black, hazel, and occasionally a deep green, and their hair is almost always a dark black. The Albina Scarro are known to have much lighter skin and sandy hair. The Red Claw Scarro are incredibly violent and paint their hands with the blood of their enemies, the Crimson Scarro dye their braids with red scorpion venom, and the Tailless don’t wear braids at all, have stark black skin and only operate at night. There are many other tribes of Scarro, though these are some of the most striking beyond the typical dark-haired and brown-skinned sandrider. Scarro typically shave all of their hair except for the braids which they continue to grow and braid with all manner of blades. These “battle braids” as they are called are meant to emulate the vicious sting of scorpions, and the more talented warriors even swing them around in battle, cutting down more than a few surprised slavers and bandits. Scarro don’t wear very much clothing, preferring only to cover the softer and more vulnerable parts of their bodies with linen wraps and chitin armor.

The Scarro are a collection of tribes with similar beliefs and appearances, though as has been explained, some do differ greatly. Their chieftains are their mightiest warriors, and they pay heed only to their kin and the words of the village shaman. Generally, Scarro tribes build homes in one area and continue to scout around a somewhat vague territory, sometimes growing in size and sometimes shrinking. Their homes, or “burrows” as they like to call them, are dome-shaped structures similar to igloos which they build out of clay and eventually paint. A Scarro burrow is a beautiful sight to behold, something that catches many outsiders off-guard due to the Scarro’s perceived savage nature. To many humans, the Scarro appear quite primitive as they have not changed much over the years. But the Scarro believe the life of a scorpion to be sacred and see little reason to use the teachings and technology of other races, especially since they have seen the pain and sorrow certain advances have brought their neighbors. Scarro men are exclusively warriors while Scarro women are gatherers. One of the most sacred duties of their women is the search for water, a scarce commodity in the desert. These water bearers carry clay jugs with them as a means to collect, and are typically escorted by a small band of sandriders. Scarro men take on many wives over the course of their lifetime in order to breed more children, as not all Scarro children make it to adulthood. Their dead are buried deep within the sands, which the Scarro consider an important task. Once buried, they are said to have "returned to the winds." The mourning period for Scarro involve days of passionate cries and circling around the graves on their mounts. Once the mourning ritual is complete, the fallen Scarro’s scorpion is released into the wild, never to be seen again. As the dead are returned to the winds, so too are the scorpions.

Uther/Utheran: Some say the Uther (oo-thur) came from the sea itself and learned to walk on land. Whether this is true or not, the Uther are the finest sailors in all of Boccovia. Sure-footed, adventurous, and free, these pioneers and privateers live along the four corners of Boccovia’s shoreline, fishing, sailing, and keeping sea monsters at bay. Utheran are carefree drunkards, but also soldiers of fortune. Despite their cheerful exterior, they are capable combatants and master strategists. The Uther appear peaceful and halfhearted not because they don’t take things seriously, but because they believe in having fun and enjoying what life has to offer. Their philosophy is "If you’re going to die anyway, why not die alive?" They are the sea-charterers, the treasure seekers, and the runaway lovers.

Uther are similar in height and build to the Losha, for they share a common lineage. Utheran hair comes in shades of red, black, and sometimes even white. Their eyes are most commonly blue, with hazel being the second most common color. They are fair-skinned, though months at sea might leave their skin rough and salt-weathered, and they tan quite easily. Utheran love to tattoo their bodies in dark inks, typically symbols related to family crests, their ships, favored sea creatures, and other things that remind them of their past and make them think fondly of the future. Men and women alike wear their hair long, and what facial hair they can grow is well-loved by other human women.

Sea-faring is an important part of Utheran culture, and as such, their children are taught from an early age how to swim, tie knots, and manage various aspects of a ship. Utheran nobility have military backgrounds and man battleships with which they use to escort merchant vessels across the sea. Even low-born Utheran families own some kind of ship or boat, and many fishermen take their children out to learn how to work cages, lines, and eventually harpoons. Utheran port towns are headed by wardens, who keep close track of trade agreements, shipping logs, and decide who gets to own what kind of ship. Recently, Utheran wardens have been working with Free Tero blacksmiths as part of the mass development of cannons with which military vessels have made great use of in fending off the horrors of the deep. Forms of fencing are commonly practiced among Utheran sailors, and many a salty sailor would not have survived were it not for his trusty cutlass. Pistols have become increasingly common among sailors as well, though they are not always reliable when out at sea. It is common practice for soldiers to carry many guns with them in case one gets soaked or another gun jams due to moisture and salt. The Utheran prize the freedom that sailing gives them, and while they form close bonds with their crew, they are individuals first and last. The best way to get your name out in Utheran society is to spend time out in the ocean, fighting off pirates, raiders, and the dreaded Viscaeren.

Craeger/Craegerian: Said to have emerged from the rock itself, the Craeger (cray-gur) are descendants of the warrior people of Klingenheim, who learned to till what little land they had and fought for the rest. Tough, broad-shouldered, and always looking for a fight, these hardened people from Northern Boccovia first kept the dreaded Viscaeren at bay, then later the horrors of the Acid Sea, known as the Tainted. Craeger are a no-nonsense people, seeking practical solutions to their problems – which leads to violence fairly often. Warriors train and compete with one another, seeking to become the best of their settlement. They welcome the strong, laugh at the weak, yet never yield in their duty to keep their fellow man safe from harm. Woe unto those who draw the ire of a Craegerian village, for once they are set on a warpath, trying to make peace with the Craeger is like trying to push a boulder up a hill.

Craeger are tall and thick-muscled, sometimes appearing ugly to others due to their raw physicality. Even their women are unusually muscular and strong compared to the average human. They are a rough yet fair-looking folk, with wavy red or blonde hair and green or brown eyes. Craeger are sometimes thick-browed, and often sport squat noses. Their hands are ugly, calloused things, worn from hard work and battle. A Craegerian is often littered with scars from their youth, as they do not train with wooden swords. Craeger are loud and even boastful, always prizing the chance to show off their strength and skill in whatever they do.

Before they joined The Boccovian Empire, the Kings of Klingenheim presided over grand feasting halls and passed rings around to the warriors to create a bond between the two classes, while their queens passed around drinking cups for celebration and relaxation. The tradition has not been lost on them, and they still gather under their greatest warrior in the feasting halls to drink to the good times and drink to the bad times. Alcohol is a very important part of Craegerian culture. It gets them ready for battle, it makes them feel great after a successful venture, and is a useful tool for cleaning wounds while away from home. Mead, in particular, is seen as a drink of the gods, the honey-soaked beverage granting visions of valor and paradise. To them, drinking is communing with the gods, or “high lords” as they call them. Anyone who is tough and battle-ready, regardless of gender, is a welcomed addition in their community. Though a two-pair marriage is traditional, it is not uncommon for a warrior to have side-lovers to sate their needs after long days fighting men, monsters, or even worse. To them, their spouse is their cup, and their lovers are the jewels upon the cup – prized and sought after, but not strictly necessary.

Losha/Loshan: Intelligent and captivating, strong-willed and cunning, the Losha (low-shah) are the source of The Boccovian Empire’s military might. Soldiers, scouts, tacticians, and generals, Loshan humans have a knack for commanding a battlefield and charge ever towards victory. Said to be the descendants of the Carthagians, the Losha carry themselves in a proud and dignified manner. Most at home when clad in steel and swinging a sword, the Losha make for fine knights. Losha settlements are found on the western front of Boccovia, with many situated near mountainous terrain at high altitudes. Ambitious to a fault, they are always competing with one another to see who’s the best in their particular field. Strict and disciplined, they view most other humans as lazy, or at worst, immoral. Women are the primary authority figures in Loshan cities, and it is these women who lead the imperial armies in times of trouble… Though at times, the Loshan seem so efficient and self-reliant, one wonders if they need The Empire, or if The Empire needs them?

The Losha are similar in height to the Gaire, with lean athletic builds. Interestingly, women are on average taller than men. Both men and women are made to wear armor from an early age, and a true Loshan is rarely seen without at least a pair of good boots or bracers on. They are fair-skinned, with blue or green eyes, and their hair runs the gamut from black, brown, auburn, and red – with red being the most common. Red hair is seen as a sign of status, and these individuals tend to move up in the ranks in life and eventually become political or military leaders. Loshan have great posture, taught to stand tall and stand proud. To many other humans, the Losha appear beautiful and statuesque – made all the more impressive when wearing imperial armor and riding on a fine steed. They practice strict cleanliness as well, with most men keeping their beards shaven at all times.

Each Loshan has a required military service of three years, starting when they turn 16. Afterwards, they can either return to their towns or branch out and continue to rise in rank. While political and territorial disputes occur between humans every so often, the Loshan fight monsters more often than other humans: giants, beasts, Porga, and especially the Undead. Loshan military expeditions are commonly lead by paladins and undead slayers so that they can hunt down undead wherever they might appear as efficiently as possible. There’s an almost uncanny zeal with which they try to fight off such creatures. They view mistakes as irreversible stains on their lives, and it was them that helped push back the undead scourges into Scauldowa, so now that the seal has weakened and more and more undead are trickling into Boccovia, they feel it is their solemn duty to push them back before it is too late. Loshan settlements are governed almost exclusively by military leaders, whether former or current. They instill their military discipline onto the masses, and work to maintain a certain code of ethics: no unnecessary violence, no theft, always tell the truth, and no sex before marriage. Loshan leaders do what they can to channel the repressed energy of their people into fighting spirit and political zeal. The best way to get ahead in Loshan society is to continue moving up the ranks in their armies until you can retire, surrounded by war trophies and pristine medals.

Igear/Igearan: In order to meet the incredible demand for bronze, iron, and gold, The Boccovian Empire had to go to extreme methods to compete with the better positioned and more industrious Tero of Kijihn. As such, settlements were constructed in mountains, and then later underground. Over time, these settlements developed their own unique culture. The Igear (ee-geer) are… Quite distinct from other humans, yet they still maintain their relations with The Empire. Simultaneously, the Igear have created a vast criminal network beneath the ground known as The City Beneath Cities. Igearan are durable, hardworking folk, with an eye for opportunity and a deep-rooted bitterness for surface dwellers. Keeping the best weapons and armor for themselves, bands of raiders lead by Black Marketeers attack remote settlements and traffic slaves by the hundreds. People say that centuries underground have left them changed forever. The question is… In what way?

Igearan are the shortest of the humans, as the long years moving through tunnels has created a need for smaller people. They hunch over naturally, though they stand up straight whenever they can. The average Igearan is incredibly fit due to years spent exercising, mining, and practicing with spears near underground rivers. The Igear are black of hair, pale-skinned, and have beady dark red eyes that almost gleam with a sinister light. Igearan can no longer see color the same way other humans do, and instead have learned to see in the dark and pick up any subtle sounds or smells. Due to this adaption, the light of the sun is blinding to them, and most who venture to the surface where goggles with black lenses. To most humans, the Igear appear human enough, but they'll always say there’s something off about them, though most can’t put it into words. This is because the Igearan can trace their lineage back to vampire lords of old, and even the weakest of their numbers still pose a threat to surface-dwelling warriors. This trace of vampire blood lends them great strength for their size, and honeyed words that make people believe what they want them to believe. If an Igearan becomes a full vampire (which their leaders tend to do), it is said that they take on a monstrous guise that makes other vampires flee at the sight of them.

After the many hard years in the mines, the Igear were found to become physically weak and brittle. After trying to rely on the arcana of The Empire, they found simpler solutions in continued exercise, grinding up the bones of fish from their underground rivers, and feasting on the iridescent mushrooms that can be found all over their tunnels. Once they established a means of staying healthy, their industriousness improved, yet they started to feel cheated by The Empire and began to keep the best ores and gear for themselves, only selling "choice" bits to the imperial traders that visited them. The Igear follow The Empire only as much as it suits them, but the Igear are the true rulers of their domain. Many clans of Igear exist: Starborne, Marsups, Shrewbits, Longtails, but all pay heed to the Goldari, the lords of The City Beneath Cities. The Goldari are equals amongst themselves, though they are effectively a council of kings that direct and command the other clans, appointing leaders, directing resources, and splitting the wealth earned from their Black Marketeers.

As head of the Igear, the Goldari clan has helped to maintain the Igear's long relationship with The Empire, though they take whatever opportunity presents itself to swindle traders that come their way. Where they truly profit is in their vast criminal network. As the Igear have created the tunnels necessary for continuous mining over the centuries, they have carefully mapped out the underground and move The City Beneath Cities whenever it becomes necessary, maintaining its longevity from everlasting to everlasting. They have created political alliances with a variety of monsters over the years, including the dreaded Thaloqua (serpent-headed tarantula creatures from the stars), which have become their primary benefactors. Individually, an Igearan is a greedy and morbid individual that is always looking out for himself. Collectively, the Igear are ruthless and conniving, perhaps even monstrous. Though many remain ignorant of their activities underground, they remain a black stain on Boccovia's history - one that a certain individual has worked tirelessly to correct.

Aira/Airan: Strong-willed people, the Aira (i-rah) originated from the bitter cold tundras of Rogdova before the Great Cataclysm rearranged their ancestral homes and the dragons took what remained. While some stayed in what is now known as Wyravaen and allied themselves with the dragons of the Xenshin Empire, others migrated across the seas, seeking new homes. What they found was the Boccovian Empire. The two factions fought to a stand-still, their blood collectively staining the battlefield for years. It wasn't until the intervention of a certain philosopher that the two warring groups finally made peace. Though the Airan people joined The Empire, they have always been a fringe community, preferring to live near coastal regions and forested mountains where they can practice their spiritual beliefs in peace.

The Aira are short and thin compared to other humans. Nonetheless, they are quite formidable in terms of speed and strength. Their skin, though somewhat pale, takes on a light olive hue. Their eyes are black and brown, along with their hair which is long and straight, and often tied in various braids. The Aira tend to tattoo their bodies with rune-like symbols and eye-themed patterns. It is said they do this so they can watch for spirits at all times, even while asleep. A passerby might even give an Airan a second glance, thinking that their tattooed eyes looked their way.

Airan settlements are headed by lords appointed by higher-ranking nobility. These lords watch over their people and give land to warriors in exchange for their protection. These warriors create a deep bond between themselves and their lord. Airan laws favor the various classes in a hierarchical top-to-bottom way, with the lords and similar nobles at the top, the warrior class below them, and everyone else below warriors. Men and women are equal in Airan society. Favor is granted by class and merit, not by physical appearance. Even though the class system may be in place, there is a level of mutual respect passed around Airan communities which keep them working together in harmony. The peasants mine the iron, the artisans smith weapons from the iron, the weapons are wielded by the warriors, and these warriors keep the lords safe while they maintain peace and order. In spite of the rigid class system, people can move up or down the ladder. Youths are taken into the military at a young age and taught to wield weapons and are strictly disciplined. If they show promise, even a girl from an artisan’s family could become employed by a lord. And in the case of lazy or belligerent lords, a warrior may feel inclined to behead them and take their place.

Freath: The watchful oaks of Boccovia, the Freath (free-ah-th) are a collection of various tribes that worship The Life Seed. The Freath, like the Southern Huldra of Tenrai, view nature itself to be the source of life, not the gods. Because of this, the Freath live among what they hold sacred – the trees. A Freath tribe gather in forests, typically around a treant or dryad, and keep a close eye on the surrounding area and its denizens. Because the destruction of nature is an essential element of modern civilization, they are always trying to push back against the machine that is development and progress, and have been known to raid their more industrious neighbors. Simultaneously, they keep those who try to live in harmony with nature safe from harm, fighting men, monsters, and the unspeakable terrors that sometimes cross over from other planes. Though they are hated and sometimes even feared by their fellow man, they protect the natural world out of respect for life and a strong sense of duty, for without nature, how would man ever survive?

Freath are of a modest stature and healthy in appearance, having partaken in the finest flora they can grow. They have athletic builds, as they are used to racing through forests, climbing up trees and mountains, and swimming along rivers – a favorite activity for them. Freath have black and brown hair that they adorn with bones, horns (antlers in particular), and feathers. The particular arrangement and decorations in their hair could tell you what tribe they are from, what star they were born under, even how big their family is. Their eyes are typically brown or hazel, and they have bronze skin, though sometimes they can become pale from staying under a thick forest canopy for too long. Freath have full lips, somewhat round noses, as well as thickly calloused hands and feet. A Freath never wears shoes, as they feel disconnected from the earth when doing so. They will decorate their ankles, however - often with painted hide or patterned cloth.

Freath settlements work alongside whatever treants, dryads, or other nature spirits live near their communities. They offer gifts to the forest spirits in exchange for guidance. The one who communicates and gives these gifts are known as shamans, and they work closely with the spirits of the wood. The Freath believe every single person has an animal spirit alongside them that was meant to watch over and protect them. To this end, a shaman can draw out what they believe to be this animal spirit. Sometimes these are manifested in a physical sense, becoming animal companions or familiars. Other times, they might form as markings or tattoos on their skin. The Freath work to embody nature, and practice all manner of druidic magics to this end. When they hunt, it is a spiritual experience and they always thank the beasts they slay for the meal, for without the sacrifice of the animal, there would be no feast. Typically, men are the ones that hunt while women forage for fruits, nuts, and useful herbs. It is an easy task for the hunters and gatherers, though, for the food is provided by the forest spirits the shaman communes with. Shamans pass on their duties to their offspring, and those children in turn pass this duty onto their children when the time comes.

Author's Note: As you can probably tell, many of Arachnia's human ethnicities draw strong inspiration from existing ethnicities and cultures. When I made these, I never meant any disrespect towards existing cultures and people. I simply wanted there to be diversity among my setting's humans, so I looked to real life for inspiration. I also wanted to give my humans a dash of the familiar, as some of my other fantasy races can be quite alien in design and mindset. Anyway, for those who got this far, thank you for reading! I plan to periodically upload more race lore in the future - though perhaps not as long or dense as this particular post. Have a nice day!

#writeblr #my writing #fantasy #dark fantasy #arachnia #arachnia fables #fictional ethnicities #fictional cultures #worldbuilding #world lore

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digitalsatyr23 · 7 months

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Creatures of Arachnia (Cold Terrain)

A compiled list of different creatures that can be encountered in especially cold climates in Arachnia, from the snowy forests of Wyravaen to the glacial plains of Cayuvia. Some creatures are inspired and adapted from myth and legend, whereas others are unique to Arachnia. Read on if you're curious about its polar denizens!

Abyssal Wolf

Description: "This gigantic black wolf stands over 10ft tall from its front paws to its ears. It has cold, pupiless grey eyes that gleam with malicious intent. Its snout is long and the lines of its mouth make it seem like it could swallow a person whole. Its upper back is especially pronounced, with dense fur and muscle, almost like a grizzly bear, whereas its lower back and legs seem oddly thin by comparison."

Lore: Abyssal wolves are feared predators of the tundras. The stuff of dark fables and ghost stories, they are said to have originally been born in the seven hells, only to somehow make their way to the material plane. It is unknown if they are intelligent or capable of speech, but they do possess an unnatural cunning and measurable cruelty that far exceeds other wolves. Most disturbing of all, abyssal wolves seem to appear and disappear without warning. One moment nothing is there, but after the winds pick up, they simply appear, staring you down. Those who have proven themselves strong enough to take down these supernatural predators have learned their fur is magical in nature, able to mask their presence when exposed to snow and winds. But then… That would imply that abyssal wolves would possess similar abilities. If this is the case, then it's possible that an abyssal wolf could be watching you, and you'd never know…

Pale Mantis

Description: "Slicing clean through the ice, this oversized praying mantis has silvery blue chitin, large yellow compound eyes, and sharp scythe blades for arms. Standing well over 8ft tall, this creature has a long body, four thin legs, and two antennae. Between its large eyes and antennae, it also has three see-through bumps in a v-formation."

Lore: Pale mantises are cunning ambush predators that live in snowy tundras, mountains, and frost-covered forests. Their arms grow incredibly durable and sharp bone ridges, which almost resemble metal, and use this to slice apart their prey. Special pigments in their bodies that they can control allow pale mantises some level of camouflage, and they use this to blend in with their environment, sometimes mimicking trees or ice crystals. Their vision, hearing, and sense of smell are extraordinary, and it is likely that a pale mantis will notice you long before you notice it.

Yeti

Description: "This powerfully-built white-furred ape man has a round head, gleaming red eyes, sharp teeth, five-clawed hands, and three-toed feet. Almost all of its body is covered in thick, shaggy fur, though what skin can be seen is very dark. It wears a colorful, decorative sash around its waist, and steam billows from its nostrils."

Lore: Originally named "Migoi", these creatures of the snowy mountain peaks are said to be servants of Nyttania, the Goddess of Creation and Destruction. They are intelligent if rambunctious spirits that will take up residence on mountain tops in order to either protect sacred grounds or ward off travelers from entering dangerous caverns. Their fearsome appearance inspires dread and panic, and misunderstandings are quite common between yetis and mortals. During these altercations, a yeti might attempt to snatch up an attacker and stick them to their bodies, slowly draining their body heat until the person passes out - though a yeti is capable of healing any damage this does to a person. Indeed, yetis are knowledgeable of a great deal of divine and healing magic, and use purified water and large cauldrons in order to "cook" wounds and diseases out of a person. It is said that yetis can multiply asexually, with balls of fur falling off of them suddenly sprouting hands and feet. Though they are able to use magic right away, yeti children still take time to learn speech, and often will speak gibberish such as "Harumph!" when trying to communicate with others.

Frost Drake

Description: "This oversized predator stands around 8ft tall, and is about 20ft long from tusk to tail. They have four legs, with their front legs acting as their wings, with a thick webbing between their wrists and backsides. Their scales are pale blue and green, they have a yellow underbelly, their eyes are a fiery red and orange, and their large tusks, growing out the sides of their heads, are a pale yellow. Sharp ridges grow along its head and back, all the way to its tail, which ends in a thick bony club."

Lore: Frost drakes are a variety of drake that live in snowy mountain ranges and connected forests. Though capable of limited flight, they tend to use the harsh winds of the cold north in order to glide and conserve energy. When walking on all fours, the ends of their wings point upwards as they walk on their four-taloned feet. Distantly related to dragons, drakes are not capable of speech, and behave in much the same way a predator might, hunting, protecting its territory, and fending off creatures targeting its mates and young. A frost drake uses its tusks to deadly effect in combat, but their primary use appears to be for marking territory. These tusks are ground against several trees, leaving deep, easily visible gashes in the bark. If you happen to stumble into a forest with large gashes across each tree, you might have stepped into a frost drake's territory! It might gore you with its huge tusks, tear you apart with its sharp fangs, rip you to shreds with its claws, or even freeze you solid with its chilling ice breath. When they feel threatened, frost drakes fight with a reckless abandon, flailing with all their might to strike down their perceived foe.

Shantak

Description: "An eerie black beast with a smooth, rubbery hide, a hooked beak for a nose, six beady black eyes, and notably horse-like teeth in its gum-exposed maw. Its front legs are also its wings, tall thin spines grow across its backside, and it has a long slender tail. While easily 12ft tall, it keeps its head and long, thick neck lower to the ground, as if to stay at eye-level with you."

Lore: Shantaks are said to be beings from all across the Elsewhere. Legend speaks of these nightmarish beasts soaring across the stars and roosting in snowy mountain tops in foreign worlds. They only speak in Aklo, and their hot steamy breath smells of death and rot. It is easy to tell if a shantak has been in an area recently, for their bodies naturally secrete a slippery black slime, soiling the land wherever they tread. While their origins are as yet unknown, some (incredibly) brave scholars have managed to speak with shantaks in the past, presenting the creatures with food and… Other forms of bribery. Shantaks describe themselves as "travelers" and "lovers of new sights, smells, and tastes." They seem to prefer feeding on intelligent prey and see non-sapient creatures as beneath their palate. Sometimes described as "shantak-birds", their bodies are covered in countless small, smooth, and oily scales. They only mate with their own kind, and females (?) produce incredibly large eggs said to be rich in flavor. At least, that's how the story goes. The only man said to have eaten a shantak-bird egg mysteriously disappeared after writing about his experience.

Altero

Description: "This creature is shaped like a megaraptor, standing at around 6ft tall with snow white fur, yellow reptilian eyes, three-clawed small arms, thick legs ending in three-taloned feet, and a thick feathery tail. Though it appears reptilian in nature, it has swept-back deer-like ears, feathers growing along the sides of its arms, and great feathery wings."

Lore: Altero are cousins to dragons, being intelligent, cunning, and capable of magic. They build stony citadels inside snow mountain peaks. Like dragons, they're capable of shapeshifting and will sometimes take on the guise of other races in order to ease diplomatic ventures. Their size, intellect, and shapeshifting prowess has made them useful in the Xenshin courts of Wyravaen as courtiers. You might even encounter one on the docks to check you in should you venture to Wyravaen via ship! In their culture, rather than wear fancy crowns, the leader of a given clan has ownership over a large drinking goblet, often made of gold and other precious metals and gems. This cup is known in the common tongue as the Chalice of Authority. The quickest way to please an altero is to present it with a gift of gems, jewelry, or valuable minerals (such as gold, silver, or platinum). Altero tend to have a "posh" and proud personality. It's not to say that they view themselves above other races, but they do carry with them a strong sense of self-worth.

Ocean Wyvern

Description: "A truly gigantic creature that measures 80ft from nose ridge to tail tip, with a wingspan of 200ft. It has a smooth, pale lavender hide, two short legs ending in three talons each, and a long, flat, slightly round head similar to a fin whale. It has two small black eyes, a blowhole on its back, and its wings and tail seem reminiscent of a manta ray."

Lore: Ocean wyverns are one of the largest species of wyvern in all of Arachnia. Known to travel great distances by sea and air, they hunt by swooping down into the water and scooping up huge amount of krill, fish, and whatever else gets caught in its gigantic maw and baleen. Like other wyverns, they are capable of speech, though they tend to be a bit dimwitted, and their poor eyesight does not help this matter at all. Their large size has led scholars to question its capacity for flight, and the body of an ocean wyvern was found to contain unique organs that are still being studied, with one being unusually light for its size. Because of this, it is theorized that some form of gravity-resisting magic allows the creature the move the way it does. This may also explain another phenomenon that happens with these beasts. Due to hunting in the waters and flying away when they're satisfied, they have been known to accidentally carry off ships on their backs. The crew of these ships found that the ship stayed balanced on the backside of the creature, and the harsh winds did not blow anyone off of it. Ocean wyverns tend to be found in the cold north, though they sometimes migrate further south, circling around the edges of the Acid Sea in search of prey.

Googoo Bird

Description: "A large bird 20ft long from beak to tail feathers. It has a round, white feathery body, a stocky neck, and a beak that seems perfect for scooping up water and fish. Though it has wings, they appear to be too short to be used for flight. Its eyes are round and dark, and its beak is pale pink."

Lore: A species of flightless bird that hunts fish and (occasionally) other birds, such as seagulls. They bear a resemblance to albatrosses and are entirely peaceful, never attacking people despite its size. Their legs and webbed feet are incredibly strong, though, so one must take care not to anger a googoo bird, lest it kick you through a wall. Its name is derived from a sound they are known to make, which sounds like a rattling "goooooogoooooo". In the past, tribes of humanoids would ride these creatures as mounts in order to cross between islands or fish. Their main predators are large sharks (which googoo birds can kick away) and sea serpents (which googoo birds cannot kick away). Googoo birds travel in flocks as large as thirty, and when threatened, the flock will either flee or fight together, scratching, pecking, and kicking their foe to death. Googoo birds are used to the cold and can be easily spotted from snowy coastlines.

Marak

Description: "This deer-sized creature is covered in thick shaggy white fur. Moving on six three-taloned legs, it has a lithe and swift body, as well as a long, thin, fuzzy tail. It looks at once like a mammal and like an insect, with its four dark eyes, feathery-looking antennae like moths, and thick smooth chitin on its underbelly. Its head is notably round, with sharp fangs inside its mouth, as well as mandibles bordering its maw."

Lore: Maraks are a type of snowy forest creature that feeds primarily on frozen carrion. Scurrying about through the snow, it scavenges for food among the leftovers of larger predators, as well as the bodies of those who have succumbed to the cold of their homeland. Though they primarily walk on all six legs, they can actually stand up on their back four legs, grabbing and examining things with their front legs in much the same way a raccoon might pick something up. Indeed, maraks are known to find all manner of trinkets and baubles and take them back to their burrows for safe keeping. It is said that the larger their hoard, the more attractive they are to females - which are much larger than males, and a great deal more intimidating. Fertilized marak eggs are spread all throughout a marak couples' burrow, each being about the size of a human eyeball. Competition among marak young is fierce, and it is said that freshly born maraks will quickly fight and devour each other until only a handful of capable young remain. This sense of bloodthirst seems to leave them as they grow, for a fully grown marak is more curious and peaceful than creatures typical of the frozen north. This cannot be said if you threaten a marak's young or treasure hoard, however. Almost as if a switch is flipped inside of them, a marak will go from a friendly creature to a bloodthirsty predator in the blink of an eye. Because of this, it is highly advised to never go near mother maraks or marak burrows.

#arachnia #arachnia fables #fantasy #dark fantasy #my writing #writeblr #worldbuilding #fictional fauna #fantasy monsters

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digitalsatyr23 · 11 months

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What the Fire Said

Setting: Arachnia Characters: Sonja and Vernar

Outside the cave, a terrible rainstorm was coming down. Harsh, suffocating winds, a downpour causing mudslides, and lightning that blackened long dead trees. It had been dry for a very long time in Besalbrie, but it was as if all the water the country had been denied up until then was coming down at once

Sonja had been separated from Vernar just as the storm was picking up. It all started when she and the masked assassin noticed dark clouds looming up above. They were both so used to the drought and dust storms that it seemed unthinkable that a rainstorm could be brewing. But then, creatures started falling from the clouds. Legless flying birds with four wings growing in an X-shape were descending upon the land, firing bolts of lightning from their mouths and scooping up any hapless animal small and slow enough to become their prey. Vernar called the creatures "arrowhawks", and when an especially large one took notice of the pair, it fired a bolt of lightning right at them. Vernar shoved Sonja out of the way, taking the blast right in the chest. Another bolt of lightning missed its mark, striking a nearby tree near the base of its trunk. The tree was consumed by fire as it fell, creating a natural barrier between Sonja and Vernar. What surprised Sonja the most, however, was that Vernar seemed unharmed by the lightning. While the assassin was scorched where they had been struck, their body seemed suffused with lightning, and their right arm had bulged with muscle. Vernar was tightening one of their leather straps wrapped around their bicep.

"Sonja... In case I lose control... Run!"

Those were the only words Sonja needed to hear. She got back on her feet and ran as fast as she could. That was when the rain started to fall. First in sprinkles, and then in torrents. The dry, crumbling dirt softened, turning to mud. Sonja's bare feet lost their grip on the ground, and the girl tripped, sliding across the muddy earth until she banged into a tree. Hardier, greener trees were growing at the base of a mountain, and they would provide good coverage from the rain. Only, another arrowhawk had spotted Sonja, and it was coming down fast.

The girl got back on her feet, using a branch from the tree to brace herself. The incoming bird would soon be upon her, and it flew too fast to strike with her claws. Instead, she held out her hands and focused, drawing upon the ether flowing through her body. Yes... Water was flowing freely over Besalbrie once again. Sonja may have grown wet from the rain, but the arrowhawk was drenched too. In front of Sonja, a small ball of ice was taking shape. No bigger than a man's eye, it grew and grew in size, swirling with greater and greater speed. The wind, the rain, and everything around Sonja seemed to intensify, and veins of ice were growing over her hands and forearms. Just when the arrowhawk was about to strike, Sonja fired her iceball, striking the arrowhawk right in its twin mouths. A thick sheet of ice formed over the bird in an instant, turning it into a statue. The monster slammed into the ground and shattered, bits of frozen blood pouring out like slush.

Sonja shook her hands and tried using the rainwater to rub the frost off of her. It was no good. She needed to find someplace warm and dry. She peered through the nearby forest, looking for the safest place within. By chance, it seemed that the forest was hiding the entrance to a cave. Sonja took the opportunity and ran; snatching stray twigs and leaves as she went. Once inside the cave, she looked around in the darkness, saw there were no threats, then made a fire. Vernar had taught her a great many things since they had first met. How to find food, how to hunt animals, how to build shelters out of natural materials, and of course, how to make a fire. First, she took the broadest stick she could find and carved a hole into it so she could place some tinder. Parts of the forest were so dense that the rainwater had yet to pierce the canopy, so she was lucky in that regard. With the tinder placed, it was simply a matter of spinning another stick (which she carved one end of to be rounder and blunt) with her hands. It took much longer than she would have liked, but friction gave way to heat, and heat turned to embers. She nourished those tiny embers with a few hot breaths and just like that, she had a small flame. From there, it was a simple matter of keeping the flame alive long enough to heat up her kindling and sticks. A sense of pride washed over Sonja as the fire grew before her. The young girl held her hands out to the fire. A tingly sensation came over her as her red, freezing fingers grew warm. Soon enough, she stopped her shivering, and she was finally able to dry herself. It was strange. She always thought she should fear fire for what it did to her feet, but instead of frightening her, it fascinated her. She loved watching the flames flicker, smoke dance, and burning wood crack as embers flew up into the sky. It was... Comforting. Perhaps she knew that fire would never hurt her. Fire was natural, it was free. If fire hurt you, it would only be accidental, or it was used against you as a weapon. She didn't blame the fire for what happened to her feet. She blamed the people who had lit the fire beneath her. Sonja's memory of what happened was... Fuzzy. Back then, she had known nothing but pain, hunger, and cruelty. She didn't even know how to speak, let alone defend herself. Even so, the sense of dread and despair her past gave her was something she'd never forget.

"I'm glad they're dead," she whispered to herself. "They all deserved to die..."

"I agree."

A voice called out, faint enough to match Sonja's whispers but clear enough that it couldn't have been her imagination. She looked around. Her eyes could discern the faintest movement in the dark, yet as far as she could tell, there was no one in the cave except her. Most sound was being drowned out by the storm outside, and the smoke and burning wood of the fire was obscuring most smells. Was it a hidden enemy? No... There wasn't anyone at all.

Sonja went back to looking at the fire. It was a relaxing sight. She wanted to know what happened to Vernar, but given the things they had been through together, Sonja was more than confident they would be okay. She would just have to be patient and hope Vernar noticed the light her fire was making. Sitting with her legs crossed near the flickering flames, Sonja's eyelids grew heavy. Though she could feel her stomach rumbling, begging for food, the pains of hunger were something she had long grown used to. For the moment, she was at peace. Peace... Safety... And quiet... Before she completely fell asleep, however, Sonja snapped to, sitting straight up. She could feel a tingle across her arms, like small bumps were forming. Something was nearby... Something dangerous. Looking down, she realized what it was. It was the fire, reaching out a grasping tendril of flame towards her spare twigs.

The girl froze in place. She had never seen fire do something so strange - and she had dealt with fey! A morbid curiosity befell her, and she picked up a stick, handing it to the fire. It gladly wrapped its tendril around the twig and drew it in, consuming it with the rest of the wood.

"Are you... Alive?" asked Sonja.

"That's a matter of perspective."

Sonja hopped back onto her feet, claws at the ready. A single eye formed in the center of her fire, staring at her. It had an eyelid too, and its expression could only be described as... Patient frustration.

"Who are you? Are you a spirit?!" Sonja shouted.

"I am... What you see." The voice she had heard twice before seemed to emanate from the fire itself. It continued, saying, "I am burning. I am hunger. I am death."

"Bold words for someone so small," Sonja raised an eyebrow. "Still, if you really are the fire, then I'll try and be respectful. Would you like more wood?"

"Yes, please."

Sonja helped feed the fire by placing more sticks inside of it. The fire grew in size, and its orange and yellow glow made Sonja's shadow dance upon the cavern walls.

"Is that better?" asked Sonja.

"Much better. Thank you," said the fire.

Sonja sat back down, crossing her legs on top of each other as she did before. She tilted her head back and forth, watching as the flame's eye followed her.

"What are you doing?" asked the fire.

"N-nothing. Say, are you the spirit of all fire, or are you just the spirit of THIS fire?"

"Burning and hunger is all I've ever known."

"Yeah? I see..."

Silence followed as Sonja basked in the renewed warmth of the flames. There was a kind of crispness to the heat that she could feel, like an invisible aura rubbing up against her.

"Thanks for drying me," Sonja finally said. "I don't know if you wanted to, but I appreciate it."

The fire's eye closed momentarily. "And thank you for breathing me into life."

"Oh, you're welcome. I... Needed to feel some heat. It got pretty bad outside."

"I can tell. Thunder, lightning, wind, and rain have all come out to play. What once was dry earth can now finally have its thirst quenched."

"Do you know them?" asked Sonja. "The wind and rain?"

"Yes and... No. I can sense faint echoes of understanding. I am... A piece of something greater. An extension. They, too, were once part of something greater."

"What do you mean?"

"It's hard to say. All I know is that this place, this world... Is broken. It has been for a very, very long time."

Sonja frowned at this statement. "You can say that again. No matter where I go, there always seems to be something wrong. I don't think the land is dying, though. Maybe withered? Do you know why?"

"Life."

"Life?"

"Yes. There has always been a balance in nature. Rabbits eat plants where there is food a plenty. Rabbits multiply. Wolves eat rabbits because there is now enough food for them. With the rabbits gone, the plants can regrow. With the rabbits gone, the wolves starve, and the rabbits can return. The world is a cycle of hunger, consumption, death, and revival. This is how it was always meant to be... But there are those who are too clever to be consumed, too clever to die off when food grows scarce. They have learned to cheat the cycle. They shape nature to their whims, create more than they would ever need, and strip the land of its life force... Do you know who I am referring to?"

Sonja thought about the fire's words for a time. There was only one answer, as far as she could tell. "People?"

"Precisely. People are a blight upon this beautiful, terrible world."

"Even me?"

The fire said nothing for a time, its eye closed once more. "Perhaps... Perhaps not. If a balance could be restored, then not everyone has to die. Simply enough for the world to... Recover."

Outside, the storm still raged on. The winds were harsher, the rains heavier, and both rocks and loose trees were giving way to the mudslides. Sonja took notice of this, feeling a shiver run up her spine.

"How do you know all this?" Sonja asked.

"The echoes. I can feel them. I am a piece of something much greater. Greater than what you see before you."

Sonja stared at the fire. She still liked the warmth and light it provided, but its words left her feeling troubled.

"But you'll never rejoin that part of you, huh?" said Sonja.

The fire grumbled at this and said, "No... I never will. I am nothing but an echo. Nothing but an ember. The rest of me is too far away. I cannot reach it."

"If you could, would you?"

"Yes."

"Even if that meant losing yourself in the greater whole?"

The fire hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's only natural to wish to be whole. Don't you feel the same way?"

"I can't say I know that feeling. I'm not a small piece of anything. I'm just me."

"Are you certain?"

"Yeah?"

The fire leered at Sonja, or more... It felt as if it were looking at something behind Sonja. The girl glanced over her shoulder. Nothing was there.

"I see..." said the fire. "Perhaps one day you will understand. As for me, I shall continue to hunger. I shall continue to burn. There is nothing else for me in this life."

Sonja's eyelids felt heavy. She rubbed her eyes with her knuckles. The fire had grown quiet. It said no more words. Its eye had also disappeared. All that was left was flame, slowly eating away at all the wood she had collected.

"Did I imagine that?" Sonja wondered. "I don't think I was asleep, but... I was feeling tired earlier..."

"Sonja," said a shadowy figure at the cave's entrance. "What are you talking about?"

It was Vernar. They had finally reached the cave, and their arm seemed fine as well. Sopping wet, the assassin stayed at the lip of the cave, doing their best to wring water out from their black clothes.

"It was... Nothing," said Sonja.

"I know that look. It certainly wasn't nothing. What happened while I was away?" asked Vernar.

Sonja sighed, taking a moment to organize her thoughts. She then explained everything that had transpired in the cave. The fire, the voice, its cryptic words... She spoke of every detail. While Sonja spoke, Vernar eventually took their place beside the fire, making use of its warmth to finish drying off. They even lifted their mask forward ever so slightly to let trace amounts of water trapped behind it leak out, but never enough to allow Sonja to see Vernar's face. When the girl was done, Vernar crossed their arms and hummed in thought.

"You're certain the fire told you all of this?"

Sonja nodded. "I almost fell asleep, but I'm certain it wasn't a dream."

"Is that so..." Vernar extended their clawed hands occluded in black over the flame. Small droplets of water fell away, sizzling on the glowing embers along the cracked wood. "You know, fire is spoken of in both magical and alchemical texts. In the world of magic, fire is the element of ambition. In the world of alchemy, fire is seen as the element of transformation. While they each share a different perspective, there is one thing they have in common. Fire is seen as change. It can cook your food. It can burn your house down. It can light your path. Fire can do a great many things. It doesn't surprise me that a flame spirit's personality would reflect this trait. As for what it said, I have my own opinions on the matter, but what do you think?"

Sonja groaned. "You know I don't have a head for these sorts of things..."

"Don't make excuses. Whether it was consciously or not, I'm certain you formed an opinion while listening to the fire. What is it?"

"Well... I think life is unfair."

"Oh?"

"You can't choose where you're born, what you're born as, or the state of the world you happen to be born into. The world is always changing. Sometimes you get lucky and are born into a situation that suits you. Other times you're born into a crazy cult that wants to sacrifice you and your kind to bring the rain." Sonja looked away from Vernar. "We can make the best of our circumstances, but we can't really change them. Not unless you're someone strong, like you."

The eye on Vernar's mask closed. "In other words, there's no point in complaining. The world will never be how you want it to be, so instead, try and put your energy towards something productive."

Sonja nodded at this, saying, "Exactly. I know it was saying that people ruined the world, but... Did we? I feel like it's closer to people changed the world."

"Indeed. The only world that was ruined was the one the spirit preferred. It is said that long ago, there were no people. The world was barren of all but the elements, wild and free. But then the gods took hold of that chaotic world and forged it into something new. The gods then made people, who in turn adapted the world to suit their own needs. Nothing lasts forever..." Vernar looked outside towards the rainstorm. "Not even drought. Perhaps there will come a time when even people are usurped and replaced."

Sonja leaned in towards Vernar saying, "Seriously?!"

"I can't say for certain, though. Best not to dwell on it, right?"

Sonja then leaned back again, grumbling. Vernar liked to pose philosophical questions, but Sonja couldn't help but wonder if Vernar used them to hide deeper truths. How dangerous was the world? What were its secrets? Perhaps it was better not to know. Stay ignorant. Stay happy.

"As if!" thought Sonja. "There's so much to learn about the world, so much to uncover and understand. Whether Vernar helps me or not, I'll find the answers someday."

"You seem excited for something," said Vernar.

"O-oh! It's uh... I was just thinking about what would be really tasty to eat!" said Sonja, rubbing her belly. Vernar narrowed their eye at her.

"Is that so?"

Sonja and Vernar still had a great deal of walking to do. For now, they would wait, and when the time was right, they would continue their journey. Though Sonja would get wrapped up in a great many events, she never forgot the day she spoke with fire. Its words stayed with her, forever echoing in her mind.

"Perhaps one day you will understand. As for me, I shall continue to hunger. I shall continue to burn. There is nothing else for me in this life."

#fantasy #dark fantasy #sonja #vernar #short story #short fiction #arachnia #my writing #writeblr #what the fire said #Arachnia Fables

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digitalsatyr23 · 11 months

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Happy WBW! What is Art like in your world? Can be Any form of media: music, fine art, architecture, literature, etc.

There are many familiar forms of art, music, and literature, but there are so many different cultures throughout Arachnia it would be hard to cover them all. Instead, I'll highlight examples in each category you listed.

Music: There is a race known as the Tero who create intricate tunnel systems throughout mountains and underground, comparable to ant colonies. They were the first to develop a language similar to Morse code where tapping against stone with another object in a certain pattern could communicate messages to faraway allies. This language, called "Thapp", could cover great distances due to the echo caused by the tunnels. As an extension of this, Tero developed a kind of rhythmic music that implemented Thapp for the lyrics, using echoes and cave acoustics as part of the musical sound. For obvious reasons, this is impossible to replicate on the surface, so Tero musicians have learned to use a variety of drum designs to mimic the sound.

Fine Art: Everything in Arachnia has trace amounts of ether, the element of life and magic. Nature spirits, collectively known as the Fey, are brimming with the stuff. As a consequence of this, things they create tend to be magical in nature. The most well-known form of this is when they create art. Fey paintings usually come in two forms, either depicting fantastic creatures or bizarre landscapes. Fey paintings of creatures, no matter how strange, can be brought to life, and fey nobles may use their paintings to populate their realm or create unique guards. Fey landscape paintings act akin to portals to another realm. Anyone, whether they be fey or not, can step inside these paintings and interact with the depicted worlds as if they were real. Art explorers should take care when doing so, however, for not even the painters know what kind of dangers lurk within their canvases.

Architecture: The Huldra are born from the fertilized seeds of their mothers. Once they reach physical maturity, they appear to never age for centuries. However, once they reach their twilight years, Huldra start to shrink, wither, and rapidly age. Their bodies become stiff, their skin becomes rough like bark, and eventually when one dies, their bodies will eventually look like it's made of wood. As is customary, fallen Huldra are returned to the soil, where they eventually grow into trees. Some Huldra eventually start a second life as dryads, whereas others remain as trees, their soul long departed to the afterlife. Though it is considered morbid by outsiders, it is a time-honored tradition for some Huldra trees to be hollowed out and turned into family homes. Such homes are often said to be magical in nature, appearing to be larger on the inside than they are on the outside. It is also not uncommon for Huldra families to modify these homes by grafting the branches of other trees onto them. Though hollowed out, these trees can continue to bear fruit, even from grafted branches, and over time, a single family tree can become something of its own ecosystem.

Literature: Viscaeren are a race of sea predators (many of whom are shark people) that worship the bloodthirsty Adraedana, a sea serpent goddess sometimes known as the Salt Mother. Despite their violent ways, Viscaeren are not without culture. While many are blessed with the ability to walk on land, most Viscaeren spend their entire lives in the sea. They first learned to write by carving symbols on shells and sea cave walls, though later they developed a special type of ink (extracted from octopi) and a means to write on kelp. A single strand of kelp might be used for simple messages, like letters, but there are those who have taken it a step further and have used entire kelp trees in order to record history and folk tales. Viscaeren kelp tales usually have a religious tone to them, honoring the Salt Mother and her blessing of fangs and fins.

#my writing #writeblr #fantasy #dark fantasy #arachnia #writers on tumblr #wbw ask #worldbuilding #world lore #Arachnia Fables

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digitalsatyr23 · 1 year

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Monsters of Arachnia (Vampire)

Name: Vampires Monster Type: Undead Monster Sub-Type: Shapechanger Traits: Flying, ancient, intelligent, societal Height: Varies Weight: Varies Body Composition: Organic Body Symmetry: Bilateral Limb Type: Bipedal Common Environment: Any (Mostly subterranean to avoid the sun) Common Food Source: Varies depending on species Rarity Level: Uncommon Danger Level: Varies (Bloodletters are considered malicious)

Creatures of the night, "Vampires" as they are called are a form of intelligent undead created by passing on an ancient curse which transforms humanoids and similar creatures into undead bat-like entities. Some scholars say that vampires originate from Huanili magicians who saw bats as sacred, others say the curse is demonic in nature. Regardless of the source, vampires have been seen as the scourge of mankind since time immemorial, but this was not always the case. The most feared and hated sub-species of vampires are known as "Bloodletters" because they derive nourishment from the blood of mortals. Many bloodletter clans are quite bestial and malicious in nature, deriving joy from the suffering of others. They are seen as cat-like in nature due to how much they love to scare and play with their "food", but not all bloodletters are the same. What ultimately separates each clan from one another is how they decide to live once cursed. While one bloodletter clan may be run by vicious killers, other lesser-known clans may feed mostly off of animals such as livestock for much the same reason the living do. Other sub-species exist as well, but only scholars and the well-traveled know about them. Vampires that feed on insects are known as "Trappers" for the tactics they use to secure easy meals, vampires that feed on fruit, nectar, or pollen are known as "Harvesters", and vampires that feed on vertebrates are known as "Hunters." Derivatives of hunters known as "Spectral Vampires" and "Ghost Vampires" lurk within the dark and hunt other vampires for food. Such monsters may mean good or ill, but are universally loathed and feared by other vampires. In a sense, they are "Monsters among monsters."

There are a multitude of ways a mortal can be cursed with vampirism. Some say the gods curse the mortal for cold-blooded murder, others say that bat spirits curse mortals for abusing and killing bats, others still say the only way to become one is to be turned into one by another vampire. Scholars have concluded it may be all of these, but collecting evidence is difficult for how elusive, and sometimes how dangerous vampires can prove to be. Regardless of the methods, once so cursed the mortal being's lifeforce is twisted and reshaped into something wholly different from what it once was, changing not only their body but the very nature of their soul. This does little to alter the mind of the individual, but sometimes the transformation is too traumatizing for the curse-bearer, driving them insane. It is believed that these unfortunates may have been the source of the vampire's reputation for killers and psychopaths. Some of Arachnia's religions claim that vampires who wish to turn back or die peaceful deaths as mortals can go on redemption quests under the name of that respective god. Indeed, there is the story of Saint Malabelle who was canonized for her good deeds during her redemption quest. Perhaps there is truth to this matter? Other than religious rumors, no known cure exists for vampirism, save for killing the creature. Given how often bloodsuckers may terrorize villagers and townsmen, it is no surprise that vampire hunting proves a lucrative business for mercenaries.

While there are many loner vampires who may never actively seek out their own kind, many vampires cluster together into communities. A colony of vampires is referred to either as a "clan" or a "house", depending on the style of leadership. Clans tend to be comprised of vampires simply wishing to get by, working together with their kindred to find food, hide from monsters or hunters, and when the time comes, propagate (more on that later.) Houses are united fronts of vampires who may form strong, defendable communities, or even have political power by manipulating others from the dark. Due to the strength and fear they wield, bloodletters are the most likely to form noble houses, and they actively seek to sustain their respective bloodline by not dirtying it with other "lesser" vampires and unworthy mortals. Houses and clans are categorized by sub-species as noted above. Vampires live an "unlife", having a strange pseudo-natural lifeforce to them. They can sustain this twisted lifeforce by consuming the food associated with their sub-species, which tends to have some connection with the different bat species in a local area (though it is unknown exactly why such connections to animal species is so strong). Regular consumption of food relieves any neurotic or psychotic tendencies a vampire might have and even help maintain their youthful, if somewhat drab appearance. If they go hungry for long enough periods of time, their mental state can decay, causing them to not only act more like monsters but look more like monsters. This is called "Going feral" in the vampire community, and in rare cases is irreversible. Regular access to food, especially high-quality food can keep a vampire both physically and mentally healthy, even beautiful by some people's standards. As a natural consequence of this, rulers of vampire houses tend to be more handsome while their underlings tend to be more monstrous looking. Assuming a vampire continues to feed and avoid dying, they are theoretically immortal. The oldest vampire lord to have ever been slain was said to be over 4,000 years old, but it's possible even older vampires still exist to this very day. It should be noted that "Vampire lord" refers to especially old and strong vampires in this case.

Being the pseudo-natural creatures that they are, vampires have many strange abilities and weaknesses. They are said to be unnaturally light, and are able to glide through the air with their wings "Like a falling leaf in Autumn." Yet despite this, if a vampire keeps its feet firmly on a surface, they cannot be knocked down or uprooted. One use of this ability leads to them being able to walk on walls or even hang from the ceiling much like a bat. They are graceful and cat-like in nature, prowling through the dark and scurrying after prey like how a cat might chase after a mouse. Vampires have sharp claws and fangs that can cut open and tear flesh, and even bloodletters have been known to eat red meats, assuming they haven't been drained. To this end, some vampires have employed a hex on their claws to cut off parts of a creature without creating a wound, thus allowing them to separate creatures into parts for storage, imprisonment, or even interrogation. (An arm here, a leg there...) Being creatures of the night, they have fine-tuned senses. All sub-species can see in the dark, though some have better vision than others. Many also employ echo-location by howling and screeching in the night, listening to how their screams bounce off of physical objects to determine their location relative to their surroundings.

While there is some variation in their physical attributes, vampires tend to be stronger and faster than the average person, able to punch through walls and run faster than the finest steed. Some believe that vampires grow stronger the longer they live and the more food they consume. It is as if their strength is that of the collective life energies of those they have feasted upon. In this regard, even though a monstrous vampire may appear scarier, it is likely to be weaker than a well-fed vampire lord, though this doesn't account for dry spells that may afflict a long-lived vampire. Perhaps due to their animal-like nature, most vampires get along with and can even befriend other creatures of the night. Through strange magics, vampires can even shapeshift themselves to appear like the hunter animals they may have befriended. Thus a vampire that can turn into a wolf or owl may be found in areas where such animals live. Through the very same energies that keep them whole, vampires may have many other magical abilities, but this can vary between bloodlines. Being able to leap through shadows, paralyze others with their screeching, turn into mist, among other abilities have been reported in the past.

With all their strengths, vampires are also possessed of a host of weaknesses. As vampires tend to shrug off wounds from conventional weaponry, blessed weapons or blessed metals (such as silver) have been employed before to mortally wound them. Just like anything, fire seems especially effective. Perhaps this is because their skin can become especially dry, or that instead of bathing they sometimes us oils (or personal grooming) to clean themselves, leading some to just be more flammable than others. It is not that vampires cannot bath (they do), it's that they naturally sink in water and have difficulty pulling themselves out of rivers and lakes. The reason for this is unknown since they're so lightweight otherwise, but the careful vampire will still bath and drink water all the same, although this is more for cleanliness instead of hydration. The sun is often misunderstood to be the "true death" for vampires. It does weaken them, but it does not kill. According to those who have survived it, they describe it as a "Spiritual and sensory overload" as if their bodies were flooded with waves of energy, too much for them to handle. Those trapped outside in sunlight prove easy kills, thus leading to the association of the sun being equated with death. There are those who become too powerful for even this to stop them, though. Vampire hunters who might seek to trick a clever vampire lord may find themselves without their desired advantage. Even if the vampire isn't a proper lord, there are many forms of sun protection in the world, such as the shadow cloaks employed by the Geiren people to avoid their own sun curse.

Despite being undead, vampires are more than capable of propagating - as long as they are well-fed. Vampire begets vampire, and breeding with mortals leads to the much feared "dhampir" which has less severe weaknesses but is also a bit weaker physically compared to true vampires. Children who are born from two vampiric parents will physically age much slower than a mortal but in time will reach maturity and maintain their appearance at that point, though this is not true for children who are cursed with vampirism. A youngling who receives such a curse will be trapped in a state of perpetual adolescence, forever doomed to appear as a dawdling child. This leads to a troubled existence for those who may one day seek relations with their kin, more than likely shunned since they cannot be taken seriously as a needing adult, though more twisted or estranged individuals may find companionship in such cases (this is often looked down upon). Perhaps it is this reason that youngling vampires are more likely to seek redemption in holy houses, in the hopes to reclaim their childhood that they lost or achieve the adulthood they were so unfairly denied.

Vampires tend to mate in pairs, with courtship rituals varying between clans and houses. Males and females of certain clans are famous for their more... Acrobatic approach to this subject. Gestation tends to last for over a year, and a pregnant vampire can have one or more children at a time, with the largest birth at six vampiric babies. During periods where food is scarce, vampires will go into long sleeps known as hibernation where their metabolism and similar functions slows to a crawl. Hibernation can last for a season, but some may wish to sleep out an especially hostile civilization, thus sleeping for hundreds of years. While vampires as a whole are misunderstood by the masses, it is generally accepted that vampires who drink blood are the ones to worry about. Undead slayers may not distinguish between sub-species, for merely being undead is enough reason to kill. Less rambunctious holy men may simply urge more peaceful vampires to seek redemption at their respective church. The culture of both clans, houses, and the communities they live near varies from nation to nation, with multiple clans and houses sometimes living under the same kingdom.

Fun facts about vampires: 1. The reason garlic is revolting to them is because of their strong sense of smell! 2. An association with coffins came from people turned into vampires resembling the dead, leading to accidental burials. 3. Coincidentally, coffins make for excellent insulation should a vampire go into hibernation. Debate among which materials are the best still occur regularly. 4. Vampires are sometimes associated with devils due to the most infamous bloodletter "Vladomar" reincarnating as an archdevil in the Seven Hells. 5. Vampires naturally regenerate from wounds as long as they are well-fed and can even regrow bones and teeth! 6. Holy symbols alone have no effect on vampires, but anti-religious vampires may sneer at you. 7. Some vampire houses hunt and enslave other races for potential food, workers, or even minions. 8. In rare cases, vampires may work with vampire hunters to help root out especially strong, clever, or heinous vampires. 9. The largest and strongest vampiric sub-species is called the Spectral Vampire, which has a prominent nose crest. 10. The smallest vampiric sub-species is called the Bumblebee Vampire which hunt insects and drink honey.

#monster lore #arachnia #vampire #fantasy #dark fantasy #my writing #Arachnia Fables

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digitalsatyr23 · 4 months

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It occurs to me that my Arachnia lore might be a little on the intimidating side. Like I want to share as much as I can about any given subject for that place, but at the same time, for those who may be curious but don't have any investment in it yet, it probably feels like they gotta pry open a textbook or something. Like the other day someone was like "Ooh, what's a beahuil?" and I was like "I shall tell them everything" and uuuh in hindsight that might have been a bit much.

SO, for those who are reading this, would you prefer more condensed lore from now on? I can reword topics so they're shorter but still get the main points across. If no one is worried about it, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. I just felt like I should ask.

#blogging #writeblr #fantasy lore #Arachnia Fables

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digitalsatyr23 · 4 months

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Races of Arachnia (Beahuil)

Beahuili, sometimes known as shifters, are distant cousins of humanity. By living in harmony with nature, they have gained mastery over the beast in their blood and can change their forms at-will, if subtly. Though mostly human in appearance (except for striking eyes), a beahuil can change or “shift” into a bestial form, taking on traits of a certain animal decided during their proving. They are hardy, wise, and well-adapted to the harsh climates of Tirachna where most surviving members of the race make their home. Though the beahuili have a long history protecting the weak and innocent from the deadly Accursed, few tribes have survived the rigors of Arachnia’s history. Of the surviving tribes, those of the Crescent Valley remain the most powerful and numerous. On occasion, exceptional members of the tribe are sent out to seek unnatural forces and extinguish them, for long have they fought against the terrible alien things of this world. Perhaps one day the hunt will come to an end, but until that time, the beahuili press on.

Physical Description: Beahuili are similar to humans in appearance, sharing traits reminiscent of several ethnicities (most notably utheran), and can be as short as 5’0” or as tall as 6’8”. They are stockier, however, with thicker muscles, bigger bones, and more durable frames. Beahuili reach maturity around age 16 and maintain a youthful appearance for many years. They live about as long as humans, if a bit longer due to their natural-borne hardiness. Few among them grow earlobes, for most are well-acclimated to hotter climates. Men can be quite hairy, with forearms and chests full of shaggy hair. Women are not overly masculine, but they retain a tomboyish quality that is hard to miss. Their hair can naturally grow quite long, with colors of black, brown, and red (orange) being the most common, though it is said that those born under a full moon may have white or silver hair. Blonde is not unheard of, but it is also quite rare. Their eyes are striking, with colors like gemstones. Ruby, amethyst, turquoise, lapis lazuli, and similar shades. It is not to say that they look like gems, more that their colors bring to mind treasured stones. Their skin tends towards a light tan, like a shade of the vibrant rock of Tirachna. When a beahuil shifts, they take on an animalistic appearance. Angular faces, cat-like eyes, sharp fangs, and similar features may manifest. This is dependent on their spirit animal, which is said to be the echoes of a past life watching over the beahuil (though whether this is true or not, none can say). By calling upon the beast within their blood, they transform and gain great power.

Society: Due to the connection with nature they try to maintain, beahuili rarely live in cosmopolitan cities. Their settlements are small and often change location throughout the year. A typical beahuili village will amount to family-sized yurts of 10-50. Tribal society is simple, with hunters and gatherers out and about throughout the day while dedicated caregivers remain at the village, tending to the village young. There is no distinction between male and female in a given role, nor is a tribesman expected to remain in the same role their whole life. They might aid their village first as a gatherer, then as a hunter, then later as a caregiver, then return to the life of a gatherer. Acquiring many skills and become self-reliant is encouraged about the beahuili. Though beahuili are often monogamous, their family structure is less strict than other societies. A child has a “birthing mother” and a “birthing father”, but the whole of the village is considered family, so the children are taught by all sorts of people in the tribe. A term like “warrior” is superfluous when describing members of the tribe because every member is trained to fight should the need arise. Obviously, there are those who are better at it than others, but those out in the field do not need guards for good reason. Should trouble arise, each tribe has a dedicated shaman who is often the oldest and most magically gifted member of the tribe. In sufficiently large tribes, there may be multiple shamans. Chieftains are the only authority above shamans in tribes, and even then, they are not as ironclad as one might think. Beahuili rarely have internal strife and sort out their problems when they arise. A chieftain’s main duty is to find solutions to problems that the rest of the tribe cannot, and as such, the chieftain is the most capable and well-respected member of the tribe. There is no special ritual for deciding a chieftain. Should a chieftain die, retire, or step down, a simple vote is held to decide the new chieftain.

To keep their children strong and physically fit, a beahuil youth is raised on a diet of lean meats, tubers, and vegetables (beahuili find the dairy products of other cultures strange and fascinating). A child’s training begins first by having them help with chores around the village, such as carrying water, tending to animals, or working alongside gatherers. Physically active games and sports are encouraged among children, including a version of Hide & Seek called “Predator & Prey”. During such a game, one child is made the predator and the others their prey, and each group is supposed to start thinking like their respective role in order to hide, seek, and generally outsmart and outmaneuver each other. When prey is found, they must flee the predator until they either are tagged or find a new hiding spot. Once all prey have been tagged (a simple tap on the body, though fruit dyes are sometimes employed), the game ends and can begin again. Another game popular among the youth is “Chieftain’s Circle” where a red dye is used to establish a large circle. All participants gather within the circle and then beat the snot out of each other, doing what they can to throw everyone else out of the circle until only one child remains. The winner is named “second chieftain” and is given authority over the other children for a week. Perhaps because of these games and the culture surrounding the beahuili, many tribesmen grow up to have either calm and stoic personalities (like calculating predators) or aggressive and rambunctious personalities (like wild beasts).

Every year, starting on the first day of Gerova, a weeklong festival is held where all the tribes of the Crescent Valley gather in one place. During the festival there is dancing, games and contests of athleticism (including Chieftain’s Circle, but with adults), storytelling, and music. Musical performers use a variety of instruments, including the gadoulka (a four-stringed bowing instrument with a teardrop body), the tamboura (a strumming instrument with three to eight strings), the kaval (a long multi-segmented wind instrument), and the gaida (a multi-part instrument comparable to a bagpipe). In addition to festivities and cultural exchanges, the different tribes will also exchange members on occasion, either as part of marriages to tie two tribes closer together, or for tribesmen to live among another tribe to learn from them and experience what it’s like in their part of the world (think exchange students, but for adults). On the 8th day of the week (Riveday), a chosen member from each tribe will plant a seed in the soil of the festival grounds, with the seed being a plant from the tribe’s homeland. When the seeding is complete, the tribes offer each other good wishes, pack up, and return home. While some seeds do not always sprout and survive, those that do tend to naturally hybridize, blending together over time to create new types of plants, and given time, birth new spirits into the world.

The beahuili people usually establish their settlements in places where ether is said to gather and course through the world like rivers. These places are referred to as ley lines, and the beahuili use these ley lines to tap into the natural world and “communicate” with it so that they can better understand its problems. Like the leeu tribes of Ugankka, the beahuili wish to protect the world and maintain the natural order. Threats to the world are found via a tribe’s ley line then sought out, either to be corrected or exterminated. For most problems, only a single tribesman is sent out, but when a great threat arises, a whole pack of 6-10 may be sent on the quest. The primary enemy of the beahuili are aberrations, strange alien things that either attack indiscriminately or try to subvert the natural world to their own ends. To combat these creatures, the beahuili train vigorously in many fields, including physical and magical combat. They also make use of the beast within their blood, a power that beahuili gain mastery over during their Proving. This ritual, which takes place just after a beahuil turns 16, is a rite of passage before that member is considered an adult. They are tested by being given a place to journey to or a specific beast to slay, often without provisions. Once they have completed their quest, the beahuil receives a vision of a beast, and by establishing this connection, they are able to call upon the power within their blood and transform. This ability is referred to as “shifting”, which is how the beahuili earned the name “shifters”. Those that fail their proving may try again the following year. While there is always a risk of death during a Proving, there is always at least one adult skulking around the area to make sure the youth does not get in over their head. Rather than abandon a weak youth to the wild, the tribe will always prefer to save them and bring them back so that they can be better taught for the next year.

Alignment and Religion: Due to their comparatively unstructured society, their reverie of beasts and nature, and their duty to protect others, beahuili are most often Chaotic Good. Beahuili have little respect for laws and regulations that hinder their ability to help people, which sometimes gets them in trouble when abroad. Older, wiser beahuili may lean more towards Neutral Good, and less compassionate members of the tribe may be closer to Chaotic Neutral. Very few beahuili are truly evil, and these are often troubled members of a tribe who are too ambitious and headstrong to get along with their fellow tribesmen, eventually leading to their exile. Sometimes a beahuil who has traveled the world may return jaded and bitter. These beahuili either turn their back on the world or see the other races as the source of its woes. Chieftains are quick to correct these mindsets in such beahuili, but for those that will not change, exile or execution may be the only options. Those who escape the chieftain’s wrath and flee their village and become estranged hunters of men are known as the Scorned.

Beahuili most often pay homage to Ererah (Goddess of Seasons), Gerovi (God of Nature), and Nyttania (Goddess of Creation and Destruction). They are not as devoted to these gods as other cultures might be, though. Most beahuili see the gods as wise (or at least experienced) elders that represent different aspects of the world, whether it be war (Cheruvyx), time (Cephenia), the sea (Adraedana), or death (Atumex). The only deity beahuili are truly wary of is Kutkhi (God of Night), who they see as a strange and possibly dangerous outsider. They do not wage war on his followers, but rather take anything he and his followers say with a grain of salt.

Beahuili also (and primarily) pay homage to nature spirits, elementals, and the fey, and they do this by either leaving offerings to these spirits or creating protective barriers for them, such as tying a talisman-laden rope around an ancient tree. When they hunt and kill something for food or materials (often both, as beahuili dislike wasting things), they’ll offer a small prayer in that creature’s name so that it has swift and safe passage to the other side. They do much the same when they hold a funeral, burning the body in a bonfire so that the person’s spirit may be released. When the ashes are collected, they are placed within a ritual urn. Then one of the tribesmen (typically whoever was closest to that person) takes the urn all the way to the sea or to the top of a mountain. There the ashes are then released to the winds and waves.

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Thank you @serenanymph for taking an interest in one of my fantasy races! I really appreciate it. Since you asked, I figured I'd share their lore here on my blog. In case you're wondering, my fantasy content is used for both fantasy stories as well as D&D games, so in this case I shared the lore I formatted for my player guide. They were originally inspired by shifters from D&D since one of my regular players loves shifters, so I decided to finally format and put my own spin on the race so they could continue playing them whenever I run games out of my Arachnia setting.

#arachnia #arachnia fables #races of arachnia #fantasy race #fictional culture #my writing #writeblr #beahuil #worldbuilding

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digitalsatyr23 · 7 months

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Creatures of Arachnia (Ocean Terrain)

A compiled list of different creatures from all over the seas of Arachnia, including creatures inspired and adapted from myth and legend. Roughly 80% of Arachnia is comprised of ocean, so there is a great variety of creatures that live and hunt within its watery depths. Read on if you're curious about its ocean denizens!

Pincer Shark

Description: "This 10ft-long shark has long snapping jaws, a hook-like tail, and - most disturbingly - arms that end in pincers."

Lore: The aptly named pincer shark is a variety of shark that evolved grasping, snapping pincers, not unlike a crab. Like other sharks, the pincer shark's skeleton is almost entirely made out of cartilage, including the bones making up the arms. The sharp, hard material of the pincers is more akin to true bone, and while not readily apparent, the edges of the pincers have small saw-like edges that aid in gripping and tearing apart prey. Pincer sharks are quite intelligent, and have been known to use rudimentary tools in order to make life easier, such as grasping a piece of driftwood and using it to jab at prey hiding in cavernous holes or coral.

Dogfish

Description: "This exceptionally ugly fish appears to grow thick fur over most of its body."

Lore: The dogfish is one of the many mysteries of Arachnia's oceans. In roughly the shape of a coral reef fish yet covered in thick shaggy brown fur, the dogfish behaves in much the same way as a dog… The dogfish also has a fetid odor that is undetectable to human (or similar) noses, but is capable of driving even the hungriest of predators away. Its coarse fur seems to be the source of this smell, which is hardy enough that even steel might dull upon it! As such, the dogfish has no natural predators. Even gigantic sea monsters would rather ignore its yipping and nibbling than waste time trying (and failing) to digest it. Dogfish breed once a year and lay their eggs in coral reefs. Females can birth up to three pups at a time which subsequently take about a year to fully mature.

Jellylich

Description: "This gigantic jellyfish is over 10ft in diameter with a long mess of tendrils beneath it. Its head is topped with three prong-like growths and its face - if you can call it that - bears a striking resemblance to a skull."

Lore: One of the many terrors of the deep, the jellylich was given its name due to the skull-like face it grows on one side of its hood (or bell). It can sometimes be seen near the surface of the ocean, but it spends most of its time in the deep sea, using its long tendrils to catch whatever prey bumps into it by accident. While it does not always make use of this, jellyliches have a form of bioluminescence, and when activated, it causes the entire creature to light up a bright, cyan color. Jellyliches are believed to be immortal creatures as long as they remain in the sea, as a sjora scholar once studied a particular jellylich that eventually outlasted them in terms of lifespan, which was well over 700 years.

When born, a jellylich begins as a larva no bigger than a thumb, which attaches to hard substances in the sea such as rock, becoming a polyp. As the polyp matures, it grows in length and width, becoming an exceptionally large multi-layered bell-shaped thing without any feeding tendrils known as a strobila. In a process called strobilation, the top-most portion of the bell - which resembles a three-pronged blooming flower - eventually breaks off, turning into an ephyra. This process continues until all layers of the strobila are gone, reducing it to its original polyp shape. The ephyra eventually mature into medusa, which is a term sjora use for fully-matured jellyfish. The medusa stage of the jellylich is its final stage of growth, and it remains as such, continuing to grow in size over the centuries. Most jellyliches average at about 10ft in diameter, but the largest known one has been measured at around 25ft in diameter! The venom secreted by its tendrils is extremely potent, and can render a fully grown human paralyzed within seconds. When potential prey is paralyzed, the tendril wraps around the prey and drags it up towards the jellylich's hood, where its feeding organs slowly break down the prey over time, reducing the creature to nothing but bone. These bones sometimes remain stuck to the tendrils, so some jellyliches may be encountered with a veritable graveyard's worth of skeletons attached to it.

Octoshark

Description: "This terrifying beast has the head and body of a great shark, while the end of its body is comprised of dozens of oversized tentacles. Several sharp fin-shaped spines run over the top of its head and down its backside, and it moves with incredible speed."

Lore: Sometimes known as the "Sea Terror", this deadly predator of the deep combines all the ferocity of a shark with the intelligence and cunning of an octopus. Fast and physically powerful, they often out-maneuver their prey, eventually entangling them in their tendrils before tearing them apart with its many rows of sharp fangs. Like a shark, much of its body is covered in small tooth-like bristles known as denticles, which are sharp to the touch. An octoshark has a total of sixteen tentacles, though four of them are considered its "legs", and much to the surprise and horror of fishermen, it has been known to crawl its way onto shore to snatch up a swimmer who thought they had escaped the octoshark's clutches. Male octosharks tend to grow to about 20ft in length, whereas females will grow to an average of 30ft in length - though some especially large females have reached 40ft. Octosharks love meat and go wild at the taste of blood, which they can detect in the water with incredible accuracy. Even more disturbingly, an octoshark seems to innately be able to tell if a creature is alive or dead, and through careful study by magician scholars, it was learned that octosharks can detect creatures via their ether. It is unclear if octosharks have a preference for creatures high in ether, but they have been known to be more aggressive when a mage is near, so perhaps there is some truth to that rumor.

Sage Fish

Description: "This curious cephalopod has a ring of eyes around its head, and at the very top, you can see several thin feelers moving about."

Lore: A creature similar to an octopus in shape, the sage fish is a creature with all-around vision, like the ring-eyed owl. Its many eyes are able to change color with the rest of the sage fish's body, which has incredible control over not only its color, but also its apparent texture. Masters of disguise, a sage fish can appear almost invisible to the naked eye - though they only do this when they feel truly threatened. While far from being capable of speech, sage fish have nonetheless proven to have a great deal of intelligence, building rudimentary structures, often among other sage fish, and forming communities. They are also known for using tools to aid in acquiring food, build shelters, or even to defend itself. A sailor once reported how a sage fish stole his knife from his belt and when the sailor tried to take it back, the sage fish pointed it right at him, swiping at his hand when he tried to reach out for it. No one truly knows what goes on in the mind of the sage fish, but myluthians and sjora mages have been known to take them on as familiars.

Barbed Thresher

Description: "This sea creature has the body of a blue shark, with a saw-like snout edged with sharp teeth, and a round red belly covered in small spikes. The upper portion of its tail is exceptionally long."

Lore: The barbed thresher is a chimeric creature, showing traits of a thresher shark, a sawshark, and a pufferfish. Having the features of all three creatures, barbed threshers will typically chase fish, swipe at them with their tails, then tear them apart by wagging their snout back and forth before gobbling up the pieces. When threatened, a barbed thresher's belly will puff up, becoming reddened by the venom built up in their system, which makes them deadly to the touch. Barbed threshers are swift, adaptive hunters and have very few predators due to their venom, toothed snout, and spiked belly. Curiously, barbed threshers are entirely uninterested in humanoid prey, and as long as they are approached with due caution and respect, a barbed thresher will not attack a humanoid.

Otlotha

Description: "This enormous skeletal creature swims through the water at an unnatural speed. Its body is similar to a whale's skeleton with a large bony fin at the end, but the resemblance ends there. Above its ribs are two long skeletal arms ending in nasty claws, and its spine is topped with a giant skull with sharp teeth and horn ridges along its crown. The glimmer of an eerie red light can be seen in its eye sockets, and blood seeps from its toothy maw."

Lore: The result of vile necromancy, the otlotha are beings created by combining the bones of giants and whales, forming them into destructive and unnatural predators. Otlotha are typically created by a small team of necromancers between 3-5 individuals, with the bones being bound together on land with sinew. After a red mana crystal is inserted into the skull and the necromancers chant their profane words, the bones suddenly come alive, and the creature immediately tries to crawl its way into the sea. From there, the otlotha will be bound to the necromancers and can be commanded to guard their lair, hunt their enemies, or otherwise sow terror in the depths. If the necromancers are killed before the otlotha, the skeletal being becomes untethered to their will, free to swim through the depths of the ocean and hunt until its unnatural life is finally put to an end. A typical otlotha is about 60ft in length, 15ft wide, and weighs approximately 22 tons. Despite not requiring food, it will hunt like a carnivore, devouring whatever creatures it comes across. Otlotha are also strangely clever in their hunting techniques, and they will store meat and blood in the cavities in their skull, using the chum to attract more prey. But to what end, nobody knows. Otlotha are known for ramming ships with their horned skulls, and those able to breath water will sometimes ride inside of their otlotha by holding onto or binding themselves to one of its rib bones.

Sea Priest

Description: "Rising from the sea like a slithering mountain, this great mound of slime has two gigantic eyes that glow like twin lighthouses."

Lore: The sea priest, known in the Airan tongue as "umi-bozu" are gigantic flesh-eating slimes that live in the cold dark reaches of the ocean floor. Known to appear and disappear in the calm of night like ghosts, these creatures are often seen as dark omens, like a sign that something terrible is about to transpire. Some say that sea priests are the reincarnations of monks thrown into the sea by angry villagers (and some even call them "sea monks"), though whether this is true or not remains to be seen. At the very least, a sea priest is possessed with terrible speed, reacting to attacks with swift and deadly counterattacks. Those struck by a sea priest inevitably become stuck to its body, melting away in its flesh-devouring slime. It is said that when a sea priest absorbs enough people over time, it gains some semblance of intelligence - though its desire to kill sailors remains the same. Such sea priests may suddenly appear near a ship and demand a barrel from its crew, then using the barrel to pour huge amounts of water onto the deck, eventually sinking the ship and drowning its crew. If given a barrel with the bottom removed, the sea priest will scoop and scoop to no effect, and the sailors will be able to make their lucky escape. Some believe that the mountain-like shape of a sea priest is not its true form, that instead its body is actually quite humanoid, and it merely secretes a massive amount of acidic slime. Indeed, there have been cases where giant shadowy humanoids have washed up on the shore. Villagers who encounter beached sea priests would do well to drag the body back into the depths, for it is said that its body carries curses, and whatever place a sea priest beaches itself will always be shrouded in misfortune.

Jitterfish

Description: "This white and silvery fish wiggles and swims rapidly, its body lighting up and shooting out small sparks of electricity."

Lore: The jitterfish is a type of fish known to migrate between fresh water rivers and the ocean over the course of its life like a salmon. When fully matured, jitterfish develop the uncanny ability to conduct electricity with its body, and they use this as a defense mechanism against predators. While the amount is small, it is more than enough to harm others, and fishermen must take great care when handling a jitterfish, lest they get zapped and burned.

Dragon Turtle

Description: "This gigantic creature has a long thrashing tail, a spiked shell over 15ft in diameter, and large, snapping jaws. Much of its body is scaled, with draconic features, and as its head rises above the waves, it breathes a gout of flame into the air."

Lore: Dragon turtles are great and terrible beings of the sea. Like a cross between a dragon and an oversized sea turtle, these creatures have three-clawed limbs, incredibly durable hides, and the ability to breath fire. They are known to claim vast territories in the open seas, and those who sail over this territory may soon find their ships smashed open by the dragon turtle's jaws or set ablaze by its flame lung. Extremely territorial, it will attack almost anything that encroaches upon its claimed part of the sea, spending a great deal of time swimming about to hunt, fight off invaders, and collect things it finds of interest. Dragon turtles like to lair in large sea caves, hoarding a vast array of things from oddly-shaped drift wood, shells, bones, armor, treasure chests, and even parts of ships it has destroyed. Despite its destructive tendencies, dragon turtles do not attack those on land unless provoked. As such, some island cultures see dragon turtles as guardian spirits, keeping pirates and invaders at bay. Such cultures will often build statues and shrines in honor of the beasts, and sometimes place treasure at the base of the statues as a form of payment for its protection. Dragon turtles seem to be aware of this behavior, as they will often crawl up onto the shore to collect such items, bringing them back to their underwater hoards.

Dragon turtles are normally solitary beings, only meeting with another for the purpose of mating, then going their separate ways. Typically, a female dragon turtle will lay its eggs on the sandy shores of whatever island is close by (especially one that is known to respect her), hiding the eggs within the sands. When the eggs finally hatch, the baby dragon turtles will naturally make their way towards the sea until they finally join their mother in the depths, finding security in her sea cave and using her treasure hoard for cover when frightened. A mother dragon turtle will provide food for her young for upwards of 10-15 years, after which time they have grown enough that they can become independent. Many dragon turtle young will group up with siblings that they got along with while living in their mother's sea cave, eventually parting ways when it becomes impractical to hunt alongside each other (due to how much they eat). The long and mostly solitary life of a dragon turtle makes them into tough, independent creatures. Very rarely will they allow other creatures into their territory, save a family member they recognize (if only for a small period of time) or a potential mate. On rare occasions, a sjora tribe may be able to befriend a dragon turtle, and work alongside it to keep a particular stretch of the sea safe. Sjora will also go out of their way to warn sailors away from the area, doing their best to ensure the sailors' ship does not fall prey to a dragon turtle's wrath.

Living Beartrap

Description: "This clam is so big it could fit a full-grown man inside of its maw. The inside of the shell has several sharp growths, ensuring that whatever gets trapped inside will get eviscerated."

Lore: Large and extremely dangerous clams, living beartraps will prop open their shells in the hopes of luring in prey before snapping shut. The sharpened grooves inside their shells also act as feelers, and should something brush up against one of them, this causes the shell to reflexively shut itself. Some sea explorers may be surprised to know that a living beartrap can swim! It does so in an oddly clumsy fashion by swiftly opening and closing its shell to propel itself through the water, stopping only when it grows tired or it deems whatever is beneath it to be a suitable place to hunt.

Sea Snatcher

Description: "This semi-chitinous multi-eyed creature has powerful bone-snapping jaws and grasping clawed hands."

Lore: The sea snatcher is a dangerous sea creature that loves to prey upon humanoid swimmers. It will typically lie in wait in the sands, and once it detects motion, it will grab hold of an arm or a leg, snap the limb off in one quick motion, then swim away to feast. Sea snatchers will devour the limbs whole, leaving nothing behind. Sea snatchers are swift and clever, and are skilled at avoiding detection. Even so, settlers by the ocean shores will do everything in their power to drive sea snatchers away. Due to how common sea snatchers are, this led to the creation of peg legs and hook hands, which are implements meant to replace lost hands and feet.

Skitterer

Description: "The top of this creature is a mass of thick brilliantly colored tendrils arrayed atop a rocky, chitinous body, which has several thin spider-like legs."

Lore: A skitterer is a sea anemone with spidery legs. They move about on the sands, seeking out areas with plentiful food before burrowing waist-deep into the sand and rock, awaiting any unsuspecting prey. Their tendrils are venomous and quite dexterous, able to grab hold of fish and drag them into the center of the tendril mass where their mouth is located. These creatures have adapted to have their bodies look almost like rocks, which helps them blend into their environment. However, their rocky body is merely a roughly textured shell that they will periodically shed as the skitterer grows in size. A typical skitterer will grow to be about 3ft in diameter, with legs reaching about 2ft in length. Curiously, they have formed a symbiotic relationship with dogfish, which use their terrible stench to drive away predators. In exchange, dogfish will eat whatever is left over by the skitterer, almost like a dog eating the scraps of its master.

Sargasso

Description: "This tangled bundle of kelp wriggles about in the water, almost as if it is alive…"

Lore: The sargasso is a creature that sits somewhere between plant and animal. The visible part of a sargasso is made up of several strands of dark yellow kelp, which can move about like the tentacles of an octopus, but will seldom do so unless necessary. The hidden part of a sargasso lies beneath the waves and its kelp, which is that of a fleshy head that bears a striking resemblance to a human's - bones and all. It is unknown if the sargasso is a natural creature or not, as they are quite rare beyond the cursed seas surrounding Vildarue. What is known is that the sargasso will use its kelp strands to grasp and entangle prey, often choking the life out of it before bringing its prey towards its mouth, after which it will chew and swallow whatever it has eaten. Despite its head looking like a human's, the anatomy of a sargasso is far different, for its stomach occupies the space a human's brain would. Sargasso go to great lengths to hide their heads, and the strands of kelp can grow to considerable lengths, eventually covering the head to such a degree that even those who have encountered the creatures aren't even aware there is anything more to them than the kelp. Sargasso breath water through their noses, and will suffocate if they wash up on land. The exact means a sargasso breeds and spreads about is unknown, as they do not tend to move on their own, but rather let themselves get moved about by the ocean waves. What is known, however, is that when a sargasso bumps into another one, they will latch onto each others kelp strands, and several have been found to do this, forming a colony of sargasso. Such large colonies are sometimes called a sargasso sea.

Giant Eel

Description: "This 16ft-long translucent eel slithers through the water with uncanny grace, its mouth open to display a large set of teeth and a second set of jaws within."

Lore: A ferocious ocean predator, the giant eel snatches up prey with its secondary jaws, which shoots out of its mouth at great speeds before pulling its prey inside to be chewed up and swallowed. Most disturbingly, the giant eel's body is translucent, and both the things it eats, as well as its organs, are entirely visible to the naked eye. Giant eels can be found near the ocean's surface just as much as they can be found at its depths, and they seem well-adapted to dealing with the pressures of the ocean. A giant eel never stops growing, and though most caught by fishermen tend to grow up to a length of 16ft, it is believed that there are much larger giant eels in the dark depths of the ocean. A story penned by an unknown author speaks of such creatures, referring to them as colossal eels.

Garfish

Description: "A long lean fish with a muscular body, silvery and green scales, and long snapping jaws filled with sharp teeth."

Lore: Garfish are a type of predatory fish that tend to live in fresh water environments, but are just as frequently found in the ocean. Sleek, swift, and bloodthirsty to a fault, gars will hunt just about anything smaller than them. Their meat is well-loved by fishermen, and they are often fished using nets and spears. A typical gar is 7ft in length and weighs upwards of 200 pounds. There are some that grow even larger, with exceptionally powerful jaws that are known as alligator gars.

Great Reef Crab

Description: "What seems like a small mountain moves about on six powerfully-built chitinous legs. This incredibly large crab has a whole ecosystem on top of its shell, all due to the coral reef it has grown. Its snapping claws could probably slice a shark in half."

Lore: Long-lived crabs that grow to incredible sizes, the great reef crab is a species of crab that grows more sluggish as it ages, sometimes hibernating on the sandy floors of the sea for great periods of time. In this time, coral has been known to develop, and with it, a small coral reef grows on top of its shell. When a great reef crab needs to shed its shell, it leaves these coral reefs behind, safely abandoning them with surprising ease. A great reef crab is known to reach a width between 32ft and 40ft, though much larger crabs have been seen by sjora.

Ruby Lobster

Description: "A gigantic lobster with a gleaming red shell crawls up onto the sandy shore, light focusing off of its shell to such intensity that a beam of red light bounces off, burning nearby plant life."

Lore: A curious creature that sits somewhere between crustacean and living mineral, the ruby lobster develops an incredibly hard shell that is similar to gemstones. Light refracts off of their bodies, blinding potential prey while they swim or crawl about the ocean, and when on land, they are able to position themselves in such a way that light from the sun bounces off of them and creates burning beams of energy. While ruby lobsters do not make a habit of crawling onto the shore, they will sometimes do so to hunt land-based creatures or simply wander about, driven by what can only be assumed to be curiosity. A typical ruby lobster grows to a length of about 15ft, with a width of about 5ft-7ft.

Sea Serpent

Description: "Dark clouds up above rumble with thunder, and harsh winds begin to blow. Suddenly, a serpent of incredible size, dwarfing that of even sailing ships emerges from the depths. Its body is covered in smooth scales, whereas its underbelly has rougher, hardened plates of protective bone. Spiny frills run from the top of its head to the end of its tail, and its dark eyes gleam with a knowing intelligence."

Lore: "Sea serpent" is a common name for a large variety of gigantic ocean predators that are considered cousins to dragons. Sea serpents come in all shapes and sizes, with a body similar to a snake's, often with fins at several points on its body. Sea serpents are often intelligent enough to speak, but they seldom do so, as most are territorial to a fault and will attack those it considers a threat, food, or both. Some varieties are known to be more peaceful, however, and may deem to speak to sailors, warning them away, asking them questions, or presenting riddles as a means to prove their mental superiority. Sea serpents, regardless of how talkative or aggressive they are, love two things above all else - praise and treasure. A well-said compliment has been known to save a crew of sailors from an untimely death, and bribery is a surefire way to sail past a sea serpent's territory unscathed. Some sea serpents have even developed a kind of toll-like culture, asking for a small fee to pass through its territory. Those who oblige it will find their ship under the sea serpent's protection until the ship has left the serpent's territory. Those who don't will be asked to go around, lest they invite the serpent's wrath.

Many sea serpents have magical powers, and are able to conjure up powerful storms and whirlpools. Some, either due to their size or powers, have even been known to unleash tsunamis on unsuspecting communities. For what reason, only the sea serpents would know. As children of the sea goddess Adraedana, those who go out of their way to harm a sea serpent without just cause may find themselves cursed, unable to swim in the sea and sinking like a stone in its waters. As such, many cultures will avoid hunting a sea serpent unless they seek revenge against the creature. This makes sailing difficult during certain times of the year, as sea serpents will sometimes migrate to different parts of the world over the course of the year, eventually settling in certain locales to socialize, find mates, or trade treasure. Communities who deal with this in their area refer to this as "sea serpent season", and will avoid sailing during this time at all costs.

Bunyip

Description: "A creature with thick fur and rough scales emerges from the water. Its snapping jaws and shining eyes striking fear into your soul."

Lore: A creature that often defies description, the bunyip is a being said to be a type of evil water spirit. Tales of the creature exist all over the world, and it has been said to inhabit lakes, rivers, swamps, lagoons, billabongs, creeks, waterholes, and even the ocean. Some say that it is amphibious, but there are no witness accounts of it walking on land, making such tales rumors at best. In fact, many of the stories revolving around the bunyip vary considerably, making scholars wonder if perhaps each iteration is its own unique creature. Some say it has a long neck, others say it has a human face, and some have even described it to be like a starfish. Regardless, the majority of tales of the bunyip describe it to be something between a seal and a swimming dog, about the size of a rhinoceros, with fur lining its back and scales lining its belly. It has sharp claws and snapping jaws, and its eyes gleam with malice.

A bunyip's presence has been known to inflict bad luck on nearby communities, and those who try to hunt it find themselves dragged into the watery depths, never to be seen again. The bunyip is known to swim swiftly through the water, it has a loud ominous roar, and its favorite food is crayfish - though it will feed on humanoids in a pinch. Most curiously, bunyips have been known to lay eggs in platypus nests in a form of brood parasitism. Supposedly, the shell of a bunyip's egg is colored in nasty shades of black, green, and yellow, and can be as large as a human fist. A bunyip's eggs supposedly hatch faster than a platypus's, and pups grow much faster, with the bunyip often evicting the other eggs until it is the only creature remaining, after which time the platypus assumes the bunyip pup is its own and raises it until the bunyip eventually leaves the nest to seek food on its own.

Grotto Fisher

Description: "This red and purple crustacean crawls along the wall on six spidery legs. Its snapping pincers and mandibles jitter before it shoots out a line of sticky web attempting to ensnare you!"

Lore: A grotto fisher is a type of dog-sized vermin that hunts anything that ventures into its lair. It can shoot out a line of web that will explode upon impact, often encasing its target and binding them in place. It can also use its own webbing to move about, shooting out the web like a grappling hook and swinging through the air. Grotto fishers are known to be swift, nimble, and skillful hunters, primarily feeding on fish, but when fully matured, it may prey upon humanoids.

Grimtooth

Description: "This thick-headed water beast has a bell-shaped head, with sharp hooks and snapping jaws. Its body ends in a long, thin tail, and it darts through the water with a sudden burst of speed."

Lore: "Grimtooth" is a species of predatory fish recognized by its sharp hooks around the base of the mouth and rows of teeth that line the entirety of the creature's insides. Thickest near the head, the creature is almost bell-shaped, with a long tail that is dramatically thinner than the rest of its body. The grimtooth mostly feeds on smaller species of fish, though it is able to fit creatures of its relative size inside its body. In either case, it latches onto prey with its hooks and pulls it further and further into its body. Using muscular contractions and wriggling motions while it swims, prey is eaten alive while they're torn to shreds within the grimtooth's writhing gullet. Though they're incapable of feeding on humanoids and anything too large to fit inside its mouth, it has been known to latch onto the arm, leg, or in rare cases the head of a swimmer or fisherman. These attacks leave numerous lacerations along the victim's limb, and may even leave the limb crippled due to loss of skin and muscle tissue.

The grimtooth exhibits four wavy fins along its tail which aid in the creature redirecting itself during swimming. The grimtooth is not a fast swimmer, however, and relies on its ability to camouflage itself in the ocean sands. Some species of grimtooth will collect rocks and some sea plant life in order to disguise its gaping maw as a hole in the ground in order to attract prey. The creature is efficient at ejecting material it no longer requires, and a grimtooth's trap being sprung is visible by flying debris and rapid wiggling. Grimtooth mating involves two grimtooths locking mouths with each other while a limb hidden within the male grimtooth's mouth is injected into the female's mouth. Grimtooth eggs are hidden within sea reefs and other locales and guarded by the parents until they hatch, after which the babies are abandoned to fend for themselves. Young grimtooths will feed on smaller prey and whatever they can scrounge up on the ocean floor, though they might resort to cannibalism if food is scarce. While hundreds of grimtooth eggs are birthed by females, only 10% of those born reach maturity.

Whale Maw

Description: "The sandy sea floor suddenly opens up as a great maw of teeth rises to devour you."

Lore: A bizarre and deadly creature, the whale maw is a large ocean predator that likes to bury its body deep within the sands and wait for potential prey, after which time it will swim upwards and attempt to devour prey whole. Whale maws are largest at the head, with their bodies slowly thinning out towards the tail, making them appear like exaggerated beings devoted entirely to eating. A typical whale maw grows to a length of about 15ft and will eat fish, crustaceans, sharks, and even people. Some types of whale maws develop a more insidious strategy. Rather than dart towards prey, they instead will suck in water rapidly, drawing prey towards them instead. Such whale maws have developed a means to anchor themselves to the ground. More than one terrifying story has been passed on from swimmers and sailors, talking about how a mouth in the sands would suddenly open up, sucking them towards a fang-filled maw…

Sea Slime

Description: "This strangely-shaped blob has translucent feelers and faintly visible organs. It slithers and waddles about the water, reaching out a pseudopod towards its prey."

Lore: Sea slime is a type of carnivorous ooze that seems to naturally grow in Arachnia's waters. Made up of translucent goo that can melt skin and bone, they do not move very fast on their own. Instead, they rely on ocean currents to help them reach potential prey. Sea slime will naturally grow in size as they eat things, and after reaching a certain size, a part of them will break off, becoming an independent sea slime. Sea slime come in a variety of beautiful colors, including blue, green, red, and purple. Some island cultures have found a method to make sea slime safe for consumption, and use it as an ingredient for different types of jams. It is said that sea slime has a naturally salty taste that blends well with mashed island fruits.

Sandcrawler

Description: "This tall eight-legged insect has incredibly long legs and a round, eyeless body. It moves about on the ocean floor, its destination unknown."

Lore: Sandcrawlers are a type of gigantic ocean vermin that, thankfully, are entirely peaceful towards humanoids. Known as filter feeders, their strange bristled mouths are used to catch what are theorized to be prey so small they can't be seen by the naked eye. Sandcrawlers live in groups, ranging from 4-20, and will usually stay on the move. Despite their size, sandcrawlers move quite slowly, perhaps purposefully so, leaving trails in the sands that mark their passage.

Wraithworm

Description: "Suddenly out of the dark depths swims a gigantic translucent worm with dark eyes and an oversized maw, ready to swallow you whole."

Lore: Terrifying deep sea predators, the wraithworm is a translucent glowing carnivore that swim at great speeds, opening its jaws wide as it swims forward, catching whatever prey falls into its mouth. Despite its seemingly thin hide, wraithworms are physically powerful and durable creatures, and once something is swallowed by a wraithworm, very few things can ever hope to escape its gullet. Worse yet, wraithworms are known to hunt in groups, ranging from 5-10. A typical wraithworm is roughly 20ft long and about 5ft in diameter.

Dock Watcher

Description: "As night falls, you notice two eerie yellow eyes staring at you from the waters below…"

Lore: The dock watcher is a type of ocean predator with a taste for humanoids. Similar in shape to an angler fish, their eyes have a mystical quality that transfixes its targets, often making them freeze in place. While this has little effect when the dock watcher cannot reach its prey, it has been known to strike when a fisherman goes out to sea on his boat. Most often, dock watchers love to strike at night, slamming its bulbous body into the side of a fisherman's boat in the hopes of knocking them into the waters before tearing them apart with its long sharp teeth. A fully matured dock watcher is said to be roughly 10ft long and 10ft in diameter.

Carnacea

Description: "You see the head of a great ocean beast burst out of the water, its large head decorated with pair of short, sharp horns, while its maw opens wide, revealing several rows of short but sharp fangs."

Lore: The carnacea, also known as the horned whale, is an ocean carnivore that feeds on fish and sharks. Said to have come from a horned beast that once walked the lands and returned to the seas, the carnacea is a warm-blooded creature with a powerful body. A typical carnacea reaches a length of about 60-80ft long, has two horns, a blowhole, a single dorsal fin, two pectoral fins, and eyes the size of dinner plates. While some whales are known for their song, the carnacea is known for its roar, and whenever one breaches the water, it lets out a terrifying, thunderous roar - one that is certain to awaken sleeping sailors in the middle of the night. While not typically hostile towards humanoids, when threatened or irritated, a single swipe from its tail is enough to kill a man in a single blow. However, those who are friendly and peaceful with a carnacea may be able to hitch a ride by holding onto one of its fins.

Floompa

Description: "This bulbous creature has a floppy trunk on its face, two large flippers, and a round fat body. As it lets out a guttural moan, you realize it has a fang-filled maw and a long dark tongue."

Lore: The floompa is a type of carnivorous seal known for the thick layer of blubber surrounding its body. When on land, a floompa moves about by literally bouncing its body in the direction it needs to go, which makes a humorous noise that sounds like "floompafloompafloompa", hence its name. Floompas can hold their breath for roughly 20-30 minutes, and during these dives, an extra eyelid will cover their eyes, protecting their eyes from ocean water and harmful debris. Their nostrils and throats will seal shut, but their mouths will remain able to bite down on prey. When a floompa catches its prey, it will typically shake its head back and forth while biting down as hard as it can. A floompa's favorite food includes squids, eels, small sharks, and garfish. The purpose of a floompa's trunk or unknown, but it has a surprising amount of dexterity and can be used to wrap around food if, say, the floompa wished to present its kill to a mate.

A fully mature floompa has been known to reach upwards of 20ft in length, with males being larger than females. Floompas are social animals, and will often form herds, numbering anywhere between 10-25. Floompas have a strict hierarchy, based entirely on trunk length. Those with the largest trunk tend to be the leader of the herd, with their actual body size being a close secondary factor. It is common for floompa herd leaders to be the largest member of the herd, but on some occasion a smaller leader has been seen. Floompas hunt independently from each other, but will work together in order to support mates and children. Floompa herds will often gather on sandy shores or rocks near the ocean, with these areas acting as a staging ground for dives. Floompas mate once a year (if possible), making the loudest, most ridiculous noises anyone has ever heard during acts of mating, and females birth anywhere between 2-4 calves each time after a gestation period of roughly six months.

Prismatic Sea Viper

Description: "This slithering black sea cobra opens up its hood, revealing shimmering patterns of every imaginable color."

Lore: Magical ocean predators, the prismatic sea viper is shaped like a 15ft-long cobra with black scales that seem to absorb all the light around it. It has a long forked tongue, four sharp fangs filled with venom, and an array of magical abilities, which seem based entirely on what color of light the patterns in its inner hood seem to be exhibiting at the time. Most often, a prismatic sea viper will use these abilities to hunt, but it has been known to breach the waters and use its abilities on sailors and fishermen. The effects of its light has been well-documented, with upwards of seven different colors and effects.

Red Light (Burst of flame)

Orange Light (Acidic spray)

Yellow (Bolts of electricity)

Green (Poisonous clouds)

Blue (Petrification)

Indigo (Insanity)

Violet (Planar banishment)

Due to the wildly random nature of its powerful magical abilities, the prismatic sea viper is feared by even the most well-tested adventurer. Worse still, the prismatic sea viper seems to be virtually immune to any effect it can use, including fire, acid, electricity, poison, petrification, mental attacks, and even forced teleportation. What caused this creature to come into existence is unknown, but thankfully, they are incredibly rare.

Bubblehead

Description: "This strange creature appears to be little else except bubbling sea foam and a mass of writhing spidery legs. It is as strange to look at as it is unsettling."

Lore: A type of crustacean said to be not of this world, the bubblehead is a round-bodied creature that forms bubbles atop its backside. These are not ordinary bubbles, however, as each one is filled with magic. Bubbleheads are suffused with powerful ether, and it is said that every time the creature has a wayward thought, a bubble forms, and inside the bubble brews a spell just waiting to be unleashed. Whether the bubblehead is aware of its power or not, it sows chaos and destruction wherever it appears. Able to swim in the sea or walk on land, it skitters about, releasing destructive bubbles of magical energy. Stranger still, should a bubblehead be slain, rather than fall dead, their bodies seem to blip out of existence, leaving behind bits of sparkling crystal and gems, which often sell for a high price due to their rarity. Even more unpredictable than a prismatic sea viper, each bubble a bubblehead produces has an entirely random effect, and you can never tell whether the next bubble will cause an explosion or simply make a cool breeze pass through the area.

Brainfish

Description: "This smooth-bodied creature has a fat round head, two abdominal fins, a dorsal fin, and a gently swishing tail. Its smooth black eyes have a curiously benevolent shimmer to them."

Lore: No one knows where the brainfish came from or where they'll go next. All that is known is that the brainfish are benevolent ocean creatures armed with what can only be described as mind magic. A brain fish can make a series of clicks with its mouth, projecting a wave of psychic energy, which it uses to communicate messages. Those who have encountered them describe it as if a thought was shot into their brain in a voice that was not their own, asking questions or explaining the brainfish's reason for being there at the time. Brainfish have also been noted to communicate with other creatures in this method, including other types of fish. What enables the brainfish to do this, no one is rightly sure. Brainfish, when asked, do not reveal their secrets. They do give warnings of approaching dangers, however, and should a fisherman be attacked by an ocean predator, a brainfish will fight off the beast and attempt to carry the fisherman ashore by pushing him along with its fins or head. Brainfish, according to what little study has been conducted, are described as warm-blooded creatures that can hold their breath for a considerable amount of time (approximately 4-6 hours), after which they will breach the water and expel any taken-in water via their blowhole. Some brainfish have been known to have strange symbols decorating their heads, with their exact meaning unknown. These markings seem to hold some degree of significance to other brainfish. Perhaps they are a sign of authority or station, in the same way a king might wear a crown or a decorated soldier wears medals?

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