CREATURES AND BEASTS

A snow and hinterland dwelling feline that hunts moonstalkers, Luffy Waterbirds, and small rodents. It is found in lands of the northern hemisphere above the snowline.

This large predator has a sleek, muscular body covered in thick white fur that seems to reflect light, making it nearly invisible in the snow. Its blue eyes hold a deep crystal-infused colour, most likely absorbed from prey that feed on mineralised, crystal-rich vegetation.

It has beautiful, symmetrical features and was once a prized animal for early hunters.

Habitat

Moonstalkers are found in the meadows and forest clearings of Ironroot forests, the Whispering Woods of Pyprast Bastion, and the forests of Sorka in both east and west. They favour areas near streams, ponds, and soft-lit clearings. A smaller variant is also found on Kefar Island.

Description

Moonstalkers are elegant, slender creatures with long delicate legs, silvery-grey fur, and faintly glowing markings that resemble moonlight through branches. Their large eyes show calm intelligence, and their tapering antlers resemble the limbs of ancient Aethorian trees.

Behaviour and Diet

Peaceful and social, they move in small herds and are mostly nocturnal. They graze on grasses, leaves, Glowleaf, Stargrass, and tender shoots under cover of darkness.

Role in the Ecosystem

As primary consumers, Moonstalkers help control fast-growing vegetation and promote biodiversity. Their droppings also enrich the soil and help new Glowleaf growth.

Threats and Predators

Their main predators include Shadowfangs and Tainted Shadowfangs, especially in northern Ironroot. Tainted flora and the spread of the Dereliction also threaten their grazing lands and migration paths.

The Bordrad Marshes are rich with life, much of it dangerous. Among the most notorious inhabitants are the colourful poison frogs whose skin secretes a powerful toxin capable of paralysing or even killing on contact.

These amphibians are both feared and respected by the swamp-dwelling villagers, who have learned how to live around them. The marshes also contain bioluminescent fungi and toxin-resistant crystals, which are studied for their possible protective value against the spread of taint from the north.

Hertorgs are the noble feathered griffons of the Emberwild Dominion, predating the Pre-Sundering colonies. These immense half-bird predators were once feared for their ability to seize people or livestock from the lowlands with terrifying ease.

With wingspans greater than 8 metres and talons sharp as knives on two, and sometimes four, formidable legs, they are both majestic and deadly. Their nests are built high along cliff tops from strong branches and soft lining, giving them both safety and a perfect hunting vantage.

Over time, the people of the Emberwild established a careful symbiotic bond with the Hertorgs. Through training, respect, and partnership, these once-feared predators became the noble companions of the Riders of the Emberwild Dominion.

Habitat

The Sabremaw is native to the mountains of Kefar, Argent, and the broader Mosaic Archipelago.

Description

A massive feline-like predator, the Sabremaw is somewhat related to the Shadowfang and Snowlynx. It has six legs and can rear up on its rear four, giving it a terrifyingly agile and imposing form. Its most notable features are its giant claws and two enormous fang teeth that reach almost to the base of its jaw.

Appearance

In summer it wears brown fur. In winter it sheds into white, blending with snow and ice.

Diet and Behaviour

Sabremaws are carnivores, feeding on Zargos hexafins in winter when they descend to the coast, as well as on rodents and other smaller prey. They are highly aggressive and cannot be domesticated despite repeated attempts.

Climate and Rarity

They prefer cool to cold climates and are rarely seen, which only adds to their danger and mystique.

Zargos is a hexafin common to the cold ocean waters around Virielia, Thaloria, and the Argent Islands. It takes its name from its six arms and the unusual fin structures on two of them.

Appearance

Hexafins are soft-bodied reef and cave dwellers. Their shells grow organically from their heads as they age and are often decorated with crystals. Many also notice the mysterious six-coiled pattern of their shells.

Ecology

Solitary by nature, they feed on fish, clams, and smaller ocean creatures. They swim with great skill and can release ink either to hide from danger or trap prey. Some sailors insist they also guard ancient treasures in the deep.

Snula is a snailslimer common to the western Dereliction and Free Lands of Ironroot. It is often seen on cliff walls, in dense vegetation, and anywhere damp and warm conditions persist. Curiously, the corruption of the Dereliction seems to suit it unusually well.

Appearance

The ooze produced by snailslimers is highly adhesive, allowing them to climb vertical surfaces and even move upside down. Their shells protect soft bodies and may incubate insect-like wings during later life stages.

Ecology

Snailslimers are herbivores, feeding mainly on algae and leafy vegetation found in wet forests and mossy stone.

The Bluebeak Farom thrives in the cold mountain regions of the Alfadin, especially near frozen streams and lakes.

Appearance

Its feathers insulate it against icy winds and water, while its diet of snowdrops appears to give it an unusually bracing metabolism. It is a proud and capricious bird, quick to display its head and tail plumage and even quicker to quarrel over food.

Ecology

Its beak and claws are as hard as crystal, allowing it to crack ice and hard snow. It is an accomplished runner and diver, chasing prey on land and fishing beneath the water for short periods with impressive determination.

Once common throughout colder regions of Aethoria, Luffy Waterbirds retreated to higher, colder climates after the warming, especially the icy cliffs and waters of the Alfadin Mountains and sub-polar zones.

Appearance

Their feathers and blubber keep them warm even when submerged in icy water. Because of their size, colour, and shape, sleeping Luffy Waterbirds are often mistaken for rocks.

This misunderstanding becomes considerably less funny the moment one wakes up under somebody’s backside.

Behaviour and Ecology

They are loyal, territorial, and protective of one another. Their wing edges and spur tips can spear prey, stun fish, or break ice to create swimming holes. They live in moderate colonies and often hunt cooperatively.

Appearance

Gulathers are large, six-legged herbivores with stout bodies, powerful muscles and short, thick necks. Their broad heads have long, floppy ears and wide, gigan-like mouths. Large, mobile lips allow them to grasp and tear clumps of tough plains grass.

Their coats combine muted shades of yellow, grey and brown, allowing them to blend into the dry grasslands and rocky hills of the middle Solaryn Reliquary. Each of their six muscular legs ends in an elongated hoof adapted for gripping loose soil and maintaining speed across uneven ground.

Ecology

Wild Gulathers travel in small herds across the rolling plains of the Solaryn Reliquary. They graze upon coarse grasses and low shrubs, moving considerable distances as rainfall and seasonal growth change across the region.

Their colouring and remarkable speed are their primary defences. When threatened, a herd can cross open ground with surprising speed, its six-legged stride carrying it over terrain that would exhaust most domesticated animals.

Domestication

Domesticated Gulathers are valued for their strength, endurance and ability to pull heavily loaded carriages over long distances. They require patient and experienced handlers, as even animals raised in captivity retain a stubborn and unpredictable wild streak.

A frightened or mistreated Gulather may refuse to move, overturn a poorly balanced carriage or flee with considerably more speed than its passengers would prefer. Solaryn drivers therefore claim that a Gulather does not truly obey. It merely decides, for the moment, that travelling in the same direction is acceptable.

Slimeback Gigan is a mammal found in crystal caves across all explored lands. It prefers underground waters, hot springs, crystal chambers, and lava-warmed caverns.

Appearance

Fully grown Slimeback Gigans stand roughly knee height, but can weigh up to twice as much as a person due to dense fat stores. Their skin is semi-translucent from life in darkness, and their large eyes absorb what little light exists underground.

The crystals of their cave habitats encourage the growth of green slime across their backs. This slimy layer protects them and helps camouflage them when they sleep among moss, roots, and mineral growth.

Ecology

Slimeback Gigans feed largely on the roots of Aethoria trees and on blubs, a favourite underground treat. Some Healers believe they play a vital ecological role by helping maintain the relationship between underground roots, cave soils, and crystal formation.

They rarely emerge to the surface because sunlight badly damages their skin and eyes.