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THE BESTIARY
The realm of Sosaria is populated by a variety of creatures, both
natural and unnatural. The latter group hath been on the increase since
the coming of the Evil One. Through the efforts of a posterity-minded
few, a collection of names and descriptions of the more common beasts
hath been compiled and may perused herein.
ARCHER, HIDDEN:
So lacking in courage are the minions of the vile Mondain that his
Archers only ply their trade from hiding places high in the treetops of
the forests of Sosaria. Their aim, nonetheless, is accurate and many a
traveller has died without ever knowing whence came the deadly rain of
barbed shafts.
BALRON:
Huge, leather-skinned daemon lords, the Balron are perhaps the most
fearsome of the evil minions of Mondain. Armed with vicious barbed whips
and the ability to cast devastating fireballs at their victims, these
winged scions of Hell have proven to be the nemesis of the flower of
Sosarian knighthood.
BAT, GIANT:
Although the Sosarian Giant Bat is but a dumb brute, this large cousin
of the more common vampire bat found in other lands is indeed a menace
to those unforunate enough to disturb its subterranean slumber. The
Giant Bat lives on diet of animal blood and is not averse to feasting on
adventurers.
BEAR:
The Hill Bear towers over the tallest human and is armed with saber-like
claws capable of rending even the stoutest plate armor in a single blow.
The species was first sighted on the slopes of Mt. Drash, but hath since
spread throughout the land. These creatures are extremely ill-tempered
and will attack without provocation.
CARRION CREEPER:
These loathsome worms inhabit the deeper reaches of most dungeons, where
they feed on the corpses of any luckless creatures they encounter. The
numerous legs on their segmented bodies are equipped with small barbs
that allow them to move quickly on walls and ceilings, as well as along
corridors. Carrion Creepers should be avoided at all costs.
CYCLOPS:
A race of belligerent, one-eyed giants, the Cyclops dwelt in Sosaria
long before humans ever landed on these shores. Driven underground many
years ago, the Cyclops long to return to the surface and drive humans
into the sea. Beware, for they will attack any adventurers on sight.
DAEMON:
Fierce, bat-winged horrors armed with cruel talons and barbed tridents,
Daemons were unknown in Sosaria hitherto the advent of Mondain. Drinkers
of human souls, Daemons are said to relish the screams of tortured
humans above all else.
DARK KNIGHT:
Such is the corrupting influence of the foul Mondain that even the most
virtuous of Sosarian chivalry are subject to fall under his sway. The
land is now fouled with Dark Knights -- predatory warriors who seek to
waylay innocent travellers and to rob them of their hard-earned goods.
DRAGON TURTLE:
These fire-breathing, aquatic dragons inhabit the seas around Sosaria
and are considered an even greater menace to mariners than the winds of
a typhoon. They are protected by a shell tougher than enchanted plate
armour, and thus are extraordinarily difficult to defeat in combat.
ETTIN:
Travellers in the forests of our land have oft been fooled into thinking
they have drawn near to a group of fellow explorers when they encounter
an Ettin, for these two-headed monstrosities have been known to carry on
heated discussions with themselves. An Ettin invariably abandons its
dialogue when it hath the chance to attack an adventurer.
GELATINOUS CUBE:
Called 'dungeon sweeper' by some, the Gelatinous Cube is a subterranean
dweller that roams corridors in search of food. Their bodies are
composed of a clear, corrosive, jelly-like substance which renders them
difficult to see, but they may sometimes be detected by the remnants of
armor (aha! not 'armour'!) or debris contained within them. They are
omnivores, digesting anything they find after absorbing it into their
massive bodies. Contact with a Gelatinous Cube hath ruined the armour of
many a hardy warrior.
GREMLINS:
Mischievous kin of the trolls and lizard men, Gremlins are underground
creatures of voracious appetite. A favorite diversion is to stealthily
approach unwary travellers and pilfer their food rations. Many an
adventurer hath been consigned to death by starvation below the surface
of Sosaria as a result of the antics of these creatures.
HOOD:
When the corrupt influence of the unspeakable Mondain spread throughout
the Realm, even some of our stalwart peasants fell under the sway of the
evil wizard. These warped individuals now roam the countryside attacking
travellers. While unskilled in the use of arms, they nonetheless pose
quite a nuisance to adventurers.
INVISIBLE SEEKER:
Among the most dangerous of the denizens of the catacombs below our land
is the Invisible Seeker. None have ever seen one of these horrific
slayers, for they are -- as their name implies -- unseeable. Their
presence is usually first detected when open wounds suddenly begin
appearing on the body of a victim. They are, however, susceptible to
harm from most weapons.
KNIGHT:
Like their forest-dwelling counterparts the Dark Knights, the predatory
Knights of Sosaria are warriors who have forsaken the ways of Chivary
for the paths of Evil. They are fierce opponents and must be treated
with care if one is to avoid an untimely demise.
LICH:
The Lich is an evil spellcaster who, through the necromantic arts, hath
entered a state of living death in order to prolong an unholy rein on
earth. Woe to the explorer who stumbles upon the lair of a lich, for the
undead mage will guard its domain fiercely and attack without
hesitation.
LIZARD MAN:
When Mondain first came to our land he performed unspeakable experiments
with his servitors and he fierce reptiles that inhabit some of the
streams and rivers in the south of our land. The result was the Lizard
Man, a being both reptilian and human in a single body, armed with cruel
teeth and a disposition to match its appearance.
MIMIC:
Beware the treacherous Mimic, for it hath been the doom of many a
dungeon explorer. Disguised as a tempting treasure chest, the Mimic
patiently awaits the overly-curious adventurer. When the victim makes as
if to examine the chest, the Mimic attacks with a ferocity unmatched.
MIND WHIPPER:
Truly hideous, the Mind Whipper is a being with the body of a human, a
face that resembles nothing so much as the underside of a squid, and an
unquenchable thirst for the mental energies of its victims. The few who
have survived encounters with Mind Whippers have emerged as babbling
lunatics, their minds flayed from their souls by the relentless
onslaught of these terrible creatures.
MINOTAUR:
As mentioned before, the evil Mondain experimented ceaselessly with the
cross-breeding of man and beast in an effort to create the ultimate
soldier. As if the creation of the dread Lizard Man was not enough, the
vile wizard also mated the famed Baratarian fighting bull with some of
his followers, resulting in the Minotaur -- a horror that walks on two
legs like a man, but which has the head and the cruel horns of a bull.
NECROMANCER:
The Necromancer is a mage whose specialty is the practice of the arcane
arts that pertain to the dead. Practitioners of such a morbid specialty
were naturally drawn to the foul Mondain as jackals are to the carrion
of the plains.
NESS CREATURE:
The seas surrounding Sosaria are home to a number of beasts, among which
numbers the dread Ness Creature. For many years these reptilian
behemoths were thought to be naught but the workings of the overwrought
imaginations of mariners. The sinking of the frigate PEMBROKE in plain
view of a small armada hath disproven this belief.
ORC:
Small, pig-visaged humanoids, the Orcs were the vanguard of Mondain's
first advance. Tribal by nature, they are sub-human at best, just a
slight cut above true bestiality. They abhor all things human and
cultured and will lay waste to anything fashioned by human hands. 'Tis
said that they relish the taste of human flesh.
PIRATES:
The pirates that infest the coastal waters of Sosaria are the scourge of
the honest mariner. They ply the waterways seeking unarmed merchant
ships to plunder, and often press the younger crew members into service
as marauders. Once engaged, a pirate vessel and its crew will battle to
the end, seeking no quarter and offering none.
RANGER:
Alas! Even the noble Ranger, preserver of the woodlands and keeper of
the forests, hath fallen under the sway of dark Mondain! These
matchless trailblazers long watched over the preserves of the Sosarian
nobility, but as Mondain's treachery took hold, many of them forsook
their old ways and became predators themselves. He who is pursued by a
Ranger must turn and make a stand, for once on a trail the Ranger will
never give it up.
RAT, GIANT:
The underground passages of the Realm are prowled by oversized rodents,
the result of Mondain's necromancy and an abundance of food in the form
of victims of the Evil One's minions. The Sosarian Giant Rat is a
vicious predator and should not be taken lightly.
SKELETON:
The progeny of Necromancers and undead Liches, Skeletons are the
animated corpses of dead warriors from which the flesh hath withered and
fallen away. They fight tirelessly in an effort to carry out the bidding
of their dark masters.
SPIDER, GIANT:
Few moments hold more terror for the intrepid explorer than when a Giant
Spider, venom dripping from its fangs, is encountered in the corridor of
a subterranean labyrinth. These creatures are dazzling in their agility
and tireless in their search for prey. Fight well, or face a paralyzing
sting and the fate of becoming a living hatchery for their young.
SQUID, GIANT:
Sosarian mariners swap legends of the Kraken, or Giant Squid, in every
pub in every port of the Realm. These monstrous, creatures have been
known to rise from the ocean depths, seize a vessel in their long
tentacles, and drag the hapless vessel and its crew to a watery grave in
the space of but a half-dozen heartbeats.
TANGLER:
Looking for all the world as naught but a vine covered tree stump, the
Tangler lurks in subterranean corridors, waiting to ensnare explorers of
the underground. Once a Tangler hath enmeshed an adventurer in its
tentacles, it will hold the victim fast until starvation ends the
struggle. The monstrosity then feasts on the corpse.
THIEF:
Long before the coming of Mondain, the common cutpurse was a plague to
travellers in Sosaria. Lurking in alleyways, poised behind trees, and
skulking in dungeon corridors, these villains are always ready to
relieve innocent citizens of their valuables and their lives. 'Tis a
service to your fellow Sosarian to exterminate a Thief whenever
possible.
TRENT:
Native to the woodlands of Sosaria, the evil Trent seems like an
ordinary oak tree until one approaches near enough to be ensnared in the
grasp of its pliant branches. Once it hath crushed the life from the
victim, the Trent then devours it, leaving no trace of its prey to warn
other travellers.
VIPER:
Since before the dawn of civilization, the race of serpents hath roamed
the land. From the most harmless garden snake to the giant constricters,
hese legless creatures have always inspired fear in the human race. In
the case of the Viper, this fear is well-founded. These vicious reptiles
srike fiercely at all who stray too closely. Their venom-laden fangs
bring a swift yet painful death.
WANDERING EYES:
Many a dungeon seeker hath been startled to enter a darkened chamber and
be greeted by a number of eyes staring out of the murky blackness. Stare
not long, for the Wandering Eyes weave a hypnotic spell that entrances
even the most strong-willed and leaves one helpless before the magical
onslaught that inevitably follows mesmerization.
WARLOCK:
Rogue practitioners of the magical arts, Warlocks are the evil servitors
of Mondain. The Foul One hath trained them in the casting of bolts of
mystic energy and sent them forth to wreak havoc amongst the populace.
Slay them if ye can, for the arcane arts should never be used for wicked
purpose.
WRAITH:
Summoned from the nethermost regions of Hell by Mondain's perverse
enchantments, Wraiths are the restless souls of dead Clerics. Once on
the material plane, they drift about seeking potential 'converts' to the
discipline of Evil. Since one must first die in order to be converted,
'tis strongly advised that their enticements be resisted.
ZZZZZ
Z
Z
Z
ZZZZZ ORN:
Little is known of the mysterious Zorn. 'Tis a creature that not only
defies logic, but that seems to defy the very laws of nature. It can
burrow through anything and is completely omnivorous. In battle it seems
to generate far more force than one would estimate possible from a
creature of its size. When slain, the Zorn quickly evaporates, thus none
have ever been studied closely.
-1/8/87
-THE END.