Monster Bestiary

There are a lot of strange creatures in The Mortal Realm. Be they created by magic, nature, or science, there are a certain kind of creatures that always prove to be one notch more strange than your average boar or moose. They may be friendly or aggressive, beastly or sentient, but never could be part of civilization. These are the creatures that the civilized races have branded under one collective name: monsters.

Accursed
The accursed have become the entire reason why Nightweald is such a dangerous, unforgiving place. Vampires and werewolves both go in under this category, under the same name, which no one speaks with merry tongues. The accursed are created when a wraith possesses a humanoid body, and that body is given enough time to fully transform into either of these two hideous abominations. There are very clear rules for the curse: men become werewolves, and women become vampires. There has never been known of any exceptions, because the curse of the wraith is so concrete and nearly impossible to manipulate, that no one has been able to turn a woman inton a werewolf, or a man into a vampire. However, the curse of the wraith does not only affect the body, but also the mind. In the first stage of the curse, the victim will feel an uncontrollable tumble of emotions, as if they are not their own. The victim will change between werewolf state and normal state whenever the wraith inside hungers, but the victim will still remain sane. That much cannot be said about the second stage, when the wraith has fully corrupted the mind, body, and soul of the victim. At this point, by all logic, the victim has gone insane. They will remain in the accursed form almost all the time, and will only change back in order to infiltrate cities or villages. Some are smart enough to do that, but others have become as feral as wild beasts, and are in a constant hunger for flesh and blood. However, they have a weakness: silver. A normal blade will cut at the accursed, but silver will cut both the physical foe, as well as the wraith inside. Because of this, a slash across the leg can be lethal for an accursed. The Cleansers have learned this weakness, and never go into the woods without silver weapons, such as swords or even bullets.

Angels
The bringers of light, the embodiments of all things holy, and unyielding soldiers of The Aetherworld. Under the command of Hrumalz, the angels are the main driving force in the Otherworldly War, fighting the forces of darkness on The Shattered Fields, far away from all kinds of mortal life. But while the demons love to wage war against mortals while fighting The Aetherworld, angels are very rarely seen in The Mortal Realm. If they ever show up, it is either because the demons have amassed to become a threat against their mortal allies, or because they have been summoned through magic. Angels are created when a pure soul ascends to The Aetherworld, and this souls wishes to defend the eternal realms against utter destruction. Although fighting for The Aetherworld is voluntary, Hrumalz will often simply 'recruit' ascended souls, if he sees them fit for donning the holy armor. However, this does not mean that The Aetherworld is at a lack of soldiers, since Locux is not so gentle when it comes to recruitment. Instead, Hrumalz has proven his true power as a deity, and created an almost godlike entity known as 'The Consecration'. While Locux has the juggernauts, three meter tall brutes, not a thousand of those can match themselves against The Consecration. This incredible entity of war reaches higher than the tallest mountain, towering above the clouds as the absolute creature of holy destruction it is. It is described as a bi-pedal, lumbering creature, with the head of a rhinocerous, and covered in armor of the purest gold. Its two pairs of wings are said to cause hurricanes with a single flap, and can easily block out the sun for an entire city. Mere two of its footsteps could waste an entire city, and with a little effort, it could reduce a mountain to rubble. There may only be one of these creatures, but in the war against the demons, it is more than enough.

Bobos
"A bobo's cheeks" is a Mjaln term for a person who loves to play pranks, throw food, disobey the commands of parents, and in general being a rascal. Even though bobos are a quite merry little folk, they do have a tendency for being tricksters and pranksters, especially towards travelers. The bobos are described as small, stumby versions of jotuns, and many have wondered if they aren't related somehow. They will usually reach to the height of a human hip, and are nearly as wide as they are tall. They are little round creatures, often quite hairy, and smelly too. Even though a bobo is a rare sight on the road, there is an entire society of them, deep in the mountains, where they live in their underground cities that can be as large as cities on the surface, if not bigger. The bobos are ruled by a bobo-king of a royal bloodline, and he will do his best to keep the bobos working, and even make trade deals with surface-dwellers if it goes so far. And even though the bobos have no knowledge within the bounds of magic and no scholars to show, they are notorious for their skills at bargaining. The bobos and jotun will often establish trade deals, and most things that the Jotun sell onwards to the Mjaln, come from bobo hands. Living so deep in the mountains, they have wealthy access to all kinds of ore, which eventually will end up in the hands and forges of the Mjaln.

Chimeras
Chimeras have long been a creature in scary bedtime stories for children, and mothers will often threaten their children with the hunger of the chimera, if they don't eat their vegetables. No one quite knows how the chimeras became, but no one can deny their existance... even if not many ever get to see them. And when they do, it is usually the last thing they see. However, they have been described as large wolves with pale white fur, and with three snakes instead of a tail. The chimeras live in the underground of the Rimnoll Wetlands, where they dig intricate tunnel systems together with other chimeras. They usually hunt alone, but it is not unheard of that they will work together with other chimeras to expand their tunnel systems. The reasons they dig these tunnels is for hunting purposes; their main weapon against all kinds of prey is the mist that always follows them, far above them, in the surface of the ground. Every living thing in the Rimnoll Wetlands knows to avoid a particularly thick and particular pale mist, for they know that once they are inside it, they likely won't be coming out. It is yet unknown how the chimeras have this magic, but somehow, the mist that follows the chimera will trick the eyes of those who enter it, and lure them out into the wetlands. When there, the chimera will lead them to a particularly thin piece of ground, where their prey will fall right through the earth and tumble into the chimera's tunnel system, from where there is no escape.

Demons
'Demons' is a wide term. This includes the Wraiths, plaguefiends, succubi and imps as well, but when referring to 'demons', one usually thinks about the war in the Wastelands. Down there, demons wander like boars would wander in a forest. Nothing mortal has ever been able to survive in those unforgiving reaches, but the demons don't fall under that category. Down there, where young men and women are sent to defend their homelands, the demons of war live. These demons are usually recognizable by their mutated mishmash of claws, spikes, and fangs, but most iconic about them are their exo-skeletons. The tomes of evil say that demons are created when cursed or rotten souls are disallowed entrance to Morrin's realm. Instead, Locux will see his chance to steal these souls and re-shape them to become his soldiers of hell, which are commonly known as 'demons'. All these kinds of demons wear a thick layer of bone around their bodies, like armor, while they are squishy and soft inside. These demons come in three kinds, and all of them are known for these exo-skeletons, even if they are so different. The most usual and common demon to meet on the battlefield is the trooper, a medium-sized soldier of hell, hunchbacked and armed with a pair of long claws on each arm, replacing their hands. Like wolves, the troopers hunt in packs, or even patrols of three to four. Another kind of demon, though, hunts utterly alone: the lurker. This demon is feared for its ability to turn completely invisible, and impale its prey from behind with a single, rapier-like arm. But while one arm is a deadly, and sometimes even poisonous weapon, its other arm is but a small, limp thing, which is only used for delicate work. Because of this, the lurker is left completely exposed if a soldier is to get very close to it, where it cannot stab with its rapier-like weapon, and its other arm is too small to use for combat. But on the other end of the scale, lies a far more fearsome warrior: the juggernaut. This hulking creatures towers three meters into the air, covered in a thick layer of skeletal armor like its brethren, but with arms the size of cannon-barrels. This creature is exceedingly rare, thank goodness, and can only stay in this world for a little while. On the battlefield, it is often seen that these massive war-machines are summoned during larger battles, to turn the tables around. Every soldier knows, that when the earth begins to tremor and the membrane between worlds begins to shake, it is time to run.

Fae
Although the fae have become little twinkle-toed wish-granters through children's stories, reality is not so kind. The fae are almost extinct by now, and for good reasons. Any High Elf will tell you that the fae are cruel, sadistic oppressors, and they will be telling you the truth. The fae and the High Elves were born at the same time, when a shamanistic life ritual went wrong, but the fae were born with much higher intelligence. Almost immediately, they managed to manipulate the high elves into thinking the fae were gods, thus deifying themselves. They ruled in the small grove of Everspring, the birthplace of elves, and made the elves fear anything outside the woods, humans included. They made them kidnap stray travelers and bring them back to their fae overlords, who would then proceed to draining their life force with an odd perversion of life magic known as 'fae magic'. Even to this day, no one really understands how fae magic works, and since there are so few fae left, no one has had a chance to investigate. It was only before the High Elf revolution that there were fae enough for anyone. After Ethella the Savior revolted against their oppressors, there was a complete genocide of the fae, who never stood a chance against those they before had ruled over. Now the fae are but rare sights in Elfwood, in the deepest parts where civilization does not reach.

Forest Nymphs
Forest nymphs are extremely shy creatures, and very few people have actually seen what they look like. They are said to live in the dense woods of Lumion, where they are not disturbed by prying eyes. Word has it that their true appearance are of walking, talking, living humanoid creatures made purely of wood. Their noses are but slits in their faces and their eyes are odd, wooden balls in their green skulls. Branches will sprout from random parts of their bodies, and sap will run through their veins instead of blood. However mystical and maybe even beautiful some may think they are, they most certainly do not think so themselves. There is a saying called "To lie like a forest nymph", because forest nymphs have the ability to take on the appearance of any other humanoid being they wish to. They do this because they believe that they are unbearably hideous creatures, and cannot live to look as they do. So they will either hide their faces in the dense woods, or take upon the appearances of other humanoid creatures and blend in with society. The disguise will last as long as they wish, and no magic has yet been able to detect it. However, the mask will fall if the creature happens to fall unconscious or die, and it is not uncommon for people to be informed that their best friend or even a family member was in fact a disguised forest nymph. Some forest nymphs have even gone as far as to convince themselves that they truly are the kind of being they are masquerading as, simply to get as far away as possible from the appearance they believe is so disgustingly hideous.

Ice Trolls
The main foe of all Mjaln. The ice trolls are savage, bloodthirsty creatures that come from the ever-frozen wastelands of Trollheim, and now occupy large parts of the western Mjaln Mountains. The ice trolls live a barbaric society, ruled by a single warchief, who has fought his way to the top with tooth and claw. The ice trolls are described as large as the Mjaln, but with squished, leathery faces, and a thick layer of hair on their bodies. Their skin is like cowhide, hands like bear-claws, and their teeth like those of sharks. The ice trolls have been warring with the Mjaln ever since the first Mjaln fought them off the mountains and back to trollheim. The ice trolls are notorious for practicing a foul side of frost magic, summoned by their tribal mages, the warlocks. This kind of magic has an efficieny for manslaughter, and the greatest feat that the ice trolls have ever performed with this magic, is creating a yearly storm known as 'The Sculptor Wind'. It has been named this because of its way of turning anything caught in it into solid ice, essentially transforming them into natural sculptures. Mjaln say that every year, the spirit of Frost goes insane and becomes The Sculptor, and takes innumerable lives in the Mjaln Mountains, all because of the ice trolls. The ice trolls usually live in caves and deep dungeons, but are not to be mistaken with the bobos, whom they have no affiliation with whatsoever.

Jotun
Jotun are not to be mistaken with trolls, or ice trolls, even worse. While the ice trolls are warlike, savage creatures, the jotun are gentle giants, savoring peace and valuing intelligence and tales by the bonfire. The jotun are described as four to five meter tall hairy creatures, walking on two legs and looking like dark-skinned, gangly giants. Their arms easily reach down to their feet, even if they stand upright, and their dark beards reach even longer. Their eyes are large and gentle, and they are also known to be very slow creatures, but wise. The jotun society is very small, since there are very few living jotun, but those that are appreciate a good debate and philosophical discussions with other jotun, if they are so fortunate to meet them. The wisest of all jotun are known as 'Mystics', and usually serve as diplomats to their close neighbours, the Mjaln. The jotun live in the cold, quiet groves of the Mjaln mountains, far away from the hustle and bustle of civilization, but it is not unheard of that the Mjaln will come to the jotun mystics to seek their wisdom. The hospitality of the jotun is also unmatched, as they appreciate any intelligent company they can find. "Friendly as a jotun" is a compliment within the ranks of the Mjaln, because everyone knows that a lost traveler can always find sleep and food at a jotun's bonfire. It is even said that the jotun mystics helped in creating The Great Blaze, but it has never been confirmed.

Khezmiir
In the barren Sands of Aloria, there are not many things that can survive. A few lizards, scarabs, and particularly tenacious nomad tribes can boast of this feat, but amongst all these living things, there are a certain kind of folk that are debated if they are alive at all. They go under the name of 'Khezmiir', and are not sought out with ease - while the human nomad tribes often will allow a traveler's company, the Khezmiir are not so hospitable. Some say that the Khezmiir are but mirages in the sand, and don't exist at all. Others say that the Khezmiir blend in with the humans in Targus, and live amongst them, hiding. However, hiding what they are might prove difficult, due to their rather unusual body material: sand. Legends say that the Khezmiir take the appearance of strong, athletic men and women, wrap themselves in torn and sun-bleached cloth, and carry eyes made of pure sapphire. But the rest of their body is completely made up of sand, which they try to cover up with aforementioned cloth, when meeting with strangers. The Khezmiir have no facial features but their eyes, yet somehow they can manage to speak - when they must, that is. The only reason a Khezmiir would speak with a stranger, is if that stranger comes with a job opportunity for them. The Khezmiir, while elusive and solitary, are sought out for being legendarily notorious for their efficiency at assassination contracts. It is said that no Khezmiir has ever failed an assassination contract, and that no target is too well-protected for a Khezmiir to get the job done. Only truly desperate men would seek out the Khezmiir, not only because they risk their lives going out into the sands, but also because of the price that the Khezmiir require for their services. While a human assassin might accept coin for a contract, the Khezmiir have no use of such things. They would much rather have a piece of your soul. It is due to this, that there has been a lot of speculation about these strange people, and their origin. What do they use the soul piece for, once they have it? It has been suggested that the Khezmiir are some sort of demons, Locux being the lord of souls and all, but if they were in service of Locux, surely they would not just wander the sands, but actively butcher those they can prey upon in name of their dark master. So what exactly are the Khezmiir? No one truly knows... yet.

Nightlings
Nightlings are strange little creatures. They are about the size of a cat, and half of that is their large, bulging belly. They are dark of skin, completely hairless, and with huge, beady eyes. These creatures are deadly allergic to most kinds of light, and cannot survive in sunlight for more than half an hour. For this reason, they seek old and abandoned houses, mostly in the Rimnoll Wetlands, where they can flee from the darkness. They dig holes in the walls with their teeth, and this is where their large bellies come in use: they actually eat anything they dig away. Wood from walls, stone from floors, or cotton from pillows. Their digestive system allows them to eat nearly anything, and with the large bellies, they have space for it too. Because of this, they also eat flesh when they get the chance, but it is usually not more than a houserat or the like. However, there have been stories of hordes of Nightlings overcoming full-grown humanoid beings.

Sprites
Sprites are usually confused with the fae, and in truth, there is not much difference. Just like the fae, the sprites are described as miniature human beings, extremely slender, and winged. However, the latter is to be ignored with the sprites, as they have no wings at all. This is because they are in fact underground creatures, and if one were to examine the behaviour of sprites, one would quickly find that it has a striking resemblance to that of ants. Just like ants, there are hunters and workes, and just like ants, there is a queen. Working sprites are usually bigger and work to dig underground tunnels, while the hunting sprites are notorious for their ability to lure children into their holes with songs. It is said to tickle the minds of young children, but as soon as they grow into adulthood, they grow impervious to the song. But if a child is so unfortunate to be lured into the holes, a dire fate awaits them down there. Unlike the other sprites, who are small dainty creatures, even cute by some measures, the queen is most certainly not. She is a hulking, massive abomination of fat and seven mouths, so that the hunting sprites can feed her more effectively. In a way, she is like an organic factory, unable to move or act, except for breeding and eating. She feeds happily upon the children that the hunters fetch her, swallowing them whole, alive if need be. Although the hills of The Fairlands are pretty on the surface, grotesque dangers lurk in the underground, so beware of where your children play.

Wraiths
The wraiths in themselves are not very dangerous. They are incapable of attacking and physically harming, but they are the seed that will grow into something much worse, if allowed to be planted and grow. The wraiths are the well-crafted demons of the netherlord of madness, Belin, who regularly sends his prize creations into The Mortal Realm to wreak havoc in the ranks of civilization. When just having entered The Mortal Realm, they are wispy creatures and will dissipate almost instantly, unless they manage to possess a wild animal before their time is out. This animal will die almost instantly, and their corpse will then become the wraith's link to The Mortal Realm. However, as soon as the animal has died, the wraith will begin to re-shape the animal's bones to resemble the skull of a wolf. The wraiths will then carry around this wolf-like skull, which sometimes has tusks or horns, depending on which animal the wraith possessed, and they will then use it as their portable link to this world. With this knowledge, any warrior of good knows that destroying the skull will send the wraith back to the Netherworld immediately. However, if they are not banished in time, the wraith will maybe have managed to possess a humanoid being, and then it is already too late. Instead of killing their new host like they killed the animal, they will then transform it into the accursed, and drive it utterly insane within just a few days. However, they are incapable of entering a body if it is covered in silver, which is some knowledge The Cleansers make good use of - they always go clad in a thin layer of silver underneath their armor, which makes them completely impervious to the possession of the wraiths.