Bestiary Update

Deep god- These legendary monsters dwell in the seas and were worshipped long ago by sea dwelling folk who mistook them for deities, hence their name. Deep-gods are immense beings. They are about 150' long (50 yards). A Deep-god has three sets of arms, each ending with powerful, three-fingered hands. When their torso ends they possess a lower body akin to a shark, smooth and crowned with a fin. The head of a Deep god resembles an Elf with shining blue skin, complete with a pair of long frills that run the sides of its head where the temples are located. The eyes are dark orbs of ocean blue, reflecting light like burning flames. A Deep-god’s back is riddled with skeletal spines, some of them measuring ten feet in length.

They’re infamous for sinking or capsizing vessels when they surface; a less common occasion than mariners lead on. It is thought that Deep-gods are immortal, or their life span is so long that the races can’t gauge how old they become. It is known that Deep-gods grow as they age, a process that never ends. In time and with great age a Deep-god can grow three or four times their mature size. There is a legend of the eldest of the Deep-gods, a beast that swallowed an entire fleet of ships from the sea and whose remnants still reside within. Though rarely brought into conflict against one another, Deep-gods and Dragons loathe each other with a passion. While intelligent, Deep gods pursue solitude jealously.

Dire newt- A Dire newt is a hideous, lumbering monster that might stand up to 10' tall if it weren’t always hunched over, dragging its arms along with it. It has long, webbed feet ending in glossy black talons and knotted arms with oversized hands, also webbed between the fingers. A tangle of wiry, seaweed-like hair sprouts from the top of the head and runs down the whole of the monster’s back, reeking of filth. The creature is twice as long as it is tall, with a lanky neck and crocodilian muzzle and a long tail that lazily drags behind it. A Dire newt has an incredible healing ability, being able to mend broken bones, heal gashes or even re-grow lost limbs in only a day or less. Dire newts haunt deep swampland and stagnant rivers where the water’s flow is minimal- they prefer hot regions to wander in and are often found in the company of bog flies and other blood-drinking insects that are attracted by the Dire newt’s foul smell. The Dire newt’s preferred method of attack is to close into melee as fast as it can and pound enemies with its fists, tail lash or bite. It is not so stupid to pass up a weapon or throw a large object if that can even up the odds, though it has poor aim. A Dire newt’s bite and claws are said to be diseased by the filth that coats them. A Dire newt can breathe underwater indefinitely but prefers to fight on land, or at least in shallow water. Its greatest foes are the crocodiles that sometimes inhabit the same regions as they. Such meetings end in bloody battles the Dire newt usually wins.

Dornaar-  Dwellers of arctic plains and mountains, the Dornaar are massive, bat-like monsters that swoop and glide with stealthy silence to hunt prey. A dornaar has a 30’ wingspan and a 10' body length from snout to tail; all covered with a dull, ash-white fur that buffers cold and masks the monster. The beast’s eyes are a pale blue bordering on near-white and anyone that meets the Dornaar’s gaze on a clear day from 50’ or closer may be stricken blind for a number of days. The Dornaar likes to swoop down on prey and claw or bite, or smother the victim with its length and weight if the victim is small enough for such an attack. The Dornaar will not make an effort to smother a victim that is larger than man sized. Dornaar will sometimes hunt their prey in plain sight, being so silent and cloaked that no one notices their approach until battle begins. Dornaar live for about 90-100 years of age and mate during the winter every 3-4 years. Their pelt is prized by hunters for its unique color and resilience to the cold, fetching more than 1000 Crowns per adult pelt on the open market. While once quite common on the frigid plains of Parun, the Dornaar are becoming more and more infrequent in appearance, which has led some Rangers to form a guild that protects and even breeds the monsters, so as not to hunt the beasts into exctinction.

Dragon- Ancient and terrifying, the Dragons were the bane of the Elves and Dwarves during the ancient years of the realm. They are a vain, greedy and cruel race, given to fits of rage and acts of malice that terrify all that behold them. Dragons are immense beasts, and can grow to lengths of more than 200' by its most ancient (about 2,000 years or so). They have long necks and massive bodies, with trunk-like legs and a snaking tail that matches their whole body length as it drags behind them. Most dDagons can walk on all four legs or perch themselves on their hind legs, using their tail to aid in balance. Others are more brutish and don’t have the grace to stand on their hind legs alone. It is generally the older Dragons that can’t provide enough grace to stand on their hind legs any longer, having grown too large. Common Dragon traits are as follows: frills, gills, horns, spikes on their head, back or tail, a jaw that can distend, fiery breath, multiple eyes, a forked tail, a set of wings or claws adapted for climbing rock. Dragons can be slender and agile or bulbous and lumbering or anywhere in between.

Each single Dragon differs from the next. It is true that all Dragons are very hard to harm in their older age, as their scales become steel-like and their claws and fangs are sharper than the stoutest swords. Dragons dwell in deep places underground, beneath forests, behind waterfalls or under mountains (their favored place). All Dragons find a lair that pleases them and remain there the whole of their lives, taking great care to make their lair a secret. They pass this to their offspring, who go off in search of their own lair of similar design when they are old enough. Dragons that hail from varying regions across the realm will not look the same as their kin due to adaptations to better survive their chosen land. Most Dragons covet treasure and demand fear and awe from mortal races, loathing Elves and Dwarves for reasons even they can’t recall. All Dragons greatly prize treasure, most enjoying precious gems and finely worked jewelry but some taking great value in differing treasure. A Dragon’s breath weapon, generally a cone of flame, can extend up to 100 yards, with a width of 20 yards, creating a radius of heat so intense that it can make flammable items combust just by being near the flame. Anyone caught within the blast of Dragon flames is rendered almost completely to ash, weapons, armor and all. For aquatic Dragons this changes to a cone of super heated steam that travels half as far but has twice the expanse.

They are solitary monsters that do not welcome or appreciate company of any sort, unless they provide both treasure and sport with a slow, cruel death. Dragons eat anything they can catch but prefer large, warm-blooded mammals that can fill their stomachs quickly. They also value eating intelligent beings, especially if that being happens to be terrified of them. It is believed that there are only several hundred Dragons left in the whole of the realm, if even that. Since ancient times the Dragons dwelt in deep places in the underground, never caring or bothering to venture into daylight or open land.            

Mountain Brood- This sort of Dragon dwells in the lofty mountains of the realm, and have bodies that have adjusted to the demands of those frozen heights. Mountainous wyrms tend to have massive, trunk-like bodies with thicker than avergae scales and clusters of dense horns that grow on their crowns and jaws. Their faces are generally blunted, with eyes deeply embedded into their skulls and shorter necks. Their claws are keenly developed and can grasp or clutch with a similar ease that humanoid races enjoy. Their tails are sluggish, rough extensions that tend to drag behind them and erase the prints of their passage. These Dragons have little trouble climbing sheer mountains, even ice encrusted ones, and can easily brave the foulest weather that the mountains can offer. They tend to lair in the highest peaks of the tallest mountains, where they are sure to have as little intrusion as possible. It is very likely that their lairs branch for many miles, however, and have subroutes leading in and out of it from several well hidden exits far below the main lair chamber. Mountainous Dragons generally have a grey/white color, with exceptions of dusky blue, midnight blue, pearl-white or ash-grey. Their sense of sight is usually their favored asset, and they can see for many miles from their lair the land below, even through a raging blizzard.

           

Desert Brood- Desert dwelling Dragons have become adept diggers, having flat, hooked claws that can tunnel through earth and scatter large amounts of sand with frightening ease. Their scales are small and highly reflective to sunlight, polished to an almost gem-like finish due to their many years of travel in desert sun and sand. Their choice of travel tends to erode their otherwise capable wings, sometimes leaving this brood of Dragon without the gift of flight. Desert Brood have attuned their voices to keen when they are underground, a sonic asault which can level 20-200’ worth of earth in a few seconds, pulverizing the material and making underground travel for the monster all the easier. They may also use this to create lairs far underground, leave pitfalls for prey or wield it above ground as a weapon as opposed to their mighty fiery breath. A Dragon’s keen is entirely sonic and can shatter items or deafen foes in battle, even permanently. While a Desert Brood’s eyes aren’t the most keen from their choice of life they have excellent hearing and sense of smell, relying solely on those below ground and heavily on them above ground.

Dragon Curse- A Dragon bonds with their treasure; this much has been known for ages. But it is not fully known the extent of that bond. When a Dragon has a trove, they are aware of everything within it, down to the last bronze Crown. If any of it goes missing, they will know upon a mere cursory inspection. In this way raiders and plunderers of a Dragon’s wealth have been discovered and dealt with. Anyone carrying stolen Dragon wealth from a living dragon risks their own life and the life of anyone that they come into contact with. The Dragon whose treasure was stolen knows where it is and will come to collect it, usually in the dead of night or in a most inconvenient time.

Drak (Drake Kin)- A Drak is a sea dwelling monster with a sleek body that is swift and deadly in the water. The Drak’s flesh is smooth like an eel’s, with light colors of white, blue and green marking the surface. It measures about 40-50’ in length depending on its age. The Drak has only a slender trunk with a thin neck and tail, making it capable of cutting through the waves with so much ease. What makes its task easier is two sets of wings that sprout from the trunk. They are almost gossamer in appearance and measure more than half the length of the entire body. The tip of its tail acts as a rudder, with a long pair of stiff fins sprouting from the top and the bottom of it. The head of the Drak is crowned with a beak that is cloven. The upper jaw splits into two curved edges while the lower jaw is merely a larger sliver that slides in between them, giving the Drak a painful bite. Its primary method of attack is to expel a cloud of mucus onto a foe. This mucus is a membrane that traps air, keeping it from passing through and effectively suffocating the attacker. The mucus clings to any solid surface and may be destroyed with an application of salt or alcohol. The mucus can be wrested free by hand, but it is a laboring process, and not always a successful one. The Drak lives for about 500 years, spawning in the summer’s beginning, the male or female traveling with the young until they are strong enough to look after themselves. On the northern reaches of Kallendaros Drak are hunted by the people of Deep Rock in the Arnor Desert for the rich skins and mucus. It is well known that the Drak haunt the reefs of the Gorgoroth Mountains, along with Gnar Whales, which they fight for food and territory.