#creature lore

[space-blue]

PLEASE excuse my "backgrounds" I don't know how to do them and this is the best I could come up to at 1am.

Rio is Viktor's waverider. They navigate the submerged and complex caves underneath the clan's canyon.

Waveriders are similar to ikran and bond for life. They remain a unique and unpopular animal to bond to, as few in the clan have a taste for the dark caves. It's a long way to the more secret alcoves within, and the few places where the cave waters re-emerge can be reached by ikran.

Viktor however is tsahik in training and dives deep to access a huge root of Spirit tree.

Jayce is delighted (if a little scared and overly excited) to come around for a dive. Since he has no waverider, and some of the passages are very tight, he's come in his human body. At his back is a spare rebreather.

[filurig]

i rarely ever get the Anatomy Worldbuilding Brainworm but suddenly i was struck by it bcs i had been thinking about the weirdness of basilisks and in particular how the whole Ability to change sex through shapeshifting works so. Yippe

[something-wild-calls]

What is Pari in this universe?

Pari is an imp.

A creature of legend said to be dangerous pests, often with kill-on-sight orders.

Legends say that they are capable of injecting a venom that allows them to control people's minds, and it's said that they use this to cause mayhem or even steal away people as their prey or playthings. Because of the fear this brings to people, they are to be killed as soon as possible, making them an incredibly rare species to see in present day...

There's more to them, but I'll stop it here for now. :>

[azurewildflight]

Completed

Draconic Orcs

A species effected by an alteration of the naturally occurring phenomena known as the crossing.

Orcs and Dragons were spliced in a creature with the ability to shift between forms.

There is great variety to this species with the type of dragon one shifts to being different for each one.

Many are known to be pirates, usually inhabiting locations where low numbers of Spellcasters reside for an easy mark.

[lordsovorn]

The Merciless Hand

One of the Three False Gods, the last guardians of humanity.

Lore under the cut:

...

At this distance, the only thing you can do is stay still, hold your breath, and pray.

Often it doesn't help anyway.

...

The Hand is the epitome of an Under predator. Unlike the terrifying singing Wall or the seemingly everpresent, yet non-personified Flesh, the Hand is a breathing, walking Being. It is massive and it is fast - and therefore, it is hungry.

The Hand is always on the move, always searching for its next victims. Its hunting grounds stretch as far as its prey might wander, as far as the Under itself. Its mark - bloody prints of monstrously large human hands - taints the walls in rusty red reminders of its nearly undisputed reign over the tunnels.

It is cruel and cunning and resourceful to the extreme. Its blindness isn't even a limitation - it knows when you see it. It senses fear from the tiniest squeak, from the faintest rustle of clothes against tensing muscle.

It is blindingly fast on the hunt, patient and persistent in the search. It dances along the walls with uncanny grace, diving in and out of shadows. Poking. Testing. And then snapping.

The Hand displays a surprising amount of restraint for a creature that can obliterate its prey by sheer mass alone. Which is why it is so often underestimated by those who see it for their first and their last time.

An object of dread and fascination, the Hand is both the boogieman and the guide. Where it treads, we may pass. Where it hunts, we may find sustenance. If we follow its example and never cross paths with it ourselves, we might yet have a chance of surviving this hell.

Many fanciful epithets are used to denote the qualities of the God of the Underworld - not least of which is "The Merciless". Much like the monsters of the deep sea, the Hand rarely feasts, and so never passes an opportunity and never lets go of its prey. It will pursue for as long as it senses movement, and it will kill with no regard for pity or satisfaction. It drags off corpses and impales them on rocks to eat later. It tears and twists them in grotesque displays because it understands the fear of the little hairless monkeys that seem so paradoxically familiar.

And it uses it.

...

Be quiet.

Lie down slowly. In a tight space, if possible. Stay still.

Away from the fire - it will search around it.

Hold your breath. Listen to its footsteps - it will try to wait you out multiple times.

Pray the earth swallows you and then lets you out alive.

Timelapse on Patreon

[fiercefauna]

Surface Portal: version 2

“Let it be known that water on the ethereal plane bears neither heft nor lift. It stands as thin as air.” - Quote mostly pulled from Soul Reaver.

It was awhile before I noticed @ironymobile had birbs. I had once considered a connection between the mythical caladrius and Plague Doctors - (Note that caladrius is so obscure a word my spell checker doesn’t recognize it, and Plague Doctors are so well known to my associates here that I just as soon call them PDs.)

Irony’s birbs - “Birbs” being a term of endearment for PDs and related beings I’ve taken to using, is deliberately misspelled and therefore cute.

The following is what I’ve been able to surmise from their “Lore.” Irony may correct me if I get anything wrong here.

These particular birbs have got to be among the safer spirits one may encounter being extremely unlikely to attack unless provoked and invulnerable to pretty much everything except - ironically enough, hand-held physical weapons.

They seem to coalesce out of the spirit and psychic energy rising from mass graves of the ill, and often, the persecuted, being to some extent thought forms albeit solid enough to damage. They seem to want to help people but are very shy. I assume they only approach people at their most vulnerable because they fear us too much otherwise, offering what assistance - often medical, we may require. I feel this may give them the context of vampires or grim reapers; being seen as guilty by association when they are more correlation than cause.

Humans may even over-exploit or persecute the things they love or find useful and thus fear may be a better defense, perhaps better a witch or vampire to be given a wide berth than a caladrius in a gilded cage. Made to practice one’s medical skills only on those who have paid its captors.

Now the fun part - Travel

As hinted at above these do seem to be able to take the smaller flying forms of birds, (ravens, crows, doves, and perhaps, swans, storks or ibis.) but can also walk along the bottoms of water ways as though traveling through thin air. I chose to assume they do this rather than swim due to the folkloric context from irony, but they may swim also. That they may be reluctant to travel as birds nowadays could be due to the “caladrius” being captured and sold to royalty for what are certainly very high prices.

Many coming from plagues and religious wars in the “old world,” they may also not fully understand the mannerisms of modern people and be avoidant for that reason. There is also the matter of their feather clothes being stolen leaving them in the weakened state of needing to either make or grow more.

Unaffected by natural elements and having no need or want of food,(lacking even mouths to conventionally eat with) they seem able walk long distances and have no need of shelter, only requiring air to speak, though without mouths or nostrils it’s uncertain how they do it. Their belongings however may be adversely affected by their environs prompting some interesting solutions.

Imagine not needing food or shelter but needing to find a dry, secure place to put your meager belongings. Especially when traveling through water. (Note that the character pictured above has a sealed clay pot for a water-proof suitcase.) And also - that their white cloak is only visible above the water line. One wonders how much hollow tree and unused attic space has been secretly commandeered as a “stash.” And perhaps the assumption that supernatural beings hoard “treasure.”

Assumptions that these creatures are women, arise when they are discovered apparently “bathing” in waterways, with their feather cloaks. Assumptions they are men often arising when they work as “doctors.” They do however, as abstract concepts given semi-solid form, lack physical gender.

Taking a detour through a forest fire or hiding in a burning building may damage their clothes and creates the possibility of crushing damage from falling trees and debris but there is no fear of the flames themselves or the high temperatures, in fact, the energy being released may be something they could theoretically consume as a kind of food.

[just-a-we1rd0]

Mayahmult

The Mayahmult is an intelligent pack creature, known as E-750’s most intelligent pack hunter. These creatures live in large packs consisting of multiple families, there is no true leader and whenever an individual poses an idea, the rest of the pack will take it into mind. When hunting, these creatures will surround a chose prey and snap their mouths and tail mouths at it to cause intimidation and if need be, scare away any other creatures. When the right time comes, the largest and strongest of the pack will come from behind and bite the neck and stomach of the prey, (using both mouth and tail mouth) and rip their insides and spines out. These creatures do not have a digestive track, and will consume food via the large trap on their backs. They process food in a similar way to a carnivorous plant. These creatures rarely fight for mates, (only in scarcity) and some couples will choose to mate in the early-onset spring. Gestation lasts till late winter/ early spring, where a litter of 8-12 “puppies” will be born. Unfortunately, these creatures admit a strong and sweet smell from the trap, which is easily recognizable for predators. (Especially flying ones) Parents are very protective of their young, however due to the sheer number they usually will not be able to keep any more than 4 pups alive per litter. Once the offspring have grown, they will have the choice to leave or stay in the pack.

[chaioverdose]

Update on the goth chickies and their adopted mother

They grow up so fast 🥺

[henrysglock]

I have a feeling these UD eggs and the Dimension X vine-spawning eggs in the VR are the same thing

[archie-the-menace]

Harpies and Sirens (Obscorian versions)

Notes:

-Harpies have wing fingers. Sirens do not.

-Sirens are interpreted from the depictions in The Odyssey; so they’re birds, not merfolk. This particular one is based on a vulture.

-Harpy means “snatcher.” Harpies often steal and have wind/storm magic. They are mischievous but not particularly dangerous.

-Sirens are obligate carnivores. They have evolved to mimic humans in order to lure them into their waiting jaws. Sirens can mimic human speech but not learn it, while Harpies are able to learn languages.

-Harpies have dexterous parrot-like feet. Sirens have raptor feet for tearing flesh.

-Sirens are far more beast-like than Harpies, which are more humanoid.

-Both creatures have bird-like eyes with ring bones.

-Sirens don’t fly often and nest in seaside rocks and on beaches. Harpies fly a lot and nest in trees and rocks.

-Siren songs have little effect on asexuals, so they may instead mimic crying children or drowning sailors.

[filurig]

i decided to change a little bit about the bäckahäst humanoid form, and realised that they have some superficial similarities to skogsrå, so heres a thing ironing out their differences a little

[something-wild-calls]

What does Imp venom do? Does it just have numbing and sedating effects? Can Imps even control those who they have stung? Has Cody ever been stung by an Imp before?

I guess on a physical level it would sedate somewhat--Specifically the brain, if that's possible. XD But the effects are mostly magical in nature, so most of what it does is magically allow the imp's will to take precedence over those they've stung.

And yes, Cody has been stung by Pari! The fact that he can understand her is thanks to regular injections of a little bit of venom. It basically allows her to will to he heard by him, but isn't strong enough to make hers more important.

I drew that a while ago, but it's relevant, so have an art. XD

But I imagine that it wears off after some time, so it needs to be a regular thing. (Correct me if I'm wrong, I don't know how that stuff works IRL, lol)

[azurewildflight]

Creature Design: SuperHybrids

On the left is Owl, a modern version

And on the right is Gamma, an ancient version

[lordsovorn]

Raptors

Cruel beasts. Demons, some call them. Scourge.

Lore under the cut:

The simplicity of these things only highlights the contradictions. There is nothing inherently unnatural about them. Nothing supernatural even more so. Understandable why a prouder person might feel indignant that these mere beasts, just a bunch of pack-hunting "bug dogs", are one of the main reasons for the final collapse of human civilization. And yet, it is the fearful who survive, not the proud ones.

The Raptors are the only things in the Under, other than humans, distinctly adapted to light and open spaces. Their keen eyesight is nearly unmatched in an environment with almost no lines of sight, and they are remarkably fast runners for a world of crags and tunnels. At the same time, their strong claws and limbs make them capable climbers, while the tail provides balance in a variety of positions. Bones provide strength, segments of chitinous armor they regularly shed provides renewable protection. Smart and coordinated, deadly and durable. Excellent predators. Entirely unsuited to the environment of the Under.

Just like humans.

It is in this way that Raptors proved to be such a persistent menace. Occupying much the same unstable niche in the world of darkness, they are both a competitor for food and a predator, forced into a rather narrow diet. Nothing about an individual Raptor is extraordinary - perhaps knowledgable Elders might have compared them to wolfs. Dangerous, worthy of fear, but killable. But there is no end to this tangled forest, and no prey except for stranded men. They are hungry and desperate, and fearful too, and so they retreat and come back in bigger numbers, with more complicated strategies. Raptors have ravaged the lines of communications and patrol, starved out of the outposts, raided the Farms to the point they are now completely unmanned. Nothing intimidating about one of them. Nothing unnatural about a pack. But as an endless onslaught of pack after pack of resorceful and adaptive hunters, they are a demonic unstoppable scourge, whose source humans were never able to track down.

They fill the caves with their screeching, grinding vocalizations, and follow the echoes and the sounds of panicked feet. Raptors are careful and vicious in their natural pragmatism, prefering to ambush and wound prey, overwhelm it with a coordinated pack attack, and turn its fear against itself. Like their namesake implies, they need not kill to start eating - grasping an injured creature with their massive talons, Raptors cut through flesh with their sharp mandibles and peel chunks of meat right off the bone.

[troythecatfish]

Here’s my personal recommendation of a YouTube video to check out: