The Bestiary


A slinking Dire Fox, liable to make awful screeching noises.


The Bestiary is a collection of information, insights, and images on the various fauna of Thain. While extensive, it certainly isn't complete by any means. Every detail in this book has been painstakingly collected by the many citizens and adventurers that inhabit the island and brave its dangers. All are encouraged to log their observations so that others need not "learn the hard way."


Add a beast to the book.

Basilisk

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Basilisks are eight-legged magical beasts with the ability to turn their enemies into stone with a mere gaze. Their hide is quite thick, making it a good component for armours and some arcane spells. An important population of them can be found in the Wastes.

Bat

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These winged, nocturnal rodents are rarely considered threatening in their own right, though traditional folklore does associate them with vampirism and the undead. Commonly found in caves, there are just as many hostile ones as there are peaceful ones on Thain.

Beetle

There are different types of giant beetles that inhabit the island of Thain, they tend to vary quite a bit in location and abilities.

Bombardier Beetle
Called such for their ability to lob balls of digestive acid over considerable distances, these giant beetles feed primarily on carrion and offal. They can be found in the Grey Iron Mines nearly Hamley and in the Nachtlicht underneath the kobold caves.

Fire Beetle
Recognizable by its distinctive red markings, the predatory Fire Beetle prefers its meals to be cooked, even a little burnt. Found in a cave on the Crossroads North opposite Necropolis.

Stink Beetle
As their name suggests, Stink Beetles defend themselves by emitting a noxious gas intended to render their assailants unconscious. Found inhabiting Poisonwood.

Sea Beetle
Inhabiting an abandoned mine undeneath Poisonwood, these predatory beetles have a frosty sting to their attacks.

Wrym Beetles
Considered the most deadly of the beetles that inhabit Thain, due to their vast array of magical abilities. They inhabit the vaste desolate area known as the Wastes and are assumed to be the ones who created the wastes, by devouring any and all life that was there.


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Beholder

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Found in the the Underdark, these aberrations have an orb-like body and ten eye-stalks, together with a central eye. Each of these eye-stalks is a source of spells for the beholder, while the central eye can project a powerful anti-magic field. Beholders are formidable opponents, capable of incapacitating their enemies in a variety of horrible ways.

Bodak

With their gray, hairless flesh and empty white gaze, Bodaks are the undead remains of those who have been destroyed by the touch of evil. Their gaze can literally cause people to die, as such care must be taken when dealing with them. The most notable place they can be found is in the Lord's Tomb.

Bugbear

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Bugbears prefer to ambush opponents whenever possible. When hunting, they normally send scouts ahead of the main group that, if they spy prey, return to report and bring up reinforcements. Bugbear attacks are coordinated, and their tactics are sound if not brilliant.

This militant band of goblinoids has long controlled the Recondite Fort, turning it into a heavily defended camp. While reports of attacks by them are rare, they are rumored to be involved in the manufacture of Riftstone-based weaponry. As well, they aided Fhelkhorn in retrieving Colorless Eggs to use against Gzalmash.

Generally well armed and armored, their foot soldiers are supplemented by shamans and priests. The lower levels of the fort have been uncovered and the rumors of manufacturing riftstone based weaponry have been confirmed. Also the discovery of a Riftstone Well has been noted along with the revelation that the bugbears may be getting help.

Deer

These large mammals frequent many areas of Thain, but are most prominent in areas like the Crossroads, where deer hunting is illegal. The deer found at the crossroads are very docile, even noted to approach adventurers out by the campfire of the Trade and Tackel in hopes of finding food.

Some have felt the taint of the Riftstones and have been driven mad.

Dragon

Dragons are reptillian creatures covered in scales and have leathery wings (there are exceptions. i.e Mist Dragons). They vary in size and color but can be classified into the following:

Chromatic Dragons and Metallic Dragons

Thain was once home to the Aspect Dragons however most have perished, all that remains of them is their legacy.

Dragon-kin

A local term referring to all humanoid and dragon mixes. The term includes true Dragon-kin, Half Dragons, Dragon Descended, Dragon Born, Dragon Disciples, and those that have awakened their blood by choice. Little if any distinction is shown by non-Dragon Kin, though true Dragonkin are quite condescending to others sharing the name. For most, the indicators of scales, wings, and minor variations are all that takes to lump one under the generic heading of Dragon-kin.

Bearing a legacy of fear, hate, and violence, most Kin inevitably join the cycle. As such, they are near universally hated across the Isle, and most forces risk their lives fighting them. Some few, however, eventually earn a place in civilization.

Kin of note include Hayleigh Faldanis, long the guardian of Hamley, Card Vessux Oridon, and Mys, once accepted about the Isle.

Drider

Driders are the result of Lolth's punishment on Drow for failing tests or offending her. These abberrations are found in the the Underdark, usually near Drow settlements.

Centaur-like in appearance, their upper body is that of a Drow, while their lower body is that of a spider. They retain the spell-casting abilities they possessed before their transformation.

Duergar

Duergar are the gray, evil cousins of dwarves, often found in the Underdark, particularly under Hammersong. They are more adept at stealth and magic than their surface counterparts, and are generally thinner as well. No duergar has hair, though males grow beards.

Fey

There are a number of places that fey are found on Thain, apart from in the company of those wizards and sorcerers who have them as familiars.

The first place to mention would be the Feywood. The fey here live in the deeper northern reaches of the woods and are engaged in open warfare with the Gnolls who live further north on Gerdamish Moor. They are not hostile but are said to 'misplace' gold and small items from careless adventurers.

The other main concentration of fey is in the Poisonwood. Here, they suffer from the effects of the woods' poisonous taint and will normally attack anyone who ventures near or into their glades.


Giant

Several species of giants inhabit Thain.

Corpulent
A few Mountain Giants show signs of overeating. Sheathed in layers of fat, these hardy brutes are tougher then others of their kind.

Frost
A frost giant’s hair can be light blue or dirty yellow, and its eyes usually match its hair color. Frost giants dress in skins and pelts, along with any jewelry they own. Frost giant warriors add chain shirts and metal helmets decorated with horns or feathers.An adult male is about 15 feet tall and weighs about 2,800 pounds. Females are slightly shorter and lighter, but otherwise identical with males. Frost giants can live to be 250 years old.

These are most common in the Northlands, where they continually assault the local human settlement, the Northlands Village. These beasts prefer to get close to there foes, unlike the other breeds on the Isle.

Hill
Skin color among hill giants ranges from light tan to deep ruddy brown. Their hair is brown or black, with eyes the same color. Hill giants wear layers of crudely prepared hides with the fur left on. They seldom wash or repair their garments, preferring to simply add more hides as their old ones wear out. Adults are about 10½ feet tall and weigh about 1,100 pounds. Hill giants can live to be 200 years old.

Found in the Iron Hills and Hammersong Mountain, hill giants are the smallest of the giants found on Thain, though they should not be underestimated. Often armed with large boulders and anti-magic stones, they prefer to start fights from afar.

Mountain
Adults are about 12 feet tall and weigh about 1,500 pounds. Mountain Giants are found throughout Thain, and are most common in the the Grey Mountains, Hammersong Mountain, and the Rocky Shoals off Hammersong.

Stone
Stone Giants have a superb sense of smell and are usually tougher than their Mountain counterparts. They are found in the Grey Mountains and Hammersong Mountains, as well as the Rocky Shoals off Hammersong, usually in the company of Mountain Giants.

Gnoll

Gnolls are humanoids resembling hyenas and are a savage race dedicated to warfare. They stand between 7' and 7'6'', weighing from 280 to 320 pounds, making them quite lean for their stature.

On Thain, they have made the Gerdamish Moors north of the Feywood their home, where they constantly fight elven patrols in order to gain more territory. Deep in the Gerdamish Swamp, the gnolls have erected a make-shift wall, behind which docks and fishing nets can be found, as well as some practice of agriculture.

Gnolls have tamed the Gerdamish Hounds to do their bidding and adventurers should expect the large animals to be aggressive, unlike their true nature. A small group with ties to Feywood has made attempts at freeing the hounds from the gnolls' grasp.

These humanoids are known to make use of Riftstones, as they are commonly found on their shamans.


Goblin

A goblin stands 3 to 3½ feet tall and weigh 40 to 45 pounds. Its eyes are usually dull and glazed, varying in color from red to yellow. A goblin’s skin color ranges from yellow through any shade of orange to a deep red; usually all members of a single tribe are about the same color.

Goblins
A large population of these creatures inhabit a series of caves between the the-crossroads and ravens-watch. Often raiding the trade-and-tackel, they are a persistent threat.

Iron Clan Goblins
This clan of goblins live in the Iron Hills, which are foothills of the the-grey-mountains, east of hamley. These goblins, known as the Iron Clan, are heavily armed and well trained, and make extensive use of Firepowder. Occasionally they will aid their weaker cousins in their raids on the the-crossroads. Occasionally they may be found in the troll caves. Recent rumors speak of an alliance with Illithids, who have been modifying the Iron Clan warriors.

Hobgoblins
Hobgoblins are larger cousins of goblins. Hobgoblins’ hair color ranges from dark reddish-brown to dark gray. They have dark orange or red-orange skin. Large males have blue or red noses. Hobgoblins’ eyes are yellowish or dark brown, while their teeth are yellow. Their garments tend to be brightly colored, often blood red with black-tinted leather. Their weaponry is kept polished and in good repair.

Hobgoblins can be found in the deeper goblin warrens, and many an adventurer has been surprised and killed by a hobgoblin patrol coming to the aid of goblins. They can be found in all goblin caves.


Golem

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Golems are magically created automatons of great power. Constructing one involves the employment of mighty magic and elemental forces. The animating force for a golem is a spirit from the Elemental Plane of Earth. The process of creating the golem binds the unwilling spirit to the artificial body and subjects it to the will of the golem’s creator.

Flesh Golems
A flesh golem is a ghoulish collection of stolen humanoid body parts, stitched together into a single composite form. No natural animal willingly tracks a flesh golem. The golem wears whatever clothing its creator desires, usually just a ragged pair of trousers. It has no possessions and no weapons. It stands 8 feet tall and weighs almost 500 pounds. A flesh golem golem cannot speak, although it can emit a hoarse roar of sorts. It walks and moves with a stiff-jointed gait, as if not in complete control of its body.

These creations are a common sight in the Drakamyre Gorge, where they savagely charge into combat.

Iron Golems
This golem has a humanoid body made from iron. An iron golem can be fashioned in any manner, just like a stone golem (see below), although it almost always displays armor of some sort. Its features are much smoother than those of a stone golem. Iron golems sometimes carry a short sword in one hand. An iron golem is 12 feet tall and weighs about 5,000 pounds. An iron golem cannot speak or make any vocal noise, nor does it have any distinguishable odor. It moves with a ponderous but smooth gait. Each step causes the floor to tremble unless it is on a thick, solid foundation.

Stone Golems
This golem has a humanoid body made from stone. A stone golem is 9 feet tall and weighs around 2,000 pounds. Its body is frequently stylized to suit its creator. For example, it might look like it is wearing armor, with a particular symbol carved on the breastplate, or have designs worked into the stone of its limbs.

They can be found among the undead in the Drakamyre Pass. ((I think))

Shield Guardians

Found in the Rooms of Ruin, these sentries guard their place of creation.

Hook Horror

Sly hunters of cavernous subterranean areas, hook horrors are territorial monsters that distrust intruders and fiercely protect their hunting grounds. Underground areas where hook horrors dwell echo with the constant clacking and scraping sounds of their hooks against stone, as they wend their way across cliffsides and cavern walls.

A hook horror stands about 9 feet tall and weighs approximately 400 pounds. Its long, powerfully built arms and legs end in wickedly curved hooks. Its head resembles a vulture’s, with a monstrous beak. Its torso is shaped like a beetle’s body and covered with a rough, stonelike exoskeleton, studded with sharp, bony protuberances.

Hook Horrors
Hook Horrors are found in the deep places of Thain. There is a large population in the Nachtlicht, and the Grey Iron Mines.

Frost Horrors
These chill touched Hook Horrors are rare, but much more dangerous then their lesser kin.

Kobold

There are several tribes of kobolds on the Island. The best-known are the small ones who inhabit an abandoned mine near the road south of the Crossroads. They are neither very strong nor well-organized, but they are aggressive and numerous, and travellers are warned to be careful when going south.

Another tribe of fish-eating kobolds can be found far to the north and are stronger and more intelligent than their southern cousins, perhaps due to their diet. They are said to worship an old book which they believe has magical power.

Krenshar

The krenshar is a strange, catlike carnivore with extremely flexible skin on its head. A typical krenshar measures 4 or 5 feet in length with a long, narrow head. It weighs about 175 pounds. They are commonly found around Crater Lake, and often give adventures a nasty scare by pulling back the skin of their faces.

Lycanthrope

Lycanthropes are humanoids or giants who can transform themselves into animals. In its natural form, a lycanthrope looks like any other members of its kind, though natural lycanthropes and those who have been afflicted for a long time tend to have or acquire features reminiscent of their animal forms. In animal form, a lycanthrope resembles a powerful version of the normal animal, but on close inspection, its eyes (which often glow red in the dark) show a faint spark of unnatural intelligence.

Lycanthropy can be spread like a disease. Sometimes a lycanthrope begins life as a normal humanoid or giant who subsequently contracts lycanthropy after being wounded by a lycanthrope. Such a creature is called an afflicted lycanthrope. Other lycanthropes are born as lycanthropes, and are known as natural lycanthropes.

Werebear
???

Wereboar
???

Wererat
A small population exists in on Thain, but few are seen outside the Steinkreis sewers.

Weretiger
???

Werewolf
The mixing of human and wolf blood, these bestial humanoids spread their plague through bites. A small population exists on Thain, but few are seen outside the Drakamyre.

Malar Panther

Stained with blood red markings by the Beastlord, malar panthers are stealthy hunters. Their eye sight can pierce both magical and mundane concealment, which makes them a force to be reckoned with.

In battle, they will attempt to pounce on their enemies in order to keep them on the ground.

They can often be found in the Drakamyre.

Mephit

Mephits are minor creatures from the elemental planes. All mephits appear as small, winged creatures with more or less humanoid features. While they are often described as impish, their elemental origins are apparent at first glance.

Air Mephit
These creatures spit acid, blistering the skin and pitting armor of adventures. Some can be found in the Drakamyre.

Mohrg

Mohrgs are the animated corpses of mass murderers or similar villains who died without atoning for their crimes. Most mohrgs are 5 to 6 feet tall and weigh about 120 pounds.

These dangerous undead can be found in many places, from the Lords' Tomb to the Drakamyre to Islands off the coast. Unlike skeletons, these undead still have muscle and organs, which stain their bones with reddish ichor. When they strike, they often leave behind rotting bits of flesh, sometimes sickening their foes… almost to the point of helplessness.

Ogres

"Oh look over there - little ogres!"—a less-than-experienced adventurer who shortly discovered to his everlasting surprise that the ogres were larger, had better eyesight and could run faster, than he expected.

Ogres on Thain are widespread, finding employment with a good many of the cave-dwelling creatures on the Island; wherever you find goblins, you will probably find ogres. They also wander the roads at will, and may be met almost anywhere from the Drakamyre and the Grey Mountains to the the-south-coast. They range in size from large to enormous, from strong to overpoweringly tough, and from completely stupid to fairly intelligent.

However, their main home seems to be a series of chambers which ages ago were built deep into the earth on the southern slopes of Hammersong Mountain, near to the Cobblewall Inn. These are known as the Forgotten Halls and they are crawling with large, strong and intelligent ogres, some of whom can cast powerful magic; adventurers report that the Halls are in fact more or less controlled by a fire giant named Gipherus who is bound there by some powerful spell, and who has strengthened but enslaved the ogres to his will. From time to time, adventurers also claim to have found powerful magical scrolls and other artifacts in the Halls, and the ogres' weapons are highly-valued for their size and brute power.

Orcs

These humanoid creatures inhabit the northern Poisonwood, controlling one of the elven ruins located there. They rarely venture beyond their lands, though they are also found on the linked plane, the Planet of Orcs.

High Orks
These larger relatives of Orcs are found high in the Grey Mountains. Also known as Bagnorn Orks, these creatures patrol most of the slopes above the foothills. Highly trained, militant, and disciplined, they have been content to remain in their mountain retreat, rarely venturing into the lowlands. They keep several elite forces guarding Bagnorn Keep, and they ruthlessly drive off any intruders. They also have highly skilled smiths, creating some fine, though large, weapons and armor.

It is rumored they follow F'tarek, one of the elemental aspects, though their priests are shamanistic in nature.

Skeletons

Skeletons are the animated bones of the dead, mindless automatons that obey the orders of their evil masters. A skeleton is seldom garbed in anything more than the rotting remnants of any clothing or armor it was wearing when slain. A skeleton does only what it is ordered to do. It can draw no conclusions of its own and takes no initiative. Because of this limitation, its instructions must always be simple. A skeleton attacks until destroyed.

Skeletons
These mindless undead are found throughout the graveyards, tombs and battlefields of Thain. The Necropolis is full of them, the tainted ground spewing forth more each sunset.

Skeleton Chieftains
Better armed then regular skeletons, these skeletons are raised from powerful warriors. Bearing the weapons they wielded in life, they can be deadly to the unprepared. They are spread through the Isles tombs and low places, including the Drakamyre.

Spider

Several types of giant spiders dwell on the island of Thain:

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  • Giant Spider
  • Greater Giant Spider
  • Sword Spider
  • Phase Spider
  • Adumbral Crawler
  • Dire Spider
  • Wraith Spider

The Adumbral Woods to the north of Hamley is where the largest population of these vermin can be found, though minor congregations can be found in the Poisonwood.

They are often accompanied by ettercaps, and a particularly large specimen is rumoured to be the leader of the Adumbral spiders. Spiders often attack Hamley, seemingly ordered by this ettercap.

Demon Spiders
There are also reports of huge vicious spiders bred in the Underdark by Drow which have earned the name Demon Spiders. These are rarely, if ever, seen above ground. However, recent reports indicate some have moved into the Adumbral Woods.

Troll

Trolls walk upright but hunched forward with sagging shoulders. Their gait is uneven, and when they run, their arms dangle and drag along the ground. For all this seeming awkwardness, trolls are very agile. A typical adult troll stands 9 feet tall and weighs 500 pounds. Females are slightly larger than males. A troll’s rubbery hide is moss green, mottled green and gray, or putrid gray. The hair is usually greenish black or iron gray.

A large population of these creature can be found in a cave complex running from Crater Lake to the Grey Mountains and Iron Hills. Led by a fierce king, they frequently raid travelers, stocking their cave with ill gotten goods. They are sometimes seen with Iron Clan goblins, whose caves link to theirs.

Another population exists in the Greenvale ruins, though recently elf patrols have started driving them off.


Wolf

Found throughout the Isle from Hammersong to the Feywood, these pack predators are quite dangerous to the unwary. The human-protected deer around the the Crossroads, and the competition from kobolds (which breed at an extreme rate due to the influence of a local Celestial Crystal) has made the local population desperate, weak, and starving. Further north, the wolves are well-fed and much more dangerous.

Winter Wolves
Inhabiting the Northlands, this vicious breed has adapted to their frozen environs with thicker pelts, white fur, and the touch of winter. They subsist on the local deer population, and the occasional traveler. Some have been trained by frost giants as hunting animals.

Dire Wolves
Much larger than their normal brethren, dire wolves usually weigh around 700 pounds. They are often found in packs, which makes them even more dangerous to the unwary traveler. They are however rare, found mostly in the Feywood, with various other sightings around the island. Normal wolves will often join dire wolf packs for protection.


Yuan-ti

Yuan-ti are a species of monstrous humanoids, often called snake-men or snake-women for their hissing sounds and their overall appearance, as well as their worship of the snake god. On Thain, they dwell within a cave complex found in Crater Lake, under which a temple dedicated to their dark gods can be found.

Among their ranks, they possess warriors, archers, few arcane spellcasters and some priestesses. Histachii also live with them.

Their gear is of relatively decent quality, though no forge can be found within the caves or temple. However, yuan-ti are known to trade with the Drow, to which they have access through a breach in their own temple.

Adventurers often raid the caves seeking treasure.




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