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[Ecosystem Lore] - The Mountains


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The Mountains

Towering high above the plains and fields and marshes, the mountains are a mysterious place, scraping high towards the heavens and often enshrouded with mist. They are found in a plethora of locations, though almost always possess hilly and rocky crags which make it quite difficult to traverse. Its steep and gritty terrain leaves room for only the most bold of settlers and scavengers, and can be dangerous to those unheeding of the land. Its flora and fauna is usually hardy and mobile, as to traverse such steep cliffs and crevices.

Flora

Despite its rather harsh nature, the mountains are often home to a plethora of unique flora which sprout even amongst the rocky nooks and crannies. Those who manage to find such reagents are lucky indeed, for these are not all too easy to come by in what little soil lies here.

 

Paddfoot

Nightglow

Elf’s Hair Vine

Ponderlot

 

Fauna

Stretching high towards the heavens, the high altitudes often dissuade many creatures from taking their place among the mountainous peaks. Nevertheless, there are some rather hardy beasts which roam these stretching spires, some rather benign, and others less so.

 

 

 


 

 

Harpies

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Physiology

Haggish and decrepit, harpies have the bodies of vultures - though are often two times their size - and the head of a disfigured woman. Their feathers appear matted and ruffled, bearing hues of brown and murky grey, oftentimes speckled with the blood of their victims. They possess sharp talons that can claw flesh from the bone, their beaks equally as sharp.

Habitat

Harpies live atop the peaks of mountains, oftentimes in caves packed with bones and past prey. They make their nests from entrails, flesh, and anything else they can find. Oftentimes they make these nests beneath tall peaks, shaded from the brightness of the sun.

Behavior

Harpies are nocturnal creatures, often choosing to hunt during the dusk or nighttime, though they may, on occasion, prowl during particularly cloudy or stormy days. They are cruel and cunning, often choosing to stalk and frighten their prey before luring it into a false sense of security and devouring it. Harpies are so bloodthirsty that they are even known to eat their own young on occasion should they be hungry enough.

Abilities

Harpies possess sharp, retractable talons that may claw onto flesh and dig to the bone if an individual is unarmored. They also possess the unique ability to throw their voice up to half a mile, leading prey to believe that they are further off when, in fact, they are much closer.

Redlines

- Harpies are not at all pretty or attractive and instead appear gross and hag-like.

- Harpies possess strength slightly less than that of a fully-trained human knight.

- Sirens do not have the capability to reason and have the mind equivalent to a predatory animal. They cannot be tamed or bargained with to any extent.

 

Minotaur

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Physiology

Minotaurs are large beasts, not unlike a bull who walks on two hooved feet and has opposable thumbs. They are towering creatures, ranging anywhere from twelve to fifteen feet, with great strength rivaling, if not exceeding, that of an ology creature. Their skin is dark and leathery, having long hair that may dangle from their elbows and maw. The oldest recorded minotaur had lived upwards of five hundred years before it became sickly and died.

Habitat

Minotaurs often favor settling in ancient ruins or libraries, locations that they know will attract wandering scholars or adventurers. They may also take up residence in maze-like and elaborate caves, though seldom roam far from their chosen den.

Behavior

Minotaurs, despite their monstrous appearance, are incredibly intelligent, capable of recognizing patterns and solving puzzles with shocking proficiency. Oftentimes they will create elaborate traps throughout their dens in order to ensnare their prey, relying on the target to become lost and disoriented before attacking them outright. They do not often create their own clothes or weapons, and will rather take such from deceased travellers. Minotaurs are also prone to collecting large sums of jewelry which they wear and hoard, being incredibly vain and self-centered. Many keep mirrors in their den for the sake of vanity.

Abilities

Minotaurs have relatively poor eyesight, though make up for this via keen hearing and smell, as well as a degree of echolocation done through low bellows and groans which often signal its presence. Minotaurs are able to wield most melee weapons with great efficiency and power, making them formidable opponents when paired with their strength.

Redlines

- Minotaurs are not descendants and cannot speak common, nor learn any magic. Older minotaur can learn to write in common though struggle to speak it due to biology.

- A minotaur’s hide is no stronger than that of regular leather and can be pierced. At most, it would deflect arrows and other small projectiles.

- Minotaurs are quick, though lack agility and stealth. Their presence can often be told by the light tapping of their hooves and the occasional huff or snort.

- Minotaur, especially hungry minotaurs, cannot be reasoned with. Their craving hunger for mortal flesh is too great to be ignored.

- Minotaurs struggle to see in both extreme light and extreme darkness. They often illuminate their dens with dim (redstone) torches to see adequately.

 

Iron Ram

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Physiology

The Iron Ram is a remarkable creature, averaging at 6’1” and being rather wide. They often have long, curved grey horns, resembling iron oftentimes in the cloudy mountain light; with the females having smaller horns, and the males having larger, curved ones. These rams are particularly durable and have rather thick-skin beneath their coating of fur, making them unique companions for many dwarven clans. They can run at a brisk, though usually bursted pace, and their goat-like physique allows them to scale mountains with ease in the wild.

Habitat

Iron Rams live up upon high mountain peaks, making their homes atop large overhangs. They can be tamed and bred, though are most effectively and healthily kept where there is open space and mountain air.

Behavior

Iron Rams are feisty creatures, oftentimes choosing to run right towards any perceived threat or predator. They may spar one another with their horns, oftentimes to achieve dominance and impress any females in the troupe. Iron Rams are also infamous for charging spelunkers that get too close, headbutting them off the mountain and oftentimes killing them as a result. Should a Ram be tamed, they may be inclined to listen to the tamer should they be properly tamed and harnessed, though even then, they may act in their own self-interest, especially when frightened or significantly harmed in the heat of battle.

Taming

Iron Rams can be tamed sufficiently with the proper techniques. They are oftentimes too excitable to be tamed at an adult age, so it is generally common that one steals a newly birthed kid or adolescent ram before they get too old. The young rams can then be trained more aptly and can be ridden, typically being reserved for dwarf-sized and smaller individuals. They still follow all general mechanical limitations of mounts, and may be represented by a mechanical horse should the rider wish. When in player combat, any attempt to charge with the ram would be like having a horse charge or trample the target.

Redlines

- Without a rider and proper harness Iron Rams cannot be commanded in combat.

- Iron Rams’ horns are dense as regular iron, though cannot pierce or skewer. They are blunt.

- Iron Rams used as mounts adhere to all in-game limits of mechanical horses.

- Anyone larger than a dwarf attempting to ride the ram would often result in the creature attempting to jostle them off, or simply collapse should they be too large.

- In CRP, Iron Rams are still limited to four blocks of mechanical movement per emote.

 

 

Gryphon

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Physiology

The Gryphon is a looming, large, and noble beast; with the majority of its body resembling that of a lion from its paws, middle, and tail whilst the rest resemble that of an eagle. Its wingspan is large enough for the creature to fly, however, it is near impossible to ride such a creature. On foot they possess somewhat double the might of the average lion, meaning they can put up a good fight; but they aren't impossible to kill or capture. In the air, they possess a grand speed, however, they aren't immune to an arrow's shot; piercing or clipping the wings can render them unable to fly. These creatures are known to live for hundreds of years. The Gryphon can come in many colours, ranging from a grey body and a grey set of wings.

Habitat

The Gryphon used to nest wherever they could, roosting in looming trees and shoddy caves high into the mountains where their offspring could roam. The Gryphon prefers the colder climate due to its thick feathers and fur, seldom travelling to warmer climates.

Behavior

Most gryphons are docile creatures, often not choosing to provoke those that have not provoked it or their nest. Unfortunately, since they are often hunted, they tend to be reclusive and often hide from mortals, making them incredibly rare to encounter. Depending upon the occasion and hostility of said person or creature the Gryphon will either be cautious, flee, or attack with the intent of feasting on their flesh and bone. Gryphon’s tend to feast on whatever meat they’re given or capture, ranging from rabbit to bird; even the odd corpse of a human, orc, elf, or dwarf if hungry and daring enough. The offspring, having been taught how to hunt from an early age onward tend to hunt small critters and the occasional bird. However their main diet would be fish and will make use of any available food source.

Abilities

Having both powerful strength and flight, the Gryphon possesses keen senses and is thus a formidable hunter. Their claws can strike and pierce the spaces between armor, making mauling devastating to an unprepared foe. Larger Gryphons may also use their wings to create powerful gusts that can knock individuals off of cliff sides.

Redlines

- Gryphons are “rare” creatures and should not be roleplayed as a common occurrence.

- Gryphons, though rarely finding a mate, upon breeding, will lay one to two eggs. This is often the most they will lay in their entire lifetime.

- Gryphons are unable to be ridden or effectively tamed. They can only thrive in the wild.

 

Eartheater

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Physiology

Eartheaters are large, terrifying creatures resembling worms with bone-like spines along their thick, leathery skin; their flesh capable of taking hits from things like arrows or pellets with little strain, though still able to be severed by a sword or bolt. These creatures often have a large mouth lined with hundreds of dagger-like teeth, capable of devouring a man whole if large enough. The average eartheater grows up to twenty feet long and seven feet wide, though larger and more monolithic sizes have been recorded.

Habitat

Eartheaters live underground in mountains, carving elaborate dens for themselves which can span miles in length. Often, the cave is held up by the thick, gel-like substance which the eartheater secretes from their skin, almost like a sort of glue.

Behavior

Eartheaters are primitive and animalistic, solely moved by their desire to sustain themselves and grow. They have no compassion or feeling and are driven by instinct alone. They will often attack prey should it sense them above ground, and will only retreat once it has sustained heavy-enough damage to be at all critical. Eartheaters keep their teeth sharp by eating away at stone and earth in their massive dens.

Abilities

Eartheaters possess echolocation, which they often employ by releasing a loud moan or roar, the telltale sign of their close approach. They can carve quickly through most forms of earth, grinding even hard stone into meal with their razor-like teeth. Nonetheless, they are blind and thus they cannot “see” anything that is not in or on the earth - meaning that flying creatures will be rendered invisible to them. In that regard, they may be easily confused by excessively loud noise, which has often been applied by hunters who encounter these beasts.

Redlines

- Eartheater hide is only as dense as thick leather and can still be wounded.

- Eartheaters are slow when above ground, though move shockingly fast underground.

- A common tell of earth eaters is a distant rumbling or low moan in the earth.

- Eartheaters cannot be used to cause excessive damage to terrain without RO consent.

 

Molten Spitter

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Physiology

Molten Spitters are frightened creatures, ranging from eight feet to nearly twenty meters in length over the span of their lifetime. Occasionally, molten spitters that manage to survive longer may grow up to sixty meters, making them titanic and frightening beasts.  Other than the size, it is easy to identify an Elder Molten Spitter with the scars that litter its entire body from previous battles. Large stone-like protrusions coat its thick hide, along with ridges that line its spine that allows the reptile to camouflage in its fiery surroundings with ease.

Habitat

Molten Spitters usually reside in temperatures that are often too hot for descendants, creating large burrows besides pools of magma and lava. Charred bones and ashen remains litter the heated grounds outside their homes, using it as some sort of territory marking.

Behavior

Molten Spitters often lay in large magma ponds to heat up their bodies, while swallowing large quantities of lava to store in a pouch under their jaw. They hunt by shooting out the stored liquid, burning their prey alive before swallowing them whole or tearing limbs apart, depending on the spitter’s size. Molten Spitters vomit out the remains of their meals, much like the pellets from an owl. The clumps of burnt bones and hide are used to mark their territory, and can often be taken for strange stones instead of corpses. Molten Spitters are very territorial, attempting to kill anything living other than its own hatchlings that trespass on its land, including other Molten Spitters. An Elder Molten Spitter resides in isolation, resting inside a massive lava pond. The large ridges on its back could be mistaken for stones, as it lays in wait until someone dares to disturb it.

Abilities

Molten Spitters can spew out the stored magma within their pouch. They are able to discern the difference between single and multiple targets, allowing them to spit lava in various ways. Molten Spitters also bear large talons capable of boring though solidified magma and stone, along with a large row of sharpened teeth within their maw.

Redlines

- Molten Spitters cannot be tamed, due to their aggressive nature and constant need for volcanic heat.

- The hide of a Molten Spitter is as dense as thick leather, capable of being punctured by arrows and bolts. The hide of an Elder Molten Spitter can also be pierced by the same projectiles, but siege weaponry seems to work more effectively.

- ST Only

- The pouch of a Molten Spitter is delicate, easily punctured by arrows and bolts along with being slashed by mundane blades. The pouch of an Elder Molten Spitter requires an arbalest bolt or stronger to puncture through the tough membrane.

- A Molten Spitter cannot spit magma with a damaged pouch.

- Molten Spitters are slow and clumsy outside of their lava pools.

 

 
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