[Bestiary] Temperate Forests

[squakhawk 14038]

 

The Temperate Forests

 

The eponymous ‘forest’ is what comes to mind when one thinks of wilderness. Bearing temperate climates, neither too cold as to become arboreal forests, nor too warm, as to become tropical jungles, temperate forests are among the most hospitable of climates to descendants. The creatures that inhabit temperate forests rarely predate on descendants, being both mild and docile in many instances. Temperate forests make up large swaths of land, and are many times the heartlands of elves and halflings.

 

Flora

 

Beard Weed

Amberiddle

Faerie Truffles

Blissfoil

 

 

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Shroomkin

 

 

Physiology

Shroomkin come in many different shapes, consisting of many thousands of fungi. The core is usually at the center of some greater capped mushroom, from which originate so-called ‘shroomlings’ that take on vaguely humanoid forms. These can differ greatly in both shape and weight, some smaller than halflings, and some taller than Uruks.

 

Behavior

Though seen as one or few beings, shroomkin are actually more of a colony consisting of hundreds, if not thousands of spores. At its center lies a core, stationary within a large mushroom akin to a queen bee. The rest of such a mushroom consists of dozens of spores forming a protective layer, and enabling communication with the outside world. Being omnivores, shroomkin utilise “shroomlings” that further branch off from the core, vaguely imitating the shapes of descendants to hunt the nearby woods for prey. Their prey usually consists of smaller animals, however, shroomlings luring in descendants using their silhouette to kill and feed on them is not unheard of. Depending on the size of the core mushroom, the number of shroomlings attached to it may vary greatly.

 

Taming

Shroomkin cannot be tamed.

 

Abilities

Consisting of many small organisms, shroomkin can regenerate or fuse together if given enough time. To truly kill a colony of shroomkin, it is necessary to destroy the core, being the part necessary to produce more spores.

Some shroomkin may use poisonous spores, or display other qualities reminiscent of fungi.

 

• Shroomkin are exclusive to player-ran events or may be used by ST
• Shroomkin are intended to have a mushroom build for their core
• Though shapes may vary, shroomlings should not exceed the height of Uruks safe for rare circumstances 

 

 

Bramblecreep

Sometimes called a Tangle Wight, or Green Widow, or mistaken for a ‘Leshy’.

 

Link to Art

 

Physiology

 

The Bramblecreep is a simple, is haunting creature. More flora then fauna, the parasitic and invasive ivy works akin to Snail’s Eye flatworm or Cordyceps in that the ‘creature’ is designed to be killed.

 

Hunched over and tangled entirely in weaves of briar and vines, they range from one to two meters depending on that Bramblecreep’s ability to root in nutritious soil. Its body is woven, and thorny, forming stalks of stiff, straight-legs and flagellating arm-like appendages that do little other than swat at curious herbivores: this swatting produces a whipping, whistling noise in the air near them.

 

Sometimes a Bramblecreep, in its own assemblage, will bring some of its own fruiting flowers, but additionally may snake herbs and flowers from deep in the forest to its body: sometimes potentially rare, useful plant life gets caught and pressed within their weave. Their own fruits and buds produce a sticky, foul-smelling sap that has a tendency to blight, and mulch other, less hearty plantlife, turning them into compost for further Bramblecreep buddings. Even treated woods under prolonged exposure from a Bramblecreep will begin to rot as if eaten quickly by time, and acid.

 

Behavior

 

Bramblecreeps are not predators, they’re truly more parasitic than anything. Their own body is simply a mechanism of their life cycle akin to other similar parasitoids mentioned originally. 

 

Bramblecreeps wander into pastures, farmlands, and glades: places green and lush with life, and seek to untangle themselves through their haunting visage, hoping to be torn apart by herbivores in the wild once they’ve found suitable ground, and hoping wary, skeptical townsfolk will, in their urgency, tear them to bits so they might plant themselves down.

 

Once they collapse, their vines drive into the earth and quickly snake into a resting ground, embedding themselves as if old roots. This often goes unnoticed beneath the mass of the Bramblecreep’s lumbering, collapsed mass. The insidious nature of the Bramblecreep coming to realization over a period of days after, when masses of writhing ivy cord and barb themselves across tilled fields, poisoning grass, choking existing harvests, and warping nearby trees into dying, lurching giants.

Otherwise, in pursuit of finding ‘the best location’ to die upon, Bramblecreep will tend to swat at foes in their way. While lumbering, and slow, it's hard to stop their advance: their coiling vines shifting when pressed upon. Their only true fear is fire, for a Bramblecreep that is incinerated cannot continue its life-cycle. Bramblecreeps will do their best to avoid fire.

 

Clever farmers have noticed this, and it isn’t unheard of for communities to perform ‘controlled burnings’ for the dual nature of both replenishing soil nutrients, and warding off slumbering Bramblecreeps from the woods.

 

Taming

 

Bramblecreeps cannot be tamed.

 

Abilities

– Their vines strike akin to cracking whips: absolutely painful upon flesh, or clothes, though even light-armor can render these attacks limp.

– Their bodies will snake past obstacles and foes, as if creeping-vines passing over any obstacles, in order to reach their desired spot to die upon.

– Upon ‘dying’, their physical form unable to hold structure, the ivy will plunge into the ground in order to take root, and begin leeching nutrients for rapid, ravenous growth.

– If this death-bloom is not prevented, a determined area will become unable to host and sustain plant life until treated via alchemical means (pesticides) or druidic intervention.

 

– Bramblecreeps may only be utilized by ST.

– Killing a Bramblecreep with fire, over [2] emotes, will consume the Bramblecreep entirely and prevent its deathbloom.

– Bramblecreeps are slow, tending to lumber at roughly four blocks of movement per turn, but can move through any occupied space as long as it is not blocked by a solid block.

– The corpse itself yields no alchemical reagents,though at ST discretion may contain other alchemical herbs and reagents collected in its formation and trek.

 

 

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Aevosi Remnants

 

 

Tinker Weaver

 

 

Physiology

 

The Tinker Weaver is a curious little creature, a small bulbous animal with hardened scales on its arms and legs with a large shawl and beard of mossy green fur. The Tinker Weaver stands at no more than 3ft tall and at its center has a large exposed gelatinous core of amber colouration, a viscous liquid flowing about within. This stomach, or core is extremely fragile and the Tinker Weaver does everything in its power to protect itself and hide from prey.

Its sharp claws and strong limbs allow it to dig through Descendant trash and tear apart discarded metal objects for its own uses, as well as give it the ability to climb trees to escape those predators that lurk upon the forest floor. Within its core is an amber ichor, this viscous liquid seems to have some light healing properties when applied to small cuts and bruises, sealing them up over a short period and helps soothe severe burns.

Tinker Weavers are herbivores, feasting upon the plentiful plantlife of the Forest.

 

Behavior

 

The Tinker Weaver is nature's very own junkyard, this curious little creature is obsessed with shiny objects and will often creep into cities under the darkness of night in order to scavenge for scrap metal and various trinkets and baubles to make its nest out of.

These nests are kept high up in the tops of trees and serve the dual purpose of giving the Tinker Weaver a place to call home as well as an armored shell to protect their exposed stomachs from predators. Tinker Weavers are mainly active at night in order to avoid most of the predators of a forest and are also at their most vulnerable when slinking along the forest floor to seek out salvage for their nests.

 

Abilities

 

Tinker Weavers have healing properties and thus are able to cure minor cuts and bruises, or even help with the process of healing a fading scar from severe burns. They are however unable to treat life-threatening injuries or heal another back to life.

 

– Tinker Weavers can only be used in DIY, player-hosted events.

– Tinker Weavers cannot be tamed.

– Healing properties work at most on minor cuts and bruises, or severe burns. They may not treat life threatening injuries.

– Tinker Weavers can be hunted for their armored shell, which would be player-signed. This shell is no stronger than iron and no bigger than a buckler shield.  

 

Porculon Bear

 

 

Physiology

 

An enormous bear-like creature bristling with sharpened spikes on its back, the Porculon Bear stands at a menacing 8ft tall on all fours, from front paws to shoulders. These massive creatures roam the forest floors, feasting upon both smaller animals and the plantlife alike. There are not many creatures within the forests that can stand up to the sheer ferocity and strength of a Porculon Bear and it is considered the apex predator of the forests.

The sharpened spikes upon the Porculon Bear’s back act like small spears, designed to ward off any attack from any wandering predators like the Regalis Gryphon. These spikes rapidly shed themselves and regrow, which therein leaves a trail of the animal’s location for future tracking.

A unique defense the Porculon has is its ability to forcefully eject the spikes from its back in all directions if overwhelmed or in imminent danger. This is usually enough to force away any would-be predator from its hunt though this last ditch tactic leaves the Porculon defenseless until it has the time to hibernate and regrow the forcefully shed spikes. The process of regrowth takes longer than if the spikes were to have fallen from its back naturally.

These spikes however are capable of quite easily puncturing steel and usually have a length of about 2-3ft, essentially functioning as spears.

 

Behavior

 

Porculon Bears are careless creatures. They are so used to being top of the food chain in the forests that they will wander wherever they please and often hibernate in open clearings big enough to contain them. If no such place can be found, the Porculon uses its large mass and claws to tear down trees to make space. For this reason, Porculon bears don’t have any particular den and can be found roaming anywhere within lushful forests.

These creatures are easy to track however, their spikes leaving a rather distinctive trail given the frequency of their shed and the sheer mass of these creatures often leaving destroyed trees and a carved path through the undergrowth where they walk.

Porculon’s are not aggressive creatures by nature unless provoked or hunting for prey, in which case they attack with untamed fury until their target is dead.

 

Abilities

 

The Porculon Bear’s spikes are capable of puncturing steel the same way as a steel bolt, and they always quiver/become agitated before blasting off from the beast’s back. Once this mechanism is triggered, every single spike is fired. 

 

– Porculon Bears can only be roleplayed during DIY, player-hosted events.

– Porculon Bears cannot be tamed. 

– The skin of a Porculon Bear is as strong as leather armor while its spikes are like steel. This is to say that when fired from the beast, they are well capable of puncturing plate armor and impaling exposed flesh.

– The spikes upon the very center of the Porculon Bear’s are the same size as a mundane short-spear. There are only up to three of these and the rest are alike to bolts, both versions with the same density of steel.

– Most spikes including the ‘big’ and ‘small’ versions may not be recovered or used after having been ejected by the beast, effectively breaking after the fact. 

– Harvested meat or spikes from either a living or dead specimen are player-signed as they are essentially reskinned versions of short-spears and crossbow ammunition. 

– The meat of a Porculon Bear tastes like a mix of porcupine and actual brown bear. 

-If the spikes regrow naturally, it may take a few days at most while if they were fired off forcefully it may take up to a full month to fully grow back and recover from the trauma.

 

Arazi Lotus

 

 

Physiology

 

The Arazi Lotus, otherwise known by Descendants as the Floral Deceiver, is perhaps one of the most feared creatures in all of nature’s plant-life. This otherwise beautiful looking creature is incredibly dangerous and should be approached with extreme caution. The main defining feature of an Arazi Lotus is its head, an arrangement of large petal shaped structures that surround its all consuming maw. These petals give the plant beast its deceiving appearance, appearing as a large flower within an otherwise beautiful garden of flora.

The Arazi Lotus varies in size, with the largest having been reported at around 15-20 ft in height. These creatures are carnivorous and although appearing to be a plant they are very much an animal capable of hunting. Though spending most of its time buried within the ground and camouflaged with its surrounding environment, the Arazi Lotus is capable of ‘uprooting’ itself and traversing the forest upon several large tentacle-like legs that it uses to drag and pull itself through the undergrowth. The green colouration of its skin coupled with a thin fur give it the appearance of vines and moss, only adding to its subterfuge of disguising as a plant.

The Arazi Lotus has two distinctive methods of attack, its main arsenal being that of several large tentacles with sharp and hardened barbs upon the end. These barbs are capable of skewering an armored descendant after repeated strikes, though against leather or anything weaker will quite easily puncture through. The other method of attack is a long tongue that shoots forth from its maw, this elastic appendage is covered within a thick goo that has an incredibly strong adhesive property. The Arazi Lotus uses this tongue to grab a hold of prey and drag them back to be devoured.

 

Behavior

 

The Floral Deceiver is by its nature an ambush predator, spending days sometimes even weeks in a location waiting for any prey to stumble into its trap. It buries itself within the ground and will often have its barbed tentacles sprout from the earth in all directions to surround and kill whatever has stumbled upon it.

Due to their vulnerable nature when being out of the ground and moving about, the Arazi Lotus will only seek to move if they have been unable to catch anything for up to a month, a month being the absolute limit an Arazi can go without any new sustenance. When it comes time for an Arazi to move to a new hunting ground, it will only travel under the cover of darkness.

 

Abilities

 

The Arazi Lotus can lash at any nearby enemy up to (4) blocks away with its barbed vines, and its tongue is capable of sticking to any surface–living or not–like it were a very strong adhesive.

 

– Arazi Lotus can be used and played only for DIY, player-hosted events.

– Arazi Lotus cannot be tamed.

– Arazi Lotus saliva is player-signed and is merely a reskinned version of glue.

 

Tahala Stag

 

 

Physiology

 

The Tahala Stag, otherwise known as the Elusive Watcher. These harmless creatures are a sight to behold and represent the purity and tranquility the forest is capable of. Standing at around 7-8 ft in height, the Tahala Stag has a coat of pure white fur with eyes to match. The most distinctive feature about the Tahala Stag however are its horns, these branch-like horns glisten brightly under the light of the sun and carry an almost iridescent quality to them.

When observed from afar, the horns of a Tahala Stag are pure silver, though when the sun catches them a beautiful array of dancing colors can be seen, shifting and changing with the rays of sunlight. Upon these horns are small seeds that seem to grow at random intervals, surrounded by silver leaves. These occasionally fall upon the ground to produce a small silver tree of bone, resembling the appearance of the horns the Tahala Stag so proudly displays.

If a Tahala Stag is unfortunate enough to have its horns harvested but lucky enough to be let go by its hunters, it will never be able to regrow its horns, instead forever destined to bear the harvested stumps until its dying days.

 

Behavior

 

The Tahala Stags are extremely rare creatures, the sighting of one often considered a sign of good fortune. Due to the otherworldly quality and beautiful nature of their horns and the small bone-like trees they seem to leave behind, the Tahala Stags are hunted mercilessly and are considered the ultimate prize.

As a result they tend to be extremely aloof and elusive animals, oftentimes keeping far away from descendant settlements and maintaining rather solitary lives within the forests.

 

Abilities

 

Under Event Team jurisdiction. 

 

– Tahala Stags can be used and played only for Event Team-hosted events.

– Tahala Stags cannot be tamed.

– Any material extracted from a Tahala Stag must be story-signed and harvested horns immediately have their seeds become useless, unable to be planted.

– Harvested trees will not produce seeds of their own and will not grow back.

 

 

The Ground Sloth

 

Physiology

The Ground Sloth is a unique variant of your average sloth, albeit this species is much larger than its counterpart. They vary in size, with their smallest growing to be 6’7” when standing upon two feet, and their tallest growing to be 9’10”. They’re noted to also carry the same features as a sloth, the same fur, and the same claws, although their claws are harder than their smaller variant. Their  tongue that can extend far out of its mouth to reach far-off fruits.

 

Habitat

The Ground Sloth prefers to live away from civilization, preferably around lush environments that hold trees that are able to match or exceed their own height - although some have been known to take refuge into caves if any can be found, especially if they are not alone; under normal circumstances it’s impossible to find one within any cold environments, more or less preferring to stay within in the humidity of jungles.

Behavior

Ground Sloths are vegetarian creatures that enjoy to feast on honey, leaves, and shrubs. Their favorite thing to eat seems to be fruits however, holding them in high regard in comparison to other meals. They’re mainly seen feeding, to their inability to carry food to another location - as they mostly prefer to eat wherever their next meal is found. A Ground Sloth with a bad diet is known to have rugged, tattered and paler fur in comparison to one that has healthy eating habits. When eating fruits, these beasts carry some artificial tunnel vision, paying little to no attention to its surroundings, even if a predator were to be in the area. When threatened by creatures smaller than them, the Ground Sloth will roughly slam its tail into the ground, causing loud thuds that tend to scare off most creatures attempting to steal their food; when facing a creature bigger than them however, they’ll use their claws to frighten the monster due to their lack of sharp teeth, or will use their agility to escape. The Ground Sloth is known to be very brutal when fighting something, sparing no time to end their prey.

Abilities

The Ground Sloth is armed with two pairs of viscous claws which they use to defend themselves with or to eat things they cannot grab with their bare hands, such as cactus fruit. The larger variants of their creatures will use their large body to ram themselves into their prey and crush them under their weight.

 

Redlines

 

• These creatures can be used in player events.
• Ground Sloths cannot be used to attack other nations.
• These cannot be tamed under any circumstances.
• Ground Sloth items cannot be signed by ST.
• Ground Sloth claws are as hard as a wolf’s claws, albeit bigger in size.