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sanctum_mod) wrote2011-10-20 11:52 pm
sanctum_mod) wrote2011-10-20 11:52 pm
Bestiary
This is what we call an “Interactive Bestiary”! What this means is that if you would like to suggest a monster from your character’s canon, you can comment to the page, and the mods will consider adding it, though we might contact you for more details or help researching first! Please provide us with information about the specific types of powers the monsters have, and what kind of environments they inhabit in their home world.
The same goes for small creatures that can be kept as pets or livestock animals, but they must be a) not one-of-a-kind creatures b) intelligent races or playable characters in their own right. We only accept recommendations from canons that have characters in the game, though some might stick around even if the characters drop!
In the world of Sanctum, a variety of strange creatures can be found. None of them are known to be native to the world and often new species arrive through the rift and then quickly die out. The resulting ecosystem is quite strange: as creatures quickly adapt or die out, their places are taken by others. Many of the plants were originally part of the world, while others began appearing just as the people and animals did.
Within the city, one can find various domesticated creatures as well as the occasional pests. Most small pet animals can be easily found and basic livestock exists (though sometimes in strange colors and with various surprising traits!).
In such a world, the lines between natural and supernatural can often be hard to draw, so explorers should always be prepared to deal with any kind of threat. Once outside the city walls, one can expect attack at any time, and attempting to build or live outside the city would require protecting oneself from constant threat.
If your character would like to make a living as a monster hunter, never fear! The bounties for the various monsters are listed right next to the names. Be aware, however, that while the City would like to make the world safer, it’s just not financially possible to pay thousands per month to every monster hunter. Each individual hunter can only receive 1000T per month from killing monsters. As a result of this, many people who choose hunting as a profession choose to share housing and work in teams.
The City and Surrounding Area:
Carrion crows - 100 Tokens -These guys aren’t just your typical crows, mind you. Their outer shape is the same from a distance, but as they come closer, one can see that something is... not quite right. In fact, the crows are typically around seven feet long, with wing spans of twice that. (For reference, this is three times the size of the biggest ravens on earth). Besides their large size, they often can be seen to change their shape, suddenly spawning various types of features from other animals, from other birds to mammals. Sometimes this is almost comic (a peacock tail for instance) but in other cases can include natural weapons of other species. They don’t typically attack humans, but will certainly do so if one is incapacitated, and often can be seen picking at the bodies of both human and monsters dying soon after exiting the safety of the city.
Mirage Demons - 150 Tokens - There’s a rumor that someone, at some point, created these demons on purpose. After all, it’s just a little too convenient that they live just outside the city, and seem to make it their business to be sure that people trying to find their way back in... don’t. The mirage demons look pretty strange: four feet tall, with an overall humanoid shape but strange glossy multicolored skin with no real... features. They appear naked, but it doesn’t make any difference because their magazine-shiny hides don’t show any actual genitalia or other distinguishing marks.
Killing a mirage demon is a simple enough matter - they’re not immune to physical blows - but first you have to find them. Because the power of the mirage demon is that as soon as one is within ten feet, any creature or person in the vicinity will have hard time orienting, unable to tell up from down or left from right, unable to pick out parts of the scenery from living things. The effects can be lessened by closing your eyes, if you’re capable of fighting with other senses. Otherwise, take a few wild swings and hope you hit something?
Shore Hounds- 100 Tokens - These wild dogs roam along the beaches to the east and south of Sanctum, but have been known to come all the way up to the city gates, or range further along the waterfront. They move very low to the ground, legs bent at an angle that appears quite awkward, and are capable of strong jumps. A fully grown shore hound is typically around five feet from nose to tail, and they tend to travel in packs. Long sharp teeth are the most obvious weapon of these creatures, but their strange fur - the greens and blues of the ocean - guards a secret: glands that release a slick poisonous fluid. Being rubbed against by a shore hound can be just as dangerous as being bitten by one, so they are best attacked from a distance, or better yet, stayed the hell away from.
For anyone who is poisoned, the area of skin actually touched will break open in sores within minutes, and immediate medical attention should be sought to avoid loss of limb or life.
Dragine- 10 Tokens - These are small dragons, averaging around 8-10 inches in body length that sometimes find their way into the city. Dragine are very social creatures and have a weakness for sweets which is what draws them to the inhabited areas.They have been known to sneak into homes in the city on occasion and are really little more than reptilian rats with magic abilities. If a dragine takes up residence in your home they tend to be rather mischievous and one will often find sugar and sweets do not stay in cupboards. Other items, such as vegetables or things they consider not to be tasty will end up burnt in their containers. A sure sign of a dragine in your home is scorch marks around the heat ducts or behind the stove which is their preferred nesting places.
To remove dragine from the house it is best to remove all sweets and to keep the house cold. With no heat or sweets they may get bored and move on to a more preferable home. There is a risk they will become angry however and wreck havoc on your household before doing so. It is very difficult to catch a dragine however and any cage or trap built to house them is likely to simply come up empty, even after you've physically seen one inside.
The Blossom Forest:
This beautiful flower-filled area is home to a host of animals that people from many worlds might find familiar: wild cats and dogs of various types, foxes and squirrels and bears. Songbirds of various types flock to this part of the forest as well, and tree frogs hop themselves along bark peacefully. Majestic deer frolic playfully, and a burbling brook runs through...
And then there’s the Revival Vine. Whether there’s any sort of consciousness behind the ‘plant’ is unknown, but the effect it has is undoubtedly what people in most worlds would refer to as supernatural. This simple green vine snakes through the corpses of creatures (and humans, if it happens to find one) and speeds decay, causing flesh to rot from bones quite quickly. Once the skeleton is bare, the vine bursts into full bloom, resulting in a striking image of white bone against colorful blossom.
The resulting creatures live in a strange state of unlife, needing neither food nor drink, simply roaming about the forest, sometimes spotted curled as if sleeping, or playing among themselves. They do sometimes attack humans if approached, but can also be tamed, and are trainable to follow simple commands. Note that even creatures of this type who started out as human do not contain human intelligence, and would not be able to perform difficult tasks.
Killing creatures animated by the Revival Vine does not net one any Tokens, as the people of Sanctum typically see them as an interesting oddity, not a threat.
((Example images are here and here and do not belong to me, but come from the awesome sculptor Cedric Laquieze. ))
Settlement One:
Walking Ruins - 250 Tokens - These creatures take on a stone-like appearance, though on closer inspection - hopefully of a dead specimen - one will discover that their hide is actually scaly. Individuals range from around five feet tall to close to eight feet, standing on two legs, and walk hunched over a little, often walking with arms crossed, as if to draw in on their own body.
While not likely to wander outside the ruins of Settlement One, these creatures do attach quite viciously anyone who steps inside their home area. They often stand close against the walls of the crumbling towers, blending in with them, but can also be in the burrows that make up other parts of that abandoned place.
The primary attack of a Walking Ruin is quite simple: bashing with one of it’s heavy fists, in a sideways swinging motion rather than a punch. They are not, however, above grabbing the head and squeezing, or even grabbing the whole body in a bear hug, if they can get hold of a person. While these creatures aren’t particularly fast, they are durable and strong, and finding a vulnerable spot to pierce the scales can be a problem.
Swamp Caves:
Fear Cricket or "Fricket"- Despite the somewhat amusing name of these creatures they are very dangerous. They are no different in appearance from a normal cricket, black and sleek and shiny if perhaps a tiny bit larger. The danger is in their chirp. Any traveler who stumble sacross a fricket is almost guaranteed to end up lost or worse. The fricket, in an act of self defense and to drive away predators, chirps a trance inducing song that will swiftly bring up one's deepest fears.
The fricket's song inspires hallucinations of the most terrifying things the mind can conjure to send predators fleeing. Where the enemy flees can get them into a great deal of trouble and animals and humans alike are known to have drown in the swamps or sent themselves over cliffs trying to escape.
Bog Men - 200 Tokens - Whether the bog men are actually undead humans of some sort is unknown: no one has managed to capture one alive to properly examine it. The problem is that the body breaks down quickly once killed, and they seem to self-destruct when placed in any kind of restraints. So why bother with them at all?
Unlike most creatures, who live and die in a set life span, bog men seem to be able to exist until death of unnatural causes - monster hunters, mostly - strikes them. As they grow older, they become both physically stronger and stronger with the magical attacks that they possess. A bog man is capable of casting spells through movements, walking patterns that manipulate the magical energy they possess and create curses against their enemies. The effects of these curses can freeze a person in place, lock up any kind of weapon with moving parts, and even cause the attacker to feel like the air around them is heavy, weighing them down and slowing their movements.
Up close, a bog person is likely to try to attack physically by choking, either with bare hands or with the vines that live throughout the swampy area.
Far Northern Mountains:
Ice Dragons: These guys aren’t related to the Dragines you’ll see around the city. Neither are they literally made of ice, though legend says that they hold some kind of power over the elements. They reside near the lakes in the mountainous area, and are easiest to find during the coldest seasons. They have long scaled bodies like snakes or worms, and small wings that can’t actually lift them high enough to fly exactly, though they can hover and maneuver quite well.
Unlike most monsters, you won’t be paid anything for killing an Ice Dragon and taking a picture with your TMB. If you take the time to pry off a few of the glistening blue scales though, the Mayoral Committee will pay you for them. There’s a rumor that someone on the committee is trying to decorate their home in a dragon motif. The bounty for the scales depends on size and shape, but killing one of these should net you around 1000T, if you have help to carry the scales back.
The same goes for small creatures that can be kept as pets or livestock animals, but they must be a) not one-of-a-kind creatures b) intelligent races or playable characters in their own right. We only accept recommendations from canons that have characters in the game, though some might stick around even if the characters drop!
In the world of Sanctum, a variety of strange creatures can be found. None of them are known to be native to the world and often new species arrive through the rift and then quickly die out. The resulting ecosystem is quite strange: as creatures quickly adapt or die out, their places are taken by others. Many of the plants were originally part of the world, while others began appearing just as the people and animals did.
Within the city, one can find various domesticated creatures as well as the occasional pests. Most small pet animals can be easily found and basic livestock exists (though sometimes in strange colors and with various surprising traits!).
In such a world, the lines between natural and supernatural can often be hard to draw, so explorers should always be prepared to deal with any kind of threat. Once outside the city walls, one can expect attack at any time, and attempting to build or live outside the city would require protecting oneself from constant threat.
If your character would like to make a living as a monster hunter, never fear! The bounties for the various monsters are listed right next to the names. Be aware, however, that while the City would like to make the world safer, it’s just not financially possible to pay thousands per month to every monster hunter. Each individual hunter can only receive 1000T per month from killing monsters. As a result of this, many people who choose hunting as a profession choose to share housing and work in teams.
The City and Surrounding Area:
Carrion crows - 100 Tokens -These guys aren’t just your typical crows, mind you. Their outer shape is the same from a distance, but as they come closer, one can see that something is... not quite right. In fact, the crows are typically around seven feet long, with wing spans of twice that. (For reference, this is three times the size of the biggest ravens on earth). Besides their large size, they often can be seen to change their shape, suddenly spawning various types of features from other animals, from other birds to mammals. Sometimes this is almost comic (a peacock tail for instance) but in other cases can include natural weapons of other species. They don’t typically attack humans, but will certainly do so if one is incapacitated, and often can be seen picking at the bodies of both human and monsters dying soon after exiting the safety of the city.
Mirage Demons - 150 Tokens - There’s a rumor that someone, at some point, created these demons on purpose. After all, it’s just a little too convenient that they live just outside the city, and seem to make it their business to be sure that people trying to find their way back in... don’t. The mirage demons look pretty strange: four feet tall, with an overall humanoid shape but strange glossy multicolored skin with no real... features. They appear naked, but it doesn’t make any difference because their magazine-shiny hides don’t show any actual genitalia or other distinguishing marks.
Killing a mirage demon is a simple enough matter - they’re not immune to physical blows - but first you have to find them. Because the power of the mirage demon is that as soon as one is within ten feet, any creature or person in the vicinity will have hard time orienting, unable to tell up from down or left from right, unable to pick out parts of the scenery from living things. The effects can be lessened by closing your eyes, if you’re capable of fighting with other senses. Otherwise, take a few wild swings and hope you hit something?
Shore Hounds- 100 Tokens - These wild dogs roam along the beaches to the east and south of Sanctum, but have been known to come all the way up to the city gates, or range further along the waterfront. They move very low to the ground, legs bent at an angle that appears quite awkward, and are capable of strong jumps. A fully grown shore hound is typically around five feet from nose to tail, and they tend to travel in packs. Long sharp teeth are the most obvious weapon of these creatures, but their strange fur - the greens and blues of the ocean - guards a secret: glands that release a slick poisonous fluid. Being rubbed against by a shore hound can be just as dangerous as being bitten by one, so they are best attacked from a distance, or better yet, stayed the hell away from.
For anyone who is poisoned, the area of skin actually touched will break open in sores within minutes, and immediate medical attention should be sought to avoid loss of limb or life.
Dragine- 10 Tokens - These are small dragons, averaging around 8-10 inches in body length that sometimes find their way into the city. Dragine are very social creatures and have a weakness for sweets which is what draws them to the inhabited areas.They have been known to sneak into homes in the city on occasion and are really little more than reptilian rats with magic abilities. If a dragine takes up residence in your home they tend to be rather mischievous and one will often find sugar and sweets do not stay in cupboards. Other items, such as vegetables or things they consider not to be tasty will end up burnt in their containers. A sure sign of a dragine in your home is scorch marks around the heat ducts or behind the stove which is their preferred nesting places.
To remove dragine from the house it is best to remove all sweets and to keep the house cold. With no heat or sweets they may get bored and move on to a more preferable home. There is a risk they will become angry however and wreck havoc on your household before doing so. It is very difficult to catch a dragine however and any cage or trap built to house them is likely to simply come up empty, even after you've physically seen one inside.
The Blossom Forest:
This beautiful flower-filled area is home to a host of animals that people from many worlds might find familiar: wild cats and dogs of various types, foxes and squirrels and bears. Songbirds of various types flock to this part of the forest as well, and tree frogs hop themselves along bark peacefully. Majestic deer frolic playfully, and a burbling brook runs through...
And then there’s the Revival Vine. Whether there’s any sort of consciousness behind the ‘plant’ is unknown, but the effect it has is undoubtedly what people in most worlds would refer to as supernatural. This simple green vine snakes through the corpses of creatures (and humans, if it happens to find one) and speeds decay, causing flesh to rot from bones quite quickly. Once the skeleton is bare, the vine bursts into full bloom, resulting in a striking image of white bone against colorful blossom.
The resulting creatures live in a strange state of unlife, needing neither food nor drink, simply roaming about the forest, sometimes spotted curled as if sleeping, or playing among themselves. They do sometimes attack humans if approached, but can also be tamed, and are trainable to follow simple commands. Note that even creatures of this type who started out as human do not contain human intelligence, and would not be able to perform difficult tasks.
Killing creatures animated by the Revival Vine does not net one any Tokens, as the people of Sanctum typically see them as an interesting oddity, not a threat.
((Example images are here and here and do not belong to me, but come from the awesome sculptor Cedric Laquieze. ))
Settlement One:
Walking Ruins - 250 Tokens - These creatures take on a stone-like appearance, though on closer inspection - hopefully of a dead specimen - one will discover that their hide is actually scaly. Individuals range from around five feet tall to close to eight feet, standing on two legs, and walk hunched over a little, often walking with arms crossed, as if to draw in on their own body.
While not likely to wander outside the ruins of Settlement One, these creatures do attach quite viciously anyone who steps inside their home area. They often stand close against the walls of the crumbling towers, blending in with them, but can also be in the burrows that make up other parts of that abandoned place.
The primary attack of a Walking Ruin is quite simple: bashing with one of it’s heavy fists, in a sideways swinging motion rather than a punch. They are not, however, above grabbing the head and squeezing, or even grabbing the whole body in a bear hug, if they can get hold of a person. While these creatures aren’t particularly fast, they are durable and strong, and finding a vulnerable spot to pierce the scales can be a problem.
Swamp Caves:
Fear Cricket or "Fricket"- Despite the somewhat amusing name of these creatures they are very dangerous. They are no different in appearance from a normal cricket, black and sleek and shiny if perhaps a tiny bit larger. The danger is in their chirp. Any traveler who stumble sacross a fricket is almost guaranteed to end up lost or worse. The fricket, in an act of self defense and to drive away predators, chirps a trance inducing song that will swiftly bring up one's deepest fears.
The fricket's song inspires hallucinations of the most terrifying things the mind can conjure to send predators fleeing. Where the enemy flees can get them into a great deal of trouble and animals and humans alike are known to have drown in the swamps or sent themselves over cliffs trying to escape.
Bog Men - 200 Tokens - Whether the bog men are actually undead humans of some sort is unknown: no one has managed to capture one alive to properly examine it. The problem is that the body breaks down quickly once killed, and they seem to self-destruct when placed in any kind of restraints. So why bother with them at all?
Unlike most creatures, who live and die in a set life span, bog men seem to be able to exist until death of unnatural causes - monster hunters, mostly - strikes them. As they grow older, they become both physically stronger and stronger with the magical attacks that they possess. A bog man is capable of casting spells through movements, walking patterns that manipulate the magical energy they possess and create curses against their enemies. The effects of these curses can freeze a person in place, lock up any kind of weapon with moving parts, and even cause the attacker to feel like the air around them is heavy, weighing them down and slowing their movements.
Up close, a bog person is likely to try to attack physically by choking, either with bare hands or with the vines that live throughout the swampy area.
Far Northern Mountains:
Ice Dragons: These guys aren’t related to the Dragines you’ll see around the city. Neither are they literally made of ice, though legend says that they hold some kind of power over the elements. They reside near the lakes in the mountainous area, and are easiest to find during the coldest seasons. They have long scaled bodies like snakes or worms, and small wings that can’t actually lift them high enough to fly exactly, though they can hover and maneuver quite well.
Unlike most monsters, you won’t be paid anything for killing an Ice Dragon and taking a picture with your TMB. If you take the time to pry off a few of the glistening blue scales though, the Mayoral Committee will pay you for them. There’s a rumor that someone on the committee is trying to decorate their home in a dragon motif. The bounty for the scales depends on size and shape, but killing one of these should net you around 1000T, if you have help to carry the scales back.