Ideas: Creatures (Fauna)

This file contains information on the following fauna of Felarya:

- Giant Taurogryphs

- Hypogryphs (also spelled Hippogriffs)

- Brimstone Kenshas (Formerly "Brimstone Beasts")

- Groxum

- Kouniglos (also known as Nommy Rabbits)

- Night Terrors

- Horrids

- Terrorbreds

- Fangaroos

- Polari (Formerly known as the Felaryan Starfish)

- Crystal Coral

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Giant Taurogryphs

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Danger Level: Medium

Occurance: Rare (Previously thought to be extinct)

Sometimes spelled Torogriffs; it is uncertain where the Giant Taurogryphs originated from but there is a fair number of them that have herded together on Iracal Island. The Giant Taurogryphs are brown and white, bull-eagle hybrid creatures that average around 60 feet ( 18.3m ) in height. They are basically bulls with large eagle wings, beaks instead of mouths, and feathers covering the front half of their bodies. They are hunted by poachers for their solid gold horns and hooves. The Giant Taurogryphs are extremely powerful and possess excellent speed in straight-line flight, but they severely lack agility. The horns on their heads are very intimidating and can take the fight out of an enemy before the battle even begins. Like their name indicates, there are smaller versions of these creatures. It is very rare to see many giants in one place. The Giant Taurogryphs are moderately intelligent. They can speak the common language, but don't ask them to solve any complex word problems.

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Hypogryphs (also spelled Hippogriffs)

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Threat: Moderate

Possessing the head of an eagle, the body of a horse, a front half covered in feathers with the wings of an eagle on its back, and tail feathers; the hypogryphs are the majestic steeds of the sky. They typically stand only moderately taller than a similar animal, the thoroughbred horse. While most of the population can be found herding in the wild, many have been domesticated by humans and elves over the years. They are very fast runners and high speed flyers. For trained riders, the Hypogryphs are the best form of transportation available. Because of their speed, they are often raised for sport. Hypogryph racing always draws large crowds of people at arenas who are looking to satisfy their thirst for fast paced action, as well as those who enjoy a little gambling. They are also staples in gladiatorial contests, especially jousting.

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Brimstone Kenshas (Formerly "Brimstone Beasts")

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Size: 30 feet (9 meters)

Danger: High (in packs)

Sometimes called "Desert Demons," this Kensha Beast sub-species is typically found around the Charon Oasis of the Akaptor Desert and they are the dominant predators of the region. They are called "Brimstone Kenshas" because of their golden yellow fur coats. With their relatively slimmer frames, as compared to other species of Kensha Beast, they are incredibly fast runners and high jumpers; skills that they use to swipe at harpies as they take off for flight. The Brimstone Kenshas do not possess poisonous claws. Instead they feature claws that heat up to the point that they melt and burn their prey like napalm. Naturally they re-grow their claws in very short time. When these golden yellow beasts swing their blazing paws, they burn a vivid blue. The melted portion of their claws burns into the slashed wounds of their prey and is nearly impossible to wash out. The intense pain of the inflicted wounds is usually enough to impair the thought and reaction time of their prey.

Brimstone Kenshas are normally found in the Akaptor Desert but there have been reported sightings of them near the Sandfall Maze. They hunt in small packs of about four. Most Brimstone Beasts are female; the few males are solitary creatures and are distinguished by a red coat of fur, but their blazing claws still burn bright blue when ignited. It has been speculated by some explorers that the Scorching Claws tribe of the Sandfall Maze have hunted or collected the claws of the beasts for use in their weaponry, but so far the Nekos aren't willing discuss the matter. The Brimstone Kenshas have shown that they are not very aggressive outside of hunting, so some explorers have managed to get quite close to them and observe their cubs roughhousing or trimming their claws on any hard stones they can find, leaving behind melted claw marks eerily similar to the color of blood.

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Groxum

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Threat: Moderate

Resembling an elephant sized bovine crossed with a bear, groxum are mean but trainable beasts that are used in farm work and transporting heavy loads. The males feature large ram-like horns on their heads that they use to push over large objects such as boulders and trees. Groxum have claws that help traverse the mountainous regions where they typically reside. Their big appetites are usually satisfied by fish, insects, green leaves, and berries.

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Kouniglos (also known as Nommy Rabbits)

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Threat: Medium

At first glance the kouniglos looks like a typical hare. At second glance, the observer finds him or herself in a fight for their life. While their small furry bodies and long pointy ears will surely compel most to try and take one home as a pet, experienced hunters know that the only cute kouniglos is a dead one. The factor that makes the small animal so deadly is not its top running speed of 80 km/h, nor is it the tenacious nature of the creature. What makes the kouniglos deadly is that it hunts in droves. While one may be seen alone quite often, it has the ability to emit a high pitched chirp to call its drove which is usually scattered about but very near. The observer has a one minute window to silence the "caller" before a number of kouniglos in the 20's and 30's close in on him or her for a meal. Like little hopping piranha, the kouniglos will strip a humanoid down to the bone in a mere matter of minutes. This is why these vicious eating machines became known as nommy rabbits.

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Night Terrors

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Size: Varies

Danger: High

Occasionally called the Tenebra Abominations, Déméchrelle's Night Terrors are the generals of her dark army. Night Terrors are incredibly powerful beings. Like the Wandering Nightmares, they are able to go from a solid state with bones to a spiritual state and back; this way they are able to retreat into shadows and rejoin their Mistress at anytime. They are even able to join their bodies together to become something many times more horrific. A major point of diversion is that unlike the Wandering Nightmares, the Night Terrors are very intelligent and are able to shape shift into countless more grotesque forms than their primitive counterparts. They even have the ability to turn limbs into bony spikes and blades. While the Wandering Nightmares are typically limited to zombie or animal-like behavior, the Night Terrors are capable of reasoning and forming strategies.

Night Terrors are brimming with malice and are some of the only predators in Felarya that kill out of hatred alone. Most forms of magic are effective against Night Terrors, except for Light or Holy magic. The peculiar darkness that these creatures are made of actually devours light, much like the abilities of Defiler Angels. Given their rank, each Night Terror can summon dozens of Nightmares to his/her aid, if needed. They are the ones who speak to Déméchrelle in her sleep, keeping her informed of what goes on outside. They are the beasts that protect the sleeping beauty, their Queen and most valued treasure.

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Horrids

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Size: 3 - 4 height

Danger: Moderate

Found throughout the Evernight Forest, the question that burns in the minds of most regarding these creatures is, "Are they monkeys or flying squirrels?" The answer is "Both." The Horrids have bodies that are ape-like with heads and tails that are squirrel-like. They tend to live in trees or abandoned structures, protecting smooth and shiny objects that they have collected. They often cluster or form large groups. With their shimmering blue eyes that glow in the dark they can appear to be a large thousand eyed monster staring down an explorer foolish enough to invade the darkness. They look like shooting stars as they glide from tree to tree, or tree to ground. While they are omnivores, they typically don't eat explorers. They only want the smooth and shiny objects that the explorers might bring. They are notorious for robbing explorers of their weapons and treasure.

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Terrorbreds

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Size: 10 feet height

Danger: Moderate

These hulking horse-like equines are some of the fastest and strongest creatures in Felarya. The males are normally black while the females have a reddish coat. They also feature horns like those of a rhinoceros, which they eagerly use to charge anyone who comes too close for comfort. They stampede through the Twilight Rim, usually groups of females led by one male. They are omnivores but not much for hunting large prey, they prefer to eat the meat of much smaller animals. They whinny, or sing, in groups at the first sight of light in the mornings.

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Fangaroos

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Size: 5 feet

Danger: Moderate

Hopping through the Twilight Rim on their powerful hind legs, the blood thirsty Fangaroos have a fearsome reputation throughout Felarya and, for the most part, are completely misunderstood. Yes, they do possess saber-like fangs and razor sharp claws that they use to make short work of their prey, but Fangaroos are some of the most friendly creatures in Felarya and most would know that if they weren't frightened off by their seemingly aggressive posture. When a Fangaroos growls and shows it's teeth, it's just their way of saying, "Hello visitor, wanna play some games?" Experienced adventures know that if a Fangaroo wanted to kill an adventurer, that adventurer wouldn't see it coming. Fangaroos have the magical ability to absorb all sound energy around them, including the sounds they make while hopping; this helps them silently stalk and kill a prey. If in the Twilight Rim and a Fangaroo growls before charges head on, just pull out a piece of fruit and greet the friendly creature nicely.

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Polari (Formerly known as the Felaryan Starfish)

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Danger Level: Low

Occurrence: Rare

Size: 6 feet (1.8 meters)

Flight Level: Super High Flyer

Received their name not because of their shape, but because they emit extremely bright light and can resemble stars in the night sky. The bioluminous Polari bare a strong resemblance to the Flying Fish, having very long pectoral fins, but the Polari are distinguished by their semi-translucent skin and are much larger. The Polari can be usually be found in their natural habitat high above the clouds, but do return to the surface to lay eggs in the soil, or for water.

The Polari are both photosynthetic and carnivorous, but feed mainly on smaller aero-buoyant creatures like the Flying Fish. They don't pose a threat to humans in a conventional sense; they pose a threat for humans who like to use the stars as a reference point to prevent from losing their way during night travels. The Polari's movement in the sky can have a team of explorers completely turned around and possibly cause them to wander into dangerous territory.

The life of a Polari begins deep within the Felaryan soil as an egg buried by its mother. The egg becomes a plant and sprouts above the surface. The Polari develops underground until it is ready to hatch. At that point, the Polari travels up the stem, breaks free from the large bud above the surface of the soil, then flies up to begin absorbing the Sun's rays. Unlike their cousins, the Flying Fish, the Polari don't reproduce in great numbers.

As a defensive tactic, a Polari can emit a flash of intensified light to temporarily blind an airborne predator, but this usually leaves them quite drained of energy. They are considered by many airborne predators to be a rare and very delicious treat.

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Crystal Coral

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Danger level: Moderate

Size: 8 - 24 ft (2 - 7 m)

Occurrence: The Shimmering Sea

Crystal corals are marine organisms that have become well known for their larger than average size, pillar-like shape, and sparkling white polyps. Because they so favorably resemble a crystal formation, some sailors and marine biologists have called the gorgeous creatures “living crystals.” Aside from their appearance and the fact that they are almost triple the size of similar types of hard coral, there aren’t any special qualities to point to. If anything crystal corals could pose a greater danger to any human size creatures that get trapped by their polyps’ tentacles. Their stings also prove to be very painful nuisances to giant mermaids who happen to carelessly brush against them, mistaking them for crystal formations that are commonly found in the Shimmering Sea. Probably the most attractive aspect might be the potential for valuable, or more specifically, lucrative use. Most observers would agree that the skeletons of the crystal coral could make for excellent building and jewelry material if harvested.