By Michael Reynolds
You open the Vague Bestiary.
Born from your mind, it appears…
| Classification Number | Creature |
|---|---|
| 001 | The majority of its body length is its long, muscular tail. Its digits have atrophied into stiff hooks, and it uses all four limbs to seize prey. It prefers to nest in the rusted ruins of steel buildings. |
| 002 | Its mother is immediately repulsed upon its birth, and abandons it to the wild. As it ages, its wicked claws become shrouded by long plumes of hair. Its beautiful fur is iridescent, a rarity among mammals. |
| 003 | It shoots brightly glowing blood from its eyes to mark its enemies. This blood is almost impossible to wash off. Its tough spines make it an unappealing meal for the predators that share its lightless habitat. |
| 004 | It is found only in the open sea, and may never see a solid surface in its life. Absolutely massive, it inhales water and food in the same breath. It is fascinated by floating wreckage and debris, and will cobble them together into strange sculptures. |
| 005 | It regularly travels between the world of the living and the land of the dead. It can be trained to carry letters, but only if the words written are true. Its human-like vocal cords make it a poor singer among birds. |
| 006 | It soars across the globe on leathery wings, riding on oceanic winds. The markings on its body are legible writing, and they tell the story of its life. The words get smaller and smaller as it ages. |
| 007 | It forms within sedimentary rock, and must claw its way out to reach the sun. It is not born with the ability to photosynthesize, but it develops it through sheer force of will. Its hundreds of eyes glow in the dark. |
| 008 | Its teeth are actually razor sharp eggs. It never closes its mouth, bared teeth always leading the way as it hunts. The young hatch with detailed knowledge of the world. |
| 009 | It was an endangered species once, long ago. It guards the tombs of an extinct civilization out of hatred, not respect. It assaults trespassers with venomous fangs. |
| 010 | It awakens after the first snowfall of winter. Nothing pleases it more than to gnaw on branches and dead wood. The warmth of spring forces it back into hibernation. |
| 011 | It cackles during the hottest hours of the day. Eager to be close to the sun, it nests on the tallest spires. Those who threaten its young are seared with burning light. |
| 012 | Bats congregate around it, believing that it is of their own kind. Its strange companions feed it without question. Its small wings beat furiously to support its plump body. |
| 013 | Its head is hollow and filled with water. Its aquatic young live inside, clambering out once they grow legs. It hosts several species of symbiotic mosquitoes. |
| 014 | It sheds its skin on a daily basis. For this reason it is a symbol of rebirth and renewal. Its skin makes for a potent itching powder. |
| 015 | It secretes a chemical similar in effect to mercury. Those who handle its feathers for too long are driven mad. Its internal organs are very different from those of other animals. |
| 016 | Eating its leaves on a daily basis grants immunity to poison. It is most at home in the canopy of tall trees. Its sharp eyes allow it to launch quills with pinpoint accuracy. |
| 017 | After hatching, it imprints on the first creature it sees. It is fiercely defensive of its family, and will swing its thorny arms to protect them from danger. Some creatures "adopt" it for the protection it provides. |
| 018 | It fashions its nest out of its own frothy saliva. When disturbed, it leaps away at high speeds. Its colorful shell protects it from damage. |
| 019 | Its jaws are strong enough to snap tree branches in half. Its sparkling antlers contain bioluminescent bacteria. It flashes these antlers to communicate with its fellows. |
| 020 | It is common in fungal woodlands. It feeds by filtering pollen and spores from the air around it. It has baleen instead of teeth. |
| 021 | It spends much of its time in low Earth orbit, absorbing solar radiation. It competes with others of its kind by flying as close to the planet's surface as possible. The longer it can handle the gravity, the more attractive it is to potential mates. |
| 022 | Its exoskeleton is encrusted with countless glittering gemstones. These gems are undesirable, as they smell strongly of sulfur. When it is excited, its sulfuric odor strengthens. |
| 023 | Much of its body is composed of algal slime. Although it slithers everywhere, its skeleton is similar to a human's. If damaged, it can regrow completely from only a skull. |
| 024 | Its popularity as a dungeon guard has made it rare in its native lands. Its lancelike beak can punch through body armor with ease. It enters a form of suspended animation when prey is scarce. |
| 025 | It speaks the language of plants, and they heed its commands. Within its wood gall shelter, its body is weak and grublike. Only its eyes can be seen peering out. |
| 026 | It swims through underground rivers, widening them with its body. Although it is a solitary creature, it sings for unknown reasons. Its low warbling wails reverberate for miles around. |
| 027 | It lives in swamps and wetlands. It cannot photosynthesize, so its leaves are mainly for camouflage. It extends its netlike roots into the water to catch aquatic prey. |
| 028 | It basks near lava flows in order to receive the Earth's power. Although it is only active for a single hour each day, it displays amazing strength. It cooperates with others of its kind to carve up rock and direct the flow of magma. |
| 029 | It digs vertical shafts from the surface to underground cave systems. The resulting influx of sunlight allows plants to grow in subterranean "oases". It depends on these plants for food. |
| 030 | It does not have much of a body. It makes up for this with its unparalleled control over sand. Instead of walking, it creates waves of sand to push itself along. |
| 031 | It is both animal and plant. It lives a sedentary life, rooted in place and nourishing itself through photosynthesis. Its beastlike appendages patrol the area around its trunk, defending it from all interlopers. |
| 032 | It is commonly found wriggling around in sphagnum bogs. Its hooked hide catches debris, improving its camouflage. In a pinch it will shed its outer layer of skin, leaving predators with a mouthful of moss. |
| 033 | It appears to be covered in thick hair, but it is actually worms. It is nocturnal, and spends the day beneath the ground. It relishes bird's eggs, and will frequently raid their nests. |
| 034 | It manifests in pairs in the forgotten catacombs of great cities. This tag team cackles and screams as it pursues intruders, forcing victims deeper into the maze. Although it is frightening, its jaws cannot pierce human flesh. |
| 035 | While casting its spells, it speaks in a human voice. Its snout twitches furiously while it channels magic. Its hairless skin is always damp and unpleasant. |
| 036 | Although its legs can grow up to seven meters in length, they carry a tiny body. It is a secretive creature, awakening at night to raid trash cans for food. Any legs it loses regrow in a matter of days. |
| 037 | It can strip an entire orchard of leaves within a day. Luckily, the shed scales it leaves behind are valuable enough to cover the cost many times over. All attempts to farm it have ended in disaster. |
| 038 | It is often portrayed as a villain in fairytales and legends. Its thorny hide is impenetrable by sword or spear. It sprays burning streams of blood from its eyeballs. |
| 039 | It uses its wizened index finger to carve magical symbols into trees. These runes make the forests where it lives incredibly dangerous to travelers. Most of its habitat remains unexplored. |
| 040 | Its colorful membranes have inspired at least one style of formal dress. It is quite fussy. Its saliva kills bacteria, and it frequently preens itself in order to stay clean. |
| 041 | It floats through the water column of the twilight zone, deep beneath the sea. Despite this, a significant portion of its brain is dedicated to the recognition of human faces. Those who meet its gaze believe they are drowning. |
| 042 | Its larvae look exactly like human infants. It eagerly replaces human infants with its own, and favors the children of royalty. In countries where it is common, babies are raised in well-defended communal nurseries. |
| 043 | Every morning it grows new teeth and every evening it sheds them. During the night, it hides from creatures it would crunch to bits during the day. Nearby societies use its teeth for currency. |
| 044 | It was accidentally introduced by extraterrestrial visitors. Its body parts do not appear to be connected to each other. It forms huge nests in the most inhospitable deserts. |
| 045 | Although it is a tremendously lethargic creature, it must not be underestimated. Its powerful mental influence causes forgetfulness and slows the speed of thought. It moves so slowly that moss grows on its body. |
| 046 | It slips into homes through cracks and crevices, and brushes its tendrils across the sleeping occupants. Those brushed will find themselves completely unable to sleep the next night. Its markings glow brighter as it feeds. |
| 047 | It manifests in old barns and condemned buildings. Those who glimpse its face are whipped into an unending fury. This anger can only be cured by bathing in a sensory deprivation chamber. |
| 048 | It is particularly fond of swallowing smooth, shiny stones. These stones grind its food internally, and make digestion easier. Mated pairs bond by swapping gastroliths. |
| 049 | It spits swirling bubbles of poison which float through the air. When soaked into the skin, this poison leaves a victim unable to speak for an entire day. Any word they attempt to say only comes out as hissing. |
| 050 | It has a blistering internal body temperature. Its ears and dewlap are filled with blood vessels which radiate intense heat. Its footprints are easily seen, as the ground becomes singed where it walks. |
| 051 | Its hard-shelled body is covered in jagged spines. It lies in wait for hosts like a living caltrop. It is notoriously difficult to remove while it is sucking blood. |
| 052 | It spends much of its time trundling around in the undergrowth, hidden from direct sunlight. Its soft body is protected from attack by a rock-hard outer shell. Delicate tendrils unfurl from beneath its armor as it feeds on the stray thoughts of others. |
| 053 | Its sap looks like blood, and is terribly poisonous. It weeps sap on occasion, for reasons known only to it. These "tears" are not toxic, and are an effective cure for heart disease. |
| 054 | Despite its large size, it is very light. Its movements make no sound whatsoever. When it is near, the air stands still. |
| 055 | Its cheek pouches stretch more than should be physically possible. It carries seeds and small prey in its cheeks until they can be stored later. During the winter, It keeps its newborn young safe in these pouches until they are old enough to walk. |
| 056 | In place of a face, its has a yawning abyss. It can generate huge suction forces to inhale whatever catches its interest. It is particularly drawn to plastics. |
| 057 | It lives in huge colonies beneath the earth. These colonies perfectly mirror the layout of human settlements. Although it is capable of walking on two legs, it prefers to skitter around on all fours. |
| 058 | The large warts on its back are filled with poisonous gas. It plucks its own feathers when threatened, releasing the toxic gas beneath. Although it is a poor swimmer, it prefers wetland habitats. |
| 059 | At night, it sits under street lamps to eat the insects attracted by the light. Its eyes are too deep and dark for even direct sunlight to illuminate. Those who stare into them for too long become obsessed with sources of light. |
| 060 | It laughs. Unlike hyenas or kookaburras, it knows exactly why it is laughing. None of its hair is its own. |
| 061 | Its quills constantly ooze an inky black fluid. It uses this fluid to mark its territory, leaving dark gouges in wood and stone. It craves salts and minerals. |
| 062 | Its body is covered in layers upon layers of thick foliage. It is heavier than it looks, and its clawed feet drag furrows into the ground as it walks. In the winter months, it hibernates underground. |
| 063 | Its numerous red eyes weep an irritating, milky white fluid. This fluid is easily carried on the wind, causing onlooker’s eyes to water, nose to run, and lungs to itch. It abhors moonlight, and howls with delight on the night of the new moon. |
| 064 | Its horns are riddled with countless pitch-black holes. These horns induce nausea and revulsion in all onlookers. Instead of butting heads, the males compete by singing. |
| 065 | It adores coins, keys, and other shiny objects. It attaches these treasures to itself by pushing them into its pliant skin. Particularly successful specimens look like walking piles of jewelry. |
| 066 | Its dander is an important reagent in the creation of summoning circles. Handlers harvest the stuff in baskets, taking special care to avoid the beast’s knifelike teeth. It doesn’t particularly mind being held captive, so long as it gets fed. |
| 067 | Selective breeding has removed all traces of its snout. Because its jaws are poorly developed, it prefers liquid food. Its drool contains powerful digestive enzymes. |
| 068 | Its heads constantly speak in an ancient tongue which it stole from the original creators. If you understand what it is saying, you must not reply. It mercilessly attacks those who speak its language. |
| 069 | It is born when desert sands become muddied by freak storms. Wherever it sprouts, an oasis is soon to develop. It is a miserly creature, and it zealously guards its water source. |
| 070 | It reflects the light from the sun to blind its prey. Although its skin easily conducts heat, it seems to be unaffected by high temperatures. It communicates with others of its kind through a form of morse code. |
| 071 | It wallows in mud in order to stay cool during the summer months. It continually adds layer upon layer of mud until it forms a thick armor. When the rains return, its armor washes away. |
| 072 | It pays no heed to day or night as it gallops across the land. It wanders wherever and whenever it wishes, and immediately falls asleep when tired. Walls crumble, locks rust, and doors spontaneously open in its presence. |
| 073 | Although most of its body is drably colored, its golden tail glitters with light. It flicks this tail to and fro in order to attract prey. Its venom causes blood to clot instantly, and its victims become lifeless slabs. |
| 074 | Its fangs have a comb-like structure. It can often be found perched on larger beasts, picking through feathers and fur in search of parasites. Large predators refuse to attack it. |
| 075 | It spends the day foraging on the forest floor, siphoning fluid from plants with its hollow beak. It gathers in large groups with others of its kind to sleep. If awakened during the night, they all attack at once. |
| 076 | It can survive in a wide range of water conditions, and will breathe from the surface when oxygen is low. It frightens away predators by flashing the glaring eyespots on its fins. When deprived of water, it wriggles through the earth instead. |
| 077 | Its tongue is covered in numerous hooked barbs. Because it lacks teeth, it uses its tongue to rasp away at prey. It will also use this tongue to groom the fur of its companions. |
| 078 | It nests in huge groups on remote islands, where predators cannot reach it. Each individual knows a single human word, and colonies can generate entire conversations. Some people visit these colonies for the wisdom they hold. |
| 079 | In antiquity, it was known as the "Queen of Asps". Each of its venomous hairs has the ability to move and act independently. When angered, it sheds copious amounts of hair. |
| 080 | A gnarled creature from an ancient time before the world knew love. It has no concept of cooperation. Those cut by its wicked claws lose the ability to communicate with other living things. |
| 081 | Each of its body parts has its own brain. The cranial brain must convince the other organs of the body in order to get anything done. Although it moves slowly, it is a master of persuasion. |
| 082 | It has the strength of an elephant packed into a mouse sized body. It is unused to being threatened, and remains unfazed even when faced with an opponent thirty times its size. It flees with the utmost terror when it encounters an enemy that can actually do it harm. |
| 083 | It is the victim of an age-old curse. It cannot walk over bare earth or rock, as the planet has rejected it. Its gargantuan body means that it must choose its steps wisely. |
| 084 | Its head is ornately decorated, and covered in countless false eyes. If you lock eyes with the true pair, you will have fortune for a week. If you see it again, do whatever you must to escape. It will want its luck back. |
| 085 | It harasses snakes whenever it gets the chance. Any toxins that enter its bloodstream are concentrated into its venomous bite. Every individual's venom is a unique cocktail. |
| 086 | No one has seen hide nor hair of it since humans first spoke with the gods. Nowadays, only its bones remain to stalk its ancestral territory. On moonless nights it sits motionless, staring skyward. |
| 087 | It patrols a lonely island in the Dromeic Sea, its keen eyes scouring the land for trespassers. Its twin heads spew dual torrents of chlorine and lye to choke victims. Where it lives, nothing will grow. |
| 088 | It is bitter enemies with the spirits of fire, and it eats meat raw to show its disdain for them. Its left arm is strong enough to fling a carriage over the horizon. It lacks eyes, but the sensitive hairs covering its body give it an excellent sense of touch. |
| 089 | It resembles a shark if a shark could describe itself. It was known for devouring children before being banished to the underworld. It served as an emissary of summer before its banishment, so the world is slightly cooler now. |
| 090 | It appears to those having struggles of faith, and whispers advice into their ears. It is cloaked in hummingbird feathers, and birds do not react to its presence. It is only vaguely humanoid. |
| 091 | It is called "The Tarantula's Uncle", and it knows all spiders by name. Its venom is so strong that a mere touch from its fingernails will melt flesh. Its teeth have grown weak in its old age, so it only drinks fluids. |
| 092 | If you hear it croak once, your fingers tingle. If it croaks twice, your vision blurs. If it croaks three times, you are frozen to the spot. It probably looks like a frog. |
| 093 | It has no eyes, so it tastes the air to sense its surroundings. The toughened scales on its back provide it with ample defense from predators. If asked, it will tell stories of an “old world” supposedly created before this one. |
| 094 | If it steps over a sleeping person, they will contract leprosy. It lays a single baby blue egg each night. The egg's yolk can cure many illnesses, but not leprosy. |
| 095 | It flies like an arrow, zipping and lunging through the air at sharp angles. It can only eat food that has been cut into tiny pieces. Its appearance portends foul weather. |
| 096 | Its venomous bite causes its victims to sweat rivulets of blood. It will follow a sweating victim, only eating them once they have completely dried out. It loathes the taste of water, and will only drink a few drops a month. |
| 097 | Although it was born from a hawk's egg, it cannot fly. It is shunned as a failure by all flying birds and beasts. Its sharp tongue can extend with enough force to punch through a man's chest. |
| 098 | It absorbs light during the day, and gives off an eerie glow at night. Its shifting coloration hypnotizes those who see it. Although it cannot move quickly, it is faster than most other plants. |
| 099 | Various tiny bones grow within its sinuous body, but it has no use for them. It pecks them out and implants them in sleeping humans as a gift. If you hear cracking when you wake up from a nap, that’s the bones. |
| 100 | It can speak with manatees, and considers them its children. It widens freshwater lagoons by devouring soil. Its sweat melts steel as easily as water melts paper. |
| 101 | It abducts whatever it pleases, storing its victims in capsules made from clay. Its venom keeps them in a stasis where they do not age, dehydrate, hunger, or breathe. There are tales of the abducted finally awakening after hundreds of years. |
| 102 | A clear, tinkling note rings out with its every bouncing step. Small, tough spores fall from its body as it bounds across the dunes. The spores hatch when exposed to fresh rainwater. |
| 103 | Instead of a beak, it has rows upon rows of teeth. Its jagged, brightly colored wings make for an intimidating display. It treats its offspring like underlings. |
| 104 | It is only interested in chewing through rocks. It comes into conflict with humans when it develops a craving for concrete. Its presence causes one to scream uncontrollably. |
| 105 | It hatches from baby teeth that are improperly disposed of. Its soft skin is covered in a layer of protective mucus. Its favorite food is dead leaves, and it becomes larger and larger as it gorges on them. |
| 106 | Its ancestors flew through the sky, but now it walks beneath the sea. Its cry of "Ti-kee, Ti-kee" warns of approaching storms. It breeds on the temporary islands formed by floodwaters. |
| 107 | Hundreds of gallons of water pass through its hollow body, giving rise to whirlpools. It has many faces covering its glass-like body. Even if shattered into a thousand pieces, it will reform. |
| 108 | Its body is made from earth and crumbling stone. If it scratches you, you'll crumble too. When frightened, it curls up into a tight ball. |
| 109 | Long ago, during a harsh drought, its ancestors wished to fly. Although it is perfectly adapted for aquatic life, it lives high in the troposphere. It gathers in thunderclouds to spawn. |
| 110 | Its hard outer shell is lined with jagged teeth. When it clenches itself up tightly, snarling can be heard inside. It is most comfortable in the canopy of trees. |
| 111 | It used to be considered a predator. Its prey's reclassification as a plant has retroactively made it a grazer. Its teeth and claws aren't nearly so sharp anymore. |
| 112 | Its eyes are colored a brilliant blue. Anyone who touches its shadow is shocked with more electricity than an electric eel can muster in a week. Its true body lacks electric organs, and its shadow is still dangerous after death, so the source of the electricity is unknown. |
| 113 | It was once a creature of the night, but the sun has forgiven it. It grew eyes in its eyeless face in order to show its thanks. It lies in wait for its prey at midday, and hides in light better than it ever did in shadow. |
| 114 | It seeks out surroundings which are as still as possible. There, it strikes a pose and stands motionless for years on end. Although it never exercises, its body is extremely muscular. |
| 115 | Hot gas streams from the hole on the top of its head. Beware! This gas begins to boil on contact with skin. It cannot stand singing of any kind, and birds, frogs, and crickets will disappear from the area in which it lives. |
| 116 | Its long tongue is covered with hundreds of nematocysts, or stinging cells. Its yellow and black scales are a warning to predators of its dangerous sting. When it needs camouflage, it burrows into the leaf litter. |
| 117 | Its soft skin can’t handle the heat of the sun, so it spends the day hidden in caves, tunnels, and basements. It teaches insects how to read, write, and speak in midnight classes. If attacked, it gives warning three times before tearing ragged holes in its attacker’s memory. |
| 118 | It spends its time buried underground, burrowing through the earth in search of something. Periodically, high pressure boiling water bursts from its body and breaches the surface, like a geyser. Eyewitness reports say that it resembles a slithering eye. |
| 119 | It hides its pale, rubbery flesh just beneath the water's surface. It needs to be struck by lightning before it can pupate into its adult form. It will taunt and goad an approaching storm to elicit a reaction. |
| 120 | It stalks its prey on tiptoe, silent like a shadow. It needs prey to be absolutely still while it feeds, so it restrains them with its four arms. Although it only saps moments away from an individual's lifespan, some moments are too valuable to lose. |
| 121 | It was a bird once, but it traded plume and feather for unyielding armor. It uses complex birdsong to speak the human tongue. Its word is law. |
| 122 | The leafy outgrowths on its body are not real plants, but they do perform photosynthesis. Algae grows alongside the embryo in its egg, and they spend the rest of their lives together. Its digestive system's only function is as a weapon. |
| 123 | Its photosynthetic body is protected by a clear crystal shell. It is most active on brightly lit days, becoming sluggish at night or under shady conditions. After three days of consecutive darkness, it will rapidly scramble around in search of sunlight. |
| 124 | Its closest relatives are red algae, but it does not follow the laws of nature. It grows at a rapid pace when exposed to feelings of guilt, branching out and twining around itself. Cutting it up only helps it to reproduce. |
| 125 | Its appearance coincided with that of commercial air travel. It uses jet propulsion to reach speeds that would tear a bird's wings off. It uses its many arms to crack open airships and steal the riches within. |
| 126 | A dangerous subterranean creature with a spring-like tail and flesh as pale as cauliflower. Males duel over mates by facing each other and standing completely still, with the loser being the first to move. Do not interrupt them at this time! The loser will be furious, the winner and his mate will be excited, and all three beasts will be ravenously hungry. |
| 127 | Its beak is fleshy instead of hard, and its brassy song is akin to a trumpet. Those who see its stiff-legged march are compelled to follow it. Only the intervention of a loved one can break the monster’s spell. |
| 128 | An irritating iron-shelled mollusk found growing in caverns and mines. Any scratch left by its shell immediately begins to itch, and its pollen-like reproductive cells cause terrible sneezing and coughing. It feeds on minerals in the rock, and miners compete with it in the search for precious ores. |
| 129 | The leaves sprouting from its stem are made entirely of gold. The sun cannot nourish it, so it is possessed by a terrible hunger. Its teeth are blunt, and it crushes prey with pure jaw strength. |
| 130 |
A newly discovered creature, it claims that humans taught it the art of written language. It cannot speak, but its young hatch from the egg with the ability to read and write. Its branching proboscis drains the blood from those it deems “impolite”. |
| 131 | Unless it is illuminated with artificial light, it looks like a winged shadow. It appears to those displaced by fire, and brings them food and water. It only reveals its human-like face under the most dire circumstances. |
| 132 | It flits through abandoned buildings, its translucent body emitting a sickly orange light. Although it enjoys ruined structures, it loathes to see the elements finally destroy the buildings. It performs rudimentary maintenance to ensure that its lair stays at the right level of disrepair. |
| 133 | An extinct creature described in ancient texts as "a series of terrible beasts". It was cloned from preserved blood found within the body of a frozen tick. The specimen was born resembling its surrogate mother, a rabbit. When the specimen gave birth three months later, the offspring were definitely not rabbits. |
| 134 | It is born when unicorn blood spilled in a witch's nest congeals into a living creature. Its presence loosens the laws of nature, making them more like suggestions. Its stark red face drains of color when it is enraged. |
| 135 | It is unknown exactly how it is created, but its formation is related to the human microbiome. Oxygen is anathema to it, so it secretes an acidic gelatin to coat its vulnerable body. Don't get too close to it, or your own bacteria may decide to join its mass. |
| 136 | A long-legged lizard with human-like eyes and slippery skin. It is found at crossroads and other unhallowed ground. You must not utter your true name within its earshot, or it will repeat it for all to hear. |
| 137 | It zips around at high speeds, flipping upside down, or stopping in midair at will. The red rays of light it emits siphon the blood from living creatures. It was unknown to science until very recently. |
| 138 | The flitting of its wings sounds like the tinkling of bells. The touch of its curled tongue turns lead into gold, but only if it is willing. It inhabits the sunlit treetops of dense rainforests. |
| 139 | Sometimes when a crocodile bone is broken, it will be found inside in place of marrow. Although it is considered undead, it grows and feeds like a living organism. It dotes on juvenile crocodiles and protects them with its hooked talons. |
| 140 | Its heavily spined, multi-legged form can be seen on starlit nights during the summer solstice. It orbits the Sun somewhere between Mars and Jupiter. Mystics believe that one's fate can be learned by reading the movements of its legs and antennae. |
| 141 | It raises orphans as its own, teaching them everything it knows. Unfortunately it is a giant serpent, so the children mainly learn how to spit venom and strangle rats. A murky gas billows from its nostrils while it sleeps. |
| 142 | It is often found in junkyards, protecting its soft body with whatever refuse it can cobble together. Rusted metal is its favorite. Born from a twisted goose egg, it enjoys lounging in stagnant water. |
| 143 | Breaking the fragile growths on its back releases an irritating, eye-watering gas. These growths are particularly powerful reagents for casting beneficial spells, yet they are tricky to use. If you wipe your burning eyes before the ritual is complete, your blessings will turn bitter. |
| 144 | An owl that has lived for one hundred years. It grew tired of being stupid, and wishes to become smarter through a grisly trade. By dissecting a brain with its emerald talons, it can watch its victim's memories. |
| 145 | At winter's end, it sheds all of its hair at once. Its rigid fur smells strongly of pine, and is as sharp as needles. It uses its dexterous trunk to pull down branches from trees. |
| 146 | Its razor-sharp body is as thin as a leaf and as colorful as an orchid. It waves through the air like a ribbon, sipping blood through its surface as it slashes its prey. It prefers meaty game like horses and boar, and will not feed again for 3 months after making such a kill. |
| 147 | Originally meant to inhabit the underworld, it bargained with the gods to live on the surface in the planet's least forgiving environments. It rolls around in the ash from volcanoes to keep its hide clean and parasite free. It prefers to drink from boiling streams and acidic ponds. |
| 148 | It is referred to using euphemisms like "Green Grandfather" or " Ol' Hunch". It appears in the path of an adulterer and menaces them with its long scissor-beak. It flies with unnatural ease in spite of its solid copper body. |
| 149 | Its mask-like face caused it to be over hunted in the past. Thanks to conservation efforts, it has become more common in the Southern Crag Jungles. It is said that if it were to go extinct, a terrible fate would befall humanity. |
| 150 | Its brass body was created by hand, and its calls sound like an orchestra. Its song forces evil spirits to weaken their hold on this world. If it senses a fiend too powerful to be driven away, it weeps blood as a warning. |
| 151 | Its existence was first revealed in the legal records of an ancient civilization. It rises from the sea on a moonless night when the stars are dimmed, its surface glittering with the lights it stole from the sky. For the next year, all predictions will fail and the powers of fate will hold no sway. |
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