Magical Creatures

 The world of Conqueror has many creatures, some seen and known by only a few. Some known only by those who believe in them. These creatures, both large and small, exist within the magical realm. They are subject to different laws and an alternate reality enclosed within the world of humans. Humans are often invited to cross over into these worlds and some humans, who are sensitive to these creatures, can cross over on their own. As with the world of humans, some of the magical creatures are friendly. some are simply benign, while others are to be feared and avoided at all costs. 

Trader -   A Trader is a small furry rodent, somewhat larger than a rat and resembles a muskrat. It sits up on its hind legs and will offer a gift to whoever is fortunate enough to meet it. It is considered good luck to give something to a trader. They take it back to their burrow and exchange it for something else, which they bring back to you. If the burrow is too far away it may not make it back before the person moves on. Some traders travel up to ten miles from their burrow so they often can't find the person who they intended to trade with. They generally like shinny objects, but they will take anything they can carry.

Every time they can’t find the person they intended to trade with, it will take the item back to the burrow. Since many of the colonies are large and the Traders live in the same burrow for generations, the treasure, so to speak, can be quite large. The older the colony the bigger the treasure and the more interesting your trade can be. You might get something they have had buried for decades.

Bracken - The stories tell of a group of people traveling through the area of devil's swamp before the kingdom was even settled. The devil caught them and tortured and killed them one by one. The last person alive was a young lady. She begged for her life and agreed to do anything if the devil would not kill her. She agreed to become the devil’s concubine for a period of five years, after which she would be set free. During those five years she was with child six times and gave birth to half demon half human creatures that came to be known as Brackens. Legend tells of how the woman was released after the five years but by that time she had gone insane and never found her way out of the swamp. The Brackens wander the swamp day and night searching for her. They are as vile and evil as anything that walks this earth.

Tree Nymphs - The tree nymphs build their homes/colonies all around us, but humans can only see them if invited to. They generally build around water or high in trees. Nymphs are not subject to the same laws of gravity as humans and can build their homes in very precarious places. Nymphs are very susceptible to evil and just being in the presence of evil can cause them physical pain. If they persist too long near evil it can actually be fatal to them. s a group, Tree Nymphs are very docile and do not take sides in any argument of dispute.

The only natural enemy of the Tree Nymphs is the Wendigo. This evil creature hunts the Nymphs. It's evil presence is enough to cause the Nymphs great pain, but the Wendigo will brutally kill and Nymph it can find. Fortunately the number of Wendigo are very limited. If they are unable to find prey, they will actually begin to feed on one another.

Tree Nymphs have an extensive knowledge of the kingdom, its creatures and peoples. They also have exceptionally long life spans.

Wendigo -   A creature, sometimes considered an evil spirit, that has a human like form but often has the head of a stag or deer. While some cultures have found them to be harmless, others believe they can possess a human and find them extremely dangerous. They are said to have an insidious appetite and are always starving. When seen, the Wendigo is thin, its bones visible through its skin. Some tribes report it will kill and devour anything, or anyone it encounters. If it cannot find prey, it will turn to cannibalism. While its appetite forces it to eat anything, its favorite prey are Tree Nymphs. 

Wendigo are fierce warriors and can use their bodies as weapons or at times can magically generate weapons such as swords or axes. They show no mercy, have no remorse and will fight to their last breath.  

WereWolf - This is not a poor soul that turns into a wolf at each full moon. This animal has been special breed for a specific task, a most horrific task. The WereWolf is used by bootleggers to find and excavate Mole colonies. The WereWolf will dig into the Mole colonies even at great depths. Once inside it will seek out, kill and eat the moles. This is done so the bootleggers can enter the colony and steal the valuable Root Rum made by the Moles and stored in special wooden kegs.

A WereWolf is completely black with no fur. It has long awkward looking legs and an oversized head. You can see its ribs through the black skin, which can make it appear week. Its front legs seem longer than they need to be which causes the animal, nearly half as big as a horse, to walk with an awkward gaunt. It has large font paws with sharp claws that closely resembled a hawk’s talons, but far larger. Its head is long and narrow and looks almost square. There is, in fact, nothing about the animal that looks at all normal, or natural.

A WereWolf may look slow and awkward, but never underestimate its speed and power. A Werewolf has been known to chase down an adult elf and kill it with a single bite from its powerful jaws. No one is certain what creatures were breed by the bootleggers to create the WereWolf, but most agree something very evil was breed into this creature. - In some areas the WereWolf is known as a Devil Dog.

Groll - This beast is a cross between a Troll and a Goblin. They breed in the strength and agility of the two species, but there was a serious decline in intelligence. The breed was created to fight and is considered somewhat illegal. In most cases creatures without self-awareness are not allowed to fight for sport. Since both a Troll and a Goblin are considered to be self-aware, the Groll is allowed to fight, even though it does not share the intelligence or awareness of either Trolls or Goblins.

Groll do combat with clubs only. If given a sharpened object they are as likely to cut themselves as they are their opponent. Groll's are very strong with greyish skin, long fands and are very hairy. Their only real weakness is that they have no real lower body strength, and they are easily fooled by an intelligent opponent.

Muckan - A species which was specifically created for fighting. A Muckan is quite short, standing just three feet tall. They are very muscular, have exceptional strength and a astonishingly quick. They have an almost insatiable need/desire to do personal combat. While fighters, they are very fair, even polite, considered a noble creature.

Muckan's are no longer allowed to fight legally. The magistrates have ruled only creatures with self-awareness can be pitted in combat for sport or wager.

Tuskin- This animal stands approximately six feet in height and stands on two legs. Its head is oddly shaped, elongated with a scaly skin pulled tightly across its skull. It has large green eyes with slitted pupils, much like a snakes’. The hind legs, which are large and muscular, looked out of place on the animal, as do the tiny forearms that emerge from its chest. The entire upper body of the beast is covered in brownish scales. Its lower body and massive tail are also covered in scales, but these areas are greenish in color. The tail, which is nearly as long as the creature, looks muscular and agile and can be used as a weapon. Its primary weapon is likely its large tusks. Each of the tusk, two upper and two lower, are easily the length of a man's hand and tapered to a sharp point.

The Tuskin is a conjured creature, conjured by a wizard or witch using the Bairaz spell. The Tuskin will relentlessly seek out the target assigned by the wizard. At times, the Tuskin is known as the assassin's beast.

A Tuskin will have a very limited life-span depending on the strength of the wizard who conjured the creature. The life-span can last from just a few hours to as much as a weak. It will slowly decompose as the spell fades. Once the Tuskin dies, it puts off a horrendous smell that will drive away even the hungriest scavenger.

More to come,,,