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A Beastiary of Scidve
by Halitherses, Druid of the Valley of Scidve
In these pages you will learn the little bit I know of my time in the
Valley of Scidve. The curse twisted the poor forest animals to their
present forms, and now they are faded images of their former selves. The
traveller is warned to avoid the valley, for the animals are dark much
as the curse is.
Halitherses, Druid of Scidve
Dugger -
The duggers seem to be the mutated form of your average gopher. They are
now incredibly dangerous, commonly attacking anything that comes near
them. They dark fur is typically soiled with the blood of their killed,
crusted over with dirt. They do not typically eat fresh meat, but prefer
it rotted. However, having said that, with the scarcity of food in the
valley when the shadow was cast over it, I failed to see a dugger pass
up any meal.
Rock Devil -
The rock devil was once a simple badger, living in the rocky areas
around the valley and keeping to itself. This is one exception where the
mean disposition of the badger was replaced by a more moderate
personality after the darkness fell. This is probably due to the
lethargy that seems to overcome these creatures after a meal. Of all the
creatures in Scidve, these have managed to survive the best after the
curse. Their favorite eating spots are the nest of birds living above
the darkness on the sides of the cliff walls. Their claws and strong
forelimbs allow them to excel at climbing to these heights to feast on
their unsuspecting victims.
Roc -
The roc are the proud birds that soar high above the valley, their eyes
constantly scanning for prey in the darkness below. The wing span is
longer than the average human, and the tips of their feathers are
constantly groomed by their sharp beaks. Their eyesight is impecable. I
personally believe they possess the ability to pierce the darkness with
their vision. Their talons are strong and large enough to grasp a horse,
and their wings powerful enough to carry it away. They are often seen
bringing their food back to the northwest of the valley, high into the
cliffs. Is it possible there exists a nesting ground there?
Black snakes -
The black snakes are not much different than a common snake, except they
are extremely poisonous, as the author can attest to a number of times.
Before the darkness, the only snakes present in Scidve were the common
ground snake. As the mutations began to overcome the snakes, I believe
they moved to the trees in order to find food as it became more scarce.
They are now often seen roaming the tree branches looking for
unsuspecting prey below.
Drakt -
I suppose this beastiary would be incomplete if I did not include the
Drakt. The village of Scidve was a peaceful town of Xorani before the
troubles came. As such, the darkness brought them some madness, and
distinct physical changes. Most notably, their race is dying out, and
there is a large number of still births every year. They also seem
unable to breathe fire, as many Xorani can. It is unknown if their race
will survive indefinitely. Certainly their squallor in their town needs
to be improved before anything can improve in their lives.
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