Creatures of Northern Valendor

=== Creatures of Northern Valendor ===
By Pedrean Manthelar
==Chapter One: Agni Ants==
Agni Ants are an invasive species of ant, originating in the savannas of Eerie, in Astaria. They made their way to Northern Valendor on cargo ships, and have since run rampant due to a lack of local predators to keep their population in check.
Agni ants are slightly magical, making use of fire affinity with their venom, inflicting real burns to whatever they bite. A few bites can result in a minor burn, however a few dozen Agni Ants can rapidly cook a small rodent alive.
In less common instances, travelers unaware and unlucky enough to step on an Agni Ant mound have been found cooked to death mere feet from it.
These invasive ants pose a significant risk to life and the ecosystem they find themselves in, and have done irreparable damage to the region's ecology already. Mounds should be reported, and either poisoned or frozen with magic, to ensure the colony is wiped out.
Agni Ant mounts can be identified by their distinct red hue, their rather large size, and by the presence of the smells of cooked meat where such smells should not be found. Caution is advised when approaching these mounds. 
==Chapter Two: Shades==
Shades are twisted beings originating from the Shadowfell. These Shades manifest in their true forms in locations where the veil is weakest, and nowhere is it weaker than the Dark Lands of Northern Valendor. During Spirit Week, when the veil is at its thinnest, it is said that Shades exist strongly enough in the Dark Lands to actually touch and manipulate their environment.
During this time, Shades are sometimes captured and bound in some way to physical flesh. This binding prevents them from fading when Spirit Week ends, and allows the vampire to command them. The body they inhabit will mutate and distort due to the Shade within, becoming something else entirely. 
Keeping Shades bound in this fashion creates a powerful servant for the vampire, but also poses a great danger to them. If the bindings ever weaken, or the vampire’s control slips, the Shade may escape the body and will invariably seek vengeance on the one who captured it.
When formed, the bodies these Shades are bound to become veiling in shadows and semi-incorporeal. The only way to damage a Shade is with magic, be it spells or magical weapons. Physical blows will simply pass through them.
==Chapter Three: Gargoyles==
Gargoyles are stone constructs created through a laborious process. Channels to imitate arteries and veins must be delicately carved into its form, a process that is incredibly difficult without fracturing or breaking the stone completely.
Once the channels have been carved, and the Gargoyle has been given form, it is enchanted with runic circles and blood magics. Gargoyles are awakened by filling its false arteries and veins with blood, a process that requires blood magic to complete. Once awakened, it will set about the singular task it was created for- often guarding a set location or performing a simple task.
When a Gargoyle runs dry on blood, it will attempt to return to its post and deactivate, returning to stone. Blades are practically useless against their stoney exteriors, requiring blunt weapons to be used to smash them. Alternatively, a skilled blood mage could in theory pull the blood from an awakened Gargoyle, starving it and forcing it to deactivate.
Due to the skill required, both to carve the Gargoyle's body, to channel out it's false arteries and veins, and the runecrafting needed to enhance it, Gargoyles are considered fine works of craftsmanship and art.
==Chapter Four: Dire Bats==
Dire bats are large and very rare creatures, ancient by most standards and with the will and ego to match their age. These creatures stalk the mountains of the Dark Lands by night, preventing any fools who try to surmount the jagged mountains by foot or by air from passing them,
While few in number, Dire Bats often hunt alongside swarms of Fel bats, assisting them in the hunt in exchange for a large share of the kill.
Dire Bats have always been exceptionally rare, but they have grown rarer still over the last several hundred years. Despite their will, many vampires historically have attempted to tame these creatures, to use them as flying mounts.
While many have tried, very few have succeeded, leading to the subjugation of a Dire Bat to become a status symbol amongst the powerful.
Dire Bats can never be truly called ‘tame’, always seeking their freedom. This makes them especially dangerous and costly mounts.
Their hide is very thick and rough, making injuring a Dire Bat a difficult process. Combined with their long sharp claws and their vicious wide and fanged mouths, they are very dangerous hunters in the night.
On top of this, their shrill shriek is piercing, able to unnerve and disorient the bravest of men and the strongest of beasts.
It is advised that those foolish enough to seek passage into the Dark Lands, do not. Else if you must, seek legal passage and stray not too far from the relative safety of the roads. If you hear the Dire Bat's call- hide.
Category:Ascension Lore
Category:Books