Creatures

Magical creatures are often studied or encountered by Trefoil Academy, sometimes as companion Battle Pets, and sometimes encountered in the wild. While some magical creatures are, themselves, species of students or staff, this page is dedicated to the animalistic creatures that have been encountered by the Academy.

As new creatures are discovered, they will be added!

## Elementals

These creatures are manifestations of pure elemental energy, and come in many different forms. Most can be bound and summoned as battle pets.

* Most common: **fire, earth, air, and water**. They can be found in their respective realms as well as our own world in places their element is strongest.
* Subtypes are numerous: ice, electric (storm), mud, reef, plant, lunar, solar, shadow, dust, smoke, steam, sand, gemstone, metal, and more!
* Regional Elementals are a special class that are thought to be akin to Place Spirits of an entire region. Some of these are capable of empathic communication, but tend to "speak" in abstract ways as their understanding of the world is very different from our perspective. There is no known case of these being bound and summoned without causing catastrophic ecosystem collapse.

## Fliers

#### *Advised:*

When attempting to ride with any large flying creatures, it is important to know the Slowfall charm, a kinetic spell that slows the rate of one's falling speed to more manageable--and survivable--velocities. With the incantation *"Tardius descendit,"* one can slow the speed of yourself or another target up to 50' away, slowing their fall. The new velocity is variable by the caster's skill and intent, but it is always one survivable to all but the most fragile of creatures. If possible, it is wise to cast this charm on yourself before trying to jump on the back of a flying mount or winged ally.

#### **Sanity**

The unofficial mascot of Trefoil Academy, a Sanity is a magical but otherwise unremarkable Rubber Duck. It is cute, squishable, and easy to misplace.

#### **Pterippus (winged horse)**

A winged horse. Some folks will call it a Pegasus, but that is the proper name of a specific pterippus of legend and is like calling all dogs "Fidos"; the species itself are called pterippi. Some rare pterippi may be unicorns. They are considered among the fastest flying mounts, but can be finicky to care for and can be difficult to keep grounded in a field. They are naturally quite fearful of griffin and dragons, which prey upon them.

#### **Griffin/Gryphon**

A half lion, half eagle beast that loves to eat horses and cows, making it an unwelcome wild creature around farms. They are often tamed and ridden by powerful mages, and are often used as mounts by Magical Marshals as they can easily defend themselves and are not prone to panicking around loud spells or dangerous creatures. Care should be taken around smaller pets and pterippi, however, as the griffin may see them as food!

#### **Gargoyles and Grotesques**

Most grotesques are stony figures and often (but do not always) have wings; those that are **gargoyles also have some magic skill (usually water or lava breath)**. Their features vary widely. They often perch on the rooflines of architecture where they serve as guardians for a castle or building, whether by personal choice as a chosen home, or by obligation of magical binding. It is suggested that they were created by mages, though as they are also found in other realms, they may simply be natural creatures that humankind has grown accustomed to seeing!

Subtypes include:

* **Soot gargoyles**: tiny impish, bat-like creatures with wings and bodies made of charcoal and a penchant for fire magic. They tend to swarm and attack other creatures rather than serve as protectors. Individually, they can be bound as battle pets.
* **Reef gargoyles**: undersea gargoyles made of coral and stone, with long fins and/or flippers rather than wings.
* **Sewer gargoyles**: some prefer clearer waters and will attack people who are dumping sludge or caustic materials into their homes, or will block up an offending drain pipe. Others have adapted to the sewage of their habitat, resulting in some rather mucky magic attacks; ones living below magical research and potion-crafting labs can be especially bizarre.

## Diggers

#### **Bunny Goblins**

This is what happens when wildlife drinks from magical spills seeping out of unclosed portals: you get rabbits mutating into fuzzy, hopping goblinoids with a habit of pilfering vegetables from your school gardens. As they are gaining some sentience, there is debate about whether to move them to the Species section, but they are not known to be spellcasters and all of the words they speak seem to be random repetition of words they have heard regularly from the students and staff. They are the size of a standard rabbit or small hare, but capable of standing on two overlarge legs, so easily reach two feet tall. They have twisted, gremlinish features, though some might say they are still cute. They sometimes wield crude weapons.

**Bunny-Goblin "Word" List:** (they do not use them as words, just as sounds/mutterings/startled noises)

* Sanity
* Yeet
* Ratio
* Hydrate!
* Plink
* Awoo (howl)
* Cacaw!
* Splash!
* ROAR
* Sit. Stay. (care of orders to stay in the burrows and stop raiding the castle)
* Focus. (Hocus Pocus...)
* Void
* Yoink

#### **Rock Worm**

A massive, tunneling worm with an especially acidic maw. They hunt by sensing contact vibrations and can burrow quickly through dirt like a massive power drill, coming up from under prey and inverting its drill into a maw of churning, dagger-like fangs to swallow its food whole.

#### **Land Shark**

A special rocky-shelled elemental whose heavy body is magically able to burrow through dirt and stone as if it is swimming in water. While it is possible to raise one as a pet with much care and training, they enjoy nipping even at the heels of their caretakers, so metal-shod boots are recommended.

## Scuttlers

#### **SnowEggJay**

A half-hatched magical creature that might have been a product of a lab accident, this glowing egg with two bird legs and wings will scuttle around following someone like a duckling, leaving a little trail of snow in its wake. The glow is quite bright, serving well to illuminate dark places, but it does tend to draw attention to itself from hungry predators. The snowcloud over its head will hide it from most would-be overhead attackers, at least.

#### **Basilisk**

A reptilian creature whose species come in many sizes. All are renowned for having a magical gaze, many of which can stun or even petrify a target into stone! They use this method to hunt, and will often eat or save their petrified prey as food for later. Stone-to-flesh potions are advised, though can be difficult to find in your typical apothecary since they are not commonly needed! Goggles made with amber lenses and cloaks enchanted with special Stoneskin magics can provide some protection from a Basilisk's gaze.

#### **Slimes and Gelatinous Cubes**

A creature made of gelatin, these often-massive creatures usually lie in wait and ambush from dark places. Their transparency gives them superior stealth capabilities. Most are rather caustic, dissolving whatever they engulf; some can form tentacles of slime to strike or grab with, while others will simply slam into their targets and try to absorb them. The smallest slimes can be tamed and kept as pets, and are often used to guard secret passages and tunnels as they are quite sedentary until something edible comes along, and they are not usually picky eaters.

#### **Mimics**

These stealth-hunters take the form of objects of interest to their prey, often as chests, cupboards, chairs, and footrests. They have an extremely sticky quality to them that will magically bind their prey when they are touched, and have long tentacle-like appendages to wrap and strike with. They grow slowly and have only hunger and self-preservation to drive them, devouring any biological creature they feel confident they can swallow, but are cautious enough to keep feigning as an inanimate object if they doubt they can win the fight.

## Ethereals

* Wraiths
* The Black Wave

#### **Eidolon**

A tall, semi-corporeal phantom that echoes the features of someone who may be living or dead. They are known to haunt both the Shadow Realm as well as the ethereal plane of our own world. It is unknown what causes them to select their image, and there are many hypotheses. Most are very aggressive and will attack living beings, and many are capable of unhinging their ghostly jaws to try to devour a person whole. They can be bound and summoned by some illegal arts practitioners.

## Dragonkin

The species here are not playable or not sentient. They are feral. For sentient, playable dragons, see this link. For sentient reptilian kobolds, this link.

* Spawn of Nidhoggr (wyverns)

#### **Hydra**

These usually-wingless dragonkin are known for having multiple heads and at least two limbs. Some have four legs, while others have none, only a snake-like body that branches into multiple heads. In many cases, each head has a mind of its own. The most dangerous hydras have multiple elemental attacks (one for each head) and will quickly regenerate two heads where only one was lopped off!

#### **Sea Drake/Sea Serpent**

These serpents are finned and come in many sizes. Sea Drakes often have at least one set of talon-tipped limbs, while sea serpents are long and snake-like.

## Striders

#### **Shadow Elk**

An antlered beast from the shadow realm that is known to feed on starlight and lunar energy. The fangs seem to be for defensive purposes and occasional carnivorous tendencies, as they do not eat grass. Other creatures in the shadow realm will hunt them for food, but they are not weak creatures and should be treated with caution! They can be bound as a summonable creature.

## Swimmers

#### **Kelpie**

These shapeshifters are formed of magical seaweed and often take the form of a horse or seahorse. They have the ability to bind anything that touches them to their skin, and use that snare to drag their prey into the water to drown and be devoured.

#### **Kraken**

One of the most difficult creatures to face in the sea, the Kraken is a large kind of octopi with nautilus-like armor plating and massive, spiked tentacles. They are known for attacking ships, twining their tentacles around the hull to snap it in half and drag it into the depths.