Beasts

## Origins

There are creatures on Erwt that defy the rules of common sense, and which generally don't follow the ordinary rules of physics. They come from the deep Ocean, where the difference between air and water, light and dark is indistinct. Most of them stay out there; their constitution doesn't stand up to the more rigid fabric of Erwt, and turn back when they encroach on the calmer waters near the coast. Some others are more resilient. The smallest of these are monsters and beasts.

## Definition

Beasts are a broad category of creatures. To be a proper beast, a creature must:

1. Be of abominable origin.
2. Participate in the food chain
3. Reproduce.

A fourth requirement is often named, but it is actually a consequence of the aforementioned points:

4. Have some tie to its environment.

Since these creatures are partly supernatural, in that they don't follow the ordinary laws of biology (i.e. sustenance is derived not entirely from nutrients in food), and sustain their being despite coming from the chaos outside Erwt, they must derive some stability from their surroundings around them in some other way. The exact mechanism is not yet understood, but it appears that they are fundamentally connected to their chosen environment - this connection is much weaker than that which binds dragons, weaker even than that of monsters, since beasts are relatively small and weak, and are at least partly supported by natural means like eating.

The largest supernatural creatures classify as dragons. Creatures that can't survive on Erwt are abominations. Supernatural creatures that don't reproduce and participate in the food chain but are smaller than dragons are monsters. Natural creatures are just animals.

## Known beasts

Giant termites - Along the border of Mangali and Indonardel, one can find towers of dried mud that stand well over 50 feet tall. The largest may reach 100 feet. These are the citadels of the giant termites. In fact, the termites appear to be decisive in defining in the western border of Quri, the westernmost country of Mangali, and the jungles of Indonardel, since they destroy any tree that gains a foothold in the grasslands. Giant termites are between 1 and 2 feet long and are quite dangerous if they perceive you as a threat, attacking with their powerful mandibles and by spraying super-heated acid. Their citadels are constructed of adobe: mud mixed with plant fibers. The surface is glazed with an enamel-like substance, which is very hard. The effect is applied by having workers spray the dry adobe structure from their abdominal vent. When the hot material combines with the surface of the citadel and is allowed to cure, the enamel forms.

Mermaids - Natural shape-shifters, these intelligent creatures inhabit the seas in and near Isolet. While their natural form is of a eel-like hindquarters, a mammal-like torso with gray scale-less skin, two arms with clawed, four-fingered hands and partly webbed fingers, and a head resembling a moray eel's, they rarely show themselves in this form. Instead, they prefer to cast their upper bodies as beautiful human men and women (more often women) when they encounter humans in the water. When they go on land, they adapt legs and clothing. Their shape-shifting abilities are cultural rather than innate, although they surely also have a biological or supernatural knack for it: altering Semblance and Form with standard (aether-based) magical techniques is not an easy task for even an experienced Wizard, yet mermaids do it as a matter of course (and without Grimoire!).