The Belmont Hold Bestiary

A collection of the various creatures and monsters that the Belmont Clan have hunted and eliminated since their bloodline began with Leon Belmont.

### **Animated Armour**

These empty suits of armor have been given a temporary 'life' due to possession by a poltergeist. The spirit of this poltergeist can move from armor to armor if it so wishes, though it can take many days for the spirit to recover when doing so. Once established within a suit of armor, the poltergeist can travel between dimensions at will, causing a huge electrical outage that signals an opening between our world and the spirit world. You can tell when armor is possessed because a strange unearthly glow emanates from within the suit, indicating that its ghostly inhabitant is awake.

### **Banshee**

Old gossips claim Banshees are the spirits of women stuck between life and death due to traumatic experiences. Their wails and howls are considered ill omens of imminent, inevitable death, though they are said not to attack the living themselves. Most often they appear in the form of pale, tear-streaked women with shriveled faces and wrinkled, corpse-like bodies.

### **Barghest**

Folk of simple or superstitious minds claim committing particularly rotten acts will bring down the wrath of God in the form of “barghests,” phantom dogs which stalk the roads at night. Even if this were their origin, saints and sinners alike would need fear barghests, for they attack both with equal ferocity. Monster hunters rarely believe in God, but they do accept that barghests exist and are always connected with some sequence of tragic events that happened in the past. Their explanation, however, holds that barghests result from a curse or a concentration of ill will.

Barghests, like wolves, are stronger in packs. Together they surround their prey, leaping at it and tearing it apart with their teeth. They are fast and agile, they can easily evade attacks directed at them.

### **Botchling**

Botchlings are perhaps the most repulsive creatures a monster hunter will ever have the displeasure of meeting. Born of dead, unwanted babies discarded without a proper burial, their appearance is that of a partially-decayed fetus, their unformed flesh twisted with hate, fear and malice. These hideous creatures feed on the blood of pregnant women, driven by a mad hunger that most often leads to their victim's death.

A botchling will emerge from its lair at night to lurk by the bedside of an expectant mother, draining her strength and that of her unborn progeny as she sleeps. A woman thus beleaguered first suffers from troubling dreams, then fever, delirium and a general weakening of the flesh. After a few such nights she is enfeebled and unable to defend herself – it is then the botchling attacks directly, sinking its long, sharp fangs into her body and drinking her blood until mother and fetus perish together.

A botchling stands around a foot and a half in height, but, when threatened and if gorged with blood, it can change form. At such times it grows into a deformed man, hunched over and striding, ape-like, on its forearms. Stronger and fiercer after this alteration, it hurls itself into direct, physical combat, gnashing at its opponent or attacking him with sharp claws.

A botchling's curse can be lifted by transforming it into a lubberkin – a guardian spirit of the hearth that watches over the family it never knew in the house it never could call home.

### **Broodmother**

Though many monsters are unpleasant to the eye, the Broodmother is one of twisted features and behaviours. A woman is taken in the middle of the night and forced to ingest all manner of mutations by Goblin hordes, before transforming days later. Giving birth to countless Goblins, men in isolated villages are spirited away by her already existing children, and taken to her lair to mate with her, to which once they have served their purpose they are then devoured. A true horror of the world indeed.

### **Cave Troll**

Trolls are a dying species living mostly in mountainous areas. They are aggressive and territorial. This can sometimes result in attacks on humans who are foolish enough to encroach on the Troll's natural habitat. However, Cave Trolls are usually passive around their own kind and rarely attack each other, although they will often kill to protect their kindred. Men say that when Trolls die of old age they turn to stone and this can be clearly seen in certain rock formations if one looks closely enough. Trolls can use their mighty blows to smash heavy obstacles.

The great Trolls are biologically related to the Small Trolls. The large subspecies is fairly aggressive. The Swamp Trolls are a rare subspecies of the larger Cave Troll who live in wet areas.

Cave Trolls fight similarly to the Swamp Troll, but often do so alongside many Small Trolls. They can hit hard, but move rather slowly. After a few swings they may pound the ground. The best way to fight them is to keep distance, occasionally rolling behind them to hit them in the back. Slow and steady whittling down their health is the best way to defeat them.

### **Chupacabra**

Often portrayed as evil, blood-sucking monsters, the Chupacabras' only real obsession are magical relics. When in the presence of such artifacts, they will do anything to get them. However, the Chupacabras are not inherently evil creatures, and most of the time, after a short game of hide and seek, they will return anything they have stolen.

It had always been thought that the Chupacabras were a sort of blood-sucking monster, until later research showed that they were more like mischievous forest creatures that played with the belongings of gullible travelers. However, that latter assertion was not entirely true either. In fact, there are not many Chupacabras, rather it is a single immortal being that has roamed completely free from time immemorial, causing confusion around the world. Its incredible wisdom is only comparable to the originality of its mischief and the value of the relics it carries in its backpack.

### **Cyclops**

Cyclopses can easily be recognized by the single eye located in the center of their foreheads. If for some reason that is not visible, other tell-tale signs are their enormous size, incredible strength and a seething hatred for all humans. If that wasn't enough, there exists a variant of Cyclops with all the same terrifying strength, but also the ability to fire a beam from its eye that can turn all caught in it to stone. The only way to reverse the petrification of those affected it to slay the creature.

### **Dragon**

Once dragons were commonplace and ruled the continent absolutely. Dragon fire was the bane of cities, and dragon appetite was a constant threat to the first colonizers. Today dragons are nearly extinct, hunted to the brim long ago. Sometimes small wyverns and the like can be seen, but compared to dragons, they are like stray cats to panthers. The beasts were exterminated by professional monster hunters. Alchemical components found in a dragon's body are among the most expensive on the market, and are in high demand among sorcerers. The beast's roasted tail is a real delicacy.

The legends are true: dragons like to gather hoards and have a voracious appetite that they satiate by eating all living creatures with no exceptions. They like to lounge in places of power - they nap there, drawing energy, yet nobody knows what they use that energy for. There are five species of these great wyrms: white, black, red, green and rock. Golden dragons, extremely intelligent, said to be gifted with the ability to assume the shape of any creature, are of course a fairy-tale for little children. Dragons are smart indeed, but they cannot speak, much less polymorph.

### **Fiend**

Fiends are walking mountains of muscle capped with horned, tooth-filled heads. They live in thick forests, swamps and bogs. When possible they avoid humans, but when not possible, they kill them, and without much difficulty.

Their size alone makes fiends extremely dangerous — one blow from their powerful paws can kill a horse along with it's fully armored mount. Their enormous heft also makes them invulnerable to even shockwaves even mages specializing in the power of Force could not move one even an inch. Furthermore, any wounds they receive heal at lightning speed.

If that weren't trouble enough, fiends need not rely on their strength and stamina alone with fighting. They can also call on a more refined weapon: the third eye located in the center of their forehead, which they use to draw their prey into a state of hypnosis. During these times their victim does not see anything beyond this single burning eye — the last thing they see before their death.

### **Foglet**

Fog is the traveler's foe. In the forest, it can make one lose one's way, at sea, it can send one sailing into the rocks. Yet such dangers are nothing compared to the monsters known as foglets which sometimes lurk within it. These creatures have powerful arms and claws, yet what makes them truly dangerous is their mastery of deception, beguilement and disorientation. Many times they need not attack at all, instead simply driving their prey to madness or into boggy marshlands, after which they wait patiently for it to drown in the muddy waters.

### **Ghoul**

Despite most people believing otherwise, Ghouls are not undead creatures. In fact, their ancestors were human, but a diet of corpses and rotten flesh transformed them into horrible monsters that dwell in burial grounds and cemeteries. Ghouls usually live underground, but sometimes venture outside in small groups to scavenge for carrion. The vomit of the Ghoul is highly poisonous, but can be dispelled using Light Magic.

Ghouls are relatively easy to kill, they can be whipped at with the Combat Cross, or they can be grabbed to start a timed event. Most importantly, during several of the battles against Ghouls, statues can be pushed into their burrowing holes to prevent an unlimited number of them from spawning. In some battles this is not possible.

Ghouls that have just fed on a corpse glow yellow and have a poisonous vomit attack.

### **Giant Spider**

These monsters are the largest type of known arachnids and they are much more aggressive than any of the normal-sized varieties of spiders. Giant Spiders can be found in almost any environment but they usually prefer dark, soggy places, such as old forests or grottoes. Like their smaller counterparts, Giant Spiders can weave webs of sticky silk that they use to trap their prey before eating them. In fact, spider silk is extremely strong and can even be used to make ropes of incredible durability. The Giant Spider population has shrunk in recent years due to mankind's encroachment on their natural habitat.

Spider silk, is one of the strongest materials known to man. There are many varieties, some of them harder than the toughest steel, but the one produced by the Giant Spiders is remarkably strong and extremely expensive, due to the difficulty of harvesting it.

### **Goblin**

Diminutive, mischievous and crabby creatures that usually avoid contact with humans. They make their homes around tree roots and mossy damp areas and hunt in packs. One of their main weapons are bombs, which go off after a set amount of time after lit and thrown. These bombs can be taken from them and used to destroy obstacles.

It seems that two sub-species of goblins exist: green-skinned goblins who populate forests and other temperate areas, and pale-skinned goblins who dwell in cold and snowy climates.

### **Golem**

Golems are mindless matter brought to life by a spell. They obey their creator's orders without question. Their boundless strength, ability to withstand pain, endless patience and the fact that they need not one jot of food or drink makes them the best servants or guards anyone could ask for. Once provoked, they will not tire of battle until they have either crushed their opponent or themselves crumbled to dust. If that was not enough, they can also be created with elemental effects, such as fire, ice or earth.

### **Harpy**

Harpy nests are most often found atop high cliffs, or rocky ravines. Sure signs of having strayed near one are crumbling human and animals remains, guano-streaked rocks and feathers littering the ground.
Harpies hunt in flocks consisting of a handful to up to twenty individuals. Though rather cowardly and cautious, harpies fiercely defend their nests and will not hesitate to attack when outnumbering their foes.
During combat they use their ability to fly swiftly to strike their victims one by one before soaring back up out of reach. They can kill with their wings or their sharp beak and talons. Once on the ground they move slowly and clumsily, and thus no longer present much of a threat.

### **Hym**

Monsters most commonly claim innocents as their victims: tardy merchants, reckless children and traveleres who wander into dark woodlands out of misplaced curiosity. None of the above need fear Hyms, however. These wraiths only latch onto particularly despicable individuals who have committed some unspeakable crime. To all others, they remain completely invisible. When they do show themselves to the one they torment, they appear as a tall, shadow-clad, humanoid silhouette with long, sharp claws.

Yet Hyms do not sink these claws into their victims. Instead, they sap their strength directly, through inflicting suffering. Speaking in a voice only the victim hears, they drive them to commit acts of violence, aggression and self-harm. A Hym will seize on a guilty person's worst fears and weave out of them hideous visions, slowly driving the poor soul into madness.

Those tormented by a Hym are incapable of restful sleep, for they are tormented by ever-more-frequent, incredibly-realistic nightmares. At times the victim will become extremely on edge, yelling pleas or threats at invisible phantoms or confessing his guilt out loud in the hope this will end his torment. This act does not, however, bring any relief, for the Hym will not leave until it has addled its victim's wits completely or driven them to suicide.

### **Lycanthrope**

There are two possible types of Lycanthropes. The first are humans that have been poisoned with an infectious disease known as the 'Werewolf Influenza', which is transmitted, in most cases, by the bite of another Lycanthrope. There is an old saying that goes like this: *"If you are bitten by a Lycan, better to let it gnaw"*, and like most proverbs, it is probably true. Once infected with the disease, the transformation process can be completed in only a few minutes, after which the victim's mind will have been replaced with the savage instincts of a ruthless predator.

The second are those who were bred by Dracula the vampire lord himself, the Greater or 'pure blood' Lycanthropes. In these cases, their condition is not considered a disease, as the transformation process has been deliberately chosen. The endowment of lycanthropy, however, was not given to just anyone by Dracula, and only a handful of his more loyal thralls received such a gift. Dracula kept these elite guards for special missions, and they are not only fearsome, but incredibly intelligent and formidable foes in combat.

### **Mandragora**

Common ingredients in the creation of magic potions, mandrake roots are an important resource for alchemists and mages the world over. However, the harvesting of mandrake roots is a dangerous activity; when the root is dug up, the plant will scream loudly, killing anyone near it. When they are fully grown, mandrakes become Mandragora - sentient beings who survive by draining the life force of nearby creatures.

### **Naiad**

Naiads, also known as Nymphs are creatures that live in shallow swamps, appearing as beautiful women. They spend most of their time beneath the surface, although their presence can be detected by air bubbles rising to the surface. They appear in regular intervals in the same location. If walking by one, they will reach out with their long limbs and drag their victim to their demise at the bottom of the swamp, killing them by drowning.

### **Night Creatures**

'Night Creature' is a generic term for the monsters created by Dracula that formed the bulk of his raids upon towns and cities, though most have the appearance of winged Demonic creatures. The Night Creatures are feared by the populace at large, as raids by the monsters usually result in the death of many, as Night Creatures are indiscriminate as to who they kill, slaughtering men, women and children alike in their thirst for blood, eviscerating their victims in horrific ways.

### **Night Watchmen**

Night Watchmen are evil spirits that patrol dark places, accompanied always by a pair of spirit hounds. Though spirits, all are very solid and capable of causing great harm. The Watchmen carry staffs that double as halberds, with the head emanating a sinister blue flame. The fire is far hotter than its traditional counterpart, but if hit with it, will also damage a victim's soul, causing them over time to wither away and join the ranks of the Watchmen.

### **Ogre**

Ogres are massive dwellers of caves and nearby landscapes, completely primal beasts devoid of intelligence and living only to destroy and devour. It is fortunate that they mostly keep away from civilisation, but on occasion, an ogre has attacked a town and near decimated it in the process. Trying to reason with these beasts will only end in one being stamped out under their heel.

### **Swamp Troll**

Similar in height and build to their cousins the Cave Troll, Swamp Trolls linger in, as is suggested, swamps. Fiercely territorial, they are incredibly dangerous, and pose a threat to even the most seasoned of hunters and warriors, and should be approached with absolute caution.

### **Succubus**

A Succubus, or Succubi collectively, appear to be beautiful women with prominent Demonic features. Their appearance, as with many things, is deceptive. They lure in men, seducing them with their magical charm and promising them with the reward of their bodies. Once their victims become their thralls, they are drained of their blood, as a Succubus requires sustenance by the way of blood as vampires do.

If a man is to reject their advances, or their territory is otherwise disturbed, they become violent, attacking with their claws and ear-piercing screeches, but also wielding magical energies that they can expel in the form of bolts.

### **Undead**

Undead are the result of necromancy used on fresh corpses. Unlike Skeletons however, once reanimated, they will stay that way until slain, even should the necromancer be killed. Although they retain their bodies, the Undead are mindless beings, intent on a sole goal; to devour anyone in their path. With a insatiable craving for flesh, these cursed beings will stop at nothing as they search for anything on which to feed. Unlike old wives tales and legends speak of however, if one is bitten by an Undead, they too will not also fall to the curse, but rather have to resign themselves to a horrendous and painful death as they are devoured alive.

### **Vampire**

A vampire can be born from many different creatures; the ceremony itself involves the exchange of blood between the 'host' and the soon-to-be vampire. However, vampirism has to be accepted by the recipient, so it remains exclusive to intelligent creatures.

Young vampires are bestial in appearance. The lowest ranked vampires usually take the form of a creature with bat-like appearance. Over the centuries, as they become more powerful, vampires appear more human-like and are able to transform at will from their true form into human form.

One can usually ascertain the power of a vampire by its appearance, and any vampires that appear totally human are usually incredibly powerful, possess superhuman strength and speed, and are extremely dangerous. Indeed, many of the oldest vampires are mistaken for high-born aristocracy.

Vampires can sense the living - that which is their source of sustenance, blood, the life force of all living things. Drinking blood allows them to maintain their strength and power, and also restores their vitality.

### **Warg**

Wargs are ferocious creatures that attack opponents with razor-sharp claws and sharp, deadly teeth.

Wargs can jump further and climb better than both ordinary wolves and humans. Contrary to rumors, Wargs are not horses that have been infected by the bite of a lycanthrope, their origin is unknown.

Wargs are the principal strength of large Lycanthrope raiding parties. Some of them, called Great Wargs, were 'blessed' by Dracula himself which gave them new powers, such as improved strength and wound regeneration. Due to the nature of this 'blessing', these powers are heightened by a full moon.

### **Wraith Knight**

Wraith Knights are the remnants of the bulk of Dracula's army. Despite the name, they are vampires. Now masterless, they roam the world, seeking blood to sustain them, unless they are recruited into the forces of another greater vampire.

Like other vampires, they are gifted with enhanced attributes, such as strength and speed, although typically use their weapons in combat, seeming to favour longswords.