Vymbat

## The Vymbat

Art by Saeed Ramez.

Folklore has it that a creature at the dead of night has been terrorizing old timely villages. Not many know why or how it began to happen, but the old geezers of these villagers would tell tall tales of the blood-sucking demon to their children in order to scare them into doing their chores properly. Often times, these children would forget to lock the gates, or not count the sheep properly as they come home after a day of shepherding. Soon, the small number of missing livestock began to grow. It became worse as search parties found these livestock drained of blood and partly eaten in the nearby land. The village folk were worried a wild fox became rabid, or they were plagued by Wendigos. These were odd signs for such creatures, they thought.

They were right.

## Physiology

Vymbat is a thin, scrawny humanoid sized creature with arms that extend into bat wings. It is normally bipedal when lumbering on land. An adult tends to stand at the height of 5’11, and the wings extend outwards to at most 3ft each way in order to support its body as it flies and leaps through obstacles. An average adult has patchy fur of grey to blend into its surroundings and the membrane of its wings are greyish-blue. Its two pointed ears lay flat against its skull and it has two holes for a nose. Its eyes are at the front of its skull, while the jaw extends out a little more outwards than a normal skull head. Its canine teeth are sharp, extending from the top and bottom out its lip and usually visibly prominent to identify it. The Vymbat has a short tail, often used for balance.

## Habitat

Couples exists in twos or threes, clustered in caves or crevices on high grey mountain peaks near forests. Groups tend to shy away from communities and towns, often hunting out for small game. They are carnivorous creatures that live near extreme hot or windy climates. None are found in deserts or tundras and their numbers are not enough to expand throughout the continent. They are sparsely seen.

Those that seek to live alone are generally found in the Ashlands (which become partially hairless as they shed their fur), or smaller mountain keeps. They are prone to wandering, settling temporarily in nests of caves, before looking for hunting for better game.

## Diet

The Vymbat is an omnivore - often preferring the meals of small game as its core diet. It seeks out livestock, which are often ripe for picking. They will capture game and drain its blood dry. When the game is nice and dry, they may pick out vulnerable, meaty parts of the livestock to eat, often abandoning the creature whole or disposing it far from its lair when it’s done with. When meats are not available, it will turn to fruits and succulents as a temporary food to sustain themselves. They grow hungrier if they have no meat for long periods of time.

## Behavior

Generally, a sole Vymbat seeks to mate or live alone in a location it can claim as its own. When it settles somewhere, it will hunt all game, challenging its opposition in order to reinvent itself at the highest of the food-chain. They avoid humans, elves, halflings and dwarves as feeble hunters, going for their livestock or other creatures instead. They hunt at night, using the moon as a guide using their ability to see in the dark. Only the most ravenous of Vymbats would pursue the flesh and blood of a mortal.

## Lifespan and Aging

These creatures are rare, and such, do not live long when they are found hunting livestock. If they keep to themselves and challenge no creature larger or more powerful than them, they can live to be at most 25 years of age before their ability to naturally hunt wanes. They age at twice the rate of humans.