Bestiary

A plethora of magical and non-magical creatures populate the lands around Arthuria. This page exists to catalog them all in one convenient place.

## Magical Creatures

### Dragons

Dragons are huge, reptilian monsters with four legs and batlike wings. They are capable of breathing fire and are known for their destructive power. Despite their sheer size and power, they are unintelligent, making them impossible to reason with.

In Arthuria and its neighboring lands, dragons are strongly associated with the devil Asha'ac, to the point that He is believed by many to be their creator. If true, this would explain why his Champions can control them.

### Lurkers

Lurkers are large, snail-like monsters known for their voracious appetites and potent venom. They hide in forests and caves, their hard shells easily mistaken for boulders, and will wait for potential prey to get close enough for them to strike. Their venom, while not inherently lethal, causes the target to become unnaturally slow and lethargic, making them easy prey for the lurker.

In Arthuria and its neighboring lands, lurkers are seen as incredibly dangerous, to the point that lurker slayers are often heralded as heroes. In addition, the lurker is sometimes associated with the devil Vulgroz, who is often portrayed as a lurker in folk tales.

### Mermaids

Mermaids are aquatic creatures that resemble humanoid women with fishlike features, including a long, finned tail in lieu of legs. Despite their name, mermaids can be male or female; however, the males are just as feminine in appearance as the females. They live in the ocean, preferring deeper waters but sometimes entering shallower water to hunt. Mermaids are carnivorous, and while their diet mainly consists of fish, they are also known to eat terrestrial animals, including humans. They are notorious for luring sailors to their deaths by pretending to be marooned or drowning. They are sapient, with many mermaids learning to speak or sing in the local language as part of their traps.

In Arthuria and its neighboring lands, mermaids are considered very dangerous creatures, with people sailing into or out of Arthuria's ports receiving several warnings of the presence and tricks of mermaids. The mermaid is seen as a symbol of De'irkan, with some believing She created them from a cult of Her faithful.

### Unicorns

Unicorns are elusive creatures resembling white horses. A unicorn is distinguishable from a mundane horse by the long, elegant horn on its forehead. Despite their appearance, they are sapient and aggressive creatures that have inherent magical capabilities. There are many stories of unicorn hunters being cursed by the very animals they had tried to kill, and there is a legend that King Arthur himself was once cursed by a unicorn that he had managed to annoy.

In Arthuria and its surrounding lands, unicorn hunting is not technically banned; however, due to their power and aggression, only the most foolish or ignorant would even consider trying to kill one. The unicorn, like the mermaid, is also considered by some to be a symbol of De'irkan.

### Wyrms

Wyrms are draconic, bipedal, two-headed monsters that, when fully grown, are slightly larger than an adult goat. They are impossible to tame, reproduce quickly, and will eat crops and livestock indiscriminately. In addition, their saliva can cause violent illness from just a single bite. They are so destructive that it only takes one wyrm to ruin an entire village.

In Arthuria and its neighboring lands, wyrms are seen as a bane upon the world, and killing even one wyrm can make anyone a hero. Wyrms are strongly associated with the deviless Yersinia, to the point that they are considered by Arthurians to be Her creations.

## Trivia

* Many of Arthuria's magical creatures are based off of creatures associated with a medieval setting, or otherwise with a medieval connection.
	+ Lurkers are inspired by a trend in medieval writing for the writers to depict knights fighting snails in the margin art.
	+ Wyrms are inspired by older depictions of dragons which were deliberately meant to be revolting, some of which drew inspiration from rats, insects, and other common pests.