Monsters

somewhere between animals and sentients are the monsters, their origins are varied but most are ancient beyond belief and predate even the elves while others have only been created or emerged in the past couple of decades so it is important to make a list of the known ones to better enable others to protect themselves from them.

## land dwelling

**Vampires**

It is unknown where the first vampires came from as their origins are prehistoric; however, what is known is that most are magic users who during their final moments are griped by a fear of death so severe that it causes them to do anything to prevent dying, which leads them to consume other mortals’ Mana. Now the Mana of sentients is potent stuff and when Ingested via cannibalism it can grant the consumer many powers when used correctly, from topping up their own stores of Mana (everyone knows at least one magic user who during the heat of battle in desperation gnawed off a bite of a corpse's flesh) to even extending the user's life. Which means that when these magic users set off on their quest to immortality they eventually turn to cannibalism of their fellow sentients devouring first bodies after battles and than extending to kill their own prey, but over time, either by choice or through magic's mutagenic properties they will evolve to find a diet of blood more palatable and in the process become stronger faster, smarter even, at the cost of finding the judge's light painful and the smell of garlic offensive to their sensitive noses. However luckily for their fellow sentients, they are still vulnerable to sword and spell. Albeit they tend to be harder to kill, especially as they retain their potent magical ability they had in "life".

As for famous Vampires, none are more famous than Clan Vampire itself, who lent their name to Human Vampires, and who in around 560 A.E. or so went on a rampage through the streets of Attacia, the capital of the Human Empire, killing off thousands, including most of the Royal Family until after fifteen days and nights, knights and magic users from across the empire arrived in the capital in great enough numbers to beat back Clan Vampire and slaying most of them however one of the sub-families managed to escape and eventually fled to the underside of the disk where they live to this day.

**Bagman**

This entity is something of an anomaly and has grown into a bit of an urban legend. Very little is actually known about it, for example whether it is a single monster or a race of them. all that is known is that they have a very specific routine. They only appear once a fortnight, where they somehow crawl out of a bag, disregarding the physical limitations of said bag. From there it will begin to search through the area for things of sentimental value, before dragging them back into the sack from whence it came. However, if another sentient creature is to gaze upon this monster while it is taking said items, then it will show off an unnatural speed and strength that defies what is perceived from its scrawny and starved figure. Whichever creature gazed upon it will suffer severe lacerations that render it immobile, from which point the creature will drag its observer into the bag with it.

**Ancors**

Anchors are large hound-like creatures with leathery skin, ridged spikes along their spines, oversized fangs, small ears, spiked tails, and beady eyes. They communicate through a series of low grunts and growls. They are mostly heard rather than seen, loud howls and snarls echoing through the night. The females are slightly smaller but much more aggressive, while the males tend to be a bit larger but mellower (at least as mellow as the dangerous beasts can be). While they may appear to be mammals they are actually reptilian, and hatch from eggs. They grow roughly to the size of wolves. Although native to Venio, they also appear as an invasive species located in Packs on Blacklin Isle. Ancors first began to appear on Venio around the time Aenlir began their creation boom. Theorized to be an experimental creation never intended to be let loose, Ancors spread like wildfire throughout Venio, even making their way to Blacklin Isle by the end of the Feral Tabaxi age. However, on Blacklin Isle they are invasive, an infestation more of a faction than a whole species of their own. Due to their high fertility rates and quick breeding, Ancors “breed like rabbits” and spread quite quickly wherever they end up. And as Packs tend to roam, the species only continues to spread. With no natural predators, as they are actually poisonous to eat, Ancors are savagely vicious without any fear of becoming a meal themselves. Prone to random mutations, they are a pest that never seem to die out, despite attempts to kill them off. The beasts are known for their venomous bite, ridged spikes along spines, spiked tails, sharp claws that allow basic climbing skills, heightened senses (mostly scent), somehow incredibly stealth (natural camouflage), and intelligence. However, they are also known to be weak without a Pack, as well as having a tendency to go rabid and die, not to mention often being mostly if not completely blind and/or deaf.

**Sansiyao**

Sansiyaos were once recognized as a type of fae. They have been living in among trees and under rocks long before their forests were named, and they used to act as guides for travelers who were passing through their mountains, while the travelers would leave shiny objects in return for the help; however, as more humans spread closer to their inhabitants without bringing any gifts to the owner of the mountains, Sansiyaos grew annoyed and decided that they would stop helping anyone. Instead, they began toying with travelers and luring them into the deeper parts of their mountains; although they rarely kill their targets, Sansiyaos love to keep the lost ones for a considerable amount of time, and would use magic to make their targets think they are enjoying a fine meal in some spectacular palace, while they are actually devouring grass or dirt in the deep mountains. As Sansiyaos develop a habit of playing with poor travelers, people begin to get scared and enraged, thinking that the owners of mountains have turned against other races. As time goes by, Sansiyaos have lost their initial intention of helping others, and turned into monsters that trap those who dare venture into their realms.

They are generally tiny, fast, and have the appearance and behavior that resemble a child. Some have extremely pale faces, while others have green or brown fur covering their body thoroughly; most of them have small, sharp fangs and red eyes that glow in the dark. While they usually stand on their hind legs, they could rarely maintain an upright pose, and would half walk, half jump like a lemur. Their hands are a lot longer than their feet, and sharp nails can be seen at the tips of their ape-like fingers.

Sansiyaos can be found in deep mountains, creeks, river banks. Their inhabitants are usually located at quiet places, far from large predators or groups of humans that may disturb their "games". They can be found more easily around Valina, their original inhabitant, where they can find many mountains for them to set up playgrounds and traps.

Sansiyaos can wield magic and twist minds, making people see things that aren't there. However, their powers of enchanting aren't very strong and could easily be broken when dealing with a strong mind, so they prefer to be stealthier and avoid confronting their target directly. Using their knowledge and familiarity with the mountains, they would set routes that take travelers away from the main road, making noises and leaving tracks that would make travelers think someone is leading the way. In the meantime, Sansiyaos' agility can keep them well hidden among bushes, waiting for targets to become weak from hunger and dehydration. After that, they would start using magic and deprive the travelers' minds, and eventually, the travelers would completely succumb to their control.

Sansiyaos dislike fire and strong light. They fear loud noises; they have always thought that one day, other species would form an alliance and come to seek revenge, and they think that the noises hint the coming of an invasion. They can easily be distracted by shiny things, even if they are no longer the guides that take trinkets as payment. Sansiyaos are also quite impatient, and if the traveler is still sober after a long time in the mountains, Sansiyaos would lose interest and forget about tricking the target.

**Trolls**

First created thousands of years ago in the caves and tunnels below Maldur, troll tropes lived for generations, growing fat off of the other beasts dwelling there, however when dwarves were created the two soon came into conflict with trolls raiding dwarven proto-holds for food only for the survivors to counter attack and wipe out tropes, although often times not the one responsible.

However over the centuries, trolls spread across the isles in order to escape extinction, both through walking, through subterranean tunnels, to stowing away aboard ships and escaping into the wilderness of the ship's destination, but perhaps their most disturbing way of them spreading, was it becoming a status symbol amongst decadent kings and petty warlords to have a trope of trolls that they could feed their prisoners to and unleash upon their enemies, meaning upon the inevitable defeat of their captors the trolls would often establish new tropes in new lands, spreading their numbers so future conquerers could further spread them.

Although at first glance a troll could be mistaken for a mix of a rusk orc and a dragonborn, these large creatures are unrelated to either species, dispite what some racists have claimed.

Standing between six feet, and nine feet at the shoulders trolls are massive gorilla like creatures although covered in scales, angular faces with mouths filled with shark like teeth, large yellow eyes and bat like ears, plus a row of spikes running down their spines. In addition many males will grow antlers which they keep year round.

Although they have been spread across the isles, they are most common on their Homeland of Maldur where dwarven holds hunt them for sport.

Troll tropes normally lair in caves or abandoned buildings near plentiful food sources, making crude repairs when necessary in order to block sunlight meaning they will often drap cloth over the entries or use elaborate tunnels so there inner sanctums are nice and dark.inside individual trolls will usually make their nests in a circle around the "trophies" they take from their victims, mostly de-marrowed bones but sometimes money and weapons can be found.

Troll Tropes, the most commonly encountered group of trolls, alongside independent young adult trolls or groups of troll brothers, are comprised of an adult male troll, two to four troll females, and any young they might have, troll females stay with the same trope all their life but males are usually chased off when they enter puberty although occasionally they might be allowed to stay with the trope by their father but will usually ultimately end up killing their father and taking over the trope if a male from another trope doesn't do so.

Beside their keen senses and sheer brute strength, Trolls have an incredibly fast metabolism And a natural healing factor meaning they can heal cuts within minutes and regrow limbs in days making them extremely deadly foes.

Although they are in no way a truly intelligent race a troll does have enough intelligence that they have learned how to use tools they have seen others use and even make crude spears and clubs of their own, but thankfully for others only a total idiot would give Trolls metal to make their weapons and tools from their scale.

Adapted to caves and other dark places Trolls find direct sunlight unbearable and will retreat to lairs during the day if possible otherwise will cover their face and wars and remain motionless unless directly attacked until the light source disappears, if one is foolish enough to attack a troll in this state they will defend themselves blindly making them susceptible to ranged weapons as they will avoid opening their eyes.

## Sea Dwelling

**Krackens**

According to legend, the first Krackens were created by Fjor after the Dragon queen destroyed the city of Imi-Nanni, with the first Krackens being the survivors of the city, & hince why Krackens have such a dislike for sea dragons but have no real opinion on land dragons, but like many things the truth is different from fiction, and in truth, Krackens date back from the mythic "age of the monsters" when one of Fjor's children created the monsters as a means of guarding their personal lands from others. But in the years since they have spread almost out of control and in addition to the waters of Axelo, many have migrated to the waters of the elemental realm of water. But in their long history as a result of their love of isolation no major Kracken societies have been created, besides it is said, one, thousands of years ago the Kracken Berkyis united their children into the great task of building a sprawling under water city sized to Krackens themselves but most now say it is a mere myth dispite countless accounts over the years of finding the ruins of the city and the Kracken's who even now live there.

A Kracken has a wide almost circular shell with an area between one & eight acres, even if one ignored the tentacles Krackens are large creatures, But on one side of their spiral shaped shell is an entrance which normally is closed by a naturally formed "door" of the creatures own durable shell kept shut with a powerful muscle however when open it reveals eight evenly spaced sucker-lined-tentacles each some hundred feet long depending on the size of the creature and surrounding a beak of the same material as their shell, while on the opposite side of their tentacles is two black eyes, small for their size.

Inside their shell is the almost shell less lobster like body of the Kracken, including a number of fins and a lobster like tail as if necessary a Kracken can leave their shell  but are weak with out it's defense, but in addition to the body a Kracken will have a number of air pockets and a chamber in the very middle of their shell where they lay their eggs and wait for them to hatch in addition to serving as a retreat for most of the creature if something threatens it's shell.

They reside commonly along fishing routes where fish are plentiful but Krackens prefer deep waters where if needed they can drive & sink to the bottom safe from attackers.

Most Krackens rely on their tentacles to grab & crush enemies & prey before bringing them to their massive beak but about one in one hundred have the ability to use magic & even are able to give others the powers of a warlock of the deep.

They have no magical weaknesses or resistances; however, due to their sheer size they are hard to kill, so if one must be slain & not driven off from an area, it is adviced that experienced whalers use mages to crack the shell & than harpoons to penetrate it's thick skin.