Have you ever had an idea that you couldn't just cram into any category, and it fermented in your brain like whatever? No? Anyone? Anyway, if you want to know more...
Guide to the wilds by S.Q. Mann
-Fire rat (Rattus igneus)
The fire rat is a species of large rodent found in volcanoes and underground magma tunnels around the world. Its habitat is indeed unusual, however it allows it to avoid competition from larger and more aggressive large rats so common throughout the caverns. The immunity to the burning heat of magma that the fire rat displays is not well understood, though it is widely believed to be supernatural.
Fire rats, just like more mundane species, are not picky eaters, consuming wide variety of underground and surface vegetation, small animals, carrion, and even certain minerals. Other magma inhabitants have very little reason to attack fire rats, but out of magma the rodents may fall prey to green devourers, reachers, and packs of crundles, among many others.
Pelts of fire rats are notoriously expensive due to their beauty, resilience, and the challenge of capturing the critters; the biggest factor behind their overinflated value is them being necessary if one was to propose to the moon-empress of Kagusagi. Many had been reduced to ash by fire imps while hunting the rats, yet more still come. Money and love are dangerous things indeed.
-Balmung (Gram sigurdi)
The balmung is a stout beast resembling a one-horned rhinoceros covered in thick, brown wool. These beasts travel frozen tundras alone or in small family groups, often surrounded by predators that dare not approach. What makes balmungs so intimidating even to mindless animals? Their horns are not like those of rhinoceroses, instead being blade-shaped and almost metallic in composition; that combined with the monsters' unusually flexible necks turns the horns into deadly swords.
Fortunately, the balmung prefers to peacefuly graze and forage on hardy tundra plantlife, only attacking when threatened. The only predator that attacks adult balmungs regularly is the monstrous scimithere that shall be discussed later. Giant wolves may risk hunting calves in absence of less dangerous prey in savage lands, and in cursed wastelands blizzard men sometimes pick fights with a lone balmung, which usually ends badly for the evil monsters anyway.
A dead balmung is a real treasure trove - enough meat to feed a village for a few days, a large amount of hard bones, and of course the sharp horn. The hunt, of course, should not be attempted by hunters without experience with large beasts, but it is not the deadliest target in the frozen wastes.
-Gungnir (Mammuthus glacidens)
Sometimes misguided individuals travelling the frozen reaches might see mountain moving on their own through the blizzard. Nobody would actually admit to believing that they thought mountain were moving, but as an experienced traveller I can assure you, dear reader, that those who witness a herd of gungnirs on the move usually take them for moving mountains. A gigantic shaggy elephant with great tusks made of clear ice, the gungnir is certainly magical in some degree, not only because of the unnatural composition of its teeth, but also because herbivorous beasts that large should not be able to survive on frozen glaciers with no sources of food to be seen.
The issue of the gungnir's feeding habits is indeed a frustrating one - those who managed to capture a living specimen reported that the beast would quickly starve without a steady supply of massive amounts of grass and leaves; those who followed herds of gungnirs in their natural habitat froze to death or were devoured by saberwargs.
Gungnir herds are led by females who can be centuries old, and over nine tons in weight, far too large for virtually every predator to kill. Calves are guarded fiercely, but if one does get lost in a snow storm, saberwargs or a scimithere will take the opportunity.
Hunting gungnirs is not advised for anyone. Their meat is tough, there is no ivory, and the risk is as enormous as the creature itself. That being said, its white wool and black leather are alluring to the greedy and the desperate. Whole fortresses were founded for the sole purpose of obtaining priceless gungnir wool, yet not a single one of them stands to this day.
-Boreox (Titanobubalus hyperboreanensis)
Similarly to the gungnir, the boreox is a creture of gigantic proportions native to tundras and glaciers where food and water are too scarce to sustain herds of colossal herbivores. Resembling a cross between a musk ox and a savage wild aurochs, these beasts reach well over seven tons in weight and are covered in a thick layer of shaggy white hair that is often encrusted in ice. Boreoxen, even completely buried under snow and frost, remain warm thanks to this wool.
Boreoxen from glaciers, just like gungnirs, should not be able to feed themselves, yet somehow they do. They are not picky eaters, willing to scrape crust-like lichens off rocks and chew on branches if nothing else is available. Only calves are targetted by predators as even a gigantic scimithere can easily be crushed under the split hoof of a boreox, and the mere sight of its horns pours dread into the hearts of the most ferocious creatures.
Simillarity to mundane cattle is obvious with boreoxen, and thus many tried to breed them for their wool, milk and meat. The problem arose when those ranchers discovered that a boreox is sexually mature only after ten years, and the size of the pasture required to keep it well fed is ridiculously large for anyone but the wealthiest land owners. Hunting boreoxen may be even more dangerous than hunting gungnirs, as the bovine monsters are faster, though not as aggressive. Their meat resembles beef in flavor, but slightly gamey and tougher. While their horns are not as sought-after as elephant ivory or unicorn horn, they are still good for various crafts due to their hardness and toughness.
*The remaining entries are badly smudged and unreadable, save from the names of the creatures. Perhaps you should contact the publisher and hope it will be corrected in the next edition.*
-Scimithere (Smilotherium robustus)
-Saberwarg (Fenrir theophagus)
-Volsung (Cryopithecus volsung)
-Brown flederhound (Vesperticyon langstromi)
-Black flederhound (Vesperticyon ursinus)
-White flederhound (Vesperticyon shikaka)
-Vampire flederhound (Vesperticyon nosferatu)
-Nosferhound (Vesperticyon primordialis)
-Bonecracker (Osteophagus morbosus)
-Crag dog (Canis petrus)
-Dire hog (Echinochoerus armatus)
-Winged buffalo (Bison volans)
-Flying monkey (Pteropithecus baumi)
-Assicorn (Equus monoceronus)
-Bicorn (Daemonhippus androphagus)
-Saintelope (Antilope beata)
*Not a single entry in this chapter is readable.*
-Yatagarasu (Heliocorvus amaterasu)
-Yatagacho (Tripedanser niger)
-Maned saurofowl (Sauravis leocephalus)
-Woolly saurofowl (Sauravis borealis)
-Vulturine saurofowl (Sauronumida vulturina)
-Aquila (Pneumaquila edenensis)
-Firebill gorb (Pithecorhamphus imperator)
-Long-winged gorb (Pithecorhamphus hylobatomorphus)
-Bald-headed gorb (Pithecorhamphus calvus)
-Fungorb (Avidrunia spelaea)
-Great owlbear (Strigarctos mordenkaineni)
-Snowy owlbear (Strigarctos elminsteri)
-Sand owlbear (Strigarctos melfi)
-Hawkbear (Accipitherium Bigbyi)
-Jian (Jian jian)
-Cowry swallow (Cyprahirundo kaguyai)
*Nothing beyond the names of the animals is actually written. How was this book even published? Was there no quality control at all?*
-Koi dragon (Cyprinodraco koi)
-Dragon horse (Draconequus bailongma)
-Tree wyvern (Sauropteryx arboreus)
-Red-breasted wyvern (Sauropteryx minor)
-Scaleless wyvern (Pisciovorax natans)
-Venomous wyvern (Skorpiosaurus fatalis)
-Giant wyvern (Viverna viverna)
-Jabberwock (Dinodraco vorpalis)
-Blind wyvern (Daemogorgon caecus)
-Foul wyvern (Cryptoviverna horrida)
-Fairy wyvern (Dracocolumba fabulosa)
*There is nothing here. Go refund this book already.*
-Kabutomushi (Allomyrina gigantea)
-Kuwagata (Lucanus colossus)
*Sorry, nothing.*
-Weaver ettercap (Anthroparaneus faber)
-Cave ettercap (Anthroparaneus albus)
-Hairy ettercap (Therantula endasa)
-Assassin ettercap (Jorogumo monstrosa)
-Umber ettercap (Gigaraneus titanis)
-Milk spider (Tauroaranea alba)
*Sorry, nothing.*
-Rokubi
-Samedine
*Sorry, nothing.*
-Jeweled loong (Shenlong viridolapilus)
-Fire wyvern (Viverna phlogistovera)
-Gorb kong (Pithecorhamphus kong)
*Sorry, nothing.*
-Kagusagi (Lepanthropus kaguyai)
-Tsuki-oni
-Giant angora rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus colossus)
-Pot-bellied pig (Sus scrofa domesticus)
-Silver fox (Vulpes vulpes)
-Silver shisa (Leocyon okinawanaensis)
-Moon crow (Heliocorvus selenus)
Excited yet? Then why not...
It's mostly simple stuff, but I like it that way.
I will continue working on this mod depending on inspiration and will to work, both of which come and go as they please. Meanwhile, I'd appreciate feedback and maybe suggestions.
Author
Topic: SQ Miscstuff! 1.2.1 - The crane/katana problem update (Read 2991 times)