Clay Golem
Construct
Subject Matter

BIOLOGY

Physiology

The body of a Clay Golem is created from shaped clay that has been given life via infusion with magical energies and given direction and purpose by magical runes inscribed upon its body. Usually they will appear as a feminine figure with physical characteristics and designs determined by the artistic sense of their creator, though Clay Golems have somewhat more freedom in manifestation than similar golems, and thus usually have less detailed designs built into them. The clay that makes up their body is eternally pliable and able to shift into various shapes and forms depending on the runes' directives and paradigms. These runes are usually yellow for Clay Golems, but rarely may appear in other shades. They will often have eyes that glow the same style of yellow - magical ports in order to grant the being of clay a sense of sight. Unless independent, they will have a glowing yellow seal on their forehead that indicates their master and, most often, creator. The placement of runes across their body, as well as the language of said runes, depends on the Golem as well as the creator - Golems made by the same creator will often have runes in similar places. Being fluid, they can regenerate most damages, even ones that have been separated from their body as long as the runes are intact, but if heated up massively by flames, they will become brittle and solid, and capable of being destroyed.

Intelligence

Like all Golems, the intelligence of a Clay Golem is entirely dependant on the depth of the runescribing that motivates its being, and they can range from being relatively simple to being somewhat skilled in the realm of whatever tasks given to them. They are completely motivated to serve whatever purpose is given to them and will do so without protest or absence of enthusiasm, and as such they are useful servants indeed. Oftentimes, they are given simple tasks such as guarding, helping build, or attacking enemies. If a Golem is independent, its runes will evolve independently based off its experiences, and as such will grow more powerful and intelligent over time. This is often feared by Monsters with the potential to create Golems, out of worry an independent Golem may surpass them and take their empire from them.

Diet

Golems are completely needless, and the Clay Golem is no exception.

Habitat

Clay Golems do not have a habitat per se as they are constructs created entirely to serve the ends of their masters, but are less useful in dry regions due to the risk of them drying and becoming less useful over time. They are most often found in areas rich with earthen clay, but can also be created from clay substitutes and can be found in other regions as well, albeit at a lower rate.

Reproduction

Clay Golems are created by Monsters skilled in artifice, the magic of creating arcane artifacts. By gathering the necessary amount of clay and runescribing the necessary runes, a clay golem can be given life to serve its creator. The process is involved as the runescribing determines the directives and goals of the Golem in question and which master it answers to. Creation of Clay Golems is easier than many other forms of Golem as one does not need to shape the body before manifestation, due to the fluid and protean nature of the Monster.

SOCIOLOGY

Community

Golems lack a true sense of community, and instead are determined entirely by who and what they serve. The art of Golem creation dates back to before the Moonstrike, and as a result the precise nature of which Monsters created the system is unknown, but these days the most skilled creators of Golems are Cyclopes and Gremlins. As a result, while individual Golems of many types can be found in the service of learned Monsters across the globe, only these two races have societies which can field entire armies of Golems or use them to construct vast monuments or weapons of war. Otherwise, Golems can be found in the service of all sorts of monsters so long as they have the necessary skill and knowledge, especially in the case of Clay and Stone Golems due to the ubiquity of the resources used to create them.

Technology

While Golems can be programmed to utilize any weapon or knowledge, there exists no universal Golem culture, and as a result they do not have any essential technological overview, as in many ways they are technology themselves.

Theology

Golems traditionally lack the ability to truly worship anything, though they may be inscribed with prayers to Mon and other Monster deities. Independent Golems may end up coming to worship Mon or another Monster deity in time.

Diplomacy

Golems traditionally are not programmed for something as delicate as diplomacy, though independent Golems are known to be shrewd manipulators and conversationalists.

Hostility

The hostility of an individual Golem is determined entirely by its programming and who it serves. Independent Golems are often annoyingly unclear about whether they want to kill you or not, befitting their scheming nature.

HUNTING

Range

Overall, due to their status as tools that can be used by almost any Monster Lord so long as they or their followers have the necessary talents, a range list for Clay Golems cannot be accurately provided.

Magic

While Golems cannot use Magic themselves, they are inherently magical beings heavily tied to the arcane arts. Physical weapons cannot disrupt the runes of a Golem even if the area where the rune is inscribed is struck, while enchanted weapons can completely sever Rune lines, inducing rapid malfunctions in the Golem in question. This is the most common source of Independent golems, resulting from a strike to the forehead. When it comes to Clay Golems, their unique magical ability compared to other Golems is the protean aspect of their body, allowing them to shift and transform in various ways depending on how they are programmed.

Combat

The overall course a Golem will take in combat is dependent on her programming and as such cannot be easily predicted, but depending on the type of Golem certain trends can be expected. In the case of Clay Golems, expect to face a relentlessly enemy that can shift to multiple forms for battle, and relies on how easily it can regenerate damage to avoid any sort of fear or restraint in battle. Golems will sometimes be programmed with the potential to retreat, but other times they will not. It is overall unpredictable.

Strengths

Protean nature makes her exceptionally hard to damage, and she lacks the cumbersome movement of her sister the Stone Golem. Runescribing may create exceptional combat units with access to a variety of weapons and tactics, and ability to re-attach severed body parts makes it so that the only option in battle is to cut her into several pieces unless you have access to fire or enchanted weapons.

Weaknesses

Considerable weakness to flame makes her easily dealt with by mages with access to fire magic. Enchanted weapons can rapidly sever her runes due to ease of cutting her body comparatively with her sisters. Unable to access magic even if independent and intelligent, and is unable to make cutting weapons due to the material she is crafted from.

Final Summary

As the overall course a Golem will take in battle is unpredictable, one should take to heart the few certain approaches to dealing with a specific Golem type. In the case of Clay Golems, fire is useful in drying her out to make her brittle and easily destroyed, and enchanted weapons are even more useful than average against Golems due to the lower resitance of her body against physical attacks.

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Flame Imp
True Demon
Hellions

BIOLOGY

Physiology

Flame Imps appear as short, fittingly impish humanoids with pink-red skin that constantly lets off heat, creating steam that rises from their body. Their eyes are yellow with black sclera and have horizontal pupils like that of a goat, while their teeth are pointed and sharp, with four prominent canines that are even longer and pointier than the rest of their teeth. Their tongues are blue and the back of their throat constantly glows a burning orange shade. Small horns emerge from their forehead, nubby and covered by their skin, and similar, but longer horns can be found on their shoulders and thighs. They only have four fingers on each hand, and their nails are pointy and black. They have two toes on each foot and have an overall inhuman look to said feet. They are rather thin and wiry, and overall can even look somewhat gaunt. Their internal organs are filled with fire and their blood literally boils, creating a hellish heat that surrounds an Imp at all times. Their bodies are nearly completely resistant to all sources of heat, and the heat they generate makes it so that not even cold regions are particularly hostile to them. Being that they produce such an intense heat, though do not sweat in the traditional sense, as it immediately is transformed into steam by the heat that surrounds the Imp. Imp blood will maintain an intense temperature for some time even after being shed, often leading to severe burns when facing an Imp without knowing of the intensity of their internal and external heat.

Intelligence

Flame Imps are fairly intelligent and crafty, and possess an intense sense of sadism and cruelty. They enjoy catching humans in traps or deceiving them with nasty tricks, and often act with the interest of causing as much pain and anguish as possible when encountering humans. Captured humans are likely to be savagely tortured or used as magical guinea pigs by Imps, regardless of age or gender. Despite their cruelty and tricky nature, they are not especially cowardly and will more likely retreat out of genuine tactical sense rather than fear. Their main weakness in intelligence is their tendency to bicker amongst each other, often ending up fighting over banal things like who gets the last piece of meat or whether they can go and torture a captive right after they just finished. They are prone to entering arguments even in the heat of battle, often leaving them vulnerable. They appear to have an instinctive response to other True Demons of greater power than them, becoming submissive and completely loyal to them, and as such a strong leader can mostly neutralize their bickering - though not completely.

Diet

Imps are strictly carnivorous and prefer the flesh of humans before anything else, though they can and will consume the flesh of simple animals - they'll just be grumpy about it. The inside of their mouth often rapidly cooks anything they eat, which alongside their intense body temperature in general largely eliminates almost any pathogen carried on food they consume. They enjoy salting meat considerably, helped by how due to their status as torture fanatics they often have lots of salt on hand.

Habitat

While Imps can be found in the service of Demon Lords across the globe, their primary natural habitat is the region of the Nether known as Hell, a massive unearthly burning firepit ruled over by True Demons. The region is completely thick with Imps due to their method of reproduction and as a result human forays into Hell have often had to deal with hundreds of Imps no matter how stealthy they try to be. Outside Hell, independent Imps are most likely to be found in especially hot areas, such as volcanoes or deserts.

Reproduction

Flame Imps do not reproduce in a traditional sense, and instead come into being as a result of one of the many embers of Hellfire in the depths of Hell cool down, turning into a large egg from which an Imp, fully grown, will hatch from in time. Because of this, they do not exactly understand the concept of family, though are all too aware of what doing horrible things to the family of human will provoke in response - suffering and anguish. Because of this fact, combined with how remote and heavily fortified their home region is from Human lands, it's unlikely that the existence of Flame Imps will be put to an end any time soon.

SOCIOLOGY

Community

Imps are almost unable to form genuine communities of their own due to their tendency to bicker and infight, though they can work together on the short term. However, their instinctual loyalty to stronger True Demons makes it so they are a hallmark of almost any Demonic force, both in Hell and on the surface. They often provide the rank and file soldiers of a Demonic army, fulfilling the role Goblins often play in the armies of other Monster Lords. They can also be found in considerable, though not quite as large, numbers in the forces of Monster Lords skilled with diabolic magic, allowing them to summon Imps from Hell and bind them to their services.

Technology

Imps don't exactly have the patience for active technological development, but they have obtained the knowledge of metalsmithing over time owing to the hellish environment they are born in and their own production of unbearable heat. They often cover themselves with metal chains, shackles, and simplistic metal plates here and there, and produce weapons such as daggers, axes, and of course, the iconic Imp trident. They also have some exceptional skill in coming up with and creating torture implements and traps, suggesting that had their personalities not been made so savage that they could have been skilled inventors.

Theology

As is the case with all True Demons, Imps are devout worshipers of Mon and spare no thought on other objects of worship. They most often supply worship towards the Demon God through sacrifices of humans and crusades against the surface in service of their masters. The traditional pitchfork that Imps often wield as a weapon is actually a sign of faith, as the actual fork at the top is based off the symbol of Mon and thus all Monsters.

Diplomacy

Imps, befitting their cruel and mean personalities, are terrible at diplomacy and never engage in it independently, and it's unlikely any Demon Lord that's come to lead a group of Imps will use them for such purposes either. All in all, an Imp diplomat is more likely to escalate tensions rather than de-escalate.

Hostility

Imps are extremely hostile towards humans and will attack them without any provocation, usually with the intent of inflicting a horrible fate of some kind on them. Their attitudes towards other Monsters is generally less hostile, but they can still end up attacking them if they feel provoked or just end up wanting to, and this is more likely against less devout Monsters such as Beasts. They will never be hostile to other True Demons unless they are in service of a Demon Lord who is enemies with another faction of True Demons.

HUNTING

Range

Imps only have a natural range inside of Hell, and their appearances in other regions of either the Nether or the Known World is limited, though exploratory reports indicate they are somewhat common in the great western desert of the New World - but as with all information on the New World, this is uncertain and only included for posterity. In general, it is likely they are present in the range of other, stronger True Demons.

Magic

Flame Imps have a respectable natural affinity for Fire Magic and can use it to propel orbs of flames at enemies and heat their weapons even further than the heat the mere proximity induces in the weapon. Some stronger Imps are able to access more advanced Fire Magic attacks such as flaming weapons or a fire shield, but this is uncommon. Flame Imps have little patience to become Sorcerers, but there have been a few historic exceptions.

Combat

When a Flame Imp enters battle, she will often be relentless in her attacks, often at great risk to herself, both due to her savage and bloodthirsty nature and how her heat aura and boiling blood make it somewhat safer to follow a berserker-like style of combat. If she is skilled with her own personal magic enough, she will often hang back and fling fireballs at her enemy rather than attack directly. Due to the tendency for them to show up as simple attacks in popular stories, I caution you to take care when facing an Imp with this capability - Fireballs are not simple or insignificant, and they can induce horrible long-term burns. She will often aim as well to induce great pain in her enemy by heating her weapons or attacking especially vulnerable parts of the enemy.

Strengths

An intense heat aura makes it difficult for the average human to safely fight a Flame Imp, and her cunning and cruel mind means she'll always look for the best ways to induce battle-ending damage and pain. Her skill with magic often lets her take the role of both a long range and close range fighter, and her heated weapons are painful and exceptionally dangerous.

Weaknesses

A combination of not wearing much compared to similar enemies such as Goblins and a distinct sense of bloodlust makes it more likely she will take a fatal wound in battle. Arguments with fellow Imps will often leave her distracted enough for her enemy to attack with initiative, which can in turn scatter her entire party.

Final Summary

When facing a Flame Imp, make sure to wear flame protective oils and avoid spending too much time in her aura to avoid fatigue. Defense is essential due to the likelihood a single good hit from her heated weapons can end an encounter, and one should always pay attention towards fireballs in flight so as to avoid being hit. If possible, try and further heat up any arguments an Imp is having, as she is unlikely to realize you're doing this to sabotage her.

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Mantrap
Dryad
Lover's Bane

BIOLOGY

Physiology

The Mantrap is quite a unique Monster when it comes to bodily manifestation, and for the sake of simplicity and relevance to a Hunter's efforts I will describe it from the top down rather than fussing about which sections are the most "essential." The topmost part of the Mantrap's form is its decoy body, which looks like that of an attractive human woman, the characteristics of which are usually dependent on the region - though this is not a guarantee it will match the appearance of a woman from a given culture. The lure is not truly intelligent, but can be controlled by the Mantrap to strike alluring poses or beckon humans to it. The lure has no teeth or nails, and as such it often never opens its mouth to avoid giving away the ruse. It also has no lower body, which is disguised by the fog the lower flower generates. Below the lure is the flower, which has bright pink petals above dark green, pointed, jaw-like leaves. There is a pit of yellow tendrils at the center of the blossom, from which the lure emerges. This pit produces a fog that makes it easier to obscure the rest of the Mantrap's form from unlucky victims. The tendrils will grab any human that approaches the lure close enough, and drag them below, as the petals and leaves snap shut to prevent escape. Below is a an organic, dark green chamber that hosts the real central body of the Mantrap - a creepy, gaunt female humanoid with dark green skin and extremely long arms ending in blade-like fingers, with a mouth that extends in an ear to ear smile dripping with yellow slime, and bright yellow eyes. She has hair made up of yellow petals similar to those on the upper flower, and the sides of her body are overall veiny and frilled like leaves. The inside of this chamber produces an extremely acidic vapor that will slowly melt the clothing and flesh of her victim, allowing her to easily tear into their body with her hands to feast.

Intelligence

Mantraps are not exactly intelligent, as one might expect from a simple trap predator. They cannot speak and their ability to imitate a human is extremely limited, and oftentimes odd behavior on the part of their lure will give away their nature. This contributes to the ease of collecting them for use in dungeons by other Monsters, as they are unlikely to rebel or act against their interests due to their status as effectively a simple animal.

Diet

Mantraps are carnivorous Dryads who primarily feed on humans, though they will also devour any other animal unlucky enough to walk up to their lure - though this is rare, as animals have keener instincts towards their true natures, with dogs furiously barking at them in particular. Mantraps can survive for months off the flesh of a simple human, and as a result it is difficult to starve them out.

Habitat

Mantraps can be found primarily in jungles across the Known World, particularly in Nadia and the inner regions of Kosos, and as such they're rather rare and unheard of in the western regions of the world - often leading to disastrous results when westerners decide to march towards Nadia. They are very common in their habitats, to the point several of their lures can often be found inhabiting the same area. For a person with common sense, this is a warning sign, but for somebody that thinks with their loins it makes them even more vulnerable to the trap.

Reproduction

Mantraps reproduce like most Dryads via seeds, though the fact that they are immobile makes it somewhat difficult, especially due to the size of the seeds making it unlikely birds will swoop down and eat them. They get past this issue by using their leaves as a sort of catapult - rocketing a single leave upwards like they do with all their leaves when they catch their prey, sending the gathered seeds flying. Nonetheless, this is a limited strategy and contributes to why they are often found in close clusters.

SOCIOLOGY

Community

Being simple predators, Mantraps have no genuine sense of community, but they do find use by the Monsters of their region as useful traps to defend their lairs with. In Nadia in particular, it is not uncommon for Rakshasa monster lords to have entire gardens of beautiful flowers with a Mantrap or two among them. Mantraps will essentially never protest this arrangement due to their simple minds and how they often end up fed.

Technology

Mantraps completely lack any potential for technological development, though one could argue their mere existence is an example of evolutionary technology at its best.

Theology

Mantraps completely lack the potential for religion, being simple predators.

Diplomacy

Mantraps are hardly even sentient and thus are not able to engage in diplomacy.

Hostility

Mantraps are extremely hostile to humans by default, as humans are their primary source of prey.  They are unlikely to trap other monsters, though Vanara are sometimes consumed due to Mantraps mistaking them for humans. Simple minded monsters also often end up prey to Mantraps, due to attempting to attack the lure.

HUNTING

Range

Mantraps are most common in Nadia's jungles, but can also be found in the jungles of inner Kosos and Yuaja. Despite the heavily jungled environments of the southern New World, no reports have been obtained of their presence, making it likely they are limited to the Known World.

Magic

Mantraps are wholly biological monsters and lack any magic.

Combat

The Mantrap when faced with a human which knows her nature will most often simply close herself in her leaves, hoping the enemy will leave rather than bother trying to open them. If an enemy manages to open the leaves however, she will attempt to grab them with her tendrils and drag them into her feeding cave in a last ditch attempt.

Strengths

Her lure makes her a danger to the naive and smitten, and the extremely moist environment she dwells within makes her less likely to catch fire than other Dryads. Strong leaves make her difficult to pry open and attack, as well as great at trapping victims. Difficult to actually kill the creature without suffering a potential death inside her cage.

Weaknesses

Low intelligence makes it especially easy to fool, and it has few actual responses to active hostility. Inner cage is soft and vulnerable to bombs.

Final Summary

When facing a Mantrap, the best approach is simply to throw a bomb at her from a distance, and expect her to instinctively drag the bomb into her cage. Actually directly attacking the creature is more likely to result in casualties. If you are lacking for bombs, simply walling her off can serve much the same approach, as she is completely immobile.

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Shade
Elemental
Night Terror

BIOLOGY

Physiology

The Shade takes the form of a sinister humanoid seemingly made out of billowing darkness, with a gaunt feminine body that constasntly trails off wispy smoky clouds of shadow. In particular, its hair is made entirely from wispy shadows rather than a physical substance, showing the Monster's unearthly nature. Its fingers are long and pointed, functioning similarly to blades. Its eyes and mouth both glow an unearthly orange color, and she completely lacks any pupils. The Monster is only vaguely solid and unenchanted weapons will pass straight through it just as often as they manage to actually hit it, and its body can completely transform into a shadow on the floor when necessary, though it cannot physically interact with objects in this state. Bright lights badly disrupt its body and can even kill it.

Intelligence

The Shade is not quite intelligent, but not exactly unintelligent either. It attacks enemies on pure instict, relentlessly pursuing them despite it having no real way to benefit from this, but also is skilled with tricks, such as hiding in the darkness to avoid detection and even calling out to its victims in a soft voice, or screaming like a frightened child in order to lure them closer. However, it lacks a real survival instinct except when it comes to light, and will continue to fight even when it is losing a battle so long as no light is involved.  It shows extreme panic towards light sources and will flee from bright lights.

Diet

The Shade, being an Elemental, lacks a traditional diet, and is instead sustained by darkness - when in darkness, it cannot starve, but when in low light it loses the ability to gain sustenance from darkness. As such, it is nocturnal due to how even on cloudy days there is light aplenty.

Habitat

Shades are most often found in dark places, and thus are most common in caves and the Nether, though they do sometimes make their home in woodlands and rainforests due to the abundance of shadow underneath tree canopies. It will almost never be found in places that are bright more often than they're dark, such as deserts and coasts. They also often inhabit ruined castles, dungeons, and ghost towns.

Reproduction

Shades do not reproduce in the traditional sense, being an Elemental, and instead manifest seemingly from pitch darkness at a rate that is difficult to quantify. They most often manifest from true darkness, that being the inside of caves or abandoned buildings, rather than at night. Rarely, they've even manifested in unused basements in villages, often leading to disaster.

SOCIOLOGY

Community

Shades lack a traditional sense of community on their own due to being Elementals, and instead are solitary beings which attack humans for seemingly no reason. However, also because they are an Elemental, they are easy for other Monsters skilled with magic - in this case shadow magic - to create from darkness or bind existing specimens, and are a standard element of Monster forces headed by skilled Umbramancers.

Technology

Being Elementals, Shades have no sense of technology.

Theology

Being Elementals, Shades have no sense of religion.

Diplomacy

Being Elementals, Shades do not participate in diplomacy, though they're at least skilled with tricking humans by mimicking phrases.

Hostility

Shades are extremely hostile to humans, especially humans carrying torches or lanterns, and will hunt down and attack them without hesitation, adding to the difficulty of traveling at night or exploring caves. They are usually not hostile to Monsters, but if a Monster is carrying a bright light in their territory they will attack it all the same.

HUNTING

Range

Shades can be found the entire world over due to the nature of their manifestation.

Magic

Shades, like all Elementals, are purely magical entities, being formed from magically animated living darkness. They have no innate access to magic however, instead being limited to their natural powers and weapons. Because of their magical and semi-ethereal nature, mundane weapons and attacks are unlikely to harm them, while enchanted weapons will deal damage no matter what. In great darkness, they will slowly regenerate wounds due to their magical nature. They are extremely vulnerable to Light magic.

Combat

In combat, a Shade will always try to stick to the shadows, waiting for her best chance to attack her enemy. She will often attempt to lure people out with phrases or frighten them with shrieks, and when she gets the chance to attack she will swiftly strike with her claws, often dealing heavy damage even to humans wearing armor. When a battle is turning against her favor, she will often turn into a shadow on the ground to scurry away to safety.

Strengths

Ethereal nature makes it difficult for the average hunting part to hurt her. Strong claws can tear through armor, and she can escape most damage by becoming a shadow and fleeing. In shadow form, she can get through most nooks and crannies, making it difficult to seal her out of an area. Slowly regenerates wounds when in darkness.

Weaknesses

Lack of a survival instinct makes it likely she will die in any encounter with prepared Hunters. Extreme weakness to light makes her trivial in brightly lit areas and when facing a Luxomancer. As with all ethereal monsters, enchanted weapons nullify one of its greatest strengths.

Final Summary

When faced with a Shade, one should always keep in mind her weaknesses. If possible, use flash-powder to instantly destroy her, and in the case you have enchanted weapons, make sure to bring them. If neither are available, controlling the battlefield and making sure not to lose cohesion is essential - if necessary start a bonfire as she is unlikely to attack. If you are unable to face her and are outside a cave, create a bright bonfire and keep a vigil until daytime, when you'll be safe to flee.

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Goblin
Ogre
The Usual Suspects

BIOLOGY

Physiology

It's highly likely any readers will already know what a Goblin looks like, but for the sake of posterity and the rare exceptions in regions such as Yantaro I will describe all the same. Goblins appear as green-skinned women with prominent pointy ears, slit eyes with red sclera, sharp teeth and pointed tongues, and black hair. Despite popular reputation, they are not especially short or small, and don't have prominent noses. It's likely that the reputation of being small evolved due to their tendency to fight alongside their magically modified sisters - the Orcs - whose height is so stark most Monsters look short compared to them. The nose issue seems to be more cultural, and might have stemmed from exagerrated depictions in historical records and stained glass. They are not exactly gaunt, but don't look like the picture of modern fitness either. Their toxic blood is a purplish red shade, almost being closer to wine in appearance than traditional humanoid blood, a trait shared with fellow "greenskin" ogres.

Intelligence

Goblins are deviously intelligent and "civilized," though their savage and cruel natures may make it easy for people to assume otherwise. In addition to their tendency to form outright societies and settlements, they are skilled enough to maintain battle tactics, set up traps, and plan war on a strategic scale. However, all of this is somewhat hampered by their cruel and craven nature, and they generally prefer trickery and deceit via ambushes and traps to outright warrings, unless they're sure they can actually win said war. As such, they have a reputation for starting bandit societies more often than starting notable monster societies. All in all, Goblins are exceptionally intelligent for a Monster, especially such a common one, but are limited by their cowardly and foul temperament.

Diet

Goblins are omnivorous, which contributes heavily to their omnipresence, as they san survive in essentially any area that humans can. They often have a preference for meat, but are just fine eating crop, and thus can survive in areas where hunting is less necessary, though they generally prefer to hunt because of theuir savage personalities. Despite common reputation, they cook their meat rather than eating it raw, as they are as vulnerable to food-borne diseases as humans.

Habitat

Goblins can be found all across the world, so they have no exact habitat, much like you wouldn't describe humans as having a specific habitat. That being said, they have keener nightvision than humans, so they're overall more common in the Nether than human settlements are. Because of their lack of active offensive abilities, they will always settle close to readily available resources such as metal for smithing, wood for building, and human settlements to steal from. Goblins are also prone to taking over castles and other ruins when they can, as it makes it less work to set a hold on a given area.

Reproduction

Goblins reproduce by mating with fellow goblins, and overall there is little special about the course of their reproduction, aside from how twins are most common, triplets are uncommon, and single children are exceptionally rare. Goblins often mate multiple times in their life, contributing to their rapid rate of replenishment.

SOCIOLOGY

Community

Goblins are wholly communal monsters, never will you see a Goblin that lives by herself by choice. Because of their rate of reproduction plus their intelligence, they often form societies - most often in the form of bandit clans - which harry and harass nearby human settlements. Rarely, Goblins will become common and dangerous enough they can form genuine bandit kingdoms on their own. However, the most common role Goblins play is as a servant of stronger Monsters, as they are easily swayed into siding with Monster Lords with either promises of power and riches or a display of fear-inducing power. Almost any traditional Monster Lord will have entire bands of Goblins to serve them as foot soldiers, though Necromancers, Diabolists, and region-specific Monster Lords are likely to use a different, more fitting form of servant.

Technology

Goblins are fittingly advanced for a Monster of their intelligence, having general knowledge of architecture, smithing, simple engineering, agriculture, leatherworking, and fletching. While they prefer to take over ruins to become their fortresses, this is only for convenience, and they are wholly able to build their own holdings and fortresses. They even have general knowledge of how to safely build tunnels and structures in the Nether, a rarity for humans and even many land dwelling Monsters. They have also learned how to domesticate the Warg, a savage form of wolf from Orobas, and almost all Wargs in the Known World are handled by Goblins as a result. Due to their great size and strength, Wargs are often used as a mount for Goblins, while their pups are used the same way human civilizations would use attack dogs.

Theology

Goblins have long evolved socially from their past as tribal civilizations, but their roots in a tribal society remain to this day in the form of their religious caste, which relies on shamans and soothsayers to divine the will of Mon, their chief goddess, and the other Monster Deities, as their religion takes a polytheistic form that seats Mon as the head of the Monster Deities and the rest as less members of the pantheon. This allows them to mesh well with fellow Monsters when it comes to matters of religion without abandoning their devotion to Mon. Different Goblin cultures may put extra emphasis on another Monster Deity in addition to Mon, often informing their sense of aesthetics and what Monsters they end up allying with.

Diplomacy

Goblins are quite intelligent, so they are able to perform diplomacy between themselves and fellow Monsters. They are quite discordant however, and different goblin civilizations are likely to war with each other rather than forge alliances unless a powerful Monster Lord is uniting the disparate clans. Civil wars are common among Goblins as they are power hungry by nature, and oftentimes a large Goblin civilization will fall apart into multiple lesser civilizations due to conflicts of interest. As such, only under the guidance of a Monster Lord can Goblins truly thrive as foot soldiers and conquerors. When it comes to diplomacy with humans, it's theoretically possible, but Goblins will always use it to exploit human settlements for resources, and when they feel they are not getting enough, they'll most likely go back on the deal and attack anyway.

Hostility

Goblins have a reputation for violence and murder, and they've certainly earned it. Exceptionally hostile, they will attempt to thieve and kill humans they encounter and generally are always looking for another chance to pillage and plunder. They are slightly less hostile to intelligent Monsters, but will still attack them if they feel they are likely to win, and are just generally hostile to unintelligent monsters unless the existence of said monsters is useful to them.

HUNTING

Range

Goblins can be found throughout the majority of the Known World, though they are less common in certain regions such as Nadia and Yantaro, which have Vanara and Kappa to fill similar roles respectively. They are also extremely common in the upper layers of the Nether, due to their nightvision and skill settling it - though they generally become uncommon in deeper and more intense regions.

Magic

Goblins have neither innate access to magic or great ease learning it, but Goblin mages still exist, being somewhat rare but still regular in their forces, akin to the status of Mages among humans. Goblin sorcerers exist, but are somewhat rare, and are usually of the Shaman caste. Goblins prefer more destructive forms of magic while sorcerers are more likely to learn arts such as necromancy.

Combat

In general, when in combat a Goblin will attack in much the same ways a human will, with her strategy depending on her weapons and personality. The best I can offer you is that Goblins aren't to be underestimated and to watch out for tricks - and be careful, they hardly ever fight alone.

Strengths

Deceitful nature leads them to succeed against naive enemies, toxic blood can cause infections if it ends up in the wound of a human

Weaknesses

Somewhat cowardly.

Final Summary

Goblins are an overall threat to humans, and when faced in combat one should think in terms of how one would fight a human. When it comes to dealing with Goblin civilizations, one should collaborate with local military and prepare for a drawn out fight that may last months to years.

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Webspinner Spider
Vermin
Chains of Silk

BIOLOGY

Physiology

The Webspinner spider appears as a very light browned skinned woman with darker brown bands along her arms and waist, and long twisting brown markings on her back. Her hair is fluffy and white, and her eyes are bright yellow with black sclera. The inside of her mouth has two prominent fangs and she lacks a traditional tongue, instead having a strange, long purple proboscis that appears similarly to a tongue. Her lower body is similar to that of a tarantula spider's, with eight legs and bright white fur with black ring markings on the legs and abdomen. Small black spinnerets can be found at the end of the abdomen, from which the spider produces its potent webbing, and a pair of pedipalps just below the waist end in black, three-fingered claws. Her fangs contain a deadly acidic venom that can rapidly melt organic tissue, while her web is stronger than steel and extremely sticky, being almost impossible to escape from once one is trapped inside it. However, it is exceptionally flammable and can be parted with even simple torches. It will decay over time if placed in water.

Intelligence

Webspinner Spiders are lacking in intelligence, behaving as a simple predator animal slaved to its instincts, knowing how to fight enemies and set up their nests and not much else, though they are at least wise enough to flee when losing a battle or if their webs catch on fire..

Diet

Webspinner Spiders are carnivorous and catch animals, humans, and even other monsters in their webs, which they then trap in a complete wrapping of spiderwebs, using their fangs to pierce their body and begin melting them down into a liquified form for ease of consumption with their proboscis. The creature's size does not matter, it will meet the same fate once it is trapped in a web, though luckily it will only feed on a single victim at a time, meaning captives may have time to be rescued - however they just as often end up starving in the webs.

Habitat

Webspinner spiders exclusively live inside caves and more rarely abandoned buildings, as they are usually the only areas which can support the massive webs they create. Oftentimes, the lair of a Webspinner will become completely infested with webs, making it difficult for anybody to safely travel through it, and the verticality of these webs allows the Webspinner to move with ease throughout their dwelling, while her enemies are far less lucky.

Reproduction

Webspinner spiders will attempt to attract a suitable mate by leaving victims to starve and eventually rot rather than melting them down. Once a mate is obtained, they will mate for life and often have many children, which will remain with their parents until they come of age, upon which they will leave to start their own nests.

SOCIOLOGY

Community

Aside from familial units, Webspinners have no real sense of community, being on the side of Monsters closer to feral animals than intelligent humanoids. They are sometimes domesticated for use by other Monsters however - it is not uncommon to see Nether-dwelling Goblins have a few Webspinners in their ranks, using their silk to create sturdy but light armor. Naturally, they can also be controlled by Monster druids with a specialty towards influencing the behavior of Vermin.

Technology

Being uncivilized predators, Webspinners lack any potential to develop technology, though the beautiful and complex structures of their webs and lairs does indicate a level of some instinctual form of technology to produce well-defended homes.

Theology

Webspinners lack any sense of religion due to being simple predators.

Diplomacy

Webspinners lack any sense of diplomacy due to being simple predators.

Hostility

Webspinners are extremely hostile to anything which enters their lairs, be it human, animal, or monster. Even domesticated ones must be handled with care, lest a Goblin attendant find themselves spider-food. However, being that they are trap predators, they will never seek out and attack communities, making them somewhat less dangerous than many other Monsters.

HUNTING

Range

Webspinner Spiders can be found worldwide, but only in cave systems, abandoned buildings, and the Nether, making it easy to guess where one may be at risk of encountering them.

Magic

Webspinners lack any magic potential due to being simple predators.

Combat

In battle, a Webspinner will attempt to make sure she is always facing her enemy within the comfort of her lair, and will generally attempt to web them up with a blast from her spinnerets, before wrapping and eventually feeding on them. If low on silk however, she will focus on striking the enemy with her strong legs or clawing at their vulnerable areas with her pedipalps, as well as biting at them if she senses a chance.

Strengths

Strong webs can bind even bodybuilders if they are not careful, while her venom is extremely lethal due to its acidic properties. Strong appendages on her lower body make her relatively able to engage in close combat without silk.

Weaknesses

Webs are extremely vulnerable to fire, meaning a few torches can take down a Webspinner's lair. Upper body is completely unprotected.

Final Summary

When facing a Webspinner Spider, try and burn out her webs if possible, and use long range weapons to avoid being crushed by her legs or bitten by her fangs in the aftermath. Try and hunt her down if she flees, as she'll only make a new web in the future, maintaining the danger she presents to humans. Always be wary of her offspring and mate if she has one. Pay attention and attempt to dodge when she raises her body and readies her abdomen to fire silk at you.