new astralbeasts

The new beasties from the portals-

a wretched damsel
Tatters of what was once a soft, silky dress lie in ragged strips upon the wretched form of this
damsel, and an elegant hat lies askew upon her listless head. Her skin is deathly pale, her eyes
black and surrounded by circles of livid discolouration. Her hands, thin and bony, are often held
against her cheeks, where she cries unending tears of blood. An extremely unhappy air surrounds the
young woman, almost visible as a miasma of darkness that trails from her dry, lanky hair. Her shape
holds the curves of her femininity, though she does not appear aware of it.

a colossal blistering scorpion
Amid a stream of clacking from its pedipalps, this colossal scorpion gazes about aggressively. Her
carapace is covered in a menacing pattern of yellow and red, suggestive of raging flames, especially
when the scorpion moves with sinuous motion. Arching high over her torso is a single menacing sting,
crimson in colour, with a tiny drop of scalping venom forming near the tip of the tail. She scuttles
this direction and that on many legs, surprisingly swift despite her frightening bulk.

a three-faced gorgon
An abominable fusion of reptile and human, the three-faced gorgon hovers in the air thanks to
tessellated wings that look like bone but are in fact solid quicksilver. Her serpentine lower half
slinks in coiled curves of dark green-black scales, muscled and strong enough to break backs if it
managed to wrap around a body. The gorgon's upper-half is vaguely humanoid, her skin textured with
dark scales that ripple to the clawed tips of her hands. Each of her three faces is beautiful to a
point, their mouths opening wide to reveal bronze fanged teeth and boar-like tusks that curl
wickedly. The crowning glory of this dark monstrosity is the writhing, hissing mass of snakes she
has for hair that drip poison from their mouths whilst snapping at any one who dares come close.
Though she possesses golden eyes, her gaze remains downcast.

an iron wool three-horned ram
The blazing blue eyes of the ram glow with horrific light as he tosses his head, showing off a
triplet of curving, ridged horns that originate from his upper scalp and spiral to point at his
upper back and his flaring nostrils on two sides. He is covered from head to tail with fluffy steel
wool of a deep cobalt hue, which rustles with every movement and easily sparks into arcs of blue
light that flash between regions on the ram's body, like a mini-lightning-storm. The ram's hooves
are made of stainless steel, and they strike the ground with sharp flairs of light as the creature
moves about, ever rustling.

a hulking abomination
The gigantic abomination looms over everything, growling and raging and standing sixteen feet tall
despite being at a half-crouch. He is covered from head to toe in shaggy crimson fur that is dirty
and matted. Curling horns peek out from his thick hair, which drapes over a pair of beady glowing
eyes. He holds a set of heavy red waraxes in his hands, swinging and slashing with them incessantly
as he gnashes his rows upon rows of sword-like teeth. His form drips clotting, deep red blood, which
keeps the fur close to his body. This fluid hits the ground with a sharp hiss and wisps of curling
steam.

a broken living amphora
Painted figures of Soulless Gods, awash in eyes and tentacles and streaks of unbearable void, adorn
the surface of this broken amphora. The rim of the container is jagged like a ring of teeth,
revealing a mixture of acidic blood at the surface and clear crystalline water below. Occasional
splashes of blood spill out from the cracks and openings, landing with hissing and bubbling upon the
ground. At the bottom of the amphora are three slender tentacles that spin at a rapid rate to keep
the container hovering; the tentacles drip with slime, sparking with yellow electricity.

a leering bakeneko
This creature superficially resembles a cat, a pure black cat of unnatural size and unusually long
limbs. Her ears are narrow and pointed, her eyes a bright, unblinking yellow that glows in darkness.
Her lips stretch wide from ear to ear, and rows of sharp gleaming teeth can be seen between them.
There is a hungry look that lingers upon her face. Smooth and luxurious, her fur drapes over her
body in soft ripples, covering the strangely bent and extremely narrow limbs upon which she tiptoes.
A long, winding tail twice the bakeneko's length snakes out behind her, writhing and twirling as if
it had a mind of its own.

a malevolent adjudicator
With purple wavy hair twisted into tight curls, this adjudicator looks on severely with a haughty
stance and lips pressed thinly together. His violet eyebrows are furrowed, giving his small, beady
eyes a look suggesting inner malevolence, which he confirms by issuing forth peals of cackling
laughter. Great billowing judge's robes cover his tall and thin frame, such that he looks like a
slender stick wrapped in cloth. From time to time, he lifts a tiny set of scales in one hand that he
rings with a golden stick in his other hand, as if the scales were a set of bells.

a nine-armed crabstrosity
Part crab, part goat and part nightmare, the crabstrosity scuttles upon six spindly goat-like legs
extending out from his large, brown-coloured shell. Two horns extend from just above his beady eyes
and his nine enormous pincers, which are bright red and lined with goat teeth. The pincers click
erratically, surrounding the creature with a cacophony of noise. A triangular flap on his abdomen
opens and closes, revealing the goopy mess of his soft innards.

a decaying shogothessor
From a distance, the shogothessor looks like a tall, heavyset man with wild shaggy hair and wearing
blue, academic robes. Up close, however, the creature is anything but human. The robes are revealed
to be his very skin, hanging from his shoulder in thick, blubbery sheets. His hair are writhing
tentacles, each adorned with a random number of orange slitted eyes that gaze about with unblinking
curiosity. His own eyes are also orange and slitted, all eight of them staring out in two bulbous
rows, gazing intently at the heavy scrolls in his appendage-like hands. Occasionally, he licks his
licks with a dark blue tentacle that snakes out of his toothless mouth.

an engorged anisakis
Having escaped from the confines of marine guts, this anisakis has set himself to feeding upon
whatever is nearby and nutritious. His skin is smooth and pale, membranous and clammy. Bits of his
meals can be seen through the translucent flesh: blood, parts of creatures, smaller parasites, and
other odds and ends. His form is so bloated that although normally lithe and sinuous, he can only
curl himself into awkward knots before unwinding once more to seek other prey.

The portal:
 a fluctuating portal of unstable energy
 Shiny tiny pieces of quartz refract the light about this tear in space, creating a fluctuating
portal of dynamic colours. The sand flows continuously through the portal flowing in both directions
and maintaining an equilibrium. Wafting through the portal is the gentle hint of cherry blossoms and
sandstone