The Return: Bestiary

This document is a compendium of the different flora and fauna that can be found throughout the Echoes, listing their appearance, behavior, territory, strengths and weaknesses. It will be updated periodically as the game continues.
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BALAUR
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	Threat level: Varies

Eyeless two headed creatures inhabiting the Echoes' northern ranges. They come in a variety of subspecies, and are almost always found in pairs. They are omnivorous, and mate for life, laying clutches of five to ten eggs. They are extremely intelligent, comparable to a well trained dog, and have been known to be domesticated.

Research suggests that the best way to achieve submission from a young balaur is to observe the behavior of their heads; all balaur have a dominant head that dictates their aggression and independence. Severance of this head from an early age ensures the balaur will be much more subservient and easy to tame; however, if the non dominant head is severed, the dominant head will achieve complete control and the creature will become much more feral. If they are found while still in the egg, and reared from birth, the tamer will become imprinted on the balaur as a parental figure, and severance of the heads will not be as impactful, although still necessary.

Each subspecies of balaur have their own unique properties. Strangely, the subspecies of the parents seems to have zero bearing on the subspecies of their young. The known subspecies are as follows:

	Blackjaw: Small, dark coloring. More aggressive than most balaur. Can spit acid, climb walls and change colors to camouflage.
	Bloodtongue: [redacted]
	Boneridge: [redacted]
	Cursebite: [redacted]
	Deathwhistler: Large, muted coloring. Docile until provoked. Protective bony growths. Can breathe poison and emit sonic shrieks.
	Fellform: [redacted]
	Mantleback: [redacted]

	Resistant: Light (all), Poison (Deathwhistler), Fire (Blackjaw)
	Weak: Ice (all)

BEASTS OF BRAILDORN
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	Threat level: Very high

A pair of terrible two-headed monsters that plagued the citizens of Braildorn. They were particularly large and vicious specimens of balaur; specifically, the Blackjaw and Deathwhistler variants. They had made their nests in the city's sewers, and periodically emerged to prey on its inhabitants. Eventually, they were hunted and slain by the Drifters in an elaborate scheme.

	Resistant: Light, Poison

BERRENGAITH
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	Threat level: Extreme

Once an ordinary boar, the beast now known as the Berrengaith has been corrupted by dark magic, turning it into a terrifying monster. As big as a house, the Berrengaith possesses many eyes like a spider and claws like a bear, and oozes poison from its body in the form of both a liquid and a toxic mist. In addition, the Berrengaith possesses uncanny intelligence, as well as sorcerous powers, having complete dominion over the Rotten Wood where it resides. Countless adventurers have sought to hunt this monstrosity, but few have seen it lived to tell the tale, as the Berrengaith has misled many an adventurer to their doom in the Rotten Wood. It has been the bane of the sorcerer Black Pudding for many an age, being the last remnant of the swamp spirit known as the Beldam.

	Immune: Dark, Poison

	Resistant: Physical, Ice

	Weak: Light

BONE SHAMBLER
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	Threat level: High

Terrible constructs found exclusively in the Shifting Sands, animated by the insects that comprise it. Little more than a jumble of bones, they can rearrange their bodies at will to suit their needs, and are immensely strong. Their vulnerable swarm cores are often protected, but can be exposed with enough damage to the Shambler's center. Bone Shamblers serve as suits to the Sands' insects, protecting them and allowing them to more easily overpower some of the larger predators such as Terreocti.

	Immune: Poison

	Resistant: Physical, Fire

	Weak: Dark

CARRION SLUG
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	Threat level: Low

Unusually large gastropods found in damp areas. While they are mostly scavengers, they are not above preying on the unaware, clinging to high areas and waiting for their prey to walk by before ensnaring them with their pseudopods or even dropping down on them and suffocating them. Despite this predatory behavior, Carrion Slugs are slow, easily visible, and pose little threat if avoided.

	Resistant: Physical

	Weak: Fire

THE CUCKOO
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	Threat level: Cosmic

A dormant entity sealed away in the Echoes. Not much is known about this great being of yet, save that its awakening may herald the destruction of the world it inhabits.

	[The Resistances, Immunities and Weaknesses are written in a language you have never seen before.]

DISCORD/PERSOLUS
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	Threat level: Yes

An impossibly ancient being rumored to date back to creation itself, the entity commonly known as Discord is the embodiment of chaos. Having been the bane of society for untold millennia, time and again Discord has reappeared to wreak havoc in the known world, his motives known only to his twisted mind. However, his wild antics have been quelled, if momentarily (in the cosmic sense), by both being petrified for the third time and being cast out into the Echoes into some forgotten corner of the Shifting Sands. There he waits, biding his time until he is released once more to remake the universe in his image. Although he is under an enchantment forcing him never to lie, his confinement has not dulled his cleverness and slyness, and he is NOT to be trusted under any circumstance. Heeding his words will only spell disaster.

	[The Resistances, Immunities and Weaknesses seem to be under some strange spell, the letters shifting and obscuring constantly so as to be impossible to read.]


DOLMENCRAB
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	Threat level: None

Very large freshwater crabs often found near bodies of inland water. Dolmencrabs travel in numbers, feeding on just about anything they can find. Despite this, and their startling size, dolmencrabs are quite docile, and deceptively intelligent. There are tall tales of dolmencrabs even being domesticated, and used as mounts or beasts of burden. When in repose, dolmencrabs tuck their legs and pincers in, being nearly indistinguishable from a large, smooth boulder.

	Resistant: Physical

GELATINOUS CUBE
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	Threat level: Medium

Extremely large cube-shaped slimes found in dark places. Unbeknownst to most, they are actually comprised of a colony of several smaller slimes working together as a single organism. Usually classified as scavengers, gelatinous cubes are slow to move but difficult to kill, and do little more than move around their habitats consuming anything they can find. If encountered while aware, they pose little threat, but as they are both transparent and almost imperceptibly slow at times, they can be difficult to see, and many adventurers have unwittingly blundered into a gelatinous cube. Like most slimes, gelatinous cubes fear light and warmth, as it easily sears their sensitive membranes.

	Resistant: Dark, Physical

	Weak: Light, Fire

MOSSCAT
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	Threat level: None

A small furry creature commonly found in dense undergrowth. Their name is derived from their outward resemblance to a common cat, albeit with dark green mossy fur that helps them camouflage. Despite their resemblance to cats, mosscats are entirely herbivorous and docile, and live in large groups.

ORCHARD KEEPER
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	Threat level: Medium

A predatory bird that has a symbiotic relationship with Sleeper Trees. It resembles a large black and white stork with red eyes and a golden bill. The Orchard Keeper gains its name from dwelling exclusively in Sleeper Orchards, where it preys on victims of the trees' sleep-inducing fruit. In return, the remains feed the trees, allowing them to thrive. The Orchard Keeper is also the only natural being immune to the Sleeper Trees' fruit, eating them with great gusto. This also helps the trees reproduce, its seeds being spread through the Keeper's dung. Orchard Keepers mate for life, and are fond of decorating their nests with their victims' remains. An Orchard Keeper can also be cooked, making for a hearty, if somewhat chewy, meal.

	Immune: Sleep

PALE LURKER
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	Threat level: Medium

Commonly found in dark areas, these mysterious aquatic monsters prey on unaware targets, extending one or more pallid tentacles and attempting to drown their victims. Their touch possesses a unique magical property, draining the color from anything they touch. Their full body has never been observed, and as such details of their physiology are a mystery. They are extremely vulnerable to bright light and sudden heat, and exposing them to such is almost the only way to release a victim from a Lurker's grasp.

Resistant: Physical, Ice, Dark

Weak: Light, Fire

PROWLER
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	Threat level: Medium

Dark, sorcerous monsters that can be found all over the Echoes. While their appearance varies greatly, they all consist of a mass of writhing black tendrils with a pair of red eyes. They are capable of changing form as well as color, able to blend into almost any environment. Prowlers hunt in groups of up to eight, and make almost no sound whatsoever. Their greatest weakness is flame, catching fire at even the tiniest spark. When killed, a Prowler's tendrils recede into the dark crystal that serves as its heart. The dark magic that spawned them can be invoked by a competent mage to partially summon a Prowler.

	Immune: Dark

	Resistant: Poison

	Weak: Fire, Light

ROT CRAWLER
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	Threat level: Low

A large insectoid creature similar to a cockroach, but approximately the size of a small dog. They fill a similar role to cockroaches in the Echoes, but reproduce much slower and in lesser numbers. They are fond of feasting on rotten flesh and bone, and as such are common in old tombs and crypts. They are of above average intelligence for an insect, and can be domesticated, albeit through no small effort.

	Weak: Light, Fire

SERVITOR
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	Threat level: Medium

Phantasms that are bound to the unique constructs known as Sanctuaries. They unswayingly obey whoever holds control over the Sanctuary, unable to speak but able to communicate their intentions to their master, as well as fully understanding the common tongue. When threatened, their hands will turn to wicked blades, shredding intruders to ribbons.

	Weak: Dark

THE SHIFTING SANDS
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	Threat level: Extreme

An impossibly vast ecosystem of tiny insects. Originating at the hive at the center of their territory, the Shifting Sands have spread far enough to form an entire desert. Most of the dead form the surface of the desert, while the living lurk within their hive or deep underground.

[The strengths and weaknesses are redacted, as is a section of the description.]

SLEEPER TREE
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	Threat level: Medium

A tree bearing huge golden fruit. Sleeper Trees are often found growing in large numbers, forming what is known as a Sleeper Orchard. Their fruit has an enticing aroma and tastes delicious, but a single bite will send the victim into a deep slumber, where they will be picked apart by the Orchard Keepers that the trees have a symbiotic relationship with.

Curiously, an unripened Sleeper Fruit serves as a direct antidote to the ripened variant; while it tastes foul and bitter, biting one will immunize one to the fruit's effects, or awaken one from their slumber. Sleeper Fruits are a prized alchemical ingredient in the Echoes, used in the crafting of certain poisons.

TERREOCTUS
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	Threat level: High

A monstrous insect that dwells in the Shifting Sands resembling a gigantic mantis, with fierce claws and four razor-sharp stingers protruding from its backs. Also known as Sand Beasts, Terreocti are ambush predators, often hiding in deep sand and reacting to sudden movements. Unlike many insects, Terreocti mate for life, and are often found in pairs. The female carries her eggs around her abdomen, which also act as exterior stomachs. They detach when the larva is nearing hatching age, ensuring that it has sufficient nutrients to last it the early stages of its life cycle. They seem to be sensitive to sound, although they are resistant to heat due to their desert lifestyle. Terreocti are extremely agile and fast, being difficult to keep track of. Their coloration also makes them difficult to spot amidst the scarlet dunes.

	Resistant: Fire, Light

	Weak: Ice