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There are thousands of creatures that wander the world of Kne’Urth, with new ones being discovered almost daily (usually at the cost of an adventurer’s life). Below are some of the monsters that are known to exist, and some who – right now – are just legends, said to exist.
Pegasus
These celestial creatures trace as far back as the very gods themselves. It is said that those who have perished and have good souls; would have a pegasus come for their soul to escort them into Aftgrand. During the War of the Heavens the passage back to Aftgrand, for the Pegasus was somehow destroyed, so that they were forced to remain on the Prime Material Plane, where they have bred and survived. All Pegasi (plural for Pegasus) are white; and there is a legend that when a Black Pegasus is born, it will be the first sign of the end times. Pegasus mate for life, and while they nest in high places, away from civilization; they do give birth to live Pegaus, rather than eggs. A Pegasus can be convinced to become the mount of someone’s soul who is pure; however, when doing so, similar to their mating preference; the bond between Pegasus and rider is for life (unless the rider commits acts that the Pegasus finds questionable). Sadly, the Pegasus are also hunted for evil purposes; for they are required to be sacrificed to a demon-lord, in order for the creation of a Nightmare (see in the Monsters & Species Guide) to be created.
Peryton
Said to supposedly have been created by the demon-lord, Verastin, the peryton is a lethal and cunning hunter. With a lower torso of a giant eagle with a head that resembles a demonic deer, with a mouth lined with jaunting teeth and their head is decorated in antlers that are black as night, said to be that way from the bloodstains; this creature has more than it’s unusual appearance to take into account. The shadow a peryton casts, is that of a human(oid). It’s unexplained as to how, or even why, it casts such a shadow. The story goes that a female Peryton can not breed until it has feasted on a freshly beating heart of a humanoid; and it is said, when they devour the heart, the shadow becomes the shadow of the deceased; as if bound to the Peryton. These foul creatures are intelligent and cunning and will not foolishly attack a larger party; but rather wait for one to separate from the rest to either scout ahead or scout for food and lumber. They typically dwell near mountains or forests, but if a new community appears somewhere, with minimal protection, a Peryton may nest near by, because of the ample food supply. Perytons lay eggs, that until born, are as hard as steel. They are natural enemies of griffons and the Aarakocra.
Piercer
These creatures remained a mystery for a very long time, having remained in the Shadow Stone realm for a very long time; only in the last several hundred years, emerging from the crack that has granted them access to the surface world. Piercers are a worm like creature that thrive in darkness. They’re able to climb walls effortlessly and often hang upside down on a wall; adjusting their appearance to be that of a grey, stone like color and await the slightest vibration that awakens them. From above they hang there, waiting for someone to pass beneath them; and when they do so, their harden their skin and drop with deadly accuracy from above, plunging the point of their bodies into their victims where their teeth immediately latch onto bone or muscle, to begin feeding. In most cases, the piercer delivers a fatal blow to a person’s head, if they’re not wearing a helmet. Larger piercers have been known to even be able to pierce metal. These creatures are dangerous in caverns because in poor light, they’re literally impossible to differentiate between a stalactite and a piercer.
Pixie
Pixies are a part of the Faye in the world. They resemble elves that stand, at the most, a foot tall. Their skin color varies from blue to green. Their wings looks like that of a butterfly, but are more sturdy and almost have a leathery touch to them. Pixies often decorate themselves in leaves, rose petals; which never seem to die (fed by the wild Faye magic that a Pixie emits). Pixies will spy on people who enter their area and watch them closely; if a Pixie feels safe, and that the people are good; they will introduce themselves with feverish excitement (imagine young children around a parent handing out presents). If the Pixies feel that the people might be a threat, they will remain hidden – and their natural ability to remain invisible makes them impossible to spot. For those who seek to do ill near a Pixie’s territory will find that items will be moved, stolen, and the like – as Pixies will do whatever they can to thwart and annoy those with evil in the hearts, hoping to drive them far away.
Pseudo-Dragon
These miniature dragons resemble miniature red dragons that are no longer than a foot long. They’re unable to speak verbally, but have limited telepathic abilities that allow them to communicate through basic emotions; such as hunger, curiosity, danger and affection. It is able to vocalize (such as hiss, growl, and even purr) to convey emotion. Mages often seek to have Pseudo-Dragons as familiars because of their ability to communicate (even limited) through telepathy. The exact origin and initial creation of the Pseudo-Dragon remains a mystery.
Purple Worm
The terror of the Shadow Stone realm, the purple worm has an insatiable appetite. There is little to nothing that the purple worm can not digest, and very little that does not fit into their maw. The purple worm is a bane to any sub-terrain race, as it gathers nourishment from creatures that it devours. There is nothing it will not attack and attempt to consume; because it is, despite it’s massive size, a thoughtless creature, with no real actual intelligence and a drive to eat. Those in the Shadow Realm fear when the ground quakes because they never know if it’s a natural disaster or a purple worm burrowing beneath their feet. These creatures can grow to be sixty to eight feet in length; legends tell of some that have reached a legendary hundred feet in length. Despite its size, it’s capable of burrowing quickly through solid stone, catching living creatures by surprise as it suddenly surfaces and consumes the every ground they’re standing on!
Quaggoth
There are stories as to the origins of the Quaggoth; and most of them all trace back to a civilization of normal humans that lived on the surface world; but a massive sink hole opened, and plummeted them down into the depths of the Shadow Stone. Hundreds died; leaving only a few survivors, who were forced to feed on their own kind; the dead became their source of food. When the dead ran out, the people that would become the Quaggoth began to feed upon one another. By this time, the people had begun to change, becoming most bestial in nature and appearance. Though some say it was the curse of cannibalism that turned these people into Quaggoth; others say the dark magic that ebbs and flows throughout the Shadow Stone realm was responsible for their change. Quaggoth eventually learned to survive in the Shadow Stone realm and because they were exposed to so much fungi and poisons, their bodies built up immunizes. Running into Quaggoth in the Shadow Stone realm is just one of the many dangers there – that few ever live to tell the tale about.
Rakshasa
During the battles that destroyed the once lush lands, and gave birth to the Broken Lands; a dark portal was opened, and these demonic creatures slipped into the world. Seeing the land torn asunder, they took the guise as merchants, princes and kings; claiming to be there to restore the land. The truth of the matter is, these creatures take up these disguises; but their true form appears to be a humanoid tiger (which is rarely seen, but when seen, has often times been confused for being a weretiger). These creatures, once they establish a hold on the world – they bind their essence to a single item (it could be a rock, a key, anything inanimate). That one binding assures that if they’re killed in the Prime Material Plane, they will return to the world, reborn again next to that item, with all of their memories attached. To truly destroy a Rakshasa, the item which it has bound itself to must also be destroyed. A Rakshasa that’s been slain will track down the ones who killed it and seek revenge – and if that person is already dead, or otherwise impossible to track – it will seek it’s friends, family, whatever it can – to strike revenge back at the person(s) that killed them. Rakshasa are evil and thrive on manipulation and the taste of humanoid flesh is what keeps them young.
Remorhazes
These arctic hunters resemble a giant centipede, having hundreds of legs. They have an inner body “furnace” that keeps them warm and allows them to burrow through ice and snow quickly when the creature intentionally increases its body heat. When doing so it can quickly burrow through ice and snow at blinding speeds. They often burrow to an area populated by animals, so that they can quickly move up and swallow the creatures whole, pulling them in, with ice and snow, into their maw that is lined with nearly unbreakable teeth. Frost Giants frequently hunt for remorhaze nests so that they can raise the young creatures to be guardians for their citadels.
Roc
These creatures appear to be like any other bird of prey, but the typical wing span of a Roc is two hundred feet long! Their origins trace back to the first giants of the world, after the fall from the Heavens, that often used them as mounts. Stories speak of giants battling dragons on the backs of these magnificent birds. However, the years have moved on, the dragons were banished, and the giants went their separate ways and the Rocs continued to spawn and spread and became solitary creatures; unafraid to engage neither giant, nor dragon, as a source of potential food. There are stories of some giants who still have rocs as loyal complains, however, though this has yet to been confirmed. Rocs tend to dwell high in the mountains and hunt in area, where the prey is slower and can not take cover easily. Rocs have been known to hunt dragons, giants, whales, and elephants.
Roper
These creatures are of the same breed as Piercers; however, evolved to surviving by remaining on the ground and appearing as stalagmite. Ropers also evolved in that they have tendrils that they can control to ensnare victims who wander too close to one. Ropers came from the Shadow Stone, and slowly made their way to the surface world, where they have learned to live in caves, ruined castles and even in ancient dungeons. In poor lighting a roper is nearly impossible to spot from any other stone; and even in good lighting, without close examination – which usually lands the person trapped in their tendrils – a roper is virtually impossible to distinguish from regular stone until it reveals itself. A roper is able to digest everything it devours except for platinum, gemstones and magical items. Those items are simply excreted from its system eventually (sometimes it takes years to pass through). A roper is able to replace severed tendrils.
Rust Monster
One of the most feared monsters by an adventuring party; the rust monster is the bane to every warrior. With a relentless need to consume ferrous metals, the rust monster is able to “smell” ferrous metals from a great distance, and will begin actively seeking it out to consume. The creature’s hide is made of the same material that it’s insides are; and is able to destroy any metal weapons that strike it. The rust monster feasts by using its antennae to rust the metal then consume it.
Sahuagin
Often called “Sea Devils” the Sahuagin have no remorse in their killings of others. The sound of a conch shell’s song on a foggy night on the coastal waters is typically the sound of the Sahuagin raiders – attacking coastal cities and ships. While these vicious killers dwell in the deepest trenches of the ocean, they consider anything and everything a target for their hunting sport. The Sahuagin worship Prentora – the goddess of pain, who, in their scripture looks like a humanoid shark and among the Sahuagin, the females are the leaders, since they are the sole ones to have any form of religious magical abilities deemed “worthy to commune” with the goddess. Similar to the sharks of the ocean, the Sahuagin are driven into a frenzy at the scent of fresh blood. They also employ sharks as attack animals, and even untrained sharks do not attack the Sahuagin.
Salamanders
Brought into the world, during the war that ravaged the land and turned lush green woods into the cursed Broken Lands, the Efreet opened a portal to allow Salamanders, which were enslaved by the Efreet in the Plane of Fire, to serve them in the war. The Salamanders despise their masters, and sought to break free and used this war to sunder their ties and turned on their masters. On the Prime Material Plane, the Salamanders are a destructive force, with the innate desire to burn anything and everything. On the Plane of Fire they’re still enslaved by the Efreet who dwell there. When a Salamader lays an egg, it’s obsidian stone; and when the youngling is ready to hatch from the egg, it begins to burn itself out of the stone; those that perish in this birthing process ensure that only the strong and powerful Salamanders survive. They are typically found near volcanoes in the Prime Material Plane.
Satyr
Revelers of drink, dance and hedonism, the Satyr have an unquenchable thirst to dance and be merry. Even among the Fey, Satyr’s are sometimes frowned about because of their hedonism; though, because they’re able to play such incredible music, many of the Fey will forgive their hedonism. Satyr’s have no regard for consequences and indulge in their pleasures at any cost. They’ve even been known to abduct a traveling bard, to simply hear the bard play for them and hear and learn new songs, that they will in turn, enhance and use themselves. A Satyr armed with a musical instrument may not appear to be much of a threat – but there’s few who can resist the music produced from a Satyr – and it can be quite a sight to see an ogre enthralled by a Satyr’s music, and dancing wildly, out of control.
Scarecrow
Desperation is the most frequent reason for these unholy constructs. Farmers who have had their farms raided, either by animals or humanoids, call upon dark wizards to bind a soul to the scarecrow to animate it and protect its farms. The soul bound to the scarecrow is always that of an evil soul, which is what causes the aurora fear by simply gazing at the scarecrow. However, the bound soul has no memories of it’s previous life; only that it is to destroy anything that comes within range of their new master’s farm. If the master of a scarecrow is slain, the scarecrow will continue to execute it’s final command; but in some rare cases, it may actually seek out revenge for those who killed it’s master. The ritual that requires binding a dark soul to a scarecrow is an old, ancient art of necromancy that is forbidden throughout the land because of the consequences of such acts.
Shambling Mound
These terrifying creatures were a result of Kariayn, the goddess of forests and faye, initially attempting to make life, using the Thread of Life. The result was a shambling mound; a mass of moss, plants, assembled into a sentient being; that, in order to survive, must consume organic material. It moves extremely slow, but it devours plants, animals, and humanoids who are not able to escape it, ravaging the land. They’re most frequently found in swamps and rain forests, because of the abundance of life found there. The Shambling Mound is essentially a center root, that’s alive and has the endless need to feed; but as it devours plants, animals, and whatever other organic materials it can, the Shambling Mound gathers that moss, and dead plants, and even the skin of organic creatures that it has devoured as a “body” around the center root to protect it. Because it lives primarily in swamps and rain forests, the often moist texture prevents it from it’s most feared thing; fire. Because this creature possesses no natural intelligence and survives strictly on instinct it is immune to all forms of charms, fear, and the like.
Sphinx, Andro
Sphinxes were the guardians of tombs and treasures in the heavens of the gods; during the War of the Heavens, some gods and Immortals fell, as did their weapons, to the mortal plane – and the Sphinxes were sent down to guard them from mortals ever gaining access to them. The gods appointed Sphinxes to guard tombs of important mortals of the world; including powerful mages that practiced dark magic. The Gods, wishing this information not to be passed on, sent Sphinxes to guard these tombs, castles and knowledge to prevent mortals from gaining them; however, many Sphinxes have been appointed the ability to test the mortals to see if they’re worthy of the knowledge they seek; and only if they seek it for pure and whole purposes. To fail a Sphinx’s test typically results in death; but sometimes they are unforgiving and simply teleport the victims hundreds of miles away and wipe their minds of their quest. The Andro-Sphinx bares the head of a male humanoid mixed with that of a lion, with a long, flowing mane, but has the lower torso of a powerful lion.
Sphinx, Gyro
Sphinxes were the guardians of tombs and treasures in the heavens of the gods; during the War of the Heavens, some gods and Immortals fell, as did their weapons, to the mortal plane – and the Sphinxes were sent down to guard them from mortals ever gaining access to them. The gods appointed Sphinxes to guard tombs of important mortals of the world; including powerful mages that practiced dark magic. The Gods, wishing this information not to be passed on, sent Sphinxes to guard these tombs, castles and knowledge to prevent mortals from gaining them; however, many Sphinxes have been appointed the ability to test the mortals to see if they’re worthy of the knowledge they seek; and only if they seek it for pure and whole purposes. To fail a Sphinx’s test typically results in death; but sometimes they are unforgiving and simply teleport the victims hundreds of miles away and wipe their minds of their quest. The Gyro-Sphinx bares the head of a female humanoid mixed with that of a lion, with a long, flowing mane, but has the lower torso of a powerful lion. It is said that the Gyro-Sphinx possesses infinite knowledge.
Spider, Phase
This spider adds to the dread who already experience arachnophobia. Originating for the Shadow Stone realm, the Phase Spider is able to shift its body through the Prime Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane making it appear as if they’re able to teleport. How these creatures were able to tap into the magical ability to shift between planes they way they do is completely unknown; but the common story (for those that care to share it), revolves around that the Mind Rippers experimented on them; wanting to use them as guards because of their ability to scale walls, be unrestricted by movement, and their ability to web prey (so that the Mind Rippers can experiment on them). These foul creatures primarily dwell in the Shadow Stone realm area; but many have prospered in dungeons, swamps and caves above the Shadow Stone realm, much to the dismay of many.
Sprite
Unlike their cousins, the Pixies, Sprites do not partake in joy and merriment. They are able to magically detect someone’s intentions and alignment by the beating of their heart; and will ward off anyone who is even remotely close to evil, protecting forests and glades that they are a part of, at any and all costs. For those who are of pure heart (or a friend to nature, Druids and Rangers), Sprites can provide an astounding amount of information about the neighboring area. Sprites tend to make their homes the branches of Treants (that are typically in the same area). Sprites are masters of poison (and will not share their makings with anyone; even druids and rangers) – and have poisons that can knock out the biggest ogres – and they can, through means never witnessed – move even the heaviest bodies miles and miles away from where they were rendered unconscious. A Sprite will typically not seek to kill anyone, unless they have committed atrocities witnessed by the Sprite.
Stirge
These creatures resemble the mixture of a bat and a mosquito. Their bodies look like pink, new born bats, with leathery wings; but their face has the long needle of a mosquito’s face. In small numbers, these creatures pose no threat. However, they often cross breed with bats, and can be found with bats in dark caves. They feed off of blood, so in large numbers, they pose a threat because a new Stirge can attach itself and draw blood just as quickly as one is removed. They use their needle to pierce exposed flesh and begin draining blood; clinging on with their tiny claw like hands. Once sated, they depart and fly off to digest their blood. They’ve rarely killed anyone, except for those too foolish to be aware they’ve stumbled into a large colony of them; but have proved to be enough of a annoyance to weaken even the most hardy warriors, who might then fall victim to goblins who also reside in the same cave.