PLACES
Tanara
Life & Culture
Map
HISTORY
Timeline
RELIGION
RACES
Creatures
APPENDIX
Names
CAMPAIGN
Setting
Adventures
Other creatures in Tanara
Domesticated Animals
Tameki
Small animals resembling black housecats more than anything else, the Tameki are favorite pets of Dúranaki aristocrats. Tameki have short, soft, blue-black fur, large blue eyes, long tails, and short, triangular ears. They differ from cats in that their paws have longer, dexterous 'fingers', and their torsos are shorter. Very acrobatic, these small creatures are able to leap amazing distances (up to 8 feet vertically; 15 laterally). They spend most of their time draped across the shoulders of their masters. Carnivorous creatures, Tameki dine on small mammals, birds and reptiles indigenous to the forests.
Ozora
Seal-like creatures, the Ozora are to the Sulini what sheepdogs are to the Myri. Intelligent and friendly, the Ozora are easily trained and exist with equal ease on land or in the water. Ozora grow to about four feet in length, have dark brown fur, and four stout legs with webbed paws, which are nevertheless fairly agile in their use. ln addition to being excellent playmates for children, Ozora can be trained to help fishermen in such tasks as untangling nets and finding dense fish concentrations. They also make effective watchdogs, able to make a loud 'barking' noise. Their teeth are also very sharp, but they rarely bite unless their master is in danger. The Ozora diet consists almost entirely of fish, supplemented with a few varieties of kelp.
Wild Beasts
CLIFF CATS
Basically small mountain lions, these grey felines reside in the rough hills along the north and west borders of Tanara, feeding on what game they can acquire. They especially enjoy sheep and cattle from the Myri and Dúranaki herds.
SHADOW CATS
A large cat animal with a thick jet black fur, it is about as big as a tiger but muscular and agile as a mountain lion, these cats reside in the mountains and valleys in the beginning of the black mountains, like most felines they are not pack animals, prefering to hunt in solitude, at some occations they can be seen in numbers too. The Shadow Cats are valued for their thick black fur by aristocracy all over the lands, but it takes a very skilled hunter to bring one of these animals down, as often as not the hunter finds himself being the pray.
SHASKAN
Though common in warmer climes to the south and west, Shaskan are relatively rare in Tanara, as the temperature is often too cool for them to be comfortable. As it is, most of these reptiles hibernate during the winter months. In appearance, Shaskan are miniature winged dragons, growing to a length of about eight feet (including tail) when mature. In general they do not like men, and avoid them when possible, preferring to live undisturbed in rocky lowland areas, especially where there is plentiful sunlight (they love to sun themselves on warm rocks). Dining on a variety of insects and on small birds and mammals when those are not plentiful enough, the Shaskan are usually harmless unless molested. If their nest is approached or if they feel threatened, they are fierce fighters, wielding talon and tooth with deadly accuracy. Shaskan are equipped with a venom in their fangs, a poison capable of paralyzing or killing its victims instantly. This venom is very valuable, and those seeking profit from it contribute to the scarcity of the Shaskan.
BEARS
Both black and brown bears live in the hills of Tanara. While black bears are not usually dangerous and rarely attack man unless provoked, brown bears have been known to randomly attack even large groups of men. Brown bears grow to over ten feet in height, and their huge paws can kill a man with one swipe. Normally both varieties subsist on fish from the many streams which flow from the high mountain passes.
GREY BATS
Plentiful in the caves of Tanara, especially along the southern and western borders, grey bats are large (up to a ten inch wingspan) and swarm out of their caverns at night with a great flapping of their leathery wings. These bats subsist on blood, preferably that of lower mammals such as cattle, goats, etc. They have been known, however, to attack man. They possess a poison which renders the victim unconscious almost immediately. After the prospective meal is anesthetized, the bat's fellows descend. In this way, it is quite possible for the victim to die of blood loss, although it would probably take 20-39 bats to do it. If threatened, the group will attack en masse.
Fantastic Creatures
GARKS
Something between man and animal, Garks are fearsome creatures, standing perhaps four feet high with long arms, short legs, and round heads on stumpy necks. They are covered by a mottled grey-brown fur except on the palms and soles of their feet and possess long, very powerful prehensile tails. Garks possess a rudimentary intelligence and an unrelenting hatred of all mannish races. For some reason they especially despise the Dúranaki and will attempt to kill any they see at any cost. Able to fashion crude weapons, such as clubs and rough hatchets and spears, Garks wear some decorative clothing, especially things taken from the bodies of fallen foes. Almost totally without advanced social organization, Garks, being arboreal, live in large nests in family units. Males occasionally organize into small bands to hunt and to raid nearby homes of mannish peoples. They are omnivores, but prefer raw red meat especially that of humans.
GOBLINS
These small creatures live all over the Gray Mountains in their deep cavern cities, they are about 4 feet high, green grey in complexion and hideous faces in their oversized heads with a broad mouth filled with fangs, small yellow or orange eyes. Despite their frightening looks the Goblins rarely kill for the fun of it, they prefer to live alone but do rob occational travelers that enter their territory. They have a natural nack with mechanics and their cities are filled with strange elevators and contraptions, guarded by advanced and very deadly ballistic weapons.
TROLLS
Found in the high mountain vales, especially to the north and east, Stone Trolls live in shallow caves. They seem to spend much of their waking time seeking food, which to them can come in many forms. Their favorite is men, though they will settle for just about any animal they an catch. Trolls are able to hurl large boulders incredible distances with accuracy, and most go about armed with huge clubs to aid them in smashing dinner to a gelatinous pulp. They hate sunlight and hide in their caves during the day. Legends that they are turned to stone by it are, unfortunately, greatly exaggerated.
This page is a part of
by Jonas 'Drac' Cedher.