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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2011 8:19:34 GMT -8
The current novel I'm working on serves two fold purposes:
1. A deconstruction of the teen paranormal romance genera.
2. FUCKING MONSTER BATTLES!
Two types of zombies, four types of werewolves and glorious amounts of cryptids.
Baseline Humans:
Lifespan: 70-85 Years
Average Height: Five to Six Feet.
Average Weight: 100 to 150 Pounds.
Gray Elves:
Lifespan: 9000 Years
Average Height: Three to Four Feet
Average Weight: 80 to 90 Pounds
Gray Elves, or simply Grays, were a race of sadistic and vicious creatures that ruled the Earth before man. Grays were the enemy of all other sentient races on Earth, their advanced technology and magical counter measures making them a nearly insurmountable force to ancient humans. It wasn’t until inbreeding and disease began to seriously damage their numbers that baselines, orcs, and shape shifters rose up as one to wipe them out. Unfortunately all of their technology had built in failsafes installed. When the last Grey died, all of their weapons, ships, medicinal technology, and anything else produced by them shut down and rapidly decayed. It is believed that they evolved in the late Jurassic Era, or the First Age of Magic. Modern pop culture often portrays Elves as tall, thin androgynous beings with pointed ears and fair features in tune with nature and magic. Their hatred for other races is often interpreted as disgust caused by man’s disregard for the “balance” of the Earth and destructive, bloodthirsty nature. In truth, The Grays were short, hairless creatures with no ears, large black eyes and tiny mouths. Their culture was built on hedonism and sadism, all individuals from the very young to the very old took perverse pleasure in inflicting pain on others. This sadism was usually directed outward, at other races. It was considered taboo to torture other Grays. Grays main method of transportation were large, circular “Flying Saucers” that could move at great speeds and perform feats of aerial maneuverability that no modern plane can match. They were known for their telekinetic and telepathic abilities.
Notes: Because I already had all sorts of cryptids and mythological creatures in the story, but didn’t want any actual aliens yet, I figured why not combine Elves and Grays? But because I always portray Grays as sadistic, petty assholes when I write about them and HUMANITY! FUCK YEAH! is a big theme in the story, I decided to have them killed off centuries before the story began. Because humans don’t take that shit from nobody.
Orcs:
Lifespan: 90 to 150 years.
Average Height: Six to seven feet.
Average Weight: 200 to 300 pounds.
Orcs are a race of hominids very closely related to man who have fully integrated with human society. They were Neanderthals magically altered and genetically engineered by the Gray Elves sometime in pre-history. Orcs posses prodigious strength but are best known for their incredible stamina, they are capable of fighting for hours on end without tiring. They are characterized by feral facial features, long pointed ears, green or brown skin, large golden eyes and retractable tusks.
Notes: Orcs are pretty cool, though I think mayhap I fucked them a wee bit beyond recognition trying to jam them into my story as another human subspecies. If anyone has any cool obscure facts about Orcs that I could add to make them a bit less generic that would be cool.
Shape Shifters:
Lifespan: 100 to 140 years.
Average Height: Five to six feet
Average Weight: 150 to 200 pounds.
Shape shifters are a race of humans with the ability to transform their bodies into that of an animal. Their animal form has the same mass as their human form, so it may be larger or smaller than a true member of that species. Shape Shifters, like Orcs, are a sub species of humanity and they have been a part of human life for literally thousands of years. Because they began to assimilate into human culture at the end of the last Ice Age there is far less racial tension between baseline humans and shifters than there are between baselines and Orcs. There are fewer biological differences between shifters and baselines than one might think, and they can freely interbreed. The ability to shift usually manifests itself a year or so before puberty begins and is a sign that adulthood is on its way. For young shifters, transforming is difficult and painful and may take up to five minutes to complete, as the shifter grows and matures it will become easier, quicker, and less painful. At the age of sixty or so, as the shape shifter becomes older and the physical deterioration of ageing sends their physiology in a downward spiral, shape shifting becomes more and more difficult and painful, then dangerous. Elderly shifters risk breaking bones and ripping their own skin by changing shape. By the hundredth year, transformation becomes literally impossible as physiological blocks are set in place to keep the werewolf from killing himself by transforming. Most wolf shifters find the term werewolf to be offensive when applied to them, and some consider it a racial slur.
Finally, a shifter could theoretically take on a bipedal hybrid shape that combines their human and animal features. Such an endeavor would be difficult however, getting the form just “perfect” enough for practical use while remaining somewhat aesthetically pleasing (That is, not looking like a bunched up mess) and properly acclimating oneself to such a body would take years of what will be likely painful experimentation, incredible skill not to mention ungodly amounts of luck and in the end would probably be little more than a passing curiosity. Few shifters have bothered attempting the creation of such a hybrid form, but for many it makes for an interesting diversion and hobby.
Notes: There’s a subset of werewolf fans, let’s call them werewolfaboos, who want werewolves to essentially be “JUST PEOPLES TO”. In other words totally pussify them, remove any mystique and potential for drama that might be inherent in their very nature as dichotomous shape shifting hell beasts, and make them more…”realistic” (Boring.). So yeah, these are those werewolves. And werecats, and were lots of other stuff. They really are just people who can become wolves (and other animals), just your average Joe Schmo who can become an animal whenever he damn well pleases. -Yawn-
Zombies:
Lifespan (Time between reanimation and complete decay): Ten to twelve years.
Average Height: Depends on species.
Weight: Depends on species.
Zombies are creatures that are a combination of spirit and flesh. Corpses who have been reanimated by spirits of hunger or rage depending in the manner of their death. In this they are similar to the Windigo of the northern regions. People who die peacefully return as “Shamblers”, which are slow creatures with great strength but poor senses. Shamblers hunger for human brains but will also consume bone marrow, and can only be killed with fire, which is the only thing they will retreat from. Some Shamblers can use weapons or even speak. People who die in fear or resist the pull of death return to life as “Screamers”, who hunger for human flesh and vital organs. Screamers are incredibly fast zombies with excellent senses and great agility, they can scale any surface like a spider and vomit superheated caustic foam when threatened. Destruction of the brain is the only solution to their kind. Contrary to popular belief, the bite of a zombie is not infectious, although it is often toxic if a wound is allowed to turn septic. The corpse of a person who has been killed by a zombie is often particularly susceptible to possession by a zombie creating spirit and are often cremated.
Notes: Because zombies need to be in everything these days. While trying to choose between fast zombies and slow zombies I decided I wanted both kinds, because I like to have my cake and eat it too.
Vampires:
Lifespan: None. Vampires are the eternal dead and thus not technically alive to begin with.
Average Height (Mature Form): Seven to nine feet.
Average Weight (Mature Form): 400 to 500 pounds heavier than human form.
Powerful forms of undead, they usually nest in graveyards or swamps, tunneling into the Earth with their incredible strength and formidable claws to avoid the sun, replenish their supernatural powers, and avoid vampire hunters. The common breed found in North America and throughout Europe can control minds, turn into mist or fog, or become invisible. Different bloodlines may have different powers and attributes, but otherwise they are all the same species. They do not posses the ability to become bats or wolves contrary to lore, but if a shifter with one of those animal forms is turned, then they will retain that ability. As would a bear, a hyena, a deer or any kind of shifter. Vampires feed on blood and can use it to enhance their supernatural abilities. A well fed vampire at full power has skin like armor which can deflect anything less powerful than military grade weaponry, can lift and throw cars with one hand and can move quicker than the eye can see. Vampires sleep by day and hunt by night, commonly traveling in packs of three to five. They prefer the blood of virgins, which some vain vampires claim keeps them looking beautiful and human for longer, but inevitably all vampires become powerful yet hideous bat-like monsters as they age. Lesser vampires cannot swim through running water without crumbling into dust and many are loath to even go near rivers or streams. Garlic and similar odorous herbs offend their powerful sense of smell and sensitive noses, which may cause less determined bloodsuckers to retreat but holds no inherent supernatural power over them. They are repelled by mirrors, for they cannot stand reflections of themselves, another reason they avoid water. Vampires reproduce by vomiting their own tainted blood on the corpses of those who have committed suicide. They can locate potential recruits via a sixth sense.
Notes: There, vampires are in it. I can has millions of dollars, fame and a movie deal? What? Okay, fine. They can sparkle too. Whatever, just give me my money.
Ghouls:
Lifespan: 5000 years.
Average Height: Four to five feet.
Average weight: 100 to 150 pounds.
Similar in habits to the vampires, these creatures feed on the corpses of the dead and a lifestyle of feeding on carrion has given them toxic bites. Their subterranean hives are often found in close proximity to both vampires nests and werewolf dens, and often act as liaisons between such creatures. Ghouls can mentally control zombies and regenerate from almost any wound short of decapitation. Gifted with the ability to transform into massive hyenas or jackals, Ghoul libraries are repositories of great knowledge. Despite their feral, loathsome appearance and reputations as evil tricksters Ghouls are intelligent and gentle creatures who only attack living beings when threatened. They enjoy sharing their knowledge, and teachers are held in very high regard among the hive. They have seemingly infinite patience, even with those who think them loathsome, and have mastered many healing arts despite their association with disease and decay. Ghouls once had advanced technologies and had a great understanding of both science and magic but much of it was lost when their artificial island city sank into the Atlantic ocean. Ghouls are very photosensitive, and can become permanently blinded by strong ultraviolet light.
Notes: Pretty much the only supernatural race that doesn’t eat or kill humans on a semi regular basis. And yes, I was talking about Atlantis.
Crawlers:
Average Height: One to four feet at the shoulder.
Average Weight: 10 to 100 pounds.
Crawlers are the larval form of Sasquatch. They begin their lives as four inch long snake-like beings with stubby, weak limbs, at this earliest stage they are usually not found outside their parent’s dens. Once mature enough to leave their home they are identifiable for their pale, hairless skin, doglike torsos and oversized oblong heads. They also have very long thin limbs and bulbous red eyes, and lope along on all fours. Their mouths are so small and thin they are difficult to see, and their ears are constantly folded against their head. When they attack, Crawlers are vicious and relentless, they are every bit as aggressive and violent as their parents but their small size and fragile bones make them vulnerable. Crawlers are only aggressive in groups of four or more, otherwise even the largest crawlers flee from anything other than their parents or other crawlers. Crawlers have no claws and their mouths are to small and weak to effectively bite, but they make use of simple tools such as rocks or sticks to bludgeon their victims to death, otherwise they will try to stick their limbs down their prey’s throats and plug up their noses to suffocate their victim. When a crawler reaches adolescence (usually a week after birth, less if food is plentiful) they will spin cocoons for themselves, emerging after ten hours of gestation as smaller versions of their adult forms, already pregnant with the next generation of Crawlers and fully capable of killing.
Notes: Had to shoehorn the Dover Demon in here somehow.
Sasquatch:
Lifespan: Thirteen years.
Average Height: Ten to twelve feet.
Average Weight: 700 to 800 pounds.
Foul beasts from the woodlands. These massive primate-like creatures can stand about twelve feet tall and have jaws that can crush stone. While they generally eat bark and pinecones while supplementing their diets with the occasional rotting corpse, Sasquatch will often hunt and kill even when not hungry, this is known as surplus killing and is comparable to the habits of certain chimpanzee troops and dolphin pods. They rarely eat their kill immediately, instead waiting for it to rot and sometimes tormenting their unlucky victims for days at a time. Sasquatch reproduce asexually and can produce thirty crawlers in a litter. They breed like vermin, and quickly destroy any ecosystem they spread to if not kept in check. With thick bones and multiple hearts they are difficult to kill and they do not seem to feel pain or fear and even one can pose a serious threat to any area, being able to reproduce itself almost endlessly.
Notes: Wow, I totally just went Stephanie Meyer on that mythological creature’s ass. Anyway, I wanted my Sasquatch to be just as bloodthirsty and predatory as every other supernatural creature (save for ghouls), but if they were just big homicidal primates they wouldn’t have lasted very long once humans discovered gun powder, so I made them stupidly hard to kill with crazy reproductive strategies. Bigfoot enthusiasts are going to shit bricks when they read this. [BP Oil Guy]Sorry.[/BP Oil Guy]
Yeti:
Lifespan: 900 Years.
Average Height: Six to eight feet.
Average Weight: 600 pounds.
Creatures similar in appearance to Sasquatch that inhabit colder regions. They are far more intelligent and far more devious. The Yeti are a malicious race who can change the color of their fur to blend in with their surroundings or reflect their moods. The Yeti’s howling call is hypnotic, causing most who hear it to fall into a trance. They possess sharp slicing claws and incredible strength. Destruction of their brain or spine is the easiest way to destroy them, for their powers of regeneration are legendary. It is said that a city of peaceful Yeti exists hidden somewhere in Tibet, and modern “wild” Yeti are the mutant descendents of murderous criminals exiled from this utopia. No evidence of such a city has ever been found.
Notes: Here’s another cryptid I raped almost beyond recognition to ram into my story. The fur changing color thing was based on an interesting trend I noticed in Yeti sightings. Way back when the Yeti were often described as having brown fur, but most modern sightings describe them with white pelts…I suck.
Wolvenkind:
Lifespan: 400 years.
Life Expectancy: Four years.
Average Height: Eight to ten feet.
Average Weight: 80 to 170 pounds.
These odd beings are the descendents of the mating of fae creatures and wolves. Wolvenkind appear as majestic anthropomorphic wolf people with large expressive eyes and beautiful, musical voices. They have very light bones that retain the crystalline appearance of their fairy ancestors and have very little muscle mass. They also seem to have very little body fat, less than 4% in the average individual, this causes some health problems. Some have feathered wings, these are vestigial and incapable of flight but only add to the Wolvenkind’s regal appearance. Wolvenkind are quick and graceful and prefer to live only in unspoiled wilderness, but they will settle for anywhere that isn’t frequented by humans. They have a strong dislike for humans and hate technology in any form, dressing in animal hide and feathers and using bows and hand made knives as weapons. Their culture and rituals are poor imitations of several Native American tribes, this is owed to the fact that some legends say that at the dawn of their race the ignorant and helpless Wolvenkind were given shelter by a unknown Indian Nation, who taught them how to make shelter and find food. If not for this helping hand, they would have long ago perished. Today it is unknown exactly which tribe is responsible for their proliferation, as none have come forward to take responsibility for their actions. Probably out of embarrassment. The Wolvenkind are the self proclaimed defenders of wolves and guardians of nature, taking their self designated mantles very seriously. So seriously in fact, that “fanatical to the point of utter stupidity” is a phrase tossed around a lot when they are discussed by outsiders. Many have taken to viciously attacking any human being they come across whether that particular human has offended the Wolvenkind’s delicate sensibilities or not. Haughty and arrogant, Wolvenkind have huge egos that can be very easily bruised. Even making fun their full blooded wolf “brothers” can send a Wolvenkind into a frothing, homicidal rage.
Wolvenkind are capable of wielding some fairy magic, although this often backfires on the casters with gory and hilarious results. They do possess the ability to “gift” certain humans with a form of lycanthropy, and these transformed humans serve as their spies and shock troops. While they are stronger than normal humans, Wolvenkind are hardly a match for most other supernatural creatures, and while they often boast about their pack hunting nature their “brilliant hunting strategies” generally consist of them running at their target while flailing madly with their weapons or claws and howling battle hymns. They also have a fanatical hatred of all other supernatural races, especially true lycanthropes who they consider abominations to wolf kind for their ugliness and general unwolf-like behavior. Needless to say the werewolves aren‘t to fond of them either. Their aggression, recklessness and overconfidence mean a very high mortality rate. Luckily for them Wolvenkind breed like rabbits and mature quickly (Reaching sexual maturity in a year) meaning that there will always be more wulfs willing to die horribly for their cause.
Notes: Because…God Damn, Deviantart. Seriously. Also, I want to set the record strait. The Wolvenkind are not some below the belt jab at Native Americans they’re a below the belt jab at anthro art.
Also, the Wolvenkind sucking at everything they do is going to be a running gag. Because lol, wolfaboos.
Hounds of the Wolvenkind
Lifespawn: 200 years
Average Height (Transformed): 6 Feet at the shoulder
Average Weight (Transformed): 600 Pounds
As mentioned above, the hounds are humans who have been “gifted” by the Wolvenkind with the ability to become massive wolves. The human must be willing, and the Wolvenkind must perform a special ritual to access this ability, but once it is done, it cannot be reversed, and the Hound is forever transformed. In their human forms, Hounds tend to have little physical differences from their previous human incarnation, although their eyes will often brighten in hue and become glassy. However, some do develop psychic abilities such as telepathy, limited forms of precognition, and telekinesis if they were genetically predisposed to such powers in the first place. Hounds are telepathically linked to the Wolvenkind who created them, and should the Wolvenkind creator die, the Hound will feel intense physical and emotional pain. In their wolf forms, the Hounds become large, beautiful wolves with rounded, cherubic features and eyes that glow silver or sometimes gold. Their fur is soft and fluffy and often possesses striking colorations and markings. In this form they are quite formidable and strong, but their real strength is their great speed and senses. Hounds were generally people who were either mentally unhinged or simply fanatical enough about the environment to join with the Wolvenkind in their constant war against industry and humanity. Simply loving nature and disapproving of mankind’s use of the environment is not enough, one must be willing to kill and terrorize their fellow human beings and die for their Wolvenkind masters to receive the power. Finally, becoming a Hound means a lifetime of service, they are forever bound to their masters and their cause. If the Wolvenkind creator ever feels that his Hound is becoming untrustworthy, he can at any time kill his servant with a single thought.
Notes: Twilight werewolves. That is all.
Flatwoods Horror:
Lifespan: Unknown.
Height: Ten feet.
Weight: 66 Pounds 6 Ounces.
A horrific being from another dimension, this armor clad monster enjoys torturing humans and animals with it’s madness inducing aura. It can spew toxic gas that can cause serious illness or even death in normal humans and it’s claws are red hot and drip a black substance like melted plastic. Whether there is only one or if an entire race of these eldritch abominations are visiting our dimension is unknown, what is known is that it stalks the woods at random nights. Luring people in with it’s power to create illusions and ability to mimic voices. It fires powerful heat beams from it’s bulbous eyes and the spade shaped hood which frames its hideous, constantly frowning face seems to concentrate its insanity inducing powers. Still, while a intimidating and dangerous opponent, it is not invincible. While its armor may look formidable, it is not very protective, and can easily be pierced by small arms fire and the thing seems to have a pathetically low tolerance for pain. It seems to have a particular fear of those resistant to its madness aura and toxic gas, and will flee from the presence of such a person. It it cruel and cunning, having managed to avoid all attempts to capture and destroy it, but it is also cowardly and easily defeated in hand to hand combat.
Notes: I don’t think the Flatwoods Horror is ever described as having eye beams. I just gave it them because laser eyes are cool. LAAZOOOR EYES!
Dog Men:
Lifespan: Unknown
Average Height (Upright): Five feet.
Average Weight: 100 to 150 pounds.
First thought to be werewolves, these frightening beings are clearly something entirely different. Every seven years for seven days, these creatures become active, roaming where they please and inducing paranoia and insanity in the local humans wherever they go. At first they appear to be nothing more than normal if not oversized dogs. Approaching them however, can seal your fate. Upon luring their prey close enough, the dog men will stand upright and begin to smile in a disturbing fashion. They will then proceed to terrorize their victims, screaming and laughing horrifically while tormenting their prey until it is either dead or insane. Dog Men fear nothing and that which they cannot drive insane or kill with fear they will attack viciously with poisonous bites and wicked claws, they seem to hesitate when confronted with The Undead however, and will flee in the presence of their hated enemy and only natural predator-werewolves.
Notes: They get mentioned and talked about a lot, but don’t turn up in the story. Also, they’re pretty much based entirely on That One Song by That One Guy. Again, I raped your mythology for the sake of my story. At least they don’t imprint, right?
Leviathan, The Right Hand of Ur:
Lifespan: Unknown.
Height: Variable.
Weight: Four tons.
Leviathan is both the Owlman‘s weapon of mass destruction and his sycophantic lackey, used to keep the people of Mamnon in place. As powerful as The Owlman is, he could not destroy an entire town as easily as he would have you believe. Leviathan is a massive aquatic entity that most often takes the shape of a grotesque catfish the size of a school bus, although it sometimes transforms into a serpent or octopus. It can be identified in any form by the ivory white crest running from its forehead to its back, and the stinking odor of it’s slimy grayish green skin. Leviathan does the Owlman’s bidding without question, although seems to resent it’s servitude. Do not assume that land is any safe haven, as Leviathan can and will shape itself into any form necessary to do its master’s bidding.
Notes: Because lake monsters, bitch! I couldn’t decide what kind I wanted. Plesiosaur, serpent, octopus, giant catfish? Why not make it a shape shifter so I can have them all?
The Owlman:
Lifespan: Infinite as long as properly fed.
Height: Five feet.
Weight: 367 Pounds.
Evil reigns supreme in Mamnon, taking the form of the vicious and conniving Owlman. Ruling over the small town like some kind of feudal lord, The Owlman holds the populace tight in a grip of manic terror. The tyrant lord demands human sacrifice every five years, specifically virginal women, which he delights in carrying off while the poor girl’s weeping family looks on. His interest is not sexual in nature, he presumable simply feeds on the girls’ vitality in some way to prolong his own wretched life. At only five feet tall, The Owlman may not look very imposing at a distance, but one look into his hideous face, a grotesque mix of owl and human features, and you will be certain that this creature is every bit as dangerous as it has been reported to be. A winged humanoid, this creature’s origins are shrouded in mystery, but many claim he is a fallen god…although it would be wise not to mention the word “fallen” around him. The Owlman, who is incredibly proud and arrogant, suffers no insult from mortals and indeed, even speaking to The Owlman may offend him if he deems you unworthy, and offending him generally means a horrible and painful death. The Owlman has human spies everywhere, zealots deranged enough to believe that The Owlman is in fact some kind of god, and that by serving him they will be richly rewarded in the afterlife.
The Owlman rules his terrified human subjects from the abandoned church deep in the oldest section of town, and is constantly trying to run out the local Ghouls as well as a powerful Vampire Master and his progeny who had made the town his home long before there was even a town, certainly long before The Owlman took control. Both species have made a shaky alliance with each other against the Owlman, and have made their homes beneath the graveyard adjacent to The Owlman’s church in an act not only of defiance but outright contempt for the malicious avian. The Owlman has forced the town into a conspiracy of silence. He knows that not even Leviathan is a match for the human military, and if the world at large where to discover him he fears he would be hunted down and destroyed. Unlike vampire, ghouls, hags or Sasquatch he is but one creature, he does not have an entire species to back him up, any children he may have sired (God have mercy on whoever mothered them) either want nothing to do with him or he killed them to prevent them from becoming his rivals. The Owlman does not share his secret fears with the humans he has under his talons. As far as they know he fears nothing and nothing can even hurt him. They will obey him and show absolute respect…or their daughters will be torn apart before their very eyes as Leviathan burns their homes to the ground.
Notes: Hello, English members of the board. I’m stealing your cryptid to use in my uncouth imperialist American novel. Kthnxbye
“Werewolves” (Hags):
Lifespan: Infinite as Long as the Witch can Feed
Height: Variable
Weight: Variable
This variation of werewolf is in fact a sect of evil witches (Commonly referred to as “Hags” to avoid confusion with good witches.) who use a magic rite to attain the ability to transform into wolves. Usually using the pelt of a wolf shifter and an ointment or potion made from a wolf shifter’s body fat or blood to trigger the change, the witch can then kill and murder without drawing immediate attention to herself. Collecting body parts needed for a Hag’s evil craft, settling scores, or simply for the perverse pleasure they take in killing. Casting suspicion on the local wildlife or shifter population and allowing the evil witch to work in some manner of secrecy for a limited time. While this spell was at first devised as a clever way of masking a Hag’s identity as she carried on her work, the ability has evolved into something far more potent. For some truly powerful Hags their shape shifting spell has become entwined with their very nature, creating an entirely new breed of evil being. For these “Hagwolves”, for lack of a better term, the wolf shape they take on brings with it the ability extend the Hag’s life and improve her strength and vitality by consuming the souls of their victims. Usually by eating human brains or hearts, in wolf form these Hagwolves are not stronger than normal wolf shifters but they are faster and they can heal at an accelerated rate, in addition as long as they have souls stored up in their body from previous feedings the Hagwolf can resurrect itself after death in wolf form. Hagwolves are more cunning and difficult to kill than normal Hags but with an animalistic urge to kill and feed, making them dangerous and destructive monsters.
The easiest way to kill a Hagwolf is to steal and destroy one of her skins. In order to transform, the Hagwolf must shed her human skin completely, her exposed muscles and organs shielded by a magical mucus membrane that protects her until she can move into the wolf skin and shape shift. A Hagwolf may have many back up wolf pelts, but she only has one human skin. No Hag has yet to devise a way to produce extras or grow a new dermis, meaning that if their human skin is destroyed they are doomed. Hagwolves can not stay in their wolf form forever, the purifying rays of the sun undue the black magic worked over the stolen shifter skin until the next sunset, limiting the Hagwolves to nocturnal activities and dooming any Hagwolf without access to her human skin when she reverts to a normal witch…who’s been skinned alive. It is a horrible death, and some wonder why Hags would risk it to run as a wolf, but the fact is that by the time a Hag has progressed to the stage where she becomes a Hagwolf the transformation has become as intricate a part of her nature as breathing or eating. She becomes a drug addict, literally addicted to the change and the consumption of human souls. She can not stop, ever, until she is finally destroyed. For some, death is a mercy as they forget how to do anything but change, kill and feed. Outside of their wolf form, Hagwolves are just as easy to kill as human beings, but they are particularly susceptible to fire, as their flesh is highly flammable.
A Hag in wolf form can be distinguished from normal wolves or wolf shifters by their glassy, dead eyes and limp tails, as well as the fact that they do not appear to be alive, save for the shallow breathing movements of their torsos as the witch within respirates. They also often lack tongues and it is sometimes possible to see the witch within when they open their mouths wide enough. For obvious reasons wolf shifters hate Hagwolves, as the creatures have often led to the death of many innocent shape shifters in the past, and because they gain their power to transform by skinning shape shifters alive (whether this is because dead shifters lose the magic the Hags need or simply pure sadism is unknown) they will stop at nothing to destroy them. While witchcraft is a perfectly legal form of public magic (Even Hagcraft is not technically illegal, Hags being classified as human citizens with all due rights and privileges and in America innocent until proven guilty) Hags who are known to be Hagwolves are automatically considered guilty of murder and can be legally killed on sight. Many consider this a slippery legal slope, but most argue that because the torture and killing of a person or persons is a obligatory aspect of becoming a Hagwolf that holding a trial is a waste of time and money. Their very natures is evidence enough to indict them.
Hags in general, but Hagwolves especially, are often hunted down and killed by both shape shifters as well as powerful good witches. The latter because Hagcraft is a malevolent perversion and inversion of witchcraft with the emphasis on increasing personal power and making others suffer. Hags continue to bring grief and death to good witches well into modern times. A Hag’s greatest strengths are trickery and misdirection. Man’s mistrust for those who are different is their most potent weapon, and they sow discord and paranoia wherever they go. Often times shifters will begin to practice witchcraft themselves to achieve extra protection and provide for themselves insight into the nature of their sworn enemies. It is unknown if this ritual could be performed with other shifter races and Hagbears or Hagcats could result, but few shifters are willing to risk having their skins taken by a Hag wanting to experiment and so hunt Hags just as relentlessly when they find them.
Werewolves (True Lycanthrope):
Lifespan: 800 to 900 years.
Height: Seven to Ten Feet .
Weight: 700 to 1000 pounds.
I'm still working on the True Lycanthropes, but my basic premise was the traditional horror movie werewolves. Infectious bite, cyclical transformations, bad assery abound.
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Tim Willard
Member
Got pen, paper, booze, and ink, it's time to write.[Mo0:3]
Posts: 349
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Post by Tim Willard on Apr 5, 2011 6:27:50 GMT -8
Baby kobolds, they look like small little raptor-like lizards and despite the fact that they are identical in appearance to mature kobolds most people don't seem to make the connection between the playful and innocent little infants and the stoic, quiet adults who live Spartan lives. Peepers get their name due to the main noise they make is high pitched peeping, although they also make chirrups, trills, crooning, purr when happy, and now and then raspberry noises.
They have long, slender necks, little heads the size of apricot pits with permanent smiles. Their ears are usually kept folded up, although they can open them like little fans to a full 180 degree arc, meaning a Peeper listening intently looks to have a webbing all the way around their head at the middle of their skull. They laugh by gaping open their mouths and huffing. Smiles are mouths hanging open with their ears flicking rapidly back and forth. They have mottled green patterns for the most part. However, the silver females and bronze males are known as troublemakers, heralds of change and trials, and so many tribes step on the them. They have long lizard tongues, flared ears that they can rotate, cock forward, or lay back against their head and neck. They have powerfully muscled legs, and little arms. Their arms are usually kept close to the body, their elbows pointed downward and their hands pointed forward, cocked at the wrist. Some Peepers, not all of them, small fangs that fold into the soft tissue at the roof of the mouth, the venom being approximately as dangerous as rattlesnake venom. Peepers have claws on their hind legs, and little talons on their fingers. Some have small tail spikes, but this is fairly uncommon. They shed their skins like snakes, and Peepers can often be seen scrubbing a molting pack-mate with seeds, small pinecones, a rock, or with their talons to remove the molting skin. They do shed tears when in pain or sad, often crooning sadly to themselves when lonely or injured. They have been known to cry over injured or dead birds or bunnies, as well as dead packmates and "grownups" of all races who are killed by other wild animals, accident, or malicious beings.
Peepers are very active when they are awake. While they sleep quite a bit, as infants are wont to do, when they are awake they often get into mischief as well as play little Peeper games. They sing, they jump around and dance. They are affectionate, they purr and rub their heads against those they like. Packmates will often twine their necks together and rub against one another, purring as they do. They have bright, curious eyes and are entranced by bright and shiny things. They can do backflips, jump twice their body height straight up or five times their body length for distance from standing still due to their powerful back legs and their strong tail muscles, and their tails are roughly as long as their body length. Peepers are very social with one another, as well as their tribe, and when lonely they have a tendency to cry.
Peepers gather in groups, where they play games, try to steal shiny objects and small berries from one another, and learn to work together, to play together, and be sung songs and told stories by Kobold matrons in order to go from infancy to adult Kobolds. They usually hide in berry bushes, protected by the thorns, and dig small burrows to sleep in and to hide things that they find precious. They often raid each other's burrows, and have no real sense of property ownership.
A Peeper in the wild will eat insects, nuts, and berries. In civilization they like roasted meat, bread soaked in gravy, and other foods. Unlike most humanoids, they find salt and pepper sweet, and sweet to human foods bitter and sour with the exception of honey, which they love the sweet and sour taste of. If they trap rabbits or birds, they will often try to train them as mounts, but lack the attention span to actually complete the training and usually forget what they are doing and allow the rabbit or bird to go free, or will free another Peeper's pet in order to enjoy the havoc. Peeper "legends" always talk about the Peeper "just past the next hill" who tamed a large bird to fly him around to see the world.
Peepers will listen to stories for as long as one is told, and while they understand the Common Trade Tongue, they cannot speak it, as their vocal cords have not separated and all they do is make a high pitched peeping noise. Peepers have their own language, that they understand and can be understood by those who take the time to learn it, but mature Kobolds cannot speak Peeper, as a mature Kobold's vocal cords have separated, allowing them to make more complex sounds. Kobolds remember their infant language, even though they don't speak it, and the matrons or pack-maidens who watch over the Peepers listen in on the conversation to keep track of their mischievous charges. Since Peepers have no understanding of how the pack-maidens or matrons learn of their plans and head off the more dangerous ones, they believe, innocently, that it's because those who watch over them know everything.
These songs and stories are vitally important to raising a "civilized" pack of Peepers. Peepers in the wild, without any adults to sing to them in the egg or while they are small, don't seem to undergo the hormone storm that civilized Peepers do at about the six month mark. Instead, the hormone storm seems to wait anywhere from 2-5 years before occurring. In some rare cases Peepers do not enter the adult phase at all, but instead merely remain Peepers for their entire lifespan, although these Peepers do not procreate and it is unknown what causes this phenomenon. Additionally, wild Peepers (called Ferals) view other creatures (with the exception of bunnies, ducklings, goslings, and other "cute" animals) as food, craft small spears that they dip in naturally occurring toxins, and defend their home aggressively. They are omnivores, but strangely enough will not eat the eggs of birds or other lizards, although they will eat fish and frog eggs. Finally, Feral Peepers, while still cute, are vicious toward the other civilized races, viewing them as food. They are also unapologetic thieves, taking anything shiny, tasty, or interesting that they find.
Peeper language uses body movements as emphasis, a habit that carries over into adult life. When agitated or upset they hop back and forth from foot to foot, with the ears forward or laid flat against the skull respectively. They bounce up and down when happy or being mischievous, their ears flicking back and forth the funnier whatever has excited them is. Backflips are made when they are showing off, trying to impress someone, or over-excited. When curious they twitch the end of their tails and click their toenails, their ears swiveling. When they are afraid they lay belly down, their arms extended and tails straight out, usually closing their eyes and their ears flat against their skull.
Peepers run in small packs, usually egg-mates, and in the wild, or if the tribe has spared them, led by a bronze and/or a silver one, bronze for the male and silver for the female. Silver Peepers are born knowing songs and tales that educate the pack, while the bronze is born with instinctive knowledge of hunting tactics and how to craft tiny spears and how to knap flint into blades or spearheads. Once in a great while a completely colorless one is born, and this is greeted with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety by the adults, while the Peepers will all guard the albino ferociously. White ones are always venomous, with their venom being strong enough to kill a grown ogre in under 60 seconds. Albinos seek out secluded areas that usually only have one or two entrances, as well as a water source, and there they draw on the stones that are either there or are brought to them with runes that supposedly are part of the Prophecy of the Mad, the very sight of which will drive non-Kobolds mad or even kill the viewer outright.
The pack spends the endless summer of their infancy learning to work together, forging relationships that last their entire lives, and learn to trust in one another. Those that end up leading the pack often grow up to be clan leaders or other influential members. Peeper packs in the wild often seek out a good spot to establish a den, digging burrows as they get older that are eventually expanded to become their adult homes. Peepers, unlike adult kobolds, dislike cave systems unless there at least two caverns with sandy floors, and prefer forested hills or the lowlands of mountains.
Peepers that are injured or crippled are taken care of by the rest of the pack, or if the injured or sick one is in too bad of shape the Peepers will run to the adults to get help, and should there be no kobold adults around, they will seek out the first "adult" they recognize from the stories. As Peepers are innocent and trusting, they believe that any "adult" they find will automatically seek to protect and help them, which has led to tragedy for whole Peeper packs when the adults they get for help or follow out of curiosity or trust too much decides that the babies make good food.
Although everyone knows that those who victimize Peepers eventually suffer a horrible fate.
Like Fraker the Axe has reminded villains: "Peepers are not food. There are 2 types of people in the Six Worlds: Those who eat Peepers who then die in horrible screaming agony, and those with axes. I appear to be carrying an axe."
Kobolds are considered the chosen people of the Eternal Elba, and the infamous "hero" Fraker the Axe, as well as various Wraithkillers, have been tasked with carrying baskets of Peepers on long journeys, or avenging Peepers that were eaten by people who know better, or punishing those who abuse either Peepers or the adult Kobolds. A large bronze adult, known as The Xava (Which translates to The Troublemaker/Chieftan), has stood at the Eternal Elba's side since the Elder God War. Rumor has it that in the Ash Lands, every egg laid has been kissed by the lips of the Eternal Elba and been licked by The Xava. Lady Elba often has Peepers hiding in her skirts, including an albino one who has been known to lunge out and bite those who get to close too quickly. Lady Elba is known to remember songs and tales that Peepers love that even the Matrons have forgotten, to have carried several clutches of eggs herself, as well as carried eggs inside of herself when the mother was killed by accident or the design of others, and is known to have sent Fraker the Axe to kill every living thing in an Elven Hiem that had decided that Peepers were a delicacy.
Peepers are one of my favorite creations, and Fraker the Axe carries a crippled one in his belt pouch as a friend. It has a bad leg, and has decided that it is going to live in Fraker's belt pouch until the Final Battle, not getting any older or any bigger, and is obvious by its actions that it loves Fraker unconditionally.
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