Amstaadian Flora and Fauna

[Yaw]

Hiran

Like a horse, but with cloven hooves and two black horns like a bull (coming out of the side of the head and curving forwards). Colouration ranges from white through grey and brown tones to black. Hiran are used for riding, commonly for travel or for war. (Due to a hiran's horns, a charge of hiran-mounted cavalry is quite fearsome.)

[rolandofthewhite]

Geest

These unusual creatures are sometimes referred to as "will-o'-the-whisp", "marshfire", "swamp candles", and "puffer worms".

The Geest is a foot-long, slug-like creature that lives in damp places, typically swamps. Their skin is pale, translucent orange, with four eye stalks rising out of their head. While Geest have no sense of vision as we understand it, they have an acute sense of smell, and smell by extending the eye stalks.

Normally the Geest is nothing more than a long worm, but when it desires to move around, it begins a marvelous transformation. It starts to suck air into its body via thousands of tiny holes all over its skin. As it sucks in air, the Geest will start to grow larger and larger, expanding its body. It continues to expand until its skin is stretched, translucent, and the Geest resembles a large balloon, over two feet in diameter. The Geest then begins to secrete its own chemical within itself. This chemical reacts with the gas inside to form a new gas that is lighter than air, and thus causes the Geest to float. The gas produced also emits a dull, unwavering glow from within.

Many people have seen the orange, friendly glow of the Geest floating through the marshes at night and been led astray, while the Geest remain unaware of all the men they have accidentally led to their death.

They are completely unable to fight, and will float quickly away if attacked. Their rubbery skin prevents damage from tree limbs and the like, but if stabbed with anything like a knife, they will deflate and fall to the ground dead.

[Thok]

Oranges:

Not native to the area (wrong cliamte), but they are a frequent import. (Some small groves do exist). Oranges are round, orange, and prevent scurvy.

[Pie_is_good]

Phoenix

A single, nomadic Phoenix resides in Amstaad. All kinds of superstition surrounds the lone bird - the commoners believe that the flight of a Phoenix in day is terrible bad luck, but the flight of a Phoenix at night will bestow good fortune for a week. The Phoenix is also said to be a messanger - following the Phoenix will lead you to whatever you most want to find in the city.

Every so often, the Phoenix is reborn - its body erupts into flame and a fledgling springs from the ashes. Any time it would die, the rebirth happens. Naturally, its lifespan is about 100 years.

Towns have been known to spontaneously lynch anyone who spells it with an "eo".

[Yaw]

Rocs

Very large raptors, with a wingspan of 25 ft. Plumage is generally ruddy brown. Will eat any animal that fits in its claws.

Not local.

[rolandofthewhite]

Creeper

While these creatures have no real name, they're referred to in scary stories as Creepers. Most simply believe them to be a tale used to frighten small children into coming home before dark, but in actuality these creatures are quite real.

Creepers are hideous creatures that lurk in the dark, dank sewers beneath Amstaad.

These creatures resemble spiders in a way. Their skin is a fleshy carapace, black and mottled with acid yellow. Their humanoid body is slung low to the ground, like that of a spider. What truly gives them their spider-like appearance, however, are the multitude of arms that the Creeper carries itself along with. The number of arms varies from creature to creature: some are used as legs to walk along on and others are used for grabbing and manipulating things. These arms all strongly resemble elongated, emaciated human arms, ending in four slender fingers. The head of a Creeper is vaguely humanoid, but they have no eyes, relying on their other senses to hunt. Creepers have a humanoid mouth, but it is extremely large in relation to the rest of their face, lipless, and filled with long, needle-like teeth.

Creepers hunt with terrifying precision. Using their many arms to easily climb the sewer walls, they lay in wait inside of a grate after nightfall. When someone or something (usually a child or a family pet) happens by, the Creeper reaches out and grabs hold of its victim with several of its arms. Before the victim can even make a noise, the Creeper bites and injects the victim with a paralyzing toxin. The still-living victim is then either dragged into the sewer whole, to be taken off to the Creeper's lair for later consumption, or (if the sewer opening is too small for the victim to fit through) the Creeper reaches out and dismembers the paralyzed victim so that the pieces will fit through the opening.

Creepers generally live solitary lives, with a Creeper mother laying an egg sack and abandoning it to hatch. Creepers will, however, work together in groups of 2-5 to capture victims, and fight over the portions. The average life-span of a creeper is only 3-years-old (just a bit more than fully grown), and there are never more than a few hundred in the entire sewer, just because they are constantly murdering each other over food.

Sunlight causes extreme physical pain to Creepers' skin, causing them to abandon whatever they were doing and flee. Artificial lights do not cause damage, however.

So far, Creepers haven't left the sewers, but there is always the distinct possibility that they could begin prowling through the town at night.

[Thok]

Drowse grubs

Small black grubs that secrete a sedative from their skin that causes drowsiness in most mammals. (The grubs are of course immune to their own sedative). Individually not much of a threat, but they typically works in colonies of thousands, mass swarming a target so it falls unconscious from combined effect of the sedative which is slowly devoured. A typical colony only targets a small number of animals at a time (usually at most 5).

[Pie_is_good]

Reptaurak

An acquatic animal that resembles a snake, except its scales are a shiny gold color. Its top speed is slow, but it has extremely quick acceleration and reflexes making it very hard for the fishermen to catch. Its meat is a rare delicacy, and its scales are decorative and said to have magical properties. A fisherman who manages to catch one and sell all the parts off will typically never have to work another day in his life.

[Yaw]

Morpheon

Pale white lizard, about 8 inches long. Feeds on insects. Secretions from morpheon skin has both somnolent and hallucinogenic qualities, and so can be used to induce a dream state, either for religious, psychological, or recreational purposes.

[rolandofthewhite]

Bat

We all know what this is. Comes in many varieties, such as the large Flying Fox and the blood-drinking Vampire Bat.

[Thok]

Dandelions

We all know what this is. Comes in many varieties, such as the large Flying Dander and the blood-drinking Carnivorous Weed.

(1/2 laziness + 1/2 tiredness + 1/2 silliness = inspired!)

[Pie_is_good]

Sraath Plague

A breed of Cockroaches live in the slums of Amstaad. They are decomposers - they feast on dead animals (including dead people). Of course, they aren't afraid to feast on dying people, either. Anyone still alive being attacked by the plague is quite benevolently put out of their misery.

[Yaw]

Frogs

The local variety is average as far as size goes, green in colour distinguished by a deep sapphire belly.

[rolandofthewhite]

Otters

These playful, aquatic mammals normally live in rivers, but a small number of them have begun to populate the city, playing around in the fountains and the harbor. The higher-ups in the city regard them as pests and have been attempting to get rid of them, but they are usually well-liked by most of the city's residents, especially the Tiktuk (who go out of their way to keep them safe, and have succeeded in teaching many of them tricks).

[Thok]

Beavers

(Too tired to even write a good one line physical description, much less od somethig crazy like a buffalo-beaver hybrid)

[Pie_is_good]

(trying desperately to not be normal)

Himbni

These creatures resemble small monkeys. Full-grown Himbni are 2-3 feet tall with greyish-brown fur. They feed on rats, insects, and other pests, although they will also eat fruit if given the option. While they are too naturally wild to be domesticated, some citizens will leave a few apples in front of their doorstep to ensure that the Himbni stay around that particular residential area. Their predation of disease-carrying and otherwise annoying creatures gives them value.

[Yaw]

(After the last week, normalcy is my only option)

Termites

Hive-dwelling, wood-eating insects. The important buildings of Amstaad are stone for good reason.

[rolandofthewhite]

Kilit

Similar to a seagull, these birds live near the ocean and scavenge food from the docks. They are white with reddish feathers on the tips of their wings. They are considered a pest and there have been many attempts to eliminate them by the dockworkers, such as leaving out poisoned food.

[Thok]

Bah, I need to pay more attention to this.

Larna Casova-A small white flower (imagine a white rose) which is considered a symbol of purity and faithfulness by several cultures. Frequently seen in churches, at weddings, and often given as a present to one's true love.

The seedier side of town will see Larna Casova potions sold as aphrodesiacs. In reality, such a potion is worthless snake oil (although not actually harmful).

[Pie_is_good]

Greira

Small, brownish lizard. They live in small colonies of rougly 1000. They tend to live around marshy areas, as they feed on insects. They molt once a year, and their outgrown skins have alchemetical properties. If mixed into a potion, they can be poured over an open wound to help cleanse it, or the sticky mixture can help stop bleeding.

[Yaw]

Sorry for taking this long.

Fiiren

Smallish, brightly-coloured songbirds. Colouration tends to be iridescent, with several varieties in shades of emerald, ruby, sapphire, and amethyst. Frequently used as metaphor among Amstaadian romantics.

[PookyTheMagicalBear]

Kutashunk Dragons,

Large creatures that have a 200 foot wingspan and can change their skin colouring to match the background much like a chameleon. They are strictly vegetarian and quasi intelligent, often planting large forests for later consumption. Also notorious practical jokers, known to swoop down on unsuspecting humans and swallow them whole for a good five to ten minutes only to harmlessly deposit them back again.

[Yaw]

Unfortunately, Roland is off for a bit. So to keep this going, we'll have Pooky and Quag help out.

Revised order is:

Yaw
Pooky
Quagmire
Thok
Pieisgood

[Quagmire]

Strom Kaar

Physical description: These cute, furry and black animals bear a slight resembelance to a combination of a muskrat's body and a porcupine's outer shell. The jet black coat of it's spines is so glossy, it glistens off of the sun's rays during the day almost to to the point where it can create a glare in a passer-by.

The animal is timid, like the muskrat it's related to, so people who see the animal without knowing it think of it as a cute animal and a reason to temporarily stop a walk and admire until it scampers away, deathly afraid of the observers staring at it.

This isn't the case, however. This animal dominates many others; it is an "alpha male" of the animal kingdom (that is with regards to animals that obviously dominate it -- a large, catlike creature would gooble this animal in no time -- but only in regards to the animals it is similar to. To put it more simply, it is ferocious) in comparison with other animals it lives near. This animal is to be taken seriously whenever in a confrontation with it.

It's not like a passerby needs to take a walk and make sure and avoid all sights of a glossy-backed bed of spines with extreme caution. Generally, this animal doesn't like to take on challenges to more superior beings unless it is provoked and feels that it is defending for its life. The animal's whole philosophy is, "don't bother me, and I won't bother you".

If you do, though, you'd best be prepared.

[Thok]

Gungarra Elm

Physical Description: A smallish tree (typically reaches at most 5 feet tall at maturity), whose leaves have been used for centuries as dressings for wounds by the Tiktuk tribe. Will blossom with a relatively drab blue flower.