Monsters in Karilan, Part IV (O - S)

Monsters in Karilan, Part IV (O - S)

And another batch of setting-specific info blurbs.

Ogre

The ogre populations can be encountered all over the world, but they can be very different from each other. Many of them are barbaric bands that enslave weaker beings, such as goblinoids, and raid towns. Some of them are more disciplined (usually, when led by an ogre mage) and can even be open for trade. Such tribes are mostly found in Amrado and the Savage Lands.

Ogre Mage

The ogre mages are not actually related to the ogres, but are descended from a class of outsiders called oni. The other oni have practically no presence on Karilan.

Orca

Orcas are revered by the darfellans as their ancestors. Harming an orca is considered a great crime among them.

Otyugh

The otyughs, while disgusting to sight and smell, are generally tolerated in the Underdark, where they coexist peacefully with the intelligent creatures that produce a lot of refuse. The refuse piles serve as food and hiding place for the otyughs, and the otyughs serve as garbage disposal.

Owlbear

Most people say that the owlbears were created by a mad wizard, but in reality they were created by a mad druid, the same one that created the weird insect-humanoid hybrids, such as scorpiorcs, woblins, and antbolds (some say that the mantids are his creation too).

Pegasus

The pegasi only live in New Aventus, where they are seen as one of the symbols of the kingdom thanks to the cadre of elite pegasus knights that are admired by the commoners and feared by the brigands and enemies of the kingdom.

Phase Spider

The phase spiders, just like ethereal filchers and marauders, can be found everywhere, but tend to congregate in Sifaril. These creatures are sentient, but not very smart. Extraplanar explorers tell about strange, abandoned structures in the Deep Ethereal that depict these spiders with an extra set of arms, suggesting that they were different both physically and mentally in the past.

Phasm

Some say that the phasms are the common ancestors of the doppelgangers and the mimics, referring to the phasms’ ability to assume any living or non-living form, and the doppelgangers and mimic ability to assume living and non-living forms, respectively. However, the creatures are completely unrelated. The phasms are nonetheless revered by the doppelgangers as creatures that managed to “throw off the concept of shape”.

Pseudodragon

The pseudodragons are native to the forests of Cedali, but they were spread out by the merchants who sell eggs or hatchlings to wizards who want a pseudodragon familiar.

Purple Worm

Along with the delvers, the purple worms are thought to be the main “builders” of the Underdark tunnels.

Pyrohydra

Pyrohydras are native to the warm marshes of Sitaril. The elves, unlike the ancient dwarves that seemed to be obsessed with slaying these beasts, are content with leaving the hydras alone, believing that it’s not worth it to attack them.

Rakshasa

The rakshasas are native to Malassiril, but they operate much more subtly than on the other worlds. The rakshasas have to be very careful, because they coexist with the black dragons who are just as malicious as them, but even more powerful. Thus, they do not erect castles, but prefer underground lairs hidden behind several layers of illusions.

Razor Boar

The razor boars’ habitat is quite narrow – the Goliath Holds and the eastern parts of Haa-Donai. These huge beasts attack everyone intruding their territory with no provocation, and both the centaurs and the goliaths know the marks that the boars use to highlight their territory. However, the tusks of a razor boar can be made into crude, but very sharp weapons.

Red Dragon

The red dragons are the most powerful ones among the chromatic dragons. They know that, and they like to claim that they are the most powerful among all the dragons, hoping that the commoners are not aware of such monstrosities as prismatic dragons and other, even more powerful ones.

The red dragons can be found in the Goliath Holds, Thoon Lands, Haa-Donai, and Viril-Aventus, where they gather entire tribes of barbaric followers who sometimes go as far as worshipping the dragon. Rakatorix, a great wyrm red dragon in Viril-Aventus leads an entire city of fire giants.

Remorhaz

These creatures inhabit the Southern Reaches, where they prey on the frost giants and large animals. While sentient, they are not very intelligent. They consider the Cryonax’s invasion to be something that will expand their hunting grounds, so they do not interfere with the armies of ice paraelementals.

Roc

The rocs nest in the Goliath Holds and Haa-Donai, where they have enough large prey to feed themselves. However, the presence of dragons and other titanic beasts sometimes makes them the prey too. Their nests may contain various valuables, but are very dangerous to raid.

Sahuagin

The sahuagins were much more numerous and widespread in the past, when they were dominating the seas. A long, bloody war with the other aquatic races ended with their defeat, but they still present considerable danger.

The sahuagins are able to hold their breath for a very long time, enough to raid the coastal settlements from the safety of water. The darfellans can raid the sahuagins’ homes from the relative safety of land too, so the sahuagins are most afraid of them. This fear made the sahuagins focus on the darfellans’ extermination during the war. The darfellans have barely enough population to sustain their numbers right now.

Sand Giant

The sand giants are the masters of Meshnarz. They live in their separate communities, dispatching overseers and enforcers to rule the towns of gnolls and humans. Occasionally, they also send soldiers to recover runaway slaves from other places.

Scorpicore

The scorpicores are larger, venomous manticores that live deeper in the Underdark.

Scorpionfolk

The scorpionfolk used to live where the Thoon Lands are now, but most of them were displaced by this extraplanar invasion to the Savage Lands, where they continue their nomadic lifestyle.

Scrag

The scrags, just like the trolls, are rarely up for a negotiation. Their ravenous appetites make them dangerous to anyone who enters their lake. What makes it difficult for the other aquatic creatures to get rid of the scrags is that the only way to kill one without dealing absurd amounts of damage is to bring one to the surface.

Shambling Mound

The shambling mounds were created by the wood elven druids to counteract the electric weapons of the neogi. However, without the direct druidic control, these shamblers are as likely to feed on the elves as they are to feed on the neogi.

Shrieker

Many subterranean races cultivate the shriekers as a warning system.

Shocker Lizard

The shocker lizards are native to the swamps of Malassiril, where, in large numbers, they can fend off even large predators, such as crocodiles, lizardfolks, and giant wasps.

Silver Dragon

The silver dragons build their lairs in the mountains all over the world. Some claim that some of the lairs are built among the clouds. The silver dragons are much more proactive fighters against evil than the other metallic dragons. They often assume human form, create paladin orders, send adventurers on righteous quests. However, while they are the most active when fighting evil, they also have a tendency to fall, disappointed with their peers or subordinates. Such fallen silver dragons can become as malignant as the chromatic ones.

Skum

The skum are the result of the aboleths applying their powers to the captive humans. They are completely subservient to their aberrant masters, acting as their agents both underwater and on the coast. Some skum are known to break this conditioning and develop their own psionic powers as the result.

Sphinx

The sphinxes are native to the deserts of Meshnarz and Kes. The common folk thinks that the four varieties of the sphinxes are four different species, but that’s a mistake. Only the gynosphinxes are female, but they can produce children with any of the three male sphinxes. The nature of the child depends not only on the father, but also on such things as mood and time of the year. This complex reproduction system is the cause of the low sphinx population.

Spider Eater

The spider eaters live in Cedali. The gnomes and raptorans often fall prey to these creatures, but some gnome communities are known to train the spider eaters as flying mounts.

Spirit Naga

The spirit nagas are native to the marshes of P’ktal, where they inhabit neogi ruins or other remote, unholy places. Utterly sadistic and vile, they do not cooperate with anyone, attacking everyone, be it a neogi, and elf, or a wild beast.

Stone Giant

Stone giants tribes live in the mountains of Viril-Aventus, the Iron Theocracy, and the Goliath Holds. Unlike many other giants, they do not raid anyone, preferring to live peacefully, herd goats, and trade with the humanoids. However, the stone giants of the Iron Theocracy are shunned due to their aversion to dragon worship (but some of the kobolds still trade with them covertly).

Storm Giant

The storm giants build their secluded castles in the mountains of Eskartar and Viril-Aventus, and sometimes underwater near these regions. Generally, they are content with living in isolation and do not bother anyone. Still, some adventurers are tempted to steal something from these mysterious castles.

Svirfneblin

Svirfneblins, or deep gnomes, are one of the very few hospitable and generally friendly races in the Middledark. They protect their great cities by layers of illusions and earth elemental sentinels.