BESTIARY ←

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://i53.tinypic.com/2dvq6j6.jpg,true][atrb=width,453,true] TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. KET : omnivorous rodents of Elysia 2. LIFE-CYCLE FLOWER : carnivorous plant of Elysia 3. HORNED WOLF : carnivorous canine of Khthonia 4. SHALA : carnivorous arachnid of Khthonia & Elysia 5. ZAL'RAS : carnivorous reptile of Khthonia & Elysia TEMPLATE MADE BY EDWARD, EXCLUSIVELY FOR USE ON THE BLUE

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://i53.tinypic.com/2dvq6j6.jpg,true][atrb=width,453,true] KET(S) TYPE: warm-blooded CLASSIFICATION: , descendant of the DIET: omnivore ACTIVITY: diurnal (day), SIZE: Head and body, 9 - 12 in (25 - 30 cm); tail, 7 - 9 in (19 - 24 cm); height, paw to head, 20-26 in (50 - 66 cm) WEIGHT: Less than 2.2 lbs (1 kg) LOCATION: Kets are found on all of the floating islands, though they flourish in developed areas where scavenged food is easily accessible. DESCRIPTION: [ image pending ] Kets are rodents with small round heads, long and lithe bodies, four limbs for both bipedal and quadrupedal movement, and a long, flat tail. Most kets have soft patterned fur, be it spotted, tabby, and striped, in a rage of natural colors, including black, brown, white, and all shades in between. Their noses are small and adorned with whiskers that constantly twitch in social cues. Although it's ears are long and floppy, they rely mostly on their sense of hearing to to take in their surroundings because their eyes are small and beady. If the need arises, kets can straighten an ear out to better hear and pinpoint danger and turn their slender bodies in any direction. With small almost humanoid paws, Kets are capable of handling small, primitive tools and by placing the wide, flat popsicle-stick length of their tails firmly against the ground, Kets can reach for items in high places while standing on their back legs. In this fashion, they can even walking short distances on two legs while carrying their quarry. BEHAVIOR: Kets, despite their innocent appearances and non-violent natures, are the bane of the above. They are extremely adaptable creatures and have found ways to live nearly anywhere, even with the human encroachment. In the wild, Kets live in psuedo-colonies ranging anywhere in size from five to ten dens burrowed into the ground, all connected by a series of tunnels. In developed areas they are commonly found burrowing into gardens, nesting in walls, infiltrating basements, and abducting piplines. They scavenge food from garbage cans, steal it from gardens, and sometimes --on rare occasions-- manage to weasel their way into homes to take it right from the shelves. The abundance of food and man-made tunnels have allowed the kets to flourish in populated areas where their natural enemies are forced out by the less-threatening human population. In fact, the lack of danger has made the kets so brave, they freely prowl in the vicinity of humans while scavenging for bits of dropped food, only to dart back to the safety of their tunnel should anyone or anything threaten their safety. TEMPLATE MADE BY EDWARD, EXCLUSIVELY FOR USE ON THE BLUE

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://i53.tinypic.com/2dvq6j6.jpg,true][atrb=width,453,true] LIFE-CYCLE FLOWER(S) TYPE: plant CLASSIFICATION: carnivorous plant , descendant of the genus dionaea DIET: carnivore ACTIVITY: nocturnal (night), SIZE: leaves, average 45 cm (18in), largest on record 134cm (53in) ; flower 1 - 2cm (.03 - .79in) ; vines, longest on record, 861cm (338in) ; root, largest on record, not including leaves, 91cm (36in) WEIGHT: root, heaviest on record, 6.8kg (15lbs) LOCATION: Life-cycle flowers, beautiful as they are, can only be found naturally in one location in all of Elysia: the deep jungles of Gavan's topside. Collectors and a meticulously cared for greenhouse in the hanging gardens are the only ones to have brought the plant to the other isles where they cannot survive without human intervention. DESCRIPTION: [ click for larger image ] The Life-cycle flower is both incredibly breath-taking and forboding to see. It is, at its core, a vine-like plant that grows in the treetops of Garvan's jungle. The central point of the plant, known as the "root", looks much like a low-growing plant with wide, waxy green leaves shaped like large hearts. Clusters of hundreds of tiny flowers no bigger than a fignernail grow from amidst the leaves and dangle over the edges of the branches, enticing both pollenating insects and onlookers. Eventually the flowers wither away to be replaced with large, succulent, red berries. The vines for which the plant is known also dangle over the edge of the branches, some growing nearly to the ground and varying greatly in length, depending how far the lpant grows from the ground. Dark green and appearing almost shiny, no leaves or flowers grow on the vines and the ends curl ever so slightly making them easy to discern to the cautious and learned eye. BEHAVIOR: This carniverous plant's namesake comes from the fact that it both gives and takes life. When red berries are large and swollen, they provide food for birds and passing animals when they fall from the root to the ground below. The berries, however, are a clear sign that the plant is hunting for its next meal. Too many of the berries, however, are fatal to small mammals, though the worst a human will experience is an upset stomach. Birds and reptiles are the only creatures with an immunity to the toxins. The unfortuante creatures that are killed by the tempting berry feast are sought out by the plant's vines. The shiny coating of the vine is caused by a viscious secretion which is attracting to the "scent" of --or decomposing chemicals released into the atmosphere by-- the decomposing creature. After hours of unwinding, the vines begin to wrap themselves around the dead animal, again using secretion to cling to it's meal. In about twenty-four hours, the creature will be fully cocooned by the vines and wound up in its green coffin until it dangles many feet off the ground. It is now, when the prey is fimly wrapped and dangling over the ground below that they life-cycle vines begin to excrete a digestive solution that breaks down the captured animal. While the plant is digesting, new flowers bloom, new vines grow to the ground, and new leaves sprout to funnel more water into the ever growing root. Complete digestion and absorption can take anywhere from five days to a fortnight (fourteen days). Once all the soft tissue is dissolved, the used vines also begin to decompose, faling victim to its own secretions; sometimes the cocoon of vines and decayed animal break loose before much can be absorbed because it is too heavy or the vines themselves wear away in more vulnerable places. New vines, however, would have already begun to grow to the ground to hunt once again and the flowers would begin their transformation to the red berries of life. TEMPLATE MADE BY EDWARD, EXCLUSIVELY FOR USE ON THE BLUE

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://i53.tinypic.com/2dvq6j6.jpg,true][atrb=width,453,true] HORNED WOLF TYPE:warm-blooded CLASSIFICATION: canine (descendant of the genus canis) DIET: carnivore ACTIVITY: nocturnal SIZE: snout to rump, 162 - 213cm (5 - 6 ft) ; tail, 45 - 75 cm (1.5 - 2.5 ft); height, paw to head, 182 - 217 cm (6 - 7 ft) WEIGHT: 27 - 88kg (60 - 195 lbs) LOCATION: While the Horned Wolf can be found just about anywhere Down Below, it favors harsh climates and wide open spaces of the desert making it more common in Ravageland, where it is nearly worshiped by the Ravages, and the Lawless, where it is driven into the shadows at every sighting. DESCRIPTION: [ image pending ] Horned wolves are canine in nature, appearing for the most part like that of a wild dog. They walk on four massive paws, have a long tail, and two short ears which flatten back to keep sand out. Their sense of smell is extremely strong like most dogs and they pant in extreme heat to cool themselves. In order to blend into their environment, horned wolves are range in color from sandy tans to dark browns, occasionally sporting patches of white or black fur appropriate to their color scale. Never will a dark horned wolf have a white spot or vice versa. Their more distinctive features are the antlers both male and female boast atop their heads. Bone protrudes along the spine and the backs of their legs and the long whip-like tails are tipped in bone. Despite their ferocious appearance, horned wolves tend to be thin and streamline almost to the point of emaciation; rib cages can often be seen through beneath their fur. BEHAVIOR: The most elusive and misunderstood pack animals of the Down Below, the Horned Wolf was named after it's most distinctive and menacing feature: a series of bones protruding from the legs, back, and head. Horned Wolves, however, do not gain their garishly threatening appearance until much later in life. Newborn pups are strikingly harmless and are often mistaken for normal, every-day puppies. The small balls of soft fur are incapable of surviving without a mother's milk for the first few vital weeks. After two months, the pups, now walking, being to show the first signs of their heritage. Small nubs of bone begin to protrude atop their heads, along the spinal column, down the back of their legs, and at the tip of their long, thin tails. Over the next ten months, the nubs will grow in length and the pups will learn to sharpen their horns by rubbing them against rocky outcroppings. Due to wear and tear, the horns along the wolves legs and back frequently splinter and break off, keeping them short and relatively safe in relation to the bearer. The horns on the head of the beast, however, are much more durable than the leg and back protrusions, rarely breaking off completely. The branching of the antlers are the result of splits and fractures in the bones caused during hunts, fights for supremacy, and during a mating ritual where the wolves brawl to earn the right of the female. The more branches a Horned Wolf boasts, the more battles it has won and survived. While the antlers may be the most intimidating factor of the Horned Wolf, a young wolf or one that has had its antlers poached and sawed off should not be taken lightly. Armed with claws and a mouth of teeth made for shredding meat, their tails may in fact be their most deadly weapon. The wolves have learned to thrash an enemy with their long, thin tails in a whip-like fashion. The bone tip almost always draws blood, especially after years of wear and tear which may sharpen the bone at odd, jutting angles. A horned wolf's tail tip can frequently be used to identify one pack member from another. Oftentimes the size of a Horned Wolf's antlers is a good indicator of its age and ranking within the pack, which can range in size from less than to to over two dozen. Packs are led, much like the extinct Timber Wolves, by an alpha male and female. Packs hunt and scavenge together, constantly traveling in pursuit of food to avoid starvation, the most common cause of its death. TEMPLATE MADE BY EDWARD, EXCLUSIVELY FOR USE ON THE BLUE

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://i53.tinypic.com/2dvq6j6.jpg,true][atrb=width,453,true] SHALA TYPE: cold-blooded CLASSIFICATION: arachnid, descendant of the class arachnida DIET: carnivore ACTIVITY: nocturnal (night), though they have been seen active during the day in dark locations SIZE: main body, 30 cm (1 - 2 ft); legs, 15 - 20cm each (6 - 8 inches each) ; approximately the size of a house cat WEIGHT: 36 oz ( 2 lbs ) ; about that of a hefty textbook LOCATION: Everywhere, particularly in small, dark caves and crevices, making the Junkyard Downs and forgotten corners of the homes on Elysia particularly good hiding places during the day DESCRIPTION: [ image pending ] Pitch black save for a smattering of ten to thirty bright green eyes that glow in the dark, a Shala's head is small and oval shaped. A pair of fangs, which they use to help eat their meal by injecting digestive fluids into the corpse, protect the mouth just below the haphazard grouping of eyes. The head is attached directly to a bulbous abdomen from which eight legs with a single joint at the middle of each leg protrude. Each leg ends in a stump coated periodically in fresh webbing in order to climb walls. A small hooked claw, which also glows green, on the tip of each leg clacks as they walk on hard surfaces. The claw is used mainly for defensive and dietary means. HABITS AND BEHAVIOR: Shala live in colonies in the darkest of dark corners. Due to their size, colonies range from between five and ten Shala at any one time. Migrations between colonies are frequent and by no means do Shala reside at only one colony. While "beginner colonies" of three or four Shala can frequently be found in basements, attics, and chimneys of homes, the largest "established" colony on record was found in the wreckage of Hogwash some decades ago when thousands of Shala swarmed from their home upon discovery. In small numbers Shala are not dangerous to the every day human, though they are by no means harmless. Shala webs, dispensed from the apex in their rears, are much more potent than that of their arachnid ancestors, easily restricting the movement of a foe nearly thrice its size. Miniature claws on each of their eight legs are used to scratch in defense as well as carve out shallow hollow in which to lay their eggs, which glow the same haunting green as the Shalas' eyes. After being laid, the eggs are then methodically attached to the underside of the posterior sack by use of their webbing. Eggs must incubate for three, full moon cycles before they hatch, during which the female can see no sunlight lest the eggs shrivel and die. It is during this time that the males of the colony hunt on a mass scale. While the Shala do not collaborate like packs of Horned Wolves, they lie in wait to swarm their prey in groups at the ideal moment, spinning --or rather, trailing their webs all the while. Once caught, few escape the web's sticky and numbing effects and together, the males haul the paralyzed prey to the females. A dog of normal stature could feed single Shala pair for a fortnight. TEMPLATE MADE BY EDWARD, EXCLUSIVELY FOR USE ON THE BLUE

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=background,http://i53.tinypic.com/2dvq6j6.jpg,true][atrb=width,453,true] ZAL'RAS TYPE: cold-blooded CLASSIFICATION: reptile, descendant of the class reptilia DIET: carnivore ACTIVITY: dinural (day) SIZE: head to rump, 1.3 - 1.8 m (4.5 - 6 ft) ; tail when stretched out, .6 - 1m (2 - 3.5 ft) ; height from foot base to arched back, 1.5 - 2.4 m (5 - 8 ft) approximately the size of a large shed WEIGHT: 1242.8 - 1483.2 kg (2740 lbs - 3270 lbs) about that of a small car LOCATION: Zal'ras can be found on both Khthonia and the wilder parts of Elysia, specifically within the tropical forest of Garvan's topside. Khthonian zal'ras are rarer than their Elysian counterparts, living mostly on the fringes of Hogwash in the uninhabited buildings. Description: [ image pending ] Both species of zal'ras largely resemble chameleons, only dramatically increased in size. Four thin, almost spindly legs extend almost perpendicularly from the body, propelling a thick, barrel-like body in slow, steady steps close to the ground. Three prehensile "toes" allow zal'ras to grip nearly all forms of terrain as well as prey captured. The biggest zal'ras can be nearly the height of a small shed and weigh close to that of a small car. Their thick, rotund bodies are covered in rough scales and multiple abrasions. With their tails curled and legs tucked in, hibernating and hunting Khthonian zal'ras are often mistaken for rocky outcroppings due to their rusty orange, slate gray, and brown color patterns. Elysian zal'ras, on the other hand, are exotically colored, usually a dark regal purple smattered with bright green and yellow speckles, though dark blue versions can be found. Compared to the massive size of their bodies, their heads are compact, coming to a point at the snout. Two almond-shaped slits on the top of the snout serve as the zal'ras nostrils. Behind these are the zal'ras eyes. One protrudes from each side of the head. Large and round, zal'ras are capable of swiveling each eye independently and in opposite directions. A thick protective eyelid, which is the came color as the rest of the body, has a small opening at the center which both limits visibility and protects the most vulnerable part of the eye from danger when the zal'ras feels threatened. When the zal'ras opens its mouth, it nearly splits the head in two on a hinged jaw and stretches beneath both the nostrils and the eyes, revealing a shockingly pink mouth. Small razor teeth line the sides of the mouth, but the front is left bare to avoid harming the thick tongue that lashes out to capture it's prey. HABITS AND BEHAVIOR: Zal'ras are well-known to be solitary and extremely territorial creatures. Both males and females produce a signature scented saliva distinctive to their gender. They use this saliva to mark their territory by targeting significant landmarks with their long sticky tongues. The wet patches can be seen for two to three days before they dry, after which only the scent remains. Alchemists, doctors, and merchants have long sought vials of zal'ras saliva to make potions, anesthetics, and perfumes. Hunters and mercenaries should also be aware that the zal'ras's saliva is highly paralytic. Any contact on the skin directly causes paralysis and loss of feeling throughout the whole body after no more than five minutes. The zal'ras hunt by paralyzing their prey, ambushing the unsuspecting victim after lying in wait for something edible to wander within reach of the two foot long appendage. When two zal'ras of the same gender meet, a tongue-strike is the first line of defense, a warning to the other since zal'ras are immune to their own saliva. If the invading zal'ras doesn't retreat, the two battle for territorial rights by ramming their heads together and whipping each other with their tails. If the invading zal'ras is female, a mating ritual occurs, involving a flashy display of color by the male and a croaking song. The female than either accepts the male by curling her tail through his, or tongue-whipping the male. TEMPLATE MADE BY EDWARD, EXCLUSIVELY FOR USE ON THE BLUE