Archive for Creatures

According to Tao Jiucheng in his Chuogenglu, in the lands of the Arabs there are men 70 or 80 years old who are willing to give their bodies to save others. Such a one takes no more food or drink, only bathing and eating a little honey, till after a month his excreta are nothing but honey; then death ensues. His compatriots place the body to macerate in a stone coffin full of honey, with an inscription giving the year and month of burial. After a hundred years the seals are removed and the confection so formed used for the treatment of wounds and fractures of the body and limbs—only a small amount taken internally is needed for cure. Although it is scarce in those parts the common people call it “mellified man” or, in their foreign speech, “mu-nai-i”. Thus Mr. [Tao], but I myself do not know whether the tale is true or not. In any case I append it for the consideration of the learned.

Tao Jiucheng, 1366

Oni are physical beings of varying origins. Some are Ogres, some are human beings so wicked, that they have transformed into a more horrific form. All are eaters of human flesh, but far from being mindless thugs one usually associates with ogres, they are clever in their evil. Some have been worshipped as kami by local peasants who make sacrifices of their population to them in exchange for the Oni’s protection. Oni appear as huge, brutish red or blue skinned humanoids, generally male, but females, called Kijo, exist as well.

I reached in. When I drew out my hand, I felt something round, and a bunch of wriggling scratching things. It freaked me out and I flung the stuff on the ground. Bunch of damn huge cockroaches, and a speed loader full of .38 rounds. What the hell.–Anonymous.

The Sack of Uncertainty appears as an ordinary bag: it may be decorated or plain; it may snap shut, cinch, or tie; it may be leather, vinyl, or even a plastic grocery bag. It is no more durable
than an ordinary item of its type.

The damn thing was huge, and a Class Three. It stood on giant hooves, had a mid-section kind of like a slimy tree, but covered with dozens of mouths spewing stinking green goo. Several thick tentacles writhed from the top. One of them grabbed up Charlie, another the Professor, then swelled up, squeezed, and our two guys popped like screaming grapes. Shot blood all over me. Hell, I didn’t even realize I was that close.

I drew the 1860. I knew it was draining my life, soul, or something. Still, Class Three. I put the last two rounds into the creature. Two beautiful blue streaks, then the crackling explosions. Must have been gallons of green-black filth blew out of the thing.

It started careening, stomping off into the woods, all those damn mouths screaming. Then it just slid in half. I felt my mind crumble just a little bit more. Am I de-briefed now? I need to get drunk.

Anderson Blake, U.S. Marshal (Ret.), now in the care of the Manchester Foundation.

This is a magically enchanted Colt Army Model 1860, a .44 caliber six shot weapon which weighs 2 lbs 11 ounces. It has neither ammunition nor moving parts. An Elder Sign is engraved on the top of the cylinder.

“I tell you the truth that you don’t want to hear. She tells you the truth that you shouldn’t want to hear. And when the Second Dawn comes, The Son of the Bull will tell you the truth that you can’t imagine, the truth that people only dream of during a Golden Age.”

Lucius Gaius, High Priest of Fiat Lux.

Overview: Fringe sects and splinter religious movements were constantly cropping up in Classical-era Rome, originating from all corners of the Empire. Within the state-recognized system of pietas, or religious loyalty, there was a fair amount of room for experimentation. These sects often portrayed themselves as a new aspect or newly enlightened understanding of an old, familiar god. As long as they did not directly challenge the established order or make powerful enemies, during much of the Roman era these “reinterpretations” of recognized religions were generally tolerated.

“Here, in this desert, there live amid the sand great ants, in size somewhat less than dogs, but bigger than foxes. The Persian king has a number of them, which have been caught by the hunters in the land whereof we are speaking. Those ants make their dwellings underground, and like the Greek ants, which they very much resemble in shape, throw up sand heaps as they burrow.”

Herodotus, The Third book of Histories

Despite their name these terrors of the desert are found in many places. They are said to be similar in form to the ants of Greece, aside from their size, which is reported to be larger than a fox but smaller than a dog. They are very territorial and attack any living thing approaching one of their mounds. As many as fifty of these creatures come swarming out of their mounds at the first sign of intrusion.

The Succo were rare even at the height of Stygia’s power, but now only a few remain. These creatures began as the issue of unholy unions between human sorcerers and priests and the Great Old One Atlach-Nacha. They appear to be enormous spiders with a vaguely human like face amid their eight eyes and fangs (females often with long hair, males often with facial hair), and human-like hands at the end of their first pair of legs. These hands are too feeble to wield a weapon, but can be used for fine work, such as opening doors, using fine tools, tying and untying knots, or writing messages on paper of wax tablets. They can speak but only in whispers,
although they can scream and screech quite loudly when enraged.

Once a species of early human, these creatures were driven underground by waves of invaders. In the dark depths of the earth they slowly transformed into a race perfectly suited to a life below the surface of the earth. They appear as grey skinned humanoids, with large black eyes, scraggly white hair, busy eyebrows, and thick beards. They are squat of build, standing at most five feet tall, with broad muscular shoulders. Ordantani see perfectly well in total darkness, but full daylight is now nearly blinding to them. However they suffer no ill effects from torch light, lamps, or diffused sunlight.

These extremely dangerous guardian creatures were created by the wizards of Lomar, to guard the lands of their estates. While the secrets of their creation and the ability to control or command them has been lost to history, those scholars who know of the Fallen Kingdoms and the Shadow War surmise that such monsters were created by magically cross breeding a terrestrial lion with certain unknown extraterrestrial mythos creatures. Luckily, they cannot breed, and no new Nemean lions have been created in millennia. Unfortunately, they are incredibly dangerous, immortal unless slain through violence, and nearly indestructible.

This creature is found far north of the Antonine Wall in the wilds of Caledonia, land of the savage Picts. It is greatly feared in those lands but mostly unknown in other countries. Legends tell that these creatures are created when a normal snake’s head is cut off. If the dying snake finds it’s severed heat the two halves can be rejoined, and the snake then transforms into the dreaded Beithir. It is often called The Lightning Serpent, as the creatures are most often seen after thunder storms.