Bestiarium

At the Royal Academy in Anlog extensive work is being done to catalog the creatures of the world. To promote the work and share it with the public an open exhibition has been set up, presenting a collection of known  beasts from around the world.

Island turtle 

The island turtle is a massive beast inhabiting the great archipelago. Despite having been observed and know of since ancient times the turtle is an elusive creature and little is known of the turtle beyond its size and habitat. As the namesake suggest the turtle is very large and is commonly mistaken for either a reef or small island due to the back of the turtle having a similar look as jagged rocks of reefs and stony islands. Accounts tell of grass and trees growing on the back of particularly large specimen. The turtle have, and still is, a hazard for seafarers due to the nature of the beast to be mistaken for landmarks and being obstacles for ships in what should be sailable waters, and collisions with an island turtle can be devastating for the hull of a ship. There has never been any account of an island turtle being an aggressor and the creature when disturbed will for the most part withdraw into deep water, though some have recounted turtles crushing the hulls of ships after a collision from what looks like a defensive action before diving into the depths. While there being some account of sailors allegedly killing an island turtle, there have not been any trustworthy evidence presented to any academy of repute. The same accounts say that the shell of the turtle is as hard and brittle as rock, and will break and crumble when smashed with hammer or pick, with nothing of worth being extracted. For these reasons there has never been any interest in hunting the turtle, not even as means for clearing routes since the movement of the turtles makes marking points of encounter of little use.

Kraken

The largest of these creatures is said to have arms that can stretch over forty meters and attack seafaring ships that pass above or near their proximity. Most encounter with a Kraken have been in the arctic ocean off the coast of northern Evperia, especially so around the Trollhatten peninsula. There have been some encounters in the Norden sea as well as off the west coasts of the islands Storm and Thorn. Some rumors even say that there have been kraken as far south as the northwestern tip of the great archipelago.

When the kraken attacks it will wrap its arms around the ship, taking hold and then crushing the hull with its beak. Many records have been made of crewmates falling into the water during a squid attack, only to be grabbed by an arm and pulled under, presumably eaten when the squid lets go of the ship. While there have been successful defenses against an attack from a kraken, it is unknown if anyone has ever managed to kill one, and no one has ever caught one. This makes the myths around the beast somewhat extreme, saying it is an immortal being and an omen of the dark. At best only parts of the limbs of the beast have been retained for study, which have helped to classify the kraken as a sort of squid. The kraken is still feared in the modern age, even if the steel hulls of modern ships are highly resistant to the beast and improved arms significantly helps in fending it off.

Giant ship eater shark

Said to inhabit the open waters between the great archipelago and the ragged coast islands of Ignosia, the giant ship eater shark is a fearsome beast that have sunk many ships traveling between the continents. There are no proper measurements of the beast but for a common description of it being able to sink a two mast schooner with one bite. The verifiability of this is questionable but gives some justice to the fear which sailors have had of the shark through the ages. While encounter with attacks on ships have been fairly rare, sightings of the beast have been more numerous. It is commonly described to share the appearance of its smaller cousins with a large broad head, a elongated barreled body, and large fins. It has a gray color with patches of white on the underside, and with red stripes on the side of its head. The large maw is filled with large pointy teeth. It is uncertain if a giant ship eater has ever been killed but at least one account from a colonial convoy tells that the sailors managed to pierce the head of the beast with multiple harpoon after which it sank into the water and did not return. In the modern day there have been few records of any attacks, something academics have connected to the change in ship usage with larger ships made out of steel rather than the older and smaller wooden sailing ships.

Flying sailfish 

Found in the waters around Midori the flying sailfish can be found. There are three different kinds, the common fling sailfish, the green belly flying sailfish, and the thin sworded flying sailfish. These fish share two major features as all of them have a sword-like bill and wide ventral fins with a flexible membrane that allows them to glide some distance in the air when jumping out of the water. The fish is a predator, using its sword-like beak to skewer smaller fish as well as birds on the surface. If they catch anything on their beak, they dive down and shake the beak violently to rip their victim apart so that eating will be easier. The flying sailfish have a strange rumor about them that they intentionally attack Ailvu on sight, going so far as to jump up on their ships in an attempt to skewer them.

Flying sailfish, common

The common flying sailfish is the largest, stretching as long as four meters from sword tip to tailfin, and weighs on average about roughly 200kg. The sword is usually one to one and a half meter in length. It has dark blue and silver colors with tints of green on its ventral sails. The common flying sailfish can be found anywhere in the waters around Midori and is also a common food fish for the Ailvu of Son-nu-ha. Due to its size it can only glide a short distance but for the same reason it is able to go after larger targets than the other sailfish.

Flying sailfish, green belly

The green belly flying sailfish is the smallest of the three types. From the tip of the beak to the end of the tailfin it measures just short of a meter. The sword is about 30 centimeters and has jagged edges. The fish weighs on average around 20kg. The green belly gets its name from the vibrant green color of its belly. The rest of the fish is a darker green and it has large scales which have a metallic sheen, bearing a likeness to cut emerald. Because of this the green belly is sought after for their skin which is used for clothing and accessories among the Ailvu of Son-nu-ha. The green belly can glide far, especially if it faces the wind. It can only be found in the tropical waters of northern Midori.

Flying sailfish, thin sworded 

The thin sworded sailfish inhabits the waters southwest of Midori. It measures from the tip of the beak to the end of the tailfin roughly three meters, with the sword being one meter. The sword is thin, much like a rapier and has a silver color with shiny spots. The rest of the body is slimmer than the common flying sailfish and have the same blue and silver color but lack the green tint on the ventral sails. The fish is sought after for its beak which is used to make ceremonial swords and daggers important for the worship of Yun-ku-mo in Son-nu-ha, as well as being status symbols for positions of office.

Great golden eagle 

A giant species of eagle native to the archipelago. It measures well over 6 meters between wing tips and nests on the higher slopes of the mountainous islands. Despite its size, the eagle is capable to fly with ease, often times gliding for long periods of time on the rising warm air currents. The favorite prey seem to be the mountain mufflon but it also seem to enjoy catching larger fish on occasion. It has little interest in people but there are stories of eagles taking children, though it seems to be very rare. The giant bird is highly territorial and will act aggressively to anyone coming too close the its nest, even going so far as to attack passing airships. Plumes of the eagle is highly sought after by the gentry of the major empires, but conservationist movements within the Commonwealth are actively working to follow the Hauberians in banning active hunt on the bird. The Hauberian have also used the great golden eagle on their emblems for generations, which is why it is forbidden to hunt.

Blue elk

A large deer living throughout the Kaza mountains. The animal stands nearly two meters tall at the shoulder and have a thick tan colored fur, a red mane and a blue stripe on the tail. The male elk has large palmatic horns, mainly used as a way to attract females and for dueling other males. The elk is generally shy and skittish but males will become more aggressive during mating season. 

Mountain spider, Spine

A large species of spiders, average leg span of 1,2 meters, habituating in the Spine mountain region. It has a lean body, grey and black in color, which makes it blend with the stony terrain it inhabits. Making its nest in caves and larger crevices, it lays tripwires of web around its nest that alerts it to any potential prey which it will spring upon and clamp down on with its fanged chelicerae to inject venom that will liquefy the prey with time, allowing the spider to obtain nourishment. The venom is very potent and will kill a victim within a short period of time. There is no known remedy. The Dworig of the Spine mountains are said to periodically needing to clear out mine shafts from nesting spiders, especially during the spiders mating season.

Mountain spider, Kaza 

A large species of spider, somewhat smaller than the Spine mountain spider, with an average leg span of 0,9 meters, predominantly inhabiting the southern Kaza mountain range. The spider has a bulbous body. It is mainly grey in color with bands of green and black spots. It makes its habitat in caves and gloomy passages with dense vegetation. It is a web spinner, meaning it covers it nest and immediate surrounding area with a fine web that easily catches on and snares any potential prey that wanders too close. The spider is a master of patience, able to lay in wait for extended periods of time. When a prey is caught by some web the spider launches out to incapacitate the victim with a bite of its fanged chelicerae, which injects a paralyzing agent that renders the victim unable not only move but also suffocate as the muscles of breathing also is incapacitated. The prey is then spun into a cocoon and dragged into the spiders nest where the spider will wait for the victim to pass and become liquefied inside the cocoon, ripe for the spider to digest. Like with the Spine mountain spider, the Dworig of Kazashki have made a habit to clear mines and surrounding areas of any nest while keeping certain areas fit for nests as a way to farm the spiders silk, which is a praised commodity.

Tongue slug

A parasitic slug that takes over its hosts tongue and infects their brain to control them. Native to the jungles of Stora, the slug starts its cycle as an egg in still and shallow bodies of water where it waits for a potential host to drink. When taken into a host, the egg will cling to the mucus membranes of the esophagus where the slug quickly hatches and makes its way up to the base of the tongue where it burrows and slowly devours the flesh as it grows. While doing so it extrudes a neurotoxin that renders the host docile. In its juvenile stage, it starts to extend tendrils that burrow up to the hosts brain and as the slug reaches adulthood the tendrils will have taken full control of the host. As an adult, the slug has fully consumed the tongue of the host and will direct it to move around in search of areas where it can later lay its eggs. When a suitable spot has been found, usually a smaller size of still water, where it will start to secrete a smelly mucus that attracts other slugs. The mucus also acts as a sperm which other slugs consume to fertilize their eggs. When a slug has found both a suitable place and mucus of another slug, it directs its host to lie down by the water and put its head below the surface, allowing the slug to extend and place its eggs, starting the cycle anew.

The fate of the host is grim. Under the effect of the first neurotoxin, it feels no pain and looses appetite. As the slug consumes the its tongue and burrows its tendrils into the brain, the host usually either wanders aimlessly or spends most of its time sleeping. The time it takes the slug to fully take over the host is usually a week's time. Another effect of the toxin is a breakdown of the hosts neural functions, combined with the trauma on the tongue and a lack of food, the host quickly deteriorates. The only thing that the slug makes the host do naturally before it takes over completely is to seek out water to drink. By the time that the slug lays its eggs, the host is on the verge of death, and as the host dies, so does the controlling slug.

Accounts on the frequency of tongue slugs are mixed. Because of the nature of the slugs dependency of still and shallow water for the eggs to gestate, any dry spell or draught will be highly detrimental. The chance of actually successfully infecting and taking over a host is also slim at best as both finding a host and managing to climb the esophagus is challenging at best. Accounts of the host perishing before the slug reaches full adulthood is also common, as well as finding hosts that have wandered far away from bodies of water and perishing from dehydration. Infections of humanoids are very rare and even fewer accounts tell of a humanoid going through a full cycle. If someone still where to become infected, catching the slug in early stages is paramount, especially to save the victims tongue. There are procedures that are effective, the most being to surgically remove the slug.

Rip-flyer 

The vicious rip-flyer inhabits the majority of the Lumious River. The rip-flyer is a fish that have evolved wing like fins that it uses to spring out of the water to attack animals unfortunate enough to enter the waters in which they reside. While the fish is reasonably docile for most of its existence, during a short period during the wet season the rip-flyer goes into mating. During this time, rip-flyers gather in large frenzied schools which attack and sunder anything that comes into the water.

Kazaik amber bear

The Kazaik amber bear lives in and around the Kazaik mountain range. It gets its namesake from it's lustrous brown fur which is a highly sought after item for clothing and decoration. The bear weighs around 440 kg on average and measures around 2,6 meters in length. As all bears the amber bear is an omnivore and will as likely forage as it will hunt for food. Though not outright aggressive the bear is highly territorial and will be vary of those that enter into it's area. The Dworig in the Kaza moutains have a tradition of taking cubs and raising them, some to be released back into the wild while some become a sort of pet. The tradition stems from hunters taking care of the cubs after either felling the mother during hunting but later on a pet bear also becoming a form of status for the upper members of society. The bear is semi-domestic since many of the pets through time have been used to breed other pets and even wild females. In the modern time there are strict rules for hunting the bear and harsh penalties for anyone breaking them.

Sickle fish

Large fish inhabiting the sea between the green land and southern stora and parts of the Buktamali bay. It has two large fins on the back half of its body, one on the back and one on the stomach. These finns are used for navigation and defense against large predators as they are very sharp. There are cases of fishermen being attacked by the sickle fish in the water, where the fish darts towards the fishermen and cuts the with the fins. One account tells that a fisherman lost half his arm when a sickle fish attacked, cutting it clean off. The fish is two meters long, head to tail. The sickle fins extend about one meter each. It is sought after by fishermen for its fine meat and sickle fins. It is also appreciated for its majestic metallic coloring, shifting from green to yellow.

Corpse Swarmer

A wasp-like creature that make their nests out of meat, usually of rotting corpses, found in the Lumious jungles of Ignosia. An individual is about half the size of a human thumb and the body is segmented into three parts; head, mesosoma, and metasoma. It has a hard exoskeleton that is dark brown with stripes of black and red on the abdomen. It has rust colored wings on the mesosoma. It has large mandibles which is use to cut of pieces of flesh from a victim, and a vicious stinger in it's metasoma which can inject a potent venom which will melt flesh, making it easier for the swarmer to harvest and build with. A hive could contain thousands of swarmers and is mainly limited by the size of the corpse nest or amount of flesh available to them. They are not outright predatory but are highly opportunistic as they are attracted to blood and will have scouts seek a potential victims. There are records of animals being attacked and killed by a hive of swarmers but these are very rare and the animal is always already injured. No human on record so far have been killed by a hive but there are a few accounts of dead being either turned into a nest or harvested by the swarmers.