Drakatrice

Cryptologic Name: Fidoura anapsis
Planar Origin: Materia
Habitat: Temperate wetlands
Diet: Omnivorous

Appearance & Morphology
The drakatrice, also commonly referred to as the “duckatrice,” resembles a nonmagical duck in overall morphology with the exception of a serpent-like tail with a ribbed fin toward the end. These creatures come in a variety of shapes and colors, based on their lineage, but all share one commonality: solid yellow eyes. Much like their nonmagical counterparts, drakatrices are built for the water with water-resistant down; webbed feet; and a strong, finned tail to help propel them through the water.

Magical Abilities and Behavior
As one might guess based on their nomenclature and morphology, the drakatrice is related to the more common cockatrice, though are significantly less dangerous than their gallinaceous cousins. Both of these species are purely magical in nature and do not mate to reproduce, but rather spawn from eggs of nonmagical birds (chickens and ducks). While cockatrice chicks will often kill their parents, drakatrice ducklings pose no threat to their family members and are almost always accepted and raised by their nonmagical parents, usually remaining with flocks of their nonmagical relatives throughout their lives. Also similar to the cockatrice, the drakatrice has a magical gaze which is its primary defense mechanism against predators. While a drakatrice’s gaze won’t turn you to stone, it will cause your entire body to freeze in place for a period of time, allowing the creature and its flock to continue grazing in peace before moving on at their leisure. Ducks related to the individual drakatrice are immune to this power, as well as other drakatrices.

Field Notes

• Drakatrices may pose less of a threat than cockatrices, however they should still be approached with caution. While the effects their freezing gaze are temporary, if you are caught by it in a bad moment it can be quite troublesome or even deadly. For example, if you were to startle one of these creatures while swimming, you would be at serious risk of drowning.

Scintillavir

Cryptologic Name: Mikromageia scintillavir
Planar Origin: Materia
Habitat: Various
Diet: Manavorous

Appearance & Morphology
Scintillavir, also known as splinterfolk, are small creatures with wispy, colorful bodies in a variety of hues. Their heads are unique to each individual often resemble something related to their provenance (a topic that will be discussed in the next section). These creatures are semi-corporeal, as they are essentially a coalescence of mana with a spark of consciousness, but they can manipulate the mana that makes up their bodies in order to become more or less solid, such that they can interact with the material world as they desire. Furthermore, they can alter their shape and form in a variety of ways, though they are most commonly seen as humanoid in appearance.

Behavior & Magical Abilities
Scintillavir are purely magical in origin, and as such do not reproduce biologically. Each individual springs to life from something small that is imbued with magical energy; these are referred to as the scintillavir’s “provenance.” The provenance is generally a small piece or amount of something, and can be nearly anything which contains mana. Often when a piece of a magical object or creature is split off from the main body, it retains some of its magical power, and these small fragments of magic can come to life as scintillavum. It is unclear why only small slivers of magic can become alive in this way, as much about how these creatures come to be is still a mystery, but we do know that it is a rare phenomenon.

The provenance of a scintillavum is often incorporated into their being or effects, depending on the nature of said provenance. For example, a scintillavum birthed from the ceramic chip of a teacup, that chip might become a part of the scitillavir’s body or perhaps they will turn it into some sort of jewelry to wear. Not all provenances are physical objects, however, so they can manifest in other ways as well. A stray moonbeam which spawns a scintillavum may manifest itself as a pale glow emanating from their body which changes with the phases of the moon.

Splinterfolk can sustain themselves by continuing to absorb mana from their surroundings, and can also manipulate mana that is similar to that which spawned them. Because each provenance is different, this means each individual has unique magical abilities.

As you’ve gathered by now, splinterfolk are a very diverse group of beings because their magical origins are so varied. It should come as no surprise that the range of personalities and behavior patterns can be wildly different between individuals, and that the nature of their provenance has a great impact on their temperaments and identities. One common ability scintillavir all seem to possess is the ability to communicate. They do not explicitly have a language (though a few whose origins were closely tied to language can speak and/or write in a collection of languages related to their provenance), but they can communicate thoughts and feelings telepathically. It can take some time to learn how to interpret them, but these unique little creatures can have quite a lot to “say” when they find someone who is willing to listen.

Field Notes

• Because they don’t reproduce biologically, scintillavir are sexless. They do, however, often express gender as part of their identity. While it is unclear why exactly this happens, I believe splinterfolk are impacted by human perception (or the perception of other sentient beings in their vicinity). While this is still only a theory, it might explain why these creatures often choose humanoid forms, and why they tend to surround themselves with things that we would connote with their provenances.

• As these delightful creatures are so varied in characteristics, personalities, and powers, I’ve decided to keep a catalogue of all the individuals I’ve met in my tenure as a cryptozoologist. You can find that record HERE

Catalogue of Scintillavir

Below is a compendium of the know scintillavir I have encountered in my study of cryptozoology. Because each one is so unique, is seemed prudent to keep an ongoing list.

Admani, “The Dancing Flame”

Provenance: An ember from a ceremonial fire

Admani was born from celebration, and as such is a reveller through and through. He loves to dance with those who lit his spawning fire and brings passion to his every move and gesture.

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Alectryon, “Warrior of the Stone Gaze”

Provenance: A stone fragment from a petrified soldier

Alectryon has the soul of a warrior, and is thus a fierce fighter, highly skilled in the use of his spear and shield. His mount, Petra, is a cockatrice, the same type of beast which petrified the soldier from whose fragment he was born. While combat may be his main focus, he is also a reveler who enjoys nights by the bonfire and sharing wine with his comrades.

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Amphinome, “the Sea’s Bounty”

Provenance: A broken piece of shell from the crown of a mermaid princess

Amphinome is queen of a small, aquatic domain. The fragment of shell which spawned her, she now wears as a crown for herself. She often fluctuates in form between that of a merperson and that of a human, depending on her mood. Apparently the merprincess whose crown fractured to create Amphinome’s provenance was somewhat obsessive over the notion of becoming human herself.

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Anastasius, “the Drake Knight”

Provenance: A plume from a knight’s helm

Anastasius may be a knight of the realm, but he quite gentle at heart. He prefers quiet afternoons sitting by the pond with his stalwart mount, Guillermo, to fighting, but will readily take up his sword to defend his home and companions.

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Baphemy, “Lord of Ash and Bone”

Provenance: A chip of demon horn
Baphemy is one of many splinterfolk of demonic origins, and thus is one to be wary of. While he is not particularly violent, he has quite the penchant for arson, so you would do well to keep anything flammable away from him.

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Brana, “The Gaggle Valkyrie”

Provenance: A goose feather

Vigorous and valiant, Brana diligently patrols her native skies on her winged mount. Her steadfast companion, Sigrun, cares very much for her rider and the two fight fiercely together when the need arises. Sigrun brings the savagery of goose-kind to bear when her dear rider is injured, though this is a rare sight as Brana is quite skilled in the art of defense using her round shield.

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Briony, “The Blooming Meadow”

Provenance: A petal from the first flower to bloom in spring
Briony is as bright and cheerful as the flower which spawned her. She loves the bright colors of wildflowers and the warmth of sunshine on her face.

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Calico, “the Stitcher”

Provenance: Clippings of enchanted thread
Calico is one of the few scintillavir I’ve had the pleasure of a continued relationship with, as she was born in my very own workshop when I was enchanting thread to stitch a collection of protective spells into my clothing. Being born of thread, she is naturally a gifted seamstress, stitcher, and weaver. Having bonded over the craft, she has decided to stay in my workshop and now oversees it as her own domain.

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Castor & Pollux, “twin starshine”

Provenance: drops of distilled starlight
Castor and Pollux, adopting their names from the mythological twins of the gemini constellation, are curious and playful scintillavir. While both of the twins exude their own light they are also delighted by all other sources of light. Castor is the silver sibling and adopts a more femenine demeanor, while Pollux, the gold sibling, adopts a more masculine one.

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Celia, “the Sporesower”

Provenance: Spores from a magical species of mushroom
Celia can most often be found exploring the forest floor, among the moss, leaves, snails and soil. She is a friend to all living things who dwell there, plant, animal, and fungus alike. Celia delights in collecting spores from mushrooms she comes across in her wanderings, keeping them in the pouch she wears at her waist until she finds a good spot to sow them and grow new mushrooms across her domain.

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Corwin, “the raven-clad”

Provenance: a stray raven’s feather
Corwin is a friend to rooks, ravens, and crows. Born of their feathers, he can often be seen wearing a black cloak, which he uses to soar with his avian comrades. He can be a little dramatic at times, but mostly he is curious and playful, enjoying any time spent among his adoptive murder.

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Cybil, “the Farseer”

Provenance: A torn scrap of tarot card
Cybil is a master of divination, using her considerable talents to glimpse the possibilities of the future. She is skilled with a variety of different prophetic devices and will find methods suitable to the individual seeking her guidance. She is most well known for her use of tarot cards and seeking visions in her crystal ball, but has been known to read tea leaves and cracked bone as well.

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Droma, “The Raptor Rider”

Provenance: A fossilized claw

Both strong and resilient, Droma is a dweller of the wildlands where large and powerful creatures roam free. He is a skilled hunter of these beasts; with the help of his deinonychus companion, Mags, they can take down fearsome monsters many times their size.

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Düe, “the Moon Beast”

Provenance: A single acontium flower

Düe is as wild as the wolves he calls family. Reveling in the light of the full moon, the pack plays, hunts, and howls together. While he is generally curious and playful, Düe also has a fierceness not often found in scintillavir.

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emeric, “the Survivalist”

Provenance: A fragment of a wolf’s tooth

Emeric is most at home in the wildlands, preferring the sole company of his wolf companion, Aka, to the business of settled areas. Working in tandem they are skilled trackers and wayfinders, always having a strong sense of direction even in the deepest wilderness.

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Grey, “Master Steeper”

Provenance: A chip from an old ceremonial teapot

Grey is an expert in all things tea-related, and can prepare a perfect cup or pot no matter the blend he’s working with. He is also quite good at developing his own special blends and infusing them with his magic to produce a variety of effects within the drinker. Most are medicinal in nature but he has been known to brew something more unusual upon request.

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Gwylion, “the forest sage”

Provenance: a twig from an enchanted oak tree
Gwylion is both a dweller and scholar of the forest, delighting in befriending and learning all about the myriad flora and fauna who live there. She keeps a journal of those who meets, with sketches and notes from her many encounters. Gwylion also carries a pouch with treasures she finds on her wanderings. Seeds, mushrooms, feathers, and small bones are among her favorite items to collect. Her special pouch of goodies was made by a good friend and fellow splinterfolk, Calico.

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Harlan, “THE Deepwalker”

Provenance: A fragment of glowing crystal
Harlan is a splinterfolk very attuned to mother Earth, most at home surrounded by deep caverns of stone. You can always tell when he’s near because his magic resonates with crystals, causing them to glow.

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Hazel, “THE Gardener”

Provenance: A pinch of soil
Hazel is most at home when she’s surrounded by greenery, whether that’s out in her vast gardens or in her meticulously kept greenhouse. She delights in caring for plants of all kinds and loves meeting fellow garden enthusiasts.

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Jacques, “The Satndard-Bearer”

Provenance: A scrap from an ancient nation’s flag

Jacques is a knight in form and demeanor; while he is a capable contender on the battlefield, he does not often swing a sword for his company. Instead he serves as the standard-bearer, and he performs his duty admirably atop his styracosaur companion, Aldon. Despite his diminutive stature, Jacques’ magic allows his banner to be seen by his entire company even from across the theatre of war.

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Jaqueline, “THE Spook”

Provenance: A pumpkin seed
Jacqueline embodies the spirit of Halloween, and loves giving those around her a fright. She delights in all things eerie and those who share in her love of scares.

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Jerimoth, “The Necromancer”

Provenance: Bone dust from a reanimated skeleton

Jerimoth’s ghastly visage is indicative of the company he most commonly keeps: the dead. A skilled necromancer able to manipulate a myriad of skeletal constucts, he appears a grisly character. But despite his penchant for reanimating corpses, he is not a nefarious personage in the least. In fact, his constructs serve more often as servants than warriors.

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Kermit, “the Bayou-Dwelling Bard”

Provenance: Unknown

Kermit is a bit of an anomaly amongst the splinterfolk because he is unaware of the nature of his provenance. Still, he is a jovial character and a talented musician who often accompanies the choruses of frogs and birds who live in the wetlands he calls home. Few who hear his music can help smiling.

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Kian, “Of the Ancient Wood”

Provenance: A primordial acorn

Kian is one of the oldest known scintillavir, spawning from an acorn dropped from Great Grandfather Oak, an ancient tree spirit who is said to be the father of all the world’s forests. Kian is a wanderer and a guardian of the woods, and all thoe creatures who dwell amongst the trees know and respect him. He travels alongside a spirit beast named Oisin, who often takes the form of a brilliant white stag.

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Laguna, “Spirit of the Pond”

Provenance: A drop of water splashed out of a pond from a frog’s dive
Laguna is a carefree scintillavum, enjoying quiet afternoons in the cool water of his home pond. He is a great admirer of fishes and frogs, and has made friends with all his animal neighbors.

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Lluvia, “the spring rain”

Provenance: The first raindrop of spring
Though rain always follows Lluvia wherever she goes, it is a warm, gentle rain that breathes life into the earth upon which it falls. She loves watching plants sprout under her showers, and hear the frogs calling happily from their newly-filled pools.

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Lucas, “the Husk Warrior”

Provenance: A fragment of shed beetle carapace

Lucas is a skilled and powerful fighter, akin to the ancient warriors of the fallen kingdom of Hallownest. His sword has felled many a vicious monster in his extensive travels. Lucas affectionately refers to his stag beetle companion as “Jaws,” an apt name given the large, strong mandibles which he often uses to assist his comrade in battle.

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Melena, “The Apiculturist”

Provenance: A drop of honey

Melena is a kind and diligent splinterfolk, utterly devoted to the hives under her care. Her bees, in turn, are fiercely loyal and treat her as one of their own. The honey she collects (with the hive’s consent, of course) is a prized substance for its magical properties, but it is a commodity she does not part with easily.

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Pelleas, “the Defender”

Provenance: A shard from a holy knight’s sword
Pelleas is the picture of a knight, staunch and stalwart as the man whose sliver of sword became his provenance. While he may be small, he is strong and will take up arms to defend those whom he considers to be his companions.

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Posey, “The Fae-Touched”

Provenance: Spores from a fairy-ring mushroom

Posey is a cheerful and carefree character, often found admiring wildflowers or spending sunlit afternoons in the cool shade of toadstools. She often adopts the form of a faerie, as one of her favorite activities is dancing through the sky with her butterfly friends.

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Qadir, “The Lamp-Bound”

Provenance: A drop of oil

Qadir takes the form (and displays the magical prowess) of a genie, bound to a magical oil lamp which he inhabits. Unlike in most stories of djinn, he is not beholden to those who possess his lamp, but will freely grant boons to those with whom he has an affinity. Additionally, though his existence is tied to the lamp, this does not appear to restrict him in the traditional way, as he can use his magic freely and can move his lamp around at will.

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Roche, “The Dark Lurker”

Provenance: An urban legend

Roche is a nocturnal splinterfolk, preferring to avoid sunlight when possible. He tends to spend his days in tree hollows or shallow caves but loves exploring the wilds when the sun begins to set. His glowing red eyes have startled more than a few people hiking the woods at night, but this not his intention. Roche is actually a quite curious and playful creature despite his eerie appearance.

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Ronwe, “Lord of Blood and Wine”

Provenance: A drop of demon’s blood
Ronwe is one of many splinterfolk who have demonic origins. Even so, he is not one to be feared as he enjoys revels over violence any day. He does, however, have a penchant for making mischief, so it’s best not to get roped into his schemes.

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Ruprecht, “Artiste Extraordinaire”

Provenance: A splotch of magic paint

Ruprecht is an exceptional painter and is always working on his next masterpiece. He tends to favor landscapes and scenes from nature over portraits and still-life subjects. and will use his artistic talent as well as his magical abilities to bring his paintings to life.

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Saturn, “The Mothbound Aviator”

Provenance: Moth wing scales

Saturn is a free spirit who loves nothing more than the open skies and the feeling of wind on his face. He is a loyal companion to his moth mount, Phoebe; the two have little fear of birds or other flying creatures as Saturn’s magic allows them to fly and maneuver at incredible speeds. Saturn and Phoebe are intrepid explorers, travelling far and wide across the vast world.

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Serafin, “The Huntress”

Provenance: A bear tooth kept as a trophy by a veteran hunter
Serafin is a wild spirit born with a keen eye and a strong resolve. While she is a hunter at her core, she is also fiercely protective of the animals in her domain, recognizing the delicate balance between predator and prey.

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Trevais, “The Magpie”

Provenance: A small bell kept in a curious shop
Trevais is an explorer and collector. He loves travelling far and wide, collecting bits and bobs on his journeys to bring home to his nest. He is very fond of his myriad souvenirs proudly shows them to and visitors or passers-by.

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Venti, “The Afficionato”

Provenance: An enchanted coffee bean
Venti is an espresso expert, skilled at every stage of the process from growing coffee beans, roasting them, grinding, and brewing them to perfection. If you are a coffee lover, he is a good friend to have, as he’ll assure you are always properly caffeinated.

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Blarnsneep

Cryptologic Name: Daimicro polychroma
Planar Origin: Faerie
Habitat: Forested areas
Diet: Omnivorous, mostly eating berries, insects, and flowers

Appearance & Morphology
Blarnsneeps, are small, fuzzy, colorful fae beings with large eyes and pointed ears. They have two short, birdlike legs and a long flexible tail with a large tuft on the end. Most of their species have white ears and tail tufts, but body fur in a wide range of colors bright including pink, blue, green, orange, and yellow.

Behavior & Magical Abilities
The blarnsneep is often called a “paint gremlin” (or “paint pixie” for those who appreciate alliteration) due to a set of glands at the end of their tail which secrete a colorful paste. The individual can control the hue of their tail paint, though it appears that their diet influences the range of colors available to them at any given time. These creatures will then use their tail tufts as a brush to paint elaborate murals on a variety of surfaces in their home territories. They also have very fine control over the hairs at the ends of their tails, allowing them to achieve a surprising degree of fine detail in their artwork. If you are ever in a forested area and find rocks or trees with colorful designs on them, there is a good chance that a blarnsneep lives nearby.
While some of these creatures’ paintings are abstract, many of them are more concrete representations of objects and experiences they witness in their lives. Wild blarnsneep paintings often include motifs of the night sky, bodies of water, and other creatures that live in their habitat. Blarnsneep that live with humans have been known to paint intensely lifelike portraits of the people they are close to.
The blarnsneep loves when its artwork is appreciated, often preening and chirruping excitedly when people and other creatures show an interest in their paintings. While these creatures cannot speak in human languages, those that live amongst us have shown an aptitude for understanding human feeling and speech and a respectable knack for finding ways to communicate their own feelings and ideas.

Field Notes

• Aside from the artistic and alchemical value of the blarnsneep’s paintings, it also serves to mark territory and is involved in the creature’s mating rituals. When a female is ready to mate, she will paint a part of a stone or tree within her territory; the paint used for this has pheromones to attract males and indicate that she is looking for a partner. Eligible bachelors will then add to her painting with their own marks and the female will choose based on the resulting mural.

• While these creatures enjoy it when their artwork is appreciated, they can also be rather vain and scornful when their artwork goes unappreciated. This is much more common in individuals who live with humans than in wild populations; they have been known to throw tantrums if they create a new work of art its people fail to notice and praise it.

Xiuhcoatl

Cryptologic Name: Fterophidia xiuhcoatl
Planar Origin: Ilhuicatl-Teotlatlauhco
Habitat: Tropical climate, primarily jungle habitat
Diet: Carnivorous

Appearance & Morphology
Xiuhcoatls are one of many creatures in the Ophidiaves family, which display features of both snakes and birds. These particular creatures have long, serpentine bodies covered in small, colorful feathers and plain snake scales along their bellies. A bright ruff of larger feathers extends from the base of the creature’s neck, and can be raised like a frill when the xiuhcoatl is displaying. They also have a spiked, colorful ridge on their snout which matches in height the length of its head. From the tip of the tail protrudes a bony structure resembling a club which comes to a sharp point. The xiuhcoatl hatches at a length of 50-70cm and can reach lengths of up to 10m in length when fully grown, though it takes decades for these creatures to reach such a size.

Magical Abilities and Behavior
Like many nonmagical snakes, the xiuhcoatl is an ambush predator, meaning it usually waits until prey wanders within strike range before seizing it in its coils. Their large shout ridge can shift in color and even produce flashes of light, which they use in a similar fashion to anglerfish, creating dazzling displays to entice prey to into their waiting jaws. This display has an explicitly magical mesmerizing effect, so it is important to take proper precautions when observing these creatures. Study has shown that the magic only takes effect when the observer can perceive both the colors and pattern of the flashing lights, so people who are colorblind have a natural immunity to their effects, as well as other creatures who perceive light differently. As a full grown adult, xiuhcoatls will often prey upon smaller species of dragons, as their mesmeric display seems to be particularly effective on draconic creatures. In addition, their body feathers having a natural flame-retardant quality which protects them from the dragon’s fiery breath.

Aside from their use in luring prey, xiuhcoatls will also use these colorful displays to attract mates and to defend territory. The mating display involves an intricate interplay between males and females, while the defensive display is similar and is always accompanied by a raising of the feathered frill on the creature’s neck. Territorial disputes can often lead to fierce fights between these creatures; the xiuhcoatl will use its bony tail club to lash out, often attempting to damage the nose ridge of the adversary and disrupt its ability to properly execute its mesmerizing display. Individuals who take extensive damage to their snouts have a much harder time capturing prey than their intact counterparts.

Field Notes

• While I don’t wish to downplay the danger these creatures pose to humans, I do find the young of these creatures to be quite charming and mostly harmless so long as they’re under about 2m in length. It takes time for the creatures to master their mesmerizing patterns, and while they do have sharp teeth and reasonably strong jaws, these are not venomous creatures.

Caladrius

Cryptologic Name: Passeridia asthentroia
Planar Origin: Caelum
Habitat: Various
Diet: Manavorous

Appearance & Morphology
The caladrius is a small, white bird with long, tufted tail feathers. They are about the size of wrens, averaging about 15cm from beak to the tips of their long tail feathers. Many of their wing feathers have a pearly or iridescent sheen to them, making the caladrius appear vibrant and colorful in the right light.

Magical Abilities and Behavior
Caladrius are disease-eaters, surviving by absorbing specific pathogens from a variety of plant and animal hosts. Each individual only has a limited range of maladies which it can consume, most of which are closely related. As such these birds are not the miraculous cure-alls that early mages had hoped when they discovered their talents.

The caladrius is incredibly selective when it comes to consuming pathogens, evidently because its appetite is quite insubstantial. These birds will normally only eat about once a month before migrating great distances around the Earth. Unfortunately this makes them an ill-effective measure against large outbreaks of disease, even if there is a caladrius in the area who can consume the specific pathogens present, as it will only absorb the illness from one, perhaps two individuals before moving on. It is unclear why they have such a limited appetite, particularly when they travel so far between feedings. It is likely that a more complicated magical process is going on when they “eat” these diseases than what we can easily observe.

Field Notes

• Very few of these amazing birds have ever been successfully raised or kept in captivity. They appear to have an intrinsic wanderlust that causes them great distress when they are confined to more limited spaces. As such most will become ill or even die if they don’t have sufficient space to roam; it would require a massive birdcage to keep one of these creatures both contained and content.

Florachnid

Cryptologic Name: Araloulou s.
Planar Origin: Mithyrea
Habitat: They occupy a variety of habitats, but are most common in temperate and subtropical climates
Diet: Herbivorous, subsisting primarily on nectar

Appearance & Morphology
Florachnids, sometimes called “flower spiders,” are an unusual genus of creature which resemble spiders with flowers for their abdomens. There is a wide variety of species, each with a unique type of flower growing from their rear segment. Body color varies between the species, but most are in the range of green to brown, with a few others being white or other bright colors. Like their nonmagical counterparts, these creatures have a cephalothorax and four pairs of segmented legs.

Magical Abilities and Behavior
While florachnids may look very similar to nonmagical spiders, but do not spin webs or eat insects like their counterparts, in fact they subsist almost exclusively on flower nectar. These creatures can most commonly be found in areas where you will find flowers matching those on their abdomen, whether wild or cultivated. Nectar from matching flower species seems to be preferred, though they will drink nectar from other flowers when necessary. Because their primary source of food is only available seasonally in most of their natural environments, florachnids will hibernate through the winter. Their floral abdomens will also wither as the stored nutrients are absorbed through the cold months, eventually being replaced by a new bud in late winter, which will begin to bloom as soon as they come out of hibernation. Species that live in more tropical regions do not follow this cycle, remaining active throughout the year.

Reproduction in these creatures is unique because it relies entirely on their plant-like qualities, and is reliant on plants matching the characteristics of their floral abdomens. Just like their plant counterparts, these creatures have to be pollenated in order to reproduce. While they don’t produce pollen themselves (in other words all florachnids are female), they require pollen from a related species to reproduce. Florachnids have a functioning pseudostamen in their floral abdomens which will collect pollen from their corresponding species and fertilize their ova. Many rely on the same methods as their botanical counterparts, such as bee and bird species who normally help pollenate the corresponding flowers, however florachnids have the benefit of being able to move freely and as such they can collect the pollen they need on their own in the absence of cooperative species. Although these creatures use pollen to reproduce, their offspring are laid as eggs and not seeds, growing in a fashion more like their animal equivalents than their plant ones.

These odd creatures do not have active magical abilities, but the petals of their floral abdomens are especially potent ingredients in potions and spellwork. Any magical work which calls for petals of a specific species of flower can substitute petals from a florachnid to increase the potency of that magic.

Field Notes

• There has been a great deal of debate on whether to classify these creatures as plants or animals, given their unusual morphology and characteristics from each group, particularly their reproductive methods. There are plenty of mobile and sentient plant species in the magical world so it would not be out of place to put these creatures into that category, however the current accepted classification is under the animal class, as they cannot photosynthesize.

Nightmare (Liberoscuro)

Cryptologic Name: Zoneiro (family)
Planar Origin: Liberoscuro
Habitat: n/a
Diet: Manavorous

Nightmare: Disambiguation
The term “nightmare” is used for a variety of magical concepts and creatures, as is common in the greater magic community, particularly with words that have a variety of nuances and connotations associated with them. In this particular entry I am referring to the family Zoneiro, consisting of creatures of pure magical origin native to Liberoscuro, a pocket dimension adjacent to our material plane.
In the cryptozoological field, “nightmare” can also refer to a black equine creature with a flaming mane, a small demonic creature which causes bad dreams, or a dark elemental shapeshifting creature native to the Hylaean plane. Because “nightmare” is a term having broad significance across peoples and cultures, there are likely other species I am yet unfamiliar with also referred to as nightmares or some similar variant. It would perhaps have been helpful to use the Japanese name for these creatures, as the mage responsible for their existence is Japanese, and that would have been a fairly easy distinction… however they are referred to in that language as ナイトメア which is just a phenetic translation of nightmare (pronounced “naitomea”).

Origin
A powerful terran mage named Yoshiko Tadaro was a known collector of stories. Some time during the late 20th century he disappeared from the magical community and the world at large. It turns out he created a door to a pocket dimension and established a magical workshop there which has since become known as Liberoscuro, “the shadow library.” Liberoscuro is a very literal library, containing a vast collection of books transcribed and enchanted by Tadaro, almost all of which are storybooks containing folklore and fairy tales from across many worlds, including our own. Liberoscuro also seems to be an empathic nexus, where emotion-tuned mana flows much more strongly than on our own material plane. It is a result of this mana flow, as well as the magic imbued within the transcribed tomes that gave rise to these creatures we refer to as nightmares. The nightmares are spiritual creatures given physical form by the confluence of mana interacting with the enchantments cast on the books. We still don’t know how this came to be, as access to the library is very limited and much of Tadaro’s research has yet to be safely discovered or deciphered, but these nightmares appear to manifest directly from the emotional energy imbued within individual stories and as such take on physical forms which relate to the story of their origin. For those of you familiar with terran folklore, these stories are often filled with tragedy, grief, and violence and as such many nightmares are quite dangerous. This has been the primary reason as to why so little is yet understood about the library and these creatures, as the library is now rampant with them.

Biology
Nightmares have a wide array of different forms and appearances, as the circumstances of their conception differs for each individual. However, there are a variety of more common forms that mimic, to a certain extent, creatures commonly seen in folklore. Birds, hounds, wisps, plants, and orcs appear to be the most common varieties, and are some of the weaker subsets of these creatures. Cryptozoologists believe that these are most common because they are born from minor parts of the stories they spring from, and as such have less emotional energy forming their core. There are many larger and more powerful creatures with odd and unique forms in the library as well; the one thing we have determined about this family of creatures as a whole is that they are primarily manavores. They will feed on one another for sustenance, but it seems that they primarily require the magical energy stored within their fellow nightmares rather than their physical components to sustain themselves.

Field Notes

• Because of the uncertain nature of the library, as well as the strength and aggression of its inhabitants, there are powerful magical barriers in place to prevent the nastier of these beings from ending up in our world. That said, some of the smaller, more docile species have been known to slip through the barrier unnoticed and as such I have actually encountered a few types of nightmare, and my research partner has collected them for further research. Purification wisps (as pictured above) are quite small and seem rather harmless. Because of their size and relative lack of power, they seem to mostly survive by absorbing ambient mana; we’ve noticed the wisp in our care tends to move along the same routes as our caravan snails, who we know follow natural leylines on their meanderings.

• The only other species of nightmare we’ve collected is a curious individual who takes on the appearance of a clam and calls himself “Lammy.” While also a rather small individual compared to the monstrous forms we’ve heard of but not yet encountered personally, Lammy seems to be a reasonably powerful nightmare. He can speak a variety of human languages and seems to consume a great deal more mana than the wisp. While he loves talking to Tsu’mat and I, his stories can be a little hard to follow, and as such we haven’t gleaned as much information about the library and the other nightmares as we would have hoped.

Chameleon Silkwing Moth

Cryptologic Name: Ostentinea s.
Planar Origin: Materia
Habitat: Temperate and sub-tropical regions
Diet: Herbivorous

Appearance & Morphology
Chameleon silkwing moths are a genus of magical insects that fairly closely resemble their nonmagical counterparts in morphology and lifecycle. Individual species vary in size and wing shape, but all species possess the same set of magical abilities.

Magical Abilities and Behavior
The most notable magical trait of the adult chameleon silkwing, and indeed where this creature gets its name, is its ability to alter its coloration and patterning at will. This change can be done very quickly, with colors and patterns shifting in mere seconds. The purpose of this ability appears to be twofold; first they will use bright patterns and colors to attract mates, as we often see in the animal world, with males using bright displays to catch the attention of females. The second purpose is predator deterrence; these moths will often settle on drab coloring to match their surroundings as effective camouflage against predators, but when they become aware of a predator’s interest they will flash bright displays in an attempt to confuse them, or as a form of Batesian mimicry (when a harmless species imitates the warning signals of a harmful species directed at a predator of them both).

In addition to this remarkable ability these creatures have as adults, their larval/pupal stage also has unique magical properties. The silk threads the chameleon silkwing caterpillar produces will react to ambient mana flow and will change color in response. This “chameleon silk” is a highly sought-after material which is used by mages in a variety of ways. Much like nonmagical silk, it is most often spun into thread and woven into fabric rather than used raw. The resulting textile is often used to embellish haute couture outfits in the upper echelons of mage society. It can also be used in tools meant to detect ambient mana or locate magical leylines.

Field Notes

• Harvesting and spinning chameleon silk is an elaborate and painstaking process and as such the material is prohibitively expensive for most mages. An ancient mage-king was said to have had an elaborate robe made entirely from the material, and he would wear it any time he cast spells so that his clothing would dance with color as he channeled mana into his works.

• Chameleon silk threads change color consistently in the presence of different wavelengths of mana, and as such can be used to identify specific types of mana in an area. Nervalia Ensantos is noted as the first mage to have experimented with chameleon silk and catalogued the different hues the material adopts when exposed to specific mana. Her initial index has been expanded since her time but the base work she did is still in use by modern mages.

• In my own menagerie of magical creatures individuals of three species represented.

  • O. hyalophora, the largest of the chameleon silkmoth species, whose wing shape resembles that of the cecropia moth.

  • O. actias, easily distinguishable with its longitailed wings.

  • O. automeris, a mid-sized species which often displays different colors on its hindwings than its forewings (sadly as I was photographing mine, it showed no interest in demonstrating this tendency)

O. hylaphora

O. actias

O. automeris

Reverie Beast

Cryptologic Name: Reveria s.
Planar Origin: Astra
Habitat: n/a
Diet: n/a

Appearance & Morphology
The term “reverie beast” encompasses a wide variety of creatures having unique morphologies and abilities. One commonality among reverie beasts is white eyes; sometimes they have white pupils surrounded by a colored iris, but often the entire eye is white.

Magical Origins and Behavior
The reason that reverie beasts have such a varied appearance and magical abilities is because, unlike most magical creatures whose taxonomic delineation relies principally on their abilities and morphology, reverie beasts are classified as a single taxon (group) based on their common method of creation. These creatures are of pure magical origin, meaning that they exist only as a result mana converging under specific circumstances and are unable to reproduce on their own.
Reverie beasts are creatures that live primarily in our dreams, but can sometimes manifest in the physical world. When a dreaming person has a surge of mana channeled through them, this can cause a reverie beast to pass from the dream world onto the physical plane. The appearance and abilities of the creature are shaped by the subconscious of the dreamer and so will vary widely and can be quite powerful and very unusual. These creatures are ephemeral, and will usually fade within a few hours of the dreamer waking.

In addition to the individual birth of a reverie beast, there is a magical phenomenon known as a “reverie” which can spawn them in much greater numbers. While a great number of these creatures may come into being in this way, they can generally only survive within the reverie itself, though we know that it is possible to extract a reverie beast from its otherwise bound existence; little is understood about how to achieve this, but it is possible. Reverie beasts that do emerge from their spawning reveries tend to be much longer-lived than those who spawn in the aforementioned way.

Field Notes

• A reverie is a complex magical phenomenon involving a concentration of a particular type of mana, as well as an individual with a very dissonant view of reality. Reveries are quite rare under normal circumstances but there are some mages who attract this type of energy and therefore can cause reveries to spawn more frequently among those around them. Reveries are much more sophisticated magical theory topic which we all know is not my field so if you’re interested, I would encourage you to read Reverie by Ryan La Sala
  [this is a real book and provided some of the inspiration for this creature, so you should absolutely go read it]

• The beast pictured here spawned from a shared dream between myself and my dear friend Dan while we spent an afternoon dozing in the park. The source of the surge of mana that passed between us and merged our dreams remains a mystery to us both, but I was delighted to discover this charming little fellow when we awoke. He was very friendly and spent most of his two hours of life exploring with us in the woods and having very musical conversations with squirrels.

Peryton

Cryptologic Name: C. cervidaves
Planar Origin: Materia
Habitat: Temperate forests
Diet: Carnivorous, preying on a variety of animals, including humans

Appearance & Morphology
The peryton is a large half-cervine, half-avian creature with the head, forelegs and torso of a deer and the hindquarters, wings, and tail of a large bird. Despite having a head normally seen on an herbivore, these creatures are voracious predators and have long, razor-sharp fangs in their otherwise unassuming mouths. All perytons have antlers regardless of sex, much like reindeer, and will use them to gore larger prey.

Behavior & Magical Abilities
Perytons are very unusual creatures; they cast a humanoid shadow despite their shape, but their shadow will return to “normal” by eating the heart of a human being. The intrinsic magic in this is not remotely understood and, given the ethical implications, this is a difficult subject to research. What we do know, however, is that perytons can only reproduce when their shadows have returned to their own shape. Young peryton are cared for by their mothers; unlike nonmagical deer, fawns do not drink milk, but rather will lap blood from the doe’s kills while she consumes the majority of the meat.

Field Notes

• Despite being hybrid creatures that could feasibly fall under the griff umbrella, perytons are a naturally-occurring species. While it is possible for alchemists to create a griff that resembles the peryton, such a creature is unlikely to be a carnivore, given the arrangement of features. While I am not familiar with any alchemists who have created a creature of this type, the hippalectryon (horse front and rooster rear) is a similar enough creation to draw some inferences.

Occamy

Cryptologic Name: Poulicephalos badhatana
Planar Origin: Materia
Habitat: Jungle
Diet: Carnivorous

Appearance & Morphology
Occamys are long, serpentine creatures with a mix of traits from both snakes and birds. The occamy’s head mostly bird, with a strong beak and bluish-purple feathers and it has golden eyes with slitted pupils, resembling a snake’s. The feather’s transition to scales down the creature’s neck, and back to feathers at the tip of its tail which ends in a colorful tuft. They also possess powerful wings which allow them to soar quite adeptly.

Behavior & Magical Abilities
The occamy’s most notable magical ability is choranaptyxis, meaning it can grow or shrink in size in order to fit its available space. It is unclear if this ability has a strict limit; we rarely see occamies grow larger than 5m in length or shrink to smaller than 15cm, but because we don’t entirely understand the mechanism of this magic we can only speculate as to whether there are limits to the creature’s range of sizes.

Occamies are carnivorous and quite dangerous; while they eat mostly insects, rodents, and small birds, their ability to grow in size means that they can easily injure or kill an unprepared mage if one happens upon them. What’s more, they are fiercely territorial and protective of their nests, as well as having a strong sense of smell, so nesting sites should be avoided.

Field Notes

• Cryptozoologists have observed that occamies never expand past the boundaries of their immediate environment when in an enclosed space; for example, if an occamy slithered into a shoebox, it wouldn’t expand in size to break/be free of the shoebox. There are two possibly explanations for this, one being behavioral and one being magical. It is possible, since we still don’t fully understand how these creatures’ magic functions, that this is a limit on the magic itself, meaning they are incapable of growing beyond the boundaries of an enclosed space. Alternatively, the behavioral possibility (i.e. they simply don’t do this, even though they are able to) may be explained in terms of preventing injury to themselves. For example, if an occamy was contained in a metal box and expanded, it may cause serious injury to the occamy before the box broke (assuming it did ultimately break).

• Occamy eggs are widely sought-after because their shells have an outer layer of pure silver.

Hollowfolk

Cryptologic Name: Koiloforma oplomistis
Planar Origin: Hallownest
Habitat: Subterranean
Diet: Manavore

Appearance & Morphology
Hollowfolk, also referred to as "husks,” “husk warriors,” or “hollow knights” are a small, semi-corporeal race of creatures. Their bodies consist of shadowy energy which usually takes on a vaguely humanoid shape, though the forms their bodies take on are widely varied. Their heads are made from a bone-like material and also vary widely in shape, though all seem to have a single pair of blank eye holes.

Behavior & Magical Abilities
Hollowfolk form vast subterranean kingdoms, excavating elaborate tunnels and caverns in which they build cities beneath the surface of the soil. These beings can excrete a substance which can be mixed with soil to harden the interior of their caverns and provide structural stability within their underground homes.
Hollowfolk possess some rather unique magic for sustaining themselves; as semi-corporeal creatures comprised primarily of energy, they do not eat in the way we would normally think of the word. Instead, they forge tools and weapons imbued with a special type of magic which allows them to absorb mana from other living things (primarily animals, though they can do so with any living macroorganism including plants and fungi) and transfer it to themselves or other hollowfolk (as such we can essentially conceptualize them as omnivores, though… well the distinction is technical enough you can think about it however makes most sense for you). The details are a closely guarded secret among these elusive beings and while we, as humans, can communicate with them, they have not shared any of the specifics about how these tools function. We do know, however, that it requires special skills to forge them and hollowfolk with the necessary talent to become smiths are highly revered within their society.

Field Notes

• A fascinating aspect of hollowfolk culture is their utilization of a variety of arthropod species (insects, crustaceans, arachnids, etc.) for a wide array of purposes within their society, many of which mirror human society’s utilization of mammalian species. For example, stag beetles and other larger coleopterans often used for pulling vehicles and agricultural jobs in a manner similar to horses or oxen. Hollowfolk seem to have the ability to establish some sort of telepathic link to insect species through a bonding ritual, allowing them to train these animals in a way that is not generally believed possible otherwise. Unsurprisingly, this ritual is also a closely-guarded secret that we know little about.

• From my discussions with the few members of their species I’ve had the pleasure of meeting I’ve learned that on their home plane they have even greater variety of arthropod species than we do here on Earth (a surprising statistic as arthropod species account for more than half of all extant animal species), many of which are independently sentient without the use of the hollowfolk’s magic.

Augurey

Cryptologic Name: Kairouli liveros
Planar Origin: Veneficus
Habitat: Temperate marshlands
Diet: Carnivorous, feeding primarily on insects and faeries

Appearance & Morphology
The augurey, sometimes referred to as the “Irish phoenix,” is a moderately large bird resembling a vulture. Its long neck and head are mostly bare save for a ruff of plumage around the base of the skull and a bright crest stemming from the same area atop its head. Mostly grey-brown in color, these birds have shocks of bright green feathers in their crest, tail, and wings.

Behavior & Magical Abilities
Augureys are known to sing a melancholic song, and for a long period of time many believed this call to be prophetic of one’s death. In the mid 1700’s Rumors spread of people suffering heart attacks walking the marshlands in which these birds can be found, and these deaths became attributed to the birds’ dreary ballads. It wasn’t until many decades later, when cryptozoology became more widely studied in the magical community, that we discovered the true nature of these birds’ magical abilities. It is true that they have minor prophetic powers, however they do not predict death, but rather the coming onset of precipitation. As such, these birds became wildly popular among mage families as weather predictors, however during the rainier months their unpleasant dirges can be rather taxing to hear with such frequency.

These birds are rather reclusive, building teardrop-shaped nests out of thorns and bramble and remaining hidden within them for the bulk of the day, only emerging in the twilight hours to hunt for meals.

Aside from their predictive abilities, they also have another unusual property in their plumage. Augurey feathers contain a chemical compound that resists ink, and thus are useless as writing quills.

Field Notes

• It’s nickname, “Irish phoenix,” is not particularly meaningful from a cryptozoological standpoint. These creatures are not native to Ireland (like most magical creatures, they are extraplanar beings, though to be fair there is a sizable population there) and primarily are associated with Ireland because of their green coloration. Similarly, they are not closely related to phoenixes, but are simply magical birds of a comparable size. Informal names are often thus, much as how “jellyfish” are not actually fish. This is probably unimportant to most of you but I’m a scientist and this is my field guide so you signed up to hear my inane complaints about mage society’s unscientific way of talking about things.

• Uric the Oddball [a wildly eccentric collector of magical species] is known to have slept in a room containing no fewer than fifty pet augureys. During one particularly wet winter, Uric became convinced by the moaning of his augureys that he had died and was now a ghost. His subsequent attempts to walk through the walls of his house resulted in what his biographer Radolphus Pittiman describes as a “concussion of ten days’ duration.’
  (Scamander, Newton. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Obscurus Books, 1927.)

Vigorwasp

Cryptologic Name: R. renovespa
Planar Origin: Repens
Habitat: Jungle
Diet: Herbivorous

Appearance & Morphology
The vigorwasp is a large, fuzzy wasp species with bright gold and black coloring on its legs and abdomen. Like other hymenopterid species, there are morphological differences between wasps with different roles within their hive, which are divided into three categories, known as castes. The queen is the only egg-laying individual of the hive, and is significantly larger than the rest, sporting a long abdomen with several openings out of which her eggs are laid. Worker drones are much smaller and are the only individuals which possess stingers for protecting the hive. Lastly, the nurses are larger in size than the drones and can often be seen carrying a large sac of bright green liquid.

Behavior & Magical Abilities
Of the three categories, the vigorwasp nurses are the most sought-after and arguably most important individuals in their social structure, as they provide food for the entire hive. They produce a bright green liquid commonly referred to as “vitality nectar,” which is secreted into a bubble on the underside of the wasp. Aside from being the sole food source for the rest of the hive (the maids feed primarily on nectar and tree sap for their own nourishment), this liquid has potent healing properties. On its own it can be applied to wounds to heal damaged muscle and skin, or brewed into more potent healing potions and salves with a variety of effects.

Field Notes

• Vigorwasps are the only species known to have three distinct casts, all other eusocial species of bees and wasps only have two: queens and drones. The “nurse” caste specific to this species was named thus because of the healing properties of their vitality nectar.

• Because of the importance of the vitality nectar in sustaining the hive, it can only be gathered in small amounts without risking the health of the hive. This is not dissimilar from beekeepers leaving a portion of the honey for their bees’ consumption.

Devil's Eye Moth

Cryptologic Name: Capuridae Diaboculus
Planar Origin: Materia
Habitat: Forested mountainsides
Diet: Herbivore; primary diet is tree sap

Appearance & Morphology
The devil’s eye moth is a large species of magical moth which is primarily brown in coloration. Both its fore and hindwings have bands of blue-violet color across the width of the wing and golden yellow along the outer margins. Their most recognizable trait is the presence of large, red eye spots in the center of their hindwings, for which they earned their name.

Magical Abilities & Behavior
This moth’s active magical abilities center around these large red eye spots on their wings, which glow ominously when revealed and will cause a temporary state of stasis in any living creature which sees them. This stasis essentially renders the creature frozen in place for approximately 4-5 minutes before regaining faculty. This is often compared to the eyes of petrifying species such as the gorgon, basilisk, or cockatrice in that it requires the creature to see the source of the magical power (the eye spots of this moth or the actual eyes of the other species mentioned). As such appropriate countermeasures can be used when dealing with these creatures such as enchanted ocular devices and the like.

Like many of their nonmagical counterparts, these moths rest with their wings folded back, obscuring the red eye spots and making them fairly well-camouflaged on the trunks of the large trees they will land on to drink the sap and making their eye spots inactive on any random forest creatures that happen to be passing by. Being moths, however, they are rather tasty prey for many creatures and will generally use their power as a defense mechanism against such predators, allowing them to escape. Unfortunately this is not a particularly effective strategy against one of their primary predators, bats, as they generally use echolocation rather than vision to locate their prey.

Field Notes

• While discussing the magical state of stasis the devil’s eye moth produces in creatures who see its glowing red eye spots, I noted that it is often compared to the petrifying gaze of several other species. There are a few key differences, however, in how this power works which should be noted. First and foremost, gorgon and basilisk eyes retain their magical qualities even if the creature is no longer alive, while cockatrice eyes and the spots on the devil’s eye moth require mana to actively be supplied in order to achieve the effect, which means that if the creature is no longer alive, the power ceases to work. As such you cannot as easily petrify/stun creatures in the same manner as Perseus, by simply lopping the relevant part off and waving it at your enemies. It is possible to channel mana through the wings to recreate the moth’s power, but it takes a great deal of research and practice to be able to manipulate the mana in a specific and subtle enough way to successfully achieve this.

• I should also note, though if you’ve made it this far you’ve probably figured it out already, but the moth’s power also doesn’t function through photographs, so you don’t need to worry about becoming frozen by seeing pictures of these creatures, even if they are displaying their eye spots.

Thunderbird

Cryptologic Name: Fulgaquila wakinyan
Planar Origin: Materia
Habitat: Arid regions
Diet: Carnivorous

Appearance & Morphology
Thunderbirds are giant raptors resembling golden-feathered eagles. These birds have three pairs of wings and two long, bare tails that end in feathery tufts. Thunderbirds’ sharp, hooked beaks; powerful talons; and powerful wings make them incredibly fierce hunters. These enormous creatures can pick up fully grown bison to take back to their nests to feed at their leisure.

Behavior & Magical Abilities
Thunderbirds are rather aptly named, as they create thunderclaps when they beat all 3 pairs of wings in tandem. They don’t always use all three sets when they fly, as it’s rather difficult to take prey by surprise when they’re constantly making loud noises as they fly. When these magnificent birds beat their wings repeatedly, they will summon severe thunderstorms, particularly when multiple individuals are flying together. They can direct lightning generated in the clouds, though it takes a good deal of concentration for them to control it with any kind of accuracy.

Thunderbirds are generally solitary creatures, and are fiercely territorial. When territory disputes occur, the birds can call up dangerously powerful storms as they vie for territory. Aside from territorial disputes, these birds usually only come together to mate and care for their young; usually only having broods of 1-2 at a time. Both parents share responsibility of caring for the eggs and hatchings, usually alternating between guarding the nest and hunting. Thunderbird chicks usually fledge about 14-16 weeks after hatching, and are taught to fly and hunt by their mother, at which time the father generally leaves to reclaim his former territory.

Field Notes

• While thunderbirds do cause storms, this is not meant to suggest that all thunderstorms are a result of thunderbirds’ magic; like any weather phenomenon, most instances occur completely naturally as a result of atmospheric conditions.

• Thunderbird quills are potent magical materials, often used in magical rituals or as wand cores, though wands with thunderbird feather cores tend to be temperamental unless used by a highly skilled mage.

Caravan Snail

Cryptologic Name: Gymnosalidae akolomagia
Planar Origin: Fae
Habitat: Temperate forests & fields
Diet: Herbivorous

Appearance & Morphology
Caravan snails are fae creatures that resemble land slugs with light undersides and brightly-colored patterns on their backs. These creatures usually grow to between 10-15cm in length and have a pair of retractable tentacles on their heads which are sensitive to ambient mana.

Behavior & Magical Abilities
These unusual fae creatures are able to sense mana in their immediate surroundings, and will follow the flow of energy along natural leylines. This natural tendency to migrate along these natural routes of mana flow has led them to be used as beasts of burden for tiny, nomadic race of faerie know as vagare. Mana from leylines is used in a variety of ways in their magical rituals, and as such they have come to rely on these snails to locate and follow their flow. The vagare will attach riding platforms to these creatures, on top of which they will build their homes. This practice is where caravan snails got their common name, as the vagare will form large communities together atop a herd of them, who will migtare over time along a leyline’s current. While the vagare will attach bridles to their snail’s head such that they can actively direct the creature’s movement, they don’t often use them, allowing the snail to move about of its own volition.

Field Notes

• Because of their ability to sense ambient mana and innate tendencies to follow mana currents, caravan snails can be used as indicator species for mages to locate mana currents, though this can be a time-consuming process as they are slugs and therefore move at a more leisurely pace than most mages are willing to deal with for such a task when there are more expedient methods.

• While they are known as “caravan snails,” this is somewhat of a misnomer, though that is not unusual in the common names of animals, magical or otherwise. I say this because caravan snails do not naturally have shells and therefore their anatomy much more resembles slugs. It’s likely that they were named this way because of the vagare homes that are so commonly seen on them, which do seem to mirror a snail’s shell in that we consider it to be the snail’s “home,” and a literal house is build upon them. This distinction is probably unnecessary but seemed worth mentioning.

Sky Bison

Cryptologic Name: Exipodia petovonasos
Planar Origin: Ava
Habitat: Mountainous regions
Diet: Herbivorous

Appearance & Morphology
Sky bison are large bovine creatures somewhat resembling their nonmagical namesakes, the most similar morphological feature being their broad heads and curved horns. Sky bison have six strong legs, each with three toes, broad tails, and thick fur covering their bodies. Most sky bison are primarily white in color, with brown accents to their fur, though some variations have been observed. As with most herbivores, their wide jaws have flat teeth for grinding vegetation.

Behavior & Magical Abilities
Sky bison get their name from their ability to fly. These creatures can manipulate their own body mass, as well as control air currents around them with a significant degree of precision, making them quite agile in the air despite their physical bulk.
Sky bison are generally quite docile and content to ignore and be ignored by most other animals. These normally gentle giants are, however, fiercely protective of their young and their sheer size and mass make them quite dangerous when they have young calves to take care of. They will often use their ability to control air currents as a defensive weapon when confronted with predators.

Field Notes

• These fascinating creatures do possess a high level of intelligence and can be domesticated given proper time and training. On their home plane, a nation of people with a similar ability to control air raise these creatures as lifelong companions.

• This is one of many examples of large, entirely non-aerodynamic animals being able to soar the skies magically. I would be fascinated to look into how so many such creatures developed this ability,

Blupee

Cryptologic Name: Blagos chrimouneli
Planar Origin: Hylaea
Habitat: Forested areas, often at high elevation
Diet: Herbivorous

Appearance & Morphology
Blupees are small, furry creatures somewhat resembling rabbits. They have glowing blue fur across most of their bodies, with white paws and bobtail. Their faces are a lighter blue and have large, yellow-orange eyes and unusual branched ears.

Behavior & Magical Abilities
These odd creatures have a few unique powers to speak of, and are primarily centered around their own survival. First, these creatures can generate a powerful barrier around their body which shields them from physical harm. Additionally, they can teleport moderate distances, however this ability seems to have a delayed activation, as often when these creatures are attacked they will run a short distance before teleporting away.

Blupees are known to collect and horde gemstones, most commonly collecting a variety of stones known as rupees which are used as a form of currency on the creature’s native plane. It is ill-understood how or where these creatures keep these gemstones as they’re collecting them, as blupees don’t possess pouches like nifflers. However stashes of these gems have been found in blupee burrows, and when frightened they will often drop a scattering of gems on the ground as they begin to run from whatever spooked them. It is believed that they may have access to some sort of pocket dimension where they can stash these gems before delivering them to their burrows but nothing conclusive has yet been found.

Field Notes

• Blupees are believed to have gotten their name from the rupees which they collect and their blue coloration. It seems people on other planes are often as straightforward as Terran humans with their naming conventions.

• There are many theories about the origins of these unusual creatures and their powers. Given their similarities in appearance to rabbits which are known to exist in the history of their native realm but no longer in the present, Blupees may have been evolved from Hylaean rabbits prior to their extinction. Their flighty nature, magical barrier, and ability to disappear may also be a result of evolution which allowed them to avoid being hunted to extinction like their predecessors. Their habit of dropping Rupees may also be a defense mechanism to distract hunters. Furthermore, given their otherworldly appearance Blupees may be a spiritual manifestation of the wild rabbits that once inhabited Hyrule which would explain their glowing bodies and abilities. [Information from Zeldapedia, a collection of information on the Hylaean plane]