A Primer on Planar Theory and the Nature of the Soul

Today’s topic, or really series of interrelated topics, are something that I am quite frankly underqualified to be discussing. So why am I including them in these notes? Well, because they do relate to the field of cryptozoology and are quite fascinating on the whole. And it will help those of you who are reading through my field notes, whether you are a mage or not, to understand a little more about the magical world (which presumably you have some interest in, or why would you be reading any of my writing in the first place?)

WHAT IS THE SOUL?

The nature of a creature’s soul is fairly complicated to explain in layman’s terms so I’m going to start with a more technical definition so as to put it as concisely as possible.
The soul is the etherial seat of the consciousness.

Ok you know what I started with the wrong topic, there’s another theory that needs to be discussed first for that sentence to make any kind of sense. [come to think of it, I’m probably going to have to jump between my three topics a fair bit since they’re all interrelated and understanding any of them is best served by understanding all of them to some extent]

PLANAR THEORY

The planes of existence are another fundamental theory required to understand the nature of the soul, magic, and the universe on the whole, thus we’ll start there. People call them by a variety of different names, “worlds,” “planes,” “realities,” "dimensions,” etc. but all refer to the same concept, that there are distinct universes existing alongside one another. Our multiverse contains more planes than I can possibly name, and more than we are, or likely ever will be, aware of in the history of our species; each plane has a distinct set of laws [by that I mean natural laws, not societal laws. For example: gravity, conservation of mass, thermodynamics, etc. Many planes share a lot of these laws, but honestly the material plane is rather mundane compared to some others we are familiar with, as many planes… you know what that’s not overly relevant to the current discussion, so allow me to attempt to steer myself back on course here]. The relevant planes today’s topic are two closely related ones: the material plane (the plane on which we live), and the ethereal plane, which exists adjacent our own and interacts with it in ways that may or may not be perceivable to us.

Note: When reading through my field guide entries, one of the first things included on each creature’s page is their planar origin. This refers to the plane that creature originated on. Eventually we may discuss planar travel and why we have creatures here that come from such a vast variety of planes on our own, but that is a topic for another day.

THE VEIL

The veil is another concept that is fairly important to understanding all of this. The veil is a barrier that exists between the material and ethereal planes. It is perhaps more precise to call it it a membrane because certain things can pass through it, which we will talk about later. [the phrase “lifting the veil,” or “drawing back the veil” is actually an ancient magus saying that meant to observe the secrets of magic, though nonmagical folk generally attribute it to the act of removing a cloth/shroud/curtain from something to reveal what is behind it, thus “exposing a secret,” but the original meaning was somewhat more literal]

SO… WHAT IS THE SOUL?

When I say that the soul is the ethereal seat of the consciousness, what I mean is that our consciousness does not exist purely on the material plane, it also exists on the ethereal plane. You can think of the soul as an organ that houses our consciousness and exists in between the material and ethereal planes (though it is generally thought to be rooted in the ethereal plane). Another potential way to think of it is a bridge between our material and ethereal selves, though the soul can also be said to be our ethereal self, but this is somewhat misleading as the soul is usually existing between the planes.

If you’re still not entirely clear on things (which this is a complicated topic so that would be entirely understandable), take a look at this crudely-drawn diagram and see if the visual helps make things any clearer.

I realize now that I mislabeled the material plane as “physical plane” please forgive this oversight and my lack of motivation to scribble another picture with the proper label.

I want to remind all of you that I am a cryptozoologist and not a scholar of planar theory so I am not the best qualified person to be explaining all of this, but I hope that at least gives you a very basic idea of what your soul is. If you’d like to read further I can recommend a number of books by accomplished scholars on these topics.

Note: I wanted to make a comment on terminology with respect to “soul” and “spirit.” You’ve likely heard the two words used interchangeably, which in most contexts you’re likely to have heard is not incorrect, but imprecise. Strictly speaking the word “spirit” applies to things rooted in the ethereal plane that interact with the material plane [a broader definition is used when considering species from outside our known biplane (referring to the material and ethereal plane) but that is not particularly relevant to this discussion, beyond the fact that spirits from outside these bounds have similar properties to those we classify as such here]. In contrast, a s”soul” is a more specific term referring to the ethereal seat of consciousness for beings native to the material plane. To demonstrate the difference, there are beings that are native to the ethereal plane which do interact with the material plane, and as such qualify as spirits without being souls. This is hardly an essential distinction in our topics of discussion today but should give some context for when I use those terms in the future. I will endeavor to use them appropriately.

Manaweaver

Cryptologic Name: Mageistos s.
Planar Origin: Fae
Habitat: Temperate forests
Diet: Manavore

Appearance & Morphology
Manaweavers are a genus of fae creatures that resemble brilliantly-colored spiders with glowing abdomens. This genus varies greatly in both size and appearance between its many species, with individuals small enough to barely be visible to the naked eye, to giant creatures with legs over a meter long. While these creatures do look very similar to nonmagical spiders, they have a distinct morphological difference from them. Manaweavers have distinct head and thorax sections, rather than a single cephalothorax as nonmagical spiders do, meaning an individual can mover its head around while keeping the rest of its bodies still.

Magical Abilities
These unique arachniforms weave webs much like their nonmagical kin, but these webs have very special properties. Manaweaver webs consist of a special silk that exists as a part of the veil, meaning that it exists both on the material and ethereal plane simultaneously [for more info on planar theory, you can look at my primer here…. which I haven’t finished writing yet but I’ll link it once it’s posted]. As such, these webs cause ambient mana to condense and “stick” to them, so to speak, which the manaweaver will then consume. Each species feeds on a particular type of mana, and as such each web is woven into particular shapes and patterns which attract the desired type. This mana can be used in a variety of ways after it is consumed, but is primarily used to sustain the creature’s life force.

Behavior
Because these creatures subsist on condensed mana and not physical sustenance, they are not predators like their nonmagical kin. However, because they absorb pure mana, they are prey for other fae creatures on their home planes, and can defend themselves using the mana they’ve absorbed in a variety of ways, depending on what type of mana they specialize in. For example M. mandigni, which consumes fire mana, will generally create small explosions in an attempt to scare away predators, or breathe fire on would-be attackers who get too close. Each variety of manaweaver has common tactics across a species, but we also see innovation among individuals, meaning they are highly intelligent creatures who can craft magic much like mages can.

Field Notes

• The individual pictured above is from my own collection, and is an M. lumanducar, which traps and consumes mana associated with light and illusion magic. As such, components of this species are sometimes used in potions that produce mirages. Naturally their defense mechanisms revolve around distracting predators with illusions, though my particular manaweaver has a penchant for creating bright flashes of light that are temporarily blinding. While I’ve never startled him intentionally, it does happen every once in a while, and I’m hoping it doesn’t cause any long-term damage to my retinas.

Alicanto

Cryptologic Name: Alchimiave aurum
Planar Origin: Materia
Habitat: Arid regions
Diet: Carnivorous, eating mostly insects

Appearance & Morphology
The alicanto, commonly known as the “alchemy bird,” is a small songbird that is primarily golden in color, with dark patterns on its brow and belly and a white patch on its chin. These birds have long, streaming tails and a metallic shimmer to many of their feathers. The alicanto’s eyes glow silvery-white in low light.

Magical Abilities
These incredible birds live up to their common moniker as their excrement contains a powerful alchemical reagent that can turn sand into gold. This reagent works on sand in many different forms including sandstone and some other materials that are similar in chemical structure (the silica seems to be the most relevant ingredient but appears not to be the only necessary component)

Behavior
Like many creatures that make their homes in the desert, the alicanto is nocturnal, emerging at night to hunt for insects and returning to their homes before dawn. These birds are rather unique in that it only nests in sheltered caves. Because of this and the unique properties of the bird’s droppings, an alicanto’s cave will become gilded over time. This makes them incredibly valuable for anyone who can find them, but between the natural dangers of the desert as well as the wiles of the birds themselves, it is not an easy endeavor to claim an alicanto’s treasure.

Field Notes

• Alicantos are cunning and mischievous creatures; they seem to have an understanding of the value of the gold they produce and as such are very protective of it. When they become aware that they are being followed, these cunning birds will often lead their pursuers over cliffs, into pits of quicksand, or sometimes into areas with dangerous predators. If you come across an alicanto and wish to find its lair, but very cautious that the bird doesn’t see you, or at the very least be vigilant in observing your surroundings.

• There is a related species, A. argenti, known as the “silver alicanto,” for its corresponding grey and metallic silver coloration. As you might guess, they also have alchemical poop that turns things to silver rather than gold. These birds are much rarer than their gold counterparts.

Chocobo

Cryptologic Name: Chocobo chocobo
Planar Origin: Crystalis
Habitat: Primarily meadowlands
Diet: Herbivorous

Appearance & Morphology
The chocobo is a large, flightless, brightly-plumed bird with long, powerful legs, a large head, and a broad, hooked beak. Unlike most birds, chocobos only have 3 toes on each foot, with two facing forward and one facing back. Their tail feathers stick up from their rear, similar to a chicken’s, and they develop a feathered crest on their heads in their adolescence. Chocobo chicks resemble baby chickens in shape and color, but their necks elongate as they age. Chocobos come in a variety of colors including yellow, red, blue, green, black, white, pink, and gold.

Magical Abilities
Chocobos have a variety of magical abilities that seem to be tied directly to their plumage color. Despite this, they are still recognized as a single species because the color morphs are not biologically separate, and can interbreed freely.

• Yellow chocobos are the most common breed, and in so far as we are aware, do not posess any outward magical abilities.

• Red chocobos are known to breath fire, but only after eating a particular vegetable known as krakka greens (native to Crystalis). Cryptozoologists have come to discover that red chocobos have glands in their throats which release an alchemical solution that, when combined with stomach gasses produced from digesting krakka greens, will ignite when exposed to the air. So I suppose it is more appropriate to say that red chocobos can belch fire after eating their favorite meal. Regardless, it makes for an effective defense mechanism.

• Green chocobos are most at home in the mountains, as they are expert climbers, even outpacing the Ibex due to the magic in their talons that allows them to walk on any surface as though it were flat ground. This incredible magic even allows them to traverse overhangs or walk on flat ceilings. However, the extent of their magic only applies to their own body, meaning that you’ll still likely fall off a green chocobo you’re riding if it decides to take a stroll onto the ceiling, unless you’re holding on very tightly.

• Blue chocobos, much like the green morphs, have a special magic in their talons which allows them to traverse special surfaces. In the case of blue chocobos, they can walk on the surface of water.

• Black chocobos are known to move at incredible speeds, far beyond what any creature could achieve by nonmagical means. We believe that black chocobos can actually manipulate time within themselves, which is the root of this ability. Much like their green counterparts, this magic applies only to themselves, and riding a black chocobo when it’s using its abilities can be dangerous if not properly prepared.

• White chocobos are known to have healing powers associated with their cries. When a white chocobo sings, it greatly speeds up the natural regeneration process in living creatures around it, meaning wounds will quickly heal.

• Pink chocobos are similar to their white kin in that they possess restorative powers, however their magic is centered more around expelling toxins. This can be quite useful when dealing with highly venomous creatures, both magical and otherwise.

• Gold chocobos are the rarest and most powerful variety of chocobo, possessing all of the natural magical abilities of the spectrum of their kin. As such, they are highly sought-after in their native realm.

Behavior
Wild chocobos form roaming flocks, much like herds of wild horses. There is some social structure to these flocks but no strict hierarchy. Chicks are raised primarily by their mothers, though flocks are generally very protective of any young, regardless of parentage.

Chocobos are highly intelligent animals and take well to training. Given their physical prowess and capacity to learn, chocobos are often used in a similar capacity to horses on their native plane as a mode of transportation, either being ridden or used to draw carts and other vehicles.

Field Notes

• C. chocobo, referred to as the “common chocobo,” is not the only species of chocobo, but it is the most commonly seen amongst the disparate worlds on the plane of Crystalis. There are two other known species in the chocobo genus: C. rotunda is often called the “chubby chocobo” as it is much heftier than the common chocobo and C. voluns, the “sky chocobo,” which is the only species capable of light.

Arcwhale

Cryptologic Name: Falaptera s.
Planar Origin: Mithyrea
Habitat: Upper atmosphere
Diet: Somnivore (see “magical abilities” below)

Appearance & Morphology
Arcwhales are, simply put, whales with pairs of feathered wings on their backs, extending out near their dorsal fins. There are a variety of arcwhale species, each resembling a species of their aquatic counterparts.

Magical Abilities
Arcwhales have a variety of magical abilities common across their different species. First, arcwhales naturally float in the air by magical means, meaning they are never earthbound even when they are born. These creatures seem to have an organ akin to a fish’s swim bladder, which allows them to control their altitude in the atmosphere. In addition to their floating, arcwhales causes water in the air around them to condense, meaning that they are always surrounded by a dense cloud.

Lastly, arcwhales are somnivores, or “dream eaters,” meaning they subsist on energy absorbed from the dreams of other living creatures. It is generally believed that nightmares are more potent (i.e. have greater energy potential), and as such are often siphoned off by the archwhales, over pleasant/peaceful dreams. As such, many consider these creatures to be naturally occurring dreamcatchers, which are generally crafted to produce the same effects.

Behavior
While arcwhales’ wings are not large or powerful enough to keep these massive creatures aloft, they do help propel the creatures forward as they float through the sky and their flippers and tails are used to help steer.

Because their food source is more widely available at night, arcwhales are generally considered to be nocturnal creatures. This is only partially accurate because arcwhales don’t sleep, though they are less active during the day, floating lazily in the upper atmosphere. In the evening, they will venture lower so they can more easily siphon dream energy from sleeping creatures, usually returning to greater altitudes by mid morning.

Field Notes

• If you ever notice heavy fog in your neighborhood after dark, there is a good chance the arcwhales are about and you can expect good dreams, assuming you’re on a normal sleep schedule. This isn’t a guarantee, however, since fog does occur naturally under the right conditions.

• While the true origins of most magical creatures are unknown, myth and legend surround many, including the arcwhale. It is said that the ancient whales envied the birds that soared the skies, and would dream of taking flight with their avian companions. No creature wished more for this than Rakhnam, King of the Whales, and each night he would absorb the dreams of his pod until one night his spirit grew wings of light and he soared up into the sky, never again to be bound by the watery seas.

Korok

Cryptologic Name: Silva facifolium
Planar Origin: Hylia
Habitat: A variety of natural areas
Diet: Primarily photosynthetic, secondarily herbivorous

Appearance & Morphology
Koroks are small creatures with skin colored and textured much like tree bark. Their most distinctive feature is the leaf mask which they wear over their faces. Koroks cut small shapes and patterns into their masks so each one is unique, and often reveals something about the personality of the individual.

Magical Abilities
Koroks, like many creatures of advanced intelligence, have the capacity to learn magic, much like human mages do. Their preferred area of study tends to be illusion and nature-based magic, as they fit well with their own lifestyle and inherent magical abilities, but many also enjoy learning conjuring and elemental magic.

As far as their natural abilities, they can become invisible when touching any living plant. Secondly, they are able to sense the thoughts and feelings of trees. We generally have to take this ability at the koroks’ word, as humans have yet to develop any sort of magic which allows them to communicate with non-sentient plant life. Lastly, they have a special magical ritual that, when performed with a group of koroks, can cause a tree to produce seeds.

Behavior

While they have a range of personalities as diverse as humanity, many koroks tend to have a playful and inquisitive nature. They tend to enjoy finding patterns in the mundane and will often use their magic to create such patterns for others to find.

Koroks are born from the buds of deku trees, a unique and powerful type of tree. native to the plane of Hylia. They have a strong magical bond with their parent tree, though the nature of that bond is not entirely understood. It seems to be, at least in part, the source of their magic. Koroks are also known for their desire to explore, and many koroks go on journeys at some point in their lives to find unique places in their world and beyond. Often koroks will take some of the seeds from their parent tree on their journey and find special places to plant them. They are often drawn to places in nature with unique patterns, which often correspond to natural leylines of energy, and as such are both magically potent and aesthetically interesting. When others find these special places, if the korok is still hiding nearby, he might reveal himself and offer one of his tree’s seeds to the lucky person.

Field Notes

• Koroks originated on the plane of Hylia, and the first koroks were born from the Great Deku Tree, a unique and powerful being venerated on that plane. Koroks now live on countless planes thanks in no small part to their wanderlust. It is somewhat unclear why most deku trees planted.

• The ritual to cause trees to magically seed appears to be the only way that deku trees can reproduce, as they never produce flowers to reproduce sexually. It is also unclear why deku trees take on different characteristics when planted on planes outside of hylia. On their native plane, deku trees are sentient and can speak, but deku trees grown on our own plane are not.

Phoenix

Cryptologic Name: Polifotia foinix
Planar Origin: Olympia
Habitat: Mountainous regions
Diet: Carnivorous; eating small rodents and fish

Appearance & Morphology
The most well-known member of the polifotia genus (the firebirds), the phoenix is a large, crane-like bird with plumage in bright red, orange, and yellow. They have long, curved beaks that are golden in color and elaborate plumage cresting their heads.

Magical Abilities
The phoenix is venerated among the most magical creatures know to us, and has a number of magical abilities. Primary among them is their ability to self-combust; this skill is most well-known to be used by elderly phoenixes who have reached the end of their lifetimes and will immolate themselves to be reborn from the ashes of their previous body. This is a very limited scope of this power, however, as mature phoenixes can cause their wing and tail feathers to ignite at will. This does not scorch their feathers, but simply creates a wreath of flame that burns on their surface.

Beyond their iconic flames, these amazing birds have other magical properties. Their unique songs can be used to communicate, not only with other phoenixes, but with people and other sentient beings. They do not speak, in the conventional sense of the word, but they can communicate feelings and ideas through their songs. We believe there is some telepathic component but as yet cannot confirm this.

Phoenixes also have unique magic centered around their flight. When grasping an object with its talons, the weight of that object is significantly reduced, allowing them to fly carrying great burdens with ease.

Phoenix blood and phoenix feathers are both known to have incredible magical properties on their own. Their blood has incredible restorative properties and is often used in healing and cleansing potions, and their feathers are powerful magical catalysts, used in enhancing a wide variety of spells.

Behavior
The phoenix is an incredibly intelligent, curious, and long-lived bird, and as such is held as a very wise animal. Phoenixes are known to live in a single body for hundreds of years before being reborn, and it is believed that memories of their previous incarnations are regained over time in their new bodies.

Most phoenixes live solitary lives, only coming together to mate, which is a very infrequent occurrence. Given phoenixes’ long lifespans, they don’t reach sexual maturity until they are approximately 90-100 years old, and global populations are fairly small, so phoenix chicks are very few and far between.

Field Notes

• While phoenixes are known to be highly intelligent, they are also generally rather distrusting of humanity, and with good reason given the uses of their feathers and blood as magical ingredients. On rare occasion, however, their curiosity aligns with our own and a phoenix will befriend a unique individual in whom it has taken an interest. This is the primary way in which we’ve been able to study these amazing creatures, as they tend to avoid us otherwise.

Tammer

Cryptologic Name: Oryctolagus voluns
Planar Origin: Mithyrea
Habitat: Temperate forests and prarieland
Diet: Herbivore; prefers wildflowers

Appearance/Morphology
The tammer is physiologically very similar to the common jackrabbit with a few distinctive additions: they have long tails with tufted ends, wings on their backs, and marsupial-like pouches on their bellies. Their colors and patterns vary but most commonly they are white, tan, black and/or brown. These creatures are quite agile both on land and in the air.

Magical Abilities
Tammers are one member of a trio of magical lagomorphs (rabbits) including the woltperinger and the jackalope. These three creatures are interrelated, but each species has distinct magical abilities. Tammers have the unique ability to locate and teleport to any individual on Earth by using a special item associated with that person, which cryptozoologists refer to as a ‘token.’ By placing this token in their pouch, they can travel instantly to their targets.

The token has rather specific qualifications to be useful for the tammer. The item must be a gift given by the intended target to another. The connection is most potent when the token is something given by the target to the sender, however it seems to work even if the individual sending the tammer was not the recipient of said gift.

It should be noted that tammers can also locate and travel to individuals with whom they’ve bonded without needing to use a token. As such they work well as delivery creatures for large families because each member of the family can bond with the tammer and thus the creature can travel freely between everyone without needing tokens.

A tammer’s teleportation ability is also unique in that it functions in a fundamentally different way than apparition; as such tammers can teleport to locations where most magical travel isn’t possible. There are barriers that can keep tammers out, but they are more sophisticated than most commonly used protection spells. This posed a particular problem in early wizarding prisons as random objects, weapons, and the like would occasionally appear in inmates’ cells without explanation.

Behavior
Highly intelligent compared to their nonmagical, and even their related magical rabbit species, the tammer can understand human speech when trained. Though their vocal chords do not allow them to speak. Many mages who have tammers as companions and/or delivery animals will train them to use bodily signals, such as the raising and lowering of ears, flexing of wings, etc. to communicate.

Field Notes

• Before the implementation of the Owl Post system, tammers were much more widely used as delivery animals. They were very efficient at making deliveries, assuming you had something that would function as a token. Because the tammer teleports, rather than flying to their destination, they can transport a variety of objects that would be too large for owls. In addition, they are impossible to track by ordinary means as owls and other delivery birds are. The main drawback and reason that tammers are not as widely used today is because of the token qualifications required for their magic to work. For owls to make deliveries, all that is required is an address

• The token is a unique concept in the magical world as the tammer seems to be the only creature we are aware of that uses an object with these qualifications as part of its magical abilities. In addition, the word ‘gift’ may be a bit misleading, as a tammer can generally use anything that was given by the recipient to another living being, even if it is not what we would conventionally consider a gift. Whatever magical properties exist in the giving of a token from one individual to another such that it triggers the tammer’s natural abilities is a subject that I truly believe deserves further research. My hypothesis is that there is some sort of empathic energy that is imbued in objects given as gifts, and that this energy is unique from person to person. This might also explain their ability to locate those with whom they have a connection even without the use of a token.

  We see evidence of this sort of empathic connection elsewhere in the magical world as in some rare cases witches and wizards possess the ability to sense and influence the emotions of others (I myself posess such abilities). In addition, there is the amustelid, who has very strong empathic powers and seems to form connections with other living beings that allow it to maintain its empathic connection over great distances. I would very much like to test this theory but have yet to come up with a good idea as to the method.

Nevermore

Cryptologic Name: Grimm corvus
Planar Origin: Remnant
Habitat: Temperate forests, urban/suburban/rural areas
Diet: Omnivorous; subsist primarily through scavenging carrion as well as eating small seeds, nuts, and berries

Appearance & Morphology
The nevermore is the only known avian of the grimm genus. These creatures are similar in size and coloration to the common raven, with a distinctive mask of bone covering their face (a feature common amongst grimm) and two pairs of fiery red eyes. Each nevermore has markings on its mask which are unique to the individual and range in color from orange to violet but are most commonly red in hue.

Magical Abilities
The nevermore has minor prophetic powers, which appear to be limited to the foretelling of misfortune to those living beings around them. It is believed that their two sets of eyes are the source of their prophetic powers; the front pair of eyes seeing things as they are, and the rear pair seeing into the future. As with most prophetic arts, it’s unknown whether a person’s knowledge of impending misfortune can alter that person’s fate, or whether that knowledge ultimately leads them to the very predicament they have been warned about.

Behavior
Nevermores are highly intelligent, and as such will often try to warn those beings for whom they have forecast disaster by singing to them. They are most vigilant in their warnings when they have been domesticated and sense impending danger centered around their owners and others who they have developed an affection for. Unfortunately, nevermores have thus far not shown any capacity for human speech or other methods of precise communication, and therefore cannot be specific in their warnings; there’s no way to know whether the bird has foreseen a paper cut or your untimely demise. There is, however, a great deal of speculation as to the specific patterns in their songs corresponding to the nature and/or severity of events, but there is no conclusive evidence as yet to support that theory.

Field Notes

• Despite the relative ease of training these birds, they are not a very popular creature to be kept as pets. This is most likely because people tend to be rather unnerved by both their appearance as well as their powers. Mages have been known to go mad from hearing the songs of the nevermore and becoming overly paranoid about the nature of the misfortunes they are fated to endure. They are also often blamed for such calamity purely by association, though it is widely accepted in the cryptozoological community that these birds are not the source of the bad luck, but simply harbingers of it. Nevertheless, most are more comfortable living in ignorant bliss of their future misfortune.

  • There have been some, on the other hand, who are on the opposite side of the fence, adoring their relationship with their nevermores, and actually training them to respond in the event of an emergency. According to Chairon Merivell, a respected collector of a variety of magical birds, he taught his nevermore to hit a “life alert” button (a muggle device used to aid those in danger/having a medical emergency) when the creature sensed mortal peril in his future. This training has yet to be proven as Merivell has yet to be involved in anything particularly life threatening.

Squirt

Cryptologic Name: Caelinens fucus
Planar Origin: Ggias
Habitat: Varied
Diet: Herbivore

Appearance/Morphology
Squirts are the smallest member of the caelinens genus, often referred to as “windbags.” These creatures have teardrop-shaped bodies with strong, flexible tails. Their skin is black and transitions to blue toward the tail tip. They generally have large blue eyes, bright orange markings on their heads, and two small appendages that resemble stubby arms.

Magical Abilities
Squirts have limited magical abilities on their own, beyond their ability to float effortlessly through the air. They do, however, produce a liquid secretion from ducts at the end of their tails that is a potent restorative liquid, often used in advanced healing potions, or diluted and ingested on its own to induce stimulate the healing of damaged tissues.

Behavior
Squirts are one of three species collectively referred to as “windbags,” and all three species live together in colonies and function as a unit. Squirts function as food gatherers and scouts, similar to drones n a beehive. They will use their flexible tails to gather fruits, flowers, and vegetation, eat it, and then produce their special liquid secretion (often referred to as “squirt extract”) to feed the other members of their colony. The second species, C. artifex, known as “gasfellas,” are the workers of the colony. They are larger and stronger, with developed appendages allowing them to build structures to support their colony, as well as defending it from harm. The final species, C. regno, also known as “scumbags,” are equivalent to queens in the hive analogy. Most colonies only have 2-3 scumbags and they will generally direct the other species in their daily tasks, as well as consuming any waste material to keep the colony tidy (hence where they earned their common name). This does seem to provide some sustenance for them but they also ingest the squirt’s extract along with the gasfellas. Scumbags are the only creatures that can reproduce, and will spawn members of all three species to suit the colony’s needs. While this suggests, from a biological standpoint, that they are all a single species, because they are magical in nature the rules are a touch fuzzier.

Field Notes

• These strange creatures are a relatively recent discovery and as such I don’t have much experience with them yet, however I did discover a local colony and am working to develop a relationship with them. They are fairly intelligent creatures and while they cannot speak we’re starting to develop a rapport and I’m hoping to develop a way of communicating with them. There is a particular squirt who seems to have taken a liking to me when I bring offerings of food and will often follow me around whenever I go exploring in their forest.

Paolumu

Cryptologic Name: Sufflo album
Planar Origin: Terranova
Habitat: Mountainous regions and tundra
Diet: Carnivore; eats mostly deer and other ungulates

Appearance
The paolumu is a large creature somewhat resembling a cross between a sheep, a bat, and a beaver. These creatures have long necks with pink, hairless faces; large, round ears; and a mouth full of sharp teeth. Their wings are batlike in nature, a membrane stretched between the arm and finger bones, and having thick pads at the end of each finger. Their flat, wide tails and bellies are covered in hard scales much like a beaver’s, and their powerful hind legs have four clawed toes, two longer toes oriented forwards and two shorter toes facing back. These creatures have air sacs in their necks which can inflate like balloons, creating a large, round ruff around the creature’s head.

Magical Abilities
Paolumus have a limited amount of magical power, mostly centered around the air sacs in their necks. While normally they fill these sacs with normal air, they have glands in each hollow that can secrete a variety of substances which can either change the nature of the air or have some other effect on it. Two secretions are most widely studied, the first is an alchemical solution which transforms the air in its internal sacs into pure hydrogen. The second known secretion is a powerful sedative that will quickly knock out even larger animals. The paolumu itself is immune to its effects.

Behavior
In its native habtat, the paolumu is a middle predator on the food chain, eating mostly larger ungulates such as wild pigs, deer, and even horses. On Earth, however, they have few natural predators other than the mid-to-large members of the dragon family, though dragon populations are low enough that they don’t often occupy the same territories.

The paolumu’s biggest advantages both offensively and defensively are its broad, armored tail, and the air in its air sacs. Paolumus can release the gas in their air sacs quickly, and as such will often use their sedative gas to knock out both prey and would-be predators. Very few creatures other than the paolumu itself have any natural resistance to the gas.

Besides the sleeping gas, paolumus will use their alchemical solution to allow themselves to float effortlessly high in the air while looking for a meal. When they locate their prey, they will expel the gas quickly from their air sacs, allowing them to dive at their prey. The one downside of this is that the concentration of hydrogen in the air can be quite dangerous until it dissipates completely, being highly flammable and likely to explode if exposed to a heat source.

Field Notes

• Given the unique properties of the paolumu’s excretions, both its hydrogen-producing alchemical secretion, as well as its gaseous sedative are highly sought-after products by alchemists and potion masters.

Capriccio

Cryptologic Name: Minmalum capricus
Planar Origin: Baator
Habitat: Varied
Diet:: Hemovore

Appearance/Morphology
Capriccios are small goats-like creatures, only standing about 8-12” tall at the shoulder, with curved horns, sharp canines, and a small flame that floats above their heads, centered between the horns.They are a member of the Daemonia family, which includes all species of demon.

Magical Abilities
These small demons are known to be able to temporarily hypnotize people by making eye contact with them. This hypnosis lulls them into somewhat of a trance, but does not give any sort of controlling abilities over them, likely because they cannot use language to direct their victims.

Their only other magical aspect is the ever-burning flame that floats above their heads. The flame itself has the qualities of hellfire, meaning that it cannot be extinguished through nonmagical means (such as dumping water on them), and in the case of these creatures, if their flame is extinguished it results in their death.

Behavior
Despite being a member of the demon family, the capriccio is fairly harmless. They tend toward playfulness and mischief and they are not overly aggressive. The capriccio most often uses its hypnotic gaze to pacify people and other animals when it’s hungry. Given its small size and minimal strength, it cannot physically overpower its prey, so instead it lulls them into passiveness and drinks at its leisure. Capriccios generally only drink about 300-400mL of blood at a time, which not enough to put the average adult at risk (this is around what they would take if you were donating blood), however young children and smaller animals could come to serious harm if drained to that extent. They lack the frenzy and literal bloodlust that most other hemovores, such as vampires and chupacabras have, and as such, they can fairly safely be kept as pets if properly trained and fed.

Field Notes

• The capriccio has a variety of nicknames, such as “infenral goat,” “demon goat,” and “Baphito.” The last name, often used in Latin American countries, means “little Baphomet,” referring to the demonic lord Baphomet, who is known to have the head of a goat and a crown of flames.

• In keeping my own capriccio, I’ve discovered that while they don’t have conscious control over the their flames, the fire is directly connected to the creature’s psyche. While the flame usually glows blue (an indication that it is quite hot), the flame flickers to yellow-orange when he is hungry or tired, and will often diminish to something akin to a flickering candle when he is asleep. Alternatively, the firelight flares when he is agitated or excited.

Poshepocket

Cryptologic Name: Imito perus
Planar Origin: Crystallis
Habitat: Poshepockets don’t seem to have a preferred habitat, they seem to appear almost anywhere
Diet: Pseudo-carnivorous/parasitic; will engulf any animal that stumbles across it, however it doesn’t “eat” them in the traditional sense

Appearance & Morphology
The poshepocket, sometimes referred to as a “pouch mimic,” is an unusual creature, even by cryptozoological standards. This nickname is purely from their appearance, as they are entirely unrelated to the true mimic. The poshepocket resembles a furry bag or pouch; they have no limbs or other outward appendages but have a pair of eyes and a gaping mouth filled with rows of teeth that are pointed and rough but not particularly sharp.

The poshepocket’s mouth is quite remarkable, as it has the ability to expand an incredible amount given the usual size of the creature (most only grow to be about a foot long, and roughly 8-10” wide). Expanding their jaws seems to take the creatures a while to accomplish, however, so they most commonly attach themselves to an extremity of their prey and slowly expand and devour them, much like a snake.

Magical Abilities
The poshepocket’s maw serves as an entrance to its own pocket dimension, which seems to slowly siphon life energy from any living creatures inside it. This appears to be the reason that their teeth are blunt rather than sharp; they are meant to grip rather than pierce. The poshepocket doesn’t wish to kill or mortally wound its prey, or it would lose most of the potential nourishment that it could harvest

The pocket dimension within these creatures is not exactly a void; while not having much in the way of physical features, it does have breathable atmosphere inside it, which is likely to prolong the life of their prey such that they can continue to siphon energy for as long as possible. In addition, objects in the void will rest as though on a surface with gravity, though no surfaces seem to physically exist, nor does gravity pull in any particular direction. What is perhaps most unusual is that creatures and objects with the ability to move can travel as though they were moving across a flat surface, but movement is not restricted to two dimensions. It appears that you can orient yourself in any direction and just walk, the physics of which no one yet understands. This does mean, however, that it is possible to get back out of a phoshepocket once completely devoured if you don’t wander too far from the opening; while the pocket dimension cannot be truly infinite as it has a fixed beginning/entrance, cryptozoologists have yet to come to any sort of conclusion on how large the pocket dimension actually is. This is also contingent on the creature being willing to cooperate and open its jaw wide enough to regurgitate you.

Behavior
Much like the true mimics from which they get their nickname, pouch mimics are sit-and-wait predators, remaining hidden and still until something comes close enough for them to pounce. And yes, despite being limbless creatures normally moving by ineptly squirming across the ground, they are in fact capable of launching themselves at their prey when the opportunity arises.

Field Notes

• Poshepockets can make for useful storage vessels when properly trained, as they can store a near-infinite number of items while occupying only a very small amount of space on the physical plane. We see similar concepts used in the magical community, but this sort of spatial magic is highly advanced and requires a great deal of study and practice to properly employ.

Conduit Hare

Cryptologic Name: Silvilagus transveho
Planar Origin: Mithyrea
Habitat: Temperate fields and forests
Diet: Herbivorous

Appearance/Morphology
Conduit rabbits, better known as “portal bunnies,” are nearly identical in size, shape, and morphology to cottontail rabbits with white, black, brown, or multicolored fur. The way to visually distinguish this magical creature from its nonmagical counterparts is to look at the rabbit’s nose. Conduit rabbits will have brightly colored noses, most often either blue or orange, and they will glow faintly. These glowing noses are the source of their magical abilities. Conduit rabbits are always born in pairs; the twins are not always identical in fur coloration, but they will always have noses of different colors.

Magical Abilities
When a conduit rabbit touches something with its nose, this activates its magical powers and causes the object to vanish and reappear in the vicinity of its twin. Both rabbits’ noses flash brightly when this power activates, which leads researchers to believe that the constant faint glow from these rabbits’ noses may be due to a steady transmission of dust and other particles that come into contact with them.

When a conduit hare’s power activates, transmission is not altogether instantaneous, generally taking anywhere from 1-3 seconds for the vanished object to reappear. Unfortunately, we don’t have a clear understanding of why this is, or what’s happening to the object/living thing during teleportation. Many studies have been done to attempt to understand this phenomenon, but tracking spells are ineffective at establishing a location during transmission, and when people have allowed themselves to be teleported, their perception always seems to be that the travel was instantaneous. This suggests that the subject of the teleportation “loses” those few seconds as part of the process.

These rabbits are immune to their own powers, so scratching their noses doesn’t cause them to teleport to their twin, nor will they teleport when touching the nose of another rabbit.

Behavior
Just as with their appearance, their behavior mimics that of nonmagical rabbits as well. They are prey animals so they tend to be cautious but will become curious and playful when they are in comfortable surroundings.

In the wild, these rabbits will often use their powers as a defense mechanism against predators, as sudden teleportation is generally quite disorienting for any would-be attacker. This strategy does potentially put the rabbit’s twin in some danger, however we believe that they can sense, in some manner, what sort of thing is being teleported to them, and as such can take measures to escape if it is something dangerous. This is similarly relevant when the set of twins is close to one another, in a spatial sense.

Field Notes

• The practical use of conduit rabbits by mages is fairly straightforward, offering an easy, near-instantaneous transportation system between two fixed points. However, despite this seemingly ubiquitous method of transportation, they are very infrequently used in such a manner by any who are not well-versed in cryptozoology. The imprecision of the teleportation is the first major concern, as the exit point of the teleportation is seemingly random. Objects appear in the vicinity of the sender’s twin, but this “vicinity” encompasses approximately 1.5-2m radius around the rabbit, meaning you could end up appearing reasonably high in the air. Thankfully an object has never been known to reappear in the ground or in another nearby object upon arrival. The biggest concern is the potential for a hard fall upon arrival, which makes the transport of people and fragile goods somewhat precarious.

  There does seem to be a correlation between the size of the object/living thing being teleported and how close it ends up to the receiving rabbit, though not enough research has yet been done to develop any sort of mathematical prediction model based on size or mass. There also seems to be an upper limit on the size of thing being teleported. As such, large objects such as cars, buildings, etc. would never be at risk of suddenly appearing and crushing anyone nearby.

• If it is in fact the case that this time is lost during transmission via a conduit hare, theoretically this could offer a route to immortality via constant teleportation. Obviously, this is not a practical option given the necessity to continuously teleport between rabbits and inability to do anything else productive during the process, but the possibility does at least exist in a theoretical context. Perhaps it would be better stated that this offers a route more akin to time travel than immortality.

Griffin

Cryptologic Name: Felidaves s.
Planar Origin: Materia
Habitat: Highly varied
Diet: Carnivorous, they are voracious hunters (most of them anyway)

Appearance & Morphology
Griffins (alt. griffon or gryphon) are a widely varied genus if chimeric creatures that posess the body, hindquarters, and tail of a a feline and the head and wings of a bird. The forelegs are often bird talons as well, but in some variants they are also feline in morphology. Coloration, size, and shape are all dependent upon the core species of the creature, and as such an extensive variety of species exist within this genus.

Magical Abilities
As stated above, griffins are chimeric creatures; this means that they were created using alchemy to fuse different animals together. While the process of their creation is purely magical in origin, they don’t possess any particular magical powers of their own, unless their component creatures are magical in nature, and then the crafted griffin with generally possess similar abilities.

Griffins are rather unique amongst chimeric creatures as they can breed with others of their species. It is unclear how this is possible when most chimeric creatures cannot breed. This does mean, however, that there are now wild populations of griffin species in the world.

While they may not possess any magical abilities in their own right, some of their components have use in potion-making in a way that their predecessors do not. It is unclear why this is, but the theory is that it has something to do with the alchemical process of their creation. Griffin claws (from the feline hind legs) are used in many curative potions and the feathers are used in a special potion that allows blind people to see for a limited duration.

Behavior
Griffins, being such a disparate and varied group, have similarly varied behavior patterns. Most of these creature’s behaviors are reasonably linked to their base species, thus a traditional griffin crafted from a lion and eagle is likely to be a voracious predator, whereas a griffin crafted from a house cat and a songbird is more likely to be fairly docile. The general trend is that the avian half of the pair tends to influence the expected behavior more than the feline half, likely because the head, and thus brain, are avian.

There are a few traits seen across species that are worth noting. First, is that griffins mate for life, and will care for their young through adolescence. Courtship among griffins is rather unique in that they seem to have inherited their avian ancestor’s flair for courtship rituals. Many griffins will display their plumage, sing, or perform elaborate dances in an attempt to attract a mate. This does suppose, however, that other individuals of their particular species exist, which is not always the case.

Field Notes

• The first and most important note I feel should be made is related to the welfare of the species used to create griffins. While early alchemists did use a living lion and eagle to create the first griffins, modern alchemists no longer use living animals in their work. It does require DNA from the species and a collection of other organic matter, but the lives of two living animals are no longer combined into a single being to create these creatures.

• The first griffins, created by alchemists millenia ago, were all crafted from the same set of creatures: a lion and an eagle. This had great cultural significance at the time as the lion was considered the “king of beasts” and the eagle the “king of birds,” thus the union of the two was an especially powerful symbol, not to mention an exceptionally fierce creature. It wasn’t until more recently in history that alchemists began to branch out and experiment on their own, combining any odd combination of bird and cat they were so inspired to. This makes for rather odd ecology for these creatures, as some species only have single individuals existing at any given time, and thus will never form wild populations. This is somewhat vexing for cryptozoologists like myself, as a great deal of information can only be gleaned by observing creatures in the wild. Admittedly it has tempted me to learn alchemical techniques such that I could create my own griffins, but there are enough wild species of cryptids in our world that my work is cut out for me without needing to create more for myself.

• Presently there are six species known to have wild populations on earth:

  • F. aquileo: “True griffin,” created from a lion and eagle, living in mountainous regions around the world. These are the most prolific species.

  • F. corvatus: “Black griffin,” created from a common raven and domestic cat. Much smaller than true griffin, they generally live in temperate forests and human-inhabited areas, and are scavengers much like their avian ancestors.

  • F. tytocal: “Owl griffin,” while there are a number of owl griffin species, only one has a wild population, and it is a species consisting of a barn owl and a caracal. These creatures are found throughout Africa and Europe.

  • F. domesticus: “Sparrow griffin,” the smallest wild griffin species, these consist of a house sparrow and domestic cat. This species can be found across the northern hemisphere.

  • F. pardarauna: “Parrot griffin,” consisting of a blue-and-yellow macaw and a leaopard, these are the most colorful wild griffin species, as well as the only species found in South America.

  • F. jugrinus: “Swift Griffin,” crafted using two of the quickest of their respective species, the peregrine falcon and the cheetah. This species is found primarily in northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

• The griffin pictured here is under my personal care, and is not a wild owl griffin, but a related species, F. nebucola, created from a great grey owl and a domestic cat. He was given to me by an alchemist friend of mine, who was experimenting with different griffin breeds. He is quite playful and loves hunting squirrels in our back yard. He is a recent addition to the menagerie and as yet doesn’t have a name, so I welcome any suggestions.

Drive Imp

Cryptologic Name: Deminium ageto
Planar Origin: Gigas
Habitat: They live in a variety of habitats and build villages with others of their kind
Diet: Omnivorous; like humanoid cultures, they cook and eat a great a great variety of foods

Appearance & Morphology
Drive imps are small creatures with somewhat unusual morphology. Their bodies are generally egg-shaped, without a distinct separation between their head and torso. To most, they would appear to be all head, as their large faces do take up a good portion of the front of their bodies, however their vital organs are simply arranged in such a way to accommodate this body shape. Drive imps have red fur covering most of their bodies, with the exception of their faces which show their black skin, large eyes, and blue, triangular noses. They have very short, but strong legs, similar to a bird’s, with three clawed toes, two extending forward and one extending back. They also possess blue, leathery wings similar to a bat’s, and a pair of blue curved horns protruding from their heads. Drive imps are not particularly aerodynamic, nor are their wings very large in comparison to their bodies; as such, while they are able to lift off and hover for periods of time, they are not exactly built for sustained flight, and more often use their magical abilities for travel.

Magical Abilities
Drive imps are much like humanoid races in their capacity for magic. While they do have some intrinsic magical abilities, they also have a talent for magecraft (learned magic).

Among their innate talents is a unique teleportation ability that they refer to as “implosion,” or at least that is the closest translation. When a drive imp implodes, he leaves behind a bright explosion of light in their wake, resembling a firework. We have come to understand that the variety of hues seen in an imp’s implosion is unique to the individual, much like a human fingerprint.

In addition to their teleportation abilities, they also all possess some manner of telepathic abilities, that seem to be related to their eyes. We’ll talk more about this when we discuss drive imp language.

Culture
While drive imp history, society and culture is far more vast than I can easily address here, there are a few points I want to touch on.

As previously stated, drive imps have a talent for magecraft, and while each individual develops this differently, they do generally have a particular knack for enchanting (imbuing objects with magical powers). It may in part be due to their unusual morphology, but most drive imps tend to sport enchanted accessories that are imbued with spells that they might need, most activated by particular power words, such that they can cast certain spells with relative ease, and without having to expend much of their own internal mana. Because of this widespread tradition among them, drive imps tend to be a bit magpie-ish in that they tend to collect jewelry, baubles, and other trinkets for the purpose of decorating themselves with the items after enchanting them as they so desire.

Secondly, I believe it is worth discussing drive imp communication. Their language is rather unique in that it can, generally speaking, be interpreted by anyone without needing and training in the subject. Drive imp speech has two components to it, an audible component, which consists of a variety of both staccato and lyrica sounds of different pitches (rather reiniscent of birdsong), and a telepathic component. The telepathic component is still not entirely understood from a functional standpoint, but the best way the drive imps have been able to explain it to us is that the telepathic relay translates the sounds for you as the imp is speaking.

If you are interested in learning more about drive imp history, I would recommend the writings of Ki’arok, a well-respected historian, who has written a number of books on the development of their history and society.

Field Notes

• First of all allow me to qualify my use of the word “creature” in the above descriptions, as drive imps are a race of people by all standards and I do not with to disparage them in any sense. In the magical community there is a great deal of debate and discussion surrounding the use of the terms “beast” and “being.” According to the magical community at large, “beast” is a word used to describe creatures with animalistic traits, behavior patterns, and intelligence where as “being” is a term used for those of higher intelligence, generally using humans as a reference point. Frankly I find this whole argument tiresome for a variety of reasons, not only because it limits us in our understanding of magical life on the whole by putting creatures into unnecessary (and frankly, unhelpful) boxes, but also greatly polarizes people and stigmatizes a category of living creatures as innately “lesser than” based on a set of criteria that can’t even be widely agreed upon in the magical community. As such, you will rarely hear me use either of these words in such a context, and should generally assume that when I do use them, I am doing so not based on the communities current definition of such things, but to convey meaning through more useful context of language. And generally speaking, I default to “creature” as the qualifying term for all magical and non-magical life (and occasionally non-life, in the case of things such as spirits and their ilk), to include the myriad peoples of our world and others.

• On a personal note, my cryptozoological research partner is a drive imp named Tsu’mat, who has a similar interest in the myriad of unique creatures that inhabit our multiverse. He has been an absolute joy to work with and always brings fresh ideas and a great deal of enthusiasm to our collective research.

Polycerus

Cryptologic Name: Canis multicerus
Planar Origin: Olympia
Habitat: Highly varied, depending primarily on their progenitors
Diet: Omnivorous; primarily eat meat but will also consume grains and vegetables

Appearance & Morphology
Polyceri are a diverse group of canines possessing multiple heads. Three-headed individuals are the most common morphs, with two-headed dogs being somewhat rarer. Other multiples are possible but exceedingly rare; to date the highest known head-count on a single individual is thirteen. Because the two and three-headed variants are more common, they are commonly called “orthrus” and “cerberus,” respectively. These names come from the first known records of polyceri in myths of ancient Greece.

These creatures’ origins are purely magical, meaning that they are generally born from single-headed dogs under specific conditions. Those conditions, however, are not entirely clear to us at present and may, in fact, simply be a random “mutation.” From a biological standpoint, polyceri are not a distinct species from its canine progenitors (nor from other polyceri with different numbers of heads) as they can procreate with other dogs with any number of heads. We do know that multi-headed parents will more often produce multi-headed offspring but are not guaranteed to do so; breeding a pair of cerberi has yielded single-headed puppies on many occasions.

Aside from the extra head(s), polyceri physically resemble their single-headed counterparts in all other respects; they inherit coloration, size, and shape based on their genetics. Thus, an orthrus born from a pair of golden retrievers will simply look like a golden retriever with an extra head.

Magical Abilities
Polyceri only have a singular known magical ability: they can see things that are invisible. This includes creatures that are intrinsically or can become invisible, as well as magic spells and objects which turn things invisible or conceal objects or living things though other methods. This even includes beings that are entirely incorporeal, such as phantoms. Thus far, no method has yet been devised to “fool” a polycerus’s eyes. This ability, combined with their naturally keen senses of smell and hearing, mean that polyceri make very effective guard dogs.

It should be noted that magical hounds (such as coin-sithe, hell hounds, etc.) are also capable of producing polyceri and these multi-headed hounds retain any magical abilities of their parents.

Behavior
Much like their appearance, these creatures are dogs through-and-through in terms of behavior as well. They are social creatures, moderately intelligent (though much of this is based on breed), easily trainable, and generally form strong bonds with their companions.

Temperaments in polyceri can vary widely, with trends following those of their breed fairly closely, but quirks tend to be more pronounced compared to their single-headed relatives on account of having multiple dog brains at work. Thus, multi-headed chihuahuas will likely be even yappier and more excitable, border collies will have greater herding tendencies, etc. Each head also seems to have a distinct personality, though they tend to align fairly closely. Furthermore, all the heads work in tandem to control the creature’s body collectively, which tends to make them a little more derpy when the heads don’t coordinate properly; you tend to see this the most in puppies, as they generally learn how to coordinate better as they age.

Field Notes

• It’s worth noting that “dog” is used as a fairly wide classification when describing the species that can become polyceri. Any creature in the biological family Canidae can produce a polycerus, which includes domestic dogs, wild dogs, jackals, raccoon dogs, all species of wolf, and all species of fox. It addition, as stated above, magical canines can also produce polyceri, so it would appear that either the overall morphology of canines, or perhaps simply the idea of canines as a group of animals is what gives rise to these creatures.

Mimic

Cryptologic Name: Arca incubo
Planar Origin: Materia
Habitat: Anywhere inhabited by humans
Diet: Carnivorous; they will eat almost any living creature, but seem to have a particular taste for humans

Appearance & Morphology
Mimics are fairly easy to describe in appearance, but it is a good deal harder to explain their morphology. The easy explanation is that a mimic is a container with a lid of some sort, which opens to reveal a maw with sharp teeth and a long, muscular tongue. The mimic’s true body is still not entirely understood, because we know that they do not produce the container, rather they inhabit it, much like a hermit crab inhabits shells left behind by other animals. It is accurate to say, however, that when a mimic inhabits a container, that the container becomes a part of the mimics body; they are completely inseparable by any means we yet possess.

Mimics are indistinguishable from normal containers as the vessel it inhabits remains entirely unchanged by its inhabitant. As such it can be extremely difficult to identify a mimic until you’re close enough for it to attack you. This adds to the dangerous nature of these creatures, however, mimics have been known to shudder in anticipation of a meal, so if you’re lucky you can catch the subtle movement or sound before you get close enough for it to grab you.

Magical Abilities
While they don’t possess a great deal of active magical abilities, they are still rather dangerous as mimics are virtually indestructible from the outside, being essentially immune to both physical and magical assault.. As such, the only way to kill a mimic is to target the fleshy insides while its mouth is open, which consequently is the most dangerous time to be near one of these creatures.

In addition, Mimic saliva also has some unique properties. It is an incredibly potent solvent, able to dissolve most organic matter, however inorganic materials such as glass, stone or metal remain entirely unharmed by the substance. Additionally, when exposed to oxygen it becomes incredibly viscous and sticky. This saliva is used as an ingredient for several potions, but because of the way it reacts to oxygen and its potency as a solvent, it needs to be stored under very particular conditions.

Behavior
Mimics are the epitome of camouflaged sit-and-wait predators. They will remain motionless for weeks at a time, waiting for a meal to come by. While mimics do not have eyes or other visible sense organs on the outside of their body, they can sense subtle vibrations around them, primarily through their contact with the floor. This allows them to strike with surprising precision with their long, flexible tongues. when prey comes into range. This also means that flying creatures such as birds and bats are generally ignored by mimics.

Despite having no outward appendages, mimics can and do move around. They achieve locomotion by using their tongues to drag themselves around in a similar fashion to bivalves

Mimic reproduction is a subject about which we still know very little. My best guess is that they reproduce asexually, as I’ve never observed two mimics interact in such a way that would suggest procreation, nor have I found any evidence that mimics have distinct sexes. What we do know (or presume, at least) is that some act of spawning is required, as juvenile mimics only seem to appear when an adult mimic is in the vicinity. We also know that a suitable vessel is required, as the container itself is not generated by the mimic upon its birth.

What is most puzzling is the actual mechanism involved in reproduction; thus far there has been no observable interaction between the adult mimic and the spawn. Perhaps some sort of spores are released that are too small to be seen or are entirely invisible. Alternatively, as a magical creature it is entirely possible that a mimic simply wills a nearby container into becoming another mimic. An alternative theory has also been proposed, whereby the container itself is responsible for its transformation into a mimic, rather than the mimic creating an offspring of its own will, though this theory seems the most unlikely to me.

Field Notes

• The natural properties of the mimic have led some to attempt to tame these creatures for the purpose of protecting their valuables. This is a rather effective strategy in theory but a difficult one to put into practice as mimics are not known to be overly intelligent creatures and generally attempt to eat any living creature they come into contact with. This is not to suggest that it can’t be done, only that it requires a great amount of both patience and skill to train one, and even once tamed you could still lose an appendage if you’re not careful.

• If you’re concerned you may have stumbled across one and don’t want to get too close for the mimic to reveal itself, a good strategy is to toss something at the container to see if it elicits a reaction; most mimics are voracious enough to react even if the item they’ve been struck with is inedible.

• While we don’t know how mimics reproduce, we do know that they can inhabit new vessels if they so choose. This is often achieved by climbing into a larger container, transferring to the new container (though how exactly that occurs we don’t know) and then spitting out the old container once the transfer is complete. In this way they further resemble hermit crabs.

• It is unclear why mimics most often end up inhabiting treasure chests and similar boxes, though the hinged opening and sturdy construction do seem to lend themselves rather well to a mimic’s anatomy. Despite this trend, mimics have been known to inhabit a wide variety of containers of different shapes and sizes. I’ve seen mimics inhabit anything from a jewelry box to a trash dumpster (the latter was, as I’m sure you can imagine, quite terrifying, simply given its size). In an attempt to better understand mimic anatomy, I have kept a mimic in close proximity to a variety of transparent containers, hoping that it would spawn a baby mimic in one such that I could observe the anatomy from the outside, but thus far I have been unsuccessful in this endeavor.

Minima Identification: Gjøltrolds, Gnomes & Smurfs, Oh My!

I was recently sent an inquiry into the genealogical relationships and identification of gjøltrolds, gnomes, and smurfs. While I haven’t done a great deal of personal study on any of these species, I’m always one to encourage cryptozoological intreset and exploration, so I compiled some information to help answer these questions! Eventually I’d love to do a little more personal research on these three distinct creatures and put together field guide entries for them.

Before we get started I do want to make a note on gjøltrolds. While commonly referred to as “trolls,” I’m using their proper name so as not to confuse them with jöthurs (the large, grotesque, humanoid creatures that are closely related to orcs, jötunn, ogres, and goblins), which are also commonly referred to as trolls.

Taxonomy

There are a wide variety of small humanoid creatures, and not all of them are particularly closely related from a genealogical/taxonomic perspective. In the case of these three particular species, two of them are much more closely related than the third. Gnomes are actually members of the faerie phylum, meaning they are native to the fae realm along with faeries, sprites, leprechauns, and many other magical species (including many small humanoids much like themselves). Smurfs and gjøltrolds are both native to the material plane, and are very closely related, being two species within the same genus, Minima.

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Identification

While at first the task of differentiating between these three species of small humanoid creatures may seem fairly straightforward, there are quite a few similarities and given the variation between individuals, particularly among gjøltrolds, it can sometimes cause some confusion.

• Gjøltrold: The most distinctive feature of a gjøltrold is the magical gem that grows in their belly button; these gems contain magical energy specific to the individual and that energy can be accessed by the troll. This feature is only seen on this species, so if you see a belly-button gem, you definitely have a troll. Most trolls wear clothes, though, so you may not be able to see their gem if their midriff is covered. Gjøltrolds’ hair is another hint at their identity. Many of these creatures have brightly-colored hair in fairly wild styles. These creatures can actually control their hair as though it was an appendage, so that is another surefire indication that you’re dealing with a gjøltrold.

• Smurfs: Their blue skin is a good starting point but many trolls have blue skin as well, so it’s not a surefire method of identification. Smurfs one main morphological feature that makes them distinct from the other species in question, their stubby tails (similar to a rabbit’s).

• Gnomes: Gnomes are most easily identifiable by their beards. Neither trolls nor smurfs are known to grow facial hair (with the exception of the progenitor smurf, aka “Papa Smurf,” but because gnomes do not have blue skin, that should be an easy distinction.) In gnomish culture, beards are as symbol of age and status and as such are almost never cut, so the length of a gnome’s beard can give you an indication as to their age. And yes, female gnomes also grow facial hair as well, though culturally they tend to be a bit freer in their trimming and styling than the men. In addition, of the three species we’re discussing, they are the only ones to have a full set of 5 digits on each hand (assuming they haven’t had any unfortunate accidents), whereas gjøltrolds and smurfs only have 4.

While these notes do outline the morphological differences between these three species, I feel like I would be remiss not to mention the fact that all three of them are highly intelligent and can communicate. They do have their own languages but many who live on earth also know local human dialects, so when in doubt, you can always try asking them.

Ursa

Cryptologic Name: Grimm ursus
Planar Origin: Remnant
Habitat: Forest/Tundra
Diet: Omnivorous

Appearance
Ursai are large, bear-shaped creatures of the grimm genus. These large animals have a similar appearance to their fellow grimm with thick black fur, fiery red eyes, and white bone masks with distinctive red markings on them (though in rare cases grimm have markings in other hues). Adults can reach a size of up to 10ft. from snout to tail, and a shoulder height of about 6ft. Like nonmagical bears, they can stand on their hind legs, which means the larger individuals can reach a height of about 16ft. when standing upright. Despite their size, they are much lighter in weight than their nonmagical counterparts, generally weighing between 250-300 lbs. This is quite a stark difference when compared to the brown bear, which are of a similar size, but can weigh up to 1200lbs.

Magical Abilities
Ursai’s most well known magical trait is that their hides have anti-magical properties. This takes shape in several ways, but most significantly means that they are highly resistant to magical assault. In addition this means that magical barriers also have little effect on these creatures, as their coats allow them to pass through force fields, or otherwise nullify ambient effects of spells that would influence them in other ways (e.g. concealing charms would not render an object invisible to the ursa).

In addition to their natural magical resistance, ursai also have the ability to consciously travel into the dreams of sleeping/unconscious creatures in their vicinity.. While this might sound like a rather terrifying prospect, they are actually far less dangerous to encounter in dreams than they are in the physical world. In dreams, ursai manifest as bear-shaped beings of golden light and can communicate with those who are dreaming, though this communication is difficult to classify. They do not speak, per se, but they can convey and understand ideas and concepts through other methods. While travelling into dreams their bodies in the physical world become incorporeal; they do not disappear entirely but the physical form becomes translucent and mist-like, and the markings on their masks will glow brightly on their ethereal form.

Behavior
Ursai generally travel in groups, known as “sleuths,” of about 4-8 individuals. These sleuths are most commonly comprised of a single mating pair and their offspring, but sometimes ursai will “adopt” others into their sleuths when they encounter loners. While these creatures are usually rather docile towards other animals, they are fiercely protective of other members of their sleuths. Ursai have sharp claws, strong jaws, and are incredibly agile despite their size, making them exceedingly dangerous animals to approach unprepared, particularly given their natural resistance to magic. These creatures are generally very distrustful of humans and will often attack a conscious human even if unprovoked.

Field Notes

• Given the natural anti-magical properties of the ursa’s hide, it is a widely sought-after material in the magical community. The hide retains its magical resistance even after being removed from the animal, so its fur is often fashioned into expensive protective garments for mages. The hunting of ursai took a great toll on these creatures and their Terran populations dwindled considerably, but now it is illegal to hunt these incredible creatures and their populations are starting to recover. That of course doesn’t mean that there is not considerable profit to be made on the black market by poaching them, but at least protections are in place and the animals are doing better as a result.

• The fact that ursai are seemingly so intelligent gives rise to the question of why they tend to be so aggressive toward humans when encountered in the wild. It is generally believed that this stems from the above point that they were hunted nearly to extinction, and this intelligence would likely allow them to communicate this mistrust in humanity to future generations of their species in an effort to protect them from the threat.

• It does seem that by interacting with people first in dreams, ursai can safely gauge people’s intentions, and will react on the physical plane accordingly when the human in question returns to consciousness. Most people have little control over their dreams and ursai, being dreamwalkers, are likely knowledgeable in how to interpret different aspects of a person’s dreams in order to gain a true understanding of their character and intentions as they explore and interact with the dreamer, even when said dreamer is attempting to hide something.

• In my own fascination and desire to learn more about these creatures, I devised a plan to befriend a sleuth that is known to live in Yellowstone National Park. I brewed a special potion which causes the drinker to immediately lose consciousness with the intention of finding the ursai and drinking the potion in their presence such that they could meet me, and hopefully understand my intentions well enough to allow me to interact with them in the waking world (preferably without mauling me to death). While this plan overall was fairly solid, I did not anticipate the creatures’ degree of wariness, and so it took more than one try to get the creatures to trust me. Fortunately they seemed to understand that I was not a threat to them, so they didn’t kill me outright, but apparently my desire to study them was something they were tenuous about. Ultimately I ran out of potion after my third attempt, and before I had the opportunity to brew more, the sleuth found their way to my campsite. I was forced to rely on somewhat more drastic measures, recognizing the opportunity and potential that my life may be in danger if I remained conscious, and so I ended up knocking myself out by slamming my head into a picnic table. Somehow despite my possible concussion, that interaction was the final breakthrough with the ursai and upon waking I finally was granted the privilege of spending time with these amazing creatures in the waking world.

  • One new discovery I made is that they can use their abilities to half-shift into a dream state when they wish to communicate with each other. When this happens, the markings on their masks glow, but their bodies do not fade away like when they enter someone’s dreams. I was very curious about this and wanted to find a way to communicate with the creatures more easily without having to lose consciousness to do so. While I am still doing research on how I might achieve this, the time I spent with the sleuth has earned me their trust. When I’m ready I will certainly be visiting them again, and they made it clear that I will always be welcome among them.