Spirit Beasts

From Kingdoms of Kahara Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

In Kahara, many great beasts and monsters roam the land, however none are so special as those known as Spirit Beasts. Spirit Beasts are inherent to the world, and some even consider them true deities, rather than holy and enduring beasts. While no longer common in the modern age, in times past, in order to gain magical prowess or have some manner of wish fulfilled, pacts would be formed with individual beasts. This eventually gave rise to the Fae Touched; those whose bloodlines were beholden to the pact an ancestor made, each generation showing more and more unusual characteristics reminiscent of the beast their family line is bound to. The various tribes of Fae are also said to have been birthed of various Spirit Beasts, with their very similar traits and close ties to particular beasts. The territories of Spirit Beasts are not clearly defined, and may shift over time or overlap with other Spirit Beasts. The only well defined territories are that of Sagcoln and Wilindea, due to the corrupted nature of the land.

List of known Spirit Beasts

These are the beasts that are commonly known, there may be others which have either been forgotten or gone undiscovered to this day.

Sagcoln

Once a revered creature, now Sagcoln is only a source of dread for those who must live near him, and the few who encounter him. Said in the past to be a beautiful black horse of extremely large size, easily dwarfing even the rather large draft horses commonly used for farming and wagon pulling, his hide was said to reflect the night sky, seeming to glitter with a shifting pattern of stars. Records state that he was inspiring to see, and gentle to those who approached him. Now in a state of corruption due to the final Merchant Prince of Atria, Luka Finnley's hubris, Sagcoln's body is in an ever shifting state of decay, and Luka's torso has merged to Sagcoln's back, face frozen in a skeletal expression of abject horror. At times the merged pair may seem only mildly decayed, flesh peeling from their hides, while at others bits of skeleton peeks through bare sinew and muscle. The arrow that was meant to kill Sagcoln remains pierced through his chest, a reminder of the folly of men. Sagcoln's territory borders Ellischester, curving around it to leave only a narrow passage in and out of the city. Those touched with Sagcoln's corruption will begin to rot and eventually turn into a cursed undead.

Wilindea

Stories tell of the great bird Wilindea, whose feathers were said to bring great fortune to those who happened upon one. As large as a mature dragon, her feathers were once said to sparkle like silver and pearl, and her presence to bring on the gentle snows of an easy winter. She appears to be something akin to an eagle or similar large bird of prey in body, but ornamented with the long, decorative feathers similar to a white peacock at her tail and atop her head, however, her corruption has turned her feathers to shards of ice, as sharp as a razor and as cold as the arctics. Her territory cuts straight across the main road into Silma, the capital city of Moriquende, often forcing those looking to head to Silma to take an alternate route. Her lands have become a frigid hell, regardless of the season, constantly harangued by white-out blizzards that make venturing anywhere but the main road which has been marked by stakes and rope, especially deadly. Being touched by her corruption will turn the corrupted into ice, eventually to become an ever-frozen statue that even when brought into warmer climes will not melt and is frigid to the touch. Parts of the body that have become frozen before being wholly consumed are easily shattered and broken, however, breaking off these affected parts will not stop the corruption from consuming the victim.

Sehrasil

A massive sea serpent said to be miles in length, Sehrasil was once considered the patron of the Coromouth sea and sailors who travelled up and down it. It was said to once be a calm presence, sometimes seen below the waves swimming beneath ships, or occasionally peeking it's head up to check out ships that were passing by. Ever since Sagcoln's corruption, the river that flows through Sagcoln's territory empties into the Coromouth sea, and Sehrasil has become increasingly enraged by the foul water, causing more and more frequent and terrible storms to ravage the coast. Ellischester is most affected, yet many still live there. Sehrasil is seldom seen clearly any longer, though sometimes some claim to see it thrashing in the eye of a storm, breaking the surface of the water. It is said to have iridescent aqua green and pale blue scales, with trailing filaments that look like seaweed. It's eyes are pure white, and some have speculated that Sehrasil is actually blind.

Belphegor

Belphegor is an especially curious beast, said to be able to take on a humanoid form, and unable to be corrupted. The leader of the Wild Hunt, Belphegor's association with death may be the reason any attempts to kill him have failed, as he already holds dominion over it. A pack of his children follows at his call, and they as well as he, in beast form look like a whippet dog but with the hind quarters of a deer and a skeletal cervidae head with tiny pin-points of light deep in hollow sockets instead of eyes. Twin antlers curve up from the base of the skull, and small ears are tucked within the blue-ish black fur. His tail is long and thin, with long, wavy fur hanging from it. It is said that he collects the souls of the dead, adding them to the ethereal fog that spreads out from his feet, muting all but the sound of one's voice. His voice, whether the common tongue or the howling cry that signals the hunt is on it's way, is said to be so terrifying it can cause the blood to run cold and the heart to seize. Those who are indoors around a safe hearth, with an offering of milk and honey left outside the door are said to be safe from the hunt.

Latae

A magnificent, giant wolf whose fur looks like verdant emerald grass, save the white patch from his snout, down his throat, over his chest and trailing towards his belly. His eyes are a soft, golden yellow bringing to mind light filtering through a canopy of trees. Flowers spring from his footsteps on fertile soil, and some even say that he can make arid soil lush again. It is even said that if a farm is ailing, then offerings of sheep, the burning of sage and sweetgrass and a bowl pure, clear water may entice him to come and bless the soil for a successful harvest. He is shy, and while can be observed from a distance, will always flee at any attempts to approach. Most commonly he has been seen in the spring and summer seasons, both in Atria and and even as far as Pravelka.

Ennlún

A massive feline with wide, wholly orange eyes, the horns of a billy goat and paws like a hawk's talons. It's fur is beige-ish shade of white, short-haired except for the messy tuft at the tip of it's long tail. She roams the Hjalmar(alternatively Ëryd Ninquë in the elvish tongue) mountain range, which spans across Valland and Moriquende. She is often described as mischevious, enticing those who come across her to follow before leaving them lost in the mountains, far from the path they had originally been following, and some traditions have said she is outright vicious, maiming and playing with the corpses of those who get too close. Occasional stories have been contrarian, stating instead that she will lead lost travellers back to main roads so that they do not perish in the mountains.

Ghiran and Ghealach

Ghiran(Seelie) and Ghealach(Unseelie) are the twin spirit beasts who brought the Sidhe into the world, their children beginning as wild as their cousins still are to this day. Both beasts are magnificent great elks, with massive multi-branched antlers and long tails with layers of feathers cascading from the undersides from the mid-point to the tip. Much like the Seelie and Unseelie, they are like two sides of a coin, one attributed to sunlight, and the other to moonlight. While they are twins, they are not identical. Ghiran is mostly a teal-toned grey, with white dappling along it's hide. Light brown streaks down her snout, and tufts at her hooves, while the feathers of her tail are shades of brown and burnt umber, with spots of white and black at the tips. Antler-like growths ridge down her neck and between her shoulders, while her antlers are large and magnificent, dark brown with day-blossoming flowers and berries growing from them, the variety depending on the season. Her eyes are a pale shade of green. Ghealach respectively has a largely dark grey hide, dappled in a lighter grey. His head is black with accents of blood red, and that same red tufts at his hooves. The feathers of his tail are black, with spots of dark grey and red stippling them, while his antlers are pure midnight again with red at the tips. Night blooming flowers and berries will grow on his antlers, the variety also depending on the season. Neither Ghiran or Ghealach has ever been seen outside of Sidhe territory, meaning no one outside of the Sidhe has seen them for a very long time.

Veselka

A particularly revered beast, Pravalkans believe that Veselka is the snake their oral traditions speak of who is responsible for birthing all life, and in turn the progenitor of the Pravalkans themselves. Rarely seen on land, her body spans for miles and is thick enough to easily be able to swallow several cattle whole at once. She prefers to stay in the great waterways that cross Kahara and ferrymen and women who are lucky may see her passing beneath them as they make their ways up or downstream. Her scales glitter with a kaleidoscopic sheen, said to contain every colour imaginable. They are highly valued, though a rare treasure to find.

Skrekk

There are no pleasant tales of Skrekk, and they are often used to discourage venturing too deeply into the bowels of the earth. While the beast is believed to be a massive spider, none who have seen it and survived have been able to describe it with any accuracy. There are few details which remain consistent, save that it has a myriad of glowing eyes, spits webs to entrap it's prey and seems to be able to bend space to reach with it's multitude of limbs. He seems to potentially inhabit any underground tunnels and caverns, natural or not. If it's man-made, it's said, eventually he will come. Any tunnel that is found coated in webs is a sure sign that Skrekk has been there and that it would be wise to retreat as quickly as possible.

Kovirth

A massive ram who looks to be engulphed by a bush with scraggly branches poking through. His head and legs are pure white, and his horns large, curling around several times and obscuring his perky ears. The foliage that seems to make up his body is lush, and blooms with light pink flowers in the spring which develop into round, plump, deep red berries. It is said that the sacred tree in Sviatoje, the capital city of Pravalka was cultivated from one of his branches.

Rumoured Beasts

These are either unconfirmed, or spoken of in historical texts but unable to be found in modern times.

Unnamed

A monstrous fish said to inhabit the lakes that surround Langsend. No concrete description can be given, and accounts vary wildly, leading most to believe it is simply oversized or completely fictional.

Lócë

A golden scaled and antlered dragon with autumn toned leaves decorating it's antlers. Even before the elves of Moriquende drove the dragons into hiding, it had not been seen since the days of the Avaemor empire, and only exists in the scattered history texts that remain from the days of the empire.

Mastyx

A gigantic hooded lizard with vestigial wings and three sets of legs. Very little is known about it, as only one, insignificant and incomplete text has ever been found that mentions it and the desert nation in which it supposedly resides is mysterious to many.