bestiary.

MUTATED ANIMALS. [ CLASS A ] The feral creatures that prowl across the wastelands. No two animals look precisely the same, but nearly all are hairless, bone-thin and swollen with tumors. They seek only to devour whatever lays in their path. BIRDS: Resembling the dragons of ancient myth, birds have devolved into a featherless monsters armed with razor sharp talons. LIZARDS: Even the smallest of creatures has the potential to kill. Though many lizards remain small, most possess a terribly potent bacterial bite equivalent to that of a komodo dragon. AMPHIBIANS: Frogs and salamanders are only seen in the swampy areas of the oasis. They possess incredibly toxic skin and both have a powerful bite. Many are the size of small dogs, with some as large as a minivan. These creatures are constantly exposed to the radioactive waters and therefore are considered unpredictable. Reports have indicated that some frogs have learned to spit toxin. Similar reports say that salamanders have been spotted breathing fire. GNATS: Clouds of roaming, carnivorous gnats. One is advised to cover all openings to their body. These monsters will eat their way into and out of a human host. SPIDERS: Giant, mutated spiders the size of dogs live in the deserts. Most species prefer to hunt in the dark of the night, using vibrations to feel the proximity of their prey. The venom of a jumping spider can kill a full grown man. Perhaps the most deadly of all the spiders would be the Trap Door spider. The largest of all the predators on the desert, living underneath the sand, the spiders lie in wait for prey to stumble into their lair. If one is lucky enough to avoid its venomous fangs, they are often lost in the immense tunnel system that the monster lives and breeds in. HORSES: Hairless and covered in thin, sharp spines over most of their bodies, horses are still relatively tame in comparison to most of the beasts that roam the plains. Though they will eat a man, they prefer the taste of greens to the crunch of human skin. Their teeth are large and pointed, jutting out over their jaws. CENTISTEED: A large, mutated, insectoid horse with more than a dozen legs tramples the ground with its many hooves. It has blotchy coloration, a pair of insectoid compound eyes, long antennae instead of ears, and small mandibles instead of teeth. These creatures are tamable. BEETLES: Huge, thickly armored and largely carnivorous, the favored food of these monsters is children. They fly above the dunes hunting for prey. BEARS. Bordering on nine feet tall on all fours, these creatures are immensely strong and nearly impossible to stop. Settlements live in fear of an attack. In the days before sporadic settlements, a single bear on a hunger rampage has been known to level an entire city block. A bear is more liable to attack a group than an individual as it expends an immense amount of energy to hunt. It is rare to encounter this creature as it spends much of its time sleeping to conserve energy. MUTATED ANIMALS. [ CLASS B ] While also mostly hairless and deformed, this class of mutated beasts are remarkably different than the last. Most are bipedal and possess some manner of primitive speech and society. These creatures are still quick to violence and are not to be trusted. ARK. Blind, bipedal canines that live in packs of six to seven. The alpha stands tallest at 10 feet, while the lessers stand at 6. These beasts have mastered basic tools and can often be found within the underground cave systems left by dead spiders. Their excellent sense of smell and teamwork makes them a fierce foe to behold. They are known for their terrible temperaments and unreasonable thought processes. BURROWERS. Lizard folk that live under the sands, roughly the size of children. Burrowers are incredibly hostile but can be bribed with shiny objects to do simple tasks. It is notably easier for a mutant to earn their trust than it is for a normal human. EECH. Night-flying bat-like humanoids that live off of the blood of animals. Eechs are known to mind their own business and avoid humans, but on more than one occasion a starving colony has attacked human settlements. SENTIENT RACES. PURE STRAIN HUMAN. Intelligent, beautiful people living inside high-walled cities. These humans possess the technological prowess to replace useless limbs with powerful cybernetics - for a price. City-dwelling humans that believe themselves to be "free of mutation". While bearing no discernible physical mutations, many are reported to possess faint psychic abilities. Families between towns arrange marriages in order to keep the bloodlines pure. Children who display outward mutations are abandoned outside of the city walls. Travelers who do not look human, or display highly unusual hair or eye colors, are immediately removed from the city. MUTANT STRAIN HUMANS. The only notable difference between "Pure" strain humans and "Mutant" strain humans is their physical appearance. Mutant strain are a result of heavy radiation. Some are freakishly tall, some possess extra limbs, some have entirely too much muscle mass and others entirely too much fat. A mutation could even just be an unnatural pigment in the hair of eyes. The mutations are unpredictable. The Mutant community can be found by any Pure town, clustered in shanties on the outskirts of it. They feed on scraps and livestock that goes wandering by. Mutants are distrustful of any "normal" looking people, but they will welcome the outcasted with open arms. SUBCLASS. Due to the constant exposure to radiation, some mutants have devolved into sub-human monsters. They do not possess rational thought and live in the dunes along well traversed paths, eating anything that comes along. DODGERS: Like the Ark, Dodgers are humanoid canines. However, they possess advanced intelligence and are fully furred. Dodgers are often credited to the weapon advances of the modern age, and can often be found posted outside settlements to protect their human masters. They are fiercely loyal to their human counterparts and will fight to the death to protect them.