Bestiary

The Hunters’ Bestiary is a collection of curated descriptions of Beasts, maintained by uniquely trained specialists in service of the Hunters of Fenblith. It is a living work, with entries comprising the collective effort of several people, old passages being supplemented or even replaced whenever new insights are acquired.

 

Initially, research for the Bestiary consisted largely of compiling descriptions of Beasts from different Hunters’ reports. However, it was soon decided that the Bestiary should become more comprehensive, featuring notes on weaknesses, strengths, provenance, and more in an attempt to better understand the nature of the Dark Ones’ minions. This has resulted in Hunters routinely bringing in slain Beasts for examination, embedding their Starsteel daggers into their dead quarry to prevent undue resurrections.

 

Below are some of the results – namely the glossary entries for the Beasts fought in From the Bay of Fangs – which only Hunters would normally be allowed to read.


Bitanling

Bitanling was as old as the coming of the Dark Ones, but was finally slain in 27 A.S.. Despite its status, it appears to have been a simple turtle, albeit one grown to immense size. 

 

A point of debate is that Bitanling was described as growing tired in the moments leading up to its demise. Indeed, Master Ophelia had factored this into her plan to slay the Beast. Quite a few Hunters maintain that Beasts tire from regenerating their bodies. A few even wonder if Beasts might not be as different from animals as we believe, since they have been observed to eat and sleep.

 

Many Hunters disagree with these observations, though, while others do agree but add that only weak Beasts tire and refuse to believe that Bitanling could be considered as such. Experiments to settle the matter have been suggested, but none so far have been permitted.


Clamber Fiends

The Clamber Fiends assaulted Nescetan in 37 A.S.. They were reportedly similar to a pack of wolves, albeit with the ability to run up and across walls, and struck in large numbers. Their attack was vicious, the Beasts actively following people as they fled or hid. This viciousness could be used against them, however, as the Hunters managed to lure them into a trap simply by making enough noise.

 

The sheer number of Clamber Fiends does raise an interesting point on the creation of Beasts, though. Namely the question if large numbers of similar Beasts occur when large numbers of similar animals happen to die in the same place, or whether the Dark Ones are actively creating specific minions, perhaps by steering their existing Beasts to kill certain animals in order to fulfil their desires.


Darkhearts of Iosabale

It should be mentioned that the Darkhearts of Iosabale, discovered in 43 A.S., were actually discovered nowhere near the Waynairdian town of Iosabale. Rather, they were discovered by Hunters on their way home to Fenblith from that town, but the name seems to have stuck.

 

The implications of these Beasts are dire. They were discovered in a cavern filled with marks similar to those described near Melsciff in 8 A.S.: long and narrow with sudden angles, apparently distorting sight and causing a feeling of loneliness. Moreover, the Beasts themselves were elongated – their bodies, limbs, and nails stretched out – not unlike Melsciff’s Twins was.

 

All this combines into the suggestion that some Darkhearts may have found a way to entice the Dark Ones into transforming them into Beasts. The state of mind that might lead to this goal beggars belief, but it is a possibility filled with threatening potential.


Drowned Woman

Found by a Novice in 32 A.S., the Drowned Woman hid in the sands of Silwan’s beach. It was reportedly quite weak, unable to do much damage and requiring a substantial amount of time to regenerate from a regular injury.

 

However, one aspect of this Beast stands out: the human parts of the Drowned Woman were apparently bloated. Notably, it takes at least three days for a human to begin to bloat underwater, at which point the internal organs have been decomposing for two days minimum.

 

This underlines the belief that not only fresh bodies are at risk of transformation, but all corpses are. And yet, almost all Beasts appear to arise largely intact, the people and animals they sprang from evidently dead for hours, not days. The cause of this discrepancy remains to be seen.


Greywing

Greywing holds a special place in our annals. First, because no living Hunter actually ever saw its cadaver. Second, because it was responsible for the death of Speaker Margaret, now known more commonly as the Starsteel Saint.

 

Appearing over the Bay of Fangs in the year 5 A.S., Greywing assaulted a ship coming into port. According to the reports, it was a pallid bat some three yards from head to rump, with a wingspan of six yards. Exactly therein lay its strength, as Greywing had no reported special abilities other than its sheer size and accompanying strength.

 

Greywing appears to have been one of several instances of a Beast having been formed by the enlargement of a dead animal’s body. How the Dark Ones can conjure additional mass in such a manner remains a mystery.

 

Hunting Darkness: Greywing, as described in From the Bay of Fangs episode Final Flight.

King of the Forest

In 22 A.S., an errant Hunter encountered the King of the Forest outside Gettildow. It reportedly ignored multiple musket shots, only going down after sustained fire from a prototype repeater. More controversially, it was suggested to have had a spark of human intellect.

 

The latter is largely based on a single report suggesting the King of the Forest might have been trying to speak. Many have been inclined to reject this notion, but examination of the Beast’s head did suggest it may have once been a human’s, at least partially.

 

This has led to the uncomfortable question if Beasts – particularly those made from human remains – retain some of their mortal minds. Unfortunately, there is currently no way to definitively research this, and so the matter remains an open controversy.


Knockers

Appearing in one of Gladill’s mines in 17 A.S., the Knockers posed a particularly large threat. Immensely strong diggers, they would trap their victims by causing cave-ins before emerging to claw and bite them to death.

 

The Hunters managed to bring back some of the nasal appendages for study. Close inspection revealed that they were covered in what appeared to be taste-buds, meaning they probably found their prey by tasting the air, since they lacked eyes.

 

Notably, there is a species of mole that features a similar adaptation, but as it does not occur in Iseron the question arises whether the Dark Ones may have recreated that ability here. The implications of this are tough to parse, and the fact that other Hunters have since encountered similar Beasts adds to the mystery.


Living Rocks

The Living Rocks were discovered in the hills of Serncar in 28 A.S., but reports suggest they had been slumbering there for generations. Despite their name and the evident toughness of their skin, the Living Rocks did not have any kind of stone embedded in their physiology. However, examination revealed these Beasts’ skin to be reminiscent of that of rhinoceroses and elephants, with the rest of their physique being similar to that of great apes.

 

Two popular explanations have been offered for this. One, the Dark Ones somehow mimicked these features in creating the Living Rocks. Two, the Beasts were created from the animals of the Menagerie of Crowns that stood at Serncar when the Dark Ones first arose. If the latter is true, the Beasts slept undisturbed for centuries, which presents its own disturbing implications.


Muck Toads

The Muck Toads, which appeared near Ditmus in 12 A.S., present an interesting question. Superficially, they seemed to fall into that category of Beast characterised by dead animals becoming substantially larger during their resurrection. However, the Hunters discovered – in quite tragic fashion – that the Muck Toads possessed a potent venom, which they could apply with their sharpened tongues. This venom caused instant pain, soon followed by convulsions, and was apparently quite deadly.

 

Notably, Hale Bark ointment seems to have had little effect against the venom. As the ointment is a beloved general antivenom across the global network, this suggests some level of alteration of the Beasts’ venom by the Dark Ones. Unfortunately, no Muck Toads survived the Hunters' vengeance in good enough condition to allow any physical study.


Twins

Twins was a horrid Beast, created from two dead Melsciff Foragers in 8 A.S.. It was apparently some eight feet tall, the Foragers having been elongated until their limbs were disturbingly long and narrow.

 

Notable in the reports is the mention of markings on the trees among which Twins kept its lair. They reportedly distorted sight and caused an intense feeling of loneliness and discomfort, allowing Twins to sneak up on and surprise the Hunters even after its presence had become known.

 

Recreations of the shapes have been attempted – both in scientific and artistic pursuit – but the reported effect was not achieved, and the Hunters present said the attempts somehow didn’t look like the figures they had seen, even though they could find no deviation from the shapes they remembered.

Hunting Darkness: Twins, as described in From the Bay of Fangs episode Outstretched Hands.

More Coming Soon

There are many Beasts worth discussing, but of course we can't spoil any of the dramatic Hunts before the reports are released! We will update the Bestiary as the episodes air. For now, you can sign up to our newsletter to get notified about new content and be the first to discover the Dark Ones' latest monstrosity.