PETER’S BESTIARY

Celestial

Little is known about the mysterious Celestials. They are ancient and powerful angelic beings that have long aided griffin rulers in their endeavors against Rankers and other nightmarish beasts. One Celestial in particular, Michael, has taken on the form of a white griffin with strange, black markings on his face, and glowing yellow eyes that are black where the white is supposed to be. He has helped the griffin rulers for as far back as any can remember, and was a good friend of King Brody’s. Quiet, patient, and wise, Michael also possesses a unique ability: within his outstretched wings, one might see images flash before their eyes. While there are too many to see all at once, and many slip past one’s observation, these images seem to relate to one’s past, or perhaps even their future.

Charlatan

A charlatan is a rare dream-creation resembling a large weasel with long, mule-like ears, a squirrel-like tail, and long canines. It is rumored to be capable of simple speech and possesses a cunning intellect. Its propensity for hoarding shiny trinkets like marbles and bits of colored glass, as well as its proclivity for pulling harmless pranks, has earned it its name. Charlatans often commit tenaciously to a goal or purpose, and will not break from their chosen task until death takes them. Should a charlatan befriend you, it will do so for life. They have excellent memories and flexible forepaws with opposable thumbs. A charlatan kit is striped along its back like a chipmunk, but these stripes become pale speckles on the adults.

Chimera

The Land of Dreams chimera is a creature with the forehalf of a big cat, the hind half of a goat, the tail of a dragon, and three heads. In possession of considerable intelligence, the chimera cannot verbally speak, but the dragon head will project its voice into your mind—if it doesn’t just try to eat you first. Based on the breed of dragon that makes up one-third of the beast, the chimera is in possession of a powerful breath attack in addition to great feline fangs and the butting horns of the goat. Jonathan meets a tropical chimera in the Tahtltiki jungle and though he admires its jaguar-like forehalf and the glistening red scales of its dragon parts, he doesn’t have long to stare. Chimeras are usually vicious and territorial creatures and this one is in the employ of the Rankers!

Dragon

In the Land of Dreams, dragons are winged, four-legged, element-breathing beasts. With their long tails and necks, these creatures embody what one typically thinks of when they hear the word “dragon.” However, there are some ways in which they deviate from expectation. For one, dragons come in all different colors, and each is unique. One dragon may bear curving horns, while another boasts a broad head frill. For another, these dragons, while immensely intelligent, are incapable of forming human speech. Only elves can interpret the riddles and nuances of the low, growling draconic language.

Dwarves

Dwarves are hard workers that prefer to live underground or within mountains. They prefer the feel of being ensconced in stone to the open air, though they have been known to live in cottages off the beaten path and they willingly travel to and fro across the land to engage in trade. Excellent gem-workers, dwarves can craft otherwise unyielding materials into fantastic weapons or armor and, aside from the elves, are the only race able to imbue magic into their workmanship. It was the dwarves of Boiling Point Mountain who made Mariah’s jewelled necklace, and these same dwarves also made a sword from Brody’s talon-claws.

Elves

The elves of the dreamworld are famed for their alchemy. They can make potions from all manner of ingredients, and these potions have a broad range of ability. Though tall and slender, elves are great warriors, with a skill, strength, and grace that is unmatched by most humans. They are the only creatures capable of understanding the language of dragons—and the only beings allowed to ride them! To form their dragon bond, elf leaders are taken, blindfolded, to the great falls at the edge of their territory. Their blindfold is removed, and the elf must name the first color they see, either in the forest around them or in the rainbow of hues reflected off the water. The dragons then elect from among their number an unpaired dragon of the same color to rule alongside the elf.

Eso-grohd

The eso-grohd is a cousin of the unicorn. Renowned for its loyalty, it bears the long-limbs, slender body, and lion-like tail of a unicorn, but has a head more reminiscent of a greyhound. Eso-grohds have white manes and tail-tufts, and possess a variety of coat colors from red to violet and everything in between. Should the creature be tainted by darkness, there are some changes to look out for: the eyes will become cat-like instead of horse-like, the spots on its flanks and neck will begin to look runny and splotchy, it will reek of carrion, and the hooves will become solid instead of cloven. Look for eso-grohds in swamps or roaming across peat plains. These are solitary creatures that prefer the companionship of one, quiet individual.

Giant Chameleon

The giant, tame chameleons of the Tahtltiki jungle have long been used as mounts for the warriors that patrol the tribe’s territory. Of vibrant hues and fantastic patterns, they can blend in quite successfully and are capable of holding still for hours at a time. They use their gripping claws and prehensile tails to climb and descend trees, even if it means moving vertically. Their tongues, when shot from their mouths, pack quite a punch—that, and their powerful coiled tails are their main weapons of choice.

Golemtaur

Like a minotaur, the golemtaur stands seven feet tall and is a mixture of man and bull. However, unlike its more benevolent cousins, the golemtaur is a creature of darkness summoned by a dark spell. Like other nightmarish creatures, golemtaurs sap power from dreams and harbor a vicious hatred of any being with a virtuous heart—like griffins and unicorns. Scything with their deadly, pointed horns, tearing with their strong, human hands, or kicking with their powerful, bull-like hind legs, golemtaurs are a force of nature, and often more than willing to do the foul bidding of the Rankers—whom they sees as masters.

Griffin

Griffins are creatures that have protected the dreamworld for many thousands of years. In the dreamworld, dreamers with pure hearts and brave souls can transform into griffins at will; a form better suited for fighting off nightmares and protecting dreams. This form is symbolic and works much like a suit of armor, serving to represent the virtues and values that were established at the dawn of the dreamworld’s creation. Because of the noble nature of the griffin form and the legacy it represents, dreamers cannot think or act upon impure thoughts and impulses while in their griffin body. If they try, they will instantly transition back to their human form—even if they’re in mid-flight! Each griffin, with time and discovery or through the presentation of a gift, develops a special ability that further enables them to protect themselves and the dreamworld, and each griffin’s pelt is as unique as every dreamer.

Grim Pegasus

Most pegasi are beautiful and gentle creatures. Not the grim pegasus, whose very breath is poison. One of the creatures of nightmare, grim pegasi dwell in misty caves at the fringes of the dreamworld, and are the physical embodiment of nightmares about wasting illnesses. A sickly green color, with no mane, a hairless tail, and rolling white eyes, this horse may not appear powerful. But despite its haggard appearance, it is very strong, with a build similar to that of a clydesdale, and it can use its dark powers to summon all manner of calamities, from a cloud of toxic gas to a flurry of locusts.

Mermaid

Mermaids are the guardians of the sea, much in the way that griffins are the guardians of the dreamworld at large. They are quite mysterious in their habits, and secretive in their ways. As such, little is known about them. Their skin is greenish in tone, with hair of vibrant reds, blues, yellows, and pinks, and they have webbed hands and large, almost bulbous eyes. To those who aren’t griffin-hearted, their voices sound croaky and dry, but to the griffin-hearted, their voices are musical and gentle. Their tails must always stay wet for a mermaid to survive, and though there are mermen, it is mermaids who lead and protect their people. Also known as the angels of the sea, mermaids will rescue swimmers and sailors in distress much as dolphins do. They will forever fight loyally on the side of good.

Mummy

Normally, even in the dreamworld, a mummy is just that—the embalmed body of a deceased person wrapped in linen. Wicked spells and dark magick can, however, animate these beings. Since they are more recently deceased than zombies, they are in possession of greater cunning and flexibility and will fight dirty without a qualm. Though incapable of acting with free will, they will follow the command of whatever dark being awakens them until it is resolved.

Ranker

Rankers are creatures born of nightmares and sinister thoughts, and they are the eternal foe of the griffin. They fight using an arsenal of dark powers; they can vanish into and control darkness, turn invisible, and anything else that will intimidate and cow their foe, for Rankers are essentially spirits that have no moral conscience, appetite, or heart, but a cunning disposition. Rankers can only be vanquished by brave and determined hearts, but they are hard to find: each has its own “other self,” a disguise used to spy on their victims without taking on their mysterious and frightful cloaked form.

Sphinx

Sphinxes are notorious for their riddles and their human faces and leonine bodies. The sphinx of Tencina-Ahrroc, however, is a terrifying beast of pale sandstone and as large as an apartment complex. Crafted long ago and as old as the pyramid within which it rests, its intended purpose is to guard the royal tombs of the pharaohs. Though it has a reclining lion’s body it is immobile. However, should it sense a threat, it will lower its human head to the ground and stretch wide its jaws. From its throat could emerge any number of evil monsters—and these monsters will brutally guard the secret chambers of the pyramid.

Siren

The dreadful siren coaxes all men into her disastrously covetous arms. To them, she is as beautiful as a queen. But it is indeed good luck to have a woman on board in encounters with the siren, for to her, they look like the demons they truly are—with glowing yellow eyes, fleshless skulls, and hollowed-out, emaciated bodies. The only possible way to defeat them is to cut through them with a sharp water-based tool like a trident or a harpoon, but they must be vanquished swiftly, for their songs, lilting and sweet, entice many sailors to their doom, persuading them overboard into the water and then into the siren’s mouth—sailors being their only food source.

Tree Spirit

Tree spirits are the dreamland version of dryads. Their human appearances resemble the trees they reside in. As a human, they cannot be hurt, and appear to glow slightly. They are exceedingly wise and graceful and many seek out their advice on matters that the tree spirits often view as petty or unimportant. Tree spirits can only be destroyed if the tree they are connected to is killed. Peaceful and kind, they assist the lost and weary traveler, provide the most delicious and replenishing fruit, and have thick bark that seems to sparkle with silver and copper glitter, which sets them apart from the normal trees around them. The only time they are known to be dangerous is when their tree is being threatened: then, they will use their fingery knife-sharp branches and knuckle-like roots to defend themselves.

Unicorn

Unicorns are pony-sized equines with a graceful, deer-like build. They have cloven hooves, lion-like tails, tufts of long, feathery hair at their fetlocks, ears, and chin, and, of course, a spiraling, deadly horn on their brow. Just as their ancient legends suggest, unicorns prefer the company of pure-hearted virgins, and may choose to bond with a particularly noble human that they admire. King Brody himself rode a black unicorn named Dante. Unicorns and griffins share a special bond that goes back to the very dawn of Creation. While it is told that the griffin was man's first dream-creation, is is also said that the unicorn was woman's—and together, the pair of them explored and helped to establish the dreamworld.

Vipercat

A vipercat is a jaguar-sized feline with three-inch-long claws and venomous saber fangs that protrude down past its lower jaw. Its eyes are beautiful, holly-green and its fur is a splotchy mix of bronze-gold and black that enable it to blend in with the dark shadows of the upper trees. These cats prefer to live in the upper branches where they leap and climb from tree to tree to chase the birds and monkeys that they eat. Some vipercatz don’t even touch the ground for their entire lives! The Tahtltiki tribe keeps vipercatz as pets or guard dogs. It isn’t unusual to see warriors leading one of these felines around on a tether with its fluffy cub in hot pursuit learning how to behave.

Werewolf

Werewolves come in three distinct “breeds,” the most well known of which is the cursed werewolf—that is, one who was originally a pureblooded human and then was bitten and became a werewolf. Cursed werewolves are influenced by the light of the moon to transform into a hulking lupine creature with fur that is the same color, volume, and texture as their human hair. They can grow to the size of a grizzly bear and their canines can lengthen over time into sabers. They fear silver and are repelled by holy items such as crucifixes. Perhaps it is a shred of humanity that drives these cursed creatures to live in secluded forests where animal prey is plentiful and there are fewer people to fall victim to the transformative venom in their saliva. These are aggressive creatures, however, and making eye contact with a werewolf will drive it to attack.

Zombie

A zombie is typically an animated corpse that has usually been dead for upwards of a year. In Tencina-Ahrroc, another distinction between zombies and mummies is that a zombie has not been embalmed. Less-intelligent than their linen-wrapped brethren, zombies are just as obedient to the dark whims of their creator and they’ll shuffle across the entire earth just to track down their prey if they have to.