Amstaadian Flora and Fauna

[Pie_is_good]

I'm sure the wildife will vary wildly (no pun intended) from civilized to unsettled parts of the city. In more populated regions, I doubt many animals would be out during the daytime, but the night could (and should) have some cool animals - maybe some bug swarms? Wolf/Dog Packs? ROUS? Undead?

In the more unsettled regions, I'd imagine a fair amount of the normal stuff - Animals defending territory that adventurers inadvertantly trespassed on. In terms of fantasy animals, a quick google search would likely bring a list that can be fitted to a certain climate.

I think the whole fun of running into these animals is that the adventurers have no idea what's hitting them. Within the scope of flavor, I think we should make these animals as unpredictable as possible. Running into a bear is a battle. Getting hit by a carniverous plant in a jungle while looking out for a bear is a cool battle.

[Pie_is_good]

Hobgoblins (AKA Pie wanted the setting to have a staple thing to kill)

Physical Description: Standing at about 5 feet tall, these creatures have brown, leathery skin. They are short and squat, often coated in dirt and dust. They often wield crudely constructed weapons and armor, although their physical strength along seems to be enough to compete in battle. They are very sensitive to sunlight, often blinded and at a disadvantage when doing battle above ground.

They live in underground colonies, rising above the ground only to keep intruders away from their turf - hobgoblins are overprotective of their territory. A militiant, although not intelligent, race, hobgoblin are rarely short on warriors. They overestimate themselves, though, and often send out too few warriors to deal with a threat. They can be very greedy, though, and some shiny trinket is often enough to ensure safe passage.

[Pie_is_good]

Seidreks

Seidreks are birds, often a drab shade of brown, but the underside of their feathers is a metallic blue - the glint of the feathers is often a telltale sign. They are about 1.5 feet long with the same 1.5 foot wingspan. They are commonly used as messengers, as they are intelligent enough to take orders and find almost any location within a twenty mile radius, and the particularily fast ones can travel at about 100 mph in the air. They are prized as pets for the wealthy, but they are rare in the wild - many have been hunted for their valuable feathers or captured for sale.

They fly clumsily and are no real threat in combat, but their efficient and intelligent flight makes them valuable.

Edit: This is my last turn before I'm gone for the week. Skip me if it comes back around; I'll catch up when I'm back.

[Pie_is_good]

Gurdak Vine

This small, thin vine grows exponentially quickly as it gets taller and taller, but once it hits twenty feet it is unable to support itself and dies quickly, laying its seeds on the ground. The stalk is thin and the leaves are relatively large. This vine can reclaim a run-down, uninhabited building in a bout a week, and it can also be a nuisance to inhabited buildings. It takes quite a bit of work to uproot a gurdak infestation in your home.

Rumor has it "Gurdak" comes from an ancient dwarven profanity.

[Pie_is_good]

Rats

Carry diseases. Come out usually at night. Source of protein for the exceptionally poor. Etc.

[Pie_is_good]

Paereb Spiders

The spiders are not so much a species as a hive of giant spiders that lives in Amstaad. Its nursery is underground, but hunters are often sent above to bring food down. These spiders can range anywhere from the size of a standard Earth spider to about 10 feet long... and they aren't afraid to bring humanoid prey down.

The spiders have long mouthparts that crush their prey as well as small needle-like appendage that injects a paralysis poison into the grappled prey (strength of poison is often proportional to size of spider). They are jet-black with a natural oil secretion making their hard outer surface shine in the sun. They can blend in well in the shadows, though.

[Pie_is_good]

Rollep

Rollep is a plant that looks similar to wild grass (although it's a bit larger). The root is edible, and although tasteless, can provide sustenance in a pinch. Rollep can only flourish in water-dense areas, so exceptionally large patches of rollep are good indications of an underground spring or otherwise concealed body of water.

[Pie_is_good]

Turriss

The turris is a reasonably large fish (an average Turriss is about the size of an exceptionally large salmon). It's harmeless to humans, but a predator to almost all smaller fish. Also one of the Tiktuk's fishing targets.

[Pie_is_good]

Pristek

This organism resembles a bush from a distance, but upon closer examination, its outer shell of leaves serve only as protection for an inner eyestalk and a strange tube-like appendage capable of shooting an acidic mixture. It often suprise-attacks its prey, spraying acid and then moving to reside on top of its target's old body, which then provides its nourishment. Amount and strength of acid produced varies based on the age of the creature. It moves at about 10 feet per hour - negligible to any combat.

[Pie_is_good]

Derphai

These resemble dolphins with much longer fins - up to 4 feet long. They eat other fish, and can be harpooned by the fishermen.

[Pie_is_good]

Moroxi

The Moroxi are an intelligent race that most closely resemble abnormally large snakes with wings. Their wings are white, heavily feathered, and extremely powerful. They are located close to the head of the snake body, and in flight, they carry the snake in wild, bounding arcs. Although they are half again as large as the average human, the flight is much too wild to be rideable. They are also capable of moving across land fairly quickly, but they aren't coordinated enough to navigate easily. They must go significantly slower to navigate forests to get around the trees, for example.

The Moroxi prefer solitude, living in small packs in open areas. They speak their own language. Extreme pacifists, they will run or fly away from any questionable contact with the outside world.

[Pie_is_good]

Phoenix

A single, nomadic Phoenix resides in Amstaad. All kinds of superstition surrounds the lone bird - the commoners believe that the flight of a Phoenix in day is terrible bad luck, but the flight of a Phoenix at night will bestow good fortune for a week. The Phoenix is also said to be a messanger - following the Phoenix will lead you to whatever you most want to find in the city.

Every so often, the Phoenix is reborn - its body erupts into flame and a fledgling springs from the ashes. Any time it would die, the rebirth happens. Naturally, its lifespan is about 100 years.

Towns have been known to spontaneously lynch anyone who spells it with an "eo".

[Pie_is_good]

Reptaurak

An acquatic animal that resembles a snake, except its scales are a shiny gold color. Its top speed is slow, but it has extremely quick acceleration and reflexes making it very hard for the fishermen to catch. Its meat is a rare delicacy, and its scales are decorative and said to have magical properties. A fisherman who manages to catch one and sell all the parts off will typically never have to work another day in his life.

[Pie_is_good]

Sraath Plague

A breed of Cockroaches live in the slums of Amstaad. They are decomposers - they feast on dead animals (including dead people). Of course, they aren't afraid to feast on dying people, either. Anyone still alive being attacked by the plague is quite benevolently put out of their misery.

[Pie_is_good]

(trying desperately to not be normal)

Himbni

These creatures resemble small monkeys. Full-grown Himbni are 2-3 feet tall with greyish-brown fur. They feed on rats, insects, and other pests, although they will also eat fruit if given the option. While they are too naturally wild to be domesticated, some citizens will leave a few apples in front of their doorstep to ensure that the Himbni stay around that particular residential area. Their predation of disease-carrying and otherwise annoying creatures gives them value.

[Pie_is_good]

Greira

Small, brownish lizard. They live in small colonies of rougly 1000. They tend to live around marshy areas, as they feed on insects. They molt once a year, and their outgrown skins have alchemetical properties. If mixed into a potion, they can be poured over an open wound to help cleanse it, or the sticky mixture can help stop bleeding.

[Pie_is_good]

Eipstream

Colonies of a reddish-brown plankton that travel through the Amstaadian waters. Although they're harmless to humans, they can be poisonous if ingested to some fish.

[Pie_is_good]

Avarex

Imagine goldfish with fangs. These rainbowish see-through fish travel in packs of 200-500. They range from 2 to 3 inches long each. They are very much carniverous and they are very much dangerous to humans, although they swim fairly slowly (they could plausibly be outrun by an average-speed character) and they only live in freshwater that's at least 10 feet deep.

[Pie_is_good]

Terrapods

To the untrained eye, they appear to be nothing more than exceptionally spherical rocks the size of your fist. However, these insects have small grey eyes that function quite poorly, as well as ten long, thin, and strong legs sprouting in a perfect circle from the bottom of the creature (think: 10-legged mosquito with a spherical top). They can be found in hilly areas, and move about using short bursts of speed from their legs, or by folding up and rolling for downhill paths.

If the hard outer shell is cracked, these creatures are extremely nutritional, although they taste something like old eggs.

[Pie_is_good]

Strangleweed

An aquatic, kelp-like plant that grows only in deep saltwater, this is only distinguishable from other plants of its type by its slight red tinge. When touched, it instantly contracts and folds around the point of disturbance until the creature has suffocated. Small tubes protruding from the face of the plant then enter the creature and rapidly suck the nutrients out for about 5 minutes, at which point the creature is released.

People who have been poisoned can subject themselves to Strangleweed attack as a primitive form of antedote, provided they can prevent themselves from drowning.

Strangleweeds cannot realistically pull a standing human underwater, but they can make things very difficult for an average swimmer and they can easily drown a weak one.

[Pie_is_good]

Preffa

A small, bright blue flower that grows in hilly areas. Its pollen tastes like a spicy kind of saffron (redundancy acknowledged), and is used as a flavoring for foods. A bit on the expensive side, but some countrymen make their living by picking, grinding, and selling these flowers.

[Pie_is_good]

Hooper

Looks like a turtle with a small circle of dense, barbed tissue protruding from between the base of its neck and the shell. At will, it can bend its head down and shoot the hoop to snare a creature (no larger than a big rat). Although the creatures themselves are mostly harmless, they are quite capable of disarming agressors. With difficulty, they can be trained.

[Pie_is_good]

Fire-Ants

Just like the fire ants of meatworld, except that in Amstaad, the largest-sized colonies have ants that are each about as big as a rat.