ARTMAL AND THE DIRE BEASTS (Doraddi)
When Brown Rhinoceros arrived, the Veldang fled in fear and called upon their gods to save them. Artmal answered their summons, but he would not talk to Brown Rhinoceros either. Instead, he gazed upon him with his right eye and with his middle eye. From that day, Brown Rhinoceros changed, so that he was larger, stupider and hairier than he had been before, but not so aggressive, and he had only two blunt knobs on his nose instead of the two great horns he had borne before. Because he was not who he had been, he lost his name and was instead called Jitano. Because he was stupid, and because he was not violent, he left the Veldang alone from that day on. Another time, the river Maytan became infested with mo’ems, who made all the water so filled with weeds that the Veldang in their cities could not drink it. Again they called upon Artmal, who gazed upon the mo’ems with his right eye and with his middle eye. From that day, the mo’ems changed, and became larger, with long floppy noses, while their sharp teeth grew huge and flat. The creatures which had been mo’ems began to scoop the weeds from the rivers, and ate them. These were the first shovel-tuskers. Those mo’ems which were left feared that they too, would be turned into shovel-tuskers, so they fled from the rivers and hid in the open savannah. But Artmal found them there, too, and he gazed upon them with his right eye and with his middle eye. When this happened, the mo’ems became larger, but Artmal also made them look stupid, as punishment for trying to hide from him. Their noses grew long, like a snake, their ears became huge and flapping, and their sharp teeth grew long and spiky. The Veldang enslaved them, and named them ‘elephants’, and used them to help build more of their cities. That is why there are no mo’ems left in the world. When the horned condies ate all the lagniappe in the city granaries, the Veldang called Artmal again. He looked at them with his left eye and with his middle eye, and made them ugly and cowardly. Now we call them uintals. In this way, Artmal made many dire beasts, or changed those he had already made, such as when he made some of the elephant’s tusks grow backwards. All of the creatures he made in this way were big, much bigger than they had been before, but the biggest of all was the baluchum. When Artmal looked at the Running Rhinoceros with his left eye and with his middle eye, it grew and grew, until it was so big that a man could stand under it and still not brush his head on its stomach. Then Artmal told it to crush the land flat, so that the Veldang could build more cities upon it. But the baluchum just looked down at him, snorted, and wandered off, for it was so big that it did not need to do anyone’s bidding any more, not even a god’s. |
(Baluchitherium chenoa) Kick
15W, Very Tough
Skin +5, Aloof 17, Large 15W2, Scent
Intruder 2W, Strong 7W3 Distribution: Fonrit Habitat: Woodland Long legged and long necked, these colossal herbivores are avoided even by the Vangono’s horror. A full grown baluchum is larger even than most dinosaurs, standing five meters at the shoulder and nine feet in length. The Doraddi and Veldang regard them as sacred, and never hunt them, and the creatures generally ignore activity around them, knowing that little can threaten them. Combat
Tactics: In the unlikely event that they or their calves are
threatened, baluchums will
react with aggression, and will trample smaller foes (such as humans),
or kick
larger ones. Image: Baluchum |
There are four types of elephant common to Pamaltela, not including the shovel tuskers. Gomphoth(Gomphotherium
angustidens) Gore
10W+3, Thick Skin
+3, Acute Hearing 5W, Cunning 17,
Dig 17, Intimidate 2W, Large 18W, Run Fast 12W, Scent Food 2W, Strong 7W2 Distribution: Jolar, Kothar Habitat: Savannah, hills The gomphoth is a small elephant
with bristly brown fur, a short trunk, and four tusks, two in each jaw.
The
people of the northern coasts trade with the Doraddi for captured
gomphoths,
because the animals can be trained as beasts of burden, and remain
content in
cooler climates. Image: Gomphoth Kumanku Elephant(Loxodonta
falconeri) Gore
17+1, Thick Skin +4, Acute Hearing 2W, Cunning 2W, Dig 17,
Grapple 2W, Scent Food 2W, Strong 17 Distribution: Kumanku Habitat: Islands The elephants of the Kumanku islands
almost perfectly resemble their mainland Pamaltelan cousins, except for
one
fact: they are only about three feet tall at the shoulder. They were
formerly
found only on Tenenku and M’gokukchun, but the timinits ate the ones on
the
latter island, while the humans exported theirs to many of the islands
where
they live. The Kumankun humans domesticate the elephants as guard
animals and
beasts of burden, but do not eat them. They are more tolerant of cold
than
their tropical cousins, but would have difficulty surviving a
snow-bound
winter. Pamaltelan Elephant(Loxodonta
pamaltensis) Gore
10W+3, Thick Skin
+4, Acute Hearing 5W, Cunning 2W, Dig 17,
Grapple 5W, Intimidate 2W, Large 2W2, Run Fast 12W, Scent Food 2W, Strong 17W2 Distribution: Errinoru, Jolar, Kothar Habitat: Savannah, jungle These are the most common of the
various types of elephant on the southern continent, and are a familiar
sight
on the plains. Slightly larger than its Genertelan counterpart, the
Pamaltelan
elephant has never been domesticated, but is often hunted for its ivory
so that
herds outside the Errinoru jungles (where such hunters rarely venture)
are
always wary of human intruders. Maslo Elephant
(Deinotherium
giganteum) Body
Slam 2W, Thick Skin
+4,
Acute Hearing 2W, Cunning 2W, Dig 7W, Grapple 2W, Intimidate 2W, Large 5W2, Run Fast 12W, Scent Food 2W, Strong 7W3 Distribution: Errinoru Habitat: Jungle The Maslo elephant is the largest of
the various species, and stands over twelve feet high at the shoulder.
They
live in the jungle, only rarely visiting the coastal lands of Maslo
proper.
Their tusks project from the lower jaw, rather than the upper, and are
short
and recurved, pointing straight down. This unusual shape is ideal for
digging up
roots and for scraping the bark off trees to obtain food. Image: Maslo
Elephant |
(Parahippus eopastus) Kick 17, Hear Noise 2W, Jump 18,
Large 12, Run Fast 5W, Strong 17 Distribution: Jolar, Kothar Habitat: Savannah The p’tunga is a horse-like animal common on the plains of central Pamaltela. In the God Time, the Viyorni brought true horses to the southern continent, but Pamalt and his tribe saw them for hulking mockeries of the p’tunga, and the clover of the plains turned against them, making them ill. Now, no true horses can survive for long in the Pamaltelan interior, although the native p’tungas live without difficulty. The creatures are the size of a
large deer, and have three hooved toes on each foot, but in other
respects look
much like typical horses. Their meat is somewhat stringy and tough, so
that
they are only rarely hunted by the local Doraddi and Veldang, although
the
local predators have no such compunction. Image: P’tunga |
Pamalt
made the rhinoceroses from his toenail clippings, and
made them angry and belligerent so that they would fight any stranger
that
intruded on his lands. Wise people leave the rhinos alone, since they
are too
stupid to know foreign enemies from natives of the plains, and will
attack
anyone that disturbs them. Black
Rhinoceros
(Diceros
bicornis) Butt
12W+2, Armoured
Hide +4, Belligerent 2W, Charge at
Foe 13W, Hear Noise 2W, Intimidation 5W, Large 8W, Scent Food 2W, Strong 5W2, Tough 2W Distribution: Errinoru, Kothar Habitat: Jungle, scrubland This dark-skinned, two-horned
species is somewhat smaller than the Praxian version and prefers
forested or
scrubland terrain, where it browses from trees or woody shrubs. They
are
particularly aggressive and will launch unprovoked attacks on any
perceived
intruder. White
Rhinoceros
(Ceratotherium
simum) Butt
12W+2, Armoured
Hide +4, Belligerent 17, Charge at Foe 13W, Hear Noise 2W, Intimidation
17, Large 10W, Scent Food 2W, Strong 5W2, Tough 2W Distribution: Jolar, Kothar Habitat: Savannah, hills Another two-horned species, despite the name the white rhino is almost exactly the same colour as its ‘black’ counterpart, but is larger and has a muscular hump on its back. White rhinos are the least aggressive of the species, and sometimes gather together into small groups. They can thrive on relatively poor food if necessary. |
(Ambeladon palus) Body
Slam 5W, Thick Skin
+3,
Dig 5W, Large 18W, Scent Food 2W, Strong 5W2, Swim 13 Distribution: Fonrit, Jolar Habitat: Near freshwater The
shovel-tusker is a large marsh and river-dwelling animal that somewhat
resembles an elephant. It has two pairs of tusks, with those in the
upper jaw
being little more than short spikes. The lower tusks, however, are
flattened
and lie together, together forming a large shovel. The trunk is about
the same
length as the shovel and is also flattened. Shovel-tuskers spend most
of their
time in the water, scooping up vegetation from the bottom with their
shovels
and trunks, but they are clumsy swimmers, and prefer to remain in the
shallows.
Herds are generally small and led by a large matriarch. Image: Shovel Tusker |
(Thoatherium lacogustus) Dodge
Attack 2W, Jump 17, Run
Fast 7W, Scent
Predator 3W Distribution: Jolar Habitat: Domestic The tanuku is a common domestic
animal among the Doraddi of Jolar. Mistakenly named a ‘milk antelope’
by the
God Learners, the animal actually bears no more than a passing
resemblance to
the antelopes of Genertela. A tanuku is about the size of a goat, with
a sleek,
gazelle-like body, a horse-like head and short brown fur with black
spots. They
have a single hoof on each foot, like a horse, and browse on soft
clover. The
females supply the Doraddi with milk, while most of the males are
slaughtered
for meat and only the best kept for breeding. Image: Tanuku |
(Brontops campesta) Butt
8W+2, Thick Skin
+3, Charge at Foe 12W, Hear Noise
17,
Large 15W, Strong 5W2 Distribution: Fonrit Habitat: Open terrain, woodland Jitanos are the commonest large herbivores of the Fonrit lowlands. They are solitary creatures, with a rhinoceros-like build and short, blackish-brown fur. The two rounded, bony knobs on their nose are their most distinctive feature. They are not at all intelligent, and a clever hunter can easily outmanoeuvre them. Females are smaller, with Large 12W, and Strong 2W2. Combat
Tactics: Fortunately, jitanos are not especially aggressive,
although they will fight
fiercely when cornered or when protecting young. When enraged, they
charge at
any opponents in sight, and butt with their nose-horns. They may
augment their
Butt skill with Charge at Foe when appropriate. Image: Jitano Arsinutu
(Arsinotherium
foliphagus) Butt
5W+2, Thick Skin
+3, Charge at Foe 13W, Hear Noise
17,
Large 10W, Strong 18W Distribution: Fonrit Habitat: Forest Although unrelated to jitanos,
arsinutus appear somewhat similar. They have two huge, conical horns on
their
snouts with two much smaller bony knobs on the forehead. They are
similar in
habits to the jitano. Image: Arsinutu Kitondo(Brontotherium
gigas) Butt
7W+2, Thick Skin
+3, Charge at Foe 13W, Hear Noise
17,
Large 15W, Strong 5W2 Distribution: Fonrit Habitat: Hills Similar in size, appearance, and
habits to their lowland cousins, these animals can be distinguished by
the
blunt Y-shaped horn on the snout. Image: Kitondo |
(Uintatherium acinodonta) Butt
2W+1, Thick Skin
+3, Intimidate 2W, Large 10W, Listen for
Intruder 2W, Scent Food
17, Short Temper 17,
Strong 2W2 Distribution: Umathela Habitat: Open terrain These clumsy, rhino-sized creatures are amongst the ugliest non-chaotic animals in Pamaltela. They are hairless, with greyish-brown skin and stubby toes. The long head has three pairs of bony lumps resembling rounded horns. Unlike most other herbivores, they also have a pair of stabbing canines projecting from their upper jaw. They are generally solitary animals, with the single calf staying with the mother only until it is replaced by a younger sibling. They prefer not to travel too far from rivers or other large sources of water. Combat
Tactics:
Uintals are bad tempered beasts, and will lash out at any other
creature which
approaches them, especially if they are protecting a calf. However,
their
bravery does not match their temper, and they will lumber away from any
serious
threat. If cornered, or if their calf is threatened, they will react
with fury,
and first try to frighten away the predator with loud grunts and by
stomping
the ground with their feet. If this fails, they will butt the attacker
to knock
it to the ground so that they can trample over it. Although their tusks
look
formidable, they are rarely used in combat. Image: Uintal |
Related Pages
- Part 1 – Mundane Carnivores
- Part 3 – Miscellaneous Mundane Mammals & Birds
- Part 4 – Sea Mammals
- Part 5 – Reptilian Carnivores
- Part 6 – Reptilian Herbivores of Pamaltela
- Part 7 – Aquatic Reptiles
- Part 8 – Mundane Amphibians and Fish
- Part 9 – Giant Insects
- Part 10 – Other Invertebrates
- Part 11 – Non-chaotic Monsters of Pamaltela
- Part 12 – Magical Beings and Creatures
- Part 13 – Elder Races of Jrustela & the East Isles
- Part 14 – Elder Races of Pamaltela
- Part 15 – Mermen
- Part 16 – Chaos Monsters of Genertela
- Part 17 – Chaos Monsters of Pamaltela
- Part 18 – Spirits & Undead
Page Last updated: 2023-11-11 09:33:44