Post by Rehjul on Feb 1, 2014 5:50:59 GMT -5
Far beyond the reach of our empires, in a place where even the most vile, ill-reputed criminals fear to tread, lie the Far Lands. This section of our world - for it is of our world, though many would care to repute that, is caught in what the rare traveler describes as a perpetual twilight - the sun is never quite risen, and never quite set, giving just enough visage to see, though not quite enough to see clearly. The ground is typically damp - much of the area has a marsh-like consistency, causing visitors to wade their way towards their destination, wherever that might be. A heavy mist blankets the area at nearly all times, inhibiting a person's vision even farther - many describe the environment as a horrifying visage, when the mist does lift. The trees grow tall in this area, though many have died off, and many others still have been torn down during struggles between the creatures that inhabit the Far Lands. Much of this area is unexplored; men rarely have a reason to tread this patch of earth - none have very ventured far beyond the entrance - none that have returned to tell about it, in any case. It is said that the farther one travels within these woods, the darker it gets.
Not much is known of the area apart from this - it is avoided by beggar and soldier alike; kings don't even think to expand their settlements into this supposedly cursed land.
And for what little is known about the land itself, even less is known of the creatures that reside within it.
From the few that have ventured into the woods, and came back, this is what has been described to us, though there are surely more that lie in wait.
Crawlers - Large, quadrupedal beasts that stalk among the Far Lands. Sightings of these have confirmed that their sizes can span from that of an average-sized dog, to a form that's comparable to a smaller mountain. One traveler's citing claims that he encountered one such beast, that, upon approaching, rose onto its hind legs, reaching a height large enough to blot out the sun.
Walkers are covered in a series of scales, which can vary in color from a rustic red to a dull blue, though the most common appearance is an atypical grey. Some have speculated that their coloring is representative of a type of ranking within a pack, though it is unknown as to whether the walkers have any sort of hierarchy or not.
Beneath the scales lays a thick exoskeleton - many a warrior has lost a blade that grew wedged between the beast's hide. At the moment, the very few warriors that have felled a walker have done so either through extreme cunning, or blunt force - either through the use of traps, or weapons such as hammers; the average blade doesn't seem to be capable of penetrating this creature's natural armor.
The beast moves along on four legs - these legs are, as the rest of the body, protected by a layer of scales and exoskeleton; each leg is ended in a sort of paw that wields four severely sharp claws. The crawler often moves at a slow crawl - thus the reasoning for its name, but is capable of swiftly moving into a rapid charge, when it detects either an adversary or nearby prey.
These claws are dense enough, and pack enough of an impact, that they've proven themselves capable of cleaving armored men in half.
In addition to its other assets, the crawlers boast enormous jaws, the destruction force of which is currently unknown, along with a very powerful, barbed tail.
Worms - Also commonly referred to as 'serpents.'
Thick, serpentine-like creatures, resembling monstrous worms. Their bodies, when not in hiding, are constantly writhing, and multiple forms of these creatures have been encountered.
The average worm stacks in at ten-feet in length, being a little over three feet in diameter, though this can vary greatly - the shortest worm seen thus far has measured in at only three-feet in length, while the largest encountered was estimated to be nearly ten times that size, giving it an estimated thirty-feet of length, and spanning six feet in width.
The worm is much easier to fell than it's four-legged counterpart; while this being is much more agile, and therefore much more immediately dangerous, the serpent is neither as capable, offensively, or as well-armored as the walker.
The worm's natural defenses consist only of the scales surrounding its muscled form.
Aside from its scales, various feelers line the edges of the worm's body - part from these, the worm has no features to help it digest sensory information.
These are thick, sturdy appendages, that help to restrict prey, during the constriction process. The feelers are thought to also act as propellers, aiding in the worm's traversing of the environment; the worm either burrows under the ground, or rests at a surface level. Certain men have issued claims that they've found the creatures in lakes and ponds, as well, but this has yet to be confirmed.
The worm is an opportunist, often laying in wait for its prey. The worm can remain still for an indefinite amount of time - once its prey has stumbled into its trap, the beast will ensnare the victim, constricting it, attempting to squeeze the life out of it.
In more open-combat, the worm typically uses its strong body to assault the foe, slamming and ramming into it, in addition to its use of constriction - the crushing force of its coils has been the fall of many a man; there are few that have survived its onslaught on their own - many have only survived by having an ally near to free them from the worm's grip.
The worm has a mouth on either end of its body - each mouth is lined with rows of sharp, primarily carnivorous, sets of teeth.
Not much is known of the area apart from this - it is avoided by beggar and soldier alike; kings don't even think to expand their settlements into this supposedly cursed land.
And for what little is known about the land itself, even less is known of the creatures that reside within it.
From the few that have ventured into the woods, and came back, this is what has been described to us, though there are surely more that lie in wait.
Crawlers - Large, quadrupedal beasts that stalk among the Far Lands. Sightings of these have confirmed that their sizes can span from that of an average-sized dog, to a form that's comparable to a smaller mountain. One traveler's citing claims that he encountered one such beast, that, upon approaching, rose onto its hind legs, reaching a height large enough to blot out the sun.
Walkers are covered in a series of scales, which can vary in color from a rustic red to a dull blue, though the most common appearance is an atypical grey. Some have speculated that their coloring is representative of a type of ranking within a pack, though it is unknown as to whether the walkers have any sort of hierarchy or not.
Beneath the scales lays a thick exoskeleton - many a warrior has lost a blade that grew wedged between the beast's hide. At the moment, the very few warriors that have felled a walker have done so either through extreme cunning, or blunt force - either through the use of traps, or weapons such as hammers; the average blade doesn't seem to be capable of penetrating this creature's natural armor.
The beast moves along on four legs - these legs are, as the rest of the body, protected by a layer of scales and exoskeleton; each leg is ended in a sort of paw that wields four severely sharp claws. The crawler often moves at a slow crawl - thus the reasoning for its name, but is capable of swiftly moving into a rapid charge, when it detects either an adversary or nearby prey.
These claws are dense enough, and pack enough of an impact, that they've proven themselves capable of cleaving armored men in half.
In addition to its other assets, the crawlers boast enormous jaws, the destruction force of which is currently unknown, along with a very powerful, barbed tail.
Worms - Also commonly referred to as 'serpents.'
Thick, serpentine-like creatures, resembling monstrous worms. Their bodies, when not in hiding, are constantly writhing, and multiple forms of these creatures have been encountered.
The average worm stacks in at ten-feet in length, being a little over three feet in diameter, though this can vary greatly - the shortest worm seen thus far has measured in at only three-feet in length, while the largest encountered was estimated to be nearly ten times that size, giving it an estimated thirty-feet of length, and spanning six feet in width.
The worm is much easier to fell than it's four-legged counterpart; while this being is much more agile, and therefore much more immediately dangerous, the serpent is neither as capable, offensively, or as well-armored as the walker.
The worm's natural defenses consist only of the scales surrounding its muscled form.
Aside from its scales, various feelers line the edges of the worm's body - part from these, the worm has no features to help it digest sensory information.
These are thick, sturdy appendages, that help to restrict prey, during the constriction process. The feelers are thought to also act as propellers, aiding in the worm's traversing of the environment; the worm either burrows under the ground, or rests at a surface level. Certain men have issued claims that they've found the creatures in lakes and ponds, as well, but this has yet to be confirmed.
The worm is an opportunist, often laying in wait for its prey. The worm can remain still for an indefinite amount of time - once its prey has stumbled into its trap, the beast will ensnare the victim, constricting it, attempting to squeeze the life out of it.
In more open-combat, the worm typically uses its strong body to assault the foe, slamming and ramming into it, in addition to its use of constriction - the crushing force of its coils has been the fall of many a man; there are few that have survived its onslaught on their own - many have only survived by having an ally near to free them from the worm's grip.
The worm has a mouth on either end of its body - each mouth is lined with rows of sharp, primarily carnivorous, sets of teeth.