Monsters

Monsters in Riiga go by many names. In Benevis they are called monsters, fiends, demons, and sometimes beasts. The Eber call them sisral, which means "from the deep". The Oolu call them mhukur, "people-killers", or qime, "unnatural". Yvabirans call them anomyara, "anomaly", or kinas, "murderers". The Dunin call them curiq, meaning "disturbing ones". Temaneans call them Yuo Mosu, "end of man". Vamans call them mahar, "demons". Remdorians call them horrors or demons. Other cultures have other names for them as well, but the only thing that unites all these descriptions is that monsters match a set of conditions.

Monstrous History

A monster in Riiga is something that matches the following conditions:

• It is not part of the natural order. Monsters show no consideration for fauna and flora.
• It cannot breed. Monsters are made by other beings, not a result of mating. They are consequentially considered genderless.
• It hates humans. Monsters will go to any length to cause destruction to humans and hybrid races. Records of monsters showing hesitation or mercy are almost completely unheard of.
• It is mortal, and can die.
• It can be reproduced. If only one instance of a monstrous thing exists, it is not considered a monster, but rather a being of some kind.
• It will fight alongside other monsters, given the chance.

According to the Red Temple, monsters are made by a particular being who obeys the god of destruction, Garukavar. While Garukavar himself has the ability to create monsters, he leaves it up to his designated monster-crafter. The being known simply as The Enemy was first described to people around 800BD, when Nikina first revealed himself to the people of the Nor Vastin Kingdom. It was explained that monsters emerge from the ground -- either from well-known caves referred to as "pits", or from non-specific areas such as sinkholes, lakes, cracks caused by earthquakes, volcanoes, or anything that would offer access to the abyssal depths -- and that these monsters would stop at nothing to bring destruction to civilisation. It is not a war to be won, but an unnatural force against humanity that should be defeated at every opportunity. This idea became central to the unification and growth of the Nor Vastin Kingdom, and the same idea carries right through to the Benevis Kingdoms of the modern day, almost 2000 years later.

Monster-Slayers

Given that occasionally monsters will attack in unison, there are several major orders that are dedicated to fighting monsters. Two of the largest surviving orders are the Paladins in Benevis -- a secret order of divine knights who operate under the influence of the Temple -- and the Nhorcean Order in Yvabira -- an order of monster-slaying knights that has become so influential and wealthy that they govern lands as large as a kingdom.

On the other hand, the largest order which has actually supported Garukavar and monsters of darkness are the Templars. Though they have had only a few human followers historically, they are made up of other powerful beings deemed to be as strong as demigods, such as Votorimin, Tokjalyo, and the Black Whale that caused the Darkness in 0AL.

Types of Monsters

There are many recognised varieties of monsters, and they all seem to match a particular role in opposing humans, much like one would expect to see specific types of soldiers in warfare. Below is a list of the known types of monsters, in order from the smallest and weakest to the largest and most powerful.

Folang

Some of the smallest and weakest monsters, Folang are short man-wolf creatures. They often have grey or white thick fur, the head of a wolf, a slender tail with spikes on the end, and long claws, and are often seen donning rudimentary armour and weapons made from hide, wood, or bone, or stolen from humans they've slain. They often try to make themselves appear more intimidating by wearing spikes and human body parts. Though not skilled fighters, they are extremely aggressive and have very little sense of self-preservation as adults. In large packs, they will never back down from a target.

Folang dwell underground but nearer to the surface than most other monsters are thought to lurk. They burrow under human settlements, tunneling under farmland and city walls alike. Sometimes small child-like Folang are seen among fighting forces. They are thought to be either stunted variants, or younger less "developed" Folangs that have been dragged out to fight. It is for this reason that some think Folang are made as pups, and don't emerge until they are fully grown.

The only known Folang city is known as Ethenem City, and is found within the cliffs overlooking the Shard Sea, just east of the Senyn Ranges in Yaele. In around 450AL, a local child playing atop the cliffs accidentally broke the weakened surface of a cave and fell into what turned out to be a vast network of carved caverns and corridors. The villagers from nearby explored further than the child had, and it was discovered that the city was made of several hundred rooms arranged in many layers and networks, with several points overlooking the Shard Sea. Some areas were reinforced with timber, and there were traces of clay pots and stone tools. The skeletons there were part wolf and part human, thought at first to be Gruitin. It wasn't until a larger band of adventurers delved deeper, down into the labyrinthine tunnels where no sunlight would ever reach, that they found Folangs still dwelling there. They were forced to retreat. Ethenem City is a place that is now under surveillance, as people expect that one day the Folangs there will emerge in an explosive assault.

Uniphon

With a body no bigger than a lion, bat-like wings, bird-like beaked heads with jagged beaks, and a long crest of dark feathers, and a single horn protruding from the forehead, Uniphons are terrifying things to behold. The front two feet are like a bird of prey, and the back pair are like a wildcat. They travel in packs of up to a dozen and are one of the few monster varieties to kill one another, though it mostly seems accidental due to how violent and sporadic they are. Despite this, their single horns are often displayed as trophies, a sign of accomplishment for anyone claiming to be a monster slayer. They are very fast both on foot and in flight, and will attempt to eat almost anything.

Chimakor

Chimakors are winged monsters with the body of a maneless lion but closer to five meters (16 feet) in length, wings with a membrane like a bat, a long, thick spiked tail, two large black tusks protruding downward from the upper jaw, and three spines atop the head. Some also have two arcing spines coming from the side of the skull and pointing forward. They are large and strong enough to pick up cattle and horses. They are usually solitary, but will join in monster attacks.

Ferehen

Ferehen are similar in size to Chimakors, but are a bit larger and much lighter, having more of an overall bird-like appearance. They have a beak and crown of feathers, four legs with curved black talons, broad feathered wings with hidden spines, and a long tail with a gathering of feathers at the end. They are covered head-to-toe in dark vertical stripes on top of their earthy-orange-coloured feathers, much like a tiger. Ferehens are unpredictable, wild, and very violent; they will attack any other living thing without hesitation, and their superior size over most fauna means it will usually emerge the victor. Despite their fearlessness, they are sometimes deterred by large projectile weapons such as a hurled rock or scorpion bolt.

The most peculiar ability of the Ferehen is that they can create shockwaves by beating their wings in a particular way, and can summon whirlwinds by circling a target repeatedly. Given that the effects they can create don't seem possible for a single monster to do, it's believed that they are using some sort of innate wind magic to perform these dangerous tricks.

Giakdon

One of the mightiest humanoid monsters, Giakdon are gigantic beings, usually standing closer to ten meters (33 feet) in height. They only seem to show up during coordinated monster assaults against civilisations, and come wielding giant weapons and armour, forged in some unnatural place deep below the surface. Their most distinctive features include the thick metal helmets they wear which are long and beak-like, the two curved horns that protrude in the same manner as a mature bull, and the mane of blood red hair that flows down their backs. They are known to have hides too thick to penetrate with handheld weapons, and will try to brute-force their way through fortifications by smashing into them repeatedly with great axes or hammers. Even orders of monster slayers will usually back away from an encroaching Giakdon; they have no known weak points, aside from the high-up narrow slots in their helmets through which they see.

It is rumoured that a Giakdon without its weapon will charge on all fours like a bull. It's also rumoured that their flesh is poisonous, but this has not been confirmed. A Giakdon's horns, helmet, or bones make for extravagant trophies worth ridiculous amounts of money to the right people. They have never been known to speak, despite their somewhat humanoid appearance.

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Orkatang

A monster of legend, the Orkatang exists only in old tales and is arguably not a monster. According to these stories, Orkatangs are the size of a small mountain, but other than that the descriptors are vague. To some people, the Orkatang is not a being of the past, but a symbol of a world-ending event to come. Others argue that it is the same entity as the Black Whale Murluron that brought about the Darkness, given the apparent colossal size and apocalyptic power of both entities. The most famous old poem about an Orkatang implies that at least one existed, and was divided into eight parts which were scattered about the land. The poem is as follows:

O Orkatang

And I bid ye heed me, O Orkatang

I ventured through the mountains looking east for your toes

O'er the grey fields in bitter cold for your fingers

And under the heavy seas of the Nest for your wings

But ne'er did I find your tokens

I am unworthy

I am unworthy

Devour my mind for I am unworthy, O Giant of Winds

And I bid ye heed me, O Orkatang

I ventured through the deepest woods of the Red King for your tail

O'er the crescent of the heart for your horns like pines

And under the stars which dance with clouds for your tongue

But ne'er did I find your tokens

I am unworthy

I am unworthy

Devour my heart for I am unworthy, O Giant of Winds

And I bed ye heed me, O Orkatang

I ventured through the winding depths of the dead white for your fangs

O'er the dusty ash for your eyes

And under the dead holes for your heart

But ne'er did I find your tokens

And so you watch from afar and still waiting

Torn apart by the Grand and still waiting

Buried by the palace and still waiting

Bound by magics and split by magics, O Giant of Winds

And still waiting to become one

I am unworthy

I am unworthy

Devour my soul for I am unworthy