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.
• 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.

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 unificiation 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

There are several major orders that are dedicated to fighting monsters, especially during times when they would appear in significant numbers for extended periods. 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.