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Creatures of Taelgar

The multiverse is home to a diverse array of sentient and sometimes sapient creatures, from the mundane beasts that inhabit the Material Plane to the terrifying demon lords of the Abyss. While the full tale of all the strange creatures one might encounter traveling across the world and the many planes of existence is extensive, this brief bestiary gives an overview of the types of intelligent and not-so-intelligent creatures one might expect to encounter.

Nearly all sentient creatures attract and accrete an ineffable substance, usually called Soulstuff, that is part of the fundamental essence of the multiverse and is drawn to sentience. Those rare few who have traveled to the Plane of Consciousness report that these sparks of soulstuff look like vast, complex fields of ever-changing stars when viewed away from their material forms. Human religions teach that the gods gift some of their infinite soulstuff to humans on birth, and this gifted soulstuff is what lingers after death, to make the journey across the Land of the Dead back to the Divine Realms beyond; many non-human religions teach a version of this story, as well. The metaphysical truth of these teachings is not clear.

Common Species of the Material Plane

The term species is used to refer to sapient creatures who have a single point of creation, a shared history, language, and potentially diverse cultures. There are fourteen common species native to the Material Plane, which nearly anyone will have heard tales of at some point or another, although only the most cosmopolitan and well-traveled people will have met more than a few.

Eight species make up the vast majority of adventurers in the world, and while they might be rare in human cities, would generally be welcomed:

  • Humans, the most numerous species on Taelgar, who live in all corners of the world have created diverse cultures, religions, and language;
  • Dwarves, a stout and hardy people created by the Bahrâzel and carving mighty kingdoms out of stone among and beneath the great mountains of the world;
  • Elves, a graceful and elegant people created by Elmerca, the Wild Star, and Aldanor, the living tree, who once maintained vast kingdoms beneath magical trees, but now are rarely seen;
  • Halflings, a nimble, diminutive people created by the First Ones; storytellers, travelers, merchants, and traders; who wander the world in caravans and ships making friends and leaving stories wherever they go;
  • Lizardfolk, a species of humanoid reptiles, created by the Tharzen Anzinakoa, who tend their wetlands homes under the guidance of elders and ancestors;
  • Stoneborn, created by Entamba who they call the living mountain, who take on the appearance of the stones of their mountain homes, settling in inhospitable heights;
  • Kenku, the flying bird people sometimes seen soaring above the cities of the northern Green Sea; who live in reclusive aeries in the northern Green Sea, keeping their secret history to themselves;
  • Centaurs, half-human, half-horse, who wander the world in great, slow migrations spanning years or decades, calling themselves the protectors of the world;

Two species are often considered to be pests and nuisances by humans, though rarely attacked on sight; they often live on the edge of the lands of other species, and occasionally turning to banditry:

  • Kobolds, a species of diminutive dragon-like humanoids, assumed to be related to dragons in some way, often living in complex warrens of tunnels on the outskirts of human realms;
  • Goblins, a species of small tricksters, who are rarely seen except when they turn to banditry, and largely remain hidden when they settle near human lands;

Two species are frequently the implacable enemies of humans and their allies and friends, and might often be attacked on sight in human cities:

  • Hobgoblins, who made up the bulk of Cha’mutte’s armies in the Great War, and in the years after conquered significant portions of southern Sembara and the region north of Chardon; who have a reputation for slavery and authoritarian rule over the regions they conquer;
  • Orcs, the creations of Thark, stripped of their will by Thark’s power and forced into endless war, fighting each other as often as other species; but occasionally rising in great hosts that threaten the lands of humans and other species;

Two species are feared and respected in equal measure, often seen as relics of ancient powers from days of myth and legend:

  • Dragons, flying reptilian monsters of vast power and intelligence, terrifying to face in combat and devasting when they turn their wrath on the settlements of other species;
  • Giants, larger than life humanoids who can reach heights of 20 feet or more, who tend to remain on the margins of society and often settle inhospitable lands; even the smallest giant commands respect from any but the most powerful who might challenge it;

Other Creatures of the Material Plane

A wide range of other creatures make a home on the Material Plane. Many of these are simply mundane beasts, with no supernatural connections or magical powers, who make up the diverse ecosystems across the world. Others are more monstrous and dangerous; and stories even hint of strange species in the far reaches of the world.

Though on well patrolled roads in the heartlands of the realms of humans and other species a traveler is not likely to encounter great danger, things are different in the wilds on the edges of civilization. Sailors from Apporia and the Mawar Confederacy tell tales of merfolk who live beneath the waves; while dwarves from Nardith speak about the brain-eating alien mind flayers that hide deep underground and destroyed their ancestral kingdom in the Sentinels. Wanderers who venture beyond the safety of protected realms speak of monstrous trolls, who regenerate if wounded; taunting manticores, flying lions with human faces who crave the taste of human flesh; terrifying basilisks, lizards that turn the unwary to stone with their gaze; carrion crawlers, segmented giant worms that feast on corpses in the depths; and many more dangers.

More terrifying than these strange monstrosities and oddities are the curses and transformations that turn ordinary, or sometimes not so ordinary, people into monsters and terrors. The undead, creatures risen from peaceful dead to haunt and harry the living, feature in many woeful tale. And Lycanthropes, cursed with the madness of Jinnik to transform into vicious beasts against their will, are rarely seen but often feared.

Not all one encounters in the wilds is terrifying. Reports of majestic giant eagles, speaking a strange tongue soaring above their mountain aeries; magical unicorns, hidden in forest sanctuaries where they heal with a touch; wise sphinxes, flying lions who protect secrets and hidden places; and more strange things in the wilderness tempt adventurers to explore.

Perhaps strangest of all are those creatures that seem to mimic sentience with magic. Most famous are the golems, constructed and animated by magic to serve their maker’s will, but lacking soulstuff or any normal sentience, though surely the golems are not the only beings of magical construction that exist in the world.

Creatures of Other Planes

Few travelers and adventurers make their way across the diverse realms of the multiverse, and reports of the creatures of other planes in their native habitats are nearly non-existent. But none would doubt that many denizens of the other planes make their way to the Material Plane, for diverse purposes.

The Fey

Of all the many planes in the multiverse, the Feywild is by far the most accessible from, and connected to, the material world. Travelers cross into, and out of, the Feywild at portals scattered around Taelgar, and visitors from the Feywild are, if not a common sight, relatively unsurprising. The creatures that inhabit the Feywild, collectively called the Fey, are diverse, magical, and strange, defying easy classification, but are often thought to include:

  • Fae, the most common natives of the Feywild, graceful humanoids with an elfin appearance and a striking presence, who populate the courts of the archfey and rarely leave their native plane;
  • Beastfolk, bipedal animal-like fey that typically resemble humanoid versions of the animals they mimic; while common in the Feywild, they rarely leave, for when they do, they risk being mistaken for talking animals, monstrosities, or worse;
  • Changelings, humanoids imbued with the changeable essence of the Feywild, able to shift their appearance and voice at will, residing in many societies undetected;
  • Satyrs, goat-legged humanoids with a reputation for mirth and merriment, who are among the most common denizens of the Feywild encountered in Taelgar; lone satyrs making music or mischief, or groups traveling together in a moveable feast, are not an infrequent sight in some places in the world;
  • Fairies, diminutive flying fey, commonly cross the boundaries of the worlds, to make mischief or bring joy, but are rarely seen by humans or other big folk unless they wish to be spotted;
  • Nymphs, fey spirits often strongly tied to a river, stream, glade, or tree, who do not travel but are sometimes are drawn to the Material Plane;
  • Hags, powerful fey known for making bargains that rarely rebound to the benefit of the petitioner, often found on the outskirts of human settlements;

The Elementals

The creatures of the elemental planes are most familiar to adventurers as the conjured allies of wizards and others who summon forth beings of pure elemental energy to serve them. But legends say these elementals are just a small fraction of the many forms of creatures that inhabit the elemental planes. Many speak of tale of genies – the djinn of air, efreeti of fire, dao of earth, and marid of water – who build great cities on their home planes and occasionally meddle with, or give aid to, adventurers.

Natives of the Spiritual Realms

The native inhabitants of the Spiritual Realms are unlike other creatures one might encounter. They are reflections and extensions of their home plane, more than anything, and are said to be made purely of the soulstuff of their home, given material form. As such, they cannot be killed on the Material Plane, for if they seem to die, their bodies vanish and the soulstuff of their essence returns home, to be reborn.

Though some tales tell of divine angels, sent by the gods from their Divine Realms to aid mortals, most stories of the natives of spiritual realms concern darker creatures: demons and devils. The demons, natives of the Abyss, are described as a corruption, an all-consuming evil that spreads from a source of infection. Abyssal incursions are among the most feared planar events. The devils, natives of the Nine Hells, feature in tales of hubris and fall, for they are said to often work behind the scenes, turning the weak-willed and greedy to evil purposes.