Almanac: Excursus on Animals and Beasts

Starting from Bruck, nestled in the heart of Isdraia and defying the current of the Elendar, a council of several dozen scholars works tirelessly to gather and document both historical knowledge and contemporary events. Thanks to generous patronage of the mayor, ample resources are available, allowing for an unprecedented scale of archiving. Thus emerges the greatest and most comprehensive repository of knowledge in all of Isdraia. From this endeavor arises an institution that shall henceforth be known as The Omniscient Archive.

By order of the Supreme Cartographer, a wide range of historical writings as well as travel accounts from the past one hundred tides have been compiled and examined. The present record is intended to provide a contemporary, systematically organized overview of the peoples, factions, and creatures of Isdraia.

This chapter undertakes an excursus away from the humanoid, moderately intelligent peoples. Instead, it gathers insights into the most dreadful beasts of Isdraia—brief rather than exhaustive. It is based on dozens of reports, mostly from chance encounters with wildlife. Legends and myths must also be consulted, though their truthfulness must be critically questioned.

Wild animals presumably inhabit all of Isdraia. It would indeed be most surprising to find any corner of the land devoid of a creature driven by base instincts, Skuhuks excepted, to discover. All the more reason it would be impractical to address every known species here in detail. The sheer magnitude of such an undertaking would make completion impossible. Therefore, this account shall focus on a selection of the most dangerous and most common beasts, taking Bruck as the center of Isdraia.

From a Brucker perspective, the risk of encountering a dangerous predator remains extremely low so long as the Elendar is not crossed. The areas along the western and eastern banks may be classified as particularly threatening. Yet all animals found within Bruck itself are, for the most part, harmless.

At most, one particular district of the Lower City constitutes an exception. For security reasons, however, it will neither be described nor named in detail. It is nevertheless common knowledge that regular gatherings of dubious figures take place there to trade in exotic animals. The mayor has already been alerted and will intervene in the near future. Perhaps the unlawful activities will soon subside. Perhaps a different approach will be required.

Leaving aside the illegal animals and their trade in Bruck, a veritable plague of kettle rats can be observed. The sheer number of specimens that the caretaker must remove from the Omniscient Archive, wrinkling his nose—kettle rats smell even worse than a Skuhuk—is absurd. And their numbers are not decreasing.

Yet Bruck, of course, boasts many more species of animals that regularly bring great joy to its inhabitants. The Scheebas are among them, and without the numerous birds the city would be unimaginable—not least because of the messenger birds, which enable a uniquely advanced form of communication.

Upon leaving Bruck and making one’s way to the banks of the Elendar, one encounters numerous highly dangerous beasts on the western side. Some writings mention sightings of Glenmors. These hairy big cats tower noticeably over humans, standing even several heads taller than a Fenn. They are observed with striking frequency around the skytide. Distinguishing features include their forelegs, which are significantly longer than their hind legs. It is assumed that the Glenmor feeds primarily on meat. However, they have never been witnessed while hunting.

What has indeed been observed during raids are Glimmerwolves. These troublesome creatures are frequently found along the western bank, especially near grain and timber storage sites. They usually travel in packs. Their name derives from the shimmering, thorn-like spikes along their backs. Various documented attacks by Glimmerwolves suggest that wolves bearing a particularly high number of Glimmthorns also display especially aggressive behavior. The origin of this correlation, however, remains unknown. It is also noteworthy that none of the recorded attacks occurred during a darkening.

Rarer, yet usually more fatal, are encounters with rougebears. These animals can reach a literally monstrous size and, when standing upright on their hind legs, are twice as tall as a Fenn. Rougebears are deadly and almost manic in their pursuit of prey. They do not abandon their quarry until they have slain it or are utterly exhausted. All the more troubling is the fact that they inhabit a vast territory. During the last five skytides, encounters have occurred primarily in the duskwoods and in the spearhills. Older records also place rougebears in Skuh-Be’Tak. Their territory may possibly extend across the entirety of Western Isdraia, though more recent reports are lacking.

The most recent sighting of a rougebear took place on the western side of the thorn. There, at the shade, a group of travelers encountered a gravely wounded rougebear. According to their accounts, it was barely able to move, dragging itself forward rather than walking. The cause was a massive war axe lodged in the bear’s flank—much to the travelers’ great fortune, for otherwise they would have had little chance of surviving the encounter unharmed and in one piece.

On the other side of the Elendar, along the eastern bank, travel is by no means without danger. Here and there roam harmless wild horses. Yet there are also the Howlmane. They are most noticeable by sound, for their irritating barking and howling pierces to the marrow. Aside from that, these shaggy wolves can be recognized by the thick mane of fur around their necks. Their tails, too, are puffed and bushy. The extent of their fur mantle varies depending on the eastern or western wind phase. In size they resemble the Glimmerwolves, though they tend to be a few fingerbreadths smaller.

Furthermore, it is presumed that further north dwell beasts known as Gankroks. An encounter with them ends fatally in almost every case. For precisely this reason, very little is known about them. Most records consist of reports of missing persons from relatives attempting to issue warnings. Among all the documents held by the Omniscient Archive, there exists only a single case in which an encounter with a Gankrok was survived long enough for documentation. This meeting occurred thirty-seven tides ago. What emerged from it was a sketch of one of the creatures: as large as a Fenn, armored, and with a tail—scribbled down as resembling a kind of deadly morning star.

The Omniscient Archive works with sufficient care to identify and report verified facts as such. Yet at times it cannot be stated with certainty whether one is dealing with truth or falsehood. In pursuit of completeness, the following accounts are included, though even the most meticulous research could not determine whether they are imagination, legend, lies, or truth.

Recently, an incident occurred in the thorn massif. A small company of archivists and guards was traveling through the thorn massif. The weather conditions were documented as extremely severe. A snowstorm blocked all visibility, and the group lost their path. Suddenly, a gigantic green lance came hurtling down upon them. One participant reported having recognized more of a scythe. An archivist was seized and vanished instantly into the snow. Thereafter, only screams and cracking sounds were heard.

One of the guards later commented—through tears: “It was so fast. And so deadly. He was simply gone. In the blink of an eye. I believe I heard his spine snap and his ribcage tear apart. That was no animal, no beast, no monster. It was something worse.” He resigned from service upon his return. That unknown and so cruel entities might dwell within the thorn massif is considered unlikely by the fauna department of the Omniscient Archive. Admittedly, little is documented about the outermost reaches of Isdraia and their wildlife. In those remotest extremes, something of the sort would indeed be conceivable. Far to the west, for instance, there are said to be gigantic flying creatures that have yet to be examined more closely. Perhaps such beings would be capable of such treacherous attacks. Yet there prevails academic disbelief that such a thing would apply specifically to the neighboring thorn. Something of that nature should long since have been noticed, especially in the writings of past eras.

For this reason, the Omniscient Archive currently assumes that the attack at the thorn was not carried out by a newly emerged monster, but by a well-known one that could not be identified due to the severe weather conditions.