Gyr Abania
The Fringes
EN Erle
EN Erle
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Cracked ClusterLore
You wish to learn what I know of Erle? Of the venomous sting potent enough to fell a jhammel? Of the hurricane winds whipped forth by the beating of her wings?
There is a tale I heard from the Ananta. It is told that the Nunh of the M Tribe went forth to battle this vilekin queen, trapping her within a cavern even as her stingers injected his heart with lethal venom.
When the Yawn opened up, however, the ripples collapsed the cavern's walls, and the imprisoned Erle was set free once again.
EN Orcus
EN Orcus
Lore
Fearing their many natural predators, antlions prefer to burrow beneath the ground and lie in wait for their prey in relative safety. But Orcus is of a different breed-this monster will hunt along the surface, as bold as you please.
As well she might. Why should Orcus cower from aught which walks or flies when she can spit a secretion caustic enough to erode steel?
It is said that she only began displaying such behavior after the expansion of her hunting grounds brought her closer to the Percipient One.
Could this proximity have influenced the vilekin's sudden transformation in some way? A worthy mystery.
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The Peaks
EN Aqrabuamelu
EN Aqrabuamelu
Lore
If I asked ye what imperial supply trains fear the most, ye might say an attack by the Ala Mhigan Resistance. An' ye'd be wrong.
Them as escort the Empire's cargo are afraid of a visit from Aqrabuamelu-a bloody enormous lava scorpion with an insatiable appetite for ceruleum.
Every time it sinks its mandibles into a fuel tank, Aqrabuamelu's lava spray grows hotter an' hotter. Aye, hot enough to melt the machina sent to slay it, an' provide the vilekin with yet another ceruleum feast.
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EN Vochstein
EN Vochstein
Lore
Griffins have been bred in Gyr Abania for generations, but the Vochstein family was famous for the quality of its beasts.
The griffins they raised was sought after by all, an' even the royal house had a few “Vochsteins” in its stables. Then the Empire invaded.
Not wantin' the imperials to steal his prized breedin' stock, the head o' the Vochstein family threw open the door to a certain stall. What flew out in a flurry o' feathers an' talons was the biggest, meanest sire what ever hunted the skies.
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The Lochs
EN Luminare
EN Luminare
Lore
Golems are creations of clay or stone which are imbued with a semblance of life. Luminare might be thought of us such a construction, only one which formed naturally from crystals.
Considering the lack of external impetus, there are scholars of aetherology who theorize its existence is closer to that of a sprite.
All we know for sure, however, is that such crystalline entities began to appear following the Calamity, and that they attack without fear or provocation. They are beautiful to behold, yes...but only from afar.
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EN Mahisha
EN Mahisha
Lore
Mahisha is a minotaur who dwells in the Lochs, whose immense size and belligerent temperament is noteworthy even amongst his brutal kin...
You might think such a description ordinary for one of our marks, but I confess it was some time before we knew exactly the manner of creature with which we were dealing. Many of the inital sightings were made under the cover of night, you see.
Some believed they were attacked by a lion, others a mammoth, while still others claimed a buffalo as their assailant. It was not until Clan Centurio became involved that we discovered the truth was worse than an amalgamation of all three.
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Othard
The Ruby Sea
EN Funa Yurei
EN Funa Yurei
Lore
A funa yurei is, loosely translated, a “ship ghost.” Pray do not misunderstand this to mean the ghost of a ship.
Said to be the lost souls of those who perished at sea, these vengeful spirits seek to sink other vessels by filling them with water. Using a ladle. One could conceive of more effective methods, but who can know the mind of a ghost?
Whatever its purpose, a funa yurei has been seen haunting the area. Folklore has it that a bottomless ladle acts as a ward against such apparitions. Mayhap you could test this theory?
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EN Oni Yumemi
EN Oni Yumemi
Lore
In the lands of Hingashi, if a creature should appear even slightly larger than its kin, it is soon appended with the title of “oni.” The oni yumemi is a perfect example of this.
This demon specimen, however, earns the description not only for its size-though it is certainly large-but also for its violent behavior.
The oni yumemi shocks its prey into unconsciousness, and feeds while the victim is lost in dreams. And if that wasn't sufficiently horrific, this mark is rumored to wield powers of freezing ice...
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Yanxia
EN Angada
EN Angada
Lore
In the society of the varana, the scrabble to win the throne of alpha male is an exceptionally violent one. So ferocious are these battles for supremacy that the death of one or both combatants is not an uncommon outcome.
As such, young varana will often leave the group for a time, and seek a solitary existence to improve their instincts for survival.
Angada, the progeny of a formidable alpha, has chosen his time of exile and presently walks the wilds alone. Though not yet in his prime, this juvenile varana is said to have already surpassed the terrible strength of his sire...
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EN Gajasura
EN Gajasura
Lore
A beast tribe originating in the Near East, the Matanga are a hulking race of giants easily recognized by their mammoth-like heads.
They have difficulty with the tongues of men, and were thus not recognized as a sapient people by the conquering imperials. Subjected to oppression and hostility, some clans found themselves driven from their own territory.
These displaced Matanga drifted ever further east, where they survived by becoming raiders and pillagers. If any might be called their leader, it is the one known as Gajasura.
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The Azim Steppe
EN Girimekhala
EN Girimekhala
Lore
A mammoth is a large and powerful beast. But any Xaela who calls herself a hunter can dance around one of these steppe behemoths and bring it down with spear or bow.
Yet even the elders caution us to avoid the moving mountain known as “Girimekhala”-that we would not survive to their age if we did not.
An outsider scoffed at their words. Thinking to slay this king of mammoths and bask in our adulation, he set off in all confidence, musket in hand. He soon returned, sweat-drenched and shaking, swearing the bullet had bounced off Girimekhala's wooly hide.
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EN Sum
EN Sum
Lore
There are two kinds of creatures on the steppes: those whose coloring blends in with the grasses and the rocks...and those who sear the eyes with their motley hues.
Any child could tell you that the first kind is patterned thus to avoid discovery by predators. But what of the second?
Should you ever encounter Sum, you will soon learn why its skin glistens crimson like freshly spilled blood...
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