Monsters

The world of Icaion is populated by so many creatures and monsters that the discovery of new species is almost expected when venturing far from the city walls. Most creatures are peaceful and even show a great amount of intelligence, to the point that they are accepted inside the city walls and are also given roles in society.

This coexistence between monsters and people is taken for granted by the citizens of Ilvash, but those used to traveling around Icaion know that this is not always the case. Monsters can be unpredictable and even dangerous when exposed to the wild energy of Qoam, to the point that creatures that normally cooperate in the city, are known to become aggressive in certain areas of the world. Monsters become uncontrollable when hit by energy that vibrates at a certain frequency, but the source of this energy is undetectable. Due to this uncertainty, the army employs these troops only for the defence of the city or in areas where they are sure they are safe from dangerous energies.

Onygauros the Collector

The Onygauros are a species of huge scarab-like monsters with four arms and they are probably the smartest creatures after humans. Onygauros are called “the collectors”, since they live in small caves where they store huge collections of weird items that usually have no value at all for humans, but seem extremely precious to them. Each Onygauros is fascinated by a different kind of item and tend to collect as many variations as possible of that specific item. For example, you might see a Onygauros cave filled with all sorts of bottles and another filled with drawers, cogs, and other bizarre things. Be aware when venturing into their caves because they may become violent to defend their collections.

Their bizarre behaviour has long been the basis for collaboration with humans, who quickly understood how to please these powerful beasts, making them allies and valuable assets to their armies. While they are excellent warriors due to their size and ability to wield four weapons at once, some are uninterested in engaging in war and can instead be seen trading their strange objects with human merchants. They naturally understand what is valuable to other beings and use this to obtain what they want from each trade.

Boulron the Reaper

Boulron are eerie, elegant creatures that appeared on Mysthea some years ago. Their presence is unsettling to many, especially because they were unknown to man until their surprising appearance one day. It was an odd day. The citizens woke up to see these strange creatures roaming through the city like they’d always lived there. At first this created a panic, but soon the people understood that Boulron did not pose too great a threat.

The creatures move slowly with sinuous, elegant gestures. Boulron roam and observe other beings, but try not to interact. They are considered a sign of bad luck by many because they seem attracted by death. It is not unusual to see Boulron congregate where someone has died, just to stand for hours in what seems a form of sorrow. Another sign of their dark nature is their habit, while roaming, to become suddenly attracted by and follow soldiers, mercenaries, or anyone who has had an encounter with death recently.

In the wild not only is their behaviour unsettling and unpredictable, but the idea that crystal energy can enrage them at any moment is a cause for great fear. Boulron are known to forget their calm and slow movement and to become machines of war when triggered by the crystals, capable of destroying entire armies at once.

Caerulas the Inhabitant from Below

Caerulas, nicknamed “the inhabitant from below”, is a strange three-headed creature that appears from the storm. Usually it tends to appear from the clouds, fly over the floating island while screeching strange harmonic sounds, then disappearing back below. Its appearance is similar to the rest of the mist that surrounds the planet, and it is not clear if Caerulas is made of the same or if the cloud sticks to its body as it travels through it. Caerulas seems to ignore humanity and all living beings. It’s most important goal is to fly freely around Icaion.

Some scholars studying Caerulas more closely reported there had actually been some interactions between Caerulas and humans. But these reports are strange, like tales of madmen, and all uncannily similar to each other. Once they had Caerulas’ attention, the raconteurs felt that Caerulas was staring directly into their souls, comprehending every detail of their existence before quickly disappearing into the skies. This is what is reported by those who survived the encounter, since there are also many reports of people being brutally slaughtered by Caerulas, perhaps people whose souls may not have impressed the creature.

Obsidusa the Devourer

Obsidusa is a walking abomination fused with Qoam. The story goes that he captures unfortunate adventurers and proceeds to absorb the victims, engulfing them in his own body made by flesh and remnants of other people that were unable to fight him. It is said he was once human. Obsidusa is not the only abomination infused with Qoam that roams the lands of Mysthea. Horrors of all kinds with Qoam embed in their flesh turn up often and their origin is a chapter of Ilvash history that most people prefer to not remember.

That sad history starts with a Champion that disappeared in mysterious circumstances during the Great War of Dulkodel. The Champion was known for making strange experiments with Qoam, involving other living creatures. The experiments were unethical and at some point almost all the guilds decided to cut ties with him. Kaetur was the only guild interested in his services, using his “inventions” and discoveries in battle. His experiments may have been unethical, but they created things of great power, irreplicable by other means. During the Great War, he was given unlimited freedom and resources to pursue his research, as the philosophy of “victory at any cost” was normal during those times and justified practices that today would only be considered mad. Until one day toward the end of the war he suddenly went missing along with much of the equipment from his laboratory. Some speculate that he escaped to avoid risk of being persecuted for the unspeakable things he did during the war; others think that he needed to throw off any pressure from society to pursue his mad research. No one has seen him since that day, but shortly after creatures never seen before appeared in Mysthea disseminating horror everywhere they turn up. Abominations with the likes of Obsidusa are just the waste of his experiments, thrown away when they no longer serve a use to him.

Cannibarok the Qoam Eater

Cannibarok is a huge and dangerously stupid creature that lives only to satisfy his most basic needs. He feeds himself off Qoam and little else matters to this great beast. Cannibarok seems to be able to sense Qoam, even at a great distance, and when he reaches it he uses his multiple mouths to feed himself with the precious Crystal.

It is possible to tell the age of a Qoam Eater by his size, since the diet seems to have an effect on the growth of the beast. Usually Qoam Eaters do not live more than a decade, but during this time they can grow to incredible proportions, which poses a great risk for everyone around them. Sometimes these Qoam Eaters enter unnoticed into caves filled with Crystal and come out many years later, having grown to gigantic proportions from feasting on the crystals within and henceforth wreaking havoc on their path toward some new Qoam field. For this reason the Kaetur Guild monitors closely the presence of Cannibaroks around cities and settlements,trying to exterminate the creatures before they grow too large. This movement started after an enormous Cannibarook entered the walls of Ilvash, attracted by the Qoam embedded in almost every building of the city. He destroyed a large portion of the city and a day of fighting ensued before Champions and soldiers were able to bring down the beast.

Kodror the Infestation

Kodror is a unique kind of mold-like lifeform that seems to develop and grow only when in contact with Qoam. Highly toxic and caustic for all kinds of living creatures, Kodror takes its nutrients by attaching itself to living beings and killing them. It rarely creates issues on the ground since it usually gets eradicated before it can grow to any considerable amount. But a situation can become deadly when Kodror grows on large chunks of floating Qoam, since Kodror does not become noticeable until it is already dangerously large. At that point Kodror becomes a frightening, floating abomination with huge tentacles that reach to kill anything passing below them.

Utcoro the Swarmer

Utcoros are predatory beasts with a short lifespan of just a couple of months. They hatch from eggs and immediately begin to hunt for sustenance. Utcoros try to kill and eat almost anything they encounter, if their size allows it. If their size does not allow it, they tend to aggregate themselves in packs to swarm and overwhelm their prey. Utcoros continuously hunt until they are ready to lay eggs. When this happens, it means that their life span is near its end. Utcoros die on top of their offspring, so that their toxic dead bodies can protect their eggs from the elements and from any other predators until the eggs hatch and the cycle repeats.

They are sometimes used by soldiers and militias of Mysthea as a sort of rite of passage: after their training young recruits are required to kill them as a test of courage and strength. For this reason military veterans see fleeing in front of them as an act of cowardice, an admission of weakness and unpreparedness.