Monsterology of the Great Ash Waste, by Welly Wormswill

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Monsterology of the Great Ash Waste

by Welly Wormswill

Foreword:

The Great Ash Waste is a unique biome both devoid of water yet teaming disorganized creative energies we know to be Ash. It plays host to innumerable wondrous creatures found nowhere else in the Disc, the Rings, or the worlds that came before. This book shall catalogue these creatures unique to the Great Ring with a focus on three major areas. The first is survival considerations. The second is uses for their properties in alchemical metamorphosis. The third are broader implications about the natural history of the Ash Waste including entroponetic energies and constant meteoric bombardment.

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Dunecat

The Dunecat is a terrifying ambush predator, larger and stronger than a lion. It sports a bony carapace much like a grok'nak in lieu of fur which lends it incredible strength and durability. It is one of the few natural predators of the groknak, although more liable to pick off calves than grown adults. The Dunecat is unique among felines in that it burrows, allowing it to ambush prey even in the open desert under the sun. Much like the groknak it is theorized the dunecat's extravagant horns and ridges trap ambient moisture to prevent dehydration.

Survival Considerations: It is capable of producing a hypersonic screech which can deafen and disorient. This enables the dunecat to deliver a fatal blow to stunned prey much larger than itself. It is wise for some hunters to stand back from the creature, so an entire party is not incapacitated.

Giant Ash Iguana

The giant iguana, unlike its docile cousins, is a skilled ambush predator known to migrate between oases. It is not uncommon for groups to burrow into the sand and ambush unwary travelers. They sport a thick skull and strong jaw lending itself to a powerful bite. The carnivorous diet of the Ash Iguana, in comparison to its smaller cousins, is quite interesting! The obvious explanation is that it developed due to lack of plantlife in the Great Ash Waste. However, given the propensity of the Sibilant Empire to dabble in selective breeding there is a strong possibility these beasts were breed for aggression and cunning.
Survival Considerations: The giant ash iguana is a devilish ambusher that never hunts alone. So long as they thrive, it will never be a good idea to travel alone.

Groknak

One of the most magnificent beasts to grace the Great Ash Waste, the Groknak sports menacing horns and thick plated scales.  To provoke a Groknak is tantamount to suicide, as a single tail-swipe from a bull can break a warrior in magically reinforced plate. Among the Thousand Clans it is considered a feat of daring and bravery to lead an army against one. However, they are docile and sweet animals, used as beasts of burden by Ashfolk and Stonefolk.

The Groknak is made to thrive in deep deserts and canyons far from terrestrial water sources. Diet consists entirely of mineral matter which lends itself to exceptional strength and tissue durability. Despite this they are not elemental but flesh and blood. They can go untold weeks without hydration. It is theorized boney ridges of their armor trap ambient moisture.

Gibbering Mouther

This horrid and ever-shifting protoplasm is in a state of constant flux, its shape and color changing each and every second. They are most easily spotted at night due to bioluminescence. The mouther will intermittently manifest an assortment of mouths, eyes, pseudopods, and grasping limbs. It will indiscriminately attempt to capture and consume organic life. This creature is entirely distinct in its behavior from oozes, jinn, or any known being. It will sometimes emit a cacophony of psionic noise to befuddle the senses. It is unclear if this is the intention of the creature, or if this is an attempt at communication poorly received. It remains dormant unless disturbed but will attack anything which moves.

Given the frequency at which meteors strike the Ash Waste this is likely this is an invasive species from the stars. The leading hypothesis is its ever-shifting form is a result of overstimulation in an attempt to mimic and adapt to an ever-changing environment.

Gorgonops (Lesser)

Despite its name the Lesser Gorgonops is not a gorgon or a cyclops. Although it has roughly humanoid appearance its exoskeleton and anatomy show no similarity to that of an ogre or troll, making it decidedly not one of the pseudogiants. Dissection of the eye reveals it is most similar to that of the common eyeball and other orbuloths in its nature.

Survival Considerations: The Lesser Gorgonops does not petrify as you would expect a gorgon to. The eye forms a telepathic link with the victim causing stupor and submission. A simple psionic shell can disrupt this connection. This is an ambush predator suited to sapient prey.

Hound of Dawn and Dusk

Canis celestialis is a luminescent canine which has been observed by multiple travelers throughout the Great Ash Waste. It is a medium-sized dog with hues of purple, green, and violet and commonly observed during the hours of dawn and dusk. The creature's appearance is heralded by a corona of starlight. It has been observed in the desert as well as atop the Eagle's Mount. It is capable of vocalization and behavior which mimics that of a domesticated dog. It has been known to offer an assortment of gifts and magical objects (wands, cut gems) to travelers before vanishing. The dog disappears before attempts at physical interactions.

Possible explanations for this include the following: (1) This is an illusion woven by a benevolent spellcaster or prankster. This explains its boons being of human artifice. However, divination efforts have shown no spellcasters proximity to encounters. (2) This is a kindly ghost or spirit. The entity does appear only at twilight hours and its behavior closely mimics that of a dog, as one might expect from the spectral undead. However, Positive energy infusion does not harm it. 3) The entity is a photonoid lifeform, such as a wisp or nyth, choosing to manifest as a dog. Thus far it's only physical effects on its environment do appear to be light-projection. The exception to this is the boons it offers. The entity fits no one model perfectly. Physical interaction and ectoplasmic sampling will be required to definitively catalogue this being.

Khiq'shazha (Hive Spider)

The Khiq'shazha are a species of hive spider native to the Great Ash Waste. Their nests are massive superstructures which spiral miles into the desert. They hatch roughly the size of a human hand and the typical done will grow to the size of a lion. The typical Khiq'shazha birthling is equipped with venomous fangs and can spew digestive acid onto prey. As they mature, many of these functions become atrophy according to their role in the hive. Variants of drones have been observed capable of spinning webs, paralyzing prey with poison, and carving tunnels with acid have been observed. Other drones grow to enormous size for the sole purpose of keeping watch over nests.

The greatest mystery of the Khiq'shazha are the deviants. These tiny humanoids sport the exoskeleton, hooked claws, and mandibles of a spider. Examination of internal organs show a similarity to that of a humanoid. At times behavior seems no different than that of a hive spider, though they have been observed performing complex tasks at times and responding to communication. This suggests either they have some capacity for intelligent thought, or are guided by the psychic force of something much more clever. There are two leading theories of the Khiq'shazha deviants. The first is that the hive spiders will collect and subsequently transform humanoid prey including goblins, Ashfolk, and the like. The second is that a humanoid bloodline has been incorporated into the Hives in some fashion and that Deviants might mature from birthlings.

Sandworm

The common sandworm thrives in the Great Ash Waste. Juveniles are most often encountered and spawn at prodigious rates, although mature adults can grow to enormous size if they survive long enough. The sandworm is an obligate geophage. They have been known to eat and kill animals although it is unclear if they can subsist on this diet. The gut of a sandworm is filled with highly concentrated acid used to dissolve mineral nutrients. It is important to note this acid is capable of dissolving the Machine beneath the waste. In fact large sections of it have been degraded by sandworm nests, and sandworms are known to prey upon the Cobbled.

Alchemical Considerations: Sandworm digestive acid may prove a useful munition against mechanical denizens of the Wild Machine.

Sand Troll

Compared to their cousins from the outer rings sand trolls have a thick and rugged hide composed of ash and sand. Anatomy and digestive system are similar to those of the common trolls. Of note they lack the regenerative factor. Instead they are able to incorporate local ash into their physiology as a form of supplementary nutrition. Water and moisture disrupt this process considerably. It is not uncommon for trolls to rapidly adapt to environmental elements, and this is no different.

Alchemical Considerations: The shape of a Sand Troll can be used to survive extreme desert conditions and dehydration.

Conclusion

The natural history of the Great Ash Waste lends itself to many strange and wonderful creatures. The extreme heat and dryness lends itself to several extremophiles built to thrive in the heat; and frequent meteor strikes have introduced strange energies and interlopers from beyond the stars. This book will continue to grow as more unique lifeforms are identified and catalogued. Jinn, machines, and other esoterica have been deliberately excluded because they aren't truly alive. Or at least they shouldn't be.