Disaclaimer: I do not own any of the Final Fantasy monsters from this point and beyond. I only own what I make up.

A Natural Study of the Wildlife of the North Crater

By: Talin Friesway

Hello and welcome to my study. As you may have gathered I am writing about the creatures in the North Crater so if anyone finds this boring I advise you to leave now. I will try to explain this as simply as I can even though it is not that hard to understand.

The North Crater has existed for thousands of years because, as we know, it takes a very long time for caves to form, even longer with a mountain sitting on top of it. In that span of time the cave has evolved its own eco system with predators and prey and things natural to any system like this. Let's start at the main entrance to the cave.

This spiraling staircase that leads to the other regions of the cave has some very interesting creatures. The first predator we come across is the "Dark Dragon". This creature is a black color with a dirty yellow belly and it has Red/Orange scales that stand up on its head. It is never seen in the later areas so this creature must make its home here and leave the cave to find food. Its food supply must consist of such animals as Bandersnatches, the wolves that wander the plains around Icicle Inn or other such animals. But, like dogs get fleas, these dragons are occasionally plagued by the "Parasites" that also live in this area. The Parasites will usually attach themselves to a dragon's stomach, which is the only spot soft enough to pierce, then begin to drink its blood. After feeding they will slip away to rest.

The second area of the crater is the spot where the path splits in half and we find more creatures living here. The first monster we have studied is the Malboro, a large green monster with a frill of green tentacles around its head, moves on legs resembling green tree roots. It has a huge mouth occupying its whole face and no eyes. One would wonder how it sees but I have come up with the idea that, like some other cave dwelling creatures, it no longer needed its eyes so it evolved to hunt by staying in one area and when it heard a creature enter the room it had lived in, it would fill the air with a horrible stench that it emanates from its mouth. The affected creature will usually become confused, enraged, paralyzed or poisoned. I have begun to call this tactic, "Bad Breath".

The next animal in the study is the "Allemange", a large bat type creature that is yellow, has a large eye in the middle of its face and gets around by flying. These animals live much like bats do, hanging from ceilings, draining blood from other animals, they appear to be more evolved forms of the parasites that were near the entrance but this has not been proven yet.

Next up is the Behemoth. These are large creatures made of mostly muscle, rendering them immense strength. They are usually a shade of purple with large claws and horns and a reddish mane cropping in around the neck. These creatures are very high on the food chain feeding on Tonberries and the occasional group of Movers. They are fiercely territorial and solitary and will attack any creature they discover living in their space.

Moving on to the third area, a spot where strange plants grow out of the water and a strange light glows orange/yellow, we find a curious animal that seems to have evolved to a tribal level. The Tonberry. These animals have blue/purple skin and carry a lantern and dagger that appears to have been crafted from ores found in the earth. They live in small groups of usually 15 members and will meet with other Tonberry groups for bartering or swapping members. Their main source of food are Movers which they can capture and breed much as people breed cattle.

The Movers however do not care for being stock. These little creatures aren't very dangerous until they join into groups of 3, at which point they are able to turn their enemies to stone. These animals reproduce themselves by splitting in half like amoebas. Their food consists of the algae that grows in the water which they eat by osmosis.

This concludes my study of the creatures of the North Crater. I know I may have missed a few but it was entirely intentional because I can't explain some of them. Thank you for reading this.