Monsters - E/F

E

Epitaph (Transcriptus Narcissus)

This demon is a Stone-elemental monster, hewn out of avarite rock, the cursed mineral which was used by the wretched sorceress Ultimecia in some of her vilest magical rituals. Epitaphs resemble a handsome, nude man, and within his embrace, a large stone cabinet. The two doors are covered entirely with runic inscriptions, supposedly based on the Sanskrit language. No one has ever managed to translate or document those runes, since Epitaphs are too dangerous to approach, and will disintegrate into dust upon their death. Native to Oeilvert, these creatures somehow manage to survive. This is surprising, since all magic known to man has been cast away from Oeilvert, and the Epitaph is a creature that exists purely because of powerful spells and enchantments that hold its many parts together.

Within its cabinet, an Epitaph holds a cursed mirror. These mirrors were said to have been cursed by Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Legend also has it that the first Epitaph was a virile young man who managed to win Aphrodite's heart, but who was actually more in love with his own image rather than her. Bitter with him spurning her, the enraged goddess turned him into stone, his mirror together with him, that he may never again see his own image, even though he held his mirror within his arms.

You see, it was discovered by Dr. Buter that an Epitaph's eyes are not the two 'eyes' on its head, but rather its mirror. Hence, Epitaphs can only 'see' someone whose reflection is within their cursed mirror. Do not look too deeply into your reflection within an Epitaph's mirror, because it will steal your soul.

The cursed man could never again see his reflection in his mirror, because his eyes were blinded, and the mirror's glass formed into a single, unmoving eye.

Melee weapons work ineffectively against them, but you might have little choice when you confront one, since Oeilvert is an anomaly, a region barren of magic. Fortunately, there is a way to bypass the magical-null effect. Before entering Oeilvert, cast a spell (Bad Breath, preferably) on your weapon. If done properly, the spell will impregnate your weapon with its powers, allowing you to inflict magical maladies such as Silence upon your enemies.

I have one last thing to add about Epitaphs, and this is of utmost importance. They have the ability to cast spells, namely Petrify, and a curse called Mirror. Petrify will render its victims into beings of stone, while Mirror serves a more sinister purpose.

An Epitaph's Mirror spell will show you the dark side of your soul, incarnated. Only the purest of heart will not be affected by this horror of a spell. The more darkness there is in your soul, the harder it shall be for you to slay the evil being that comes out of the stone closet. It will look just like you, except for the eyes, which are black and pupil-less. Coming out of the closet with an Epitaph usually results in someone's death, and most of the time, the Epitaph will be the one who walks away from the fight.

Epitaphs are only to be challenged by experienced fighters, due to their deadly supernatural powers.

F

False (Periplaneta Silvanus)

These relatively-boring avians can be found in forests all over Gaia. As with some other Aerial creatures, they are immune to Earth-based magic, and weak against Wind spells. For those linguists among my readers, their scientific name means, 'All over the planet's forests'.

They are omnivorous, and will readily consume anything that fits into their wide beaks. In fact, they will even try to eat a wounded friend. So, when confronting a flock of False, just wound one, and it's brethren shall turn upon it and consume it.

Those who are sadistic have been known to go out into the wilderness, and wound False just for the fun of watching the injured bird try to flee from its former friends, and I myself have witnessed this rather grisly occurrence several times. I must admit, it is rather funny watching the poor thing try to escape...

They are scrawny things, barely fit to be cooked as food! But if one is desperate (or hungry) enough, False make for easy meals, since they can be found roosting on low branches at twilight. Qus prefer to grill their False meat, but humans would find that boiled False is more palatable, since boiling removes the coppery taste from their flesh.

False can be easily challenged by rookie fighters.

xxx

Fang (Canis Lupus Aggressa)

These canine beasts are second only to the Bandersnatch in terms of aggressiveness. You most certainly do not want to cuddle them, however cute or helpless they may appear to be (Crocodile tears, people!). They can only be found in the Evil Forest, similar to Dendrobiums and Plant Spiders. Apparently, the location of Evil Forest, in a deep valley beneath the Mist, surrounded by steep, unscalable cliffs, allowed them to evolve in perfect isolation, to the extent that the organisms of Evil Forest have formed their own, highly-competitive food chain.

On top of this food chain are the Fangs, since they are the most intelligent of all that inhabit Evil Forest. They are pack animals, with packs led by the oldest, strongest female. Males are born sterile, except for the occasional fertile male, usually the only one out of a hundred births. Fangs give birth to up to twelve cubs, of which usually half will die. Such is their harsh nature.

Their weakness, as most explorers have discovered, is fire. Hence, Fire spells are useful for repelling or killing Fangs. Apparently, they evolved with this fear of fire, due to the total absence of fire in the Evil Forest. The forest is extremely humid, to the point that sometimes, it can feel like you're breathing through a wet sponge. Be wary, however, while using Fire spells, since the especially-humid air can occasionally contain traces of Dendrobium gas, which is highly-flammable, or even explosive. A sign of these gases being present is a putrid odour, much like the foul stench of flatulence. This has led some scientists to theorize that Dendrobiums contain methane gas, but no one has yet managed to prove this theory.

Their red eyes can see slight amounts of body heat radiation, which helps them to hunt in the perpetual near-darkness of their natural habitat. They are ambush hunters, so expect several back-attacks from Fangs whenever you're in Evil forest. They will Rush at their targets, and then use their namesake Fangs to savage the poor soul to death. The Fangs bred by the Lindblum Hunting Company, however, are much fiercer and tougher than wild Fangs, and have harder-hitting attacks.

Eating them is perfectly alright, and they are really delicious. Try some smoked Fang meat someday, for I assure you, it's worth the trouble. Just the thought of its aroma makes me drool...

Fangs can be challenged by rookie fighters with ease.

xxx

Feather Circle (Pelepah Bulat)

These stingray-like Aerial creatures are rather harmless, since they prefer to avoid confrontation, and will usually flee upon seeing someone approaching them. Dr. Buter managed to provide evidence that Feather Circles are related to the stingrays in the ocean, though that particular theory of his was challenged by RH Whittaker in 1769. They do have some biological similarities to stingrays, but differ in the sense that they can use magic. As you know, magical creatures and normal animals are vastly different, as proved by Margulis and Schwartz in 1788.

Feather Circles prefer lower temperatures, and can be found in the mining caverns of Fossil Roo and the Mitmakis Ice Fields. Based on specimens in captivity, lower temperatures will cause them to cease hovering, and force them to painstakingly drag themselves over the ground. This is indeed a most puzzling phenomenon, as their hovering was always thought to be caused by buoyancy-inducing gases, much like how a Dendrobium maintains its airborne state. Hence, it was theorized that Feather Circles actually used a modified Float spell, to stay in the air. How temperature affects it, it still unknown.

Much like their aquatic lookalikes, they possess a venomous tail. The tail of a Feather Circle is covered in microscopic 'hairs', as observed by the microbiologist Robert Hooke, just three years ago. These 'hairs' are actually nematocysts, or stinging needles, very similar to those found on jellyfish tentacles. In fact, it is rumored that the great Kraken himself is in possession of a set of especially venomous nematocysts. Hence, a threatened Feather Circle will often try to use its tail for fighting before attempting to escape.

A mere brush with the tail is painful but harmless, but prolonged contact with their tails can cause the Trouble effect, due to the unusual venom that they store within their tails. Biologists, in particular the esteemed Dr. Buter, have proven several times that Feather Circle venom and Anemone mucus are actually composed of the exact same elements, and that they are most likely, isomers of each other. For those who have no idea what isomers are, isomers are chemical substances which are built up of the exact same elements or compounds, but whose chemical structures are differently-arranged. For instance, Anemone mucus particles have been observed to be 'T' shaped, while particles of Feather Circle venom are 'M' shaped.

Due to their affinity for low temperatures, Feather Circles have developed the ability to cast Blizzara spells. Their aim is above-average, though their spells are often rather diffuse, and cannot do much harm. They also can cast the Demi spell, which weakens its target in stages. Hence, Feather Circles often cast several Demi spells, followed by a Blizzara spell to finish-off their attacker(s).

I mentioned that they are similar to real stingrays, from a physical standpoint. However, the similarities do not end there, as they both taste delicious. Stingrays have a fishy taste, which can be enhanced with pepper and spices. Feather Circles, on the other hand, have a taste similar to that of a peasant, and their wonderful flavor can be brought out fully by baking them in herbs for several hours over a small fire. It is worth the wait, as there is no meat as tasty as their meat in this world. As a matter of fact, some people breed Feather Circles for consumption, since at one time their populations were endangered by excessive hunting.

Feather Circles can be easily challenged by moderately-experienced fighters.

xxx

Flan (Agar Gelatinous)

Low-level predators, these jelly-like planarians are often kept by Cave Imps as pets. They like to hide within ice crevasses, and it is not uncommon to find an entire colony of Flans piled on top of each other in an icy cave. Flans are nocturnal, and will wander the icy plains at night, in groups of ten or less. Since they are planarians, they are hermaphroditic, and contain both male and female sex organs within their bodies. Therefore, two Flans kept together will surely produce offspring, unless of course, they dislike each other.

Surprisingly, Flans were created by the mad Dr. Taxo, in one of his last experiments. He remarked in his journal that they were, 'Too damn tame to be of any use to me'. I have to say, that of all his creations, the Flan is the humblest and best of them, since it has a distinct lack of bloodlust, something which all of his other creations had in abundance. Based on the late doctor's notes, the first Flan was the result of an experiment involving Blizzard spells and human phlegm, which was full of influenza bacteria. He saw that the Flan was useless for his purposes (He had intended to create a gelatinous Ice beast that wa impervious to melee weapons), made another as its companion, and released the two into Ice Cavern. From this, some scientists have gained a new view regarding Dr. Taxo, that he actually cared for his creations, and that he actually valued life to a point.

Flans are easily domesticated, and can be competent guard animals. Their hard heads allow them to use the Head attack, whereby they will somersault forward at rapid speed, and slam head-first into their attackers. In fact, Flans have been known to use their hard heads to break through barriers and ice that are in their way.

During my exploration of Ice Cavern, I once kept two Flans which I named Pee and Vee, and they were the most loyal, most affectionate pets I ever had. They even prevented a Wyerd from ambushing me once, by fighting it off! But the poor dears died one day, when they wandered too close to the fire when I was cooking...

Let us now have a moment of silence for my poor departed darlings, Pee and Vee...

Moving on, Flans are actually living embodiments of Blizzard magic, from a certain point of view. This is the reason why they can only survive in icy regions, as they are little more than blobs of unicellular organisms held together by a powerful Blizzard spell. However, heat can cause them to melt into a lifeless puddle of lukewarm goo, as I painfully learned with my dear Pee and Vee. On a positive note, if you have a tame Flan, try hugging it as you sleep. It will keep you cool, and provide a nice, soft thing to hug if you like to do so when you sleep.

They communicate with a series of shrieks and trills, and can be trained to understand English. In fact, they are among the top ten most intelligent animals I have ever encountered during my travels. Simple commands such as, 'Fetch', 'Stay', and 'Get them!' can be taught to them with utter ease, and it's normally worth your time to do so if you plan on keeping a pet Flan.

Qus believe that Flans have medicinal value, and Qu doctos will often prescribe Flan extract to patients with high fevers. The coldness of a Flan somehow carries through after its death, despite it becoming into a lukewarm puddle upon dying. To prepare Flan extract, you will need a Flan, some salt, and a cauldron. Throw the Flan in the cauldron, and heat with a Fira spell. The Flan should liquefy, and the resulting liquid start to evaporate, as you maintain the Fira spell. Upon the Flan melting, the liquid will be a bright yellow in colour, and will eventually turn purple as it heats up. As soon as it turns purple, throw in some salt. If properly done, the liquid will change color to a sky-blue tone, and the Flan extract is now ready for usage. People with severe burn injuries can also use Flan extract to soothe their pain, and promote healing of their skin.

Flans can be challenged by rookie fighters, due to their weakness.