Creatures


Magic and growth are closely entwined on Eo. The magic of the world permeates and changes all life that is created. Throughout their evolution, all living beings have undergone many changes, but from times before the higher races first saw the light of day, some creatures have survived almost unchanged - creatures as wondrous as they are dangerous. Some of these creatures even resemble the human form, a fact that has puzzled writers and scholars for generations.
Strange places and areas where the magic of the world is particularly strong seem to attract these beings, yet no one has ever managed to truly understand their goals. What is known, however, is that they are as merciless and cruel as the elements they have withstood for centuries. And even though they ally with none, they have been used in many a war and made slaves of destruction. Their raw strength and animal traits especially were put to use by the dark races to strengthen their armies.
Thus they are known chiefly as killing beasts, but their true nature and the background of their heritage remain shrouded in mystery.


Beastman
Many believe the Beastmen originate from Urgath, a land of swamps, full of foul morass, the air a poisonous fog. Much evil has come form those jungles – even long before the Dark Races fled from Urgath – including the race of Beastmen, also known as Brutes. Dark and malicious creatures they are, their spirit animated by the simple instincts of feeding and killing. They live in small groups or tribes, plundering, pillaging and murdering at will. Although they themselves are not able to command magic, their connection to it is strong, thus they can often be found near magical or special places. Brutes also enjoy driving others from their homes and settling there themselves. The Beastmen were enslaved by the Dark Ones in the war against the Old Races; some believe that this is how they came to Fiara and were able to spread. In Urgath, they were almost completely exterminated by the Dark Races. Their numbers in Fiara were relatively small, at least until the Circle began breeding them as soldiers for their armies. Now they can be found in the few remains of the Circle’s armies, hidden away in remote regions


Minotaur
Much like the Beastmen, the Minotaurs – who are also known as Horned Ones – are a battle-eager race, whose life’s work often consists only of plundering and killing. The Minotaurs however, stem from southern lands, their origin presumably lying in the hostile region of Xu. The Circle believed they were used by the Shapers as guards and soldiers, a theory that is at least partly confirmed by the Minotaurs’ rune writing bearing more than a passing resemblance to that of the Shapers. Unlike their beastly brethren from Urgath, the Minotaurs are proud and their simple rune tablets show the history and songs of their ancestors. Perhaps the Horned Ones would have grown in number and become a nation if the Dark Gods had not made Xu the home of their slaves. Thus the Minotaurs were soon made servants of the Dark Ones, slaves of war. With the flight of the Dark Ones and the War of Six Races they also found their way to Fiara. After having also been recruited into the armies of the Circle, they can be found only in remote regions, much like the Beastmen, sometimes even living together with the Brutes and joining them in the plundering. Their superior intellect and great strength make them the natural leaders of such groups.


Giant
The Giants are ancient. Their footsteps shook the earth even before the Dragons ruled the skies or the Shapers created their huge cities. Their realm was the mountains, the impenetrable and hostile peaks covered in snow, where they lived and reigned undisturbed. Their sheer strength and size enabled them to resist the wrath of the elements, and like the perpetual storms above the peaks, they defied the changes of the centuries. So they have wandered the land since the beginning of time. The legends of the Northern Realms tell of Giants that are so old that they have earned the respect of the forces of nature themselves. The winds speak to them and the icy northern storms greet them respectfully as they stride among the summits. Although Giants possess a quick intellect and some have even managed to learn a language in the course of their long lives, their capacity for reason is not as well-developed as that of other races. They are stubborn, vengeful and greedy, as well as being cruel and merciless. This combination of cruelty and greed enabled the Mages of the Circle to use these creatures for their own purposes. In the Convocation War, many armored Giants strode into battle, where the wreaked unimaginable havoc and destruction amongst the ranks of the enemy.


Ogre
Unlike their ancestors the Giants, the heavily-built Ogres can be found almost throughout the world. They have adapted to the changing conditions in many areas and often live in small groups or settlements. And though they have lost some of the strength and size of their ancestors, their cruelty and greed remain unchanged. Thus they also were susceptible to the promises of the Dark Ones and fought alongside them when the Fial Darg began the War of Six Races. In the Convocation War, they were a welcome reinforcement for the armies of the Circle. Since these days of war, the Ogres are counted among the Dark Races, but if the truth be told, they will simply plunder and pillage anything that looks weak or defenceless enough. Most of their knowledge of battle, however, does indeed stem from wars fought alongside the Dark Ones, and some have learned to adore Zarach or even learn the orcish spirit magic.


Skergs
The Skerg and Tar-Skerg rank among the original inhabitants of the dark continent of Urgath. Though not blessed with the mind nor the courage of the nations, the Skerg are kindhearted and hard-working fellows. Due to their weakness and timidity, however, they have easily become slaves for the dark nations. Only a few of them retain their freedom; they are hiding from the slave-drivers of the Dark Ones in the swamps of Urgath.


Wolflings
The wolf people are descended from the smaller wolflings that can be found in the mountains and caverns all over Eo. From them, the dark elves bred the species of the Lucien, stronger and more eager for knowledge than the primitive wolflings. But the Norcaine could not tame the savagery of these creatures, and now the Lucien roam the country in wild hordes.


Treewraiths
The forests of Urgath have never been places of light, and the millennia of the presence of the Dark Ones has blighted them down to their roots. Here, the tree wraiths, who in Fiara still obey the laws of the forest goddess Elen, are dark creatures filled with rot and viciousness. As is everything in Urgath. They are lurking in the darkness of the forest and the mists lying over the swamps, and they clasp their victims with gnarled arms, intent on draining their blood.


Crawlers
Many a gruesome variety of otherwise ordinary creatures can be encountered in the steaming swamps of Urgath. Many believe that the crawlers are creatures stemming from a time before there were nations or even dragons. They are vicious and insatiable, and sometimes they poison their victims to stun their prey before they sink their claws and fangs into them.


Sha Lizardmen
They are the descendants of the great lizards of the old world. They prey to the old and evil spirits that the world has long forgotten in their overgrown temples. The Sha often came from the haze of the jungle over the dark weir mountains to refresh themselves with the blood and riches of the Xus nation. But none of their campaigns lasted long, and none of their commanders were able to defeat the armies of the empire. Now, however, they have found a new leader whose evil genius they happily follow northwards towards the walls of the empire.


Hazim
The Hazim are a proud people that have lived a long time before the dark period in Xu. They inhabit the large deserts and wastelands which make up a large part of Northern Xu. They and the Kathai are the oldest peoples of these lands and their dynasty goes back to the Shapers and does not originate from the Northern barbarians of Fiara. Despite the fact that the Hazim are proud of their origins, they are seldom united. They spend most of their time as wandering nomads in clans and do not just rob the caravans of the rich but quite often also their own brothers.


Derwisch
These dancing priestesses of the sun serve the spirits of the desert and protect the secrets of the glowing land with their extraordinary fighting skills. The Dervish are quick, wild and untamable. Only the Hazim, as true children of the desert, have learned to live in peace with them. But the Dervish do not just only fight with their swirling blades, they often lure oft intruders with their charms into the wilderness where they are consumed by the blistering desert.


Scythe Terror/Grass Devil
These giant insects are descendants of the same species which had spread from the jungle to the North into the desert regions. Whilst the grass devils still inhabit the swamps and jungles, the scythe terrors have adapted themselves to life in the desert. They love to hunt their prey, screaming loudly, until exhaustion sets in and then ripping it into pieces with their large armoured blades. Whilst the scythe terrors hunt for meat because they are hungry, the grass devils do it for the sheer pleasure of killing.


Giant Apes
The giant apes of the black jungle are some of the original inhabitants of this dark place and are both puzzling and dangerous. They are intelligent and seem to use a strange language that no one has yet been able to decode. They are their own masters and no one has yet understood their real motives. Some believe that the apes have their empire in the depths of the black jungle which stretches down to the South of Xu to places where no nation has set foot before. They seem to defend this empire with all their might. Only the future will tell if they are allied with the powers of darkness or not.