In our travels, we at the Order of Naturalists have encountered many an interesting creature. Unfortunately, it would be all but impossible to list every single one. May you find this abridged bestiary useful.

Arangma - four-legged arthropod found in trees and caves all over Yliakum. Spins webs to catch flying insects for food. The arangma is large enough to catch and eat birds as big as fahnies. Will only attack sentients if provoked, its eggs are touched or its web is disturbed. Be warned that arangma venom can be permanently fatal!

Attyr - a marine mammal about 1m in length, with soft brown-and-white spotted fur and webbed paws. Eats fish and shellfish. Found along the banks of the Irifon and Radiant Rivers. Prized for their fur, but attyr hunting is strictly regulated by the Dome Octarch Iragdun Salikarios.

Biorlitrosan - a semi-intelligent quadrupedal mammal, about 1.5m high at the shoulder. Uses limited native speech. Herbivorous: eats grass and grains. Can manipulate tools using tusks and a thick, forked, prehensile tongue. Live in burrows or simple huts on all six levels, but forage in grasslands. All grey.

Bouncetail - a small insect so named because it jumps on its hind legs and uses its tail for control. Comes in two varieties: the second level’s Barn Bouncetail (green) and the third’s Far Ground Bouncetail (dark red.) Eats grass and flower leaves. About half a centimetre in length.

Carkarass - a reptile capable of hovering, gliding and low flight. Legend says they are natives of the Death Realm but can appear in Yliakum seemingly anywhere. Considered a bad omen. Height varies from 1-2m, and comes in blue, ’fire’ (orange-red,) and ’poison’ (large, purple and white) varieties.

Carp - the most common fish in Yliakum. Appears in all lakes and rivers. Usually bright orange when alive, but quickly turn a dull brown when dead. Usually between 20-50cm in length. Herbivorous and a food staple of many species.

Clacker - a large insect common to the upper levels and in underground areas. So named by the noise they produce. Generally harmless. Clacker legs can be fashioned into crude tools, and clacker meat is edible but considered an ’acquired taste.’ One of the few omnivorous insects.

Consumer - a large (3m long or so) arthropod that eats carrion, but when desperate will attack creatures and wait for decomposition. Has four large front claws, a huge mouth, and several short legs. Antennae produce a pheromone that repels insects, and consumer legs are considered a delicacy.

Derghir - a silicone-based organism with some intelligence and native speech. About 1m high, jagged, and coloured brown or grey. Native to the Dome and walls above. Eats sand and crystals. Tribal, and troops of them have been known to attack kran for food.

Dersalawer - the only semi-intelligent animal not indigenous the Dome level, previously appearing solely on the Stronghold and Land’s End (fourth and fifth) levels until some of them were transported to the Dome after a flooding. Characterized by dull yellow skin and uses two paws and a long trunk to hold objects. Eats plants and insects. Height comparable to elves.

Drifter - a large, wide, flat fish native to the Great Lake. Fin span is 4-5m. So named because they can leave the water and hover up to a metre over the surface. Eats smaller fish. Docile and can be domesticated to serve as an aquatic/hovering mount for one rider.

Eagle - a bird with a wingspan of 1.5-2.5m. Dark brown wings with golden head feathers. Can be trained. Tend to nest in high places so mostly found in the top two levels. Eagle feathers are used in arrow fletchings and decorations. Eats rats, attyrs, kormis and kikiris.

Fahny - small purple bird, approximately 0.8-0.9m in height. Some people keep fahnies as pets because they are easy to maintain, eat small amounts of cheap grains, and produce a soothing cooing sound. Found in any area with trees, and can make nests out of many materials, including rocks and glyphs.

Gawert - the only insectoid semi-intelligent species. Similar to dwarves in size except for a larger abdomen, four thin arms and four wings. Scavengers. Native to the Barn but will fly to the Dome if food is scarce. Live in tree colonies, and are capable of simple language. Usually green in colour.

Gobble - a semi-intelligent mammal native to the Dome. Generally dark grey or black in colour, with hunched back. Capable of simple speech, and some more intelligent members can learn a few phrases in common. Able to use tools. Found underground or in huts above ground. Ears used for glyph sacks.

Gorweal - a carnivorous species with both animal and plant characteristics. Starts as a seed-like egg and adapts to local flora, taking its shape. Protects its ’camouflage’ and can cultivate it. Its sense of smell and ability to detect vibration make stealth impossible, even if it can be picked out of the foliage.

Goujah - a large shaggy yellowish-brown mammal about 2.5m in height. Domesticated. Eats grasses, grains and seaweed. Used as beasts of burden, to pull carts and winch wheels, among other things. Goujahs can be sheared for fur but are never killed for meat for utilitarian reasons.

Grendol - A beast borne of dark magic, made from the dead. Despite the race of the corpse used, all grendols bear the same fleshy globular look and easily top 2m. Cannot communicate. Creating a grendol is a crime. If you spot one, avoid it and immediately inform the nearest vigesimi.

Juloo - tall flightless bird, about 1.7-1.8m high, noted for an incredibly loud cry. They eat grass, insects and the leaves and fruits of the ruqua tree. Attempts to ride the juloo have met with failure; they do not respond well to instruction, they cannot bear large weight and their cry is far too annoying to try riding one for extended periods. Have white and light grey feathers suitable for pillows and beds.

Kikiri - small flightless bird, less than half a metre tall. Kikiri eggs and meat are a food staple. A common livestock. Varied in colour: red faces, white necks, orange bodies and yellow wings. Very cute and docile but will peck and scratch if you pick it up. Insectivorous.

Kormi - a herbivorous domesticated mammal about 1m high, that eats just about any plant. Usually off-white or brown. Noted for its curved horns and twin tails. Thrives on the Far Ground, but the herd was originally found on the Dome, and the village named Kormia was erected around it. Kormi hide is used for ultics, and meat and milk are used. Kormi horns are used for drinking vessels or weapon handles, and some people carry kormi tails as a good luck charm.

Kratak - omnivorous semi-intelligent species that inhabits the Jade Caves of the Dome. Dark brown in colour, quadrupedal with two arms, slanted heads with large yellow eyes adapted to seeing in dim light. Eats primarily vermin and mosses, but will attack sentients in numbers. Average height 1.4m.

Lavvar - Large semi-intelligent mammal, quadrupedal but can rear up to height of about 1.2m. Bright red and black in colour with glowing red eyes. Rely on superior sense of smell rather than sight. Name comes from their habitat by volcanoes and lava pools. Carnivorous. Tribal and aggressive.

Maunderer - amphibian with round body and webbed feet. Come in two varieties, lesser and greater. Lesser maunderers are found in rivers and ponds, are 0.6m tall, dark green with yellow belly. Greater are found in the Great Lake and Lakeshore levels, 1.5m tall, all green. Eats insects. Eggs are a delicacy.

Megaras - the largest flying animal in Yliakum. (5-10m long.) Because of its size, families are limited to one. Make excellent inter-level transportation and carry loads. Carnivorous and prefer kormis. Able to see, but can use echolocation at night. Mammal. Dark blue in colour.

Niffa - a large mammal exclusive to the Irifon Delta of the Dome. 3.5m long, 1.5 high and weigh over 2000 kg. Light purple in colour with large round snouts and fat bodies. Loves to swim to cool off. Eats mostly plants and rice from nearby paddies. Will not attack but is a strong defender against hunters.

Ogoro - a bipedal amphibian with height comparable to an ynnwn. Peculiar because it has four arms instead of two. Lives in swampland all over Yliakum. Attacks with its jaws when swimming, or with its arms (sometimes equipped with tree branches) when on land. Carnivorous and somewhat dangerous.

Pterosaur - large flying reptile with long wings and a toothless beak. Carnivorous but prefers fish and likes to swoop down to the Great Lake to feed. Known to avoid hovering drifters. Used as transportation and as a spectacle in the Pterosaur Arena. Read ’Flying Animals’ for more information.

Quinx - While most creatures are made of flesh or stone, the quinx is an exception: it is iron-based. While unintelligent and mute, worshippers of Laanx revere quinxes as one of their god’s creations. Size is comparable to krans, and they ’eat’ by absorbing iron items, including weapons and armours. Not aggressive, but will take an adventurer’s supplies for consumption. Found close to iron mines.

Qulam - a shellfish that resides in lakes and rivers. Loved by diaboli and attyrs among other species. Most are edible, but those that sit on the Lower Field and the Deep (the seventh and eighth levels, respectively) produce pearls and are not eaten. Qulam shells can also be used as decoration.

Rat - The only known animal with one eye. A nuisance in cities. Eats carrion and food scraps. Reproduce quickly but are balanced by carnivores and adventurers. Rat tails, eyes and hides are bought and sold as commodities for various reasons. Live rats are used as subjects in magical research.

Riverling - reptilian species that thrives in damp caves. About 2m tall when upright, but almost always hunched to fit under low ceilings. Yellow-gray and has a long spiked tail. Eats fish but will attack to protect habitat. Uses bones from large animals or sentients as weapons, but otherwise unintelligent.

Rivnak - tall woolly domesticated mammal, about 2.5m high. Some are used as personal mounts and for racing, while others are sheared for wool. The wool is often pressed first to remove the outer wax for candles and seals. Rivnaks are coloured bright yellow, orange or dull red. Found on all land levels.

Serpent - also called a snake, this is an overall term for long reptiles without backbones. Colour of scale varies from green to blue to black to red. Some are poisonous. Size can be under a metre or more than 30. Found on all eight levels, including underwater species. Serpent skin used for clothing.

Shadow moth - a dark grey and black insect found in the Jillian Swamps on the Land’s End level. WARNING: carnivorous and can strip a body of flesh in less than 30 breaths when in swarm formation. In seasons of high activity, the Land’s End Octarch will open bounties on them.

Tefusang - A bizarre reptile with some mammalian features, possibly twisted by magic early in its development. Occupy underground areas and valleys on the top three levels. Carnivorous, and prefer rivnaks and their riders. Hides are used in clothing and armour. Teeth and claws used for weapons.

Tloke - large light-green insect. Similar to clackers in size but docile and herbivorous, eating mostly grass. Some nobles use tlokes for adornment and low maintenance grazing of their lawns. Their saddleback shape is cause for breeding tlokes for size, in the hopes they can grow large enough to ride. Many people consider the tloke a ’lucky animal’ and will not kill it despite its parts’ use in alchemy.

Trepor - quadrupedal arthropod found in caves and underground mines, but have recently established surface colonies on the Dome. Carnivorous, and will hunt sentients. Uses wiggly feelers on back to help navigate in darkness. Oviparous. Wiggly feelers and egg sacs are used in magic.

Ulbernaut - one of the largest mammals in Yliakum, appearing exclusively on the Dome. Carnivorous and will actively attack sentients. Avoid! Only the bravest or most foolhardy of adventurers will attempt to kill ulbernauts for their luxurious fur and strong claws for tools. Repeat, avoid!

Velnishi - carnivorous reptile that inhabits the deeper recesses of the Jade Caves of the Dome. It tends to attack using a barbed tail which exudes a paralytic substance, then feeding on the paralyzed animal. Will eat adventurers, miners, krataks and rats. Height varies widely, and its venom is sought after in alchemy and medicine.

Votullis - a long, thin insect. Resembles a flowering plant: light green body about 0.5m high, two green leaf-shaped wings, and a large multicoloured mane around its neck. Gives off a sweet scent that attracts animals, especially fahnies, then bites to drink blood for sustenance. Votullis bites infect quickly.

Windscorpion - large hairy arthropod, length varies widely from 1.5 to 4m. Dark green or dark yellow. Carnivorous and insectivorous. Catches prey with sticky film released on the ground. Has massive jaws, eight legs, and two black eyes. Found on the Dome or the Far Ground. Exterminated on the Barn.

Yauth - carnivorous fish with powerful jaws. Silver in colour, and about 80-90cm long. Lives in the shallows of Emerald Lake. Eats mostly carp, but beware: a single yauth can bite a toe off with one snap of its jaws, and a school of yauth can eat a sentient from the feet up painfully slowly.

When hunting anything, always be mindful of nature - these animals are prey and predator, keeping a delicate balance. May Xiosia protect you.