This week, as promised, is all about my creatures I have created. For Day One, I am going to focus on creatures from the main setting of my story, the Second Realm (more will be explained on this place later). Day Two (later this week) will focus on creatures from the Third Realm, and Day Three (also later this week) will be my favorite creatures I have created. But enough looking forward, let's look at what I've got today!
As a disclaimer: I will not be sharing all of my monsters this week - I want some to be a surprise. I will also leave out some details about weaknesses because that would take the fun out of certain scenes in the book.
That being said, let's get to today's creatures:
Dragons
Yes, dragons are not my own creation, but they are also one of the most important species (besides humans, witches, and wizards) in this book. There is a dragon (often referred to as "The Red Dragon") that is one of the main characters of the story.
As far as appearance goes, the dragons of Desiderium take on a more European look. Colors, size, spikes, etc will vary from dragon to dragon, though the abilities are the same. All dragons can fly, their scales are impervious to most weapons (you've got to hit a soft spot if you want to stop a dragon with a sword), and of course they can all breath fire. Another fun fact is that dragons do not have the ability to speak using their mouths - they don't really have vocal cords as those would be scorched by the flames that come from that same general area of their bodies. Instead, they speak telepathically. They are not to be confused as mind-readers. They cannot listen in on the thoughts of others, only projects theirs into the minds of those they wish to speak to.
Where the book is concerned, dragons are a rarity. There is debate as to whether they still exist or not. (The Red Dragon is in fact the product of a curse). Of course, as if turns out, they aren't as extinct as thought to be. I won't go into the circumstances as to how this conclusion is much, but I will say that dragons have had enough with humans and don't care to intervene in their lives for the good (or bad). They have become secluded in a place known as the "Range of Fire," which is basically a clump of volcanoes with tunnels running between them.
It could be thought that the cause for dragons being so few is that they have been killed off, but that is not the case. Dragons live a long time for the same reason there are so few: they have a hard time reproducing. Their children must be strong from the start - they live in a volcano for goodness' sake. This means that it is survival of the fittest. Most dragon babies won't make it past egg stage. This leads to an interesting scenario. Dragons will always accept other dragons - it doesn't matter if these other dragons were born as such or made into one by magic. This brings up an important point: Dragons don't hurt other dragons.
Spirits
There are several different kinds of magical beings that are often referred to as "Spirits." They are scattered among the different regions. It seems as if they only exist in the Second Realm where magic also happens to be the most prominent in all the Realms. Though each spirit is a little different, they all have the same basic make-up. They all seem to have a specific "area" that they consider their territory and when that place is breached by unknown beings, these spirits become quite offended. Some are kinder, but most of them seem to have a one-track mind regarding their space and are apt to attack until such a time as they are left alone again. They will not usually resort to killing unless their opponent really doesn't get the point that they aren't welcome.
Their powers tend to run along the lines of being able to control their surroundings including the weather and the creatures that live closest to them. Most of them have no shape, but a basic silhouette or shadow. Some will only manifest as a smoke concentrated into a single blob.
Just because they do not look intimidating does not mean they aren't incredibly dangerous. While they have some sense and certain ones can be made friend-ed or at least reasoned with, most of them have only one goal: To be left alone to their business at all costs.
Spyder-Bats
Cave dwellers through and through, these creatures are a mash-up between two nightmares one would never wish to find in the dark. They have only been seen in the Second Realm, and there, only in the caves of the Dark Crag Range.
For these creatures, I offer a description straight from the book:
There were five or six of them in all - black, hulking creatures that floated in at the top half of the cavern. As they came closer, it was revealed that they were more than blobs. They had black, bat-like wings that were five feet across and extended out in webbed fans. Their bulbous bodies had three main parts - a great bulging round end, with a foot-long needle at the end that dripped with excess poison, a smaller, middle body, and an even smaller head, covered in six, beady black eyes and two pincers for mouths that dripped with venom. Jutting from the body were eight legs, each half the size of the creature’s wingspan, four on either side. They were thin and long, like branches on a tree and covered with rough black hairs. As they advanced, they squealed with a high pitched noise, their pincers opening up and spattering venom-laced spittle everywhere. Lucas gawked in disbelief. “Spyder-bats. They said they were extinct.”
I don't want to go into too much detail about these creatures for fear of spoiling any fun of when they are come across in the novel itself.
So there you have it! The Week of Monsters has begun. Day One is now down, and there are two more to go. I'll be posting again on Wednesday.
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