Legendary Creatures of Urth: Difference between revisions
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[[Category:Lerasi]] [[Category:Supernatural]]
Legendary creatures, also called mythical creatures, are supernatural animals or nonsentient paranormal entities, whose existence has not or cannot be proven and that is described in folklore or mythology, but also may be featured in historical accounts before modernity. Legendary creatures vary from culture to culture, and are often linked with national identity or moral themes. In any case, legendary creatures of all kind may be found in alphabetical order by continent and country. Creatures that are featured in fantasy fiction do not fall under this category. Sentient supernatural beings, such as gods, angels, demons, and/or magically gifted mortals do not fall under this category, either, but may be found in [[Legendary Figures of Urth|the corresponding Legendary Figures of Urth article]].
== Arcturia ==
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''Qilin'' are mythological divine messengers appearing similar to horses, easily marked by their blue fish scales, russet manes, and large antlers. Some drawings show long fish whiskers, and they generally appear to have brilliant, sparkling eyes. They are said to run as fast as the wind, and that if you are all alone in the forest and listen carefully, you can hear their hooves as they bolt from place to place. Qilin are known for their extraordinary wisdom, but most often in stories appear while being hunted by foolish elves who can never catch up, and often find themselves led to their doom for daring to commit such a sin.
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[[File:Cuelebre.jpg|thumb|A wood depiction of the cuélebre]]
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== Aurora ==
Legends exist in [[the Oan Isles]] about the '''''pakepakeha.''''' ''Pakepakeha'' are small creatures with translucent luminous skin. They float instead of flying or walking and can be found near bodies of water especially marshes and river banks. They are said to be shy and timid, but mischievous and troublesome. They tend to hide away at the sight of people, but they often play tricks on people such as creating illusions, stealing possessions or giving people hallucinations. When they are captured, the captor can ask them to fulfill one of their wishes. Some scientists believe that myths about these creatures arose due to illusions created by methane escaping from wetlands and reacting with warm air to growing a soft glowing fume in dark weather. This particularly prevalent in the Oan Isles because of volcanic activity under the ground that makes the air surrounding wetlands warm and makes the wetlands themselves release this gas. [[Ahua the Great]] actually forbade myths about such creatures, but the superstitions never died and with Pohinga infusing folk beliefs into [[Thaerism]], superstitions and myths about these creatures gain a resurgence.
== Borea ==
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''Ents'', also know as ''tree people'', are sentient trees from
===Oilean===
''Dullahans'' are headless riders on black horses, ghosts of fallen warriors who sometimes carry their heads high in their hands. The mouth is usually in a hideous grin that
▲''Dullahans'' are headless riders on black horses, ghosts of fallen warriors who sometimes carry their heads high in their hands. The mouth is usually in a hideous grin that touches both sides of the head. Its eyes are constantly moving about and can see across the countryside even during the darkest nights. The Dullahan is believed to use the spine of a human corpse for a whip, and its wagon is adorned with funeral objects - it has candles in skulls to light the way, the spokes of the wheels are made from thigh bones, and the wagon's covering is made from a worm-chewed pall or dried human skin. The ancient Oileanians believed that where the Dullahan stops riding, a person is due to die. The Dullahan calls out the person's name, drawing away the soul of his victim, at which point the person immediately drops dead.
''Enbarrs'' are mythological horses who could traverse land and sea and were faster than the wind. They are usually found by or gifted to questing heroes, and are often ridden by the Fae.
''Fae'' are immortal, amoral trickster deities appearing in forests or lakes to have some fun with mortals. They are known for using riddles, jokes, and scams to outwit mortals, and can help or hinder people as they please, without warning. They are unpredictable and wild, and some are even known to shapeshift. The Fae often appear where and when they're least expected.
''Fear Gorta'' are phantoms of hunger and famine resembling emaciated humans. Their skin has a greyish green color, and they are deathly thin, with arms as thin as twigs. It has long, matted, grey or white hair and facial hair. Its nails are terribly long and dirty as well. The fear gorta walk the earth during times of famine, seeking alms from passers-by. They can be a potential source of good luck for generous individuals, but those who refuse to give charity are cursed with hunger, poverty, and bad luck. In one myth, the fear gorta were harbingers of famine.
''Fiacla Iarainn'' are a clan of ''Zzor Vampires'' (See: Aivintis) who have migrated to Oilean and adapted to the new environment. Fiacla Iarainn are less monstrous in appearance, wearing a predatory, immortal, but ultimately beautiful human face. Their teeth and claws are said to be made of iron, rather than bearing natural vampire weapons. Fiacla Iarainn culture values strength and brutality, and punishes weakness of all kinds. Fiacla Iarainn are unable to practice blood magic, but can levitate naturally. They also do not share a weakness to wood or an aversion to garlic. However, it is said that they are hunted by Dragons.
''Oileanian Dragons'' are five meters tall, with broad, muscular bodies and thick, armored scales. They are usually orange or brown in color, but some can be dark red. They are unique for their flat snouts and thick, curved horns, sharp enough to skewer livestock. Oileanian dragon tails notably end with a spearhead points. Their wings are massive and bat-like, lending to their ability to fly for very long times without rest. Oileanian dragons are known for stealing cows and sheep from farmers and terrorizing villages and towns that offend them. Some of the oldest ones, however, are said to be wise and benevolent.
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==Yasteria==
=== Asendavia ===
''Dragons'' in Asendavian folklore, not to be confused with real-life drakes, are the children of Kazhrumak. Unlike drakes, they retained the ability of flight and fire-breathing from their mother. Their appearance varies from story to story, though they are typically depicted as matching the colors of the environment they are found in. Unlike drakes, they are depicted as sapient beings, usually either indifferent or malevolent to the other sapient species of Urth. The dragon Tarki, as featured in the 15th-century poem "Ruin," is the archetypal malevolent dragon in Asendavian folklore, and often appears as the antagonist in older Asendavian poems and stories that feature dragons, as Tarki was especially known for his predilection toward wanton destruction and mayhem.
''Kazhrumak'', also known by her title ''Drahomaja'', is a legendary creature that originates from pre-Asendavian Dwarven mythology as a monster that emerged during the creation of the world. In both Asendavian folklore and the original Dwarven mythology she's depicted as a giant fire-breathing dragon and the mother of all dragons and drakes. After emerging from the depths of the Urth during its creation, she wrecked havoc until she was driven back beneath the surface and imprisoned. It is said that she remains imprisoned underneath the Ademarkorvu mountains, watched over by ancient dwarven heroes. Her children are said to tunnel through the urth until they breach the surface, at which point her fiery breath comes to the surface as magma.
''Kravlarozhu'', or ''Burrowers'', are another one of Kazhrumak's children. Born exclusively after their mother's imprisonment, their sole purpose is to burrow through the urth until they reach the surface, at which point Kazhrumak's fire can then pour through the tunnel they made, spilling onto the surface as lava. Kravlarozhu are often conflated with drakes, for they can neither fly nor breathe fire, unlike dragons but akin to drakes. It's often said that kravlarozhu are baby drakes burrowing their way to the surface to be born.
===Vistaraland===
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==Yasteria Minor==
=== Central Yasteria ===
In countries where [[Paxism]] is the majority religion or is practiced by a minority of the population such as [[Packilvania]], [[Drakkengard]], and [[Allegheny]], legendary and mythological creatures stem from its [[Writings of Paxism|religious texts and apocryphal writings]]. The [[Esma]] are mythical beings believed to have been created by the primary deity of Paxism, [[Noi]], to aid in the creation and management of the universe and to intervene in the lives of moral beings. These beings are believed to lack a physical form and are made of light. Belief in this creatures forms part of the path of [[Assimilation]] as followed by major denominations such as [[Melkezedekism]]. The Haagen are creatures that are believed by a small denomination to conceived by Noi and [[Pax]] as demigods from which King Obed III of [[Bingol]] claimed to be descended (which the [[Magisterium of Paxism]] and the majority of the [[Priesthood in Paxism|priesthood of Paxism]] disavow and condemn).
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