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441. Spiral-horned Rainbowbird
This species of hummingbird has two 1-inch-long, spiraling-shaped horns protruding from its head , and its rainbow-esque plumage starts with a reddish hue on its head, and then changes to orange, yellow, green, and blue across its body, and finally changing to purple at its tail. The Spiral-horned Rainbowbird is much larger and beats its wings slower than most hummingbirds, and weighs roughly 1/2 to 3/4 of a pound and beats its wings 10-15 times per second. Commonfolk colloquially call these creatures "Hummingfey" because of their fantastically over-the-top fey-like appearance, but this is just a nickname and these creatures have no relation to fey. Magically-inclined adventurers sometimes employ these creatures as familiars.
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Waterfowl and Wading Birds
443. Glittering Goose
The down and feathers of this goose produce naturally-occurring specs of glitter, and the Glittering Goose will vigorously thrash its body and flap its wings to release this glitter to blind potential predators, as per a Glitterdust spell, except with a range of 0ft and area of 10ft radius . Unlike a Glitterdust spell, this glitter is real, and doesn't end after 1 round/level like the spell does; instead, becoming blinded with this glitter lasts indefinitely, or until the victim's eyes are thoroughly flushed and washed out with water. Sometimes, this can result in certain doom for predators if they are not near a water source, or if they simply cannot find one. Unlike other species of geese, Glittering Geese are not territorial, nor are they ornery, and can be easily domesticated for butchering, collecting their eggs, and selling their feathers as pretty ink quills or to those in the artistry and fashion professions. Owners of seedy nightclubs and nudie bars sometimes keep Glittering Geese in pens for a cheap and readily available supply of glitter for their dancers and scantily clad waitresses.
444. Skyswimming Duck
Calling this duck "flightless" is both correct and wrong at the same time, because even though the Skyswimming Duck has wings, it does not use them for flight, but rather it "swims" through the air as if under a constant Sky Swim spell. If this wasn't iconic enough, these ducks can easily be identified by their translucently ethereal speculum feathers, which are permanently partially-phased in the ethereal plane of existence but somehow still visible in the material plane. This particular species of duck is of great interest to Great Thinkers and Researchers, because they are certain that the reason this duck cannot fly with its wings is because these partially-phased secondary wing feathers "don't physically exist" in the material plane, however they still inexplicably evolved to fly via magic with this supernatural ability to Sky Swim. Due to this incredible evolutionary achievement, it is believed by some Great Thinkers that Skyswimming Ducks may hold the "magical key" to evolution itself in their genes, while other Great Thinkers believe this theory to be positively preposterous hogwash, and that this was merely a fluke of a "failed evolutionary trait".
445. Jaunting Heron
This jet-black and deep-violet colored heron has an interesting way in which it hunts its prey, which are typically fish, amphibians, reptiles, and sometimes even small birds; seemingly at-will, this heron plane shifts into the ethereal plane, and will sneak up on its unsuspecting victim, and then phase back into the material realm just before it strikes. Likewise, the Jaunting Heron can use this to escape predators.
446. Aithali
This charcoal-colored species of swan has the uncanny ability to discorporate into thousands of particles of soot and carbon flakes when it is threatened or cornered, and may discorporate like this once per day up to a maximum of 2 minutes as a spell-like ability as per the spell Gaseous Form, and then recorporate into their charcoal-colored selves once free of the danger. Aithali are also known as "Empress Swans" in homage to the late Elven Empress Valindra Nyrisandoral for her philanthropic efforts in preventing this species' extinction; while these cygnine creatures have impressive defensive capabilities, their existence wasn't threatened by predators, but rather due to habitat loss from a prolonged drought. During this 15-year drought, many ponds, lakes, rivers, and estuaries dried up, nearly obliterating their food supply, which primarily consist of underwater plants and tiny insects. So, in an effort to restore these habitats, over a period of 12 years after this 15-year drought, Empress Nyrisandoral supervised the collection and delivery of grain to the various Aithali breeding grounds, as well as organizing the trapping and transplantation of beavers to dam rivers, raise water tables, and create wetlands, thus restoring and creating new habitats for the Aithali to thrive in.
447. Screaming Stork
When the gods created this stork, they must've had hate and discontent for all other animals and humanoids that aren't deaf, because the syrinx (vocal organ) of the Screaming Stork is deformed to the point of allowing almost no control over how loud of noise that they can produce. So when this stork calls out to other storks, their calls can accidentally range from 40-130db and it is completely random which decibel its call will be; so when a muster of Screaming Storks is nearby, it's an endless wash of unpleasantly discordant, cacophonous noise. Seemingly, the only time this creature actually has any measure of control over its call is when it is threatened, and it unleashes an effect similar to an Ear-Piercing Scream spell upon its predator.
A small hamlet-like town named Bennetglass gained world-wide notoriety when the townsfolk had had enough from a corrupt politician named Lucius Cloven who was lining his own pockets with undue taxation policies, and the townsfolk infamously tied Cloven to a wooden post nearby to a popular Screaming Stork breeding ground for 24 hours. According to some witnesses, he begged for death no less than 3 times within the first 8 hours. Nevertheless, Cloven was released without harm, and has never re-entered public service.
447. Screaming Stork
When the gods created this stork, they must've had hate and discontent for all other animals and humanoids that aren't deaf, because the syrinx (vocal organ) of the Screaming Stork is deformed to the point of allowing almost no control over how loud of noise that they can produce. So when this stork calls out to other storks, their calls can accidentally range from 40-130db and it is completely random which decibel its call will be;
[1d10+3] x 10db for how loud any given stork is at the moment
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448. Kobold "War" Ticks...
Kobold Ticks are often mistaken for feathers, however they are a parasitic organism more closely related to oceanic corals than anything terrestrial. Throughout their immature or quasi-larval stage(s) of life, Kobold Ticks incubate in the bloodstream and muscle tissues. As they mature and reach what called adulthood, they borrow towards the surface, anchoring themselves to the underside of the skin.
The larva forms a calcium cocoon, a cyst permenantly attached to the skin, and undergoes a metamorhesis... sprouting through the skin into an external, fan-like structure with countless barbs attached along opposing sides of a hollow shaft. As the barbs spread out, hooked barules along opposing sides of each barb unroll and release spore-like gametes in a form of asexual reproduction.
These spores/gametes spread on wind, brushed off the Kobold like dander. They can lay dormant for untold periods of time, yet almost always reanimate in the presence of Kobold blood. Not much else is known about the reproduction or life cycle of Kobold Ticks. The external structures of adult "War" Ticks are permenant, and the adults have been known to stay alive as a parasite for the life of the host. Their bright colors are often "worn" with pride by the Kobolds that have them, and war paint is always matched to the colors of one's "war feathers" if they have them. There is obviously little to no known negative side-effects of being host to Kobold "War" Ticks.
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448. Kobold "War" Ticks...
Ooh, a coral-like growth that forms on kobolds to give them dragon-like whorls and 'spikes!' I love it!
A great way to add some visual distinction to them, while also adding some story flair, with various kobolds choosing different patterns or styles, and elders all stooped over with the weight of many growths (like how a wizened/high-status elder human might allow his nails to grow impractically long, just to show off that he did not have to work with his hands).
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449. Flowering Gibbet Tree
These predatory trees appear slightly similar to Sycamore trees, and have widely-growing bushy branches, except these bushy branches surreptitiously hide a network of deadly vines that hold a plethora of dead bodies in “vine cages”, as well as other vines that are waiting in ambush; while these vines wait for unsuspecting prey to wander under their branches, they purposefully weave "baskets" or a "coiled assembly of vines" that can drop from the branch in an instant. This tree's root system grows as wide as possible underneath the soil, so it can sense its prey's exact location via tremor sense. Once an animal has ventured into the perfect spot below one of these "coiled assemblies", the trap is sprung, and a mess of vines drop onto the animal that quickly restrains, encapsulates, constricts, and immobilizes it, and then retracts up into the branches.
The animal remains immobilized high up in the branches until it dies from thirst, hunger, sheer exhaustion, or succumbing to exposure to the elements if the climate is excessively hot or cold, and these "vine cages" are highly reminiscent of the barbaric practice of Gibbeting the corpses of treasonous/murderous criminals and pirates. Once the body begins to decay, these nutrients are absorbed by the vines, which then causes that section of vines to begin to produce flowers, and these flowers are particularly adept at masking the putrefaction of the decaying corpse as to prevent attracting infestations of insects. It sometimes takes up to a year for the entire corpse to be reduced to a skeleton, but once the vines sense that no more nutrients can be absorbed, it releases the skeleton to fall to the ground; which in turn, acts as a lure for wolves and other animals that consume or gnaw on bones to come near, thus providing a nigh-endless cycle of prey.
Flowering Gibbet Trees are considered to be a "keystone species" because they have a high impact on the population control of apex predators as opposed to other animals in the food chain. Due to controlling the population of apex predators disproportionately to other animals, they provide a necessary balance for entire ecosystems.
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I can see how a wub version of tiptoe through the tulips would appeal to sprites.
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451. Crixot
These hare-like herbivorous macropods are about 35-50lbs and have large floppy ears, and typically eat grasses, herbs, vegetables, flowers, seeds, and fruits that are low to the ground. There are many species of Crixots in the wild and seeing one in the wild is considered an omen for good hope and prosperous harvests, but these creatures are most commonly seen as domesticated animals for butchering, and they have red meat like beef as opposed to white meat like rabbits or chickens. While it is common to enjoy Crixot stews, smoked jerky, and dishes throughout the year, during the winter solstice holiday Midwinter Feast Festival, Crixots are butchered en masse and prepared in a specialty dish called Earthened Crixot.
The Midwinter Feast Festival is a holiday that has been celebrated for centuries with hope, prosperity, and thanksgiving for one's family and good fortunes; and during this holiday, the day is celebrated with familial love, outdoor games, telling of family stories, and a decadent and bountiful dinner meal that is served just as the sun sets on the solstice. Crixots are butchered three days beforehand, and the meat is marinated for three days in brandy, red wine, and diced juniper berries until the early morning of the Midwinter Feast Festival. That morning, the meat is removed from the marinade and placed in clay or dugout earth ovens where it is slowly cooked and basted with the marinade while at a low heat for 8-10 hours, and then at mealtime, the slow-cooked meat is served with a thick and creamy peppered gravy over a bed of mashed potatoes or a potato hash. While this holiday is widely celebrated with Earthened Crixot as the main dish, the side dishes vary in different countries and cultures.
The Crixot's floppy ears have three long auticular muscles that are roughly 5-8inches long and Crixots rarely use these muscles during their life because their ears are so heavy, and this tender, succulent meat is fit for royalty. These three muscles are always the most tender cuts of meat on the entire animal, and are typically seared at a high heat in a cast iron pan for less than a minute, coated in a brown sugar glaze, and then served as dessert called Candied Crixot Ear.
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452. Humming Bird- These plump, colorful birds have a large, singular lung at the center of their bodies through which they emit a low, droning hum, almost constantly. As these birds live in cool to cold climates, this keeps them quite warm. This also serves as a defense mechanism, as the sound that a kazoo(a group of three or more humming birds) makes can cause 1d2 points of subdual sonic damage to anything within a foot of the group. Only the hungriest and quickest predators bother to make a meal of them. Curious gourmands have noted that humming bird tastes quite bland, in contrast to its plumage, which ranges from deep purple to pale blue. They are of average intellect and normal diet and demeanor for a bird, although some insular Wizards and sorcerers do choose them for a familiar. While they do provide a +2 bonus to Survival checks, there is a crueler rumor that the poorly socialized enjoy the exotic aspects of their vibratory nature.
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453. Roasting Chicken Not actually a creature, but the true nature is unknown, and so commonly assumed to be an actual species mutation of the common chicken. What is assumed is that these chickens have some sort of tie to the elemental plane of fire, or are somehow distantly related to phoenixes, and that, when startled, they burst into flame, damaging anyone adjacent to themselves (1d6 fire damage), and also utterly cooking themselves, as they have no inherent immunity to their own flames. The stench of burning feathers can be quite overpowering, also.
The unknown part is that these are just normal chickens, who, being chickens and prone to eating anything they find on the ground, have ingested some embers left behind after the conjuration of a creature from the elemental plane of fire, or even when one transports itself to an area (as efreet tend to do, particularly in Qadira, where 'roasting chickens' are not-coincidentally most common). These tiny glowing motes appear in the air and settle, and, unfortunately for the chickens, resemble tasty black kernals of something edible, but once ingested give the chicken the 'immolates when startled' property, and makes their demise all but certain.
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454. Thumper- These somewhat intelligent- and definitely ill-tempered- lagomorphs are the size of medium dogs and are known for the distinctive thumping sound they make while running, like distant a distant horse trotting. They are rumored to be the descendent of a rabbit familiar to a battle wizard of alteration magic who often cast spells on their unassuming familiar and sent it into melee combat. Like their ancestor, thumpers possess powerful kicks(1d4) and a nasty bite(1d3), and unlike regular rabbits they have no compunction against using them, running away only when outmatched. These are usually enough to get most predators looking elsewhere, although they are vulnerable to pack tactics and flying predators as these are rather solitary creatures, meeting others of their kind only to mate and then leaving. Were this all, thumpers would be little more than a curiosity, but they are also possessed of a considerable appetite matching their size, and can clear a field of crops over the span of a couple of days. Despite being rabbits, their numbers are modest- birthing rates are low as the mother can only handle one or two oversized young at a time in her womb- and so they have yet to become a true nuisance. But should that day come, farmers may have to look into tougher hunting animals to keep them at bay. Interestingly enough, those who manage to bring one down as game note that they are mostly fur and sinew, barely possessing enough meat to feed two people.
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454. Thumper- These somewhat intelligent- and definitely ill-tempered- lagomorphs
Ha, it only took me a year, but I finally got the 'foul-tempered rodent' reference. And hey, it's a new year, time to resurrect this puppy!
455. Bambi In the Magaambya has been the most thorough and insightful study of the long-term effects of 'invasive species' on the ecology of Golarion, with 'invasive species' being far more than fish from Tian Xa, flowers from Vudra or vegetables from Arcadia sneaking into the ecosystems of the Inner Sea, but those of infernal encroachments from Hell (primarily in Cheliax), truly alien plants and insect life from Castrovel (most common in Kyonin) and fey creatures of diverse sorts from the First World.
Of those last, the so-called 'bambis' are a species of deer that retain their spots well into adulthood, but otherwise seem mostly unaffected by their diet, which is almost exclusively the leaf-fodder and seedlings produced by dryad-inhabited trees. This diet turns out to be necessary, not for the bambis themselves, but other fey, as the dryads in some way marry the magical biology of First World life with the more 'grounded' biology of life native to Golarion and blend the two together. The bambis cannot 'digest' the more esoteric elements, and they are passed in the creatures droppings, from which colorful tiny mushrooms rise. These brightly colored mushrooms are highly sought-after by fey such as sprites, pixies and satyrs, as they brew a powerful beverage from it that allows them to refresh their more exotic systems in this, by their standards, magic-poor environment. As a result, fey creatures tend to encourage the presence of bambis in 'their woods,' and harshly discourage hunting of these otherwise utterly innocuous deer.
Rumors that one in a hundred, thousand or even million!, bambi births result in a dappled unicorn, are just that, rumors, spread by a whimsical fey who was somewhat horrified that it led to the mass capture of bambis from the region and various cruel breeding programs. Lacking their usual fodder, to which they had grown accustomed, the animals do not fare well in captivity, and tend to sicken and lose the will to eat, until they die.
Exactly why fey cannot just brew their tea (or, more often, brandy) from leaves or nuts taken directly by dryads trees to get their 'First World fix' is unclear. A spriggan interviewed about the process just sneered and implied that poop-mushrooms make for a better taste. A satyr countered that grabbing a dryad's nuts is considered impolite.
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456. Djamud Along the great river that feeds so many of Vudra's thirsty mouths, a slender reed grows in the muck, unremarkable save for it's use as incense, when dried and burned. (The plant is far to water-rich, normally, to burn, and fresh-picked stalks burn fitfully, if at all, and only if tossed onto a blaze, emitting spitting pops and hisses as the water within flashes to steam, and producing none of it's trademark odor.) After a three day drying process, which can only be done during the dry season, as it is simply too humid during the rainy season, the reeds can be bundled into bunches, oiled, to keep them moisture free, and then sold as the cheapest and meanest of possible incenses, utterly commonplace and used primarily to mask the odors of privies, slaughterhouses, corpses awaiting funerary services and the like, so much that the smell of Djamud, to a native Vudrani, is generally associated with the outhouses of poorer districts.
Unfortunately, this common incense travels well, and has become known as 'the finest quality Vudran incense' in the Inner Sea, and Vudran travelers will find themselves greeted with the strong-smelling substance by gracious and well-meaning hosts used to welcome them, honor them (it is quite expensive, so far from Vudra, and assumed to be of great value there, by those of western Avistan) and 'remind them of home.'
Experienced Vudran travelers smile and put up with their hosts 'honoring them' with the scent they associate with the outhouses of the poorest quarters and charnel fields.
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457. Gnorotaun
Gnorotauns are a member of the Ursidae family with a mix of dark-blue, navy, cobalt, ultramarine, and indigo-colored fur across their back, feet, and head, and a mix of light-blue, cyan, turquoise, and sky blue across their stomach and chest, and these creatures have an affinity for manifesting telepathic psionic powers; they are slightly smaller than their bear cousins, usually weighing between 210 to 300 lbs and standing 6.2-6.8 ft tall, or about 3.0-3.3ft at the shoulder while on all-fours. Unlike any other member of the bear family, Gnorotauns produce open-shaped palmate antlers with sharp-pointed ends that are similar to the antlers of a moose, and these antlers can grow to be up to 3-4ft wide; and similarly to deer or moose, Gnorotauns shed their antlers every year during the winter and regrow them in the spring.
Gnorotauns are highly social animals and communicate with each other through a constant psionic Mindlink effect throughout their herd , and while Gnorotauns are omnivorous, this Mindlink effect makes them incredibly proficient predators and allows them to use group tactics efficiently when they hunt prey. They typically eat flowering plants, roots, tubers, grasses, berries, rodents, fish, deer, moose, dire animals, and just about anything else they can get their paws on; however, Gnorotauns are strangely picky eaters insofar as that they will refuse to consume carrion or animals that they didn't kill themselves, nor will they eat berries that have fallen on the ground that they didn't pick themselves. Mindlink isn't the only psionic power they can manifest, as they can also use False Sensory Input to confuse prey (or predators) into believing something that isn't there , and can manifest Empathy to detect the surface emotions of their quarry or potential predators.
Colloquially called "Blue Bears" or "Moose Bears" by commonfolk, Gnorotaun herds are widespread and can be found in every climate except for desert or arid climes; they are notoriously tolerant and inquisitive of humanoids and their settlements, and can oftentimes be seen "scientifically observing" humanoid settlements from a distance. Humanoids who have come across Gnorotaun herds in the wild are never harmed; in fact, the only reported cases that Gnorotauns have ever attacked humanoids have been in self-defense, such as in self-defense against hunters or poachers. There have even been cases where children have been playing in the woods and became lost, and Gnorotaun herds have escorted them back to safety.
Druids may include Gnorotauns in their list of creatures they can use with the wild shape ability, and Gnorotauns can also be used as Animal Companions. .
There is a strange level of intelligence observed in Gnorotauns , and some Great Thinkers and Researchers believe that these animals are on the evolutionary path towards gaining sentience. Some scientifically-minded kingdoms have outlawed the hunting or killing of these creatures due the exhaustive lobbying efforts by the Great Thinkers who earnestly believe that Gnorotauns could evolve sentience in the coming decades.
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458. Paiyannamon Tree
Paiyannamon Trees can grow to about 50-80ft tall, and produce thousands of tiny phosphorescent-green nuts that are similar shape and size as sunflower seeds. Also known as "Doctor's Nuts", these nuts can be consumed purposefully to change the color of one's feces, and then one can diagnose various ailments based on the color of the resultant fecal matter. If your feces become phosphorescently-green, like the same color as the nut, then you're perfectly healthy; but if your feces become phosphorescently yellow, blue, or violet, you may want to consult your physician, or maybe even a cleric. These nuts can help diagnose many different ailments, ranging from low/high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and organ failure, to cancer and heart conditions.
These Paiyannamon Nuts are very beneficial to consume on a regular basis as well, because when the proteins from these nuts are broken down in stomach acid and enter the bloodstream, they bind themselves to the bad proteins and enzymes in one's various organs and blood, and then "wicks out" these bad proteins and enzymes to the lymph nodes, which then becomes removed from the body via urine and feces. So, depending on what kind of bad proteins and enzymes are removed from the various organs and blood determines the color of one's excrement. Ironically, one's urine does not change color during this process, but regardless of the bad proteins and enzymes that are removed, it does cause one's urine to stink-- similar to having stinky urine after consuming asparagus-- except one's urine invariably has a musty "ozone" smell after consuming Paiyannamon Nuts.
Paiyannamon Trees are a species of hickory tree, and almost exclusively grow in warm and hot climates, and can almost always be found in jungles and rainforests. While Paiyannamon Trees are not rare, and there are many Paiyannamon Farms throughout the various countries and continents, Paiyannamon Nuts are high in demand, and one of the most expensive nuts at the market.
459. Polyfruit Bush
This incredible flowering bramble appears similar to that of thorny blackberry bushes, except it has mastered the art of hybridization; it has the extraordinary ability to absorb, mimic, and create the qualities of other fruit from nearby plants into a medley of various fruit qualities. Great Thinkers and Researchers have studied the curious morphology and phylogenetics of this evolutionary wonder for decades, and while this research is quite extensive, they still feel like their research thus far is only the tip of the iceberg.
The gynoecium of each flower on a Polyfruit Bush behaves similar to the stem cells of humanoid infants in utero, and each individual gynoecium can create foreign and complex cellular structures in its ovules by absorbing the nutrients and phylogenetic code of dead fruits that have decayed into the soil near its roots. Once the root of a Polyfruit Bush has absorbed the nutrients and phylogenetic code of a decaying fruit, it gains these fruits' phylogenetic memory, and can then produce a wide array of effects in any fruit the Polyfruit Bush produces in the future. The gynoecium essentially gains the ability to write its own genetic code, and can create anything from coconuts that taste like mangoes, avocados that have smaller seeds like oranges, or even apricots that have dehiscent skin like pumpkins, and oftentimes a mixture of all these things; the amazing fruits this bush can produce are a veritably endless mixture of any various qualities of fruit that its root has previously absorbed, and it seems as though no two fruits are the exact same.
Seemingly, the only limiting factor to these bushes is that they only live for roughly 12-18 years, and unfortunately when a Polyfruit falls off the bush and decays, the decaying Polyfruit does not pass on its phylogenetic memory to other Polyfruit Bushes-- strangely, it can only absorb the phylogenetic memory of non-Polyfruits. Additionally, according to most humanoid settlements, these plants are considered to be a noxious and invasive species, and oftentimes grow out of control and can starve other plants of sunlight and nutrients, as well as overrun fences and pastures, so it is quite common for these settlements to destroy large patches of Polyfruit Bushes before they become too overwhelming.
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460. Dire Sea Star
Just as there are thousands of species of Sea Stars, or colloquially known as Starfish, there are thousands of species of Dire Sea Stars. Normal Sea Stars can be found in every zone of the ocean, from the Intertidal and Epipelagic zones all the way to the deepest zones, the Abyssopelagic and the Hadalpelagic zones, except this is not the case for Dire Sea Stars; these gargantuan-sized creatures range from 40,000lbs to 100,000lbs depending on their species, and typically do not venture into the Mesopelagic or Epipelagic zones (0-1000m deep), and instead exclusively reside in the Bathypelagic, Abyssopelagic, and Hadalpelagic zones (1000m+ deep).
Dire Sea Stars are slow-moving, but they are voracious and insatiable predators that eat just about anything they can come across, which are typically mussels, barnacles, mollusks, anemones, sea cucumbers, sponges, chitons, hydroids, sea urchins, fish eggs, sand dollars, and a wide array of various algae and planktonic organisms. Due to their vast appetite and intrepid hunting habits, Dire Sea Stars keep many of these species in check in terms of preventing overpopulation and are therefore considered a Keystone Species because they literally and figuratively control and give balance to entire ecosystems.
Female Dire Sea Stars only produce eggs once every two years, but are notoriously fecund and can produce up to 250-600 million eggs; these eggs are roughly 6cm-9cm and become dispersed by the oceanic currents as macroplanktonic organisms. There are many creatures that feed on planktonic organisms, so although hundreds of millions of these eggs are produced, only about 10,000 will grow into juveniles, and out of those, roughly 30-100 will reach adulthood. Dire Sea Stars have many predators even once they become juveniles, such as fish, sea turtles, snails, craps, shrimp, otters, and even birds; but once Dire Sea Stars reach adulthood, only other dire animals will attempt to make one into a meal. Just like normal Sea Stars, Dire Sea Stars can expel their stomach and digestive juices outside of their body, and an adult Dire Sea Star's stomach is large enough to completely encapsulate most gargantuan-sized predators; additionally, many species of Dire Sea Stars have venomous thorns, so they have very few predators once they reach adulthood. Depending on the species of Dire Sea Star, these creatures can have anywhere from 5 to 50 arms, and some rare species of Dire Sea Stars even have up to 80 or 100 arms.
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461. Parcottan Goat
This tiny-sized, 5 to 7 lbs goat is most commonly seen as livestock, and is famous for producing some of the most rancid-smelling milk known to humanoid-kind. This milk is simply unpalatable to almost all humanoids due to its foul, seemingly-rotten taste; however when it is acidified, coagulated, and curdled using a mixture of vinegar and lemon juice, it becomes a cream-white chevre with yellow and blue specks commonly called Parcotta, and Parcotta can be found on almost any charcuterie board at the "Stinky Cheese" parties of royalty and the wealthy. Consuming Parcotta is certainly an acquired taste because first-timers describe it as nauseating and revolting, however veteran Parcotta consumers exclaim that it is to die for. Parcottan Goat farmers are not rare, but due to the demand of this chevre being disproportionately influenced by royalty and the wealthy, this chevre is remarkably expensive, and Parcottan Goat farmers are almost always socioeconomically found in the upper middle and rich classes.
Parcottan Goats employ a "safety in numbers" strategy for surviving in the wild and live in herds as large as possible but typically not more than 50-60 goats, and their diet consists of hay, mosses, lichens, shrubs, various grains and nuts, but primarily grass and weeds. They are adept jumpers and cliff climbers, and when running from predators, they are fairly quick and can change direction on a dime; oftentimes their agile darting left and right is enough to cause their would-be predator to slip or simply give up.
Is it small enough to form a goat swarm?
Is it small enough to form a goat swarm?
Yes!
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462. Elfchew- That the leaves of this uncommon flowering plant could be used as a mildly caffinated antidiuretic was originally discovered by a rather famous half elf spy, who used it to accentuate the abilities granted to him by his elven heritage to stay active in the field for greater lengths of time than average. The spy, whose name has been lost to time, forestalled at least one invasion thanks to this substance, and it is regularly used by all who seek to get a few more active hours out of the day with less bathroom breaks, from night watchmen to apprentice wizards. The only side effect is that it thickens what fluids remain, giving a habitual user a perpetually dry mouth and slightly swollen tongue, leading to an odd accent when speaking all languages other than elvish. Elves claim that this is not true, however, and that they can pick out a habitual user of elfchew(which they call fool's watch) as easily as they can pick out someone who is speaking elvish as a second language(which is to say, any non-elf).
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463. Dire Tea- This extremely rare herb is most often dried and turned into a tea is considered a controlled substance in many kingsoms for its unique, non magical ability to make those who ingest it to increase in size. While it does not cause one to go up a size category, it does make one look considerably different upon normal visual and even tactile inspection. In game terms it provides +8 bonus to Disguise checks, and due to its nonmagical nature is prized by all manner of spies. In some areas even possessing it is enough to be arrested, never mind selling it. The only known side effect is the painful wasting that it causes within a few hours of ingesting, leading some ambitious but low ranking folks in the field of counterintelligence to linger near the privy in their attempts to sniff out a rat and thereby get a promotion.
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24 days since my last post here? Unacceptable!
464. Skin Mites
The halfling wizard Areela has some controversial contributions to lore, thanks to her Calistrian-influenced maxim of 'two truthes, one lie' which motivated her to create fanciful deceptions, in the middle of tomes of useful and accurate lore. She is known to have claimed the creation of the lens of minute detection (later refined into the eye-cusps of the same name), but, in later centuries, her penchant for unreliable narration has put that claim into question. The earliest versions of those lenses, singular crystals, sometimes in a bronze holder, were enchanted to reveal not only tiny vistas, but also fantastic creatures that she called skin mites, resembling fey mites, but vastly smaller, and who used similar vermin-taming skills to use the lice infesting humanoid bodies as beasts of burden and livestock. She wrote an entire treatise on these tiny creatures she'd discovered, as well as fanciful tales of her adventures among them, when she shrank herself down and travelled among them, to be worshipped as a goddess by these simple folk.
Other scholars accepted her addition to the lore without incident, as she was the producer of the currently-used lenses of minute seeing, and all of them had been enspelled to beguile their users into seeing these tiny creatures, apparently confirming her tales. Only later was it determined that the lenses where 'flawed,' and the newer cusps created, which did not reveal these tiny creatures...
Still, some conspiratorially-minded folk have claimed over the years that it is the new cusps that are enchanted, to instead *conceal* the existence of these miniscule and secretive folk!
Skin mites. As fey they are naturally invisible. Do her lenses and cusps reveal other tiny sprites?
It's got a ghoul's treasure type X1,000 in it's gut but unless it swallowed a large ring gate, good luck getting to it.
465. Cheops Tortoise
Very cool :) These kinda remind me of Lion Turtles from ATLA/LOK
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466. Chipaqui
This constantly-migrating, fist-sized member of the junglefowl family usually weighs between 1 to 3 lbs and are always found in large colonies (called Prides) of 20,000 or more Chipaqui. Both the male and female Chipaqui have deep red, orange, and purple tail feathers that appear slightly like a peacock's tail feathers, except the eye of each feather continually vibrates and releases negative electrons, generating a wide but mild electromagnetic field. Unlike peacocks, Chipaqui do not use their tail feathers for attracting mates, but rather they use it as an "emotional food source", of sorts; when Chipaqui are in large Prides of 20,000 or more, they collectively create an intense electromagnetic field strong enough to temporarily realign the earth's telluric currents to form "pseudo ley lines", and these strange ley lines inexplicably produce hedonic energy that can influence mood and mental health by affecting one's hormones, neurotransmitters such as dopamine, and other stimuli that can even cure those who suffer from anhedonia. Great Thinkers have studied these creatures ad nauseum, and there still seems to be no consensus; the prevailing theory is that these temporarily realigned telluric currents somehow create ley lines that emulate a Waves of Ecstasy spell, however this theory is easily rebuttable because the level of pleasure experienced isn't even close to the intensity of the spell; some even believe that this effect could be chakra-related. Ostensibly though, the jury is still out on explaining this phenomenon.
Chipaqui are normally foul-tempered, emotional creatures and subject to mood swings, but they do not like to feel this way, and as such are constantly migrating to realign telluric currents so that they can bask in their newly-created ley lines. These ley lines can last anywhere from 4-8 days after the Chipaqui have realigned a telluric current, depending on how big the Pride is, and the largest recorded Pride was estimated at over 140,000 Chipaqui.
When these massive Prides migrate near humanoid settlements, it is quite common for people to bask in the wake of these creatures for several hours, if not days. Those who have experienced being in a hedonic ley line have reported feeling mild euphoria, boosted mood, and having strong positive valences, such feelings of happiness and joy. If someone basks in a ley line created by a Pride of Chipaqui for a minimum of 1 hour, they may increase any Morale bonus they are benefiting from by +1 for one week.
Chipaqui are omnivorous, and typically eat fruits, insects, vegetables, seeds, grain, and even carrion. They can be found in Prides all over the world in almost every clime except cold and snowy environments.
Sadly, if a Chipaqui gets separated from its Pride, it only lasts about a week before its emotions begin to overwhelm and unravel their mind. Once the madness sets in, they become confused and berserk, oftentimes taking harmful or suicidal steps in what it believes will help it rendezvous with its Pride. Due to this grave need to be in a Pride large enough to realign telluric currents, these creatures cannot be familiars, nor pets.
467. Driftweed
Driftweed is actually a species of kelp, and grows from the bottom of the ocean floor until it reaches the surface of the water. Once it has reached the surface, it purposefully detaches from its root and begins to drift throughout the ocean, while the root produces a new stalk of kelp. Driftweed is an absolute nuisance for seafarers and boat owners because it clogs up rudders, anchors, and just about anything else that has moving parts. However, seafarers both hate and love Driftweed, because one day it is a nuisance, but the next day it could be their salvation. Driftweed has two redeeming qualities: 1) it can be dried in the sun and then chopped, diced, and rolled into cigars and cigarillos and smoked like tobacco, and while this salty-tasting tobacco-substitute is not for the faint of heart, it can be used to stave off the jonesing for tobacco if a deckhand forgets to replenish his tobacco stores while at port, and 2) it is extremely buoyant, readily available throughout the ocean, and can be woven together with other stalks of Driftweed as a "poorman's flotation device", emulating a raft as if cast by a Flotsam Vessel spell. Like the Flotsam Vessel spell, each 5-foot section of the raft can carry two medium passengers or 300 lbs of cargo. Many seafarers owe their lives to this buoyant plant after falling overboard in storms, and then fashion crude rafts that can bring them back to civilization or keep them afloat long enough to be found by passing ships.
This buoyancy effect is an extraordinary ability, but a raft created in this way does not benefit from this clause in the Flotsam Vessel spell: "The vessel functions as a normal raft, except it is not slowed or damaged by non-magical river hazards such as rapids or shallows, and it is always considered to be traveling downstream for the purpose of calculating travel speed, regardless of its actual direction." The raft can be slowed or damaged by non-magical river hazards normally, and it is never considered to be traveling downstream (unless it actually is traveling downstream).
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468. Laurellar Rock Fern
This humble-looking fern has lush dark-green foliage and fronds that grow to roughly 36"-45", and usually grows best in forests that experience yearly rainfall under 45 inches of rain and with forest canopies that provide partial or full shade. While this fern might be easily passed by any untrained trail-walker, survivalists and wilderness experts know this fern has wonderful healing properties , and can act as Gladiator's Gauze when wrapped around a wound that is bleeding or gushing. The leaves of the Laurellar Rock Fern have the extraordinary, nigh-magical quality of absorbing blood and forming instant clotting and coagulation of the most grievous wounds, instantly ending any bleed effect, and can even stabilize creatures under 0 HP that are bleeding out and dying. Sometimes when survivalists encounter this fern, they clip a couple of the fronds at the base and store them for later use in the event of an emergency; these fronds can be safely kept for up to 72 hours before they begin to dry out and die, and once they begin to dry out and die, they lose the ability to treat wounds in this way.
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469. Barbarian Bark- This palm-like tree grows in humid to tropical environments and is a godsend for anyone lost in the area, for its bark is not just edible- being very pulpy and tasting strongly of pemmican of all things- it is quite nutritious. Druids and rangers love the tree for it only provides its bounty when fed upon directly and withers and dies should any attempt be made to replant saplings or otherwise be domesticated.
Impoverished backwoods folk tend know where copses of the trees can be found, but most city folk, particularly the "refined" ones who gave the tree its name, find the trees incredibly unsightly, as they are associated with grungy travelers madly gnawing on a tree seeking nourishment.
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I need to get back on track!
470. Aurora Crane
The Aurora Crane is a long-legged and long-necked wading bird from the Antigone genera that is well-known for its unusually-colored feathers and plumage and its extremely high-altitude migratory behavior. These cranes have evolved to have a 6-chambered heart that runs three separate and independent cardiovascular and circulatory systems, and these 6-chambers allow for complete separation of oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood, as well as "nitrogenated/oxygenated" blood; so in layman's terms, these creatures breath normal air (nitrogen and oxygen) in the troposphere, as well as ozone (O^3) and nitrogen (N^2) in the Stratosphere and Mesosphere during their high-altitude migrations. However, when Aurora Cranes convert ozone (O^3) into oxygen (O^2) that can enter their blood, their bodies create a naturally occurring form of dinitrogen monoxide (N^2 O) in the veins of their third "nitrogenated/oxygenated" circulatory system when the nitrogen (N^2) bonds with this free oxygen atom. Inappropriately, people colloquially call these creatures "Glass Cranes" due to their apparent similarity to Glass Falcons, except while Glass Falcons are truly translucent and their organs can be seen, this is not the case for Aurora Cranes. Aurora Cranes' feathers do seem to appear translucent but this is merely an optical illusion because they are indeed opaque. But, due to their high-altitude migrations, when charged particles from the sun irradiate these cranes, the electrons of the dinitrogen monoxide molecules move to a "high-energy state", but when these birds descend back into the Troposphere, these electrons return to a "low-energy state", thus releasing photons of light, and ultimately causing their feathers and plumage to take on an appearance of the fluorescent multicolored hues identical to the phenomenon known as the Aurora Borealis, and can range from fluorescently violet, blue, and green, to pink, red, and orange.
It is estimated by some Great Thinkers and Researchers that Aurora Cranes can reach altitudes of 80-90km above sea level during their migrations, while some others believe that they can reach up to 120km in the Thermosphere, where the air can reach cold temperatures between -85 degrees C and -100 degrees C. Their ability to survive these frigid temperatures is still a mystery; but the prevailing theory is that their feathers somehow react to the sun's radiation to somehow provide the necessary body temperature regulation. Some have even proffered theories that Aurora Cranes are descendants of white or silver dragons and that they are simply immune to these freezing temperatures.
Nevertheless, these cranes have cosmopolitan distribution around the world due to their iconic migration habits and can be found on every continent. Socially, these creatures are gregarious, so they are most commonly seen in large flocks. Aurora Cranes change their diets according to the season and continent they're currently residing in, but always steer toward eating small rodents, fish, eggs of any fowl, frogs, various lizards, insects, grains, and fruits, and will typically nest and lay eggs 4 times per year, usually near wading ponds and shallow pools of water. When fully grown, Aurora Cranes are roughly 25-35lbs.
471. Moon Mustard
This mustard plant has ghost-white flowers that glow bright white, but only during a full moon. Strangely, Crescent and Gibbous moons do not cause these flowers to glow. While standing in fields full of Moon Mustard plants during a full moon, the amount of light that is generated by these flowers is strong enough to cause immense light pollution so that even the stars cannot be seen. Just like other mustard plants, the seeds and leaves of these plants are edible, the seeds can be grinded into mustard oil and mixed with water and vinegar to produce spicy mustard sauces.
472. Silk Ophantro
This co-dependent/mutualistic annual herb of the coriander family produces long strands of protein fibers that are similar to silk which wave in the wind until they can attach to something near, and these "silk strands" act as a funnel for rainwater collection, but also as a natural defense against airborne insects. Also known as "Webbed Dhania" or shortened even further to "Web-dhania", when Silk Ophantro is fully matured and the silk strands are long enough to attach to nearby trees, rocks, or plants, the various strands of silk are highly reminiscent of a spider's web. Silk Ophantro exclusively inhabits deserts, which is why rainwater collection is so important to its survival, but this plant was domesticated long ago and is harvested annually to create highly sought-after textiles that are lightweight and smooth.
473. Twilight Hemp
Also known as "Vampire Hemp", Twilight Hemp is one of the fastest growing plants known, and is aptly named for its entire life cycle being contingent upon receiving extremely low amount of light without actually being in direct sunlight, as direct exposure to sunlight instantly causes it to wither, die, and become unharvestable, and depending on where a particular Twilight Hemp plant is located on the earth determines how fast it grows and dies. It germinates from a seed and grows to roughly 5-8ft tall, reaches sexual maturity, reproduces, and dies all within however long it is exposed to twilight. Near the poles its life cycle could last for weeks, but near the equator, miraculously, Twilight Hemp can grow to 5-8ft tall and go through its entire life cycle in as little as 20 minutes.
In order to successfully harvest Twilight Hemp, one must let it grow as much as possible and then expose the plant to perfect darkness-- only then can the plant reach full maturity and die without being destroyed or withered by sunlight. As one could imagine, Twilight Hemp is extremely difficult to harvest, so it is performed in specially-crafted "blackout" greenhouses that can have their clear walls completely blackened out in an instant just as the sun comes over the horizon.
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474:Atomic berry
This thorny bush bears clusters of fruit that look like atom models. The plant contains a chemical that turns excess radiation into more of the chemical. Eating the fruit will prevent creatures with the atomic bomb defect from detonating. It's a natural source of the substance that was used to revive Godzilla(tm).
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475. Rock Wasp
Rock Wasps are one of the largest wasps in the world and typically live near riverbeds that have an abundance of rocks. They are roughly 1.75 to 2.5 inches long and have a stinger that is usually between 4-7mm long, and are thankfully not aggressive to humanoids unless provoked. These wasps build their hives almost like a burrow or a warren that is above ground, but its comprised entirely of river rocks that they've rolled into place to form a veritable labyrinth of chambers and pathways; while their hives are only as tall as the rocks they've rolled into place, they are rather expansive in length and width, and it is not uncommon for Rock Wasps to create hives that are as large as several football fields along the sides of rivers. And while Rock Wasps are generally not aggressive, the appearance of their hives are nearly indistinguishable from a standard rock bed near a river, so this often puts them into conflict with hikers, fishermen, and other river-goers, especially children. Their poison isn't fatal to humanoids, but it is quite painful; it has been described as an equivalent pain level of being struck with a Jolt spell.
Some hives of Rock Wasps have purposely diverted rivers to prevent their hives from being submerged when the snows melt and the river runs high; they've also been witnessed damming rivers with rocks in order to change the pathing of rivers simply to gain more real estate for their hives as well.
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476. Will 'o Wimps- These glowing, floating, puffballs look very much like Will o' Wisps, and behave like them under most circumstances, including being attracted to and somewhat enhancing fear, save that they do not not possess any of the other abilities of a will o' wisp. They are actually the fertilized seeds of a marsh plant that is often found in company of will o wisp, and are harmless otherwise. It is incredibly difficult to tell will o wimps apart form will o wisps solely upon the initial encounter. Any secondary encounters with them, even if that person had still never seen a will o wisp before then, will result in the viewer seeing them as a pale imitation of the far more dangerous creature. Most will insult the puffball(which resulted in its name) even if they were truly horrified during the original encounter. Wizards and the like theorize that these puffballs have the ability to sense and even slightly enhance fear, although not create it outright. Some druids believe that these plans manifested naturally alongside Will o Wisps and use their ability to track and somehow enhance fear to spread their seeds far and wide via those unfortunate enough to encounter them.
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477. Succubloods-- These smallish, very dark green succulent plants grow in strange, small bushels and reproduce through unknown means- literally appearing overnight, it seems- primarily in suburban areas. They are quite normal in all ways save for their incredibly sharp, hollow needles which pierce skin quite easily and are angled so that something pricked by them will bleed directly into these needles, nourishing the plant. As they are succulents, they do not require much blood to live, 1 or 2 feedings ta week to keep them alive; 3 to 4 piercings a week would keep them quite healthyl anything more would have the plant become quite lush. If they are broken open by someone wearing heavy/thick gloves, they do have a blood based aloe-like jelly at their center that is quite normal for a succulent. They are quite popular with both nasty little old ladies looking to keep household pets roaming the neighborhood looking for a place to relieve themselves away from their private gardens, older men looking to keep younger folks off of their freshly manicured lawns, and all manner of "goth" folks, who are known to nourish these plants with their own blood before giving it to a sweetheart. On Golarion, in Kuthite influenced lands, gentle folk of the evening use them as similar folk in our world use red lamps.
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478. Rotbane Cap
This yellowish-orange and brown-capped mushroom can typically be found in fens, bogs, marshes, quagmires, everglades, and various swamplands, and is a godsend for those who have been afflicted with diseases while traversing the wilderness. Consuming as little as 4oz. of these mushrooms can suppress any disease effects similar to a Delay Disease spell for 24 hours, so this can give one the necessary time to reach civilization and find a cleric or a healer. Consuming up to 6oz of these mushrooms not only provides the effect of a Delay Disease spell for 24 hours, but also suppresses any nausea or sickened effects for 24 hours, but additionally allows the imbiber a new Fortitude check with a +4 Alchemical bonus to save against any disease, nausea, or sickened effects they may be suffering from, as if under the effects of a Remove Sickness spell . These mushrooms are quite tiny compared to other mushrooms, and typically are found on the inside of dead, hollowed-out logs or bark husks, thus they can sometimes be hard to find. Finding 4oz. of these mushrooms is a Survival DC: 13 check that takes roughly 4 hours of searching; increase the amount of mushrooms found by 1 ounce for every 1 that the DC: 13 is defeated during the 4 hours of this Survival check.
479. Heatherweed
When volcanos erupt, they typically obliterate all plantlife in a given area due to the intense heat. Heatherweed is named for its ashy, charcoal-colored grass, and it is a nutrient-dense grass that is typically one of the first forms of plantlife that grows in the first few years after volcanic lava and ash eruptions. It is highly sought after by farmers who have meat-producing grazing livestock such as cows, pigs, goats, and sheep. Not only does it provide a plethora of health benefits to the animal, but it also changes the flavor of the meat to have a naturally desirable "smoke-y" taste; these cuts of meat are known as "Heathered Cuts" or "Heathered Meat", and the farmer can charge a premium for these cuts of meat.
480. Qeline Mollusk
While there are nearly 100,000 species of mollusks, the Qeline Mollusk stands alone from the rest because of the incredible pearls it produces. Also known as "Mind Pearls" or "Stygian Pearls", these Qeline Pearls have a super-saturated color (similar to Stygian Colors) that is also comprised of several different wavelengths of colors (similar to Magenta being a combination of Violet at 400nm and Red at 700nm). So, no one knows the true color of a Qeline Pearl; its color appears differently to each viewer. Due to this color being super-saturated, a viewer must first focus on a black sheet of parchment for 30 seconds, and then quickly look at the pearl in contrast to the color black. Only then will the viewer be able to truly ascertain what color it appears to them. After a viewer stares at the black parchment for 30 seconds and then quickly observes the Qeline Pearl, the pearl may appear red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, or any color within the spectrum.
Researchers have studied this phenomenon and have accurately postulated that the color which a viewer sees acts as a sort of Rorschach Test for their mood and mental health. Some prophets and fortune tellers swear that these pearls can also be used to divine the viewer's future, although this claim has no legitimate scientific merit.
481. Saint Beatrice's Blessing
Named after Saint Beatrice the Broken over 300 years ago, who was posthumously awarded sainthood after being wrongly convicted for creating and spreading a deadly plague and subsequently executed by drawing and quartering, this brightly chartreuse-colored foxglove inexplicably began growing atop her gravesite as a never-before-seen species of flower. She was savagely tortured into a false confession, and after her death, Saint Beatrice was not only proven innocent by private investigators, but in fact these investigators proved that her actions prevented the spread of the plague, and that she saved hundreds if not thousands of lives; and the real culprits and those involved with her false confession were punished accordingly. Today, Beatrice's Blessing paints countrysides and meadows in temperate climates on several continents, and can be used by alchemists and herbologists as a primary reagent in creating various restorative and protective tinctures and tonics; namely potions of Lesser Restoration and Cure Moderate Wounds, as well as potions of Protection against Law/Evil.
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482. Giant Widow Slug
The female Giant Widow Slug is a gargantuan-sized creature that weighs between 20-24 tons and can grow to be 35 to 45 feet long, while the male Giant Widow Slug only grows to be a huge-sized creature, and is roughly 4-5 tons and 18ft to 20ft long. Some Great Thinkers believe that genetic material from the black widow spider found its way into this creature's evolutionary path somehow, because their coloring and mating habits are nearly-identical. Not only do Giant Widow Slugs have a glossy and shiny, jet-black color all across their body, but they also have an orange or red hourglass marking on the center of their mantle (just behind their head); this is only a slight difference from black widow spiders, as the hourglass marking appears on the underside of the abdomen. Furthermore, just like the female black widow spider, the female Giant Widow Slug engages in the practice of sexual cannibalism, and this practice is believed to be due to its motherly instinct to promote the survival of its offspring, and usually produces around 40-50 eggs per mating season. The way in which the female Giant Widow Slug kills the male is truly gruesome; once the mating has finished, she wraps around the male similar to a constricting snake and squeezes the male until his insides are violently and explosively expelled from its body, and then she consumes his innards.
While black widow spiders and Giant Widow Slugs are highly similar, their diet is vastly different, because Giant Widow Slugs eat absolutely everything. They're omnivorous as well as detritivorous, so they will consume animals, plants, or even the decaying waste from plants or animals, such as rotting vegetation, carrion, or animal fecal matter; there is hardly anything that the Giant Widow Slug doesn't consider a meal. These creatures have a strange sleeping cycle as if they have no circadian rhythm, and typically sleep 16-20 hours and then are awake for the next 30-36 hours and then sleep again, so they are diurnal, crepuscular, and nocturnal predators simply because of this vacillating schedule, and whenever they are awake they're busy eating anything in their path.
Adventurers and pathfinders rarely find these creatures to be a nuisance because they're extremely slow, and only move 10ft per round. However, it is well known that one must not touch a Giant Widow Slug due to its potent poisonous mucus that coats its entire body. Although, after a Giant Widow Slug has left the area, it’s quite easy to harvest this poisonous mucus from their slime trail with appropriate gloves and protective sleeving, and then store it in vials and bottles that can be later used to coat weapons, arrows, or darts.
Giant Widow Slug Poison:
Contact or Injury; save Fort DC 17; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d3 Con and staggered; cure 2 saves.
483. Teacup Panda
Teacup Pandas are exactly like a normal panda and their fur is black and white, except they're tiny-sized creatures that are only 5-8 lbs. They are omnivorous creatures, but their diet primarily consists of leaves, stems, and shoots of various trees and plants, as well as insects, arachnids, mice, and eggs, or just about any small creature it can get its tiny paws on; Teacup Pandas are rather quick and proficient climbers and swimmers, so small fish and lizards are also on the menu. Unlike their larger panda cousins, Teacup Pandas do not eat bamboo; this reason isn't because they wouldn't like bamboo, it's merely because their mouths are too small and jaws lack the necessary crushing power. As a defense mechanism against predators due to their tiny size, Teacup Pandas are naturally social creatures; a group of pandas is called an "embarrassment" of pandas, but a group of Teacup Pandas is known as an "ascension". Ascensions can range from 80 to 300 Teacup Pandas in the wild, and typically favor habitats with temperate weather, rivers, and lots of foliage.
Teacup Pandas make excellent familiars for those who are diplomatically-minded because frankly these creatures are adorable; as such, they naturally provide their master with an unofficial role of being good conversation starters and approachable at dinner parties. Women and children notoriously swoon and become giddy when a Teacup Panda is being scritch-scratched or cuddled because they purr similarly to kittens and bear cubs.
484. Hollerberry
Captains and sergeants have long used Hollerberries on the battlefield for conveying their precise commands over the cacophonous noise of combat in order to efficiently move or reposition troops to gain or defend a flanking position, or to order their troops to perform strategic charges and retreats as the battlescape changes. Hollerberries grow on thorny brambling vines that are similar to sticker bushes, and eating a single berry provides a similar effect as a Clarion Call spell, except it only lasts for a maximum of 10 minutes and it lowers the DC of any Perception check to hear you speak by -20 or the DC to hear you yell by -40. By most other estimations, an imbiber’s voice for both speaking and yelling is generally increased to being the same as 6 to 8 humanoids. These berries are also used by mischievous pranksters who sneak up on unsuspecting, distracted friends, or by search parties to find missing children in forests, or even to frighten off predatory animals while hiking alone in the wilderness, or just about any other situation where being extremely loud is a benefit.
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485. Dirigible Lily Flower
Just like other water lily plants, the Dirigible Lily Flower takes root in soil at the bottom of lakes, ponds, and other bodies of water, except the stems of the flower and the lily pads continue to grow even after they've reached the surface of the water. The stems and lily pads of the Dirigible Lily Flower are hollow, and its root is able to create a naturally occurring form of Helium that fills them; at first glance, one might believe that these lilypads and stems are insouciantly float in the wind. In reality, these plants viciously crave maximum amount of sunlight as possible, and they are in constant state of sabotage and competition with other nearby Dirigible Lily Flowers, as well as other nearby plants and trees, to be the tallest plant in the area in order to maximize its own photosynthesis. Instinctively, Dirigible Lilies will attempt to "wrap" themselves around other nearby plants and nearby Dirigible Lilies in order to prevent that plant's growth by holding it down or simply blocking how much sunlight that plant can receive, but also to promote its own stability as an anchor point.
Dirigible Lilies that cannot get adequate sunlight due to being blocked by other Dirigible Lilies eventually give up or stop growing, and enter a state of "homeostasis" or a "survival mode", and use what little sunlight it can get simply for "maintenance nourishment' rather than continuing to grow. What this ends up creating is a veritable stairwell-like structure of floating lilypads, stems, and flowers leading to the top of the tallest tree nearby; or if they are no trees nearby, such as if these lilypads are in the middle of a lake, the structure that forms almost looks like a "mountain" or a "pyramid" of floating lilies in the middle of the lake that are all competing to be the tallest lily. Many times, people don't even bother cutting these down, because even though they can be a nuisance, they are aesthetically pleasing to behold and it can be fun to take a small boat into the center of these floating structures and relax inside for a while.
Some of the structures that are created by large groups of Dirigible Lily Flowers can range from pyramids and mountains to helixes and spires, or even a chaotic mess with no discernable shape at all.
485. Dirigible Lily Flower
The stems and lily pads of the Dirigible Lily Flower are hollow, and its root is able to create a naturally occurring form of Helium that fills them; at first glance, one might believe that these lilypads and stems are insouciantly
floatin the wind.
Oops, that’s supposed to be *floating
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481. Saint Beatrice's Blessing
Named after Saint Beatrice the Broken over 300 years ago, who was posthumously awarded sainthood after being wrongly convicted for creating and spreading a deadly plague and subsequently executed by drawing and quartering, this brightly chartreuse-colored foxglove inexplicably began growing atop her gravesite as a never-before-seen species of flower. She was savagely tortured into a false confession, and after her death, Saint Beatrice was not only proven innocent by private investigators, but in fact these investigators proved that her actions prevented the spread of the plague, and that she saved hundreds if not thousands of lives; and the real culprits and those involved with her false confession were punished accordingly. Today, Beatrice's Blessing paints countrysides and meadows in temperate climates on several continents, and can be used by alchemists and herbologists as a primary reagent in creating various restorative and protective tinctures and tonics; namely potions of Lesser Restoration and Cure Moderate Wounds, as well as potions of Protection against Law/Evil.
This is awesome.
486:A blue flower, but the roots beneath, Is potato.
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487. Shimisum
This quasi-real phragmite is a reed grass that grows exclusively in wetlands and peatlands, and grows best when its roots are entirely submerged in shallow pools of water while the majority of its sheath and leaves are flailing in the wind. Shimisums are "quasi-real", meaning that they both occupy and do not occupy physical space in the material plane. Rather than appearing like a green reed or grass, the Shimisum's root, sheath, and nodes seem to be a comprised of other-planar air and water, and appears like "wispy, airy mist in the shape of a reed grass", except it cannot be touched by corporeal beings. Even more strangely, these reeds sway, bend, and move with the wind, and can even be uprooted or destroyed by strong enough windstorms.
While many have proffered theories as to why the Shimisum acts in this way, such as possibly having ties to both the plane of air and the plane of water, or that this plant's molecules have some strange way of passing through other solid objects, no one is truly certain how or why. Currently, the plant has no uses other than to inspire curiosity and be aesthetically pleasing to watch fields of these reeds bend and sway in the wind. They can grow to be roughly 20ft or 6m tall, and are considered an invasive species due to having no natural predators and reproducing fairly quickly. Humanoid settlements that have had encroaching fields of Shimisum have found that it is only possible to kill the plant by digging up the dirt where it's "other-planar" rhizome has taken root, and then transplant the dirt pile to an area that is not submerged in water, otherwise it simply re-roots itself.
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488. Swamp Snot Looking very much like a swamp leather flower of unusual size(measuring 10 inches across on average), these flowering ivys need copious amounts of water to survive, but those who harvest the flowers note that the petals are incredibly slick, producing a mucus-like "sweat" upon being removed from the flower itself. This viscous fluid is cool to the touch, odorless, colorless, mildly hydrophobic, and sticks to nearly everything it touches. This makes it a boon for any looking for a lubricant; it also has very mild coolant properties. Coopers and wheelwrights in swampy, humid enviornments swear by it, some hedge mages in those enviornments use small pieces as a material component for web spells. Some particularly crude druids, rangers and similar folk living off the land use swamp snot leaves to wrap frog, snake, and similar swamp-based proteins for later consumption, sometimes not bothering to kill them first as the properties of swamp snot will smother the creature within given time. In the language of flowers in most lands, swamp snot is almost as dire an insult as gigglecups, unless someone is from a desert enviornment, in which it is an indication that one is incredibly wealthy, as people from there will pay vast sums for even a single blossom.
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489:Dream Bunnies These quasi real creatures were noticed first in dreams. Researchers found that delusional patients (and only them) saw these creatures in the waking world. Despite their unreal nature, they love to eat Shimisum. Rice farmers have started hiring "bunny whisperers" to wander their fields putting an end to their weed problem. They are much like normal rabbits except they are great swimmers, strange colors that artists have a hard time capturing, and just touching one can drive you insane. DC20 willsave. Worse still, they have been known to attract both phase and leng spiders.
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450. Reaper Rasp These purple and white flowering weeds are sacred to priests of gods of death and time, as when they are harvested and ground into a powder that is specially dried and burned in censers or, more potently, in unique cigarillos, they allow the individual who inhales enough of the smoke to feel the passage of time incredibly accurately- down to the minute- even as they reduce the smoker's voice to a characteristic gravelly whisper. While this is an effect often associated with more pleasurable dried herbs, reaper rasp does not offer any pleasant feelings, although those who are obsessed with time and timetables sometimes report a very mild euphoria when their senses with respect to time sharpen. Aside from acolytes of said gods, reaper rasp is often used by town wags, who are able to provide an accurate time of day with respect to when they saw the latest gossip happen, and with some members of the city watch, who use the substance to assist them in writing reports on what they observed; these last are often called "reapers" pejoratively by their fellow officers as "reapers" are usually watching the action go down instead of actually taking part in it.
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451. Thundercrows These otherwise mundane crows do not caw, but instead let out peals of distant thunder. They are despised by priests of weather gods strangely, as they are seen as something of false harbingers of rain that might be needed by the community.