Nightmares
Nightmares are carnivorous nocturnal humanoids that hibernate during the day in caverns and hunt at night. According to Abian folktales, they are not born naturally, but “created from darkness and despair” by demons (possibly alluding to Ahriman). Oddly, nightmares are dispersed around Adarus and are not particularly native to any region. While minor evidence of migratory patterns have been found by Odysseus xenobioligists, they have only alluded to long-term tailing of prey: primarily human or chimera. Put simply: they follow their food.
Fast, agile, and quiet when stalking their prey, nightmares are fearsome creatures. They are commanded by an insatiable appetite for flesh and will ignore most small animals in favor of larger prey. Humans are a delicacy to them. While their bite and claws may be powerful, their thin frame is fragile. A nightmare isn’t difficult to take down at range, but close-quarters engagement is not advised. Furthermore, light is necessary for surviving the night in areas where nightmares are common. Sunlight, and even artificial light, causes them pain, most likely due to a response in their nervous system that induces heightened levels of sensory perception beyond a low tolerable threshold. While nightmares can stand some luminosity, such as moonlight or candlelight, intense and focused light levels will have an impact. UV has the greatest effect.
To ward off stalking nightmares after sunset, Argos Base’s walls are equipped with powerful UV lamps that illuminate the exterior perimeter.
Basic Information
Genetics and Reproduction
It is not yet known how nightmares reproduce, and this is one of the primary obstacles to providing an exact Linnaean classification for their species. While they possess relatively flat-faced skulls and three-dimensional vision, a pre-requisite for hominids, they lack upright posture depsite having four limbs, and dissection has not revealed mammary glands; thus, they would not technically fall within the mammal class. They would, however, still be chordates, as they possess a backbone. At the same time, there is no biological evidence to suggest other forms of natural reproduction, no wombs, no discernable genders, no egg sacks...
Xenobiologists have not ruled out artificial genesis, though. If nightmares can be traced back to the Era of Dreams, it's within the realm of possibility that the ancient chimeras had the technology to create organisms such as these.
Ecology and Habitats
Nightmares are nocturnal creatures, but likely not by choice. Since they are vulnerable to intense light (sunlight especially), they wait underground or in areas shrouded in darkness. A den of nightmares serves no other purpose than basic, necessary shelter. They need no bedding, so they don't take materials from the environment to build nests. And since they don't appear to reproduce, it is not certain if they leave any members of a pack behind to guard whatever cave or ruins they've claimed as their shelter.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Nightmares are purely sanguivorous creatures, meaning they require and sustain themselves from blood. This is also known as hematophagy. While there are plenty of examples of hematophagous fish and mammals (lampreys, vampire bats, the Tristan thrush), none of them compare to the viciousness of the nightmares and their particular obsession with Adarus' humans and chimeras. The creatures use their sharp incisor teeth to penetrate their prey's skin and vascular structures (phlebotomy) and feed through sucking. In order to prevent vasoconstriction, an anesthetic chemical and capilary dialetic is present in the nightmare's saliva.
Punctuating their threat level, once a nightmare bites into its prey, it does not relent until it has drained enough blood to incapacitate (and often kill) the victim.
by Unknown
Scientific Name
Not Yet Available
Origin/Ancestry
Unknown
