Monsters
"Monster" is a blanket term applied to a great variety of entities that are not quite animals, but not quite capable of more. Monsters are almost like animals; they are technically sentient, but they are not civilized and cannot innovate - they’re feral and savage, more instinctive than critical, and they either like it that way or they simply cannot help themselves.
Monsters range wildly in danger level, all the way from pathetic nuisances to god-like beings with cataclysmic power. The less powerful they are, the more widespread and common they tend to be, even to the point of being as common as wildlife if not more.
Goblins are the common example for the difference between monsters and Kin; they have a sort of mental block that keeps them from being able to innovate or engineer things, so they often steal tools that they need and watch others carefully for processes that they can replicate to achieve desired results.
As for the forms that monsters take, the limit is one's imagination. There are big monsters and small monsters, monsters with six legs or just two, monsters that look like a blend of two different animals, and monsters that look entirely alien. A good number of the monsters in this bestiary are drawn from common folklore and other familiar sources, so if you've heard of it, it's entirely possible that a version of it exists on Aelladore.
Spawning
Monsters do not usually reproduce like normal living beings either - they simply "spawn" in the same general area at varying intervals of time. If one kills a monster, they can be sure that another just like it will appear back in the place it came from - a few days from now, or weeks, or months, years, decades, etc. - as long as that place remains unchanged.
Usually, there are ways to dramatically alter a monster-infested "dungeon" so as to try and prevent monster spawning. Usually, however, that merely changes what types of monsters spawn there from then on. At least it takes a while for this change to take effect.
Limbo
A popular theory on monsters exists, backed up by the story of two goblins who were active during two different time periods. It is said that both of these goblins were one of the Conqueror's Chosen in their time, and that they both were mildly successful in uniting the goblin tribes and taking them to war against the Kin of the world.
What is most intriguing is that accounts of these two goblins match their personalities, mannerisms, and other individualistic traits as being very, very similar. Uncannily similar.
But that would mean that monsters - or goblins, at least - were the product of the same soul, trapped in an endless cycle of spawn, survival, death, and respawn; forced to meet the world over and over as an antagonist and inevitably growing bitter, with a deep-seated animosity toward Kin in general whether they know why they feel that way or not.
It's just a theory... Right?
Metamorphosis
Should a monster continue to survive and even thrive - defeating any opponents who come their way, building up their lairs, and interacting positively or negatively with other creatures - they will eventually begin to change and evolve, adopting new roles or forms that tend to give them a significant power boost. A new name, new abilities, and a new potential to lord their advantages over other monsters makes these creatures more deadly than ever.
Adventurers
For many of the reasons above, the need for people who can reliably take care of monsters and find ways to clear dungeons or simply keep these unique threats away from civilization became a strong need rather quickly, giving rise to adventurers.
Monsters range wildly in danger level, all the way from pathetic nuisances to god-like beings with cataclysmic power. The less powerful they are, the more widespread and common they tend to be, even to the point of being as common as wildlife if not more.
Goblins are the common example for the difference between monsters and Kin; they have a sort of mental block that keeps them from being able to innovate or engineer things, so they often steal tools that they need and watch others carefully for processes that they can replicate to achieve desired results.
As for the forms that monsters take, the limit is one's imagination. There are big monsters and small monsters, monsters with six legs or just two, monsters that look like a blend of two different animals, and monsters that look entirely alien. A good number of the monsters in this bestiary are drawn from common folklore and other familiar sources, so if you've heard of it, it's entirely possible that a version of it exists on Aelladore.
Spawning
Monsters do not usually reproduce like normal living beings either - they simply "spawn" in the same general area at varying intervals of time. If one kills a monster, they can be sure that another just like it will appear back in the place it came from - a few days from now, or weeks, or months, years, decades, etc. - as long as that place remains unchanged.
Usually, there are ways to dramatically alter a monster-infested "dungeon" so as to try and prevent monster spawning. Usually, however, that merely changes what types of monsters spawn there from then on. At least it takes a while for this change to take effect.
Limbo
A popular theory on monsters exists, backed up by the story of two goblins who were active during two different time periods. It is said that both of these goblins were one of the Conqueror's Chosen in their time, and that they both were mildly successful in uniting the goblin tribes and taking them to war against the Kin of the world.
What is most intriguing is that accounts of these two goblins match their personalities, mannerisms, and other individualistic traits as being very, very similar. Uncannily similar.
But that would mean that monsters - or goblins, at least - were the product of the same soul, trapped in an endless cycle of spawn, survival, death, and respawn; forced to meet the world over and over as an antagonist and inevitably growing bitter, with a deep-seated animosity toward Kin in general whether they know why they feel that way or not.
It's just a theory... Right?
Metamorphosis
Should a monster continue to survive and even thrive - defeating any opponents who come their way, building up their lairs, and interacting positively or negatively with other creatures - they will eventually begin to change and evolve, adopting new roles or forms that tend to give them a significant power boost. A new name, new abilities, and a new potential to lord their advantages over other monsters makes these creatures more deadly than ever.
Adventurers
For many of the reasons above, the need for people who can reliably take care of monsters and find ways to clear dungeons or simply keep these unique threats away from civilization became a strong need rather quickly, giving rise to adventurers.
Comments