A I: Horn Apes OUTDATED

Written by Neons-Mindrealm

Horn Apes
Obnoxious Nuisances of Alterna I: The Lands of Paradise

Origins:

The true origins of Horn Apes is mainly just based on speculations and rumors, with no one being able to provide a clear answer.
Some believe that they were once just some ordinary narcanian primates, who wandered through the Evergreen Veldt on the day of the Rupture.
But then turned feral through the drastic and sudden changes of their environment.
Whilst some even conspire that they were once children who got lost in the Endless Forest, and forcefully evolved through the possession of Fallen Spirits.

Current Habitat:

Horn Apes can be found virtually anywhere within the Endless Forest, where they mostly reside on tree branches or in small hollows carved into the thick tree trunks.
Occasionally, they can also be found on the beach between the Endless Forest and the Singing Sea, or quite rarely even on the Singing Seas islands themselves.

Average Size / Height:

When standing up straight, Horn Apes average a height of around 80 centimeters tall. But since they are mostly squatting down in a hunched forward posture, their average size is usually just perceived as being around 50 to 60 centimeters tall.

Diet:

As a type of omnivore, Horn Apes will mostly feed on insects, plants and fruits, or in some cases even carrion of other creatures, including their own kind.
However, they do not appear to actively hunt other creatures.

Physical Appearance:

Similar to most other primates, Horn Apes are based on a bipedal structure, but with their two arms and legs being of the exact same length.
Their feet also appear more like an extra pair of hands, possessing opposable thumbs as well as the same short claws on their toes as they have on their fingers.
When it comes to their body, it can mainly be described as agile yet also quite generous in volume. With a dark brown to black fur covering every part of it, and a strong, slender tail that's roughly the same length as their entire body.
A more unique feature of the Horn Apes would be their almost demonic looking face, with a wide impish grin of pointy fangs, narrowly wide dark reddish eyes, as well as two small horns on their forehead.

Behavior and Social Structure:

Both amongst their own kind, as well as when interacting with other beings, Horn Apes will act rather unhinged most of the time.
They are often seen to almost hysterically enjoy messing with other creatures, no matter how big or small the creature is they pick as their target.
As long as they are certain that they remain out of reach for their victim to strike back, they won't stop taunting and harassing it for their own enjoyment.
Horn Apes have also proven to be quite intelligent, as they seem to understand both the actions and feelings of their victims incredibly well. And will even readjust how they decide to mess with their chosen target based on their observations.
They mostly roam the forest in small groups of 3 to 4, or are very rarely even seen in large packs of up to 20.

Role in the Food Chain:

As creatures who mainly target other beings just to simply harass or make fun of them, Horn Apes do not count as active predators who hunt for food.
Thanks to their high agility and advanced intelligence, they are also not very often seen to be preyed upon, since most other creatures coexisting with them are just easily outsmarted by them and turned into easy victims of their constant harassment.
Creatures who rely mainly on ambush strategies like Carniflora or Vine Mimics, however, do seem to be able to snatch themselves an inattentive Horn Ape every once in a while. Whilst Malgrems who fell victim to one of their shenanigans will also most likely end up hunting them down relentlessly to teach the rest of their group a lesson.

Special Abilities and unique Physical Traits:

Mainly believed to have been learned through coincidence alone by imitating Channeler passing through the Endless Forest, some Horn Apes have been reported to be capable of channeling weakened versions of primitive or even advanced level manifestations themselves.
Those who are able to do so seem to mostly have been taking a liking to fire-based manifestations, such as low-heat fireballs, but do not seem to fully understand as to how to channel these manifestations properly.
Most of the time a Horn Ape tries to channel a manifestation, they will either end up burning themselves through careless intakes of arcanic energies, or just fling them around in an uncontrolled mess whilst laughing hysterically at their chaotic fire show.

Additional Insights:

Whilst the casualty rate of Horn Ape related jobs may be even lower than for Scavenner exterminations, getting rid of these obnoxious pests still remains one of the least popular quests for both guild adventurers and mercenaries.
As even though they may not actively try to kill their victims, those who do find themselves losing to their antics will most likely suffer a heavy blow to their dignity, as well as only return back to town with a lot less valuables on their person than they originally came with.
Should the paths of a Horn Ape and an adventurer ever cross twice, it is also said that they will vividly remember their previous victim and resume to taunt them in even more aggravating ways.