Ourpierre

"-and in the distance I heard a terrible sound, like the cracking of thunder mixed with the wails of a widow, crashing down along the mountainside where I stood. I watched for the creature that make such a cry but saw nothing. It wasn't until I felt the warmth of it's breath on my neck that I knew it had used it's natural camouflaged to evade my gaze until it was upon me."

Passage on Ourpierres from Loys Boulanger's Oh the Wonders I Saw

(Bergic: Ourpierre)

(Imperial Wythian: Stone Bear)

(Teoti-Itzan: Toonhxul)

Features

When the gods designed the ourpierre they made no mistake in giving the creature every advantage it needed to survive their world. Despite not actually being made of stone, nor belonging to the same family as bears, the ourpierre derive their name from the thick rock colored scales that cover the majority of their bodies, minus their underside. Standing roughly 8 Wythian feet in height, the ourpirre are territorial by nature, and will attack anyone who they perceive as a threat on their land. Their teeth have been known to tear through leather padded shields, and their claws have the power to rip apart chainmail given the proper angle and force. They use their natural camouflage to ambush any prey and would be intruders, and all but the keen of sight are helpless against this strategy.

Geography

Ourpierre can be found roaming the mountain ranges from Teoti-Itza down to Bergeaux, with another slightly smaller, limestone colored kin being found in Tel-Raiq. They prefer to make their homes in caves and caverns, and have also been known to inhabit abandoned mines. A ourpierre will make a nest for their cubs out of crushed rock and dirt that provides a soft but sturdy resting area.

History

The Peoples of Heimaalin have long treasured the ourpierre for their scales, with some local villages and towns along the mountainsides using them to craft rustic but functional armor where iron and other metals are not affordable. To hunt an ourpierre requires great skill, first to find the beast, and then to strike at the underbelly where it lacks reinforced scales. If an ourpierre is not pierced in a vital organ within your first couple blows, running is the best chance of survival. Many hunters and hunting guilds like the The Hunter's Guild of Sijmen Sur have used the creature to hone their skills.