Flesh Drainers
In the chaos of the attack, Reginald had taken a different escape route. We took one moment of rest to avoid detection from our pursuers, then went back to find him at dawn, where it was safer. After a couple hours tracking, only his sword was sitting on a tree. A tree... that felt like Reggie was melted in it, but all bark. A clean , almost needle looking, long branch was on what seemed to be his chest, like he was nailed to it. Anton tried to cut around, but the stench of the eldritch tree sap forced us to cut our loss. Now Reginald remains there, unsure if alive or dead, but surely trapped in the nightmares of this forest.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Flesh Drainers are quadrupedal that have a ressemblance to anteater. the have a large mouth holding a prehensile tongue having very small spikes similar to a cat's tongue. those spikes are hollow in their middle, and they can manage to suck fluids from it. Both their arms and legs and four toes or fingers, each having a thumb-like more separate from the others, their claws are small but having a rather high curve, making it great to hold on trees. their arms and legs have middle bone joints (elbows and knees), which makes them leap from trees faster, or plunge on some foes.their tail is having a larger tip similar to manticore, filled with spikes made of bark.
Their skin, while having a semblance of looking like very rough scales, is actually made of tree bark, making it a perfect camouflage.
Genetics and Reproduction
Flesh feeders are oviparians, but the hatching process is unique: as the female lays an egg, she will place it in a well-fed Bloodbark and leave it there, the shell has minuscules holes that permits it to drain some nutrients while kept well against intruders. The more a Bloodbark is fed blood, the more the capacity of the egg to grow bigger improves, making the average weight and height of newborn very variable.
Ecology and Habitats
Flesh Feeders are always found in areas where trees are present, as they are their main source of nutrition. They prefer temperate or tropical temperatures. While rare, it is possible for them to occupy abandonned tree houses by other races to use as a feeding ground.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Carnivorous. Flesh Feeders delight in flesh but also blood, which is a main need of their diet. They store their prey, if alive, by nailing them on living trees.
Process
The flesh drainer makes a quick snap of it's tail to throw bark spikes at it's foes.the base of those spikes looks nail-like, making it stick on most flesh pierced, and the speed/momentum is rather strong enough to push back a human being but 3 feets with only one direct hit from a spike. Once their prey is nailed on those, the spikes starts to blend and expand on their foe's internal body, which makes it harder to escape every passing second, the foe's body transforming into bark. Over time, the spikes will have covered the entire foe in bark, making it immobile and merged to the tree. The prey remains alive but unconscious, slowly corrupting the tree with blood (which makes them animate as bloodbarks over time) and able to restore their blood over time, which makes it a constant feeding ground for flesh drainers to suck on if the hunts becomes unsuccessful.
Biological Cycle
In winter season, flesh drainers hibernate usually in very large tree were they consume their last reserve and fall asleep until the spring clears the snow.
Additional Information
Average Intelligence
Flesh Feeders are magical creatures with above animal intelligence. While unable to speak or understand languages, they are cunning and devious in their tactics. They will often try to effort into pin a single opponent first and use tree camouflage to their advantage to sow fear and chaos in their prey if they are multiple. If they tail is broken or cut, they will not risk further harm and try to escape, despite losing some balance due to the dismemberment. They also know their forest well and the best places to use the natural environment against their prey. They also do not bother to attack preys that do not have clean blood, such as undead like Bogsmotherer .
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Flesh Drainers are nocturnal, their hearing is rather limited, but they can sense a bleeding foe from a mile away, making it hard to escape one on the prowl.
Lifespan
15 years
Average Height
1,3-1,9 meters
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Their tint varies a lot from the flora and trees around.
Mangai'hi island ones, for example, have a more green tint than their cousin from ravenscrag, which are more grey due to the amount of sick trees and fog.
Geographic Distribution
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