Xirtachi

One of the most dangerous predators of the Desolated Lands, the Xirtachi is considered by the Agnisar the supreme symbol of power: swift and deadly, no one is known to have survived a one-on-one battle with it, though some coordinated groups successfully hunted one down.

The Xirtachi is possibly one of the most dangerous predators on Nys, only second to some species of Doujin. I am able to describe such a beast from a so far away land because I met an Agnisar who had fought one and exchanged favours with him: I am trusting his tale and cannot say how much of it was true, and how much an idealisation of his own mental image of the beast. I will quote him here, but his name will remain unsaid. His claims of having hunted one down were confirmed by a bone bracelet on his wirst (trusting him that it was, indeed, from a Xirtachi).
Imagine a Xirtachi as a mix of a large lizard and a mantis: it has a scaly body with a long tail, but its six limbs resembles those of an insect, ending with sharp points rather than paws. It usually moves like a lizard, but it can stay erect on the two bottom pairs of legs, using the uppermost as weapons. When it "stands", it reaches an impressive height of over two metres, but in total it is long about four or five.
It attacks by lunging against preys and toring them apart with its arms and jaws. Despite its size, it is so quick that most people wouldn't even see it coming. Its swift movements, combined with the hardness of its armor, make it both a difficult game to hunt and a deadly hunter. Even we only fight it in groups, coordinated and prepared, and even so, only when it is absolutely necessary, for instance because it holds an important source of water. Luckily, it is a solitary beast and finding more than one in a given place is quite rare. Slaying one is a great feat for any group, and showing off an amulet made of a part of its body is sure to get for yourself respect of entire tribes.
Should you be its prey, you're as good as dead. The Xirtachi hunts moving in the shadows, where its grey scales can best blend with the rocks; it silently closes in within leaping distance, and when you see it, it's likely too late. The fastest among us can outrun it, even if they spot it when it's not that far anymore.

— Nysian Creatures: the Far East, Sinle Liapue

Geographic Distribution

• Desolated Lands