Nian
The nian is a ravenous creature that is equally at home in high mountain areas or in coastal seas. While a nian can subsist on nearly anything animal or vegetable, it prefers meat and savors the taste of humanoid flesh. A nian will venture into inhabited areas to prey on isolated settlements near its home, especially in deep winter, when prey and forage are scarce and humanoids are cloistered against the cold with stockpiles of food. The nian prefers to hibernate all winter long if it can, emerging ravenous to gorge itself on whatever it can catch and kill or raid from storage houses before returning to its lair.
Most nians have a rather dull intellect, but they are cunning and take great pride in their abilities as a predator. Nian consider other predators, especially other monstrosities, aberrations, and dragons, as competition. On occasion, brave and clever individuals have been able to deter a nian by playing on its pride. An individual might mention the terrible prowess of a competing predator and convince the nian to challenge it for the territory. The nian might also be convince to hunt more dangerous prey to demonstrate its might. Such measures may only be temporary. Once a nian has satisfied its pride by eliminating competing predators or wiping out larger, more difficult prey, it will return to hunt where food is easiest to find.
Settlements within a nian’s hunting territory will attempt to protect themselves from attack by using the creature’s inherent weaknesses against it. Festivals are held at the start of spring when the nian is likely to be abroad. Loud music is played on drums and horns. Houses and other buildings are draped in red decorations and fireworks are set off to deter the nian and convince it to seek food elsewhere. The forest area around Donglin City is well known as a Nian hunting ground year round.
Most nians have a rather dull intellect, but they are cunning and take great pride in their abilities as a predator. Nian consider other predators, especially other monstrosities, aberrations, and dragons, as competition. On occasion, brave and clever individuals have been able to deter a nian by playing on its pride. An individual might mention the terrible prowess of a competing predator and convince the nian to challenge it for the territory. The nian might also be convince to hunt more dangerous prey to demonstrate its might. Such measures may only be temporary. Once a nian has satisfied its pride by eliminating competing predators or wiping out larger, more difficult prey, it will return to hunt where food is easiest to find.
Settlements within a nian’s hunting territory will attempt to protect themselves from attack by using the creature’s inherent weaknesses against it. Festivals are held at the start of spring when the nian is likely to be abroad. Loud music is played on drums and horns. Houses and other buildings are draped in red decorations and fireworks are set off to deter the nian and convince it to seek food elsewhere. The forest area around Donglin City is well known as a Nian hunting ground year round.
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