Crawler Monkey, or Demon Monkey

The Crawler Monkey was introduced in 1250, when Filli introduced rare metals in the topmost branches of the Arengold Tree. This massive beast resembles a Mandril, but with marked differences. They can grow to be nearly 12 feet tall, with an armspan of 15 feet. The tail of the beast is long – at 7 feet – and knotched. Wild Crawlers use this to carry their young and ward off enemies, as the tail can be used as an effective bludgeon. A trained one uses their tail to carry buckets, people, peel off weak bark or loose metals, and defend itself more effectively.

The claws of the beast are where the alternative name comes from. While the Crawler Monkey prefers the fruit that grow on the Midtrunk and Upper Branches, they are omnivorous and will ruthlessly attack creatures that they consider threats. Dropping from astonishing heights, the Demon Monkey's claws can quickly tear lesser creatures asunder in mere seconds. They are naturally sharpened by the bark of the Arengold Forest, and thus can be kept combat-capable with no effort on the part of the Crawler.

Filli, upon creating the Crawler Monkey, did not know how long she wanted them to live. Their age is widely variant, with some Crawlers naturally living for 1,000 years, while others die of old age after a mere 50. Initially thought as random, researchers have discovered that Crawlers are physically and magically anchored to the race that they are raised in, and emulate the aging process of their trainer. In the wild, the Crawlers live for 50 years. Otherwise, they will live for a maximum of one year after their main trainer has died. This magical connection even goes beyond distance. A case study of a Crawler and their Dwarven master saw the Dwarf heading as far north as discovered, to the Northern Anchor. The Crawler lived until the Dwarf was consumed by a Great Worm 3 years later, despite the Crawler being young for a Dwarf.