Around the Carnival Creatures

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Fluff ball: Fluff balls are a bizarre, tenacious vermin that has managed to spread throughout the endless carnival and exists in a wide variety of variants. By and large, they are nothing more than small, colorful, elastic fur balls with shining eyes. The colorful fur, however, hides a mouth with several rows of teeth, which they can open to the bizarre size and which is far more distorted than should fit into such a small body. The constantly hungry fluff balls are literally omnivores that eat everything that their mouths can handle and that cannot run away fast enough. One alone is not a big problem, but where one is there are usually more (or will quickly become more). Large swarms of this fast-breeding plague always pose a threat to the inhabitants of the carnival.
Variations:
Rat Fluff: A variant with darker fur, four small rat-like paws and a long rat tail. Rats love dark, dirty places and are known to transmit all sorts of bizarre diseases. Surprisingly one of the tamer fluff ball variants that is a popular pet in some regions.
Bat Fluff: Flying variant with bat-like wings. They don't have eyes, but like bats, they have a kind of echo sonar that they use to locate prey. They are nocturnal and dwell in dark burrows during the day. They are very social and form large flocks, sometimes even with other fluff varieties.
Colossus Fluff: A rarer mutation of the common fluff ball type that can grow to an extreme size. Some of them even have arm- and leg-like, clawed outgrowths. Thanks to their elastic body, they can also squeeze through smaller passages. In contrast to its smaller conspecifics, a fluff colossus is intelligent enough to negotiate with it, that is, as long as it is not hungry.
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Fluff Worm: These strange creatures resemble large worms covered in colorful fur. They have a small, snout-like mouth and two to eight cartoonish-looking, goofy eyes at the head end. Fluffworms come in almost all sizes, the smallest of them reaching the size of a small snake while rarer specimens can reach titanic sizes. However, don't be fooled by their harmless appearance, they are surprisingly skilled hunters, preferring to strike from ambush. The hunting behavior of the lint worms differs from variant to variant, but they usually swallow their prey in one piece. Their mouths and bodies are surprisingly flexible, allowing them to devour prey vastly larger than themselves. Lintworms prefer shady forests, but can be found almost anywhere. Some variants are popular pets in some parts of the carnival.
Fuffleech: Amphibious variant found in swarms almost anywhere in swamps and other bodies of water. Unlike other fluffworms, they feed parasitically by attaching themselves to other living creatures and draining them of blood or energy. They are one of the smallest varieties of lintworms, but can grow to a considerable size the more they eat.
Luminous Fluffworm: This solitary variant prefers dark caves or gloomy woods as a habitat. They are distinguished from other variants by their hypnotic, bioluminescent patterns in fur and a glowing ball at the end of their tail. They use this glowing orb to attract and hypnotize prey, and then devour it. Luminous Fluffworms are not great fighters and will quickly retreat if they encounter too much resistance.
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Plagathroph: A species of strange shapeshifters that bears a certain resemblance to werewolves, but is only at home in larger cities and is limited to urban animals (raccoons, pigeons, foxes, etc.). A Plagatrophe arises from a rare, supernatural disease or curse that forces it to assume the form of an urban animal (usually a hybrid or augmented form of the animal) every full moon ( or sometimes when feeling heightened). Like werewolves, they are stronger, faster, and heal faster in their animal form, but lack the vulnerability of silver. The curse/disease affects each individual differently, while some have no control over themselves while in animal form, others embrace the curse/disease enthusiastically and have perfect control over their form. Others don't even know what's happening to them, unaware of the bizarre double lives they lead. In their animal form, they usually appear as a larger version of their animal or as an anthropomorphic hybrid, and share similar preferences. In their normal form, they look kind of dirty, smell funny, and have subtle animal features. They also have surprising vitality and have a strange charm. Unlike regular lycanthropes, they are less aggressive, seeming more interested in sifting through trash for edibles or stealing glittery things. However, should they be threatened, injured or cornered, they will defend themselves with the utmost brutality. In addition, they can easily transmit their curse/disease to others through scratches or bites. Legend has it that the mother of the plague rats is responsible for the curse/disease (no one knows whether it was a punishment or a blessing) and in fact there are plenty of them among the plague rats.
Variants:
Raccoon: This subspecies takes the form of a raccoon and is considered the bravest and most aggressive of the plagathropes. They are Extremely Skillful, Inquisitive and have an almost instinctive ability to steal or break important or valuable items.
Rat: Plagathrope Rats are extremely social, forming great groups. Where there is one there are bound to be more of them. They have strong jaws and sharp teeth, allowing them to gnaw through almost any material.
Opossum: Opossum Plagathropes possess a rat-like, surprisingly powerful grasping tail and the ability to play dead.
Fox: This subspecies of plagathropes takes the form of a fox. They are the most cunning and stealthy of the Plagathropes, masters of unseen infiltration.
Pigeon: A subspecies of the city pigeon, plagatrophs are one of the flying plagatrophs and are far tougher than they look. Like rats, they form larger groups.
Cockroch: The cockroach plagathrope is, unsurprisingly, the toughest subspecies. In addition to a hard chitinous armor, the cockroach plagathrope has an extra pair of arms.
Fly: Another insect plagathrope. Overly alert and paranoid, the fly subspecies is by far the fastest and most difficult to catch. They are airworthy but not necessarily the most elegant of fliers.
Silverfish: Insect Plagathrope with a thick chitinous shell and extra arms. The Sliberfish Plagathrope can squeeze through cracks and holes that shouldn't be too small for it. Has a particular fondness for sugar.

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