A Dance of Fang and Claw: The Ranger Archives Volume 3, page 50
Dobrin Vansorg, Ranger.
Sandstalkers - Don’t run. Never Run. Sandstalkers are among the most confident predators the world of monsters has to offer. Standing your ground will put them off balance and lend you an edge in the fight.
If faced by one on its own - and this is unlikely - seek out the monster’s weak spots, the softer flesh between the joints; their chitinous exterior can blunt the best of steel. That said, it is more likely you will encounter a nest. In this instance, run. Run until the heat of The Arid Lands beats you into the sand. A nest of Sandstalkers is not to be taken lightly, nor ever alone.
Jorven Dorn, Ranger.
Gobbers - Gangly creatures of muscle and claw. What they lack in intelligence I have found they make up for in ferocity, a feature that is amplified all the more by their pack-like behaviour.
They have speed on their side and you won’t see them coming until they have you ambushed. Their scales are tough but not impenetrable - nothing a good axe can’t deal with.
Kel Kregor, Ranger.
Wraith - This foul creature is not of this world, but that of the Shadow Realm, a nightmarish place that only the most experienced mages can access (see Monsters of the Deep World).
Half in this world, half in another, most folk call them ghosts but, as we all know, there’s no such thing. Though, fighting these beasts can sometimes feel like fighting smoke.
Killing the mage who conjured the Wraith won’t change a thing; once it’s here it’s here to stay. Studying Wraiths is near impossible due to their hyper-violent nature, so we have no idea what they crave. We only know that their victims are drained of vitality and life: a painful process from all reports.
While magic is the best weapon against a Wraith, they can be killed with traditional means, including an unusual weakness to salt. For reasons unknown, salt disrupts their ethereal nature and reveals more flesh and blood. Good hunting.
Gudvig, son of Gendervig, Ranger.
Giant - Not to be confused with Trolls. Their heights might cross over, especially where the Mawclaw Giant and Mountain Troll are concerned, but the Giants are, as their name suggests, the largest of Illian’s monsters.
Their level of intelligence varies across the subspecies. Through all my travels and all the contracts I’ve taken, it is my strong belief that the Ice Giants of West Vengora are the smartest and, therefore, the deadliest.
Regardless of the subspecies, however, all Giants appear to suffer from bad hearing. Either that or they can’t hear us tiny folk. Keep this in mind when springing your trap or ambush.
Bragen Durth, Ranger.
Rakenbak - If you haven’t come across one of these beasts there’s no mistaking them when you do. Imagine, if you can, a hedgehog and a bear brought together by monstrous forces and you have an idea what a Rakenbak looks like.
They’re fiercely territorial and their boundary grows as they do. This becomes a problem when the mother drops a litter close to a town or city, though you’ll mostly find them in a woodland environment.
Now, once you’ve engaged a Rakenbak there’s no walking away - or running away for that matter. At a flat-out run, they’re faster than any man and they can climb anything you can. So don’t attack the fiend until you know exactly how you’re going to kill it. Read on for a list of suitable poisons and baits.
Weylan Ganes, Ranger.
Yarxal - So fair a voice has never been heard, for it is like honey to the ears. How many travellers have fallen prey to this lure I cannot say, but I have discovered Yarxal nests decorated with more human bones than I could count.
They are proficient predators that kill with admirable swiftness. This is a blessing in disguise I feel, as the beasts don’t waste any part of their prey, whether it be devouring the flesh they strip from bone or using those same bones to secure their nests. These monsters prefer to hunt alone, only gathering in significant numbers for breeding purposes (don’t even try hunting a Yarxal during this time).
Upright on three legs, they also possess three slender arms, their third limb protruding from their chest. Their grotesque heads will spread like the petals of flower, revealing a combination of suckers and fangs. It is also from where their unusually hypnotic voice comes from. The survivors I have encountered described the voice they heard as a lullaby, though they were all convinced it belonged to a beautiful woman.
Now, their skin breaks as easily as ours do, but I have found they suffer greatly when exposed to a particularly high pitch. I would recommend capturing a Banshee first (see page 400) and transporting it to the Yarxal nest. It’s a lot of work, but a disorientated Yarxal is an easy kill.
Gelethaine the Grey Knight, Ranger.
Banshee - Keep your head on a swivel with these noisy buggers. They’ve well-earned their name and they’ll use their wretched screech to disorientate you—make you look one way while they attack from the other, and always from above.
They live in swarms of up to twenty and prefer high vantages (see A Charter of Monsters, Page 107, for known locations). If you ever come across these pale predators, you’ll understand why they’re so well-suited to high vantages. You see, they possess a thin membrane that connects their limbs and hooked claws to the main body. Once they leap from their perch, their limbs spread out and this membrane allows them to glide without a sound.
Once they’ve got their hooks in your back their razored beaks will take chunks out of your head, so don’t go blundering into a swarm. Locate them, then smoke them out (add Harlergrayde to the smoke and they’ll get drowsy - see A Ranger’s Guide to Alchemy, Page 214). Once they start dropping, get to work.
Yurik (The Beast of Bleak), Ranger.
Arkilisk - A distant cousin of the Basilisk, though, thankfully, much smaller and easier to trap. Having said that, the bite of an Arkilisk has a much faster acting venom and is capable of killing a man in mere minutes rather than the hours Basilisk venom requires.
You will find these most deadly of creatures in forests, their preferred habitat due to their bark-like hide that allows them to blend in with the trees.
Now, in all honesty, it is going to be rare that a contract comes up to hunt an Arkilisk down. They don’t actively hunt humans and they never stray from their woodland domain. As a ranger, however, it is likely that you will share that same domain at some point or another and it’s best to know your neighbours when they could kill you with a single bite.
Speaking of their bite, don’t even think about an antidote. Even if one existed, you couldn’t ingest it before their venom paralysed you, a symptom that begins in the hands of all places. Your only hope is to kill it fast or, better yet, from a distance. Just bear in mind that Arkilisks have six legs and move with significant speed.
The best advice I have for you is this: leave them well alone. If you don’t pose a threat to either the Arkilisk or its prey, then it will leave you alone.
Korkali of the Oseki Tribe, Ranger.
Darkling - The addition of this monster is something of a special case, but the rangers’ council has agreed it warrants inclusion. The first thing you need to know when dealing with Darklings is this: they’re already dead.
These abominations are the creations of dark mages and the foulest of magic. From our archives, it appears I am the only ranger to have ever encountered Darklings and I pray to the gods that this will forever remain the truth.
I came across these dark mages in Snowfell. Their insidious cult, whose name I was never able to learn, was in the process of digging up the dead from their graves and breathing new life into them. Only, it was not the life they had known. No, these people were brought back as monsters, fiends who know only their master’s command.
They’re fast, ferociously violent, and they feel no pain, no fear, and they never tire. Under their master’s spell, they hunt in packs and consume the flesh of any poor soul they come across.
Darklings do not return to death idly, and they killed my ward in the time it took us to discover a viable method of destruction. You must take their head or set them alight with fire. Nothing else works. They can lose limbs and take enough damage to drop a Rakenbak, but they will never stop coming for you. So I will say it again. Take the head or set them alight. Better yet, use both methods.
As I said though, these are not naturally occurring monsters. They are products of magic, the machinations of mad men. Though I never got the opportunity to kill one of these dark mages, there is a possibility that their death would end the spell and the Darklings with it.
Omas Ban-Harqen, Ranger.
Praitora - Also known as the Fisherman’s Bane. Praitora are most definitely the creatures that slithered out of the ocean’s nightmares. If you’ve ever spent any time by the sea you probably have an idea about what an octopus is. For the sake of this passage I will assume you have. They are similar in appearance to the more harmless octopus, but they are considerably larger and have no qualms about encroaching on the shore. They hunt in the shallows and often claim nearby caves—the damper the better—as temporary dens while hunting on land.
Some of the larger ones have even been known to capsize small fishing boats. Now don’t even bother hunting these or even the smaller ones if they remain in the water; that’s their territory. If one has come ashore, hunt it down or use bait to lure it from the sea if you must (see below for list of appropriate baits).
Logan Hackett, Ranger.
Drayga - If Scudders and Mud Worms weren’t enough to steer you clear of swamps, let the Drayga be the warning you need. These pale beasts move on two legs as we do and even stand with the height of an average man, but they are feral to the bone.
Their sloped heads are more fangs than anything else but if you look into their black eyes you will see the sickness that lives there. Drayga are one of few monsters who hunt prey for no more than sport. Hungry or not, these creatures will rise from the swamps of Illian and tear you to shreds.
They do not, however, cope well out of water. Their ghostly pale hides dry up fast, a fact that causes them pain by all reports. If you can lure them onto dry land, away from their precious swamps, you will stand a better chance of whittling their numbers down. And they will have the numbers. Drayga move in family pods and always attack with every member, no matter how old or young they are.
Not to fear. If you are a competent swordsman these monsters will fall to your blade as easily as any man.
Arthur Penvin, The Dancing Sword, Ranger.
Trakian - There’s nothing in this world more appetising to a Trakian than a dead body, and a human one at that. These fiends haunt graveyards up and down the six realms, disturbing the departed and leaving a ghastly mess in their stead. They might have no interest in the living, but that won’t stop them from defending their feeding ground. Best to hunt them by day since they’re nocturnal by nature. You can find their warren around the graveyard in question; they won’t stray far from it, not even to sleep. Smoke them out and chop down anything that emerges from the den.
Varlan Bard, Ranger.
Lumber Dug - I don’t know who named these monsters but lumbering will come to mind if you ever cross one. Hulking beasts of stone they are! At least most of their body is. If you dare face one from the front, and contend with the enormous horn protruding from its face, you could take a swipe at their soft underbelly. I wouldn’t advise it though. What they lack in speed they more than make up for by being able to crush every bone in your body with one meaty fist.
You are better off poisoning their food (a dead deer will do nicely) or using fire depending on the environment.
Sedwig The Trapper, Ranger.
Lewsha - Of all the monsters you might face during your career, I guarantee you will never come across one so beautiful as a Lewsha. Beware these creatures, for they will appear to you as one thing when, in fact, they are something else entirely.
The glands in their neck produce a toxin of some kind. It disturbs the air around them like the heat of The Arid Lands. Once you have inhaled this poisonous air, you will see only what you want to see: a beautiful maiden, a lover, even an old relative. With this they will lure you in, revealing their true and hideous nature when it’s too late.
If Lewsha are your prey, you must ingest a potion of Hackweed and Lindis Grass. It will rob you of taste and smell but once it is in your gut it will counteract the Lewshas’ toxins. Just try not to lose your nerve when you see their true form.
Arnor Grimbold, Ranger.
Howling Matron - What devil gave birth to such a creature I could not guess nor would I care to meet it, for this offspring of evil is wretch enough. It boasts a dozen pincer legs, giving this beast its scurrying speed. Its carapace, sizeably comparable to a horse, is plated like armour and capable of chipping our blades and keeping back our arrows.
And what hellish sight its monstrous jaws are. Upon attack, the largest of the Matron’s armoured plates retreats just enough to reveal the six blood-red tentacles that surround a razored beak. It will howl almost continuously, altering its pitch until it finds one that disorientates its prey. Once thoroughly dazed, those tentacles will have you; then there’s no getting away from that beak.
All that in mind, you’ll be wanting to tackle this monster with a spear—to give those tentacles something to do. Then push the beast back and lever it up to expose its soft underbelly. That said, I would advise bringing another ranger into the contract. If that’s not possible, you’re going to need more preparation time. First, hunt down a Narkul - you’re going to need the natural acid their mushrooms produce as it’s one of the few things capable of burning through the Matron’s carapace.
Just try not to die extracting the acid from the Narkul first.
Keldrik The Grey, Ranger.
Centaur - The scourge of The Moonlit Plains, to be sure. Most would describe these creatures as part man, part horse. They’d be wrong. There’s no shred of man to be found in these beasts. Now, I know the legends as well as anyone—ancient friends of the even more ancient elves. But whether they were once friends to the elves or not, one thing that isn’t a legend is their brutality towards humans. Stray too far from The Selk Road while traversing The Moonlit Plains and it’s said you’ll meet your end by way of a Centaur. And they would be right. Why the beasts hate us so much has been debated by scholars of The All-Tower for centuries but we rangers know the truth, don’t we? Centaurs are like any animal we hunt—they’re territorial. The Plains are theirs, it’s that simple. But, sometimes, it’s they who stray from their territory. In these cases, most contracts for a Centaur will come out of Vangarth or Tregaran. But be warned, they hunt and live in teams of forty or more. They are not likely to be brought down.
Hadrik Delaney, Ranger.
Humming Swarm - Twenty-six years. That’s how long I’ve been in this business. That’s a long time for a ranger. I tell you this because in all my years on the job, only once have I come across a contract for a Humming Swarm.
The swarm I was contracted to destroy was on the west coast, not far from Ameeraska. The little buggers prefer a hot and dry climate. They also devour their prey within three to five seconds and they leave naught but nibbled bones in their wake. The closest creature I could compare them to is a piranha fish—if it had wings.
Most mistake them for leaves, and a whole swarm will fill the branches of a fully-grown tree. Unfortunately, each individual Hummer (my preferred name for them) is no bigger than the end of your finger, so your sword, axe, bow— whatever your preference—is of no use with these monsters. You could swing at them for hours and hit naught but air. Not that they’d give you the chance.
The only way to kill the critters is with smoke. Since they sleep at night, I would suggest creeping under the canopy and starting a few fires. Either that or don’t take the contract. The latter is probably more sensible.
Arslef, Ranger.
Dopplegorger - Once you’ve learnt of these demons you’ll have enjoyed your last night in a tavern or upon the cosy bed of some sleepy inn. I thank the gods Dopplegorgers are rare (almost wiped out in the fourth century of the Third Age).
These monsters will infiltrate villages or towns, lurking on the outskirts until they find a suitable candidate (often a loner with little to no family). Once they do, they not only kill their victim but assume their identity. I am yet to understand how they accomplish their devilry, but it seems they skin the victim and then proceed to wear it. Beyond this, the fiends are able to transform their bodies until their resemblance is flawless.
It is then that the fox is able to walk among the chickens. Should you find yourself hunting one of these monsters, be sure to thoroughly question everyone—leave no stone unturned. Their level of intelligence is only passable in brief encounters; extensive questioning will reveal them. Just make sure your sword is in hand when you do.
Borvun the butcher, Ranger.
Naerwitch - These be demons of the dark I say. The pitch-black is their home and they know it well. How these cave-dwellers are able to detect their prey remains a mystery but, make no mistake, they will find you. And while you will need fire to hunt them down, the light will not deter them. It’s for this reason we believe Naerwitches lack eyes altogether.
These creatures move on six legs, though it should be noted that some have been discovered to possess eight or even ten. I hesitate to describe their feet but it is a feature that remains unique to these monsters. It doesn’t matter how many legs they have, they all walk on feet that look exactly like human hands.
