Sunday, October 30, 2011

Realm of Ashenclaw Bestiary: Tyrantians!

In September, we gave you a taste of our first unique race in the Realm of Ashenclaw setting--The Slagfell Dwarves

As of late, I have been working with my creative partner, Nicholas Titano of Infernal Titans, and we have finalized a second creature for the Realm of Ashenclaw bestiary!

The face of Wothlondia is sometimes infested with creatures of magical origin, undead or demons from the depths of Pandemonium or simply monsters native to Krotto that have wandered the lands for centuries.

A mysterious race of creatures exists here that are of unknown origin and are fierce and deadly, tearing through towns and villages with emotionless hunger. Allow Ashenclaw Studios, LLC. to introduce to you...the Tyrantians!

(And just in time for Halloween, too!)




Tyrantians~

These creatures of unknown origin have chitinous hides and appear in various parts of the realm, usually seen emerging from underground caverns. They appear to be as giant insects of some kind. Speculation continues as to whether or not they are supernatural, magical or simply giant insects that have somehow mutated. They can appear very differently in color, texture, appearance and have varying types of attacks which have not all been documented thoroughly. Wothlondian scholars and researchers understand without question that they have many weapons at their disposal. One thing in common is that they all seem able to spew a venomous toxin that often ends with deadly results.

Tyrantian Skimmer  as depicted by William J. Kenney
There have been at least four types of known Tyrantians spotted. First are the most common of the creatures, often seen moving across the face of Wothlondia, sometimes in droves. These are called Tyrantian Crawlers, with two sets of arms. One set are spear-like appendages that end in vicious points while the second pair of arms have finger-like digits—three and a thumb—which they use to grab their prey. They have jaws with sharp teeth which can tear flesh quite easily. They also reportedly can leap to begin their assault, attempting to impale or ground their opponents beneath them at the onset of their attack. The crawlers have been known to release a poison with their bite if the victim remains held for more than a few seconds.

Secondly are the Tyrantian Worms, which appear to tunnel up from below the ground, using their huge gaping maws and mandibles that surround the jaw to attack their prey. They are able to inject venom from their tail stingers. Tyrantian Worms do not possess any discernible eyes.

Tyrantian Crawler by William J Kenney
The third variant of the creatures is called the Tyrantian Skimmer. This fierce insect can be seen flying low to the ground and moving at incredible speeds, despite their size. These creatures fly past their victims, using a spear-like stinger to inject the victim with a poison that will spread through the body and eventually melt the victim, if the stinger doesn't kill the victim outright.

Finally, the last known creature is called Tyrantian Larvae. These creatures are about the size of a small dog and hop along the floor at a fast pace. The few reports from victims that have seem them and survived claim that upon killing a larva, the creature explodes and an acidic poison is said to burst from the corpse. It explodes in a small radius and melts flesh and bone in mere seconds.

Tyrantians can be found in varying sizes with the largest ones rumored to be bigger than ogres. One eyewitness claims to have seen one of the Tyrantian Worms emerge from beneath his small farm to swallow a pair of cows whole before disappearing, leaving nothing but a gaping hole in its wake.

No one knows where these creatures come from and speculation is that unknown types of Tyrantian have yet to be discovered.

All of the Tyrantians can be found in varying sizes with the largest ones rumored to be bigger than ogres. One eyewitness claims to have seen one of the Tyrantian Worms emerge from beneath his small farm to swallow a pair of cows whole before disappearing, leaving nothing but a gaping hole in its wake.





Please join me and the other amazingly talented authors over @ Skulldust Circle where we have formed a Writer's Circle that must be seen--a collection of brilliant, up & coming independently published speculative fiction authors with much to give both now and in the future!

All Artwork and covers by William J. Kenney


See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Also, please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.


2 comments:

  1. I really like the name Slagfell. Perfect for a race of Dwarves.

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  2. Thanks, William! I put some thought into that one. When I ran it by my creative partner, he flipped a lid. He thought it was an excellent and fitting name as well. I out a good deal of time into my names and places. I really want them to sound authentic and not contrived...as best as I can, anyway! Thanks for the comment.

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