Sifaka
Taxonomy: Beastkin (Opo-opo)
Description: Opo-opo are communal creatures that gather underneath a single dominant member, they are famed for their agility and dexterousness. These small beastkin are capable of thriving both on the ground and in the trees, and have become a common farming pest, picking fields clean when they grow hungry.
Etymology Notes: Sifaka are a real species of lemurs endemic to Madagascar, and the name choice here likely stems from the Sifaka’s island dwelling nature.
Harpeia
Taxonomy: Cloudkin (Harpeia)
Description: Fiercely intelligent cloudkin, these odd-looking creatures typically reside in the Sea of Clouds, where they dwell in large hunting packs that excel in shepherding prey. Presumably these creatures migrated down to the Cieldalaes, which shouldn’t be especially difficult for creatures of such intellect. It is worth noting that the harpeia possess a remarkably similar anatomy to the Iksalion, predecessors of the modern Ixal engineered by the Allagans, as well as the heightened intellect one would expect to find in the kin of a chimera. It may be that these creatures served as the basis for the Iksalion, or are a divergent evolution of theirs, retaining their flight unlike the Ixal, but experiencing a degradation in intellect. Their domain in the Sea of Clouds is relatively close to Azys Lla, as well.
Capabilities: The harpeia were capable of unleashing harmful energies from their ‘wings of woe’ so named for the terror experienced for the prey subjected to these techniques.
Etymology Notes: Their name is clearly derivative of the harpies of Greek myth, a winged humanoid known for kidnapping and murder.
Cieldalaes Hornet
Taxonomy: Vilekin (Wespe)
Description: These fearsome creatures were imported to Eorzea from the New World after hiding in the hulls of trading ships. It is likely these wespes found their way to Hullbreaker aboard one of Mistbeard’s own ships, or perhaps one of the shipwrecks.
Capabilities: These wespes were able to unleash a suicidal attack with their stingers, nicknamed the ‘final sting’ both for its own death and the one inflicted upon those hit by the attack.
Cieldalaes Mantis
Taxonomy: Vilekin (Mantis)
Description: Immigrants of Eorzea, the greater mantis actually arrived on the continent at the same time as this author’s ancestors. Lalafellin voyagers landed on Vylbrand, carrying the mantis with them unintentionally via egg sacs attached to their boats when they were still reeds yet to be woven into ship hulls. The Cieldalaes are close to the southern isles that the Lalafell migrated from, and it makes plenty of sense that the mantis would be here.
Capabilities: The mantises of the Isle were able to unleash a ‘rending snath’ named for the snath, or handle, of a scythe in reference to their scythe-shaped claws.
Sasquatch ☠
Taxonomy: Beastkin (Sasquatch)
Description: Rare creatures only found on the islands of the southern seas, sasquatches are a species of ape that are functionally walking masses of muscle, said to be roughly equivalent to seven full grown male roegadyn. They are, however, an intelligent species capable of simple tool use.
Capabilities: The physicality of the sasquatch was such that they were able to thumb their own chest hard enough to unleash concussive shockwaves. A little less appropriately, they had a propensity to fling their, uh, effluent.
Etymology Notes: The sasquatch is a North American cryptid of particular fame, said to resemble a mixture between a human and a great ape, similar to the species from FFXIV.
Zuzeca
Taxonomy: Scalekin (Cobra)
Description: Enormous creatures, cobras such as these were originally native to Othard before coming to Eorzea as part of trade. Some scholars do suggest a different origin however, that of the Allagan Empire’s fearsome chimerical experiments.
Etymology Notes: Zuzeca is the word for snake in the Lakota Sioux language.
Treasure Coffer
Taxonomy: Voidsent (Mimic)
Description: Rare voidsent able to inhabit inanimate vessels, mimics prefer to choose chests and coffers as their homes, which they use to lie in wait for targets and devour them.
Ninki Nanka
Taxonomy: Wavekin (Ninki Nanka)
Description: A sturdy species of wavekin with hard, repulsive-tasting skin that makes them impalatable to all but the most harsh-tongued of species like the gnath and perhaps goblins, male nanka carry the eggs produced after their female mate lays them upon its back. The term ninki nanka seems to refer to only the adults of the species, with the young known only as nanka.
Etymology Notes: Ninki Nanka are a creature of West African myth that are typically regarded as reptilian creatures that dwell in swamps (as the creatures of Eorzea do).
Sjoorm ☠
Taxonomy: Vilekin (Worm)
Description: The giant worms of Eorzea are, frankly, enormous and utterly terrifying creatures that hunt prey by swallowing them whole. Their preferred method of locomotion is by vibrating their whole body rapidly, allowing them to burrow beneath the earth at speed.
Capabilities: This fearsome worm was able to control water aether easily, slamming large amounts of water onto the ground to create large ‘water puddles’, and twisting said water into a ferociously twisting ‘whirlpool’. Like much of their species, Sjoorm was able to burrow through the earth at speed using its disruptive vibrating abilities.
Etymology Notes: A sjoorm is a swedish sea dragon, which plays along with the apparently aquatic nature of this worm.
Sallet Crab
Taxonomy: Wavekin (Sallet Crab)
Description: Naturally vulnerable, soft-shelled crustaceans, these creatures habitually seek out the helmets that litter the countless military shipwrecks on the ocean floor as shelter, sent down there by the millennia of warfare that has ravaged Eorzea’s seas. Hence their name, sallet, in reference to the same type of helmet.
Cieldalaes Crawler
Taxonomy: Vilekin (Yarzon)
Description: Dreadful predators, yarzon are cunning creatures that seek to immobilize their prey by spraying their joints with corrosive material before sucking their brain out via long, hollow fangs. They are a remarkably adaptable species capable of living almost anywhere, which explains why they can reside on bright islands like the Cieldalaes as well as their usual caves and forests.
Seawater Sprite
Taxonomy: Elemental (Sprite)
Description: Essentially a mere conjoining of aether and ideal conditions, a sprite is of no relation to the powerful elementals of the Black Shroud, and are in fact as devoid of reason and sentience as the average weather pattern. These particular sprites were spawned by the water-aether rife in the seawater around the Cieldalaes.
Cyclomedusa
Taxonomy: Wavekin (Jellyfish)
Description: Unusual creatures, dissection has demonstrated that the Jellyfish is capable of a crude form of flight by expelling gas from its body. The tendrils of a jellyfish contain potent stinging barbs which can disable their foe.
Etymology Notes: The Cyclomedusa was a fossil originally thought to be a jellyfish, but later discovered to be a seafloor dwelling creature.
The Kraken ☠
Taxonomy: Wavekin (Kraken)
Description: Terrifying beasts known for tearing ships apart with their limbs, kraken such as these are extremely rare but when they do appear they almost always spell a briny death for the ships their target. This particular kraken attempted to sink the Harr decades prior but was beaten handily and submitted to Mistbeard’s authority, now guarding its masters flagship.
Etymology Notes: The Kraken is, of course, a reference to the kraken of Norse lore, a form of huge squid-like creature famed for sinking ships.
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