The Verduran Colossus
"Not all that walks in the forest is of it; some are of the stars." - Elder Botanist Luren Thay, Encounters Beyond the Veinlands
"Not all that walks in the forest is of it; some are of the stars." - Elder Botanist Luren Thay, Encounters Beyond the Veinlands
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Summary:
The Verduran Colossus is a legendary, plant-originated turtle-like behemoth of the continent's more wooded regions. Made mostly of ancient trees, moss-covered stones and living vines, the creature is less of a living thing and more of an idea of nature given shape. It has no true head, more a headlike stone, often with gemstone eyes and molten currents pulsing beneath the surface. Some believe the beast to have formed around a magical stone fell from the heavens, much like a pearl forms around grains of dust. It is believed these beings to be older than most kingdoms, seeing as their great size forms only slowly. It is a moving ecosystem, bearing soil, plant and animal life across its great shell. The beast itself consumes coal and other minerals, potentially possessing some sort of reactionary furnace within.
Basic Description:
Generally fifty feet in height, seventy feet in length, incredibly slow moving. More akin to a shambling mountain or hillock than a creature, should one make itself apparent it is likely to be tracked and pursued either by hunters or other opportunists. Its body is a mountainous shell of interwoven tree trunks, moss-draped stone, and living flora, with birds and insects making temporary homes in its canopy-shell. The mouthlike front cavity contains various gem-like sensory organs, some possessing perceived arcane properties.
Rarity: Legendary
Location:
The verduran colossi wander forests and ridgelines on the cool side of the valley or range, often in shadow, making advantage of the more shaded regions of the forests to hide its immense size from potential predators and would-be thieves. Rarely decsending into valleys, the colossi prefer higher altitude where mineral-rich soils dominate over the loam of the alluvial plains. As a byproduct of its habitat, large areas of earth are often rooted - as swine would - promoting often an overgrowth of thickets and small underbrush amidst ruts where previously the forest floor was solid and clear.
Properties:
Special Properties:
The Verduran Colossus is a legendary, plant-originated turtle-like behemoth of the continent's more wooded regions. Made mostly of ancient trees, moss-covered stones and living vines, the creature is less of a living thing and more of an idea of nature given shape. It has no true head, more a headlike stone, often with gemstone eyes and molten currents pulsing beneath the surface. Some believe the beast to have formed around a magical stone fell from the heavens, much like a pearl forms around grains of dust. It is believed these beings to be older than most kingdoms, seeing as their great size forms only slowly. It is a moving ecosystem, bearing soil, plant and animal life across its great shell. The beast itself consumes coal and other minerals, potentially possessing some sort of reactionary furnace within.
Basic Description:
Generally fifty feet in height, seventy feet in length, incredibly slow moving. More akin to a shambling mountain or hillock than a creature, should one make itself apparent it is likely to be tracked and pursued either by hunters or other opportunists. Its body is a mountainous shell of interwoven tree trunks, moss-draped stone, and living flora, with birds and insects making temporary homes in its canopy-shell. The mouthlike front cavity contains various gem-like sensory organs, some possessing perceived arcane properties.
Rarity: Legendary
Location:
The verduran colossi wander forests and ridgelines on the cool side of the valley or range, often in shadow, making advantage of the more shaded regions of the forests to hide its immense size from potential predators and would-be thieves. Rarely decsending into valleys, the colossi prefer higher altitude where mineral-rich soils dominate over the loam of the alluvial plains. As a byproduct of its habitat, large areas of earth are often rooted - as swine would - promoting often an overgrowth of thickets and small underbrush amidst ruts where previously the forest floor was solid and clear.
Properties:
- Huge, Armored Shell of tree and stone.
- Non-hostile, but territorial if surrounded or if coal is removed from nearby deposits that it claims. It can easily level buildings if threatened.
- Considered a natural spirit or divine custodian - many city-states bans on attacking or mining the beasts for risk of vast destructive rampages.
Special Properties:
- 'Astera Core' - Made of a sort of star-metal, it is believed to be the motive force of the colossi. Radiating heat and low sound pulses, scholars suggest the stone acts as a sensory matrix, allowing the colossus to sense and process information. Alchemists claim that this is the root of bringing golemaic forms to life.