Ve-Z

Verdanne

(Humanoid)—This a green-skinned people from a subterranean world of eternal twilight called Keboldi. (It is unknown if that is their ‘world,’ or a kingdom there.) If Verdanne live among surface people, and eat surface peoples’ food, they slowly lose their green pigmentation. They have their own language and religion, and well adapted them to the extreme temperatures and poor air conditions underground. They suffer no adverse reactions to living in darkness, cut off from the sun.

Warped Ones

(Chthonic)—These are humans or animals warped by too close a proximity to chthonic beings, forces and powers. This reality-rippling sickness can warp their minds and bodies, disfiguring them with grotesque mutations, shifting features or adding twisted appendages, and sucking away their sanity and humanity.

Watchers

(Angel)—Watchers is a wider term used to describe an assortment of divine counselors and angels given authority over Aarthus. These particular fallen angels were cast down for taking human women as wives (see Sirens) and fathering the Nephilim race. That makes Watchers the grandfathers of demon kind in that Nephilim ghosts became demons. Their powers still are monumental by human standards, but much degraded compared to other angels’ ability. In most other regards, the Watchers are like angels, but these, when they took physical form, often appeared as humanoids with animalistic properties. For example, they might have the head, wings, hands, and/or feet of eagles, snakes, bulls, etc.

Wattenby Will-o’-the-wisps

(Faerie)—In Wattenby Forest, these entities will aggressively lead humans to their doom, then rob their energy. These balls of orangish light will whisper of lost treasure, and they will emit haunting music than can overcome a victim’s will. Victims are thought to live on as will-o’-the-wisps themselves, or as an undead called forest revenants.

Wave Walkers

(Undead)—These are terrifying ghosts that accompany the Sea of Silence’s magic fog. The fog is already treacherous, because it masks murtra hunting parties and the wave walkers themselves. The wave walkers appear as they did in life, but with wavering outlines and haunted eyes that glare accusingly at their victims. These spirits float just above the ground or waves, have no memory of their former lives, and will strangle anyone they catch outdoors in the fog. Those that die by the wave walkers’ hands become wave walkers as well. The terrifying visage of a wave walker in action can break weak mortals’ minds or turn their hair prematurely white.

Werebears

n Allyn’s valleys and passes, there also are rumored to be werebears, also labeled ursineathropes. Their bear form is as large as a Stone Age cave bear, and their hulking /bear shapes are as big as ogres. Their long claws are supremely dangerous. They are more aggressive than natural bears, and they do not co-exist well with local people. The werebear changes shape at will, and is not tied to lunar forces. They are rare.

Wereboar

Functionally the same as a werewolf, but in boar form.

Werewolf Alpha

These old and rare monsters are the werewolf elite. The alpha has three forms, those being human, giant wolf, or a wolf-human hybrid with powerful talons and a tail. Most alphas prefer their hybrid form, and stand eight or nine feet tall and possess superhuman strength. They may speak, have human eyes, and may morph in whole or in part between their forms as they will. They each are masters of potent magic, and they are ageless, perhaps even immortal in their hybrid form. They regenerate rapidly from injuries, and they only may be harmed by blessed silver or magical weapons. They wear clothes and equipment as needed, and may use human weapons rather than fang and claw when they wish.

Werewolf

Also called a skin changer, turn-skin or gar-wolf, these beings are humans who can transform into a wolf, and then back again. When the werewolf changes into a wolf, he will be much larger and stronger than a normal wolf, but he will still have human eyes, and he may still speak his normal tongue as well as his wolf language. He must strip away his clothes whenever he transforms. When the werewolf is in its human form, he may have one or more of the following traits: a monobrow meeting in the middle; low-set ears; a loping stride; talon-like fingernails; or bristles under the tongue. Some claim that if you cut a werewolf wearing its human form, you can see his fur on the inside of the wound. When the werewolf reverts to human form, he is physically weak, nervous, and he will suffer severe melancholia. Lycanthropy may be cured by ingesting wolfbane or an exorcism. There are many ways the werewolf can contract lycanthropy, but the most common method is being cursed, becoming a cannibal, a divine curse, or dying in a state of mortal sin, after which he will rise as a werewolf three days hence. This kind of turn-skin may turn into a wolf as needed. If a human wishes to become a werewolf purposely, he may sleep naked but for a wolf pelt as a belt or girdle. Sometimes rituals and poison and herb-use accompany this act. The human will become a wolf on full moon nights, granting the condition the name of the lunar illness. The latter type of monster has no control over his changes.

White Lady

(Faerie)—Drawn from the Faerie gentry or higher, the white lady is an elf maid who delights in ruthlessly teasing male mortals, twisting their minds and leading them on. In contrast, white ladies will never refuse to guide good-hearted travelers. Because of this, the white lady knows spells that let her know others’ hearts, detect lies and deception. White ladies are duo-formed, being—a) a beautiful elf maid, and b) a cloud, stone or moss. They possess the secrets of all safe passages that cut travel time and avoid dangerous pitfalls and encounters.

Wolf-Dragon Hybrid

Found in Noelred, these creatures appear as a giant wolf that stand almost four-foot high at their shoulders. Their heads have a dragonish appearance, they have dorsal spikes along their spines, and they have dragon tails up to four-feet long. While mostly covered with fur, these beings have large, random areas of dragon scales. The creature’s back legs are wolflike, better suited for running, and their front claws may unfurl from wolflike to dragonlike, making them good for both running and claw attacks. These creatures do not speak human languages, about one in four of them has fiery breath, but they have no wings and cannot fly.

Wulver/Wild Man

(Giant)—Wulvers are reclusive, gentle, brown furred simians that live in valleys and along rivers in isolated places. They have a simple speech and rudimentary tool use, and they fish with their long arms and hands. They prefer peace, will flee when possible, and will only fight in self-defense or for their families.

Wyvern

(Dragon)—A winged, two-legged, barb-tailed dragon. They are green, but with a red chest, belly and underside of wings. Wyvern breath is full of pestilence and plague. They are speechless, but have cunning animal intelligence. They are the premiere flyers of dragon kind.

by Scott A. Story

Zephyr/Sylph

(Male/Female) (Elemental)—These are traditional air elementals and they possess three forms: an invisible mass of air; a tiny, faerie-like human with wings; or as a course, rough, but strong human. They possess flight (except in human form) and invisibility. Turbulent air conditions such as severe storms or tornados have been known to rejuvenate or heal them. They are reported to have no souls of their own, and can only earn one by taking human shape and marrying a human. This union locks the elemental into their material, human form and grants the human spouse extended longevity.

Zephyr/Human Hybrid

s (Elemental)—These offspring are physically strong, if somewhat coarse looking, but otherwise human in all ways. They present an affinity for weather and elemental magik.