Bashe

They crept carefully to the cave mouth and listened. No sounds of activity. No scatter of rocks suggesting movement within.
The man in the studded leather jerkin and pants motioned to his companions, pointing one to each side of the cave mouth. He slipped a worn and pitted steel helmet with u-shaped horns sweeping up off the brow over the dark tight curls on his head. His eyes were a startling black color with just a sliver of white sclera showing. The eyes and his sharp features, olive skin, hook nose over his wide smiling lips marked him as Torga, the people of the Imperial Core islands and first citizens. He pulled and readied his longsword and stepped into the cave.
His companions followed, each sticking close to the rough dripping rock of the cave walls. On the far right a tall woman, her head shaved on the right side in the style of Scholars, Officials and priests of the Empire, the shoulder length golden hair held back by a garland of flowers set with an oval of green jade on the forehead. The pointed ears indicated she was an elf, the faint glimmer off her skin that she was one of The Shining Ones, or Sidhe. Her leathers were bleached to near white with a cloak seemingly made of leaves over the back and a stout metal tipped quarter staff in her hands. As she entered the cave she made a hand motion with whispered words that produced a wash of yellow light sweeping over her.
On the other side another woman, also tall and lean. Pale as snow and clearly Olia . White skin and white hair in a beehive style, though her face was painted yellow brown from between the eyes and down her straight narrow nose. A black downward pointing spear point on her nose tip over thin lips. Black wings like tear tracks painted with white highlights below her golden eyes to her cheeks and a burst of brown-black feather pattern on the forehead. The patch of skin showing from below the sleeve of her leather shirt bore tattoo maze of twisted knots in black ink. In one hand,a painted gourd rattle, and the other a war fan of metal blades.
They cautiously ventured deeper. Pausing as the man raised his hand, they listened, then moved forward again into darkness. The elf whispered again, touching the jade oval and caused illumination of the area around them, a green light as sunlight through leaves.
The cave turned, cutting off the last glow of the entrance. The air cool and dry and the floor sandy with worn projecting stones. Another bend, and the elven light flickered and went out, followed her cursing exclamation. A rasping scraping sound sighed through the cave. The Olien recited a chant while shaking the rattle. "Nothing" she said to the others. "They won't come". From the darkness there was a slow long hiss immediately followed by a male voiced curse and the sound of shattering glass. Suddenly the cave was lit by a blaze of Dragon Oil fire.
A five meter serpent was ahead in the middle of the passage. Green with red banding and blue spines down from behind the head turning to spiked plates on the back and down the tail. On the nose was a ten cm orange colored horn and behind that on the wide spearhead skull, two yellow eyes reflecting the red and orange of the firelight. The Olien cut her arm with the fan holding up the rattle arm so blood flowed into her arm tattoo. Again she chanted, then thrust her arm out, pointing the rattle at the creature. Light flared on her arm for a second, then vanished, replaced by a golden glow around the snake like thing as it grew larger. "A Bashe! A magic eater!" cried the elf......

Basic Information

Anatomy

Bashe are a large snake like species with a wide spear shaped head, yellow eyes and an orange horn on the nose. Body color is green with red saddle banding down the back and sides. The neck has double rows of blue spines that turn to paired jagged blue boney plates down the back. The tail tip has spikes and a deep purple color. It breathes. The jaws have teeth and it will eat flesh, killing with bites, constriction or smashing the spiked tail into prey or enemies.

Genetics and Reproduction

Bashe lay eggs or spawn by dividing into two smaller individuals when they grow to eight to nine meters. They can absorb upto 5 ranks of magical power in an instant and grow by 1 meter or heal for each rank of power absorbed. Mating and egg laying is related to body size and the Bashe must be of 4 meters or larger.

Growth Rate & Stages

Subsisting on flesh alone the Bashe grows in accord with food supply. If bountiful, they add a meter a week and in this way the twenty to thirty cm hatchlings start. Spawned are adults of four meter length. If food is scarce they may not grow or do so only very slowly in 1 cm per week. Bashe do not seem to grow old nor do they die of old age.

Ecology and Habitats

Bashe are found all over the Inner Sea region except the high mountains, ice fields, frozen northern Olia Frontier and northern wilds, The Core Shards and the Holy Island of Kuan.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The unique feature of the Bashe is it's consumption of magical energy. Some basic elemental magics seem unaffected - the magic of life, fire, breath, growing plants, the land and flowing waters. When any of these are augmented with essence, the Bashe can feed. Likewise, when awakened spirits are present in the mortal world, they can be sensed and consumed by the Bashe's magic eating spirit. It prefers to catch spirits in close proximity, but it's aura extends upto four meters: absorbing 1 rank at four meter distance. 2 ranks with three meters, 3 ranks at two, 4 at one meter and upto 5 ranks with physical contact. This effect extends to enchanted devices, draining away their power within minutes or hours.
Perhaps one of the most terrifying sights is Bashe in the presence of a Warp Storm. In a few heart beats one of the beasts can become a dozen or more when exposed to the power of Warp Storms and then they will start hunting for meat.

Biological Cycle

In cold regions or seasons Bashe may sleep or hybernate in caves or deep in the earth. They do not shed like snakes. The scaled hide simply seems to grow, refreshing itself without peeling away.
Because of it's magic eating, the Bashe is also fond of Arcane Crystal veins and mines. Small runs of crystal are quickly drained, while a cavern or mine will spawn a multitude of the serpents over several days.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The Bashe senses active magic within ten meters. It's eyes see well in darkness. Like snakes has they have no ears. The creature can feel vibrations in the ground from heavy steps and even deep voices. The sense of smell seems well developed and it will track and hunt wounded prey. The Bashe can sense spirits and will hunt them to feed from their magical energies. Bashe possess only the brute intelligence of an ox or auroch. As eaters of magic they are of great interest to Mages who have found the things do possess an animal Po spirit themselves. This Po is hungry and aggressive with all other spirits. They have a True form in the Astral Plane. No totem spirits have been found. Fae report that the Bashe's hunger will also devour their glamours and auras, as well as the Chimera.

by Mutterwolf

The Bashe is a creature of flesh and blood and can be slain by mundane weapons. Enchanted weapons soon lose their powers when faced with the monsters. The only magics that wound Bashe are magics of dispelling. Exorcisms and undoings. The mind talents are also effective but not fighting techniques that channel essence.

Origin/Ancestry

Like dragons and magic, Bashe date back to the oldest records. None know wether they were created by Gods or Demons, migrated from some other realm or were birthed from something else.

The bones, teeth, hide, organs and blood of the Bashe retain the tie to the Po and the magic absorbing power, though it becomes a magic cancellation. Bashe can't be raised or animated as their Po remains active so long as the body remains and it will continue to attack and feed on magics within 1 meter of the body or parts of the body. The hideous notion of a Bashe regenerating from death is not known.