Pagoselbe
Beware the stalkers of the night, for they are always waiting for the unwary traveler to skitter between their paws.
Description
Massive and formidable, Pagoselbe can stand up to five feet tall at the shoulder, with a long, heavy, dexterous tail that can level a bamboo wall with ease. These creatures have been recorded to rear up on their hindlegs to make themselves more terrifying to their usual victims: the Melivora, an Aelvanir race who never seems to grow taller than 5'3". Pagoselbe have a toned body underneath tough snake-skin the color of voidstone; their unchanging shade renders them nearly invisible in the darkness that they often lurk in. Some fur may grow on the back of younger Pagoselbes' necks and along their spines, but this trait is noticeably absent in adults.
They have massive paws and retractable, sickle-shaped dew claws that they use to slice open skin with precision. Their front-legs are covered in a tougher, chitinous material that makes that part of their body generally impenetrable by most bladed weapons. Surprisingly, they know to parry with their armored legs and do so with awareness, causing some researchers to believe that they are a species more sentient than they choose to let on. Often times, one might see a Pagoselbe stand on its hind-legs and use its chitin to block blows directed at the softer parts of their body.
The shape of their faces vary. Some of their kind bear long muzzles with wide nostrils that can be plugged by interior flesh-growths, while the others have flat faces with slanted nostrils, not unlike a snake's. All, however, share the same sloped face with hollowed, elastic cheeks, external eyelids, and a nictitating membrane. They are deep-chested with bodies that are well-structured with massive shoulders, hindquarters, and a partially elongated neck. The Pagoselbe have a lower jaw structured much like a snake, with two separate lower jaws connected by an elastic ligament, and in turn attached loosely to a joint in the upper jaw that allows them to open their mouths wide. Very wide.
Their eyes are wide, white, and limited in terms of vision. Pagoselbe are known to have poor eyesight and are unable to see distinct figures without a good amount of light—this makes them, ironically, almost blind in the dark. However, they have evolved to develop such keen senses without their eyesight that they don't seem to mind seeing the world from a very blurry point of view. Their pawpads are covered in sensitive, fine fur that can feel the slightest shifting in sand, and their inner ear canals lead to a simple opening near the top of their jaws. They have whiskers along the sides of their faces, forming a sparse mane on their cheeks that easily pick up the shifts in the wind and earth. Their noses are accustomed to different scents and can help them determine how many they are, where they are, where to dig to find water, and what kind of creature stands before them (including the age, gender, and rough size estimate).
They have the peculiar ability of mimicking sounds in the most basic sense. While unable to pronounce certain words, their chatter strangely sounds like the hustle-and-bustle of a normal day at a Melivora village, clicking consonants together to form familiar word-flows. Outside of these mimics, they are notoriously quiet and have not shown any other form of communication towards others of their kind.
They have massive paws and retractable, sickle-shaped dew claws that they use to slice open skin with precision. Their front-legs are covered in a tougher, chitinous material that makes that part of their body generally impenetrable by most bladed weapons. Surprisingly, they know to parry with their armored legs and do so with awareness, causing some researchers to believe that they are a species more sentient than they choose to let on. Often times, one might see a Pagoselbe stand on its hind-legs and use its chitin to block blows directed at the softer parts of their body.
The shape of their faces vary. Some of their kind bear long muzzles with wide nostrils that can be plugged by interior flesh-growths, while the others have flat faces with slanted nostrils, not unlike a snake's. All, however, share the same sloped face with hollowed, elastic cheeks, external eyelids, and a nictitating membrane. They are deep-chested with bodies that are well-structured with massive shoulders, hindquarters, and a partially elongated neck. The Pagoselbe have a lower jaw structured much like a snake, with two separate lower jaws connected by an elastic ligament, and in turn attached loosely to a joint in the upper jaw that allows them to open their mouths wide. Very wide.
Their eyes are wide, white, and limited in terms of vision. Pagoselbe are known to have poor eyesight and are unable to see distinct figures without a good amount of light—this makes them, ironically, almost blind in the dark. However, they have evolved to develop such keen senses without their eyesight that they don't seem to mind seeing the world from a very blurry point of view. Their pawpads are covered in sensitive, fine fur that can feel the slightest shifting in sand, and their inner ear canals lead to a simple opening near the top of their jaws. They have whiskers along the sides of their faces, forming a sparse mane on their cheeks that easily pick up the shifts in the wind and earth. Their noses are accustomed to different scents and can help them determine how many they are, where they are, where to dig to find water, and what kind of creature stands before them (including the age, gender, and rough size estimate).
They have the peculiar ability of mimicking sounds in the most basic sense. While unable to pronounce certain words, their chatter strangely sounds like the hustle-and-bustle of a normal day at a Melivora village, clicking consonants together to form familiar word-flows. Outside of these mimics, they are notoriously quiet and have not shown any other form of communication towards others of their kind.
Historical Entry
Screams echoed from the hut next door. Its bamboo walls swept to and fro before bending outwards and breaking completely, its segments clattering to the desert floor. For a moment, there's only silence—your fingers gently brush the curtains farther apart to squint at the darkened interior of the broken abode across the dirt-path, hearing nothing but the howling wind.
You look down. The sand isn't moving, the bamboos have gone still. In the far distance, the trees gathered around your village's oasis are picture-perfect and untouched.
The 'wind' picks up, blowing towards you, hair flying backwards and away from your sweat-drenched face. Attention drawn again to the gaping hole in front of you, something rumbles, and another shriek echoes from within, accompanied by the sound of nails scrabbling across the familiar hardwood floors all huts share. A figure reaches out from the abyss, coated in gleaming black... or is it blood-red? You can't tell from the monochromatic colors of the night.
The hands find purchase on the uneven flooring, dragging forward your young neighbor into view, battered but breathing, sobbing, wailing as she lifts her black-splattered face. You're frozen as she screams and you can't entirely make sense of what she's saying, except for a single word yelling into the otherwise silent night. "Pagoselbe!"
The consequences are almost instant—glowing white eyes appear from within the shadows and a figure lunges forward, just enough for you to see its scarred and scabbed muzzle widen before clamping down on the back of the girl's neck, sinking fangs longer than your own fingers deep into her skin. Her cries are louder, desperate, latching onto the raised wood-plank as the sickening sound of flesh tearing from flesh crashes into your senses. You feel yourself getting sick at the sound, at the sight, a girl being torn to pieces in front of your very eyes and you're still frozen, unable to tear your eyes away from the horror of the grayscale night.
Her eyes meet yours, glistening and tearful in the night, before widening as a more terrifying sight welcomes you. From behind her, a massive claw slams into her shoulder, just as the teeth on her neck give a powerful tug. Something is between its teeth, harder than flesh, tearing along her back and separating from her convulsing form before clattering to the floor, still half-connected to her hipbone. When she stops spasming, something sour tickles the back of your throat, and you involuntarily heave before ducking down at the realization that the sound you'd made has caught the attention of the killer.
You stay low, huddled underneath the windowsill, forcing yourself to avoid throwing up when the taste coats your tongue again. Eyes closed, you will yourself to forget—forget the kind young girl picking flowers whose spine is now removed from her body, forget the sound of her agonizing screams echoing across the shaking and terrified village, forget the quietness of the village, the quietness... Is it over? Slowly, your eyelids peel apart, vision scrambling across your floor and at the moonlight spilling in from between the curtains. It's your bedroom that greets you: the unmade cot, the potted succulents, the little wooden Jarbufoix the girl next door carved for you on your birthday.
Outside, people are beginning to chatter about what had just unfold. Their words are indistinct, blending into nonsense, footsteps coming closer to undoubtedly look at the corpse of a girl too young to have been taken from the world. Trembling, you slowly shift from your seated position, fingers wrapping around the window's ledge before pulling yourself up—only to be greeted again by bone-white eyes and jaws splitting apart unnaturally, wicked teeth sinking into your cheeks.
Toxicity
Recent discoveries have shown that the Pagoselbe have a venomous bite. Previously, because nobody has ever survived being a victim of a Pagoselbe raid due to their brutality, this fact has never surfaced. However, on 3006, one survivor was recorded to have died within two hours of a single bite on their calf. Blood samples taken to the Main Houses proved that these nasty creatures are capable of producing a potent cocktail of neurotoxic venom.
Initially, a bite victim may show symptoms such as a headache near the temple and a metallic taste in the mouth, followed by paresthesias along the back of the neck, salivation, and excessive sweating. Fifteen minutes after the initial appearance of symptoms, their eyelids and parts of their face will begin to sag and slightly swell, rendering them incapable of speaking or enunciating. Within forty-five minutes, their heartrate will either increase significantly or decrease significantly, leading to heart, breathing, or cardiac failures that will eventually result in death.
No potions have been created to combat the adverse effects of the bite. Particularly skilled healers may try flushing the venom out of the victim's system. The bite victim will be laid out on a table on their back and small holes will be drilled into their wrists. Two healers will send arcane vibrations through each open wound with a third pulling from the victim's mouth. Each glob of venom extracted from the body is then thrown into a brazier to prevent further contamination. They will attempt to separate venom from blood over the course of 48 hours. This has a 20% chance of success, but any physical effects the poisoning may have left behind, such as the facial sagging, will be permanent.
Initially, a bite victim may show symptoms such as a headache near the temple and a metallic taste in the mouth, followed by paresthesias along the back of the neck, salivation, and excessive sweating. Fifteen minutes after the initial appearance of symptoms, their eyelids and parts of their face will begin to sag and slightly swell, rendering them incapable of speaking or enunciating. Within forty-five minutes, their heartrate will either increase significantly or decrease significantly, leading to heart, breathing, or cardiac failures that will eventually result in death.
No potions have been created to combat the adverse effects of the bite. Particularly skilled healers may try flushing the venom out of the victim's system. The bite victim will be laid out on a table on their back and small holes will be drilled into their wrists. Two healers will send arcane vibrations through each open wound with a third pulling from the victim's mouth. Each glob of venom extracted from the body is then thrown into a brazier to prevent further contamination. They will attempt to separate venom from blood over the course of 48 hours. This has a 20% chance of success, but any physical effects the poisoning may have left behind, such as the facial sagging, will be permanent.
Social Behavior & Habitat
Pagoselbe, while infamous for being very volatile, are known to form packs of six to ten in search of food. Completely anarchistic, they do not have a 'pack leader' or any single individual making decisions for the group. Instead, they tend to be led by their hard-wired instincts that are reflected in each and every one of them: hide during the day, come out at night, hunt food, hide again. In the way that they act and react, they can be likened to clones of each other.
Because of the cannibalism incident on 2606, Pagoselbe are also capable of killing and consuming their own kind when a victim is threatened to be captured. During this event, eyewitnesses noticed that the captive Pagoselbe did not even attempt to fight back, indicating that this is instinctive behavoir. Pagoselbe will do anything to prevent capture, even going so far as to attacking and killing their own kind.
After their retreat from villages, attacks have become fewer and sparser in between, often revolving around lone travelers and merchants unfortunate enough to come across the wandering packs. Less and less Pagoselbe have been seen around the more civilized areas of the desert and villages have stopped offering sacrifices. Many believe, however, that they will one day return as they did before. It's an endless cycle of coming out of hiding, attacking villages, learning their lesson, and going back into hiding.
It is unknown where they hide in daytime but there are theories suggesting they either have a permanent burrow or dig temporary, underground shelters to keep cool. This theory was proposed by a Melivora researcher, Adenu the Quick-Eye, who noticed the peculiar shape and girth of Pagoselbe claws and how, if held together correctly, could act like an effective shovel. No Paogselbe has ever been found outside the desert.
They have a very vicious disposition and are near-impossible to approach. Many hunters and warriors have tried (and failed) to kill a Pagoselbe, whose tough scales are impenetrable by standard weapons. They attack everything outside of their own kind and are capable of teaming up with other packs to perform a single goal that might require the numbers. Droves of at least fifty Pagoselbe have been recorded before.
Pagoselbe reproduction remains a mystery to this day, however it's theorized by many that they are ovoviviparous based on the lack of discarded shells. Nobody has ever seen an infant Pagoselbe, and it's unknown what kind of prey they consume in their youth before they are old enough to join in raids. There are rumors that these young creatures can mimic the sound of a newborn Aelvanir infant.
Because of the cannibalism incident on 2606, Pagoselbe are also capable of killing and consuming their own kind when a victim is threatened to be captured. During this event, eyewitnesses noticed that the captive Pagoselbe did not even attempt to fight back, indicating that this is instinctive behavoir. Pagoselbe will do anything to prevent capture, even going so far as to attacking and killing their own kind.
After their retreat from villages, attacks have become fewer and sparser in between, often revolving around lone travelers and merchants unfortunate enough to come across the wandering packs. Less and less Pagoselbe have been seen around the more civilized areas of the desert and villages have stopped offering sacrifices. Many believe, however, that they will one day return as they did before. It's an endless cycle of coming out of hiding, attacking villages, learning their lesson, and going back into hiding.
It is unknown where they hide in daytime but there are theories suggesting they either have a permanent burrow or dig temporary, underground shelters to keep cool. This theory was proposed by a Melivora researcher, Adenu the Quick-Eye, who noticed the peculiar shape and girth of Pagoselbe claws and how, if held together correctly, could act like an effective shovel. No Paogselbe has ever been found outside the desert.
They have a very vicious disposition and are near-impossible to approach. Many hunters and warriors have tried (and failed) to kill a Pagoselbe, whose tough scales are impenetrable by standard weapons. They attack everything outside of their own kind and are capable of teaming up with other packs to perform a single goal that might require the numbers. Droves of at least fifty Pagoselbe have been recorded before.
Pagoselbe reproduction remains a mystery to this day, however it's theorized by many that they are ovoviviparous based on the lack of discarded shells. Nobody has ever seen an infant Pagoselbe, and it's unknown what kind of prey they consume in their youth before they are old enough to join in raids. There are rumors that these young creatures can mimic the sound of a newborn Aelvanir infant.
History
The Pagoselbe were once creatures of myth and urban legend. Parents would scare their children into behaving by telling stories of the flesh-eating Sand Demon and its wicked strength, its eight-inch fangs, and its hooked claws. Stories soon became reality on the 54th of Last Light, 2605, when the first recorded Pagoselbe in (arguably) centuries massacred the village of Eondell in a single night. When the Main Houses caught wind of these attacks, they sent out their Royal Guards to each village to help exterminate the threat—but one guard was not enough against multiple Pagoselbe who have begun to form packs of their own.
2606 is known as the Year of Bloodshed in Melivora History. After showing their power, packs of Pagoselbe constantly threatened villages and killed as many as 368 people in a single week alone. Some villages began offering cattle to the creatures in the hopes that placating them would ensure their survival, but the Pagoselbe refused to eat these sacrifices and seemed to have a hunger only for human flesh. One flat-nosed Pagoselbe was caught and force-fed gazelle, only for it to develop a skin-condition that soon affected its captors. In less than a week, the entire research team was suffering from infected scabs along their arms, armpits, the back of their ears and knees, inside their elbows, and belly buttons. After three more days, both the captive Pagoselbe and the Melivora died from infection.
After proving that animal-meat would not be enough, some larger villages began sacrificing their crooks and criminals, chaining them at the entrance of the village and cleaning up the chains the following morning. Pagoselbe attacks significantly decreased in those villages, inhumane their methods may be. The Main Houses, after catching wind of their deployed guards' failures, deployed entire militias to the villages and implemented a strict daytime-only curfew that threatened the welfare of each village (for they hunted and foraged only at night due to the harsh daytime weathers of the desert). Villagers were forced to hunt in the heat of day, threatened by the variety of illnesses that could be birthed from overheating, while the guards roamed the streets at night armed to the teeth.
Only five Pagoselbe were ever killed, two long-nosed and three flat-nosed. They were supposed to be shipped off for further research but, in the dead of night, packs upon packs of Pagoselbe raided the village they were in and consumed their captive brethren to the bone before leaving the researchers with nothing but blood splatters for their trouble. After this event, less and less Pagoselbe were seen near the villages. It's theorized that they have gone into hiding (and that they had been in hiding centuries before). With the lack of research material, the researches returned empty-handed.
2606 is known as the Year of Bloodshed in Melivora History. After showing their power, packs of Pagoselbe constantly threatened villages and killed as many as 368 people in a single week alone. Some villages began offering cattle to the creatures in the hopes that placating them would ensure their survival, but the Pagoselbe refused to eat these sacrifices and seemed to have a hunger only for human flesh. One flat-nosed Pagoselbe was caught and force-fed gazelle, only for it to develop a skin-condition that soon affected its captors. In less than a week, the entire research team was suffering from infected scabs along their arms, armpits, the back of their ears and knees, inside their elbows, and belly buttons. After three more days, both the captive Pagoselbe and the Melivora died from infection.
After proving that animal-meat would not be enough, some larger villages began sacrificing their crooks and criminals, chaining them at the entrance of the village and cleaning up the chains the following morning. Pagoselbe attacks significantly decreased in those villages, inhumane their methods may be. The Main Houses, after catching wind of their deployed guards' failures, deployed entire militias to the villages and implemented a strict daytime-only curfew that threatened the welfare of each village (for they hunted and foraged only at night due to the harsh daytime weathers of the desert). Villagers were forced to hunt in the heat of day, threatened by the variety of illnesses that could be birthed from overheating, while the guards roamed the streets at night armed to the teeth.
Only five Pagoselbe were ever killed, two long-nosed and three flat-nosed. They were supposed to be shipped off for further research but, in the dead of night, packs upon packs of Pagoselbe raided the village they were in and consumed their captive brethren to the bone before leaving the researchers with nothing but blood splatters for their trouble. After this event, less and less Pagoselbe were seen near the villages. It's theorized that they have gone into hiding (and that they had been in hiding centuries before). With the lack of research material, the researches returned empty-handed.
Miscellaneous Entry #1
We were travelling across the lands between Cardello and Povetego when we happened upon an oasis. We knew we should've kept going while the sun had yet to rise but we were tired, thirsty; we'd been travelling for nearly two weeks and we needed something to keep us sane. Should've known things were a little too peaceful when we set up camp by the water's edge.
I volunteered to take first watch and I guess it was as good of an idea as it was a bad one. I was leaning against a tree when the first tremor started under my feet—I rationalized, of course, that it was only a minor shifting of plates, but then the sand in front of me started to shift. From underneath, something rose, digging upwards until a little black speck broke the sand's surface.
That's when it grew, larger and larger, taller than me! I don't think I'll ever forget that sight, the way the shifting darkness writhed in rage before flashing its bone-white eyes on me. Before I could even yell for everyone to wake up, it'd started running for me, and I guess I was lucky enough that I managed to dodge his claws just in time and it only struck the tree but, by Eorthere! Those claws, I think, were bigger than my face. On the insides of his legs, I saw the biggest pair of all, dew claws they were but larger than my sickle, glinting in the damned moonlight.
It wasn't finished. The ground shifted, rumbled, and suddenly they were pouring out of the hole the first one made like a sea of ink. Two, three, four, five, six... I'd stopped counting after six. There were far too many and I was young, I didn't know what to do except to run. They decided my sleeping comrades were easier to eat and let me escape with nothing more than the clothes on my back and the tears on my cheeks.
I'll never forget their screams, loud enough to drown the rushing of blood in my ears. They were just pure agony. Raw and pleading, accompanied by the sound of flesh tearing from flesh. The biggest mistake of my life was looking back. I should've never looked back, because when I did, all I saw was my friends being torn to shreds by those beasts, those monsters! Deria's arm was torn off right in front of my very eyes, and Theo's gut was being feasted on by eight of them, eight! Patrons, no mercy was spared for my people.
I ran like a coward, putting as much distance as I can between me and them, until the sun rose and my legs gave way underneath me. I am thankful that the Povetego patrol had pitied me and nurtured me back to health but sometimes I wish that they hadn't found me, that they had just left me alone to die in the heat of day. It's been fifty years and I can't still hear the sickening sound of those fiends feasting on the only family I ever knew.
Shadow Monster
One of the earliest depictions of the Pagoselbe, as drawn by a child survivor.
One of the earliest depictions of the Pagoselbe, as drawn by a child survivor.
The Pagoselbe have terrorized the Melivora for countless centuries. Sometimes referred to as Shadowspawn, these shadowy creatures come out at night to consume wandering travelers and merchants, leaving nothing but their bones and grieving families behind.
Lifespan
Theorized to be somewhere between 50 to 65 years, although it has never been proven. The Melivora's point of reference is a specific Pagoselbe they have named Ferudie—Ferudie has a unique scar from the tip of their nose to the top of their head, and has been showing up every so often for the past 53 years.
Average height
5'5" to 6'0"
Average weight
400 lbs to 600 lbs
Common Coloring
Vantablack
Sexual Dimorphism
None. Differences between male and female Pagoselbe (if any) have yet to be identified by anyone and remains a mystery. At this time, nobody is able to determine whether a Pagoselbe is of the male or female sex.
Diet
Primarily Aelvanir flesh or fellow Pagoselbe meats. It has been observed that they develop skin diseases upon consumption of flesh outside of this group. While the illness remains unnamed, it can be noted that the infection can be transferred to the Aelvanir.
Predators
Mostly Melivora, who find hunting these foul beasts either an act of rightful justice or proof of one's physical prowess. Only a handful of Aelvanir have successfully hunted down Pagoselbe but refused to give up their catch for scientific purposes.
Alternate Names
• Flesh-eater
• Sand Demon
• Shadowspawn
Theorized to be somewhere between 50 to 65 years, although it has never been proven. The Melivora's point of reference is a specific Pagoselbe they have named Ferudie—Ferudie has a unique scar from the tip of their nose to the top of their head, and has been showing up every so often for the past 53 years.
Average height
5'5" to 6'0"
Average weight
400 lbs to 600 lbs
Common Coloring
Vantablack
Sexual Dimorphism
None. Differences between male and female Pagoselbe (if any) have yet to be identified by anyone and remains a mystery. At this time, nobody is able to determine whether a Pagoselbe is of the male or female sex.
Diet
Primarily Aelvanir flesh or fellow Pagoselbe meats. It has been observed that they develop skin diseases upon consumption of flesh outside of this group. While the illness remains unnamed, it can be noted that the infection can be transferred to the Aelvanir.
Predators
Mostly Melivora, who find hunting these foul beasts either an act of rightful justice or proof of one's physical prowess. Only a handful of Aelvanir have successfully hunted down Pagoselbe but refused to give up their catch for scientific purposes.
Alternate Names
• Flesh-eater
• Sand Demon
• Shadowspawn
Comments
Author's Notes