Stonemen

Stoneman

"Locale: White Guard Mountains
Danger:Medium to Low
Those travelling the Snowlaid Pass and in the mountainous areas of the Empire in general should never, ever, approach any large conglomeration of statues in mountain valleys. If you cannot help but go by these statues, do not touch them or prod them in any way. For these statues are anything but, and those who wander into a pack of them will likely never live to tell the tale, perforated by a multitude of stab wounds and covered in the mosses that forms the interior of these demonic creatures..."
~Perk Zarlé, Guide to the Creatures of Endaman

Basic Information

Anatomy

A stoneman appears as a stone statue when viewed from far away, but if attacked or when it is hungry, it will shift, revealing itself to be a collection of rock-hard plates being held together by a pile of moss on the inside. Oftentimes, the hands and feet of the stoneman will be sharpened into points for stabbing. Those looking to kill these creatures should aim to get under the stone plates and damage the moss underneath.

Genetics and Reproduction

Stonemen are merely rock animated by the mosses inside them; the moss reproduces whenever it reaches a large source of heat has more rocks to bind too. At that point, the moss will begin to grow in size, latching onto the rocks and forming another stoneman.
Because of the fact that this process commonly occurs when the stoneman kills someone, it is said that those killed by a stoneman rise again, zombie-like, as more stonemen. This isn't too far from the truth; those killed by a stoneman often form the core of what the moss grows on.

Ecology and Habitats

Stonemen usually live in mountain valleys, as the moss the creatures are made of is native those areas. They often form small groups, which hide in craggy places and mountain passes for victims. Because of their stone-like appearance, many believe them to be harmless statuary. Too bad for them...

Dietary Needs and Habits

The moss that animates the stoneman needs warmth and water to grow, the former being in short supply in the mountains and the latter commonly being cold. That is why these creatures often attack animals and people; the warmth of their victims provides the moss with heat while the blood drawn out of their bodies by the stoneman's rock-like outer shell waters the moss.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

They can see after a fashion by detecting body heat given off by living creatures. This sense can be fooled by not going near the creatures or casting frost magicks on them so they are frozen in place.

Average Height

A stoneman approximates a human in size.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

The moss that forms the inside of the creatures usually comes in shades of brown, occasionally containing mushrooms as well.

Art Credit: emperorcharlesii (me!)