The Lore of Fauna: The Behemoth

The Lore of Fauna: The Behemoth
By Prof. Romiak Jusathorn
Planar Influence: Mana Sub Races: Unknown Frequency: Extinct Size: Titanic Region: Global Habitat: Land and Sea

Long before any creature dominated Norrath, there came into existence beasts of legendary nature. Many of these creatures came and left before the deities spread their children across the surface of Norrath. One of these legendary beast types is known as the Gargantile Cheldridea, or Behemoth.

The Behemoths were a race of immense reptile like beasts of gargantuan proportions. They were easily some 180 meters in length with a very broad ribcage. Their limbs were long and powerful, perfect for striking down the greatest of prey.

The tails of these beasts accounted for one quarter of their total length. They often employed the tail in battle with larger beasts of their era. The swipe from such a tail could kill a wurm. They walked upon all fours, but fossils have indicated that they most likely rose upon their hind legs during battles.

The behemoths were placed upon Norrath by entities unknown. I believe that their existence is a gift of nature, possibly a beast sprung from necessity. The Behemoth acted more as a force of nature than an intelligent beast of warlike destruction. They would slumber for centuries at a time and only awaken to destroy budding ancient communities of the few ancient societies of the era.

The behemoths were eventually destroyed, possibly by the major deities who played a stake in the population of Norrath’s prime races. Their immense fossilized bones can be in various hard to reach locations of Norrath. The fossils are quite a find, but never intact.

One Behemoth is rumored to still be in existence and was last recorded in an ancient dragonkind scroll to have been lumbering upon the frozen steppes of the Frigid Plain. This same scroll indicates a fear of these beasts among dragonkind, one of the first races to inhabit Norrath.

It is my theory that some of the early dragon communities could have been laid to waste by a single Behemoth. Evidence has shown that these gigantic beasts often lived a solitary life. For the dragons, it is a blessing that these creatures did not roam in herds.

In early ages, sea captains also reported to have seen the beasts in the deep oceans. There was once an ancient water beast that terrorized much of the Coldwind Coastline of Antonica. From evidence acquired, I believe this water beast to be a Behemoth. That beast is said to have been destroyed by the greatest warship ever built, the Q.S.S. Eradicator. Both the beast and the ship are said to lie in the deep abyss of the Ocean of Tears.

My studies continue and I have found many remains I believe to belong to these thunderous creatures. The greatest behemoth fossils I discovered came from such places as the community of Oggok, the Dreadlands of Kunark and the valley Dragonscale Hills of Faydwer.

Scholars of the Academy of Arcane Science dispute my findings. But I have speculated that the modern day ocean wurm is a distant relative to the Behemoths. They may have merely adapted to the water through means of biological evolution that I have theorized, Jusathorn’s Theory of Bioevolution. This theory explains that mana is the true creator of these beasts.

Mana creates out of necessity. The vessel of mana called Norrath requires bioevolution for survival. The behemoths acted as cleansers or exterminators to the world, mother Norrath’s ultimate guardians, not the children of deities. The behemoths, no doubt, had special innate magical resistances due to their mana nature.

This made them more than a match for any of the ancient races, including those of dragonkind. I believe there to be a quasi plane sprung off the plane of growth where many of these beasts will always lumber. It is on this quasi plane that I shall continue my research.

For further information please reference: “Behemoth, A Force of Nature” by Romiak Jusathorn and “The Theory of Bioevolution” by Romiak Jusathorn.

A Recent History of the Tunarians

The past 500 years have been that of turmoil. Our people, the Koada’Dal, have had to endure atrocities that we would not even wish upon our enemies.
Beginning with the fall of Felwithe and the murder of King Thex, the inhabitants of the city were forced to flee into the mountains to survive. The casualties from the war were great, and the number of paladins were low. A plan was to be formed, the home that Tunare gave to her people was to be retaken.

In the mountains above the city the remaining paladins, priests and mages gathered. They were to all at once draw upon the divine power of Tunare and expel the forces of Innoruuk that had seized control of the city.

The siege of the city caused great destruction, even the mountain canyon that the city had been built in had taken damage. Besides the remaining Koada’Dal there were no living things left in the canyon. The agents of Innoruuk had during the final battle burned the trees, the grass and all of the other vegetation. Even the great tree was on the verge of death.

From the mountains came a wary ally. The Myntr, a tribe of satyr from the plane of Growth came to tend to the tree. It was sacred to them, and to their Mother Tunare. They were unwilling at first to assist the Koada’Dal in rebuilding the city, and for a while left to the mountains above. They left with the tree the tenders. Beings of nature that would take care of the great tree.

During the excavation and rebuilding of the city, historians found books that read of a time ages past. Where the elves lived in the Elddar Forest, and closer to Tunare. The whole of what was Antonica and now the shattered lands used to be under the control and influence of the elves.

These elves were different than the elves that the Koada’Dal saw in their own race. They then noticed how the wood elf and half elf had become perversions of Tunare’s perfect elf. They looked upon their darker kin knowing their creation was a work of Innoruuk, they were no longer able to acknowledge that they had once been elf. These historians convinced the council that there should be a purification, and a recreation of the perfect elf.

It was decided that to become a new race of perfect Elf, they must leave behind their old names, and take upon a new name that would represent their devotion to Tunare, during her absence. The name decided upon was the Renda’Dal, or more commonly the New Tunarians. Family trees were created for the elves that could trace back their history, and those with the most pure blood were selected to bring about more pure blood elves.