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Jaladam
Not native to Khitus, jaladam came from demonic
realms during the Barbarian Age. Recruited for a longforgotten war among powerful priests and gods, these
unaging creatures have long wandered a world not their
own in search of enemies they can no longer effectively
identify. They are typical of the creatures that linger
near the Pock.
Jaladam are drawn to mortals exploring ancient places
or possessing ancient artifacts. Items that draw their
demonic eyes include heirlooms, ancient coins and
jewels, tablets and statues, and so on. Disturbing the
past alerts them to the presence of enemies, however
confused those memories become across the vast gulf
of time. They watch over ancient places for reasons they
can no longer fathom.
As demons, jaladam live in both realms simultaneously, and so can never be completely killed unless they are
confronted in both realms at once, impossible without
the advent of powerful and sophisticated magic. Still,
damaging them in the physical realm can drive them
away, at least temporarily. Common weapons cannot
pierce their hides, though enchanted weapons affect
their physical halves normally. Magical attacks are the
only way to “slay” the living physical body and force its
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retreat back into the shadow realms where it often forgets its prey.
In combat, the jaladam presents a formidable foe. It
lunges with its mammoth horn, sufficient to skewer a
victim through the heart. To do so, the beast must forego
its fin and tail slaps, which are forceful enough to bruise
and crush bones, as well as knock the target off its feet.
A prone target is especially vulnerable to the jaladam’s
horn skewer as a follow-up attack. When fighting as a
group, they often attack with fin and tail slaps to separate allies or knock down combatants. This aids the killing lunge of the lead or original jaladam that engaged
these enemies.
Once a jaladam engages a mortal in combat, it will return again and again to renew the fight, escalating the
battle with an additional ally of its kind with each encounter. So, it returns with one additional jaladam, then
with two more, and so on (thus being named a punishment of jaladam). The original jaladam must be completely slain in both realms, to break this cycle and escape attention. Luckily, any attendant jaladam recruited
as aid do not continue this escalating battle; if the lead
jaladam dies, recruits retreat to their shadow realm unless mortals gain their attention (as noted above).
More dangerous still is the jaladam’s demonic aura
that levies a sense of imminent doom upon its foes.
Group morale suffers first, causing hirelings and transient participants to drop their weapons and run off.
Individual warriors must fight the aura or fall into a
defensive posture to seek escape. Even after an encounter, participants suffer terrible demon-centric
nightmares that only subside when the jaladam is
eventually defeated.
Jaladam can be followed into the demonic realm with
the use of powerful magic. Since this may be the only
way to stop its relentless pursuit, a jaladam encounter
can be sufficient justification to overcome one’s natural aversion to the use of cruel magic. Wizards who can
cross dimensions and aid in the destruction of a jaladam
know the value of their skills, and charge accordingly.
Kardillo
Known far and wide as dangerous predators, kardillos
are large mammals, fully the size of a man. Roaming
from the Kneeding Hills to the central plains, kardillos
are opportunistic creatures in constant search of prey.
Sometimes they hunt in packs with more than 20 to
30 individuals, lead by an alpha couple (pair-bonded
mates) who guide them against larger targets such as
entire herds of animals or wayward caravans.
