WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK 0135 0135
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Chapter 7: BESTIarY
Kardillos have poor eyesight but sense motion, allowing them to patiently wait for approaching prey in hiding. These animals are renowned for their camouflage
abilities when motionless. Their fur and skin can rapidly
change color and apparent texture to better blend with
their hiding places.
They are known to attack and eat everything that
crosses their path, leaving nothing but bones. Kardillo fangs and claws often are rife with filth and rotting
flesh. Any inflicted wounds quickly become infected if
not cleaned. Untreated wounds produce painful swelling within hours and bloody drainage that can lead to
death in a few days from loss of bodily fluids.
Kardillo hide is valuable as an item of status among
some tribes, especially when a warrior wants to court a
young woman. The hide and fur retain their camouflage
abilities for a short time, but fade within a half-year of a
kardillo’s death. The hide’s last coloration shift becomes
permanent, so many spread them out on salt flats to
gain a white hide at that time.
Lu’urat (Ghost Snake)
This strange snake no longer exists in the wild, but
thrives as a domesticated pet among the powerful, secret castes locked away in dark passages. It earns its
moniker by its milk-white coloration and its queer
venom. A victim’s mind deteriorates over a matter of
hours, and the venom-induced haze forces victims to
speak the truth to any questioners, most often a lu’urat’s
handler. Victims linger for days of hideous semi-life—
the so-called “ghost” period—where they are essentially
easily controlled but weakened zombies.
A ghost snake can grow as long as nine feet and weigh
more than 80 pounds. Handlers prefer younger ones less
than half that size, since their poison is much stronger.
They are expensive and only the wealthy (and very corrupt) can keep them. Ghost snakes eat some small rodents and birds. Proper feeding with various exotic spices
can lengthen the truth-telling period of its venom.
Manju
The manju is a large furred rodent bred and used for
meat, fur, and milk. Around remaining Khitan farms,
major cities, and some nomads, manju have proven
their importance as herd animals since the Classic Age.
Manju were once wild herbivorous creatures, often hunted by large predators. After centuries of selective breeding in the early Classic Age, they developed their desirable
characteristics. Breeders are known to weigh 120 pounds or
more, and each litter has at least a dozen neonates.
Manju are timid and easily frightened, making them
poor combatants unless they can swarm a larger beast
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