WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK 0137 0137
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Chapter 7: BESTIarY
and they are at least semi-intelligent, communicating
with each other in a strange guttural language. Their
unknown and recent origins, as well as their dragonlike appearance, lead many to suspect some connection to the Dragon Kings.
A matakata is an enormous, hard-shelled creature
that measures nine feet to the shell-top, twelve feet in
breadth and eighteen in length from snout to tip of tail.
It weighs even more than its girth would indicate, owing
to the massive and thick protective shell that covers its
body from neck, shoulders, hips, and base of tail.
A matakata’s eight ton weight makes it cumbersome
and slow, able to move only with great effort in lumbering steps. Certain soft sands are impossible for it to
cross, in fact, so it must be careful never to wander into
places where its weight cannot be spread sufficiently by
its broad feet. Despite its plodding locomotion, the creature is agile in combat and self-defense; once engaged
in battle, the matakata becomes instantly resigned to
fight in that spot to the finish.
The dragon turtle’s primary attack is its bite, delivered
by a deceptively quick jaw and neck. Its flat teeth hold
and crush, rather than rend and tear. It can also pummel with its feet and tail, but these far slower attacks are
only effective against prey that cannot easily dodge or
move out of their way. It can also lunge forward unexpectedly to trap and crush a target beneath the shell on
its chest—a maneuver few living creatures can survive.
The matakata’s shell is a fibrous, secreted resin material unique to its species. Young emerge from their eggs
with only a very thin shell. This continuously grows
thicker over the years, expanding to match the growing body within and repairing any damage suffered.
When fully grown, a matakata can quickly retract its
head, limbs, and tail completely within its shell, even
closing hinged shell pieces to make its personal fortress
impregnable against any attack, even flames.
Matakata shell is difficult to work once the creature is
dead, as even steel saws dull quickly when trying to cut
through it. Some artisans capture young ones and cage
them alive in what are essentially molds to reform the
growing shell into shields, helmets, or other bits of armor. Of course, capturing baby dragon turtles away from
their protective mothers is a dangerous feat in itself.
In addition to its incredibly useful outer shell, the
matakata has a unique ability to create moisture for itself from its surroundings, even when there is no natural moisture to be found. Left to its own devices, the
dragon turtle can gather rock, sand, and soil into special
pockets inside its under-shell where an unidentified
process turns some of it into potable water, which it immediately consumes or shares with its young. With this
ability, they are free to wander even the most remote,
arid portions of the world without fear of dehydration.
Mesachnat
(Hypno-Spider)
Classic Age chroniclers named this predator species
the mesachnat , though most refer to it commonly as
the hypno-spider. Locals around the Fairian Woods and
environs also call it taer’moonloch (“predator of shining eyes”). The mesachnat is far deadlier than the runof-the-mill spiders that inhabit the city of Pavouk and
other regions of Khitus. This horrid, man-sized arachnid hunts other creatures its own size, lurking usually in
woodlands or rocky places.
Contrary to the habits of other arachnids, the mesachnat hunts in broad daylight to take advantage of its
most potent trait. It positions itself directly in the sun
and redirects its light through its crystalline fur, creating an intense flash that can temporarily blind and partially incapacitate its victims with intense headaches.
Once the mesachnat stuns its victim, it jumps onto it
and injects a paralyzing toxin via its bite. Once its prey
is subdued, the beast wraps its victim in webs to store it
alive for later consumption. Those lucky enough to escape such monsters claim an eerie side effect of hypno135
