Lavanya Sanghvi - the Monster Bane - Adventurer’s Guide to Surviving the Idroan Wilderness

C21 - Giant mastiffs are, as their names suggests, giant dogs of the mastiff breed. They’re tall, muscular, and found in large groups going up to the thousands. They have brown coats, somewhat threatening teeth, and dull claws. All in all, they’re not powerful by themselves and are only dangerous because of their great numbers and considerable mass.

Many villages faced the giant mastiffs as their first horde. While most settlements managed, the mastiffs overran a few with their overwhelming numbers. Due to this, most of the giant mastiffs you find in the wild today will be survivors from back then.

C26 - Goblins are humanoids as imagined in fantasy culture on Earth: short, ugly, murderous, and childish. They’re best identified by their slight statures and their mossy green skin. They’ll make use of any weapons they can wrap their grubby hands around and are exceptionally quick and nimble in combat.

Although they appear to be an offshoot family of the hobgoblins from Caen, they’re in fact an alien species to Idroa and (thankfully) don’t share the hobgoblin’s craftiness.

Some villages with low populations faced the goblins as their second horde, and most of them were brought down or gravely crippled by the murderous midgets. If you happen to come upon a goblin’s nest in the wild, I suggest you chuck a firebomb inside (preferably of the toxic variety) and promptly leave.

C29 - Idroa is a delightful planet with wonders and miracles around every corner. It’s just a pity it’s infested with creatures who think they can contest us. A true pity.

Trolls, despite having several distinct subspecies, can all be identified by their giant humanoid builds, fiery red hair, bulbous noses, and their rapid rates of regeneration (they can regrow their limbs in a single day). Below, I’ve listed a few notable subspecies to look out for.

Swamp trolls have an extensive grasp of herbalism and, when near the right ingredients, can create potions magical in effect. They’ve also got the ability to lie flat in murky water for days at end, going into stasis, only to pounce at prey that wander by. While troll flesh is generally edible and in fact a great source of nutrition, I warn you against eating swamp troll as their flesh is toxic.

Magma trolls have tougher skin than the rest of their kin; this seems to have come about because of their ancestors’ habit of dousing themselves with lava, a practise the magma trolls religiously continue with to the modern day. Besides this, they have basic grasp of fire magic and are social creatures, usually living in large communities. Be warned that they’ll literally erupt into rage on seeing frost trolls.

Pygmy trolls are smaller and weaker than the rest of their kin, usually only coming up to seven-feet. Despite this, they’re amongst the most dangerous trolls you can encounter due to their near-human level of intelligence and natural arcane affinity. However, they can also be easily reasoned with to avoid combat, a trait that many of their kin unfortunately do not share.

C30 - You must keep your guard up on Idroa at all times. Even if you are victorious, keep your guard up for Krishna’s sake

C33 - Ryfin are humanoids two feet shorter than us with exoskeletons and disproportionately large heads. Their exoskeletons are comprised of strengthened bones on the outer edges of their bodies, making them stronger, tougher, and faster than otherwise. By and large, all ryfin on Idroa belong to the Order of Tyr, so be warned that messing with one can come with great repercussions.

Their fighting style depends on their chosen moon: those of Karaes are easily identified by their bright clothing and frilly hairdos, and they fight with magic; those of Dimas are less easily identified as they tend to hide to the shadows, wearing cloaks and masks, and they fight with blowguns and blades. There’s a chance you may also come upon a ryfin that’s chosen Foltrus, but these are the easiest to deal with as they’re simply tough blockheads.

However, I recommend against fighting the ryfin as a whole, especially as they can be reasoned with, but if you need to, remember that their exoskeletons will save them from many otherwise critical blows, and that their hearts are significantly lower than ours, located by the pelvis.

C36 -Remember to frequently take time out to let your hair down and relax. Although we have superhuman bodies now, our minds are still the same as before.

C40 Batorae are moderately dangerous social creatures. They’re characterised by their pink and red skin, stocky legs, elongated torsos, and triangular heads. Although they have large bat-like ears, their hearing isn’t drastically better than a human’s. They have long but thin arms with curved claws and small mouths filled with pincer-teeth, both of which can be deadly weapons but only under the right conditions. Their snouts provide them with a moderate sense of smell, while their pure-black eyes allow for lacking vision during the day and decent vision during the night.

All in all, they’re rather unremarkable, at least until you consider their other talents, namely their guile and their agility. One thing you should know if you face a kettle of batorae is that once they set on a plan, they can go about it for hours due to their formidable patiences, waiting simply for a single slip up.

C42 - Perhaps you will find this shocking, but most of these seemingly monstrous animals are easier to get along with than other people: it’s easy to discern the intentions of a hungry troll or lonely warbel, but it’s not the same with your fellow man.

C43 - When you’re out there in the wilds, remember not to let your greed for one thing blind you to everything else.

C44 - Life doesn’t have to be on a race track from one violent encounter to the next. Go slowly and go carefully, avoiding combat when you can. This way, you’ll find it far easier to hold onto your life than not.

C47 - Shamblers are terrifying creatures from Xiivet. Because of their seething hatred towards the light, they are nocturnal and rest in their dark and damp lairs during the day. If you suspect that you’re near a shambler lair, leave at once. Even the drakkar are wary of shamblers and keep away from them when they can.

If you’ve ignored my advice and decided to engage the shambler anyway, know that it’ll aim to snuff out all sources of light on first contact. Next, know that its fetid stench will wring your stomach into a ragged towel, and that its screech is piercing enough to blow your eardrums out. Although they move slowly, they have a dozen jagged tentacles that can quickly stretch over ten metres if needed. Each of these is strong enough to pick up a grown man and rip his limbs off.

If you manage to shine a light at them long enough to take in their appearance, you’ll see a truck-sized mass of muscle wearing creased, leathery black skin. Its main features are its cavernous maws filled with serrated teeth and sloshing with caustic saliva, and its dozen tentacles. The mottled skin above its mouth holds its pin-sized eyes, which are incredibly sensitive to light…

C48 -This should already be clear from my entries, but many creatures on Idroa are actually not from Earth, Caen, or Xiivet. Some are brought from god-knows-where by the System, and they permanently get to stay on Idroa if they destroy their corresponding hub crystal. Due to the nature of the hordes, it means these animals tend to be social creatures that can create complex civilisations.

C51 - Your journey will never truly be over. You’ll understand what I mean once you complete your first expedition through Idroa. It’s dangerous, taxing, and absolutely thrilling. If you ever get bored here, you’re doing something wrong. Just put on a backpack and leave your cosy home. Trust me, it’ll be the best (or last) major decision of your life.

C54 - For those of you who are eager to hunt down monstrous animals, remember that you don’t need to kill it on your first encounter. On many occasions, I like to scout out my prey first, before wearing them down, and only then finishing them off. Be aware, though, that some animals will catch onto your plan and attempt to run away at the first opportunity, so remember to bring something to track them with.

C59 - You know, it’s funny how most people assume the alien monsters to be powerful and freakishly novel in their abilities, but then imagine the ones from Earth to be simple. Let me make this clear, the animals from Earth underwent the same tribulations we went through and likewise grew in strength, so be cautious of them.

C60 - Play dirty and win. Monsters won’t show you honour if given the chance, so don’t serve them honourably in turn.

C61-The end of a hunt can hit differently depending on so many factors. Sometimes I’m jubilant and in ecstasy with the corpse by my feet, but other times I simply breathe out in relief and vow to never hunt again. Ultimately, you won’t know which of the multitude of emotions you’ll feel days and months into the future, but it’ll almost always be worth it.

C67 - When all that you planned is set into motion, sit back and watch as everything falls apart. That’s usually how things end up, so you better be ready for that too.

C69 - Compassion is not reciprocated on Idroa. It’s a dog-eat-dog world, so show no mercy to monsters, no matter how helpless or alluring they seem. You never know when they’re going to bite you in your back.

C70 - If you manage to escape a dangerous enemy by the skin of your teeth, don’t then later attempt the same strategy on them. Take some time to come up with a better plan and take into consideration what you previously failed to account for. Now, if you don’t have that time, go back in and knock yourself out but don’t expect any different results.