Bestiary: Fera

Fera (sing. ferus, adj. fera)) are bipedal, upright walking beings that are close to mortals but lack true sentience, or at least are not considered ‘civilized’. They live in conditions and with facilities closer to beasts than mortals. They may use items as tools but they do not make them. They can seem more sentient than they are when led by mortals who can train them to perform certain duties or give them manufactured items. They typically live in remote places, often choosing themselves to retreat from normal society, but sometimes they may be forced into seclusion and evolve unwillfully. Some have always been feral, some were mortal but in seclusion have reverted to being feral. The deep, dark places of the land, underground and away from the light of the sun are havens for many fera. Examples of fera include doppelgangers, grimlocks, quaggoths, thri-kreen, and yetis.

Quaggoths may be relatives of the larger, above ground yeti

Grymlocks of Taluma

Grymlocks, sometimes grimlocks, are subterranean fera who haunt the deep places that even the dwarves are reluctant to explore. In the Baest Notera, Sylvfar postulates that they are an early and rare example of mortals who contracted petrifaction and devolved over time into feral beings - hence their name starting with ‘grym’. Whatever their origin, it is known that they serve hags, especially medusas, and venerate Sezsezkya. On their own, grymlocks are not a major threat to the civilized people of Taluma, in large part due to their disdain for sunlight and the surface world, but under the direction of a hag or other cunning leader, they can be rallied to be a threat and are frustrating to those seeking to delve into the depths for ore or other resources.