Hybrid Theory - Who's that Monster?

[Talos]

Have you ever wondered what would happen if two monsters created a hybrid monstrosity? What about if dwarves were tiny tree beards instead of grubby mountain miners? What does a buffalo centaur or a fiendish halfling look like? Here's your chance to make your weirdest thoughts come to life!

Come up with a hybrid monster or a significant variant in a current one (like a mushroom version of a wood giant for the underdark,) include a summary of why it is that way and make sure if it's really outlandish to justify it! Include some basic statistics/details, but creativity is key.

Each entry should come with an artist rendition of the creature. You can source existing art but originally created artwork by the player will receive higher marks, even poorly done doodles.

This is something to occupy us for the interim. Limit of five entries per player. This will run for one month as of this posting. Winner will receive something cool to be determined upon restoration of the game. Post entries here, use imgur or similar site to link images as needed.

[Rordan]

The Sunrise Lich

There once lived a priest in an age long ago, who achieved a great and terrible feat that would be lost to the pages of history. He was a priest of Amaunator, powerful in his divine prayers and a devout worshipper. Many were his days till his body grew old and withered, though time would play wicked upon his soul. Seeking a tome held by the priest, a Lich of the olden God of Death came forth and laid the temple where the priest and his acolytes lived. Fearing for the lives of his students, the old priest created a magic circle of inlaid gold in the tallest tower of the temple. It was with this that the priest hoped to call a piece of the plane of positive energy into the temple that they could use to destroy the lich. But the ritual, never having been performed before by these priests, went wrong. Into the body of the old priest flowed vast amounts of positive energy, revitalizing and strengthening him before eventually starting to tear his body asunder.

In a desperate attempt to save their teachers life, they sealed the gateway they had opened into the plane of positive energy and sealed his soul in a sunstone so the lich could not steal it away. To their surprise, when the light of the positive plane had faded, their master stood with them still. Flesh of a brilliant gold shone wherever the sun touched it and bone of pure crystal where it did not, and his eyes glowed with a brilliant white fire. Trapped in a state of half-life, infused with positive energy and a phylactery to hold his soul, the first Sunrise Lich was born upon the break of the new day.

Few have come to the realization that such a thing is even possible, to achieve a state of lichdom through positive energy rather than pure necromancy and negative energy. Those that do often sacrifice themselves to take on such a state to eternally guard against undeath and stand as guardians of the dawn.

The majority of Sunrise Liches worship, in this day and age, Lathander for his dominion over rebirth, for they were indeed reborn into creatures of rare design and forbhis hatered over undeath. And many for the poetic sense, as the first Sunrise Lich was created during a ritual that occurred at dawn. Wether Lathander acknowledges the Liches as part of his church or their worship is a mystery, and the sheer rarity of such beings ensures that the question may never be answered.

Generally if a good alignment, these creatures live in isolation from the mortal world atop mountains and other places where the sun can constantly reach them.
(Player drawing coming soon)

[Narishmar]

The Griffoenix

Height: 7'-8'
Weight: 600-700 lbs

STR: 20
DEX: 16
CON:16
CHA: 8
WIS:12
INT:6

For as long as man has sought to gather wealth so have they sought to find a way to protect it. Not content with vaults or walls often they have turned to nature in hopes of finding a protector for their hoard. Dogs, demons, dragons and drakes have all been employed in this role. Still some sought greater beasts to monitor their treasures and it was in this search that the Griffoenix came to be.

Though not a Griffin in the strictest sense of the word the Griffoenix shares many characteristics with it's name sake. A magical fusion of two distinct beast the Griffoenix is formed by master wizards through the art of transmutation, a majestic Phoenix and a ferocious Tiger both molded in to one. The resulting creature is both fierce and extremely loyal to the hand that raises it, combined with the legendary ability of the Phoenix to be reborn as well as both the wild strength and natural cunning of the tiger many considered it to be the perfect guard beast. Despite this fact however few of these chimera were made thanks to the rarity of the Phoenix leaving them often in the hands of the powerful or wealthy.

Today it's unknown just how many Griffoenix' exist though it is speculated that the number is very low. Unseen in the wild the Griffoenix is most often found in castle's or temples housed in large open rooms where they may nest and observe their "domain" from a high vantage. Sometimes however the Giffoenix outlives it's master and outlives it's purpose, these "feral" chimera can at times be found in caves and ruins still stalking the grounds they were charged with centuries ago. The one thing that can be assumed without doubt is that wherever the Griffoenix is found treasure can't be far off.

[Skylar]

A moment before it had been on the wind of the skies above, but now it was beneath the cold water of the inland Sea of Fallen Stars that this monstrous bird of prey propelled itself. Claws outstretched, taloned feet and pincer-like arms, it latched onto the great whale it hunted and then those massive wings closed once to shoot it upwards back to the surface. The Roc Lobster crashed upwards through the waves in an instant and soared onwards into the sky. A terrible sight to behold for a nearby ship, but for the magus who watched it through his crystal ball, the creature he had created was nothing but a beautiful and insurmountable predator to him. It would survive even the end of the world, feeding on anything whether large or small. Animal or detritus. The Roc Lobster was the ultimate devourer. A pinnacle of his accomplishments. He knew, watching the creature rend the whale apart with its four clawed limbs, he had finally made something worth remembering.

The Roc Lobster
The Roc Lobster was the culmination of a project lead by the Magus Arthansus and seven of his apprentices. In their travels and research of the depths of the Sea of Fallen Stars they encountered a lobster of immense size and voracity and, upon sighting it, held a shared vision to one day see it effectively crossed with the greatest predator they had come to know- a mean old bird of prey with a wingspan wider than their impressive tower is tall. They had observed it preying upon young dragons thinking themselves as powerful and wise as their elders, only to become a treat for this great devourer, and decided they should make of it something even greater still.
This lobster was the perfect match for it, an ageless creature with a shell like steel. These traits would make the roc unstoppable, would halt even the affects of time upon the creature, and his tower's study of polymorphic magics both beneficent and baleful could be the key to unlocking a means of creating the perfect predator.
How successful he would be, even he could not have predicted. A failure in security measures left his seven apprentices dead and his own life sustained now only by the grace of magic. It was all he could do to watch his fool's gift to the Bitch Queen rampage through the skies and depths of the Sea of Fallen Stars in the un-ending hunt for satiation that it will never truly find. A lobster's hunger never ends, and a roc never lacks for prey.

http://i.imgur.com/b7xsSH2.jpg

(Image in URL because it is massive. Forewarning, it's a masterpiece, I'm pretty great at artology.)

[Narishmar]

Sanyeki (Second Entry)

Height: 10'-14"

Weight: 400-700 lbs

STR: 18
DEX: 20
CON: 22
CHA: 10
WIS: 8
INT: 10

Though Trolls are always a fierce race an often very stupid this is not always the case, this was clearly the case of the long lost San tribe. Now lost to time the San tribe was a mountain dwelling Troll tribe that was far more intelligent than the rest of their kin. They had formed a rough knit society that stretched out in to the plains and even farmed the land. It was this great intellect that allowed them to first begin their delve in to the arcane arts. But the San, while intelligent, were still Trolls and their magic quickly became dark. Demons were summoned and communed with and it was through this art that Yekarri was discovered.

Yekarri was was demon lord most foul, known on his native plane as "The Foul Waste." Though well capable of destroying the San their where they cowered the demon lord instead found them pleasing. They embodied greed and foul distemperament, they were so much like himself. For generations the demon lord was summoned and the San bartered captured souls for knowledge. Their society overwhelmed nearby settlements and slowly a troll society was transformed in to a small empire that reached even the next mountain in the distance. Even in this mountain now the Dwarves were theirs, metals and gems, all thanks to Yekarri. In thanks the San offered a maiden most fair to Yekarri and the foul lord laid with her, it was thus that the first Sanyeki were sired.

In their native tongue "San" had simply meant "kin" to the trolls. It was thus that the "Sanyeki" were the "firekin." They were as tall as any other troll but noticeably more lanky and sinewy with a bulging grotesque gut. Their brows were heavy set over pairs of beady little eyes and their noses came to sharp points. Their demon blood was clearly evident with every smile showed two heavy rows of jagged fangs. They had horns and grew long scythe like claws. Their temperament was wildly violent and much like their Tiefling cousins their demon blood bred true. What started off as three trolls were soon a multitude in only a few short generations.

It was a few generations after that, after the Sanyeki had grown to fill the bulk of the San's armed forces, came the culling. All the Sanyeki turned on their common brethren and fought to kill each and every one. It was done in one fell stroke and when it was all over only a few of the Sanyeki remained in their mountain home. The Dwarves of the far mountain rallied the Halflings in the vale and they swept through the plains killing whatever remained of the San empire. Whatever remained of the mountain trolls dissolved in to the forest populations disappearing from the realm. Meanwhile the Sanyeki managed to maintain loose society in the mountains though many fractured and several wandered freely in to the wilderness turning feral.

In modern times the Sanyeki is a rare sight to see but are never found alone when they are sighted. Living in groups of twelve to thirty the Sanyeki can still be found wandering the mountains of the realm. Where volcano's are active Sanyeki are almost certain to be nearby as the harsh environment works to their advantage. Similarly some Sanyeki have taken to the underdark and while they are often seen wandering lava tubes they are more often found in caves harboring poison gasses, deadly to more common creatures. No matter where the Sanyeki lives they will travel several miles in search of food and rarely shy away from preying on intelligent beings. Though extremely rare Sanyeki have at times been known to hire themselves out as mercenaries or bodyguards.

[Skylar]

Submission #2

The Phytogolem -Clay Golem Reclaimed by Nature

The golem's arm tore through the elf's breast with a sound of bones snapping like old branches. Its digits pierced her lungs and heart easily and silenced her voice completely. Though the words were unfinished, a pleading prayer for the forest's growth to become rampant and impede the foe, her Lady Meilikki heard the anguish and fear welling into the woman's words and came quickly to answer- only to meet the sorrowful scene of her druidess novitiate's fading life. Anger filled her as she looked on, then with a lifting hand she answered the unfinished prayer tenfold and more.
The growth of plants was sudden and explosive, the clay creature being pierced by branches from every direction that burst to its core to form an ironwood endoskeleton that extended from a bulky laurel at its head through to the tips of each limb where it turned clay fingers into terrible rending claws. Ironwood burst from its back to form a pair of wings across which vines and mosses clung like gossamer to fill the spaces between each bone-like branch. The creature began to struggle but was held motionless by the wood within it while Meilikki laid open its breast with a hand and planted a rose within. The creature fell still, the magic that compelled it to obedience being corrupted and twisted to a new purpose by her divine will.
The druidess watched with her vision fading, transfixed as she was upon the golem's arm she couldn't move as she felt herself dying. For a moment, she felt the end, her vision fell black and she felt herself fall outwards from her body. The pain was brief and distracting but faded as she felt herself burst forward before she was torn from the aether by a gentle voice saying, "Forgive me, my dear, but I cannot let you rest yet. You must take this vessel and use its seeds to reclaim brothers and sisters of clay."
The words snapped the druidess to reality and she looked down, seeing a corpse in her arms and staring an instant before she realized she was gazing down upon her own remains. When Meilikki spoke again, she felt the purpose fill her soul.
"Go and purge this forest of that wizard's filth, I feel his tower souring the soil, his golems destroying freely... reclaim all of it."
The druidess pulled her arm from the corpse, letting it fall to the ground, then she opened her mouth to answer though found she could not speak. She stood, silent a time, then turned and spread her new wings before folding them tight to her back and stepping deftly through the forest- seeming as much a part of it as the trees themselves. Her mind was calm, the command clear within it. She would return the forest to the wilds.

A phytogolem is a clay golem that has been reclaimed by living nature in the form of plant-life and divine magic. These sentinels have been made many times, in many ways, though rarely in a way that might allow them any more autonomy than they had as common golems. The majority of these creatures are the result of difficult rituals performed by druids to create a geas that overpowers the magic harnessed to control a golem and mixing it with the divinity of their nature gods. Rare instances involve placing a soul within a single plant at the core of the being in order to give it the autonomy of a person, however this kind of phytogolem is very rare and is inherently far more dangerous than the controlled variant. "Ward this forest" or "destroy that logging camp" or similar commands might be their usual fare but somewhere is at least one that makes decisions for itself and commands a small contingent of fellows. These reclaimed golems of nature exist in a timeless state, made and forgotten as sentinels to their forest realm for all time to come- or at least until destroyed.

Statistics
24 Str
08 Dex
18 Con
12 Int
16 Wis
12 Cha

Scribbled up a thing!
http://i.imgur.com/zfK4X44.jpg
Also this is great! Not mine, but became an inspiration partway through the creative process!
https://i0.wp.com/comicsbulletin.com/ma ... .jpg?w=750

[Skylar]

Not a submission, just thought I'd post this up because I think Sarah's recent work is super cool and relevant and might inspire some folks a bit as there haven't been many submissions. As I understand it, and I may be mistaken, the Atlas Animalia may hit Kickstarter sometime, or something. Not sure. I just really like her works with various alternate types of common monsters we know and love.

Anyway, have a look at some great hybrid/variant creatures!
http://www.sarahdahlinger.com/imaginary-creatures/

[Jarngron]

I've never won an event so why start now?

The son of a drunken Dwarf and an Otyugh, I give you this.





He answers to "Chuggamugh," and like most Otyughs he is fairly intelligent - his mother was not particularly bad looking either, or so his Dwarven father said - after one too many malts. Lured into the sewers, an unspeakable act brought Chuggamugh into this world. Though the onus of blame lies squarely on the beer, it's likely Besheba had something to do with this...

Charisma - 6
Intelligence - 12
Wisdom - 8
Strength - 18
Dexterity - 12
Constitution - 14
Alignment - Chaotic Neutral

Chuggamugh, like many Otyughs, can be compliant to adventurers in the sewers when properly coerced by promises of food and ale. He offers safe passage and even momentary companionship. Just don't ask him about his parents at all. He favors drinking contests, Dwarven weapons, and is distinguished by his horned helmet and Dwarven countenance. Though he is not necessarily evil he is a true gourmand and makes little distinction between roast mutton and a whole were-rat, or unwary adventurers. He is prone to dancing and drunken rages.

[Jarngron]

Entry #2 - Kiss from a Rose ...

Clutching her husband's holy symbol, the widow whispered a pray to the gods, begging for her husband to return once more to life. The whisper that came, spoke as though its voice was venomous ichor... "Plant a rose upon his grave, and water it with thy blood every third day for three seasons. Then, you shall see your lovers face once more." In the madness of grief, the widow questioned not the will of the gods, no matter their name.

And so a seed was planted, the widow's tears and blood watering the very grave of her beloved. In secret she pricked her thumb each third day, and squeezed upon the earth tilled with her fingers, her very lifeblood.

But what came was far from what she had imagined! For it seemed as though fate had a reunion in mind, as the flower grew, and grew, and grew.

Yet upon the third hour of the third season, on that third day when the widow came as to water the ground once more with her sanguine cruor, she found the flower budding for the first time. There, within the blooms, was the skull of her beloved - his eyes alight like the fires of the Nine. Yet oh so sweetly did the blossom beckon to her with outstretched vines like hands, that she came close as to hear her lover's voice. The sweet stench of pungent rot was as a perfume luring her closer, and closer still. The bloom did not grasp at her in a hurry, but embraced her still, winding about the thorns of its arms and roots through her limbs. And as the breath of death was but inches from her face, the skull clattered and whispered that same sweet voice she had heard seasons ago - not that of her departed lover. "Just a kiss and you will be united once more" spoke that small voice, as the skull and thorns began to rip at her, and in horror she could not even find the voice to scream.




Strength - 8
Constitution - 8
Dexterity - 12
Intelligence - 10
Willpower - 10
Charisma - 18
Alignment - Chaotic Evil

A rare breed of ritually-born undead plant watered by human blood upon a lover's grave, the rose becomes more like a weed - rooting into the coffin below it and taking up the bodyparts contained. It beckons sweetly oft concealing its skull within its bud, seeking the vital waters of the body from which it hath been nourished. If not chopped down, it will become more human-like with every victim it takes - including the deceased as its roots take up all manner of bones in time. When it has fed sufficiently it walks in a crude bipedal fashion sporting the ravaged bodies it has claimed as its own limbs.

[Aislynn]

DISPLACER SQUID

For as long as magic has been molded by those of fair and foul intent, experimentation has been part and parcel to the process of development. While many such experiments focus on land, the Displacer Squid is an unusual example of aquatic ingenuity.

Legend has it that a young mage found himself subject to the furious whims of Umberlee ages ago, and in return for his life pledged both service and a gift to appease Her rage. He served as promised until meeting his end embracing the waves in his old age, letting Umberlee pull him to the depth's eternal darkness, and created a monstrous pet for Her entertainment during his work as Her servant for his gift.

Beginning with the form of a giant squid, the mage heavily enchanted it with magics to preserve both its life and enhance its intelligence. Umberlee worked Her own changes to the newborn monstrosity, enhancing it's natural weapons and adding terrifying changes. Amongst these were fang-like hooks added to the already powerfully ripping beak of the squid, enhanced barbs along the lengths of its tentacles and fearsome strength in its limbs.

While the already powerfully enhanced monster might have satisfied Umberlee's conditions and the curiosity of many a mage willing to experiment with life, it did not do so for this particular wizard. Continuing on, he drew inspiration from a rivalry that he had always found curious and compelling; that of the Displacer Beast and the Blink Dog. While perfect translation of their abilities was far from the mage's skill, he worked with what he could.

Firstly, he widened the tentacular clubs at the end of the squid's two feeding tentacles, making them resemble the tentacles of a Displacer Beast. Secondly, they were elongated. An average giant squid's hunting tentacles extend roughly 10 meters (30-ish feet), however with the enhanced strength provided by Umberlee, he was able to increase this to closing in on 70 meters. At this point, he found himself satisfied with the physical form of his treasured work, yet he still had a bit more to add, with Umberlee's assistance. Through the magics of mortal and divine together (fortunately Umberlee was more curious than vicious during the task!) they worked in an unusual power.

The Displacer Squid is capable of sending its hunting tentacles and beak through small portals (likely dimension doors) to attack those who would dare sail Umberlee's oceans. Ships fear the Displacer Squid above nearly all else, for there is no warning; only sudden, terrible destruction. While the two powerful hunting tentatcles wreak havoc on a ships outer shell and those sailors unfortunate enough to be near one's terrible clubs, the monster's beak aggressively targets the seamen themselves. It's massive maw appears suddenly, ripping into its target and tearing gaping chunks out of their flesh, disappearing just as quickly to enjoy the fruits of the bloody feast.

The most effective way to fend off this vile beast is to disable its hunting tentacles in some way, whether by cutting off the tentacular pads or the tentacles themselves. They will regrow in time, but without their aid the beast will often retreat, preferring easier prey. It is difficult to slay a Displacer Squid truly, as it keeps the majority of its mass below the waves in a bid for safety, but a clever combatant could surely find a way to do so with a bit of ingenuity.

Young Displacer Squids (for they are capable of breeding. A mating between a Displacer Squid and a natural giant squid will have a small chance of creating another Displacer Squid) do not have particularly developed control over their powers. While they are still formidable in comparison to many aquatic beasts, they lack the sharp intellect and strategy of adult Displacer Squids, and can be dispatched comparitively easily. A young Displacer Squid reaches adulthood at around fifty years, and it takes another ten to twenty years of practiced hunting before its powers can be used to a finely honed edge.

Displacer Squids are solitary, but due to their enhanced intellect are capable of simple communication. They are not aggressive towards each other, save for when one feels threatened, and they will always communicate this fact clearly to the other before attacking. Their 'society', if it can be called that, is nomadic in nature. They are aggressive towards all other sea life suitable for consumption assuming they are hungry, save for sea turtles, which for some unknown quirk of magic or tradition, they are fond of.

I don't know how to add an image properly yet, but I will upload one when I figure it out!

Full picture: http://imgur.com/JzEGDIK

[Jarngron]

The Half-Elf Half-Goblin

So many times we see the Half-Elf human, but I've also considered the visitors to other planes leaving half-elf children as the basis for our wonderful planetouched.
For a long time I've tried to think of the right way to make a half-goblin merchant, and I believe this may be the only way to keep his green head on his shoulders.
I will develop it more as a character. Stats and cartoon coming soon.

[Skylar]

Submission #3
The Tome Dragon - Information Golem

The vault was large, far larger than Elovir would have imagined, but his Elven eyes pierced the gloom for miles after he had climbed down from a hole in the ceiling using the arch of a support column. He could discern no walls, but as far as he could see there were endless dunes of books and tomes stacked as high as the ceiling far above in some places.
Learned though he was, Elovir struggled to find tomes written in a language he could read. Many seemed to share an alphabet with modern tongues, but even among those most seemed to use a strange script. Still, in his searching he managed to find a few texts that he recognized from his few centuries of study.
He wandered this vast library for a few days, climbing dunes of books in a circle until he arrived once more at the column that had facilitated his entry. He made a quick meal of some of his few remaining rations, then began his preparation for the ascent that would take him back to the tunnel system that had brought him so far down from the surface. As he inspected his ropes, he heard a voice like a powerful wind turning the pages of a thousand books.
"Why have you not tried to steal from me mortal? Do my books not interest you?"
As the words echoed across the great expansive cavern, Elovir was frozen still by fear and surprise. He was broken from that stillness, falling to his rump as one of the massive dunes shifted and drew up onto four legs causing an avalanche of ancient texts to crash a fair distance from his fallen form. His surprise fading, he quickly took stock of his situation and noticed the massive creature was resting a claw, which looked strangely like folded paper, between pages of a book as though holding its spot to continue reading. It might have been comical if he weren't also taking notice of the distinctly draconic shape of the creature and recalling it would take him hours to make the climb back to relative safety. Far too long to flee. He struggled, trying to summon his voice, but his silence lingered too long and the Tome Dragon spoke once more.
"You didn't want the weight for your climb, you thought to return later with an expedition. Tut tut, child, I'm afraid I cannot let you leave. You will be my guest for the rest of your fleeting lifetime."
Elovir found his voice, but he knew his words were worthless even as he protested, "I've family to return to, I can pretend I never sa-"
The Book Wyrm cut him off, "Come now, sweet creature. Sit with me and I will tell you a joyous story that will last well into the winter of your life. Hush, hush, don't fuss, have a seat and listen. Let Gughl share the knowledge it has compiled with you. This one is a neat little story of creation and learning, haven't you wondered how those humans came to be? Hush now, sit and I will tell you. That's good..." As Gughl spoke Elovir could feel his mind growing numb, as though cobwebs were filling it, and he seemed unable to do anything but take a seat resting comfortably against the dragon's foreleg. He was warm, comfortable, and somewhere distant he felt his worries fade away. He briefly wondered if this is what it felt like to be charmed but chastised himself for the thought. Elves are above the influence of such magics after all. His pondering quickly fell away as he looked back up at Gughl while the pages of the great creature's voice began to turn once more, and to their words Elovir found himself eager to listen.

The Tome Dragon was created through magical mishap, the result of a Netherese master seeking a means to compile all the knowledge of the ages into one place with no regard for the sands of time. He had hoped to create an oracle of sorts, something that could answer any and all questions he might have, but instead created what forgotten lore has grown to call the Tome Dragon. Information given life similar to a golem wrought more of the essence of the text than the text itself, however it exists in a very different manner than most golems. It observes time as something static through which it exists in all moments simultaneously, and so it's library contains terrible forbidden knowledge that has no place or right to exist in most of the timeframes that one might encounter it. Historic texts written about wars that would not occur for centuries, or patents for inventions a millennium into Lantan's future, these things litter the cavernous library like common longsheet. It's paper form is flimsy but expansive and can fold itself easily into whichever shape it desires though typically this seems to be that of a massive dragon.
For a gift of knowledge that is itself too obscure to appear in the library, which seems to only contain that which may be readily learned in one age or another, the dragon will share knowledge in return and allow a creature to leave, but without an appropriate gift the dragon must be subdued in order to escape its domain. Subduing the creature isn't too difficult a task, it is made of knowledge and loathes to see that knowledge harmed so when it sustains damage it tends to flee the conflict to a distant part of the pocket dimension the library resides within.

Statistics
16 Str
26 Dex
10 Con
30 Int
16 Wis
18 Cha

Tome Dragon! Man I'm a great drawerer.
http://i.imgur.com/hRJLHaj.jpg
Also this remains a pretty sweet and relevant picture so keeping it attached, not mine though.
http://www.simplyreadbooks.com/admin/bo ... s-book.jpg

[Skylar]

Submission #4
Deepwater Illithid - Elder Brain Coral
Phnthirl floated limp in the deep currents above the city of Abnesuthil. She could feel the life of these deepest depths thrumming with energy, each organism she could sense was a mindslave to the city and bound to the Elder Brain Coral at the city's centre, with the exception of the Brain Coral itself and the others of her watery race. She focused, expanding her mind across the leagues separating the city of Abnesuthil from a Triton patrol she'd been monitoring. Since Abnesuthil's creation, so long ago even the Elder Brain Coral struggles to recall, the tritons had committed to countless large-scale wars against the Deepwater Illithid.
A foolish race, to pit themselves against a foe so completely their superior. It is appreciated though. Killing or enslaving Tritons was as close to entertainment as could be had with so few sentient races this deep. She launched herself forward suddenly. Her four swimming tentacles, which the Brain Coral's dreams tell as once having been bony appendages ending in digits, propelled her rapidly through the water. She could feel the tension rising among her Triton pray and a bemused gurgle escaped her. Before long she would taste their minds, and they would be bent to the Coral's will and join the great preparation for when the world would be saved from its end by the great Illithid Race.

Deep beneath the ocean are a great many dangers, and a great many more mysteries. This aquatic breed of the Illithid race has been preparing and amassing its forces in the deepest trenches of the great Sea of Swords. A few underwater cities form this psy-connected network of an empire which keeps rather passive in its interactions with the other sentient races beneath the surface. It allows other species to breed and expand only to provide an increasing growth to the number of slaves it can pluck from those species while still maintaining sustainable populations. The Deepwater Illithid are aware of the existence of their subterranean brethren, and plan someday to rejoin forces to realize the collect dreams of the Elder Brains, but rarely will the Deepwater Illithids venture anywhere near the surface of the water- much less above it. When they do venture to these areas where the immense pressure of the sea is subdued, they use their telekinetic power to retain a high-pressure sphere of water about them that acts as a powerful ward against both weapon-blows and fire-based magic- however lightning is a thing all but forgotten to this sub-species and when they encounter it they find it to be of devastating effect.
Deepwater Illithid appear very similar to their surface brethren, so long as they are under significant pressure, and differ mostly in that their four primary limbs have adapted to become long tentacles that allow them to swim at great speeds. When not under high pressure, the Deepwater Illithid will rapidly swell up die in a matter of moments, however keeping their high-pressure water sphere around them has grown to be so second-nature that they can manage it even while sleeping. On occasion this technique is used to probe surface civilizations however they don't seem to be able to find whatever it is they monitor these civilizations for.

Statistics
12 Str
14 Dex
12 Con
19 Int
17 Wis
17 Cha

Drew one of the the Deepwater Illithid finally!
http://i.imgur.com/FKyeJgN.jpg
This one is also good, not mine though!
http://sobadsogood.com/uploads/stories/ ... Better.jpg

[Talos]

Last day to enter, unless anyone needs an extension.

[Skylar]

Submission #5!
Clockatrice - Clockwork Cockatrice
Staniel felt it immediately, the loss of Bockles struck him like a hammer to his soul. His bond with his cockatrice familiar was as powerful as any bond he'd had in his entire life. Sent reeling as he was, it took him a moment to sense his friend was not gone completely, but was swiftly parting from the realm. His footsteps echoed loudly as he sprinted down the hallway towards the kitchen in his tower. How many times had he warned Bockles about climbing on the cabinets?
He skidded to a halt when he arrived, immediately waving his arms and shouting the verbal component to his spell before throwing a pinch of sand over his dying friend to evoke a stasis sphere about the bleeding creature. He stared a moment, then knelt to examine the damage.
Skull. Ribs. One leg. Both wings. The damage to Bockles was extensive, and it didn't look like a single dish survived the crash. Staniel shook his head, staring a moment longer before turning and sprinting to his laboratory where it seemed the months flew by swiftly. His work was meticulous and careful, Lantanese technology mixing with powerful magics. When finished, he was fearful of whether he would be successful or not, but he persisted.
His efforts were not in vain. Magic and technology fused with Bockles, forming the first Clockatrice that Staniel could be certain existed. He smiled inwardly, watching his friend take a few steps, then frowned as the stupid bird-lizard-bot hopped up onto his other cabinet. He sighed, then shrugged and remarked, "I'll just fix you again if you break that one." before going off to continue his research and form plans to create an army of friends for his little Bockles.

A Clockatrice is the result of meticulous and specific effort to preserve or extend the life of a cockatrice. It retains all of its previous traits however it no longer requires the air, water, and food, of normal creatures. Its parts will wear down however so it requires constant maintainence.

Statistics
6 Str
17 Dex
11 Con
2 Int
13 Wis
9 Cha

I drew a picture!
http://i.imgur.com/9j3uwVy.jpg
This one is pretty good too, not mine though!
http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/ ... 04-768.jpg
hehehe

[Talos]

I enjoyed all these entries immensely, and it was rather hard to narrow them all down.

1st - Chuggamugh
2nd - Sanyeki
3rd - Sunrise Lich

Honourable mention - Displacer Squid.

Winners will be contacted shortly for their rewards.