By Tooth And Claw Dragons

Mythological Creatures: A Study

The thin novella bound by twine, displayed on the pages of handmade parchment. A traveling scholar with an interest in mythological accounts takes personal notes of particular encounters regarding various legendary creatures. Note that the accounts are incomplete; more notes are to be recovered and rebound into the volume at a later time.

Sorted by mythological creature in alphabetical order. These accounts include the date recorded (year, season, and which Realm the myth originated from), descriptions of the supposedly mythological creature, and the encounters found. Some may have multiple encounters, while others may not.


Aqrabuamelu

date recorded: 12549, Spring; Ristell

Depicted as a creature with the upper body of a human and the remaining figure that of a scorpion; ancient drawings are only complete visual source. Estimated height varies from nine to twelve feet.

Encounter #1: “I believe I encountered aqrabuamelu.”

The stoic woman sat poised as she collected her thoughts, legs crossed and hands clasped. My eyes drifted to her white knuckles; her skin was stretched thin to expose underlying bone. Reliving this horrid memory stressed her, as one would expect.

“What exactly is aqrabuamelu?”

She swallowed, adjusting the front of her wide-brimmed hat. “Terrible, scorpion-men things. They’re relative to the height of ten feet, with the upper body of a man and the lower half of the Arachnida. Typically, in ancient scripture, they guarded unknown treasures and warned of possible dangers. We had no idea of the violence they could commit.”

I studied the woman. “Who’s we?”

She scoffed weakly. “I had a partner. He was my lover and we adventured to countless regions during his lifetime.”

I wearily scribbled down my notes, nodding softly. “Did these scorpion-men kill him?”

She shook her head. “He’s not dead, at least I don’t believe him to be.” My eyes widened, urging her to continue. “We had arrived at dusk. Before us was a rumored temple we had discovered among old notes of a past cartographer. An unknown pharaoh was said to rest in the ruins, and it peaked both of our interests. We spent months attempting to piece together the drawings of the cartographer.” She sighed deeply, continuing. “We had finally found it. We entered the tomb carefully… Much of it was overgrown with weeds and roots.

"A stairwell became apparent and we continued our trek as we descended. Ages seemed to go by. I noticed my torch had burned halfway through its tinder. Finally, not long after that, we began hearing heavy scratches. We glanced at each other, our curiosity being the death of us. We entered a cool, dry room that seemed to be of packed cobble. The glow of our torches cast a faint light across the entranceway, enough for it to reach the ceiling. I observed the remnants of an old portal, one that had been inactive for centuries. Regardless, we then heard them."

The woman paused to take a breath before continuing. I noticed her hands beginning to shake. "Shrieks reverberated within the small room and something leaped towards us. Pointed objects - almost like scorpion tails - on the crumbling walls was the only thing I saw before they grabbed him. Repeatedly, they-“ she shuddered, her eyes filling with tears. “I still hear his screams as they crushed his body. I still hear the snaps of his frame giving-way to the pressure of the creatures’ strength. I could do nothing but flee.” Her body fell limp in defeat.

“And you assume they were aqrabuamelu?”

She swayed, lifting her head to meet my gaze. “It had to be. I believe the portal once lead to the burial grounds of the unknown pharaoh. It makes perfect sense for the creatures to be guarding the gateway to the bounty.”

I closed my book; I had completed and reviewed the notes of the interview. The woman had shortly asked to leave after her story was told. Frequent among my encounters, individuals engrave a thought into their conscious. Whether from the sudden loss of a loved one or the dwindling of one’s mind, people tend to place blame on what they think to be believable.

The Watcher/Watcher(s)

date recorded: 12552, autumn; Felnova

Unsure; noted as a single, large eye wide-open and staring. May be perceived as disembodied, or in a grinning head. Only visible to those being watched. No other description available.

Encounter #1: “Overwhelming. Purely overwhelming,” nodded the perturbed figure. “It established itself as soon as dark fell. The sensation was.. inconsequential at first. Simply a subconscious 'maybe I should look over there'. I initially ignored it; now, I’m not sure if it would have preferred a reaction of me or not. The sensation persisted, forcing my hair on-end and I began to take notice.”

I jotted down the record, writing irregularly as he spoke. “I-I could feel something’s gaze on me. My entire being: my face, my torso, my limbs, my back. Everywhere. Drilling into my very soul, I couldn’t escape the gaze. Every time I would make a step, I would-“ he was hysterical. Grasping his ears with clenched hands, he slid them down his neck and paused at his chest. The poor soul was hyperventilating at the recollection of such a feeling, his eyes downcast and frantically searching.

“It’s not watching you anymore,” I attempted in an effort to soothe.

“The Watcher!- That’s who it was. The Watcher!” I had never heard of tales of a being that only held the position of an onlooker. “It’s eye, oh- it’s eye! That horrendous, single sphere has pierced my mind. I’ve gone mad, Wyldrix! I’ve gone mad. The cursed sensation of that eye is something that has bore itself into my own.” This was not the worst case of hysteria I had seen before; nonetheless, my soul ached for this poor man.

“Did the eye have any appearance?” I tentatively questioned.

“No. No, nothing. The feeling of an eye possessing an endless gaze was the only attribute. No sight, no smell, nothing.” I added to my notes. “Thank you for your account. When did this terrible experience conclude?”

He glanced towards me, shocked at the words. “Wyldrix, it hasn’t stopped. It’s never going to stop.” The man rasped each word, desperately clawing at the sides of his face, nearing his eyes with every strike. I frowned, observing as blood was beginning to leak from his skin.

“There is nothing watching y-“

He interrupted me with an outcry. “Leave me!” He dragged his hands to slow their raking.

“There’s no escaping the Watcher.”

Written/Told by: Wyldrix, wandering scholar
Contributed by: Vvalkk, Verridith

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