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Mæntyger
Challenge Rating 5
Description:
The Mæntyger is a massive manticore-like wolf-creature bordering on myth. Nearly as large as an adult dragon, its method of ambushing prey by skewering it with a two foot barb upon its scorpion tail makes it a standout feature of compendiums warning about the dangers of arid, mountainous, and subterranian regions of Ælheim. Anywhere that isn't too cold, or a forest, this creature can be found skulking with enough dedication. They are easily agitated yet only kill when actively hunting, in defense of its pups, wounded, or harassed in some way. Most of the time, it will pass over those who freeze and make little noise.
Highly intelligent for an animal, the Mæntyger is as smart as a working dog, if not smarter. It can recognize patterns, and adapt its hunting strategy, or avoid prey that fights back in favor of that which cannot.
Cultural Significance:
Every child of Ælheim who lives near to the territory of a Mæntyger is sure to be told how to survive the encounter, Fælnir or Ælf. They will be told to play dead, and to make no noise, or to wreathe themselves in fragrant plants. Draoidh Florabound to strong-smelling herbs or flowers will often be entirely passed over.
The most powerful of Ælven Animists often keep a singular Mæntyger as their Animal Familiar, feeding humans to them for sport . . . or simply to help sate a beast that would need to scarf down a man like a dog hoarfing down a slab of meat every day just to survive.
Habitat:
Arid, mountainous, and subterranian regions of Ælheim may be home to the Mæntyger. They are highly endangered due to the danger they present. There are around three dozen in the Ur'Duun, and a dozen in each clime above ground.
Size:
17' / 16,800 Lbs
Biome Role:
Mæntyger are apex predators in nearly every biome, only challenged by even scarcer, more mythical creatures. They help to keep Ælheim Elk and Deer populations under control in the harsher climes where they could easily outbreed and starve themselves of natural resources.
Life Cycle:
Gestating for two years, the female Mæntyger will give birth a litter of two to six pups. They will reach adolescence by twenty years, and sexual maturity by thirty. The Mæntyger will live around two thousand years, otherwise.
Notable Features:
- Stinger
The scorpion tail of a Mæntyger has a stinger nearly as big as a man. It wields this more like a spear, prehensile, able to skewer prey like a kebab and twist over to eat them. Failing this, the venom of a Mæntyger is a CR5 Paralytic to nullify with Resistance skill, and injection occurs during a spear-through, filling the body with an immediate sense of cool numbness that spreads with every beat of the heart before the body goes numb and no longer feels pain. For a man, this only takes ten seconds, but it can take several minutes for something its own size to be paralyzed. The stinger can otherwise be swung with enough force that it can pierce steel two inches thick.
- Saol-Toughened Hide
A thin veneer of life force creates highly dense network of muscle fibers across much of its body, half again as tough as steel to pierce yet softening considerably towards the vulnerable underbelly. This muscle fiber remains even after the Mæntyger has been slain, making it a valuable hide with enough material to outfit a small troop of soldiers.
- Saol Camouflage
The stripes on a Mæntyger muddies the light of bioluminescent flora falling upon it. In spite of their massive size, their leg can look much like the surrounding trees, rough-furred neck blending with the canopy as its tail droops like a vine in the shadows above. When they lay still, their Saol goes dormant, and to the Lifesight of an Ælf they will blend in with the surrounding flora even more until they alight themselves a second before striking. Achieving this with Seeming requires expending 50 XP as a non-merited Beast Magic.
- Retractable Wings
Vents behind the shoulderblades of a Mæntyger contain within them its wings, shriveled and shrunken. They take a few minutes to extend and fill with life, but they allow the beast to glide down hills and mountains in spite of its heavy weight. While they are rarely used to glide, the Mæntyger can use them to distract prey, wielding them like a lizard's severable tail to get a feel for danger when threatened, poking and prodding with its wingtips or offering them as a surprisingly tough and leathery screen against projectiles. They will grow back within a year if severed, or a month if ripped.
- Reticulating Hairs
Upon the mane of a Mæntyger is a layer of hairs that come off in clumps. These hairs are thin and barbed, tickling and causing agitation. Larger beasts which bite into it will risk getting these into their eyes, blinding them. It would take Tier 4 skill in Medicine or Malediction to peel them out of an eye, but Draoidh or Nymhea could otherwise excise them without difficulty as early as Apprentice.
Resources:
The Mæntyger is hunted for its venom, Saol-reinforced hide, and reticulating hairs. However, its meat is sour and acidic, inedible to most. One of its wings can be hewn into a hang glider sometimes used by Fælniri hunters to get back down the mountains.
Master (Tier 5) Leatherworking is needed to make anything from its hide or wings beyond a glider, as it is incredibly heavy, thick, and capable of bending the tools that would usually puncture leather to sew it up. It will rot and lose its toughness within a week if the Saol is not properly cured into the leather. Transferring its toughness into Alkemicals would require Expert (Tier 4) Alchemistry.
Seasonal Points Cost:
It costs 810 SP to obtain any benefit from a Mæntyger, as it is a CR5 Fauna. Please consult the Encounters section of the Seasonal Points wiki article.
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