'What draws them to this place, I wonder. Is it the utter sadness that permeates this forsaken expanse? Does it call to them when they begin to feel the chill breath of death? Perhaps there is a wordless language spanning all species that speaks as the realm of Ahskul starts to beckon.'
'...came from the farthest reaches of the vast expanse of Arenas Vorax and upon their defeat at the hands of Imperial forces - aided by the Sadirar tribes and the Dark Elves of Katundar - they retreated into that unknowable land of voracious sands, never to be seen again.'
- Excerpt from the Imperial Chronicles Volume XII
Beasts of burden and mounts that a comitatus uses are large animals. They are the lifeblood of a traveling company, carrying people, cargo, and supplies on long journeys through desolate wastelands. Sometimes, however, they can literally become sustenance - in cases when you run out of supplies or when there are not enough workers to tend to them. Still, these creatures are usually very valuable but sometimes butchering them can be the difference between life and death.
This time, we'll revisit the dreaded Scortaur and take a look at their stats and skills in general. These creatures are devious, fierce, and horribly mutated, so you'll have to be prepared to be challenged by their combat abilities when you run into them.
The most apparent stats when it comes to these horrid savages are the high Vitality and Block chance, which often adds a bonus to their already considerable Armor. Additionally, they are quite resistant to many status effects and have great Initiative. Their four Combat Skills make them versatile opponents:
I'd sooner go walking in Maar Gorad.
- A common saying in terra supra, meaning 'not a chance'
Not all regions of the northern part of the continent are deserts or arid wasteland, even though those are the most recognizable features as well as the most numerous. One region stands out with its wet, humid atmosphere and its moors that are almost impossible to navigate: Maar Gorad, the Unforgiving Swamp.
'I'm not afraid of your little bug. I've seen its kind before, squished its kind before. And you dare call it a 'warrior'?! Yrg are pathetic, as are people who think they can measure up to real warriors. So send it in, let me splatter its insect innards over the hot sands of the arena.'
- The Orc pit fighter Logh'Ran's last words before being vivisected in the arena by a Warrior Yrg
Once beautiful Madrigos, a city famous for its wealth and hospitality, is now a forsaken ruin called Scorponar, dwelling of the Scortaur, a race of savage scorpion-men who hunt all other races mercilessly and uncompromisingly on and around the Plains of Bone. Only a handful of fortunate wanderers can tell the tale of seeing the city's shattered buildings and old walls at the heart of the wasteland. Those who did see it talk about bone scaffolding and fortifications, flayed bodies hanging from battlements, and banners fashioned from human skin. Scorponar is a place of horror and despair, with the old white stone of Madrigos peeking out from under the colorless sands like broken teeth or shattered bones.
The Krawag - draconic reptiles bred to be hunter-killers or guard animals - are easily among the most dangerous enemies in Vagrus. Some of them go rogue and live the solitary life of an apex predator in the cruel wilderness of the Riven Realms, giving vagri like you trouble; others are captured and sent into arenas for entertainment; while still others roam the land in the service of the Dragonlands and its armies.
'What... in Tartaris... is this horrible thing?'
- Decurion Flavius Arbo upon examining the corpse of the creature that tore apart three of his legionnaires the previous night
Little to nothing is known of the beasts now commonly referred to as 'ghouls' that appeared not long ago and now plague the Southern Jagged Waste and especially the gale-ridden expanse called the Singing Winds.