Previwe of the first chapter of the Bestiary

Bestiary for beginner adventurers

by: Cardinal Morden

Proulog

As an aspiring adventurer, you must learn about your enemies. These beautiful yet dangerous creatures. Your enemies won't be just monsters but also humans who are overcome by their lust for power and fell under the sway of dark powers. This book will seek to expand your knowledge of creatures stalking the dark places of this world.

Chapter I - Human and humanlike

Not all enemies of humanity are inhuman abominations. There are traitors amongst our kind, weak individuals who can't resist the temptations of the dark. Such wretches are most commonly found amongst the dregs of society's bottom feeders, vultures, and parasites. They tend to have their reasons but there is no such justification. It's all just excuses and lies they tell to others and themselves.

These excuses for a human being can be divided into a few groups.

Cultists

Cultists are humans who gave themselves bodies and souls to worship demonic creatures. They give up their souls for a plethora of reasons but the most common one is power. The problem with cults is that they can be undiscovered and, they slowly accumulate power until they take over whole villages, towns, cities, or even kingdoms.  Demons that form cults use their cultists as a source of energy and power. They slowly use magic to suck power and energy from their cultists in exchange, the cultists get demonic abilities to grow their muscles by absorbing energy from other beings, and almost inhuman beauty.  There are species of demons that form cults more than others, the most common specie of demons that lead cults are species of imp. Silver imps to be precise specialize in enhancing their own bodies whit their magic and prefer melee combat when they take advantage of their unique power of absorbing energy via their skin, they grapple the opponent trying to crush them under their ever-increasing muscle mass.

Cultists get specific powers depending on the type of demon that they worship. In the case of the previously mentioned silver imps their followers have access to more growth spells than other types of cultists. While followers of blood imps as their name suggests absorb energy via drinking the blood of others like vampires and get access to lesser blood magic depending on their place in the hierarchy of their cult. A priestess would be stronger and bigger than a common cultist. As followers of demonic entities cultists' affinity for magic always increases so mages find it very attractive.

Hierarchies of demon cults are very frigid with the priestess and bishops then comes the rich or noble cultists and the rest are expendable foot soldiers. As a cult grows and gets more and more members so do the power of the demon. Prieasteses are normally the lieutenants of the demon herself. They would be in charge of feeding their mistress. Who if not satiated would without a second thought drain one of the priestesses until she was nothing but a husk. With such responsibilities also comes favor from your patron. Preastesses' magical and physical powers get increased greatly, depending on the strength of their patron. Some of them even can summon lesser demons to command them to do their bidding. They are the main way in which the cult spreads, putting on their sermons which just show that promises power, pleasure, and happiness. All lies, of course, they would show or do anything to entice people to join their wretched organization.

While fighting them remember everything they say is a lie. Designed to tempt others, they make frequent use of magic to charm their foes. So you must steel yourself and ignore their heretical deceptions.

Like any other cultist, their powers depend on which demon they follow. The most common priestesses of cults worship silver imps. They specialize in melee combat if their opponents don't fall for their charms and words they use magic to grow their muscles and overwhelm their opponent whit pure strength. Pristesess of red devils uses fire magic and even though smaller physically possess much greater magical capabilities. While the third most common cults are blood demon cults, which use blood magic. Throw its use they drink blood of other entities to heal themselves and grow bigger and stronger. So the longer your fight lasts the more they bite you more blood they consume.

Cultists and priestesses never want to fight fair so be prepared for all manner of tricks poisons, potions, and artifacts they will use anything to beat you. You should keep your fight whit them short but yet still cautious.