August 2021 Lore Post!

Hello Fellow Trappers! 

Here's the lore for this month! The release is just around the corner! Enjoy!

Great Turtle

Yeah, Turtle ain’t his real name, I think it was Alakoyu or somethin’ but the moniker stuck. The man’s a calm, collected, and thorough individual. He comes from one of the local Navadi tribes, the Quinto tribe from the marshlands if I recall correctly. ‘Round these parts folks just call him Turtle, which can get a bit confusing since he rides around on a giant turtle too, so folks who’re new don’t know which of ‘em we’re talking about. Anyway, Great Turtle has been around for a bit. Word is he came to the lodge at the word of his god, lookin’ fer some folks to help out, and we’re happy to have him. Reckon its none of my business, but I’ve heard he speaks with the animals, tells ‘em stories and gets information from ‘em. That kind of connection is as rare as it is useful, and it’s gotten him out of a tight spot more times than I can count. Oh, and if’n you ever need healing, he’s the guy to go to. The man knows more about patching up a wound than I know about the bottom of a bottle, and that’s sayin’ somethin’.

Lakotajo

Jo might just be the best marksman in the Stoican frontier. The man’s a genius with a bow, and can outshoot just about anyone. His parents are from different Navadi nations, the Paimute and Amasko tribes, I think. He came to the lodge a few years back lookin’ fer information about a Jackalope or some crazy story like that. Well, turns out he was probably right. We haven’t actually tracked it down yet but there’s been plenty enough sightings to make me believe he ain’t crazy. Apparently that Jackalope King is a sacred creature to both his tribes, and he’s on a search for it. He won’t talk about why, but from what he’s done so far, I’d bet my life it’s to help someone what really needs it. Heart of gold, that one. From what I know he still hasn’t found it but by the gods if he ain’t devoted to the search.

Gavil Decken

Gavil? Heck, that Dwarshka is one of the best we’ve got. Demolitions expert, quick on his feet, and he’s got the attitude of a trapper to boot. Tough as nails that one, and sharper too. He doesn’t like to talk much about his past. Heck, he doesn’t like to talk much at all. He’ll tell ya he trained in demolitions with his clan and got kicked out when some of his creations worked a little too well, but that’s not the worst of his past. Way I hear it, it was his parents what was killed a few years back when folks were trying to tame that young Dragoose. Apparently they thought its screech was a perfect frequency for shattering impurities in gemstones or some scientific whatnot like that. Story checks out, at least. It was two miners what was killed by that thing, and he hates Drageese with a fervor I ain’t seen in ages. You know, at first we all assumed his bad hearing was because of them explosives, but a Dragoose can knock your eardrums out right easy too, so I’m guessin’ that’s where his hearing problems started. Don’t mind it much, he can still hear you, you just need to shout.

Jedediah Beckwourth

Jed’s our best man here. He’s been here the longest and has the most real experience. If you need someone to show you the ropes, well, ask someone else. He don’t do charity. He showed up, oh, six years ago, I think. Apparently a Beaverlisk got a bit too close to his homestead and carried off his wife while he was out trappin’. He’s been hunting the confounded beasts ever since, and he tears those dams apart like a madman looking for her. Still hasn’t found her yet, sadly enough, but that doesn’t stop him. I don’t rightly know what he plans on doing if he finds her, but that’s his business, not mine. If you ever get sent on a job with him, just be prepared for the unexpected. Jed does what he wants, whether we like it or not, but he’s too good at his job for us to give him too much trouble over it.

Ursalioth

Often referred to as Forest Kings, or Great Elk Bears, Ursalioths are massive bear-like creatures with the antlers of an elk. Though they are enormous and exceptionally powerful creatures, they are quite reclusive, and tend to avoid other creatures except when hunting. They prey mostly on the massive fish that live in the lakes and mighty rivers of the Stoican Frontier, rarely making an effort to hunt more dangerous prey. They have been known, in times of famine, to hunt Beaverlisks, and seem to be immune to the effects of these creatures' deadly gaze. However, even with this inbuilt immunity, they prefer more docile prey.

Ursalioths are known to cover great distances over their extensive lives, and seem to be constantly on the move. Rather than doubling down on a particular swath of land or territory, an Ursalioth will typically roam an area for a month or so, find what prey there is to be had, then leave for another area. One would think that this would make travellers safe from them, but despite their lack of territorial nature, Ursalioth Bulls are known for being rather aggressive, and females protecting their young can be even more prone to violence. That said, settlers aren't often hunted by Ursalioths as a primary food source. Though an Ursalioth may carry off larger livestock, humanoids are simply too small to provide any semblance of a meal for these massive creatures.

Some settlers of the more daring variety have gone so far as to attempt to domesticate these massive brutes, hoping to make use of their endless roaming as a quick and safe means of travel for those who trek through these untouched lands. Most of these attempts, however, have ended in disaster, and no small amount of death. However, one particularly well equipped group from the dragon trappers' lodge seems to have had success in taming such a beast, though they haven't shared the secret to their success with others. They use the beast's keen senses and powerful attacks to help in their efforts to hunt down and exterminate dragons.

Beaverlisk

Terror of the Stoican Frontier, Beaverlisks are terrifying creatures whose constant driving goal seems to be an effort to dam every one of the great rivers that grace the territory. Unlike their smaller beaver cousins, however, Beaverlisks do not typically use trees for their dams unless they have no other alternatives. Rather, they fix their deadly gaze on any creature unfortunate enough to cross their path, turning the creature into a wooden statue and using these bodies as the primary component in their massive dams. Despite their massive size, these creatures swim almost silently, making them all the more dangerous to those who they intend to use as building materials.

The great lakes of the Stoican Frontier are massive and beautiful, but almost all of them are the result of the damming efforts of the Beaverlisks, many of which still claim territory around or near such lakes. These massive bodies of water serve as exceptional breeding grounds for the Beaverlisks, and host no small amount of food upon which they can subsist. In spite of the many creatures they kill with their wooden gaze, these creatures are herbivores that subsist on mosses and other plants that grow only in still water. As such, their creation of these lakes is a method by which they create additional resources for themselves.

Some Navadi Tribes consider the Beaverlisks to be creatures placed in their lands as a means of divine punishment for wrongdoing. Those who are taken by a Beaverlisk are thus often thought to be purveyors of great sins, and their fates tied to divine justice. This superstition has been of great nuisance to many of the newer explorers in the region, who wish to maintain good relations with the Navadi, but who are also keen on the idea of destorying the Beaverlisks, an action which some Navadi tribes frown upon as an act of defiance towards their gods.

Jackalope King

Of all the creatures found in the Stoican Frontier, the Jackalope King is the most elusive and mystical. Though a number of sightings have been reported, it is still unclear whether there is a single entity that is the Jackalope King, or if there are numerous creatures of its type, each as elusive as the next. Whatever the case may be, it is clear that this creature possesses exceptional magical abilities, resistance to magical effects, and is not to be foolishly trifled with.

The Jackalope King is a staple of Navadi legends, which state that this being is the creator and master of all of Rabbit-kind, and serves as a protector of their interests. Their mythology states that while the Jackalope King allows for the natural course of actions where the hunting of rabbits for food and necessities is concerned, it brings doom and destruction to those who seek to hunt the creatures beyond the boundaries of natural law, turning them into sport. Their tales speak of a masterful Navadi hunter, whose pride was brought low when an enraged Jackalope King destroyed his village as he had destroyed the warren of a large rabbit colony only days prior. The survivors spoke of hordes of rabbits controlled by a massive Jackalope that came through their village and destroyed everything in a matter of minutes. To this day, the Navadi respect the rabbit more than any other prey, ensuring that they take only what they need to survive, and hunting other game when possible.

It has long been assumed that the Jackalope King is capable of shape-shifting to hide itself amongst the more common creatures of the frontier. Navadi tales say that the creature joins rabbit warrens on a regular basis to see to the health and safety of its people. They also claim that the disappearance of the creature so soon after its many sightings can be attributed to these abilities, by which it immediately turns into a smaller, less perceptible creature upon being discovered. It is said the King has an innate sense for when it is being observed, and that only those deemed worthy are allowed to look long upon it in its true form.

Northern Dragoose

Some of the most feared and loathed creatures of the Stoican Frontier are the dreaded Northern Goose-Dragons, referred to as Drageese. These terrifying creatures seem to combine the worst parts of their shared heritage, boasting all of the rapacious greed of dragonkind, coupled with the ill-tempered and angry streak of the common goose. It is exceptionally rare for an adventuring party that comes across one of these creatures to come back in one piece, as these creatures tend to kill all who approach their nesting grounds too closely.

While more bestial than other dragons, Northern Drageese retain a love of riches, evident in their collection of baubles and trinkets. Those lucky few adventurers brave or foolish enough to challenge a Dragoose and emerge triumphant report that their hordes are full of all manner of glistening baubles. Many are of little value, such as suits of armor or particularly shiny pieces of clothing or machinery, but others can fetch quite the price. The most foolhardy or desperate trappers sometimes use these dragons' love of all that glitters in an attempt to draw the creatures out, obtaining shining items and using them as bait for the dragon.

Drageese are infamously ill-tempered, and take any incursion on their territory as a personal offense. When a creature enters a Dragoose's territory, its life is forfeit. The Navadi people have a particular hatred of Drageese because they do not consume those that they slay. These Dragons subsist on a diet of only fish and other aquatic life, and leave other creatures that they kill scattered around their territory as warnings to others who may be foolish enough to venture onto their lands.

Drageese are easily set apart from other dragons not only by their appearance, but also from the exceptionally loud honking noise that they are capable of creating. This sound is so loud that it can be heard from miles around, and is often used to stun or outright kill the Dragoose's prey or to disorient and disable its opponents. Most of the many corpses scattered across a Dragoose's territory are marked by blood-stained ears from shattered eardrums.

Early trappers were foolhardy enough to attempt the domestication of a dragoose hatchling they had found as an egg. Early attempts seemed marginally successful, but it quickly became apparent that the creature was a danger to all around it. It was surmised that these creatures' tempers grow worse and worse as they age, and their wild streak is not one to be tamed. After a number of accidents and an incident resulting in the death of two of the creature's caretakers, the young Dragosling had to be put down, and the ill-concienved ideal of the domestication of these creatures was deemed impossible.

Frontier Minotaurs

The frontier variants of your typical Stoica minotaurs are a savage and brutal bunch. Traveling in loosely formed raiding parties they raid and pillage everything in sight. They are not smart enough to make their own clothing and weapons but they are just bright enough to steal them or kidnap Navadi and other victims of the frontier to make it for them. There are three main frontier species each one resembling a different beast of the wilds, the bison, the moose, and the caribou. The most temperamental are the bison variant though they are all quite destructive. There is pretty much no negotiating with them, either they'll take you as a slave or kill you on the spot so your best bet is to strike first.