Creatures

Drawing steel, I leap forwards towards the lone Oddy, its proud antlers stark and strong as it turns towards me. My blow sends the bipedal beast sprawling, but it had enough time to brandish its horns at me, sending me to the floor beside it. I lash out, aiming to wound it enough it won’t get away, but it has given up on the run. A hoof divides into claws as it strikes at me, and I feel a strange energy jolting my body.

Part of a series about the world of Outlook.

Inhuman creatures are relatively common in the Outlook, if restricted to certain areas by a policy of watching one’s tribe’s boundaries with a wary eye, and scaring off creatures that get too close. You can expect to have met at least one or two animal-like creatures - more if you character is an explorer of any kind.

Creatures commonly encountered

There are a number of creatures commonly encountered in the Outlook, and hunted.

Oddys

These antlered, tough creatures are mainly hunted by Gene-Strains who aim to garner new mutations. The claws of an oddy are known to contain a venom which quickens the blood and causes mutation.

Bars

Bars are odd, mostly docile wooly beasts. They are unlikely to attack but posses raw strength that can be quite threatening to the unprepared.

Hywels

Pack hunters that can spit dangerous poisons. Their tactics will include isolating weaker party members and punishing them for splitting from the main group.

Cores

Feathered creatures that come in a variety of colours. They are large enough that they can no longer take flight. Cores are solitary with a brooding disposition who watch over their nests with a beady eye. They usually attack for objects that have attracted their eye, and can be very disorientating with their screams.

Yeekoms

Bouncing animals that were named because of the whining noises they make. Yeekoms present no real threat as they get bored and distracted very quickly. Children like to play games of chase with them, and they are one of the few species that is commonly allowed in Outlook settlements.

Nosibs

Nosibs are staple milk producing creatures, noted for their fluffiness and docile demeanour. They have a tendency to whimper and cry when confronted.

Creatures and Society

The hides and meat of the inhuman creatures of the Outlook are status symbols, and delicacies. Additionally, the Fetcher class AI will make deals and trade information for such trophies. As these AI often trade in more esoteric facts and can travel safely in areas others cannot reach, some hunters seek out these opportunities and specifically hunt for what a particular Fetcher requested.

Domesticated creatures are pretty much non-existent - most people of the Outlook are vegetarians due to the bountiful forage, and lack of permanent settlements means that there are no real areas for raising and breeding more docile animals. Even the most good-natured of animals are known to grow rowdy if captured, and the stress of such an event can cause strange and uniquely dangerous mutations.

The Citadel

There are always tales of monsters, and some believe this is what the Citadel is filled with; traders willing to claim to any that will listen to them that danger abounds, and other have said they hear howling below the constant hum on darkest nights.

One of the common rumours, especially amongst the tribes that live closest to the Citadel, is of the Butchered Shambler. It is so called because of the bizarre motions it sometimes makes, like a puppet of meat being jerked around. Kids are warned that if they wander at night, they will be snatched up, and their bodies used to make new parts for the creature. Clearly, these are all just tall tales to scare the gullible ...