Category:Creatures: Difference between revisions

"You have rats: and some of the ratholes have been dynamited open, not gnawed."^[1]

Main article: Rattus Faber

Rattus Faber, also called L.B.s, are sapient rats known for their cunning and skills in engineering. They're also known for regularly causing trouble for the residents of Fallen London.

• 
  Rattus Faber
• 
  A Talkative Rattus Faber.
• 
  A Working Rat.
• 
  A Rattus Faber Bandit Chief.
• 
  The Scuttering Squad.
• 
  An Albino Rat.
• 
  Rats on a String.
• 
  A Rat of Glory.
• 
  A Rat Postman.
• 
  A Rattus Faber Assistant.
• 
  A Venge-Rat.
• 
  A Metaphysically Educated Rattus Faber.
• 
  The Formerly Talkative Bearer of the Sausage About Which Nobody Complains
• 
  "In a glass case, a stuffed Postal Rat is locked in mortal combat with a preserved blemmigan."
• 
  A Turncoat?
• 
  The Ratronaut
• 
  The Rat Brigade

"The landlord of The Blind Helmsman runs an illegal spider pit in his beer cellar. The place is packed with zailors, Clay Men, and thrill-seeking aristocrats. The room smells of mud, beer, sweat... and money."^[2]

Spiders in the Neath are often bigger and more dangerous than those on the Surface. The owner of the Blind Helmsman over at Wolfstack Docks runs a spider-pit, where patrons can place their bets in a free-for-all on a spider of their choosing. Such tournaments are, however, technically illegal.^[2]

The reigning champion of these tournaments is Florence, the Stackside Spinner. This spider uses her vicious, poisoned cobwebs to ensnare and neutralize her foes, as well as her powerful speed and dexterity to always prevail in the long game. Such skill is to be expected of a frequent victor, of course.^[3]

Millie, the Moloch Street Mangler, is an enormous spider with a hook for one of her legs. She uses powerful charges and her massive size to vanquish her foes, and is strong enough to fling a spider into the air and out of the ring by herself.^[4][3]

Daphne, the Graveside Creeper, is a spider who was supposedly raised on the blood of tomb-colonists. She may be slower than the competition, but she's known for her resilience; in fact, she's rumored to be impossible to kill!^[5]

Alonzo, Scourge of the Marshes, is the underdog of the spider-rings. He may seem weak given his diminutive size, but his venom is said to burn holes in lead; this venom is even capable of making smaller spiders explode in puffs of sulphur, and even larger spiders don't stand a chance against well-placed bites.^[6]

The faraway Kingdom of Vesture, located deep within the Elder Continent, has a fair share of arachnids as well. Vesture's economy is primarily based on silkweaving,^[7] so each palace in Vesture contains an enormous spider-matriarch. These matriarchs provide their palaces with silks for making textiles, and they're generally treated with utmost respect. When a matriarch grows weary, its replacement is sourced from a nearby cobwebbed forest as a larva; because of this practice of stealing their young, the spiders of the forest have a long-standing distrust of Vesture's citizens.^[8]

• 
  Florence, the Stackside Spinner
• 
  Millie, the Moloch Street Mangler
• 
  Daphne, the Graveside Creeper
• 
  Alonzo, Scourge of the Marshes

"Green eyes meet your gaze. It fears nothing. And why should it?"^[9]

Main article: Tigers

Tigers are sapient felines from the Elder Continent. They can speak human languages, and possess substantial political influence in the Neath.

• 
  A Tiger.
• 
  The Tiger Keeper
• 
  The Minister of War
• 
  The Minister of State Affairs
• 
  The Minister of Culture
• 
  The Minister of Enigmas
• 
  An Extravagantly-Titled Tigress.
• 
  The Love-Sickened Seneschal
• 
  Tiger stripes!

"Weasels have become fashionable pets in the city of late: small, clean, fierce and very happy underground."^[10]

Weasels are more or less outwardly identical to their Surface counterparts, though they display a limited degree of sapience like many other of the Neath's animals. They're capable of singing popular tunes,^[11] playing card and parlor games,^[12] and specially trained weasels were once used by agents of the Great Game for an unknown purpose.^[13]

Weasels have recently become popular pets in Fallen London, given their natural preference for the underground and their relative cleanliness. Weasel-sellers peddle these creatures throughout the streets of Spite, and they may train their weasels to attack anyone who tries to accost them.^[10] Weasels are also used as delicacies by certain individuals and factions, such as Urchins,^[14] Tigers,^[15] and apparently the Boatman himself.^[16]

On occasion, Londoners pit weasels against each other in tournaments of weasels, played in weasel-pits;^[17][18] this sport is often played a bit more seriously than one would expect.^[19] These tournaments are reported in the Fighting Weasel Digest,^[20] and ravens are known for their apparent oracular abilities in predicting these tournaments' outcomes, though this practice is considered cheating.^[21][19] Certain weasels are even bred for this purpose;^[22] Araby Fighting-Weasels are a bronze-furred,^[23] powerful breed specially trained to fight in weasel-pits,^[22] and are known for their cunning and proud disposition.^[24] Unfortunately, like all sports, tournaments of weasels suffer from their fair share of cheaters, including an apparent case of weasel-doping.^[25]

The Ancient and Honorable Company of Weasel-Fanciers are a group of renowned weasel enthusiasts who regularly send their weasels out to battle Rattus Faber.^[26] They notably hand out prizes to weasels who display amazing skill, elegance, and manners,^[27] though they dislike participants who game the playing field using selective breeding.^[28]

Lucky Weasels are weasels that are renowned for their exceptional luck. This unfortunately does not imply that they bring others luck.^[29] Salt Weasels are an extremely rare variety of weasel that originate north of Fallen London in the Pale Wastes; these weasels are known for their relative guilelessness,^[30] and are unfortunately hunted for their valuable fur.^[31]

The performers of Mahogany Hall frequently use weasels as part of their performances, and as such, weasels are in high demand there.^[32] But a particular tune in Mahogany Hall may cause the poor creatures grievous harm...^[33]

• 
  A Weasel.
• 
  A Lucky Weasel.
• 
  An Araby Fighting-Weasel.
• 
  A Salt Weasel.
• 
  A Weasel-Infested Velocipede.
• 
  Plagued by a Popular Song?

"Who's an adorable fellow, then? Well, not you, you repulsive horse-sized toad-monster."^[34]

Knot-oracles, also called Ocular Toadbeasts, are giant, toad-like creatures with several long tongues and eyes simply everywhere.^[35] These creatures reside near the prison of Wisdom where they're used to thwart escape attempts - and execute prisoners - by eating any prisoner they can reach.^[36][37] While their diet partly consists of humans, knot-oracles can eat just about anything,^[38] with a notable appetite for secrets, both written and memorized.^[39][40]

Knot-oracles that have eaten people are capable of speaking human languages, and they also absorb parts of their victim's memories. To this end, the Governor of Wisdom regularly feeds hapless prisoners to knot-oracles to fund the profitable secret-trade.^[37]

Knot-oracle spawn are usually no larger than a thumb, and are called oraclelets. Like their adult counterparts, they still retain the tendency to unnervingly stare.^[41]

The eyes of Ocular Toadbeasts are quite strange; they may reflect the things the Toadbeast has witnessed,^[42] and as might be expected of something with so many eyes, they are capable of tracking four creatures at a time, Should all of a knot-oracle's eyes focus on a creature at once, however, that poor thing's days are numbered. Some have suggested that the Toadbeast can prophesize deaths as a result of this strange behavior, but it seems more likely that the beast kills these victims itself.^[43]

• 
  An Ocular Toadbeast.
• 
  Knot-oracles guarding Wisdom.

"It has claws; it has a fierce double beak; but just now it seems disinclined to use them."^[44]

Main article: Blemmigans

Blemmigans are sentient mushrooms with powerful beaks and a penchant for poetry. Propagate!

• 
  A Blemmigan.
• 
  A Blemmigan Pedant.
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  A Blemmigan Gallivanter.
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  A Blemmigan Tourist.
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  A Blemmigan Voyager.
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  A Blemmigan... hat?
• 
  A Blemmigan attack!
• 
  "In a glass case, a stuffed Postal Rat is locked in mortal combat with a preserved blemmigan."

"The body is preserved in a jar: legless, scaleless, deep blue. There are tiny tentacles on its face, below its sightless eyes."^[45]

False-Snakes are creatures with superficially serpentine bodies, but are otherwise very different from actual snakes. They are dark blue and scaleless,^[45] and apparently reside deep underground, with pointed jaws and facial tentacles below their eyes used to burrow through the dirt.^[46][45] Like many other animals that live in extreme darkness, their eyes are also recognizably sightless.^[45] They also seem to possess a second pair of jaws within their exterior mouths.^[47]

The bodies of False-Snakes have an adverse reaction to light, emitting vibrant pink toxins upon exposure.^[48] These toxins can melt even stone, and may be released when exposed to the light of the Neathbow as well. Whether this is some form of defense mechanism against predators, or perhaps against light itself, is unknown.^[49]

Apparently, False-Snakes are a relative of frogs and other amphibians,^[50]; many supposedly ancient False-Snakes were found west of London in the Hinterlands, their corpses preserved in a strange, icy marsh. Whether or not these creatures still roam the Neath today is unknown.^[51]

• 
  A Preserved False-Snake.

"Pale and savage as a wolf-moon; toothed to rival the greatest of whales; and quick to take offence. Don't tease the beast. You'll be lucky to lose a leg."^[52]

Albino Morays (one may infer the existence of a regular-colored Moray) are large, notoriously ugly eel-like creatures that hunt across the Unterzee.^[53][54] Albino Morays are deceptively fast, can charge their prey at dizzying speeds,^[53] and possess sharp hooked teeth; however, they're not just dangerous while alive: their skin is tough, smells awful, and is coated in a poisonous, paralyzing slime.^[55]

Despite all these dangers, some particularly adventurous tomb-colonists may allow an Albino Moray to swallow them whole; the Moray's internal secretions are apparently quite good for the skin.^[56]

You know what they say: when you're zailing the zee, and an eel makes you flee... that's a moray.

• 
  An Albino Moray.

"We long hypothesised, from the still-glimmering corpse of this vast decapod, that it guised itself as a distant light, to lure its prey close. We discovered, eventually, that it simply pursues its prey across the zee with happy zeal. It evinces, also, a regrettable turn of speed."^[57]

Angler Crabs are enormous crustaceans with two glowing antennae, like the lures of anglerfish,^[58] and glowing, blueish blood.^[59] They come in three known varieties: the reddish Western Angler Crabs, the blueish Eastern Angler Crab, and the weary Elder Angler Crab.

Despite their similarity to anglerfish, Angler Crabs do not use their luminescent appendages to lure in prey patiently. Instead, they hunt their prey the same way any other zee-crab would: with swiftness and ferocity.^[57]

• 
  A Western Angler Crab.
• 
  A seemingly friendly Western Angler Crab.
• 
  A deceased Western Angler Crab.
• 
  An Eastern Angler Crab.
• 
  An Elder Angler Crab.

"These are the younger form of gargantuan zee-crabs - driven up from their spawning grounds in the south by peculiar radiations. Younger they may be, but they are still large enough to consume a pony with messy and clattering glee, or to pose a menace to ill-prepared ships."^[60]

Auroral Megalops are large crustaceans that roam the Unterzee. These specimen are apparently juveniles of their species and possess blue blood;^[61][62] uniquely for their species, they also possess large, non-vestigial eyes.^[61]

Auroral Megalops are also identifiable by their glowing golden bodies,^[62] and their meat is edible but often unstable and difficult to store.^[63] Apparently, these crabs were driven from their southern spawning grounds by a mysterious radiance,^[60] which may be none other than the Dawn Machine!^[64]

• 
  An Auroral Megalops.
• 
  A deceased Auroral Crab.

"Take its teeth as trophies, and its bones for corsets. What of its moustache? So many possibilities! Cut it up for exotic antimacassars; place it over the door of your lodgings as a warning to burglars; sell it to the Young Stags club, back in London, as a mascot."^[65]

Behemoustaches are massive fish with absolutely glorious moustaches,^[65] and they're aggressive predators that favor the warmer waters of the Unterzee.^[66] The meat of a Behemoustache is edible, their bones are used in making corsets, and their moustaches make excellent trophies.^[65]

• 
  A Behemoustache.
• 
  A Behemoustache, seen from above.

"A mortal battle against parrots. That's the Elder Continent for you."^[67]

Blue Prophets are an unusual type of bird native to the Elder Continent.^[67] A single Prophet is about as threatening as an average large parrot, but in flocks they can be vicious. Their feathers are sky-blue and are considered rather valuable, especially in London and the Khanate,^[68] but unfortunately, their value has dropped due to recent supply increases.^[69]

Blue Prophets receive their title from the belief that they speak the names of those about to die. It's difficult to tell whether or not this is true or superstition, since they mostly seem to utter squawks, but seasoned zailors still try to pick out familiar names in their calls regardless.^[70]

• 
  A flock of Blue Prophets.
• 
  A Blue Prophet's royal blue feather.

"The most tormented of zee-beasts. Its murderous eyes peep from its caged flesh like convicts begging release."^[71]

Bound-Sharks are enormous sharks that have been bound by implanted metallic rods, mechanisms and cages. Because of their bindings, the shark's internal organs have become almost entirely reshaped into an unrecognizable mess, causing the poor shark a great deal of agony, not that this makes the sharks any less dangerous to passing zailors.^[72][73] These bindings are also said to have mysterious secrets and truths engraved on them, though this may also just be baseless zee-gossip.^[74]

The bindings that torment Bound Sharks are not the work of nature, nor are they the creation of any supernatural entity. Rather, these contraptions are man-made, and are manufactured and inserted into the sharks by the New Sequence;^[75] these Sequencers capture and bind sharks at the Grand Geode,^[76] which also houses a shark-nursery.^[77] Why these people subject the hapless sharks to such torture is unknown, but it may have something to do with invoking a feeling of pathos for the tormented beasts, or maybe reminding a person of their own chains, increasing one's susceptibility to the light of the Dawn Machine.^[78]

• 
  A Bound Shark.
• 
  A Bound Shark, viewed from above.
• 
  A stuffed Bound Shark.

"It looks very like Flourishing-of-Years - the grand shrine-face of Visage. Something about the eyes, the sternness of the mouth. Perhaps only that it stares at the roof, just as Flourishing-of-Years does."^[79]

Jillyfish are enormous jellyfish-like creatures that roam the Unterzee, known for their luminescent purple glow and extremely poisonous tentacles.^[80][81] Their seemingly soft caps are actually hardened, allowing them to ram ships with dangerous amounts of force,^[81] and parts of their bodies may be surprisingly edible.^[82]

Interestingly, the caps of these creatures appear to have a woman's face imprinted on them; this face resembles the giant shrine-face of Visage, the Flourishing-of-Years. Some zailors report that this face may even be able to speak, perhaps of "home".^[83]

• 
  A Jillyfish.

"The jillyfleur. Is it a young jillyfish? A lesser subspecies? Do the dreams of jillyfish become real?"^[84]

Jillyfleur are jellyfish-like creatures that may be juvenile jillyfish, a subspecies, or something else entirely.^[84] Like their larger counterparts, they possess leather-tough flesh,^[85] limited edibility,^[86] and the same, mysterious face on their caps.^[87]

• 
  A Jillyfleur.
• 
  A Cured Jillyfleur Cloak.

"Those – rifts – in the Lifeberg’s surface. Are they mouths? Lifebergs do not breathe. They kill from malice, not hunger. But they speak. Dear Christ, they speak."^[88]

It's a well-known fact that icebergs don't usually move on their own, destroy ships, kill crewmen,^[89] or speak.^[88]

The Lifebergs of the northern Unterzee, for some godforsaken reason, do all of these things.

Lifebergs are known for their homicidal natures; they ruthlessly hunt down and destroy unfortunate ships,^[90][89] and may display a limited degree of sentience - in the form of malice,^[88] or even cunning.^[91] Lifebergs may also be covered in strange crevasses that are apparently capable of speech,^[88] and they may hoard the treasures of their past victims for unknown reasons.^[92]

Lifebergs produce, or may eat, a wax-like substance called hell-droppings, which are known for being highly flammable.^[92] Furthermore, London has a fair share of Lifeberg-hunters, who use specialized ships,^[93] cannons, and weapons called great-rods to destroy Lifebergs with professional efficiency.^[94] The nature of their work and their sullen temperaments means that these Lifeberg-hunters often go unthanked,^[95] but their efforts do contribute to London's paraffin and mineral trade.^[96]

Within each Lifeberg is a shard of black glass reminiscent of Mt Nomad,^[97] and these beings will not die permanently unless this black glass is destroyed or stolen.^[98] Could these facts imply that Mt Nomad is in fact their creator or progenitor?

• 
  A Lifeberg.
• 
  A Lifeberg, containing a defeated ship.

"Swollen with hate. Swollen with wisdom. Tendrils glisten dully. Light contracts nodules. Watch them flex."^[99]

Main article: Lorn-Flukes

Lorn-Flukes are some of greatest threats to the ships of the Unterzee. These beings are aggressive towards any ship who passes by, using their spikes in powerful ramming attacks, and can speak the Correspondence, making even the bravest zailors shudder with terror.

• 
  A Lorn-Fluke.
• 
  Many Lorn-Flukes deep below the zee.

"A bat-swarm. Madam Doctor. But they are - I assure you - feathered. Blue feathers, Madam Doctor. Tremendous feathers. No, Madam Doctor, not proportionate, not indeed. I suspect the bats of theft. Madam Doctor, no! I have not touched a bottle since Tuesday last! No, Madam Doctor! Not the hole! Not the ho-"^[100]

Milliner Bats are quite average as far as bats go - except that they're covered in sky-blue feathers, applied with glue of all things, making them similar in appearance to Blue Prophets.^[101] Their swarms are just as dangerous as Blue Prophet flocks, however, and the bats seem to be localized to the Southern Wall near Varchas.^[102]

But how did these bats get their feathers? Did they steal them?^[100] Were they the project of a mad bat-farmer? No matter; the feathers sell well, from bat or bird.^[101]

• 
  A swarm of Milliner Bats.

"Those mosaic configurations on its wings. Do they carry meaning?"^[103]

Strange moths are nothing new for denizens of the Neath, especially for those who've stayed in the Tomb-Colonies for a time. But the vicious moths the lurk near the Ragged Crow's guiding light can leave even the hardiest Neath-dweller at loss for words.

These Tyrant-Moths are immense, with wings the size of a ships' sails, and are strong enough destroy ships' sails too if they're not fought off in time.^[104] However, being moths, they still may remain susceptible to other tempting lights.^[105]

Tyrant-Moths are a delicacy in certain far-off places, such as Whither, where their antennae are prepared in a delightful dish called tyrant's treat. Keeping this dish down without careful consumption, however, is often as difficult as fighting the beasts themselves.^[106]

Given their mysterious natures and destructive behaviors, Tyrant-Moths are naturally the subjects of many myths and stories. Their wing patterns are said to resemble maps of the skies, or perhaps something more: charming visions of faraway gardens, winged creatures from all walks of life, or maybe the light flowing from within a glowing mountain. However, looking at these patterns too closely or for far too long may be risky.^[103] There's also a legend that Tyrant-Moths' bodies are full of sapphires, but obtaining these gems is easier said than done given the nature of their bearer.^[107]

The most mysterious tale of all, however, speaks of a time when a foolhardy zailor whispered to Salt, and a Tyrant-Moth answered...^[108]

• 
  A Tyrant-Moth.

"Here – the Aureate Stags of the Oncewood. The fastest short-distance beast of burden in all known Parabola."^[109]

Aureate Stags are majestic animals that reside within the Oncewood of Parabola – famed for being among the fastest steeds behind the mirror.^[110] These stags have golden pelts, soft skin, and antlers that glow like a massive candleflame or pyre,^[111] and they can be formable opponents in combat, repelling strikes with their antlers and hooves, and attacking foes with powerful bites and kicks.^[112]

Aureate Stags can be tamed, and their handlers resemble animated golden statues, carrying orbs and shepherd's crooks casted into their hands.^[113] These creatures usually consume oats,^[114] but they're also capable of consuming enemy weapons when necessary, emitting golden smoke from their ears upon doing so.^[115]

Certain Aureate Stags possess a silver-colored coat, midnight eyes, and broken antlers that emit light with a unique, moonish, tinge. Unfortunately, these silver stags are the runts of their groups, and are significantly weaker than their golden counterparts.^[116] Not that such stags are completely lacking in value, of course.^[117]

"Raise your arms to the sky and it will come for you. It will lift you away."^[118]

Main article: The Storm-bird

The Storm-bird is a mysterious avian being that roams the wastes of Parabola, known for saving dreamers from their own deliberating nightmares.

• 
  The Storm-bird
• 
  A Winged Creature of Considerable Speed.