Moonstalker
Fast Facts
Height: 5' to 6'
Weight: 2,000-3,000 Lbs
Length: 9' to 12'
Diet: Carnivorous, Lunavorous
Rarity: Rare
Tier: 4
Taming and Training: Expert Animal Handling, Expert Animal Husbandry
Appearance and Biology
Fully black of hide and resembling wolves, a Moon is often called a 'Moon Sentinel' by the locals who run afoul of them. Their fur clumps together into hard, stony ends that are sharp and jagged, giving them a 'statuesque' appearance. Further, each Moonstalker possesses a brilliantly lit, bright blue crescent moon upon its forehead, oriented in the direction of the moon on the night the creature was born. Their eyes too carry this same light, with black sclera and bright blue pupils. Each has a softer underbelly, with a bushy black tail, and black paw pads. Their paws are wide and well adapted for harsh conditions. More notable is the size of these creatures, far larger than normal wolves.
The howl of a Moonstalker is ethereal and strange, a two-toned resonance cycling between a high and low note. When they bark, it has this same strange touch to it, even their growls having an odd, mind-bending pattern that can be unsettling to hear.
Habitat
These lupine-like animals can only be found in the far reaches of Lorien's eastern wilds, often denning out in the open. The other monsters give them peace, or rather, avoid them for their problematic abilities. A Moonstalker feeds upon moonlight and small animals, and so seeks scenic, often elevated locations near forests where it can hunt wild game and then bask beneath the rays of the moon during the night.
Temperament
For a creature many fear, the Moonstalker is rather passive, most of the time. These creatures only eat perhaps once every ten days, as they derive nutrition from a sort of photosynthesis adapted for moonlight. They often stare down at travelers with a regal air, allowing them passage into the deeper wilds. Some hunters see them as sentinels, and they are not so foolish as to pick fights with well-armed sapient races. Still, if someone is perceived as weak enough, they will descend and stalk their prey mercilessly, toying with them for hours until exhaustion sets in before finally going for a swift kill.
While few have managed to tame a Moonstalker, they can be loyal if bonded, and their lack of constant hunger makes them surprisingly easy to care for, if difficult to motivate. To train one, an animal handler will have to control their access to the moon, and they take constant supervision else they will revert to their feral ways. Often the Argent Knighthood employs them for hunting mages due to their potent abilities.
Being pack animals, it is rare to find a Moonstalker alone. They will get lonely without their pack, and this may manifest as depression, or in the case of cub abduction, the tendency to pursue interlopers out of vengeance.
Life Cycle
The Moonstalker follows a similar life cycle to a timber wolf, though they only mate or give birth during the full moon. They live for around sixty years before passing away of old age.
Abilities
By expunging the stored lunar light within the crest upon their forehead, blackening it, the Moonstalker is capable of creating a magical 'true darkness' that cannot be seen through by conventional means. Only magical light can perhaps pierce the darkness enough to see shadows moving in the distance, combating this curse which swirls over the surface of the eyes, turning them solid black. This effect can last for up to an hour so long as the Moonstalker is maintaining the ability, and they can only do this to one target at a time. A pack of Moonstalkers can blind an entire party, however, and they possess enough coordination to do so.
A Moonstalker has perfect Darkvision. Their eyes can even see through magical darkness, for they do not see light but rather the flow of Ether within the world. Animated life to them is like a beacon of cool, blue light in a land of muted blacks and reflective blues. This vision does allow them to be blinded by brilliant displays of magic, however. Beyond this, they have excellent hearing and a fantastic sense of smell, able to pick up on a prey downwind from miles away. It is truly difficult to hide from a Moonstalker.
Possessed of claws that feel like hardened rock, their ends are as good as any metallic, edged weapon, capable of rending through steel with a solid enough blow backed by their impressive weight. Their teeth, too, have a similar durability to them.
Uses
The clumped-up ends of their fur possess a unique structure that, when hardened with through magical means, results in an overall more durable material. These clumps are often preserved and sold by hunters, then woven together as a form of lightweight maille once treated. This so-called 'Moon Maille' is popular among the Argent Knighthood who utilize it as a replacement to chainmaille, often worn as a lower layer beneath plate metal. The scarcity means that this maille is utilized as an award for exemplary duty rather than a standard to be expected.
There is rumored to be a way to magically copy the Moonstalker's 'True Darkness' ability onto an artifact, but few have found a way to do so. To see through the true darkness, the eyes would need to be copied as well. Some research has been made into possibly utilizing the Moon Crest to power a golem, but this has proved fruitless thus far.
The claws and teeth of the Moonstalker are often pulled and made into decorative hilts, crossguards, and occasionally even specialized weaponry or daggers. When carved, they make extremely durable cogs for use in Artifice. Some cults of Izonata value these wolf-like animals and their products for their obvious ties to her domains.
Created By: Nuraku
