Beastiary:

The Animal Life of Solitude

Here in Solitude we’ve got all kind of great and amazing animals! My species hasn’t been here long at all, but the moment we stepped through that Rift Gate and saw everything this world had to offer, we couldn’t get to exploring fast enough. I spent half my life tailing it from north to south, east to west, mountain to cavern, and forest to sea, and the things that always caught my eye the quickest were critters large and small I met along the way.

Now, not everyone can be a ranger, and not all rangers can go the places a thirapsi like me can. But spines is it a shame that more people don’t know just how incredible the wildlife of our world can be! And that’s why I decided to hang up my travel gear and make camp at your Academy. Imagine it! A place where I can talk for hours about terraliths and bog striders to a bunch of bright young downlings? What could be better! And just wait until I convince your other professors to let me take you into the field!

But for now, we’ll start start with our classifications. And what better place to start, than with magma newts!…

- Shay Kami, Academy Scholar and Ranger’s Guild Veteran introducing his first official Academy lecture

ANimal Classes

Amphibians

From simple frogs, to caelians as big around as trees, Solitude is home to amphibious creatures from almost every known migration. Their presence in so many origin worlds has led many scholars to believe that this group of creatures may be among the oldest and most successful clans of animal life.

Fishes

Since over half of Solitude’s known area is made of vast oceans, lakes, and inland seas, it’s likely that we are only aware of a fraction number of the fish species that call these waters home. Ask any scholar specializing in aquatic life and they will tell you that travelling beneath the waves is far from simple - due in no small part to the very creatures they endeavor to study.

Mammalians

When common people think of animals, it is most often mammalians that they come to mind. Indeed, most of Solitude’s sentient races could be classified as mammals, so the association is understandable. The importance of our mammal cousins to our daily lives cannot be understated - whether domesticated animals, wildborn creatures, or legendary beasts, they feed, support and inspire us all.

Avians

The skies of Solitude teem with a great abundance of feathered creatures large and small. Many birds, both flighted and flightless serve as national emblems and cultural icons across the world. From the Rainbows Hornbills of Televada’s tree cities, to the Terror Bird Calvary of Faidmiir birds play an important part in the lives of many peoples.

insectoids

Many scholars agree believe that Solitude has more insectoid species than every other class of animal combined. The category is so large that some insist on breaking the group into at least six sub-genres. Regardless of categorization it is obvious that, from silver ants and marsh rippers, to dredarachs and kettle snails, insectoids are more diverse than any other animal group.

Reptilians

Of all the classes of animals in Solitude, it can be fairly assumed that reptilians are the most broadly feared and misunderstood. When the group includes such creatures as goannas, white cobras, and mudgraves as well as a substantial number of venomous snakes, it can be easy to see why. But monstrous as they may seem, these creatures are still no different from any other animal, simply trying live the best they can.