Karameikos - Vaults of Pandius
Karameikos - Vaults of Pandius
Karameikos - Vaults of Pandius
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The Demography <strong>of</strong> <strong>Karameikos</strong>attracted by the dirt toward large cities andtowns. Giant bats dwell in the Blight Swampand near undead lairs - like their much moredangerous relatives, the giant vampire bats– but sometimes are also found elsewhere.Giant ferrets are found in forests and woods;<strong>of</strong>ten those animals are trained as warding orfighting beasts by the humanoid tribes. Direwolves are found in the Altan Tepesmountains and in the region immediatelysouth <strong>of</strong> them; they are good neighbors <strong>of</strong> thegoblin tribes, and are <strong>of</strong>ten trained as mountsby them.Giant lizards are quite common. Thedangerous horned chameleon dwells in theforests, while geckos are found in any rockyterrain; the solitary and aggressive tuatara isfound in the Black Peaks mountain range.Among giant amphibians, the rock toad issometimes found in areas dotted with cavesor in the mountains.Animals, NormalThe Grand Duchy hosts many common farmanimals, like cattle, sheep, pigs, and mules,but also various wild species: in the hilly andmountainous country live the sturdymountain goats, while boars favorssouthern forests, where game <strong>of</strong> any kindabounds. Herds <strong>of</strong> wild horses are found inthe central regions <strong>of</strong> the realm, and avaluable breed <strong>of</strong> white horses is raised by theCallarii elves.Among flying animals, ravens are spreadeverywhere, while bats are mostly found inthe Wufwolde region and in the vicinities <strong>of</strong>Luln.There are also many predators: black bearsdwell in every wooded area <strong>of</strong> the GrandDuchy; wolves are common everywhere and<strong>of</strong>ten represent a real danger for lonetravelers; mountain lions are found in thenorthern regions <strong>of</strong> <strong>Karameikos</strong>.Snakes <strong>of</strong> medium and large size are quitecommon in <strong>Karameikos</strong>.The Grand Duchy is the home <strong>of</strong> twodifferent species <strong>of</strong> aggressive and savageprimates. The first are the rock baboons,which dwell in the Wufwolde region and are<strong>of</strong>ten trained as pets and fighting beasts bythe humanoid tribes (like the Yellow Fanggoblin tribe); the second are the larger snowapes, which live in the Altan Tepesmountains, where many <strong>of</strong> them serve thefrost giant clans.The Dymrak Forest hosts a species <strong>of</strong>constrictor snake similar to the rockpython, while giant racers and pit viperscan be found anywhere in the central andnorthern areas <strong>of</strong> the Grand Duchy. Thespitting cobra is quite rare but verydangerous and may be encounteredanywhere. Giant rattlers are thankfullymuch rarer, while a species <strong>of</strong> smallrattlesnake called rock rattler is commonlyfound in the Black Peaks.Regarding fish life, it must be noted thatsome <strong>of</strong> the Grand Duchy’s ponds arehaunted by a very dangerous fish species,the cold water piranha.Animals, PrehistoricEven if it is not a properly prehistoricanimal, a unique species <strong>of</strong> great bearssimilar to the ancient cave bears dwells inthe Wufwolde hills.ConstructsThough <strong>Karameikos</strong> is no powerful wizards’land, many constructs are still found in the27THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #1