#creaturecodex

[doomboy911]

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@thecreaturecodex Art challenge (Last time I'll ping them.

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So I'm happy to be starting on this challenge that I brought upon myself. I spoke with the creaturecodex about producing an art challenge as the month of April has terrible art challenges to work with, they presented a lovely challenge rendering their monsters but now given a lot of freedom of choice I decided what would be fun is to give the choice over to another so I partnered with an old friend D6Damage they picked out some beasties and I'm going through rendering them. For this piece I decided that rendering the bones individually would be an exercise in madness so instead I focuses on the skull and implied a jumble of other parts here and there and for that 1 bit was perfect. I even got some dithering in there I'm very happy with. The best part though is definitely the ram skull, maybe I'll cut that away for later.

Palette picked

Download this palette for free as a PNG, PAl, ASE, TXT, GPL or HEX file.

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Day 4: Dragon

(Sorry if this took a while. I was dry on ideas and also went on vacation for a bit. I wanted to do the Codrille cause a plague dragon sounded really cool. It was only until today that I finally figured out a good theme for this piece. A care guide welcoming you to the job.)

Welcome to the Codrille Care Program! Once you have received the initial package containing this pamphlet, you are now an official member of the program. We’re glad to have you on board! The following segment will be a QnA dictating the extent of the program’s duties and history. What is the Program? The Codrille Care Program is a small organization tasked with caring for the small flock of Codrilles owned by the plague demons when they are not in use. We dutifully follow the care guidelines outlined in the master document and are dedicated to giving them the maximum quality of life possible. Fun Fact: Although Codrilles are noted to have a lower intelligence compared to other dragons leading to an inability to speak, that just means their intelligence is on par with highly intelligent animals such as dolphins or corvids. Why? It is our duty to uphold the Dragon’s Pact at all costs despite outsider opinions on the usefulness of Codrilles. Despite their unorthodox abilities disqualifying them from the usual smithing career many other dragons take, they are still an important asset to Hell due to their plague spreading abilities. Many plague demons have compared their impact to that of a warplane spreading a biological payload. Fun fact: Codrilles have flown alongside several military planes throughout history in order to boost the effects of their payload such as with the spread of Agent Orange. How? Cordille care is somewhat similar to the care of other dragons with a few notable key differences. The main difference lies their more animalistic nature. Codrilles are kept in stables and cannot directly communicate their needs and desires and thus must be either inferred or learned through bonding with the Codrille. Our Codrilles are highly personable with a variety of quirks that will make anyone fall in love with them. Another important aspect of care is their weekly crown polishing. A Codrille’s crown gem will lose its luster over time as it generates the Codrille’s natural plague aura. In the wild their gem is recharged by solar power and ambient earth magic but due to the Pact and human activity they are unable to access these resources. The gem can be charged and cleansed using demon magic however Codrilles have various different reactions to the process from complete calmness to rage. Fun Fact: During a Codrille’s juvenile salamander stage, it requires a heavy dose of pure natural magical energy in order to grow its gem. It has been theorized that humans looking at a Codrille and becoming aware of it sends some human magic into it which disrupts said delicate process and causes the Codrille’s death. What about me? Once you clock in for your first day, you will be assigned to a Codrille of any age stage. If you are assigned to our breeding program, you will be in charge of the chicken flock that hatches the Codrille and will note if the rooster lays an egg. Once the egg has been determined to host a Codrille (if it is not, they will be given to other dragon rehabilitators), you will be assigned to watch over its development in the mortal world. Do not look at it when it hatches before it sees you. Demon magic has been shown to corrupt a Codrille’s developmental stages leading to defects in adult life. If you are assigned to the juvenile program, you will be tasked with feeding the salamanders and tracking their food intake. You are not allowed to look at them in this state either but you will monitor their health based on the amount of bad luck emitted by them in this state. If you are assigned to the adult program, you will be placed with a team of carers assigned to a Codrille tasked with meeting its needs and keeping it satisfied in between the occasional deployment. You may be tasked with ride training a Codrille to get it accustomed to being ridden by a plague demon. Fun Fact: Codrille riders were one of the major forces that saved a lot of dragons from the cullings that occurred prior to the Pact. Good luck on your new endeavors with us! 

[dndeed]

Creature Codex: 5th Edition Monsters Including Commissions

Demons, dragons, kobolds, & undead galore, from the creators of the Tome of Beasts--plus commissions and monsters designed by backers!

Tome of Beasts 2!

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Day 3: Construct

(ok so I kinda didn't want to do another a- monster but the entry just intrigued me too much.) Alright welcome to Agrippa duty. How bad did ya fuck up? Don't play coy, you had to fuck something up to end up down here. Ah, there it is. Yeah, I can see why they sent you down here. Anyways, this is your orientation as a new employee working for the care and keeping of the Elders' agrippas. What is an agrippa you may ask? Well, have ya heard of the Liber Primus? Big magic book with a human soul inside? Think of that, but a demon soul instead. Basically a long long time ago back when the humans up in Europe were in castle times, a bunch of priests managed to capture some demons and stuffed them into books. You'd think this would've been an issue, since, ya know. Humans stuffing us into books. But instead of doing something actually helpful with the potential crisis on our hands, the Elders decided they wanted in too. Now soul manipulation back then wasn't as refined as it is today, especially dealing with hellfire remnants. Research hadn't gone too far into figuring out the specifics in using hellfire remnants to form a soulfire with only a few successes such as that cat gal. But the Elders tried anyways. They plucked a handful of flames from a couple fires, placed them between the pages of a book and closed it shut. No I am not joking that is actually how they did it. The worst part was that it worked. I could go on about intention powering magic and the Elders heightened capabilities but who gives a shit about that? Not the Elders after having new toys to play with. They basically used the agrippas like journals, documenting their sacred knowledge inside. Some of them actually did useful things with their agrippas like collecting research notes. But some of the others one just wrote whatever the home was on their mind. Before you ask, the only one that didn't participate was Dantalion. I'm surprised he actually didn't say anything considering everyone was ripping him off. Maybe he knew what was to come. Because yeah, turns out stuffing an entire demon into a confined prison and feeding it untold wisdom does in fact lead to bad things happening. The agrippas got hungrier for knowledge. They soon became feral and started eating anything with information they could find. They even managed to trap normal demons within their pages by shutting them inside. It was mayhem! Once the Elders got their agrippas together, they locked 'em away down in the deepest bowels of Pandemonium so no one ever has to learn about one of the many times they fucked up. Oh yes this isn't the only incident, trust me. Working down here, you get to learn a lot about their dirty laundry. You can't ever let them know of course but trust me, you'll learn a lot. As for what we actually do, we just do rounds to make sure the locks are stable and the books are complacent. If they do get rowdy, you just gotta swing on by a booth to find a book to read to them. I am not kidding. Does this face look like it kids? No? Good. We do get assigned specific agrippas to deal with just in case they get out. And you gotttttttt……Vassago's. Eh, not bad. His gets a little testy sometimes but it ain't too bad. They must've gone easy on you. Yes, this is going easy. Trust me, things could be a lot worse. You could have gotten Andras'. I know right? If you do see any of the guys working with that one, just give them a hug. Or a pat on the back. Or anything really. Just don't make any sudden movements around them. Or the agrippa itself. Actually just stay as far away as possible at all times. You can tell which one it is by the caution tape…and the acid stains…and the paint. But I don't think things'll too bad for you. I mean you're only assigned down here for a couple months. Just make sure when you get outta here not to do anything to make them wanna send you back. I hate it when I get repeats.

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Day 5: Fey

(Because apparently literally the only thing that can motivate my writing nowadays is being poked at like a bear here is the next entry. For those wondering, I've been mainly focusing on drawing because I've been cooking up some good stuff that'll debut for art fight. Then hopefully I can do some more writing. Like Blotted Days, I got some really nice comments and I've been meaning to get back on that.) (For some pre-interview context, I was disguised as a human in order to lure out my assigned subject. However it seems that his kind are unable to discern the contents of souls as he fully believed I was a human as he led me down into the forest. I was forced into revealing my true nature to him after he tried attacking me so apologies for the blood stains on my notes. Trust me I tried to keep as much off as possible but it's kinda hard to focus on that and writing at the same time. My apologies.) 

(He laughed for a while before this) Curious. Why would a creature of the foulest nature seek out a meeting with me? 

Just for an interview. My boss wishes to compile a compendium of all paranormal creatures and their experiences. 

(He laughed again) Why didn’t you come to me as you are?

I’m more surprised you couldn’t tell. Most beings are able to figure out when they’re talking to a demon. Especially nature spirits along your ilk.

I have no ties to faeries or dryads. 

You still share the same purpose of guarding the pockets of nature that man fears. 

I am not merely just a guard! 

So I have heard. I’ve been told your kind are the embodiment of a tree’s soul. A manifestation born out of sacred belief. Although, I doubt many people still believe in such things. How do your kind remain even without belief? 

A few still understand the old ways. Shouldn’t you understand that as a creature of the night yourself? 

It has been a while since I hunted. But I get what you mean. Are there still new ones being born? 

Rarely. Every child has become a gift to celebrate. However those of us of the past still linger. 

What were you like before the Kastila came? 

Wild. Feral. We were like the wind in our form. Once the Kastila came, they only understood what their small worldview contained and seeked no regard to expand. So we shifted as they latched their claws into the land. We were pounded into solid forms that resemble their tame beasts. They feared nature as they felt it contained the monsters they were destined to tame. Yet we lingered on. Despite our newfound hooves and manes, we kept to our old ways. My tree still stands tall deeper in the forest. 

So that’s how you survived. Like an old growth forest. 

As long as there is wild, we will remain. 

One last thing, the golden hairs-

Another remnant of the kastila’s desire for control. They believed they could tame any creature. But even that desire was limited by our nature. That is why it is meant to be a difficult task to claim our servitude. Just as it is to bend nature to a human’s will. 

I think that covers the main questions. I’ll come back with more once the boss reviews these. 

It would be nice; I appreciate having a fellow spirit to talk to. 

As did I. Although, once I do come back. I have one tiny little request. 

(Post Interview Notes: I did stick around for some off the cuff talks. Turns out Kaloo here is quite the storyteller. He had a lot of anecdotes to share which I believe should be documented accordingly. I would also request some time off after this. He gave me a lot of new ideas so I might need some time to just get all that creative energy out. - Tanggharana) 

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Day 2: Animal

(At first the animals I kept finding in the codex were all prehistoric in nature and I honestly did not want to go back to Prehistoric Paradise this soon. Then I found the Buru and figured it'd be interesting to see how hell handles a creature that is believed to be extinct by humans)

Buru Welfare Project Report 1

Things have gone a lot smoother than initially predicted. The Buru in captivity still kept to their wild instincts, even attacking one of the workers while they were attempting to lure it into the transport aquarium. I was worried that their time spent with the monster keepers would've sanded off some of their wild instincts but it appears their cruel nature outweighs the comfort of free food and shelter. Our initial plan was to dump the Buru population into a cordoned off area of the lake wherein they would be able to acclimate to the water's condition and the scent of the Depth Maidens before getting into contact with them. This enclosure would've also allowed us to test their hunting capabilities to see if they had regressed during their care. This did not go as plan. One of the Depth Maidens swam especially close to the net that bordered the area. We believe that a Buru that did not recognize the scent perceived the new stimulus as a threat and proceeded to rip through the netting. The Depth Maiden, sensing the aggression in the Buru, then went into an aggressive state as well which caused the two beings to wrestle each other violently. The commotions soon attracted other Depth Maidens which then completely ripped the net apart to get to the other Buru to wrestle them as well causing a frenzy that no one on our team dared risk interfering with. We worried how this event would effect the relations between the two species but after the brawl was settled, we spotted the Depth Maidens actually giving a select few Buru a helping of fish. The two species now coexist together in the lake with amicable grace towards each other. Our hypothesis was that the brawl that occurred acted as a test of dominance, similar to play fighting in many animals. The Buru most likely passed the test and earned the respect of the Depth Maidens due to their aggressive hunting prowess. We will now continue forward confident in the welfare of the Buru. Although we may need to look into artificially increasing the population of prey animals.

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Day 7: Magical Beast

(Surprise! So I got hit with the artfight burnout fast (ADHD disability sure has been disabling now that the dopamine is gone due to a 3 day no attack dry streak) and a friend recommended I try something else and I have really missed writing since I went hard on the artfight prep and artfight attacks. And well, this was the easiest to do. Also, now that I've been putting it in tags, I can finally reveal that all these creaturecodex stories are actually taking place in The Unnamed Show. I'll probably update them with the tag in the future. Anyways, welcome back Gob!) Well howdy folks! It’s sure been a hot minute since I’ve seen y’all! Sorry for the absence, I had a doozy of a time tryin’ to get one of these buggers for this episode. Ol’ Gob here’s got a real special treat for y’all, cause tonight we’re making roasted alicanto! Trust me, tracking one’a these is bad enough, now imagine how long it took me to actually catch one. Now first thing ya gotta do before cooking is identify what kinda metal the little beastie is coated in. That’ll change how you have to keep your fire, for example I got a classic little goldie so I can keep the fire low. Once you do, you gotta pluck the feathers. But instead of throwing them away you should get a large bowl, put the feathers inside and melt them. Due to the alicanto’s magic, the metal in their feathers is integrated directly into a biological form. Ignorin’ the fancy talk, that means that their feathers can actually act as a good stock base, which we’ll use to cook the meat in. Ladle some of the feather marinade into a sheet pan with the alicanto meat. For those of you who are plague-y in the audience, you’ll understand what I mean when I say alicanto meat is closest to condor meat without any of the juicy disease inside. Instead, the gamey flavor comes from the metal inside the meat. So I would season based on whatever metal you got. For a goldie like this, I’d recommend some nice salt, a dash of silver powder, and a splash of mercury. Once the pan is ready, place the meat inside an oven until the meat is a golden brown. This may take a while depending on the melting point of whatever metal you got. In the meantime, I’d also recommend using the feather stock for soup. I’ll post some good recipes alongside the alicanto recipe after this episode gets posted. Once the meat is done, you’re ready to serve! I’d recommend serving this either as a prank on Greed demons or only when you want to prank a friend, as the taste is definitely an acquired one. I also recommend saving the bones, they make for a great hellhound treat! Now don’t forget to hurry on back soon! We’ll be goin’ back to sweets with an Asphodel Pomegranate Parfait!

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Day 6: Humanoid

(Well it sure has been a LONG time. But after getting the slightest bit of attention I knew I finally needed to get this done at least. Besides, I kinda missed narrative writing after doing so much drawing for so long. I've had the idea for this for months but just never really found the time or motivation to actually put it down. Anyways have an actual utopic society where police actually care about people) One of the most well known facets of modern Atlantean society is the police force which strives to protect the people at all costs contrary to human understandings of law enforcement. One quirk that is noted by non-Atlanteans is the disproportionate population of mermaids that take up the mantle compared to other beings in Atlantis. This is in part due to the original founder of the force, Riptide. Riptide, as best as his name can be translated, was originally born to a swordfish and a green sea turtle Atlantean. Despite his parents trying their best, he was still born during the era of piracy where crime and chaos was spread by Atlanteans both inside and outside the city. Everywhere Riptide looked he saw people scrounging for resources and those in power abusing those below them. So Riptide decided to change things for the better. However this was not meant to be. In his first confrontation with the racketeer that was bleeding his neighborhood dry, he was killed in his efforts to stand up for his fellows. But his bravery was rewarded with a front row seat with the young Leviathan Swift. Riptide petitioned Swift to finally fix the devastation that had been wrought. Swift was at first ashamed that he let things get this bad in his struggle to abruptly take his rightful crown after the disaster that was Razorfin’s reign but he agreed to make things right with the help of Riptide. And so Riptide was reborn as the first Zitiron, spirits of justice and strength. Swift and Riptide soon curbed the piracy and made it clear to the people of Atlantis that their crimes would not go unpunished which caused many to either swear off their lifestyle or simply went underground to form the modern day Midnight Zone. Once all was said and done, Riptide stayed with Atlantis just a bit longer to help the severely weak Council of Atlantis regain their power and footing as well as establish the police force. But he understood too that laws must be subservient to people which became the major tenet behind the force. Now mermaids around Atlantis grow up hearing stories of Riptide’s ventures and seek to emulate his greatness. Even now he continues to lead the zitirons that remain in the current Leviathan’s palace as guards. Some even witnessed him leading his legion against the forces of Tempest Supreme during the Final Surge which acts as a testament to his undying commitment to keeping his fellows safe. 

(Excerpt from Atlantis: How Utopia is Made)