Chronicles of Sha'Lazar

Mermaid is an aquatic creature with the upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids are sometimes depicted as perilous creatures associated with floods, storms, shipwrecks, and drowning. But, as well, they can be benevolent, bestowing benefits, capable of kindness and cruelty, guiding lost sailors to shore while others sing them into the sea's cold embrace, or falling in love with humans. Mermaids are associated with the Sirens. Considered omens of change… birth, storm, or war. Associated with both fertility and destruction. Worshipped in coastal villages as daughters of the moon and sea. Historical sightings by sailors may have been the result of misunderstood encounters with other mammals of the sea.



Sea-People, unlike depictions of mermaids, are anatomically identical to land-bound humans, differing only in their ability to breathe, to adapt to high pressure, to communicate via echowaves, and live underwater. Society is structured into city-states in coral caverns, kelp towers, and submerged temples. They can (and do) interbreed with land humans, and the children of such unions have the ability to live underwater, or live on land… their hybrid children often become ambassadors or mystics.



Sirens are dangerous, seductive, and beautiful creatures, femmes fatales, musical predators, who lure nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices bring sorrow and death cloaked in ecstasy, to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island; all such locations are surrounded by cliffs and rocks. Usually found in groups, seldom are they alone. Although they lure mariners, the Sirens are not sea deities, but daughters of the Sea living in or near rocky islands veiled in mist, shipwreck coasts, and/or cliffside ruins.

The Sirens are called the Muses of the Lower World, their song, though irresistibly sweet, are no less sad than sweet, and lapped both body and soul in a fatal lethargy, the forerunner of death and corruption. The term "siren song" refers to an appeal that is hard to resist but that, if heeded, will lead to a bad conclusion.

Considered cursed or divine depending on the region. Their powers include:
-- a voice that ensnares both the mind and soul,
-- the ability to cause hallucinations of loved ones or impossible desires, and
-- they often travel in trios or quartets… never alone.

Their philosophy… “Beauty is a weapon, and every mortal soul sings its own requiem. Our songs are mournful, sacred, and fatal… verily.”



Usually found in groups, seldom are they alone. Although they lure mariners, the Sirens are not sea deities, but daughters of the Sea. The Sirens are called the Muses of the Lower World, their song, though irresistibly sweet, are no less sad than sweet, and lapped both body and soul in a fatal lethargy, the forerunner of death and corruption. The term "siren song" refers to an appeal that is hard to resist but that, if heeded, will lead to a bad conclusion.

The Dandan is largest fish in the sea capable of swallowing a ship and all its crew in a single gulp;
and is the enemy of the mermen. Modern day people would call it a blue whale.


Sailors and sea-people alike tell tales of massive herds of moon-backed seacows drifting along coral shallows, their low calls echoing like distant horns in the depths. These gentle giants are considered omens of safe passage, and it is said that to harm one invites the wrath of the tide gods.


In the deeper trenches swim the sky-fin tuna, sleek and swift as arrows, prized not only for their radiant, metallic scales but for their ability to vanish in flashes of light when threatened. Their migrations form silver rivers through the blue, guiding nomadic sea tribes and coastal fishermen alike.



Long, serpentine predators with needle-fanged jaws and a taste for carrion. They slip through the ruins of drowned cities and guard their nests with territorial fury. Reef divers often tell tales of seeing their glowing eyes just before a friend disappears into the dark.

The fire-bellied octarine is a master of illusion, known for its dazzling chromatophores that shimmer with iridescent reds and blues.

Swarming in vast, shifting clouds are the glassfish shoals, nearly invisible until struck by sunlight... then, suddenly, the water explodes with a rainbow dance of mirrored bodies. Fishermen see them as messengers of coming storms, or signs that sirens have recently sung nearby.



Above them all glide the sky-skates, manta-like rays with wing spans broader than ship sails. They breach the water's surface in great arcs, their silken bodies trailing phosphorescent wakes. Rarely aggressive, they are considered sacred in some coastal cultures—whispered to carry the dreams of sleeping sea-gods on their backs.

The lands of Sha’Lazar are not merely shaped by gods and ghosts... they are lived in, breathed in, and moved by the creatures that tread its sands, stalk its jungles, and graze its vast savannas. These beasts are the heartbeat of the realm, as much a part of its rhythm as swords, sorcery, and song.

Across the golden Acacus dunes roam the sandwalkers... slender, long-legged camels bred for endurance and cunning. These beasts are the lifeblood of caravaners and nomads alike, able to detect sandstorms hours before they strike and often known to bond fiercely with a single rider for life.

In the whispering highlands of the northern Fells of Red Hamada, and the various mountains of the continent are, horned rock-goats cling to impossible cliff faces. With horns curled like wind-blasted stone and hooves as sharp as daggers, they are both a source of meat and myth. It is said that the gods carved the first from the mountain itself, as a gift to shepherds.

Among the jungles of Sha’Lazar’s southern edges skitter the elusive fire-tailed lemkats, feline-sized creatures with eyes that glow in the dusk and tails that glimmer when agitated. Playful and chaotic, they are beloved by jungle tribes and feared by hunters who say they can vanish into the trees like smoke.

The razorback boar, a tusked terror of the lowland thickets, is a creature both feared and honored. With hide like ironbark and a temper to match, these beasts can topple a tree or a warrior with equal ease. Some clans believe that the boar spirit chooses the fiercest among them to carry its soul.

In the savannas to the west, dusk-elk gather in majestic herds, their horns wide and flat like fans of bone. Silent and swift, they can outrun even trained predators, and their appearance at sunset is considered a blessing by farmers and fieldfolk alike.

Predators are no less impressive. The ghost lion, pale as moonlight, stalks the wastes under cover of night, leaving no pawprint, only silence. Few see it and live—but to do so is said to mark one as a bearer of fate.

Meanwhile, in the arid gulches and rocky badlands, redfang jackals prowl. Unlike their cowardly cousins, these creatures hunt in terrifying coordination, communicating through eerie howls that echo like laughter. Some say they are the cursed remnants of a forgotten people... others know them only by the blood they leave behind.

Even the skies above are full of life. Wind falcons dive like hurled spears, prized as messengers and hunting companions. The rare sky-crow, ink-feathered and gold-eyed, is said to remember faces and follow mourners to the graves of loved ones.

And always, wherever there is breath or shadow, dwell the commonfolk of the wild: desert hares darting from brush to brush, scaled lizards sunning on stone, nesting sparrows in market awnings, and black-eyed cattle lowing under the high sun.




Dragon is the largest known flying creature. Most dragon kinds fly, gracefully soaring through the sky in acrobatic moves. Dragons have very, very powerful muscles... Grounded, a dragon's muscles can slice through almost any material. The dragon also had very powerful jaw muscles that could bite through steel. The eyes of a dragon are always noticeable. In the eyes there is always hatred of some kind. The pupils can be round, vertical slits, or crystalline in appearance with no pupil at all. Now in the air, they are not as powerful. Most of their strength goes into flying, so they don't have the same power for their arms and jaws. However, even though this is the case, they are still very formidable opponents. Since most of their muscle power goes into flying that means that a dragon is extremely fast in the air. Dragons were built for flying, not for running. A dragon's legs aren't built for running they are too short and stubby. A dragon is a reptilian creature, and therefore their bodies were covered with scales. The scales are pentagonal and tear shaped, and are usually very shiny, as it was extremely uncommon to find a dull-scale dragon. The wings on a dragon resembled very closely a human arm concept, with four extended fore fingers, and a skinny and long thumb. They probably would look like a human arm except for the fact that they are long, scaly, and have wings. The wings were attached just behind the shoulder and down near the small of the back. This allows for the dragon to easily fly through the sky. Dragons could be any color, but mostly they were notorious shades of reds, greens, blues, and of course the color most often associated with evil ~ black. Some of the dragon species are noted and named for their color. For example, The King Black Dragon is the meanest of the dragon species, and also the most greedy when it came to treasure. Dragons hoard treasure... jewels, gold, and whatever else they could get. But they are hunted… and can be killed, so they stay secluded in the high mountains, shunning man should he come near. But there is but one exception… and that are the dragon-riders.



Karkadann is an animal which has "the build of a buffalo...a black, scaly skin; a dewlap hanging down under the skin. It has three yellow hooves on each foot...The tail is not long. The eyes lie low, farther down the cheek than is the case with all other animals. On the top of the nose there is a single horn which is conical, bent back towards the head, and longer than a span... the animal's ears protrude on both sides like those of a donkey, and... its upper lip forms into a finger-shape, like the protrusion on the end of an elephant's trunk. (( The Indian Rhinoceros is the basis for the animal; but the confusion between the rhinoceros and the unicorn was already in the making since the Persian language uses the same word, karkadann, for the mythological animal as it does for the rhinoceros.))



Minotaur is a savage race, distinguished by their bull-like heads atop burly human bodies. They are a tribal people, the sundered remains of an ancient civilization, with various clans scattered across the Realm.



Sphinx is a creature with the body of a lion and a human head. In some areas, it has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is treacherous and merciless. Those who cannot answer her riddle suffer a fate as they are killed and eaten by this ravenous monster. Other places, some sphinx are men who are viewed as benevolent in contrast to the malevolent female version and was thought of as a guardian often flanking the entrances to temples.



Werehyena is a hybrid creature; one who is often a magically powerful healer, blacksmith, or woodcutter in its human form and transformed nightly into a cannibalistic monster that terrorizes people, especially lovers, recognizable through signs like a hairy body, red and gleaming eyes and a nasal voice.



Wolfman is a man, but not a mere man… he was a bold knight that was deeply loyal to his King, and in love with the King’s daughter. But the mage of the King’s court loved her as well… and to keep them apart, he would become a wolf by night, and she a hawk by day.



Bouda is a hawk; but not any ordinary hawk. Tis rumored she was the beloved daughter of a King. And she was deeply in love with a bold knight that was ever loyal to his King, and in love with the King’s daughter was a jealous mage… and hurt by her shunning his love, he did not kill them but cast a spell upon them to keep them apart, forever, the knight would become a wolf by night, and she a hawk by day… only seeing one another at that brief point between night and day.