Ecologeia

In the text known as the Bestiary Monstrum, included in every edition of the Adventurer's Almanac, all creatures in Existence are classified by natural scholars into several categories of Creature Archetype, Origin Type, Lineages and Species Subtype. These classifications are based on the creatures realm of inception as well as their individual biologies and ecologies.

Creature Archetypes

According to the Bestiary, there are four basic Creature Archetypes; those being Animates, Beasts, Humanoids, and Monstrosities. These creature archetypes appear in every realm across Existence and serve as the foundation of this branch of sciencia naturae. Example species subtypes of the basic creature archetypes listed within the Bestiary include;

• Animates are the simplest creatures in existence, possessing unique or basic forms - Constructs, Oozes, and Plants.
• Beasts are some of the most numerous creatures in existence. They are distinct by developing naturally within their biome - Dinosaurs and Dire Beasts.
• Humanoids are unique creatures characterized by their higher sapience and generalized body structure of an upright torso, bipedal, and highly specialized use of tools - Beastfolk, Giantkin, and Gobkin.
• Monstrosities are somewhat of a catch-all defined by the obvious supernatural and magical power or strange body designs - Chimeric, Mythic, and Titanic.

Origin Types

Beyond the four basic creature types, there are four Origin Types. These types denote where within Existence a creature comes from. They included Astral, Essential, Eternal, and Mortal. These creatures are unique to their specific realms of existence and alien to the others. Example species subtypes specific to the origin types listed within the Bestiary include;

• Astral beings are from the many mercurial realities of the Astral Realms, such as the Glimmer and Gloom from Myth - Fey.
• Essential beings are fundamentally formed from the core elements of reality such as Fire or Water - Elementals.
• Eternals are creatures shaped by the anima of the Great Wheel, either the sinful energies of the Pit or the holy powers of the Pinnacle - Aesir, Devils, and Ineffables.
• Mortal beings possess a soul and are subject to the relentless march of time - Dragons and Hominid.

Lineages and Subspecies

Aberrations and Undead

Lastly, there are two unique creature subtypes that is not natural in any sense of existence and therefore not linked to any Creature or Origin: that being the Aberration and Undead. Scholars debate if the curse of Undeath represents a manifestation of Perversion within the will of Concordance or if it is a symptom of Discord destabilizing Existence itself, however it is beyond argument that the presence of the Undead upsets all reality.
The origins of the aberrant scourge is even more difficult to identify. Some Aberrations, like the Aboleth originate from the Essential Realms while the Beholderkin hail from the Astral Realms. While every Aberrations currently identified in Existence lack simpler origins, biologies, motives, or habitats, they are still classified in a single group. This is because all Aberrations share a profound connection to both Perversion and Discord. Though these forces are little understood, even by the most studied of scholars, their direct influence on Aberrations is undeniable. All Aberrations share a further theoretical connection - an impossible dimension outside of all Existence that is invading the Ethereal from all sides. Any truth to this Far Realm is purely speculative.

• In the context of taxonomic classification, Undead is considered a Template that can be added to any otherwise existing entity. Aberrations are considered a subtype, despite not actually being related.

The majority of creatures found throughout the Cosmos are indigenous to their respective Oasis Spheres shaped by the natural forces of primal mageia in concordance with their environments. The many flora and fauna of Earth, excluding “humans”, are an excellent example of such creatures. For Garden Spheres like Aemaphia, where clear and drastic magical tampering has occurred, the native flora and fauna will likewise exhibit additional magical properties to better adapt to this discordant external influences. This explains the existence of monsters throughout Aemaphia. As magic is the fundamental alteration of materia by the manipulation of immateria, the warping of the biology and ecology of any species in proximity of any mageia is inevitable, thereby leading to adaptation, mutation, hybridization, and other qualities yet unimagined. From the Landshark to the Owlbear, Aemaphia is abound with creatures only possible due to a surplus of raw magic. Of the many lifeforms in Existence, Animates are the most common particularly Oozes and Plants. Natural scholars agree Oozes were the first lifeforms to develop in the Cosmos with the countless Plants following quickly behind to populate spheres. Their survival into modernity is a testament to the advantage of their simple biological design. Constructs, the third major Animate category, are much less common in the Cosmos, as they rarely develop spontaneously in nature. While there are a few examples of Constructs being involuntarily animated by Leylines or Vortexes of mageia but the vast majority of Constructs are consciously created by other sapient life. After Animates, Beasts are the common creature type in Existence. Almost universally evolved through the process of natural selection in adherence with the laws of primal mageia to thrive in their respective ecosystems, Beasts are innately natural things. They are vital to their sphere's success as they enable life to specialize in ways Animates simply cannot. On Aemaphia, two groups of Beasts deserve further examination; Dinosaurs and Dire Beasts. Dinosaurs on Aemaphia never experienced an extinction event and have since adapted to survive into modernity. In a similar vein, Dire Beasts were paleolithic animals that never went extinct or adapted into smaller forms. Both are bolstered by primal magic to maintain their titanic forms. Another result of being a Garden Spheres, Aemaphia is teeming with unique nonmagical beasts. Examples include flying monkeys known as Wukong, Sharkbirds, winged feathered serpents known as Couatl, four-armed apes known as Girallons, two-headed hounds known as Orthrus, and colossal sky-dwelling whales known as Golae. Iconic creatures like Griffins, Pegasi and Owlbears are Beasts. Humanoids are so diverse in biology and ecology that they deserve an entire thread entry unto themselves. The last creature type is the Monstrosity. Monstrosities are the most academically fascinating and biologically diverse category of creature as they are “children” of intentional magical tampering or unintentional magical exposure. Due to their dependency on mageia, monstrosities rarely, if ever, appear naturally on Oasis Spheres. The only exceptions to this celestial consensus seem the many individual Tarrasques which slumber near the core of each sphere in the Cosmos. Monstrosities have the widest array of origins, from the alien Aberrations to the mighty Dragons to the fierce Elemental to the scheming Fiend to the vile Undead. Thus the vast majority of creatures that adventurers do battle with are Monstrosities. Furthermore, it is the general consensus of natural scholars and the Adventurer's Guild alike that monstrosities have no proper place in the world and should be exterminated without hesitation. They are Discord made manifest. The Bestiary Monstrum is perhaps the most useful text within the Adventurer's Almanac. Printed by the Adventurer's Guild, this field guide compiles the detailed ecologies, habits, and vital weaknesses of various monsters located throughout Aemaphia and beyond gathered over the many centuries of the Guild’s operation. A familiarity with this text can provide adventurers insights into tactics and techniques needed to subdue any foe. As advertised by the Guild itself; “Wise adventurers read their Bestiary!”