Darkflame Abominations

Abominations, sometimes called Darkbeasts, are the results of lingering malignancy from the Calamity and the latent energies of the Black Flame. While rare in the current day, during and immediately following the end of the The Calamity they haunted nearly every crevice and corner of the world. Beyond their origins, there is little connecting these abominations. Some retain much of their original form and with some behavioral or phenotypical abnormalities while others are completely alien and even chimeric in their appearance. Regardless, these creatures are often categorized by their unending malice, appearing in the form of bottomless hunger or unfettered appetite for destruction.  

Categorization

  While still misunderstood, categorization has developed to allow people to discuss the danger of encountered darkbeasts.          

Type	Characteristics
Α	Static threats seem to stay relatively stable while having the characteristics of darkflame corruption. They may resemble other creatures but are unable to cooperate with other living things due to their dangerous and unpredictable abilities as well as their tendency to destroy any living thing they see. These darkbeasts often do not consume food and have significantly reduced lifespans. Their behavior is aggressive and they will seek out the nearest living thing that they can sense to destroy it. This makes them quite easy to track due to the corpses they leave behind.
Δ	Delta-type abominations are known for their rapid growth and evolution. Delta-types often consume their victims and are known to be both predatory and territorial. While often not a direct threat to settlements due to their more private and predictable nature, the encroachment of their territory and roads makes them a danger nonetheless.
λ	Lambda-Type Darkbeasts are often the oldest type of abomination. Lambda-types are sedentary and often haunt secluded groves, tombs, and old-world ruins. They are dregs of the original calamity and thus often contain aberrant characteristics not seen anywhere else. They are often tainted by foul magics and awake with a host of unnatural phenomena. While they can be felled, Lambda-type darkbeasts can enter a 'hibernation' state, causing their flesh to become stone-like. In this state, they are nearly impervious to physical and magical effects. Once hibernating, these abominations may remain this way for hours to even years and decades beyond.

  If a darkbeast is known for enough time a Purveyor from the Menagerie of Recall or Hunter's Guild may classify its Numerical Class. This is used to denote a darkbeast's relative strength and is rated on a scale of 1-5 based on its abilities and the individual danger it may pose.            

Class Number	Relative Difficulty Description
I	Danger to wildlife and individuals if encountered alone. Avoid if possible while traveling alone. Although if necessary a degree of caution is advised. Vunerable to all attacks.
II	Hazard to small groups of untrained individuals. Vunerable to most if not all attacks. Advised to avoid its last known position and alert a nearby guardsman or hunter should it be encountered.
III	A meaningful threat to even trained guardsmen and hunters. Can be extremely unpredictable and often harbors resistance to some attacks.
IV	A worhy adversary of equipped adventurers and heavily trained guardsmen alike. Hunters will often team up with hired muscle or form a posse to hunt down such a creature. Failure to contain or eliminate the threat this creature poses may lead to evacuation of its relative area. May cause darkflame consumption to spread to nearby populations
V	The sighting of such an abomination requires significant military response, often requring a well-equipped troupe of mercinaries with the aid of heroes in order to quell the threat. The unprepared may spontaniously combust within their presance and evacuation of the immediate area is required to mitigate loss of life. Such an abomination would also agitate other darkflame phenomena.

Cultural Significance

  Particularly dangerous or troublesome Abominations are often names and their deaths are noted by local populations. There are many songs and poems about heroes who fell and have felled darkbeast and the defeat of darkbeasts have become a grim reminder of the slim margins of survival after the calamity, their defeat a signet of mortalkind's enduring survival.    

Material Significance

There are many materials found within the carcasses of Darkflame Abominations that are extremely rare and can only be found by defeating such a foe. The preternatural materials which forms in these Darkflame-Afflicted bodies can be fasioned into Abyssal Arms, items of strange and great power often weilded by the elite, the powerful, or the extremely lucky. While the materials of darkbeasts are hard to find, rarer still exists smiths and craftsmen capable to creating an Abyssal arm, making them priceless artifacts. While these items can vary in power it is said that those who weild them have some protection against the enigmatic forces of the dark flame.