Guardian Beast

These terrifying creatures are made from living, purple shadow, and have hollow yellow eyes which glow in the dark. With four arms of rippling muscles, each ending in razor-sharp claws, and a mouth full of needle-like teeth, the guardian beasts are best described as a living nightmare. Lurking at the edges of Rabiah's cities and towns, deep in the jungle oases that pockmark the desert sands, guardian beasts are creatures not of this world.   Dreamers, Awakened The term "living nightmare" for the guardian beast is particular apt, as these foul monsters are born from the sleeping minds of Rabiah's citizens. Lurking far out beyond the magical barrier which protects Rabiah from trespass, dark and ancient beings lurk, waiting to reach out and take Rabiah for themselves. Their only point of contact with Rabiah is the Plane of Dreams, a shifting, chaotic world where barriers can not always cover the gaps which frequently appear. Dreaming citizens of Rabiah which approach too closely to these gaps are transformed in their sleep, their bodies twisted and wrapped into horrifying beasts.   Relentless Pursuit Scholars and alchemists alike speculate on the nature of the beings which create the guardian beasts, but without being able to study them directly, their knowledge remains limited. The beasts themselves, however, are ripe for study, though just as dangerous a pursuit. The beasts are resistant to all forms of magic, and possess the ability to weaken alchemcial enchantments in an area around them, making hunting them exceedingly difficult and time-consuming. This, along with their ability to automatically detect and see through illusions, is meant to turn them into perfect predators.   The Behest of Masters Unknown While guardian beasts can disable alchemical enchantments, they can not destroy them. Instead, a guardian beast is as likely to disable a victim as they are to kill it, so long as they can steal away with the victim's magical items. These they carry back to the secretive homes they share with others of their kind, which is also hold specially constructed obelisks. Piling their ill-gotten treasure around the obelisk, a slow decaying effect begins to take place, which can destroy weaker items in a manner of hours, and even the most powerful of enchantments wear away after only a few days of this. Because of their tendency to leave victims alive if they can escape with treasure, some scholars believe the overall mission of the guardian beasts is to destroy the presence of alchemy on Rabiah. This is supported by the fact that a guardian beast will almost never leave an alchemist alive, targeting them first in battle, and only fleeing once they've left the alchemist for dead.