Manticores
Manticore
Winged, Leonine People-Eater
Manticores are lethal, cunning predators that prowl the wild frontiers, their leathery wings stretching wide over windswept plains and canyon ridges. Possessing the body of a lion, the face of something horrifyingly human, and a tail bristling with iron-hard spikes, they are among the most feared aerial hunters in the higher ranges and badlands.
Known by settlers as buzzard-lions, spike devils, or wind-eaters, these creatures kill for both food and pleasure. They crave human flesh above all else, but when frontier folk are scarce, they settle for livestock—or travelers unlucky enough to cross their path.
Frontier Encounters
Frontier rangers warn that manticores strike most often just before dusk, swooping low out of blinding light to catch prey unaware. Their presence is often preceded by flocks of scattering birds—or the eerie sound of mocking laughter carried on the wind.
Those who’ve lived to tell the tale say there’s only one sure defense: keep your campfire burning bright, and never answer when the night itself starts talking.
Basic Information
Anatomy
A full-grown manticore measures nearly twelve feet from nose to tail and can weigh close to a thousand pounds. Its wings are batlike, sinewy and powerful, suited for ambush flights from cliffs or mountain perches. The creature’s maw is broad and filled with several rows of dagger-like teeth, capable of crushing bone with ease.
The most infamous feature of the manticore is its tail, covered in detachable barbed spikes that it can launch with harpoon-like force. These lethal projectiles are known to pierce armor or knock prey from the air, making the creature as dangerous at range as it is in close combat.
The most infamous feature of the manticore is its tail, covered in detachable barbed spikes that it can launch with harpoon-like force. These lethal projectiles are known to pierce armor or knock prey from the air, making the creature as dangerous at range as it is in close combat.
Ecology and Habitats
Manticores are highly adaptable, haunting any region where prey is plentiful—from snowbound ridges to coastal cliffs. In arid plains, they may nest among ancient ruins or mine shafts, their spines littering the ground like spent bullets.
While they can survive on carrion for weeks, they hunt with cruel enthusiasm when the hunger returns. Solitary by nature, manticores sometimes tolerate others of their kind during mating seasons, resulting in violent territorial disputes that echo across the frontier night.
While they can survive on carrion for weeks, they hunt with cruel enthusiasm when the hunger returns. Solitary by nature, manticores sometimes tolerate others of their kind during mating seasons, resulting in violent territorial disputes that echo across the frontier night.
Behaviour
Manticores are not mindless beasts. They speak Common in a coarse, rasping voice, and their intelligence sits somewhere between a man’s and a wolf’s. Many take perverse delight in toying with potential victims—calling out from the dark with crude jokes, taunts, or negotiations before striking.
Despite their savagery, some manticores can be bargained with—though such deals rarely end well. They understand greed and fear better than most men, and will often demand a more “tempting” meal in exchange for leaving a settlement or caravan unmolested.
In the frontier territories, bounty posters sometimes circulate for particular manticores known by name: Old Redfeather, The Widow’s Maw, Laughing Spike. Each has left a trail of bones and broken wagons in their wake, often remembered in campfire stories whispered after sunset.
Despite their savagery, some manticores can be bargained with—though such deals rarely end well. They understand greed and fear better than most men, and will often demand a more “tempting” meal in exchange for leaving a settlement or caravan unmolested.
In the frontier territories, bounty posters sometimes circulate for particular manticores known by name: Old Redfeather, The Widow’s Maw, Laughing Spike. Each has left a trail of bones and broken wagons in their wake, often remembered in campfire stories whispered after sunset.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Manticores are said to have decent nightvision.
Comments