"Good morning," the Thing in the Well calls, "And how are we doing this morning Mrs. Westmen?" -- "Just wonderfully. How have you been keeping, Thing?" -- "Fine, fine. A little peckish, a bit in the mood for, you know, a nibble, a bite to eat. But don't worry yourself, perfectly fine." -- "It's quite alright Thing, I was just thinking I should bring by some lunch. How does a ham sound?" -- "You are too kind Mrs. Westmen, just too kind..." -- The Thing in the Well has lived in the village for longer than anyone can remember. It is traditional to fix regular meals for the Thing, and to present it with a sheep or pig on special occasions. Years ago a boy went down the well on a dare. He never returned. The subject has not been broached in the presence of the Thing. Instinct: To devour

• Politely collect tribute
• Leverage townspeople through secrets
• Purify water
• Hide in darkened waters

"The Old Ones, they knew much. Not the alchemy of man nor the sorcery of warlocks and the like. No, this is the magic of gears and pulleys, the sorcery of science. Watch your every step in the tower: be wary or you may call to life the ancient defense systems. You'll know the Defenders have awoken long before you face them, that's for sure; they're louder than a stomping giant and their hulls scrape the stone walls. You'll hear them coming, I'm sure you can avoid them, go on in the tower. Me? I... I'll stay out here. Got to have a lookout post, right?"

Instinct: Destroy all Intruders! *click* Defend the domain!

• Display immense and uncaring strength
• Soldier on, ignoring all damage until the last
• Reveal a hidden function from the depths of its gearworks

Each individual shadow is actually a swarm of tiny, dust-sized demons. No one is quite sure where they come from, or how to kill them, but it is known that children of every species on every plane of existence know to fear the darkness . . . Instinct: To spread

• Devour flesh
• Impersonate voices
• Absorb knowledge from those it kills

Scarabaeus pyractomena! What a delightful creature—see how its carapace glitters in the light of our torches? Not too close now, they’re temperamental, you see. The fire in their belly isn’t just metaphorical, no. Watch as I goad the beast. Aha! A spout of flame! Unexpected, isn’t it? One of these creatures alone, if it comes up from below, can be a hellish nuisance to a farmstead or village. A whole swarm? There’s a reason they call it a conflagration of fire beetles. Instinct: To enflame

• Undermine the ground
• Burst from the earth
• Spray forth flames

Some are wont to lump these little, rat-like dragon-men in with goblins and orcs, bugbears and hobgoblins. They are smarter and wiser than their kin, however. The kobolds are beholden slaves to dragons and were, in ancient times, their lorekeepers and sorcerer-servants. Their clans, with names like Ironscale and Whitewing, form around a dragon master and live to serve and do its bidding. Spotting a kobold means more are near—and if more are near then a mighty dragon cannot be far, either. Instinct: To serve dragons

• Lay a trap
• Call on dragons or draconic allies
• Retreat and regroup

Salamander Pox are thin stringy creatures, like tapeworms. Jet black and covered in tiny blisters, they find dark and damp places to burrow and nest. They are telltale signals of Salamander Blight, and should be dealt with quickly and fully. Instinct: to burrow and nest

• Burrow into its surroundings
• Collapse surroundings

Looming in the partially submerged depths of the dungeon, the Waterlogged Metal Golem waits patiently for it's shift in the lower levels that never came. Normally resistant to rust, millenia of musty waters has began to peel away at this golems defenses. Instinct: To Await Replacement

• Bludgeon & Crush

This horrid monster looks like a cross between a large bat and an oversized mosquito. Its legs end in sharp pincers, and its long, needle-like proboscis slashes the air as it seeks to feed on the blood of living creatures. Instinct: To feed.

• Attach.
• Drain blood.

Another fell creation of the Kaorti, appearing as some sort of baffling hybrid of giant scorpion and tree, the creature is heard much sooner than it is seen - despite its size. A constant cacophony scrapes the air around it as the armour plates that cover it rub together - a danger to anyone who would close to melee and risk getting their weapon (or worse) trapped in there and crushed. However should it wish it can let loose a roar so powerful it shatters doors, walls, arms and armour, and flesh and bones even. A living siege weapon deployed by the Kaorti in places that they dare not tread, and due to how much collateral damage it is capable of they, they are not observed in being used too close to the Kaorti's own lairs. Even if they have an alien mindset to us, even the Kaorti are not fools. Instinct: To serve/destroy

• Roar so loud it breaks objects and creatures
• Paralyse with its poisonos bites
• Crush weapons between its ever-shifting plates
• Stun those its strikes with deleterious vibrations

At a glance one might mistake these terrible creatures for clouds - if particularly mobile ones, for they emit a white mist around themselves, concealing their horrific nature. These disguise tends to falter when these clouds start raining slimy red acid, etching the ground and burning unfortunate enough creatures to make contact horribly. Few have seen beneath their cloudy cover, but it is said they are misshapen creatures, like a nightmare in the flesh, amorphous and utterly alien - a product of the experiment of the horrific Kaorti. Given their alien nature they possess magic that grants them the ability to manipulate the weather, something they combine with their acid-secreting ways to harry those on the ground, for if not given orders they will hunt for food - or sometimes even just for fun, to inflict pain and suffering upon the world. There have been reports of the Kaorti themselves riding these creatures - riding upon a platform that they attach to the Skybleeder, still well-concealed within the hiding mists. Instinct: To serve/hunt/hurt

• Regenerate from anything bar fire or mystic force
• Manipulate the winds, lightning, and weather
• Despoil the natural world (and nature magics) with its presence