Sylvan Settings | The Stone Philosophic

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“Coming through the game trail, we suddenly happened upon a small meadow adjacent to a pond. The trees on all sides of the meadow had been clothed in a shimmering silver cloth, or so it seemed. The finely spun cloth seemed to encroach upon the center of the meadow from the top of the trees such that a clearing some 100′ in diameter at its base opened up to the sky for only about 30′ at its top. The cloth cast no shadow upon the scene, seeming instead to illuminate the entire place with a bright silvery light. Vines had woven themselves throughout the silver cloth, and different colored flowers emerged at intervals from the vines. A few small strands of the vines stretched from the canopy down toward the center of the pond wherein a small cluster of lily pads floated peacefully. Koi played about in the crystal clear waters, and dragon flies buzzed to and fro.

Across the meadow, we heard a voice; “We will have your names, please…”

Taragen Saliéss, Explorer

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Appearing as a hybrid of a giant spider with a torso much like that of a human or an elf, Arachnid Centaurs appear to be a tremendous paradox. To many, their spider bodies are inherently discusting even frightening, and yet their humanoid bodies are consistently beautiful. In any event, these strange creatures are always surrounding themselves with objects of great beauty, much of which they create for themselves. From their clothing to their dwelling places, everything resting long in the company of one of these creatures seems to become that much more pleasant to behold.

Seldom does one of these creatures get far in life without taking up certain artistic skills. Arachnid Centaurs are also known for their devotion to nature, and few endeavor to create anything which would long outlast themselves. The ideal of beauty for one of these creatures is closely tied to nature. Given a choice, an Arachnid Centaur will almost always use natural materials to create anything of interest to her.

Arachnid Centaurs are not particularly friendly to intruders. They will typically use a variety of stratagems from traps to hidden trails to keep outsiders away from their places of dwelling. If that fails, an Arachnid Centaur may or may not take the time to assess the intent of an uninvited guest. Those sharing interests with an Arachnid Centaur may well find themselves at home with these creatures for a time, sharing skills and learning from one another, but an Arachnid Centaur will in time make it clear that it is time for guests to move on. Those with little interest in art of nature will survive the encounter only if the Arachnid Centaurs trust them to leave peacefully (usually with the understanding that they are never to return).

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Riparian Variation: Some Arachnid Centaurs are native to riparian settings. These creatures typically reside in swamps or at the edges of remote lakes and slow moving rivers. They are otherwise much the same as their land-loving cousins.

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“These bizarre little creatures have defied the narrative skills of far more eloquent people than yours truly, but I shall try my best to explain. If you can imagine a duck… now take away its wings and its feathers, lengthen it’s feat just a little bit, and replace its beak with a small elastic mouth capable of forming into a shape not unlike that of a tiny bugle. Now make the creature brightly colored. It can be any hue, but it will always be bright and, well, colorful… If you’re still with us on this, now just imagine about a dozen of them frolicking about a meadow, running around at high speed and causing all kinds of mischief. Imagine all that, and you have the general idea, sort of.

“Mucky Loons do not speak, though they use a range of toots and honks to communicate basic emotions with one another. The overall effect of their appearance and behavior is usually one of such homeliness that it somehow passes over into cuteness.”

– Arglemis Schmee, Gnome Story-teller.

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Mucky Loons generally keep to themselves, and avoid sentient beings as much as possible. They spend their lives eating plants and small bugs and playing in the meadows and forests. When threatened, a flock of these creatures can become quite dangerous, however, swarming about a foe and bombarding it with acid spittle until even the bravest and toughest of creatures beats a hasty retreat. For most of these little creatures, that is enough, but the occasionally mean-spirited loons have been known to chase down and slay retreating foes. Most survivors will lick their wounds (carefully) and eventually go on about their lives. Should an opponent reveal himself to be a serious danger Mucky Loons will generally scatter and run away at great speed.