Post by Kathryn Storm on Feb 24, 2020 18:15:33 GMT
Here is where we will keep the bank of information about the Otherworld, and the creatures that come through the Rip.
Nothing grows near the Rip. The closer you are to the Rip, the more decayed the world has become, as if time itself is accelerated in its proximity. Trees are black and dead, everything is rotten. Water becomes polluted. Slime mould coats everything. Metal corrodes and becomes weak. Food spoils.
Within the Exclusion Zone, everything is scorched, from the blast when the Rip was torn open. It can make people sick just to breathe the air, and the Otherworld monsters congregate there in such high populations that it is suicide to travel within that territory. Nobody has ever seen the Rip itself. We can only guess at what lays beyond it, by studying what comes out.
The Otherworld creatures vary broadly in their physical makeup. Some of them fly, some of them are broadly mammalian, some more like reptiles. None of them appear to have eyes, so we might assume that their dimension has no visible spectrum. Indeed the first creatures to emerge from the Rip were 'Shadowform', visible only by a telltale shimmer in UV light.
They are attracted to CO2. During the early months of the Rip, this allowed humans to hide in built up urban areas where there were still fumes, but as society has broken down and the world has re-wilded, CO2 levels have dropped, making it easier for Otherworld demons to smell the exhalations of living things. In response, some hunters have taken to wearing re-breathers or gas masks when they hunt, and using CO2 canisters as diversion. Vampires are at an advantage, as their exhaled breath does not stimulate the demons.
Any kind of burning attracts them, as does running engines. The Otherworld beings seem to be able to hear, but no more acutely than a large wild predator we'd be used to on Earth. Smell appears to be their keenest sense. They are impervious to standard wizarding magics, and are difficult to damage with bullets, although they can be killed with enough firepower.
They can be evaded, if one is quiet and knows when to hold one's breath. Running is an option, although dicey. The creatures are fast, and as long as you're breathing, they can track you. They can be diverted, distracted, trapped, but they are also intelligent- they can figure out traps and they can learn from prior experiences.
Usefully, they also seem to burn on contact with silver.
Monster Files
Shadowform
Invisible to naked eye. Extremely fast, faster than anything natural on earth, faster than bullets. Visible only by telltale shimmer under UV light. Vulnerable to extreme cold, particularly dry ice, which can freeze them in place where they can then be killed with a great deal of firepower. Difficult to tell true size, but thought to be somewhere around the size of a large horse. Appear to kill by shredding/claws, possibly biting. Although common in the early months, Shadowform are now rare as they are more vulnerable to the changing atmosphere and most have died, or gone dormant.
Landform
Visible to naked eye. Vary wildly in morphology. Can be as small as a dog, or as large as a bus (some were bigger, but the biggest were killed by airstrikes in the early wars). Some are scaled, feathered, leathery or more like an insect. None have eyes. All are attracted primarily to CO2, but can also be attracted by sound. Their hearing is broadly similar to that of a wolf, or another earthly predator. Some have venom (This venom is also strongly poisonous to other Otherworld creatures, so can be collected and weaponised). Some have acid blood. Some can squirt poisonous gas. All burn on contact with silver. All dislike quicklime and will avoid it if possible, although a line of quicklime alone is not a suitable defence for a strong attractant. As the atmosphere becomes more toxic, the creatures are becoming weaker, and will stand dormant for periods of time, 'sleeping'. With care, it is possible to move around them while they are in this dormant state.
Nothing grows near the Rip. The closer you are to the Rip, the more decayed the world has become, as if time itself is accelerated in its proximity. Trees are black and dead, everything is rotten. Water becomes polluted. Slime mould coats everything. Metal corrodes and becomes weak. Food spoils.
Within the Exclusion Zone, everything is scorched, from the blast when the Rip was torn open. It can make people sick just to breathe the air, and the Otherworld monsters congregate there in such high populations that it is suicide to travel within that territory. Nobody has ever seen the Rip itself. We can only guess at what lays beyond it, by studying what comes out.
The Otherworld creatures vary broadly in their physical makeup. Some of them fly, some of them are broadly mammalian, some more like reptiles. None of them appear to have eyes, so we might assume that their dimension has no visible spectrum. Indeed the first creatures to emerge from the Rip were 'Shadowform', visible only by a telltale shimmer in UV light.
They are attracted to CO2. During the early months of the Rip, this allowed humans to hide in built up urban areas where there were still fumes, but as society has broken down and the world has re-wilded, CO2 levels have dropped, making it easier for Otherworld demons to smell the exhalations of living things. In response, some hunters have taken to wearing re-breathers or gas masks when they hunt, and using CO2 canisters as diversion. Vampires are at an advantage, as their exhaled breath does not stimulate the demons.
Any kind of burning attracts them, as does running engines. The Otherworld beings seem to be able to hear, but no more acutely than a large wild predator we'd be used to on Earth. Smell appears to be their keenest sense. They are impervious to standard wizarding magics, and are difficult to damage with bullets, although they can be killed with enough firepower.
They can be evaded, if one is quiet and knows when to hold one's breath. Running is an option, although dicey. The creatures are fast, and as long as you're breathing, they can track you. They can be diverted, distracted, trapped, but they are also intelligent- they can figure out traps and they can learn from prior experiences.
Usefully, they also seem to burn on contact with silver.
Monster Files
Shadowform
Invisible to naked eye. Extremely fast, faster than anything natural on earth, faster than bullets. Visible only by telltale shimmer under UV light. Vulnerable to extreme cold, particularly dry ice, which can freeze them in place where they can then be killed with a great deal of firepower. Difficult to tell true size, but thought to be somewhere around the size of a large horse. Appear to kill by shredding/claws, possibly biting. Although common in the early months, Shadowform are now rare as they are more vulnerable to the changing atmosphere and most have died, or gone dormant.
Landform
Visible to naked eye. Vary wildly in morphology. Can be as small as a dog, or as large as a bus (some were bigger, but the biggest were killed by airstrikes in the early wars). Some are scaled, feathered, leathery or more like an insect. None have eyes. All are attracted primarily to CO2, but can also be attracted by sound. Their hearing is broadly similar to that of a wolf, or another earthly predator. Some have venom (This venom is also strongly poisonous to other Otherworld creatures, so can be collected and weaponised). Some have acid blood. Some can squirt poisonous gas. All burn on contact with silver. All dislike quicklime and will avoid it if possible, although a line of quicklime alone is not a suitable defence for a strong attractant. As the atmosphere becomes more toxic, the creatures are becoming weaker, and will stand dormant for periods of time, 'sleeping'. With care, it is possible to move around them while they are in this dormant state.
