Once, there were ordinary animals in Kos. Dogs, hawks, and fish are some examples. These types of animals, though rare today*, formed the "base creatures" which compose many of the animals which exist in Post-Cataclysmic Kos.
In game terms, this is for those times when you need to say "Dungo the Luckless rolled a 1 on his Fieldcraft check and succeeded only in bringing in [vermin] for dinner..." or "Your last biscuit is suddenly snatched by a..."
first, select an interesting-sounding creature or roll d12 for one
then, in case you need to know, roll 1d4 to discover what these creatures actually are and what they do
d12
1. Great Swan
1. Enormous swans, always black, large enough to pull boats, totally docile
2. very large and territorial but otherwise normal swans
3. not really so "great" after all; this appellation is a fancy of inebriated local river-men
4. large swans, always come in matched pairs of black & white, mate for life. Considered good omen for love
2.Ebon & Ivory Eel
1. they're just black and white eels.
2.-4. come in both colors, but only appear together over the location of sunken treasure
3. Peckel
1.-4. this is what all uninteresting fish are called
4. Drowned Lady
1. an actual dead ghost of a drowned lady who tries to tempt lonely men to a watery tomb. Usually effective only on the deeply inebriated, badly wounded or suicidally depressed
2. a fish which is created when an unloved woman dies, they are considered exceptionally tasty by certain jaded epicureans and valuable in several alchemical processes. Hard to catch, though, because you have to sing a true love song to get them into a net.
3. A fish with pliant flukes on the sides of the face that resemble the hair of a woman.
4. A frog that has beautiful hair and appears to be flush-cheeked and red-lipped; sings loudly at night
5. Soil-Fish
1. a spiny fish which dwells under the sand and is very uncomfortable to step on.
2. a bottom-sucker or cat-fish
3. slang term for any fish considered unfit for human consumption
4. a minor magical creature which draws nourishment from dirt and leaves everything sparklingly white; large fleets are often spotted cleaning the teeth of sea-monsters
6. Savage Pike
1. descendants of former battle-pike of the Aquatic Southland Invasion. Bred to chew holes in the bottom of boats and attack anything flailing around in the water. Otherwise eat only small peckels.
2. Crocodile-sized monsters, highly territorial but easy to avoid on land
3.-4. the same as a normal pike but incredibly vicious, using a strong thrashing motion to rend prey and attacking anything that moves; easily spotted by the constant thrashing a school of them makes at all times as they constantly fight for dominance
7. Knight-Fish
Knight-Fish are covered in armor, and
1. Totally subservient to a golden Emperor-Fish, and follow him in silver swarms. Have lance-like horns attached to their foreheads.
2. carnivorous fish which attack other fish by ramming them
3. beautiful fish admired for shimmering scales
4. small fish that aggressively try to defend small "fortified" areas
8. Emperor-Fish
1. local name for a dunkleostus spotted in the river
2. Large, yellow pufferfish, so named for the pompous look it presents when it puffs up
3. Fish with a large fin strung with iridescent semi-precious accumulations of sand
4. mistranslated South Land name for "whale" or "small volcanic island", re-imagined as a fanciful beast
9. Glittering Crab
1. vicious but beautiful little predators with crystalline shells. Painful to step on, and sharp pincers
2. bio-luminescent flashes allow them to find one another in the dark. Considered appealing by song-writers and other sentimentalists in certain parts of Kos
3. Highly organized expansionists. Always attack in squares, with one crab facing out each direction. Make sorties onto to land and kill small lizards and insects. Only come out at night, where the moon reflects on their shells
4. a type of tiny crab that collects shiny objects. usually has a small hoard of minor treasures
10. Snake-Fish
1. just a common name for any aquatic snake or eel
2. the Northern Snakehead fish we have now, except much worse. They are plotting to invade and settle, and most humans are not yet aware.
3. actually the infant form of the Serpus, who must travel to water to lay her eggs
4. a brightly-striped fish with a venomous bite
11. Nautili
1. are quite numerous in the River Kos and are said to be sacred to God Kos. Some believe they are the souls of river-worshippers.
2. have survived the Cataclysm remarkably well. Sometimes become so numerous during the spring melts that men claim they could cross the River Kos without wetting their boots
3. are considered a pleasant species, tasty and attractive in their jetting swarms. a staple of life for many people, their spiral shell is said to represent infinity and rebirth
4. Held as the emblematic animal of Kos, frequently featured on heraldry
12. the Submerged Crawler
1. Kossick translation: "horseshoe crab"
2. Kossick translation: "Trilobite"
3. Kossick translation: "crawfish"
4. a type of minor magical creature which burrows under the sand and eats ancient detritus; can only be seen by the lump it makes as it travels near the surface. Produces an irritating rash if stepped on.
OLD FISHERMAN'S LYRIC
Nautili, Nautili, you are a friend of mine;
Your whole life is in a spiral, but mine seems stuck on a line
*except dogs in the vast countryside of Barbarian Krax. don't worry, they're actually doing fine
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