The Rattlepack Bestiary

The Rattlepack Bestiarium Vocabulum

Edition One

As compiled by Oliwat Kokiwat, the Very Last of the Rattlepacks.

Introduction

As all adventurers are no doubt aware (or at the very least should be), the world is a dangerous place. But it is not that way all on its own, not at all! No, it is the resident flora and fauna that make it this way. Our world is full of many an oddity, ranging from the strange squiggly mass known as the Coblyn (octopus? Land-squid? Both?) to the Toadstool (walking mushroom? Distant relative of the Mimic? Good on-the-go snack?), and although one is not required to memorize all their types and attacks, it does indeed help to know what is what, considering that knowing the difference between, say, an Apkallu and a Cocatrice, might just save your sorry soul.

As have others writing on the technical topic of our world’s monsters, I shall stand on the shoulders of giants, and borrow the taxonomy of the great naturalist Frandelont Raimdelle, who has done the world a great service with his Codex. For those that are unfamiliar with the Raimdelle Codex and its system of classification, an overview of the system will be provided in the following section. Ultimately, it is my hope that this material serves as a mere update to Raimdelle’s work, which, despite being a work of only the highest quality, is, if I may say so, perhaps in need of a bit of updating.

I would sincerely hope he does not haunt me for that.

A Short History of the Raimdelle Codex, and an Outline of Standard Taxonomy

The Raimdelle Codex is a document which, as of the current era, is several centuries old. Despite its age, it is still the most widely-used book of its kind throughout Eorzea, mostly by hunters, trappers, and those that work in the wilderness. Its text is notably dated, and modern reprints of the text often include secondary sections that function as a more modern version of what was originally written. However, time has taken its toll on the work. Pages relating to many of Eorzea’s monsters have been lost to time, as reprints can only function off of what was originally known to be printed. As a result, although common beasts for the most part are still present, pages on other monsters of the time have all but disappeared from even the oldest available versions.

Of more importance, however, is the classification system that was pioneered by the Codex. It is a tiered system which functions to divide all the life in Eorzea into a few distinct categories, which themselves branch out into smaller sections in order to more specifically show the differences between various forms of life. The most famous of these tiers is perhaps what we know as a creature’s Kin, or Kindred, which is a broader term that designates the “type” of a monster. Above the Kindred is the Regnum, divided into the Bloodborn, the Bloodless, and the Transcendants. Below the Kindred is the Genus, which is divided into monsters that are similar in shape and form, below that is the Species, which is divided into similar monsters with slight physical or locational differences, and below that are individual monsters themselves.

As an example, the classification for Clatterpouch, my trusty mechanical companion, would be as follows:

Bloodless (Regnum) → Forgekin (Kindred) → Mammet (Genus) → Model-type #001 (Species) → Clatterpouch.

Now that we have a handle on the basics of the Codex’s Classification, we may begin our bestial review!

Regnum

The taxonomic level known as the Regnum is divided into three distinct parts, namely, the Bloodborn, Bloodless, and Transcendents, each with their own type of creature.

Within the Bloodborn Regnum are, perhaps obviously, creatures which possess blood and other internal fluids. To put it differently, the Bloodborn Regnum contains everything that one would consider to be "alive" in the traditional sense (save for Seedkin, which are filed under the Bloodless.) These are, for the most part, Eorzea's standard fare when it comes to wildlife. More often than not, if one was to encounter a beast, they would be within the Bloodborn Regnum. The Bloodborn Regnum contains the Beastkin, Cloudkin, Scalekin, Spoken, Vilekin, and Wavekin.

The Bloodless Regnum most notably contains all things that one would consider to be plant-based in origin, along with Kin that are considered to be traditionally inanimate or artificial, such as enchanted objects or mechanical constructs. Save for the Seedkin (and perhaps Mammets), encounters with members of the Bloodless Regnum is much less likely than encounters with members of the Bloodborn Regnum, unless one enjoys plumbing the depths of abandoned ruins, or doing battle with Garleans on a daily basis. The Kindred contained within the Bloodless Regnum are the Ashkin, Elementals, Forgekin, Seedkin, and Soulkin.

The last of the Regnum is the Transcendents Regnum, minor members of which can be encountered with surprising frequency. Members of the Transcendents Regnum may be classified quite simply as things that are not of Eorzea itself. Small oddities such as Bombs and Imps fall into this category, as do more dangerous and demonic things such as Succubi and Primals. The Transcendents Regnum contains the Voidsent and Primal Kindred.

Bloodborn Kindred

Each Kindred represents a specific group of species, united by a single common characteristic or affinity which is denoted by name. For example, the Cloudkin Kindred contains all bird creatures, while the Wavekin Kindred contains all aquatic creatures. The Kindred that are classified under the Bloodborn Regnum are the most numerous and easily-encountered throughout Eorzea.

Beastkin

The Beastkin Kindred contains all of Eorzea's mammals, from the Aldgoat to the Wolf (alphabetically speaking). In addition to sporting some of Eorzea's most powerful predators, it also hosts some of its most harmless, such as Rodents. Creatures found within the Beastkin category are found throughout Eorzea; although some of the smaller members of this Kindred can be found throughout Eorzea, many of the larger members are found in a small number of distinct regions which are suitable for their various behaviors and adaptations.

• Aldgoats

Aldgoats are large, burly creatures that are known for their ability to be domesticated (provided they are properly tamed before their second spring), and more importantly, their ability to be eaten. In the Thanalan area and beyond, Aldgoats are known as having a particularly scrumptious texture when consumed, and adventurers would do well to stock up on the meat of such a creature should they come across one in the wild. That is not to say that they will willingly allow for their meat to be taken, however. Their horns certainly are not for show, and they are more than willing to defend themselves. Additionally, it could be said that the most meaty part of any Aldgoat is its neck, where it stores thick and tough flesh around its neck in order to protect it from the bite of a predator. Adventurers would be ill-advised to strike an Aldgoat on the neck, for although it may cause the beast no small amount of pain, chances are any blow there would not cause much damage.

The size of an Aldgoat's horns vary depending on whether they are male or female. A male's horns are much larger and more developed, most likely for the sake of defending itself and the rest of its kind. A female's, on the other hand, are much smaller and stunted, as they presumably have less use for them. Regardless of size, however, it is believed by many that the horns of an Aldgoat possess some amount of magical power, and they are sometimes sought after for this purpose in a similar manner to the Antelope.

Found in rocky or mountainous regions such as Thanalan or Coerthas, Aldgoats gain weight by eating whatever plant matter they come across. They eat so much, in fact, that according to the traditional text of the Raimdelle Codex, an Ishgardian myth states that the mountaintops of Ishgard were once covered with rolling green grass, until Aldgoats came and ate it all. Far from true, but a funny tale nonetheless.

• Antelopes

Antelopes are thin and agile creatures that are mostly found within the sanctity of the Shroud, and other places that are plentiful with plant life. Known for their swiftness and aerodynamic beauty, Antelopes are almost always found in the midst of their most favorite food, grass. They are wholly herbivorous, and possess a polygamous mating structure.

Male Antelopes are known for their stark striped forms, while the females possess a partially greyish-blue coat coloration. However, all are easily recognizable due to their slim, arched form, which is almost identical between both sexes. While males have long, pointy horns that are similar to spears, females possess no horns at all, though this does not stop them from using headbutting as a viable tactic to get their way from time to time. Similar to Aldgoats, Antelopes are sometimes hunted for their horns, though for a distinctly different reason than the Aldgoat. Antelope horn that has been ground into powder and turned into a salve is known as a traditional Ala Mhigan remedy for cuts, bruises, and blisters. Whether or not this is magical or simply medicinal is, unfortunately, not known to me.