Fauna

The desert is a land of extremes, where only the fiercest and most resilient creatures can endure. From towering mounts to lurking predators, the fauna of the Shifting Sands shapes the lives, fears, and legends of those who inhabit it. The following are some of the most destacable beasts:

Giant Lizardbacks

Towering, armored reptiles used as mounts by the desert tribes. Intelligent and resilient, they thrive in harsh terrain and are revered as both companions and sacred beings.

Giant Scorpions

Feared ambush predators that lurk beneath dunes. Their crushing pincers and venomous stingers mark any region they inhabit as cursed and dangerous.

Giant Hyenas

Carrion-fed beasts twisted by desert magic, twice the size of their kin. Savage and relentless, packs can strip a caravan to bone in moments.

Desert Snakes

Camouflaged hunters that strike with speed and venom. Feared by travelers for their ability to vanish into sand before striking again.

Desert Crawlers

Massive arachnids with deadly stings and crushing pincers. They burrow beneath the sands to ambush prey, embodying the merciless hunger of the desert.

Vultures

Large, ragged-winged scavengers that circle the skies in search of death. Their appearance is often seen as an omen of doom, for they rarely arrive before blood is spilled.

Dune Cats

Lean, elusive predators that stalk the desert at night. Revered by some tribes as guardians, they hunt with uncanny silence and precision.

Stone Beetles

Hardened insects with shells like rock. Often harmless unless threatened, but their swarms can strip crops and forage bare in hours.

Glassback Tortoise

Massive tortoises with crystalline, translucent shells that reflect sunlight like mirrors. They move slowly but are prized for their shells, which tribes use to craft lenses and ornaments.

Sandstriders

Large, long-legged birds resembling emus, adapted to run across dunes with incredible speed.

Jackals

Cunning canines with coats that shimmer in the heat haze, making them hard to spot. Said to lure travelers into the desert with their eerie cries.

Cinder Moths

Giant, ash-colored moths that appear near volcanic areas. Their wings shed glowing dust that can burn skin, but is harvested by some for ritual powders.

Dune Krakens

Mythical creatures said to slumber beneath the sands — enormous wormlike horrors with many tendrils, worshiped by isolated cults.

Sand Leeches

Small, pale creatures that burrow under the skin when stepped on barefoot. Not deadly, but their bites cause fever and delirium, making them feared by nomads.

Obsidian Bats

Nocturnal predators nesting in caves, their wings sharp-edged like blades. They swarm when disturbed, cutting flesh with slicing dives.

Panthers

Predators of the Blackmountains with pale hides and bone-colored fangs. Known to stalk under the blazing sun, striking from mirages.