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[Paladin]

Fact 22: Transport comes in a number of different flavours on Tal'Vorn.

Jump Gate: Obviously the quickest and most efficent means of transport is the Jump Gate. These, however, are incredibly expensive and devour a lot of Mani with each usage, as well as being uncomfortable and disconcerting to use.

Ship: As Tal'Vorn's seas are massive and magical technologies have advanced, the need for larger and larger ships has come about. As such, the largest floating vessels on record exceed five hundred metres in length, being bolstered with strips of Plasteel and numerous Research Sect technologies. Designed for mass transportation of non-perishable cargo from Grath City to Karamaterra and the mouth of the Vorn River as well as the transportation of criminals to Ilattaerar. It is vastly cheaper then taking a Jump Gate all that great distance, but is also a journey that could take upwards of an entire year, often in cramped and unpleasent conditions.

Airship: Unlike their ocean going siblings, Airships are comfortable and very, very fast. Though the military ariships tend to be more efficent and advanced then their privately owned counterparts, they are also designed for a much larger crew capacity and are thus much more cramped with regards to space. Travelling by Airship to other continents or islands is still cheaper then Jump Gate travel, though it still can take a couple of months.

[Paladin]

Fact 23: Monsters! Yes, Tal'Vorn has them.

Manticore - Monstrous and irredemably evil creatures, Manticores are belived to be the end result of the Dark One playing with the DNA of scorpions and lions, creating some kind of horrific cross-breed. Cursed with the head of an aged man, the Manticore posseses the body of a lion, long bat-like wings and an arching tail, complete with a great number of razor sharp spines. It is capable of flinging these spines as its enemies with a rapid flick of its tail. The venom in the spines is swift acting and a paralytic, leading to an easy hunt for the Manticore.

Griffin - Crafted by Aeros, the Griffins serve alongside Angels in many of their attack forces. Resembling a cross between a male lion and an eagle, a Griffin is a highly intelligent creaure, more then capable of understanding Elder and Human speech. They possess the head and foreclaws of an eagle, along with the mane and body of a lion. A Griffin's claws are reputed to be one of the sharpest things on the face of the planet, actually capable of slicing through Plasteel. It is uncertain how they manage this feat, as any claws removed from a Griffin rapidly lose this ability.

Dragon - Easily as intelligent as any of the Elder Races, the mighty Dragons are a powerful force on Tal'Vorn. Though not a member of the Magus Council, and refraining from living in any of the cities of the humanoid Races, the Dragons are still major players on the political scale. One of them in particular, Vralic, is the current DragonKing, ruler of the DragonLords, Dragons, Hydras and Wyverns. They come, like the DragonLords, in twelve different colours and Breed sizes range from the Blacks massive seventy feet length to the ten feet of the Stone Dragon.

Hydra - Multiple-headed, swamp and jungle creatures, Hydras are one of the Draconic Races, and is one of the most powerful monsters alive on Tal'Vorn. Not only do they have from 3 to 12 heads, but the creatures are also capable of regeneration far faster then any living DragonLord. This is because they are actually a drain in the Mani in their immediate area, which also serves to make all Magus Council spells and weaponry completely ineffectual near them, though Scripture Runes function as normal.

Wyvern - Looking almost like a simplified form of Dragon, the Wyvern possess no front legs, its wings instead being massively powerful, capable of extremely fast flight. In addition to this, the Wyvern possesses a long, viciously barbed tail, with a flesh nectrotising venom, as the Wyvern prefers its meat rotten.

Pegasus - Winged horses, the Pegasus are no more intelligent then their brethren, though the ability to fly is highly useful. Just as breedable as true horses, the Pegasus thus can come in a number of differing sizes and weights. Favoured by the Elves as air-borne cavalry, the Pegasus in this task tend to be agile, swift creatures, rather then heavy chargers.

Unicorn - Incredibly shy and reclusive creatures, Unicorns are font of Life Magic, to the extent that they are actually Immortal. Their blood has restorative properties, and their hair can be used to make almost unbreakable cloth. It is their horn, however, that is most valued, for it is more effective in replacing Mani loss then the most perfect of Mani Crystals.

[Paladin]

Fact 24: Animal Life

I'll expand on this fact over the next coupla days. For now;

Avian; 1. Steelwing/Ij'Ni - The Lar'K'Leth name for a type of bird common in Lathrandar forest, and more commonly known as a Steelwing. This is due to the shimmering grey plumage of the bird, as well as the great toughness and resilience of the feathers. It is about the size of a large crow, and typically feeds on nuts, berries and other such items.

Reptilian; 1. Hastraii - Horse-sized quadrupedal reptiles native to the Grey Lands, the Hastraii have long been tamed by the Pravaii for usage as beasts of burden and war. There are few more terrifying things then a force of Nocaii shock cavalry mounted upon these slavering beasts. Though originall omnivourous, as is required by anything expecting to survive for very long in the wastes of the Grey Lands, the Hastraii have long been fed upon the flesh of dead slaves. This gives them a lust for blood and the flesh of mortals that makes them horrific to face in combat.

Mammilian; 1. Il'Ne'ev/Springsteed - A bizzare looking, three legged mammal, this creature is often used by the Lar'K'Leth as a form of transport and mount for hunting with. Looking something like a horse, it differs in several key points. The head is positioned directly on the front of the torso, giving the beast no neck to speak of and its shoulders are massively overdeveloped, to protect its body against the shock of the impact of landing from its trademark spring. It also has a single, centrally positioned, rear leg which is massively muscled, and it is this which gives the creature its name. The Springsteed is quite capable of running at a decent speed, certainly much faster then an unmounted Lar'K'Leth could manage, but its springing leap is what gives it such usage as a mount. It can coil its leg under itself and spring forwards a great many metres, much faster then even some Red DragonLords or Mermen could cross the distance. Whilst it cannot do such a feat very often, doing so at the right moment can catch an opponent, or an animal being chased down by a Lar'K'Leth hunter, off guard.

Plantae; 1. Il'Ni'tain/Sky Leaf - A plant creature, evolved in a similar way to the Lar'K'Leth themselves, the Il'Ni'tain, or Sky Leaf, is a simplistic life-form used by the Lar'K'Leth for long-distance transportation. It consists of a long, narrow central body, flanked by a pair of large, fluffy growths that act almost like wings. The creature flies by catching updrafts with its 'wings' and then propels itself by releasing blasts of air from its flanks and rear from several holes for exactly that purpose. The front of the creature is a blunt circular hole, designed for massive intake of air to maximise its flying time. Then entire creature is roughly three metres long and is capable of supporting the weight of a pair of Lar'K'Leth sized creatures.