Monsters

The UnderWorld isn't just home to Breeds and Guilds. There are also creatures down in the tunnels and caverns, running along the tracks and prowling through the tunnels, that have never been seen in the world above.

Grillcrackers
Perhaps the world's first wheeled animals, Grillcrackers are tough, ornery beasts that resemble a cross between a Volkswagen and an Armored dinosaur. They move in small herds of up to ten members, eating the moss and lichen the grows underground. Grillcracker's wheels seem to grow from their tough shells, and they spin the axels with strong vestigal feet. They reach speeds of over forty miles an hour.

Grillcrackers charge when provoked, and sport a nasty horn that can go through cinderblock. Still, Grillcrackers can be tamed and make excellent mounts. Tame Grillcrackers are a common sight in some of the UnderWorld Markets. Their extreme strength makes them valuable to merchants and navigators.

There is a trade in hollowed-out Grillcracker shells as well, however. It's not too difficult to install a motor in the shell and have a decently serviceable vehicle. What's more, the meat is a little tough, but tastes a lot like pork. Recently, several UnderWorlders have united in an attempt to buy up enough land to start a Grillcracer farm. Many of the older denizen hold that this well only end in disaster, but are noticably vague when questioned why.

Stats
 * Traits : Strong, Tough, Fast
 * Skills : Fighting, Transport
 * Special Abilities : None

Ilowen
There is a cavern, deep in the UnderWorld, hidden from the foolish and the weak. It is home to the last remnants of an ancient people, a race of crafters and once, dreamers. A race who have almost given up on ever breaking their bitter curse. Once the Ilowen made marvels that all beings envied, and their riches grew beyond counting. Wise men and heroes would cross continents for an hour of their time for there was nothing they could not forge, no device they couldn't conceive of. In their arrogance, they mocked the Gods and though themselves untouchable. They were wrong.

One day, the Ilowen as a race awoke to find themselves stripped of their most precious possession: their imaginations. For their greed and for their pride, they were brought low. From that day to this, the Ilowen have never been able to create anything without the direction of another. Their skills linger still, but their fire has gone out.

To break the curse, the Ilowen must create something that has never existed, on this world, or any other. Something truly new. To that end, they accept likely sounding commissions for their work int he hope that one of their clients will conceive of something that will save them. They will not accept work that they have done in the past, and the Ilowen have a long memory. Few indeed are the implements of war and destruction that haven't long since passed through their workshops. Then, too, there is the matter of the fee. Sometimes a trifle, sometimes a life, sometimes the impossible. Truly imaginative clients are often offered whatever they wish, if only they will stay for a time and think of other devices for the Ilowen to create.

The Ilowen, as a race, resemble upright gecko men. They stand less than three feet tall, with massive eyes and clever, webbed hands. The walls of the UnderWorld are easily scalable for them, and they often travel on cavern ceilings to avoid predators. Their youths sometimes travel through the higher caverns seeking adventure and hoping for inspiration.

Stats
 * Traits : Untiring, Energetic, Agile
 * Skills : Engineering
 * Special Abilities : None

Lavaboys
If you get lost in the lower tunnels, watch out! These pudgy little orange, glowing men may appear friendly, but they are really tricky little mothers. Lavaboys tend to be around one to two feet tall, softly rounded, and made of molten rock. It's unknown how or why they came into being, but they are capricious and mischievious, not to mention a pudgy, roly-poly ball of the hottest substance on earth.

Lavaboys leave flaming footprints that later harden to stone, making them easy enough to track. They pop out of cracks in the lowest tunnels and play tricks on anyone they meet. They're not evil or particularly cruel, but very dangerous in that the exceed temperatures of several thousand degrees (damage 5 if touched). They have started many fires by accident, but at least seem genuinely sorry after they do so. They do realize that they burn people by touch, and usually retain a safe distance, but have no qualms about pointing someone in the wrong direction or burning through a bridge to dump someone in the water.

Lavaboys don't seem to speak, but they can be plenty expressive anyway. They have the ability to shapeshift into simple shapes- a ball, a wheel, or a cylinder for example, and that aids their communication. They seem to have a particular interest in the Junkmen, but only time will tell what the strange little elementals are up to.

Stats
 * Traits : Small, Agile
 * Skills : Acrobatics, Climbing
 * Special Abilities : 5 coins of Damage on contact

Sandhogs
Large, burrowing animals, about the size of a hippopotamus. Sandhogs are able to tunnel through solid rock as if it were loose dirt. Their claws are as hard as diamond and are highly prized--many UnderWorlders like to use Sandhog claws as knives.

Stats
 * Traits : Large, Tough, Strong
 * Skill : Climbing, Fighting, Engineering (for digging)
 * Special Abilities : Claws do 6 coins of damage.

Schrecktenkafer
Individually, these ugly, three-inch-long, long antannaed, zebra-striped, hopping, wingless insects aren't much of a threat. Unfortunately, there's no such thing as an individual Schrectenkafer. The Schrecktenkafer are psychic insects, and they are responsible for much of man's fear of bugs. The Schrecktenkafer wouldn't have it any other way. They need fear to survive. They quite literally eat fear.

Schrecktenkafers live in colonies of 100,000 to 500,000 members. The colonies typically take the form of the last meal they have consumed, so it is not unlikely for a colony to appear as a hazy, blurry, indistinct human or animal form from far away. Colonies have a single mass intelligence that can be quite high, and easily rivals human. Some believe these bugs are held together by the ghosts of their victims, like insectoid Junkmen. Some colonies, particularly those higher in status due to age or size, will wear colored robes as symbols of respect. Colonies can speak by rubbing their legs against their carapaces like a cricket. Depending on how many are speaking at once, the sound can be almost defeaning.

Schrecktenkafer will go to great lengths to cultivate fear, and are well aware that the best way to frighten an individual is to kill and consume their companions. A Schrecktenkafer Colony has been known to skeletonize a dog in under ten minutes. This action and ones like it often produce the results the Fear Bugs seek. A swarm of Schrecktenkafer does 6 coins of damage in a single attack.

The task of procreation is dangerous to Fear Bugs. When the council has decided a new colony is needed, a single, bug-level intelligence insect is discharged topside. This bug finds a sleeping human and places its orvapitor int the human's chest, face or arm and begins depositing hundreds of eggs. The process usually takes an hour, after which the depositor bug crawls off and dies. The human will notice an itchy lump for a few days, and will eventually scratch the wound open, spilling thousands of tiny black scuttling Schrecktenkafer larva everywhere. This initial burst of shock, fear and revulsion is almost always enough to guarantee the fledgling colony will grow quite strong. Soon after, the young colony retreats beneath the Earth to meet with the Council and learn their duties.

Stats
 * Traits : Vicious, Strong (in a Swarm)
 * Skills : Fighting, Stealth
 * Special Abilities : 6 coins of damage per attack

Subway Dragons
Immense, ancient, and filled with a malevolent intelligence, Subway Dragons are the last remnants of this legendary species, driven underground by mankind's expansion. Now, their final refuge has been invaded, and the Subway Dragons are not at all pleased by this development. They are solitary creatures, and dislike bing disturbed. They will fiercely defend their territory against incursions.

Some UnderWorlders seek out the Dragons, and attempt to negotiate with them, for the Dragons are the premiere authority on the UnderWorld--they know where the secret chambers are, and are intimately familiar with all of the legends and histories that have been forgotten over time. If a Librarian is unable to help, you can be sure that a Dragon will have your answer, if you can avoid being killed long enough to ask.

Stats
 * Traits : Huge (Subway Dragons have an extra two levels of wounds, at the "Unharmed" level), Fierce, Veteran, Strong.
 * Skills : Fighting, Lore, Savvy
 * Special Abilities : Fear, Most Forms of Magic, Teeth and Claws do 4 coins of damage, Fire Breath (Range: Immediate, Damage 5)

Track Rabbits
Somewhere between Rats and Jackrabbits, these nasty, disease spreading beasts are fast and vicious. They're also pretty good eating. Track Rabbits are about two foot long rodents with long ears, naked tails, and powerful legs. Their eyes are comparatively small, but they have a large bulbous organ towards the front of their heads that serves to aid in echolocation.

Track Rabbits eat rats and mice, but won't hesitate to make a meal of anything that comes too close to their nests, including animals much larger than themselves. Fortunately, their nasty disposition means than not even the Ferals have any real objection to the occassional Track Rabbit getting roasted up for an evening's meal. As one would expect, they taste like chicken, albeit a little gamy.

Stats
 * Traits : Wild, Perceptive
 * Skills : Fighting, Tracking
 * Special Abilities : None

White Worms
The deepest caverns, miles below the surface, is the realm of the White Worms. These albino earthworms grow to as long as 150 feet, and nearly 12 feet in diameter. They burrow blindly through the lowest levels of the UnderWorld, creating new tunnels in their wake. They are not intelligent &mdash; although they still represent a threat, as they mindlessly chew through anything that lies along their path.

Stats
 * Traits : Huge (2 extra wound levels), Strong Tough
 * Skills : Engineer (for digging)
 * Special Abilities : Will destroy anything in their way. Also take no penalties from wounds.