These wilds is where our journey together began, so it seems appropriate that this is where I begin recording. Though I have of course encountered beast's and monsters before in my past, I feel it appropriate to only record fresh findings to ensure the most accurate depictions while they are most fresh in my mind. So! The Cadian wilds can be summed up quite easily as strange. Not very astute I know, especially when we are referring to any lands residing in the Land of Magic, the unnatural alterations to the land itself is quite noticeable to those who observe close enough, thus I suppose my purpose for these recordings should be quite clear and evident in the entries to come.
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Entry 1: Sus scrofa - (sub-variant Tonitrus)
Encountered in wooded hill-lands of Cadia, specifically the woods west of Tertia. On first appearance it seemed to be a normal all be it very large example of a wild boar. However when my companions foolishly tried to take on such a danger bare handed, it was soon realized this creature was anything but normal. This creature was capable of producing lightning for its snout and mouth, also harnessing said powers for incredible bursts of speed. It also seemed highly intelligent, well beyond the capabilities of a wild animal. Many of it's attacks seemed to be posturing, not wanting a fight with our group nor us to it once it displayed such strange abilities. Soon my two comrades began to... Strike up a conversation with the creature, and most strange of all it seemed to fully understand our questions, if not it at least understood intentions. After interacting with the animal, we ascertained it was at odds against the other strange species we encountered in these woods and that it was on its way to battle them. Much of what I write here is the educated guesses of myself, but I believe that those woods were its territory. I support this with a conversation with a local... Well.. Lets call him a Druid, a local druid named Mr. Pinecone, who had referred to the Tonitrus as Barbarous, so clearly it was local to the area. Perhaps through the extreme magical shifting that the local wizards force on the land, or through very extreme mutation, I believe this creature capable of harnessing mana in the form of lightning. Such an example is exactly the purpose of this journal, to record such strange and wondrous things to show just how much of an impact we cause to the natural world around us.
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Entry 2: Basiliscus - (Common Basilisk)
Encountered in the same woods where we encountered Tonitrus, these lizard like monsters where quite larger than I had anticipated. We were warned of these monstrous lizards by the local druid Mr. Pinecone, but he assured us that we were only at risk of encountering the smaller variants upon our path. Now come our surprise when we were way layed by these creatures as we slept in camp and the things stood the size of a horse! None the less they sport dangers akin to typical monsters of sharp claws and gnashing teeth, with three exceptions. They can inflict a poison, their gaze is rumored to turn victims into stone, and warnings of something larger. One of my companions was wounded in our fight with these monsters, and had been injected with a poison upon being bit by one of them. Lucky for him I was nearby to apply healing, however to note my spells do not cure poisons or disease, so by the time I had got to him he had fought off the effects of the poison, perhaps it is more potent the larger they become? As for their petrifying gaze, we had not experienced such a thing during our battle, though we were forewarned of this danger, I dare not think what fate lays for an unprepared traveler. Now for my observations on this monster.. I find the location we encountered it strange, for upon a visual analysis of the monster one can ascertain it is built for mountainous climates. A rigid rough hide colored and shaded to camouflage with stone surfaces, so I find it very odd to find them in such a wooded environment. If I were to make an educated guess, I would say that these monsters are definitely native to this area and that perhaps Cadia once upon a time was a very mountainous and hill strung region, but through magical manipulation, the land itself was changed. Thus these creatures are whats left of the old environment, for they could survive underground in caves, only coming out at night to hunt. As for their seeming affinity for the night, based on how they may have evolved to survive in such a rapid change of environment, I suspect they now primarily reside underground in cave, and this may have afflicted them with photo sensitivity, for we only ever encountered them at night. So my suggestions for encountering these creatures is such. Do not travel at night, do not look into their eyes, and sleep near well patrolled paths and if you are far into wilderness, try climbing a tree and sleeping high up.
