A Concise Imperial Bestiary- Volume 1: Centaur to Marshwalker

The Dire Beasts in particular have my curiosity- there's so many different kinds and yet they only have one page in these books? Surely there has to exist a book somewhere else in the Empire that holds more information on these creatures. I'll have to up my own efforts in listing information on my wolves. Increase the danger risk, yes, but if it gets the Empire more info then it'll be worth it.

There's a remarkable amount of information avaliable for these. I can't help but wonder if the records archived away from the former editions of Wyverns Watch would hold more info on the beasts that gave our hall its name. Perhaps in time we may gain more information on the drake as well. I'll certainly need to put it on the list. As for dragons, I doubt those will be encountered, but perhaps I may be able to track down stories to find out more; they've certainly captured my interest. And, well, mother did always say every fairytale needs its inspiration.

The horse. A legendary beast I would so have loved to meet; from what I've heard, they were steadfast and loyal. And fast. I heard tales of them being used to carry fully-armoured men before, too. They would certainly be much faster than the ox, I can imagine, though pictures are a sad imitation of the real thing. But their legs look strong and built for carrying heavy loads across extended distances; those stories aren't entirely implausible. If only they existed still.

The hydra is a beast I've always been curious about. We hear about it often; it's even got a Spring ritual named after it. Yet I've never encountered one of the beasts in person. It isn't like I can just walk up to one (though doing that with any wild beast would surely be guaranteeing death) but as the bestiary states, they're incredibly rare. Finding one would be a challenge, studying it even harder.

I'm surprised by the little information on mammoths. A page of my own bestiary is dedicated to them, as the huge beasts were one of the first things to catch my attention upon returning to Wintermark. They're mostly placid, though, so I suppose in that sense there isn't a need to list their dangers and suchlike. Still worth studying.

As for the Mandowla, I hope to have more information on them from my travels in Hercynia (as of the start of 382YE, before the Spring Solstice) albeit brief. They've caught my interest.

I remember fighting a Marshwalker when we met Yon, back when my first apprentice still lived. I'm not sure what happened to him; he vanished so shortly after that encounter. Hopefully he's alright wherever he is and our paths might cross again someday. The Marshwalkers themselves are fascinating; how these tiny creatures mold together to create one big beast that can all be coordinated so effectively is an amazing feat that I feel is often underappreciated in favor of just killing the thing.