Balicani
From Mizahar Lore
| "I didn't know what hit us. One minute we were changing watch and the next minute my brother was dead - half his face missing. I was the lucky one. I only lost my arm." - Kent Vaktru, Syliran Knight |
| Fauna | |
 | |
| Frequency | 1 every 100 miles |
|---|---|
| Threat level | Medium |
| Major features | wings, sharp fangs, venom |
| Abilities | flight, constriction |
| Most common in | Cobalt Mts, Syliras |
The Balicani (pl. Balicani) is a common fauna monster in the Syliras. Balicani were vicious creatures, part snake and part bat with beautiful patterned wings that tend to be nocturnal. They take years to grow to their full length which often exceeds ten feet in length. Triple rows of slanted teeth rend flesh. Balicani are territorial, agreesive and solitary.
History and Overview
Like most creatures, the Balicani were smaller creatures before the Valterrian exploded upon the world. They inhabited the forests and mountains around what is now the Suvan sea, feeding almost exclusively on rodents and smaller birds. They were also much more common in numbers, and tended to congregate in large numbers unlike today.
The sundering of the world saw the Balicani population destroyed almost utterly, with only a handful of specimens surviving. During the harsh years which ensued, the surviving males began to compete for dominance over the much scarcer females, and thus only the largest and most powerful ones were able to produce progeny. These large males eventually bred even larger offspring, thus contributing to the evolution of these creatures from considerably moderate, to very large in size.
Balicani are among the most terrifying creatures to meet in the Syliran region, with these encounters resulting in death or maiming more often than not. Fortunately such meetings are rare, for Balicani are very rarely active during daytime, and people in the countrysides have learned how to avoid them.
They are extremely difficult to kill or even combat at night, and their ability to swoop in and away from danger makes them particularly dangerous for stationary and slow, heavily-armored combatants. They prefer to attack from the air, divebombing their prey with lethally quick lunges and slashes with their talons. They attack using their powerful jaws and sharp serrated teeth, but would also employ the tail and wings for attack purposes.
They are also extremely territorial and solitary, with each having the ability to secrete a very foul liquid from its salivary glands to use for marking. Once this boundary is crossed a Balicani would stop at nothing until the intruder is either driven out or killed.