Lore24 Feb 12: Genoth

Genoth

Genoth are large predatory animals, approximately the size of a bull. They have six limbs. The uppermost pair looks almost humanoid, with opposable thumbs and long, sharp nails. The middle and hind pairs don’t share this feature, they have large claws instead. Genoth are ambush predators, with numerous color variants, each adapted for different environments. The most common are the reddish-brown and the yellow-black striped variants. Their heads feature relatively short faces, small, pointed ears and deep set eyes. Their bite force is very formidable, allowing them to access the bone marrow from scavenged kills from other predators. Genoth usually travel on four legs, move on all six when stalking or sprinting, and can usually rear up to their hind two legs to fight.

In mythology Genoth are usually portrayed as evil, unstoppable forces of destruction, despite being no more malicious than any other animal. In many cultures saying their name is taboo, for the fear of summoning their attention.

Despite their animal intelligence, they show a strange resistance to magics that normally calm or control animals, leading to the speculation that they might have originally been spirit creatures that somehow got trapped in this form. Trying to control Genoth, and being torn apart by them is a stock literary trope to show a sorcerer’s hubris, and its consequences.

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