• Welcome to ZD Forums! You must create an account and log in to see and participate in the Shoutbox chat on this main index page.

General Art Beastiarium Hyrulium

Djinn

and Tonic
Joined
Nov 29, 2010
Location
The Flying Mobile Opression fortress
bestarium1smaller.jpg


This is kind of a test, I have one or two more of these written up, but have not made pics out of them yet. Poes are a little easier as they do not require things like sketches of skeletal structure, etc.
 

Nicole

luke is my wife
Joined
Apr 9, 2010
Location
NJ
Er, well, I can't say whether I really liked it or not, because I can't quite read it. o_O Maybe it's just late for me, but the font is a little bit tiny. Maybe enlarge it a tad? Or upload the pic so you can "Click to Enlarge"?

Anyway, this really does intrest me, my eyes just go crazy trying to read it. :P Keep posting, I'd like to see what you can come up with. ^^
 

Djinn

and Tonic
Joined
Nov 29, 2010
Location
The Flying Mobile Opression fortress
I noticed that the pic shrank some when I posted it, if you right click on view image it will appear in the original size. The font does get a little confusing too, I wanted it to look as close to handwriting as possible but that does make it a bit harder to read. I can always repost the text alone here if necessary.
 

Destiny

Single❒Taken❒Assassin✔
Joined
Jul 26, 2010
Location
nowhere
Woah. Djinn these are awesome. Make on one redeads or something. They look really good by the way; I don't have trouble reading it at all.
 

Djinn

and Tonic
Joined
Nov 29, 2010
Location
The Flying Mobile Opression fortress
Woah. Djinn these are awesome. Make on one redeads or something. They look really good by the way; I don't have trouble reading it at all.

Thanks, I have some written up on Aquamentus and Bulblins but I don't have the images put together yet. After that I was not sure which monster to do next. I really want it to look like a field guide/journal from someone studying the monsters firsthand.
 

Djinn

and Tonic
Joined
Nov 29, 2010
Location
The Flying Mobile Opression fortress
Okay a few have requested that I repost the text of the two articles as they are a bit hard to read. The forum shrinks the images down a little bit, I'm not sure why as there is plenty of space in the posting section. Although viewing the image by itself does bring it back to the original size which is a little easier to read. So here is the text for each one so far.

Poe
Graveyards are a fairly common sight in all communities visited by loved ones of those departed and adventurous souls alike. A serene environment for the remembrance of those departed which takes on another life (or unlife) of it's own as soon as the sun sets. Restless dead haunt the tombs and scower the crypts. The quiet resting place explodes with activity of the creatures of the night. All in all, a most enthralling opportunity to view the experience of the departed whilst still within the land of the living. Most notably, my observations are of the notorious Poe.

Poes are exciting to watch but perilous in activity, it is best to be protected by any means necessary. To all those intrigued by a nightly visit to view and study, one must bring proper protections. Garlic, silver, or religious charms are always advised as the creatures of the undead or fully dead abhore such devices. For utmost potentcy, I would suggest magical charms or spells of protection which may be purchased from any sorcerer or witch for the right price. Be warned however, the asking price could range from rupees, to physical tasks, to even removed parts of one's anatomy.

Whatever their origins and appearance in life, the Poe has a very uniform characteristic. They are a ghostly wraith crafted in some dark substance roughly maintaining a humanoid shape. Clad in a large flowing robe and hood covering their darkened faces yet leaving their glowing listless eyes perfectly visible to the observer. They will always be seen carrying a small lantern containing a mysterious glowing orb. All too often this strange lantern will remain visible when they have removed themselves from physical sight.

Their makeup is composed from very concentrated energies formed of hatred, greed, or other such strong negative emotions giving them shape and form. Occasionally they will form characteristics similar to the form they had in life including such details as a mustache or or familiar garment they wore when living. Maintaining memory of their living self is not the norm, it is the strong emotions that cause them to linger and give them shape. For it is not the ghastly robed creature that is their true form, but a manifestation of their regrets and torments. The small lantern they carry holds their true nature. Thier soul itself carried around by the creature manifest by their negative emotions. Even if the robed monster is defeated in combat by a courageous adventurer, if the soul contained in the lantern is not caught or allowed to vanish, the creature will only manifest again in another location. Interestingly enough, the soul can be captured and contained in a bottle not at all unlike a fairy spirit discovered in the wilderness.

The properties these Poe souls contain and benefits they provide has given rise to a black market. Strangely clad individuals aptly named Poe Collectors have been spotted near Hyrule Castle Town market willing to pay in rupees for any captured poe. What a grisly end to a tormented soul, to be purchased and sold as a commodity to unscrupulous magicians for their own ends.

The curious entities often remain invisible to Hylian senses and may pass by completely unnoticed by those of the living world. However, I have come to learn that the ancient and mysterious Sheikah have discovered ways of viewing their true forms even while in such an immaterial state. Sadly their dwindling numbers and apparent disappearance from the stage of Hyrule, we may never know what techniques they employed to be capable of such abilities. Conversely I have also heard rumor that the superior senses of wolves are quite capable of detecting the poe wherever they hide. One may never have any proof of such rumor without actually transforming oneself into the shape of a wolf to find out directly. Until such time as that is possible, the tale may be nothing more than an amusing story.

There have been those who have proven themselves to be quite helpful, such as the "inviting ghost" of the haunted wastelands on the far side of the Gerudo Desert. I find it very compelling that this creature guides any traveler to the aptly named Spirit Temple.




Aquamentus

Of all the dragons that I have witnessed and recorded, Aquamentus is quite possibly one of the oldest species yet least researched. Dragons themselves have been studied since the erliest days of Hyrule conjuring interest in the imaginations of all tribes living throughout the land. Appearing in art and architecture alike, Hylians are fascinated by the strength and power of a dragon. It is by this fact, that I believe the much smaller and weaker Aquamentus has been largely ignored by storytellers and artists in their presentations. With such a wide variety of dragon species present in Hyrule, I find the Aquamentus to be no less deserving of attention.

The earliest known Aquamentus was discovered on a small island upon Lake Hylia some centuries ago. Islands and caves upon freshwater lakes are their natural habitat where they live on a steady diet of various fish, keese and the occasional foolish Goriya. It is interesting to note these creatures appear to be more simple and beaslike than what is expected of most dragons. They share the common draconian qualities of a large predatory firebreathing reptile yet they are among the dullest of all draconic species. Though they are extraordinarily dangerous beasts, a magician of modest power may overcome the Aquamentus' weak will and bind it into service. This combination of weak mindedness and and aquatic habitat has caused many a magician to nick name them the fish minded wyrm, or dragon of the dull wit, later given a traditional name Aqua Mentus, meaning Water Mind in the scientific tongue.

They average between eight and twelve feet in height but can reach a length to almost twenty feet in length from nose to tail. They proudly stand upon four powerful legs and carry twin membranous wings upon their shoulders, capable of limited flight yet they are most often viewed walking about upon land. Due to the large a bulky build, the Aquamentus is slow on land and depends on it's fiery breath for attack and defense on most occasions. Furthermore it has very poor eyesight and will often continue venting firery breath in a single location towards it's victims even if the victim has relocated out of the path of fire. It has a short stubby tail and a long neck ending in a large head complete with long snout and twin rows of fanged teeth. A single horn adorns the head just between the eyes in a spiral shape resembling that of a unicorn's. Behind the horn a ridge of large spines averaging about four inches in height run down to the end of the tail.

Despite it's much smaller stature, the hardy scales upon it's body are very capable of resisting blades and projectiles. The scales upon the head and neck area are of smaller and thinner dimensions therefore making the head the weakest defended area on the body. Unfortunately for adventurers and poachers alike, this too often results in the damage and destruction of the creature's prized horn. Thus adding to the extreme rarity of the horns in markets and collections.

The quadruped stature resembles that of a horse, compounded with the singular horn upon it's brow has caused the more foolish of Hylian naturalists into believing that they have discovered a unicorn. Despite the scaled hide, batlike wings, and fiery breath proving otherwise they are still hunted for their horns believed to be a reasonable albeit lesser counterpart to that of a unicorn's. It is that fact which has caused many poachers in recent years to hunt the creature resulting in dwindling numbers of the population.

There is very little visible difference between the male and female of the species. Each are adorned with a similar horn and are near equal in siza and stature. From my findings I have discovered that the young are born from eggs like that of most dragons species, which are laid in soft mud near the banks of lakes. The parent does not take part in the raising of the young, they are left to their own devices after hatching. A trait shared among many common amphibious beasts. However the longer lifespan of dragon species means that their path from adolescence to adulthood can best be described in decades not years. They do not reach full height until nearly the end of their first century. Their singular horn does not grow until they reach adulthood and can attain a length of eleven inches. Once reaching adulthood their bodies become far too heavy for their comparitively small wings to carry them in flight for any great distance. Small distance flights of thirty to fifty yards have been recorded however the creature does stay in and near bodies of water so they might best be described as amphibious and not aerial beasts.

While the fascinating beasts might be the lesser of the dragon family, they are no doubt worthy of further study. Their smaller size and limited capabilties provide little challenge to aspiring heroes, or would be treasure hunters, they are no less a remarkable creature in shape and appearance.


Lair Normally an underwater cave or near lakes. Under the roots of water trees.
Dimensions Adult reaches between eight and twelve feet in height and nearly twenty feet in length
Coloration Green, lime green to pale blue scales. Wings are often darker in color.
Natural Defenses Claws, two rows of fanged teeth, A single unicorn horn portruding from it's brow, and limited magical ability to breathe fire
DietPrimarily Primarily Keese and Gels, they do have a healthy apetite for various freshwater fish, and the occasional foolhardy Goriya
 

Nicole

luke is my wife
Joined
Apr 9, 2010
Location
NJ
Good work Djinn. I'm certainly impressed. I have no clue how you find all the info on these guys, or where you find the time or patience to do so. Wish I could post like you.... :facepalm:

Keep making these. I second the ReDead idea. HA! Wait! You should do a graveyard series, like a scrapbook. "A Hunter's Guide to Graveyard Ghouls" or something like that. With the Poe, ReDead, Stalfos, freepy things like that. XD
 

Mr.Verto

爆発物マネージャ
Joined
Jun 14, 2010
Location
Not in the SB ;-;
Wow, Djiin Im amazed of your abilities as a writter and artist. This work has my full respect I can tell you that. (You also have nice handwritting :))

You mentioned you did the Poe because it was easy to draw, so then i recommed you to do a Garo. It is not a monster, but still is a powerful and misterious enemy not to mention they are pretty cool.
 

Djinn

and Tonic
Joined
Nov 29, 2010
Location
The Flying Mobile Opression fortress
Good work Djinn. I'm certainly impressed. I have no clue how you find all the info on these guys, or where you find the time or patience to do so. Wish I could post like you.... :facepalm:

Keep making these. I second the ReDead idea. HA! Wait! You should do a graveyard series, like a scrapbook. "A Hunter's Guide to Graveyard Ghouls" or something like that. With the Poe, ReDead, Stalfos, freepy things like that. XD

Thanks SoL. I had not thought much about doing any other undead ones, but something like a field guide to the undead of Hyrule does sound interesting. As for writing these, normally they are not too hard. I just let my imagination wonder some and write down what I think of. I have written down a few notes before on things I think are interesting when I see them in threads. Like some pseudo-scientific explanation on how octorocks spits rocks and roam around on land. I have done a little bit of this in some threads like the Zoras domain remaining frozen and the gibdo/redead thread.

I also found some interesting things when I looks words up. I was surprised to find that Aquamentus was actually Latin for Water Mind, so I had to figure out some reasonable explanation on why a small dragon is named that. This also made me want to look up a couple other names too, I did discover a few things by doing that. Which I made some notes on for the future.
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Top Bottom