The fauna in Enayra is as diverse as it can be dangerous.

Despite being a vast desert, Altimara has a large amount of diversity when it comes to the creatures living in its wilds.

Some of the more prominent creatures are as follows:

Mhoksi Lizard-beasts
One of the most common animals in Altimara is the Mhsoki lizard-beast. These creatures are large, reaching a length of 7 feet from haed to tail when full grown and a height of 4 feet at the shoulder.

They resemble a cross between a komodo dragon and an iguana with a snout like a crocodile, and large protruding bottom fangs towards the end of their snout. Their bite is as devastating, and can spit a corrosive poison up to 6 feet when threatened.

Ironically, despite their ability to kill, the Mhokshi lizards are surprisingly docile beasts, and tend not to attack unless otherwise first threatened.

They are also incredibly well adapted to the deserts of Altimara, and the desertification of the country has only led to a boom in their population (coupled with their being raised in agriculture for meat). Mhokshi lizard-beasts are able to absorb moisture from the air through their when water sources are scarce.

Because of their docility, size, and relative durability in harsh environments, many Altimaran farmers raise Mhokshi lizard-beasts a source of food, and their meat is a staple in most Altimaran homes and recipes.

Mhokshi lizard-beasts were introduced to greater Altimara from their original home in the Mirror Sands. They were introduced as a mainstay of agriculture in 232 Prosperity (232 Ruin outside Altimara) by King Hgru’ian I Belator, on the recommendation of Duke Inghur Davenpourte of K’nar Province. Mhokshi lizard-beasts had become a necessary staple after Altimara’s desertification had spread to about 70% of the kingdom and wiped out most of the crop and grazing fields.

Winged-wolves
Winged-wolves, to those who have never seen one, would seem to some, just a large, winged canine.

In truth, they are terrifyingly large, incredibly aggressive bat-like creatures, not unlike a flying fox.

With a wingspan of about 6 feet, a venous bite that acts as an anti-coagulant and a tranquilizer, and and an incredibly keen sense of sight and smell, winged-wolves are feared hunters of the Altimaran sands.

They tend to hunt medium-to-large prey, and some braver winged-wolves have been known to go after Mhokshi lizard-beasts when their numbers are substantial enough.

They tend to attack anyone or anything that enters the territories occupied by their colonies, and tend to make their homes in abandoned mine shafts and tunnels in mountains and desert mesas.

Winged-wolves will attack their prey with their claws, wounding them, then biting them with their venomous fangs. The anti-coagulant in the venom prevents the wound from healing, and the tranquilizing qualities of the venom cause the prey to fall into a lucid state of disorientation.

Winged-wolves will the proceed to carry their prey high up into the air, and drop them from great heights until they’re dead. Afterwards, the prey is carried back to the colony and devoured until nothing remains.

They appear to look like a massive bat with a face similar to a wolf’s (hence the name). The fur covering their body is short and dark, except for the mane around their neck and shoulders, where their fur is long and shaggy with a deep amber or rust colour. Their wings are leathery, with long hooked claws protruding from their thumb joints. Unless most bats, they possess long, thin tails with barbed tips. These barbs are used to attack enemies and prey alike.

Males with the largest barbs and shaggiest manes tend to be preferred mates for female winged-wolves.

Gnars
Gnars are odd creatures.

Though rarely seen, they feature heavily in Altimaran folklore and fairytales.

No one is quite certain where they came from; even the dragons do not recognize them as a creation of the Earth Mother and Earth Father. The dragons cannot remember, or even agree, as to whether gnars came from across the sea with humans, came from humans, or were native to Enayra to begin with.

They live in the deep places of the earth, burrowing deep down into the ground, and living deep within caves and mountains.

Gnars resemble humans, though lack the same sentience and ingenuity. Their language is unintelligible, and scholars disagree whether they are speaking a unique language or merely chattering like animals.

They are about the size of a small child, gangly and skinny, and wear nothing but scraps of skins and fur they take from their prey–though some prefer to run about naked. The have long, black toe and fingernails that are sharp as claws, and sharp fangs and teeth that protrude from their mouths. They are completely bald, and have sharp, pointed ears. Their skin as sickly and gray, like a decaying whale, and they are said to smell of rotting flesh.

Their eyes are nearly blind and incredibly sensitive to light, and gnars will only leave their caves for the surface during the night, though it should be noted they are not nocturnal. Gnars will work throughout the day, taking small naps when they tire, and returning to work once they’ve regained their strength.

Gnars live in colonies beneath the ground, and will always hunt in packs. Despite their diminutive size, they are not foes to be taken lightly, and they do not discriminate in their choice of food. They’ve been known to be omnivorous, and eat everything from bugs, to cacti, to livestock and even humans.

While gnars favour young children due to their inability to defend themselves, particularly brave and hungry gnars have been known to kill and eat adults.

Because they are known to eat children, many parents in Altimara use gnars as a sort of boogeyman, and warn their children to behave or they’ll be left out at night for the gnars.

In 576 Prosperity (576 Ruin outside of Altimara), the famous Altimaran scientist and eccentric nobleman, Mourin Beriun Baron of Gaol, theorized that gnars could domesticated and put to work in Altimaran society to help excavate and work mines, and for pest control on farms.

Mourin had been able to gather a dozen gnars from the wild and settled them in special underground chambers on his large estate.

After three years he owned a small colony of about 300 gnars settled in, and had managed to get them to respond to a combination of whistle and verbal commands, reinforced with scraps of food and shiny objects.

However, Mourin’s overconfidence got the better of him, and had underestimated the craftiness of his gnars. One night, when he slept, the gnars had managed to break free of their underground pens. They tore Mourin and his servants apart, then attacked the town in the middle of the night.

When King Veu’sur III Kondorin arrived a week later, responding to Duke Mourin’s invitation to view the progress of his pet project, he found that half the town had been reduced to a ruin, and its people lived in fear of the gnars’ night attacks.

After learning what had happened, he had Gaol put to the torch, its people moved, and the lands abandoned. A garrison was stationed nearby at a temporary camp, and the Great Gnar Hunt began, marking a period of gnar bounties that offered large sums for dead gnars.

While the hunt ended after four years, it is said in local legends that the descendants of Mourin’s gnar’s still live beneath the ruins of Old Gaol, and occasionally, they stalk the streets of New Gaol, looking for fresh meat. This part of the story is considered apocryphal by most scholars, who claim that most of the gnars were eradicated in the Great Gnar Hunts; though very few will travel to the Old Gaol to confirm this.

Rishi beasts
Rishi beasts are large winged serpents. They have feathered wings, a venomous bite, large fangs, and a tail with an odd axe-head shaped bone at the end used for attacking enemies.

These beasts are aggressive and make their homes in the high places of the world, often near dragons, so they can poach off their prey. Because of this, dragons and Rishi beasts have a contentious relationship.

Dragons tend to kill Rishi beast swarms on sight, while Rishi beasts often rely on dragons to scavenge their meals. It is not that they can’t hunt, but that they tend to prefer the easiest meal possible, and another larger creature’s leftovers is the easiest, largest alternative.

Rishi beasts are known by many names.

In Common, they are also known as Rishi beasts, false dragons, or flying snakes.

In Draconic, they are known as harzok vitur. While no exact translation exists for either word in Common, the closest translations are usually listed as “bloodless counterfeit” or “bloodless forgery.” It does not help that vitur is also the Draconic word used to describe an illusion, which causes contention among human scholars over the true meaning of the word.

Many humans believe that Rishi beast are closely related to dragons, often created from the same line as dragons.

Dragons do not share this sentiment, nor do they appreciate it. If one speaks with a dragon, it is probably best not to suggest any relationship between the harzok vitur and the great drazhani,

They take the name Rishi from the Rishi Mountains, a chain of mountains that stretches along the borders of Asardaea, Anglum and Altimara. The mountains begin where Asardaea and Anglum meet the northern Virdrid Sea, and strength across Enayra, wrapping around behind Kasaadua and finally ending at the Bergit Ocean in north-eastern Altimara.

It is in these mountains they are most plentiful and make their homes, though they are not exclusive to the Rishi Mountains, and will make their homes in any mountain where the game is easy and plentiful. Some make their homes in the mesas of the Mirror Sands, where the Blue Dragons once carved their caves and homes into the rocks.

One particular swarm was known to have made its home in Kula during the time of the second generation of Khaleeshir in 1032 Ruin.