The Chronicles of a Scalebound Sage: Wandmaker Vol.2

[Holloween Interlude] Þe Eldritch Ymbok of Monstrous Kyndes

Preface to the Fifteenth Edition

To you who hold this tome, I bid fair fortune in your hunt. Þe Eldritch Ymbok of Monstrous Kyndes has been my life's work, a collection of knowledge acquired across seasons and scars, for the enlightenment of those who brave Alderdeorn's darkest depths. I have walked many of those depths myself, charting realms where only shadows thrive, yet none darker than the beast I have come to know through study: fear itself.

Our continent, Alderdeorn, is richly threaded with ancient bloodlines, not just of men but of creatures as old as bone and iron. Monsters that were first born of night and legend live still, hidden or stalking, shaping our histories and haunting our lands. In Musha, my homeland, and across these many territories, we share in a bond with such beasts—a bond often sewn in blood. Hence, I have labored these many decades to gather lore for those who would protect hearth and kin.

Herein is found not only the flesh and bone of our monstrous foes but also their unseen spirits, their cunning, and their curses. My accounts detail the monstrous as much as the monstrous hunts those who dare confront it. Take heed: the creatures within these pages are not mere wild beasts, but kin to nightmares—many of them clever, some human-like in their wickedness. Each entry contains hard-earned truths, as much a shield to your mind as a blade for your hand.

I have reworked this fifteenth edition for monster hunters specifically, adding updated observations and methods of defense. Expect no embellishments nor poetic detours; where it is possible, I have cut directly to what you need to know.

Where you find ink, remember there was once blood.

Disclaimer on the Nature of This Work

To the reader, let it be clear: Þe Eldritch Ymbok of Monstrous Kyndes concerns itself only with monsters, those corrupted beings born of malignant mana, and not with magical beasts. There are creatures upon this earth, born naturally, that carry magic within their blood and bone. Unlike monsters, these beasts are true living beings, with natural habits, life cycles, and roles within their ecosystems. Such creatures are wondrous and diverse, creatures of both magic and nature, whose magic is a gift, not a curse.

If your interest lies in understanding magical beasts rather than monsters, I direct you to my other work, titled Þe Wyrd Bestiarie of Beastis and Kyndes with Naturall Magick. This text covers those animals that live among us and carry native magics of various kinds, whether for defense, sustenance, or subtlety. They are creatures worthy of respect and study, distinct from the vile constructions contained within these pages. Seek their knowledge there, and leave this tome to the monstrous.

May the stars guide you,

—Aldwyn the Starwise

Page 1

On the Nature of Monsters

To speak plainly: monsters are not creatures; they are curses given shape. They wear forms that mimic the living, bearing semblances of flesh, sinew, and bone, yet none of it is true. Monsters are nothing more than hollow vessels, hateful constructs forged by corrupted mana—raw energy steeped in malevolence and waste, coalesced into a warped parody of life.

Monsters appear where mana itself has soured and gathered in sickening density. By forces still poorly understood, this corrupted mana gathers and births what many call "monsters." I have seen beasts shaped like men and fiends that crawl as if from nightmare, yet all share the same vile heart. The worst lie, however, is in how they appear alive. They do not breathe as we do, nor do they age, sicken, or die in any natural sense. They are constructs with no life cycle, no offspring, and no place in the world beyond ruin.