The Sands of Rhun: A Middle Earth Story(Book 2)

Bestiary of Eastern Middle Earth

Saber Cat: these huge creatures wander the plains and deserts of Rhun, and often attack travelers on the road. Their appearance differs. Cats from the north tend to be darker and smaller, with longer fur, while further south they are sand colored with short fur, and can grow to a massive size.

Troll-men: these Orclike creatures come from Far Harad, a land largely unexplored due to thick jungles and dangerous creatures. The Troll-men have some level of intelligence, perhaps equal to that of lesser orcs. They are much larger than Men, but smaller than a Hill Troll.

Kine: large herd animals, kine wander the plains of Middle Earth and are often used for food and as pack animals.

Cawara: Large scavenging birds, Cawara roam the flatlands that make up southern Gondor and the western border of Harad. They are valued for their eggs, which are large and considered a delicacy, and feared for the venom that they can shoot at anything that threatens them or their offspring.

Kularr War Beast: Hailing from the jungles of Far Harad, these beasts are never seen by westerners, and rarely even by those of Near Harad and Rhun. In the wild, they are secretive, only confronting humans when threatened directly. When domesticated properly however, these beasts can become fierce mounts, fearless of everything except fire, which drives them mad.

Tarkai Siege Beast: Larger cousins of the Kularr, Tarkai are gargantuan, rivaling even the great Mumakil. They are easier to domesticate than Kularr, and are often used as beasts of burden. Although not ideal, these creatures can be used in battle. Their massive size allows their masters to fit howdahs onto their backs, or even catapults if needed.

Taurfaer(Forest Spirit): Not unique to the east of Middle Earth alone, these creatures are nonetheless extremely rare. It is thought that they were once common, but due to their hatred of humans, dwarves, orcs, and anything else that threatens their forest(elves were an exception to this; it is said that the elves spoke often with the forest spirits and even gave tribute to them), they were quickly driven nearly to extinction. Believed to be distant relatives of the Ents, Taurfaer are solitary and will claim an entire forest as their home. They fiercely protect their forest from any outside influences, and are said to be able to use magic, such as conjuring dense fog and coercing animals to fight for them. Even if magic fails, their long claws seldom do.