Keltorin's Flora and Fauna of Note - Baracaw - Valcanne's Guide to Keltorin
Flora and Fauna
The following contains information pertaining to the different Flora and Fauna found on Keltorin, this is not a complete guide it only contains records on species of note for abilities or harm they may cause.
Baracaw
Appearance:
The Baracaw is a very large animal, able to walk on both all fours and two legs.
It has two massive hind legs that are curved, acting like a spring aiding in the giant creature in propelling itself up and into the air.
The hind legs are also crested with sharp jagged barbs, that can inflict damage when contact is made and also double as a built in armour.
Once airborne the Baracaw stretches out its fore and hind limbs extending an extra length of flesh that acts as a crude wing, when used in conjunction with its extremely long tail it manages amazing maneuverability for it's large size and weight.
All four feet have large multi jointed knuckles tipped with thick sharp claws, allowing them to grasp multifaceted surfaces it aids in gaining speed for launching themselves into the air and to tear into their prey.
From wrist to elbow are sharp curved jagged barbs that again aid with attacking their prey, but inturn also act as a built in armour.
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/09/10/swamp6250f.png)
The tail is very long for the size of the body of the beast, the tail is edged like a blade and whilst firm close to the body it is more flexible towards the end and can cut as it grasps tighter.
The tail is flexible enough to grasp around a man's throat, but strong enough to cut a full grown man in half should it manage to wrap its bladed tail around its victim.
When standing it can almost pass as a human from a distance but when it is running on all fours it's spine becomes curved in order to support a vicious headbutting attack, made worse by the crest of horns ridged on its brow and face.
These horns continue running the entire length of the animal from nose to tail tip, they are as black as the scales that colour the body of the beast.
They are capable of submerging themselves for extended periods of time, but appear to not require to remain submerged for any amount of time.
The black scales that cover its' body allow for it to move seamlessly from the water to land to air with little in the way of wind resistance and no water logging fur, they are adapted to thrive in the swaps they inhabit.
It has an elongated snout with large nostrils that it can close when submerged in water, encased within the harsh snout lies two rows of sharp teeth and a jaw able to snap a thigh bone with little effort.
In stark comparison to their black scaled and horned bodies they are said to have dazzling bright blue eyes, also the ability to turn their heads full circle allowing for amazing field of view at any time.
Dangers:
Besides the descriptions given above there is very little known about the Baracaw, our only information comes from the broken souls who somehow managed to survive the slaughters that took place when men still attempted to enter the Endless Swamp.
What we do know it the Baracaw can attack in many ways, it often uses it's ability to glide through the air as a chosen method of attack. It has however been witnessed to lay submerged in the waters of the swamp and use its deadly tail to drag its unsuspecting victim to it death, witnesses saying it chose to drown the man than to kill him quickly.
As well as its ability to run at amazing speeds for a beast of its size, it's ability to use its own body as a ram that delivers harsh punishment to those in its path coupled with its jagged horns this is one animal best to avoid at all costs.
Treatment:
No one is believed to survive a Baracaw attack and it is unknown if they also possess a venomous bite, there is no specific treatment recommended at this point.
Located:
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/http://imgur.com/1rTOMBf.png)
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/http://imgur.com/MuQYMot.png)
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://www.steemimg.com/images/2016/08/30/krystle8a9f5.png)
It will be interesting to see how this one evolves.
There's more to this than meets the eye that's for sure ;)