A Guide to the Monstrosities Machina | Notes About the Setting

 Over the course of the Dragon War, scholars within the Northern Kingdoms have endeavoured to create a taxonomy, of sorts, of the various typings of machine-like beasts which opposed the knights, known as the Monstrosities Machina.

 Such research tends to draw from historical tales and folklore, as well as witness observations and battle reports wherever such information is available. The knowledge gathered by the knight orders is held in the greatest scientific regard out of these sources, but some of this material has been made inaccessible to outsiders and placed within sealed repositories where it is closely guarded. It is this limitations in part that drives researchers to chase old stories and rumours among the other literature, yet it is often said that the ability to pick out the truths woven between the falsehoods is the mark of a truly great individual in this field of study.

 At the highest level, there are three broad typings of monster - terrestrial, oceanic and airborne. All such creatures tend to gather in packs around a leader, so it is common for the majority to be of the same categorisation when they roam together.

Terrestrial Type
Monsters of this typing are heavy, bulky creatures that tend to be at least quadrupedal, though the occassional, hysterical witness has reported seeing such a beast with dozens or even hundreds of legs from time to time. While they lack the advantageous forms of mobility common to beasts of the ocean and the air, their large frames are fully utilised under the burden of the heaviest weapons recorded for their respective sizes.

Oceanic Type
Oceanic monsters are most common in flat, open environments which include lakes, oceans and other bodies of water, but also deserts and wastelands where they can move around freely. They are typically serpentine in appearance with short hind or front legs, or lacking them entirely, and move by burrowing or by hovering within a short distance of the surface and propelling themselves forwards using jets.

Airborne Type
These monsters are typically winged creatures that fly at great speeds through the use of thrusters and booster jets, or are held aloft by more powerful anti-gravitational fields. In addition to the usual claws, blasters and cannons wielded by the other types of monstrosity, they are frequently seen using area of effect weaponry such as flamethrowers and explosive charges which they can deploy in swooping dives over their targets.

 

 The second level of categotisation is based on primarily a scale of physical magnitude, but there is a growing push for the consideration of intellect to better define these groupings, as knowledge of temperaments and behavioural patterns has gradually grown in depth.

Kobold-class
Small, numerous creatures about the size of a human. They are the only form to commonly be bipedal, and some wield tools such as primitive spears referred to by the knights as 'shockstaves' and capable of a potent, electrical discharge. These creatures have been seen to perform maintainance activities and makeshift repairs upon the larger monsters, and serve as labourers within their packs. Within this class, there are known to be a despicable few that are blasphemous hybrids of flesh and machine, though such examples are fortunately rare.

Drake-class
Roughly one and a half times the height of the kobold-class, these are the smallest beasts that appear capable of leading packs of their own. It is also at this scale that the reptilian features that the monstrosities machina tend towards begin to manifest more frequently, such as scaled armour plating and flattened, narrow maws. Ape-like beasts of this class have also been documented, and some posit that they may bear relation to the labourer creatures that they often command. In larger packs, multiple drake-class beasts are often spread throughout, where they act as focal points by coordinating their own smaller groups.

Ravager-class
Large beasts comparable in size to a tank, but most examples are comparatively unintelligent and more animalistic on the whole. Many of these creatures serve as siege beasts and either break down defences with their brute strength or mighty cannons, or act to shield the smaller beasts around them with their bulk and defensive fields.

Dragon-class
Named for the maligned Titanodragon of Calam, which is considered the largest and most powerful creature within this class. These monstrosities control large domains and hold power over all creatures within. During the Dragon War, it was often this class that presented the knights with the greatest challenges in their campaigns, with a combination of uncanny, strategic sense and overwhelming might and firepower matched only by the most powerful war machines of the kingdoms.

Leviathan-class
This class encompasses all of the machine-entities at the upper-end of the known scale. Rather than individual creatures, there are those who propose that they are better thought of as flying cities or factories on legs given their enormity. It is these beings that are responsible for replenishing the beasts' numbers and spawning new packs to reinforce their surroundings. When such a creature is on the move, all effort is made to avoid its path - although fortunately they have only ever remained well within the unventured lands, when such activity has been spotted in the distance by scouting parties.

 In addition to the long established kobold, drake, ravager, dragon and leviathan classes, there are a number of suggested groupings and alternate divisions which have been put forwards. The majority are highly disputed and none have become widespread. Among these, the Subterranean typing and the Micron- and Grand Dragon-classes are especially noteworthy.

Subterranean Type
A fourth typing which shares charateristics with both the terrestial and oceanic types. This category would include monsters which predominantly spend their time deep underground, rather than remaining near or on the surface like the others. The combination of strong, powerful limbs and burrowing movement is the strongest qualifier, but without careful study it is easy for such a creature to be assigned to a different typing.

Micron-class
A hypothesised class suggested to explain the self-regenerative abilities observed in some of the larger monstrosities, with wounds mending and damaged armour even regenerating mid-combat. The anatomical study of various trophies taken from battle has provided no evidence to suggest that any known beasts have an innate means of healing, so the theory proposes that there are a class of microscopic-scale creatures which perform various repair duties within the packs. While the idea has some popularity within certain circles, the lack of direct proof or observation has prevented the classification from becoming properly established.

Grand Dragon-class
A subdivision of the Dragon-class proposed by members of the Angar technological sect, who noted a disparity in the authority and strategic responsibilities of the creatures within the class - making comparison with the dynamics between the nobility, Regents and Grand Regent of the Northern Kingdoms. Such remarks were deeply unpopular, especially among many of the most influential authorities in the field, and the group were pressured into abandoning their research.