Balicani

[Sorian]

The Balicani (pl. Balicani) is a common predatory fauna monster usually found in the Syliras region. Nocturnal and elusive, Balicani are vicious creatures that are part snake and part bat, with beautifully patterned wings and scaly bodies. Despite their modest numbers in the wild, they are, surprisingly, rarely encountered by humans.

History and Overview

Like most creatures, the Balicani had been smaller creatures before the Valterrian exploded upon the world. They inhabited the forests and mountains around what is now the Suvan sea, feeding almost exclusively on rodents and smaller birds. They were also much more common in numbers, and tended to congregate in large numbers unlike today.

The sundering of the world saw the Balicani population destroyed almost utterly, with only a handful of specimens surviving. During the harsh years which ensued, the surviving males began to compete for dominance over the much scarcer females, and thus only the largest and most powerful ones were able to produce progeny. These large males eventually bred even larger offspring, thus contributing to the evolution of these creatures from considerably moderate, to very large in size.

Balicani are among the most terrifying creatures to meet in the Syliran region, with these encounters resulting in death or maiming more often than not. Fortunately such meetings are rare, for Balicani are very rarely active during daytime, and people in the countrysides have learned how to avoid them.

They are extremely difficult to kill or even combat at night, and their ability to swoop in and away from danger makes them particularly dangerous for stationary and slow, heavily-armored combatants. They attack using their powerful jaws and sharp serrated teeth, but would also employ the tail and wings for attack purposes.

They are also extremely territorial and solitary, with each having the ability to secrete a very foul liquid from its salivary glands to use for marking. Once this boundary is crossed a Balicani would stop at nothing until the intruder is either driven out or killed.


Appearance

The Balicani are some of the strangest looking creatures that Mizahar has to offer. They look much like oriental dragons or chimeras in the sense that they are a mixed amalgam of creatures; it has the body, tail and scales of a snake, the wings, horns and jaws of a dragon, and the face and hair of a bat.

They can grow up to 15 feet in length from head to the tip of the tail, with a 20 foot wingspan and around 350 pounds in weight. Their heads, elongated by their thick, muscular jaws, can grow to around 10 inches long. It takes several years for them to reach this full size, however, which drops normal Balicani parameters to around 6 feet in body length, a 13 foot wingspan and a billed weight of 175 pounds. The body is thick and strong, with hard scales adorning the outer skin. Furrier parts of the body include the belly, face and throat area.

Balicani horns are almost of no commercial value. Extremely hard and tough to fashion, they are strangely combustible due to the oily recess which it gives out, which is how they sweat. These mildly sharp ornaments can grow to around two feet long, and can also be used to spear prey.

Triple rows of jagged, serrated teeth line their jaws, with each tooth capable of reaching an inch and a half in length. Much like with a shark, a broken tooth is easily replaceable, for Balicani never stop growing teeth. Due to the nature of their prey, Balicani teeth are constantly renewed and produced. By the time a fully grown individual reaches death, it would have shed around 1000 teeth on average.


Diet

Strictly carnivorous, Balicani normally feed on small animals and birds, but would not hesitate to take down larger prey such as livestock and large dogs. There have been reports of massive individuals carrying away fully grown cows at night, but these have not been verified.

Humans and other sentient creatures are not typically part of a Balicani's diet, but none would think twice about killing and eating them when given the chance. Old and injured individuals have been known to become man-eaters; one particularly famous incident of a Balicani or a very similar creature killing and eating a human happened in a border fortress near Syliras, when a couple of Syliran Knights were attacked. One was killed and carried off, while the other was left maimed for life.


Reproduction and Social Structure

Balicani mature very slowly, with sexual maturity settling in around 7 years after birth. Mating has been observed to be done once every two seasons, with females having a gestation period of only around 5 months. Once the female gives birth, it takes a few weeks or so before they are ready for mating once more. The eggs are round and reptilian, with very high nutritional value for both consumers and the mother; these are extremely rare to acquire as they are hatched within the mother. These offspring are then either regurgitated or digested, depending on their ability to call out to the mother.

Social structures are virtually non-existent with these creatures due to their nature. Male Balicani would fight and kill one another over territory and potential mates without a qualm, which is why they retain a healthy amount of distance away from one another.

[Gossamer]

Hey Dave -

Great new article!!

First off... fauna monster sounds ominously repetitive. Remember, the first sentence in a wiki article is supposed to sum up the monster nicely by describing it briefly and concisely.

Like most creatures, the Balicani had been smaller creatures before the Valterrian exploded upon the world.

Should be.... Like most creatures, the Balicani were smaller creatures before the Valterrian exploded upon the world.

They are extremely difficult to kill or even combat at night, and their ability to swoop in and away from danger makes them particularly dangerous for stationary and slow, heavily-armored combatants. They attack using their powerful jaws and sharp serrated teeth, but would also employ the tail and wings for attack purposes.

Tell us why they are hard to kill. Are they fast? Wily? Tough skinned?

The Balicani are some of the strangest looking creatures that Mizahar has to offer. They look much like oriental dragons or chimeras in the sense that they are a mixed amalgam of creatures; it has the body, tail and scales of a snake, the wings, horns and jaws of a dragon, and the face and hair of a bat.

When describing something, don't say 'its like X' but describe it on its own without using 'like' etc. You could say they have long sinuous bodies that are muscled and scaled with four legs, slightly reptilian in appearance, and have large strong jaws with wide set eyes characteristic of predators. Heavy membrane wings aid in flight... yadda yadda yadda

Diet

Just exactly how much does one need to eat? The diet part was great, but give us some idea of how much meat is consumed.

Reproduction

(Should be called reproduction)...

Balicani mature very slowly, with sexual maturity settling in around 7 years after birth. Mating has been observed to be done once every two seasons, with females having a gestation period of only around 5 months. Once the female gives birth, it takes a few weeks or so before they are ready for mating once more. The eggs are round and reptilian, with very high nutritional value for both consumers and the mother; these are extremely rare to acquire as they are hatched within the mother. These offspring are then either regurgitated or digested, depending on their ability to call out to the mother.

Anyhow, can you reword this section a bit? It is very confusing about the whole hatching within the mother and then calling out. I would think a critter would either have a live birth or lay an egg, but not do both This was clever thinking, but it makes no sense to me... maybe they are like seahorses or something where the male carries the baby... or maybe they are just live birthed? I have no idea about this... but I kinda went 'huh' after reading it.

Social structure

Good start, but can you add something about how many females the males tolerate in their territory if any? Does territory overlap? How big is the territory so we can get an idea of how dense these animals really are in the wiled. So say if one has a territory of 30 square miles and allows only an occasional female in, then we know that every 20-40 miles we'll probably come across a density of two individuals. I don't care what their territory size is, it just simply needs to be defined. Also, please talk about how the babies are raised? Are they on their own immediately or do they get some childhood with their mother etc.

Other than that, you didn't say how long they live.

I know its a lot of critique, but its a really good writeup Dave.

[Liminal]

I would think a critter would either have a live birth or lay an egg, but not do both This was clever thinking, but it makes no sense to me... maybe they are like seahorses or something where the male carries the baby... or maybe they are just live birthed? I have no idea about this... but I kinda went 'huh' after reading it.

Actually, this is called being ovoviviparous, and it's fairly common among certain sharks and other fish/reptiles. ^_~

[Sorian]

Edits in bold!

The Balicani (pl. Balicani) is a common predatory fauna monster usually found in the Syliras region. Nocturnal and elusive, Balicani are vicious creatures that are part snake and part bat, with beautifully patterned wings and scaly bodies. Despite their modest numbers in the wild, they are, surprisingly, rarely encountered by humans.

History and Overview

Like most creatures, the Balicani were smaller creatures before the Valterrian exploded upon the world. They inhabited the forests and mountains around what is now the Suvan sea, feeding almost exclusively on rodents and smaller birds. They were also much more common in numbers, and tended to congregate in large numbers unlike today.

The sundering of the world saw the Balicani population destroyed almost utterly, with only a handful of specimens surviving. During the harsh years which ensued, the surviving males began to compete for dominance over the much scarcer females, and thus only the largest and most powerful ones were able to produce progeny. These large males eventually bred even larger offspring, thus contributing to the evolution of these creatures from considerably moderate, to very large in size.

Balicani are among the most terrifying creatures to meet in the Syliran region, with these encounters resulting in death or maiming more often than not. Fortunately such meetings are rare, for Balicani are very rarely active during daytime, and people in the countrysides have learned how to avoid them.

They are extremely difficult to kill or even combat at night, and their ability to swoop in and away from danger makes them particularly dangerous for stationary and slow, heavily-armored combatants. They prefer to attack from the air, divebombing their prey with lethally quick lunges and slashes with their talons. They attack using their powerful jaws and sharp serrated teeth, but would also employ the tail and wings for attack purposes.

They are also extremely territorial and solitary, with each having the ability to secrete a very foul liquid from its salivary glands to use for marking. Once this boundary is crossed a Balicani would stop at nothing until the intruder is either driven out or killed.


Appearance

The Balicani are some of the strangest looking creatures that Mizahar has to offer. They have long sinuous bodies that are muscled and scaled with four legs, slightly reptilian in appearance, and have large strong jaws with wide set eyes characteristic of predators.

They can grow up to 15 feet in length from head to the tip of the tail, with a 20 foot wingspan and around 350 pounds in weight. Their heads, elongated by their thick, muscular jaws, can grow to around 10 inches long. It takes several years for them to reach this full size, however, which drops normal Balicani parameters to around 6 feet in body length, a 13 foot wingspan and a billed weight of 175 pounds. The body is thick and strong, with hard scales adorning the outer skin. Furrier parts of the body include the belly, face and throat area.

Balicani horns are almost of no commercial value. Extremely hard and tough to fashion, they are strangely combustible due to the oily recess which it gives out, which is how they sweat. These mildly sharp ornaments can grow to around two feet long, and can also be used to spear prey.

Triple rows of jagged, serrated teeth line their jaws, with each tooth capable of reaching an inch and a half in length. Much like with a shark, a broken tooth is easily replaceable, for Balicani never stop growing teeth. Due to the nature of their prey, Balicani teeth are constantly renewed and produced. By the time a fully grown individual reaches death, it would have shed around 1000 teeth on average.


Diet

Strictly carnivorous, Balicani normally feed on small animals and birds, but would not hesitate to take down larger prey such as livestock and large dogs. There have been reports of massive individuals carrying away fully grown cows at night, but these have not been verified.

Humans and other sentient creatures are not typically part of a Balicani's diet, but none would think twice about killing and eating them when given the chance. Old and injured individuals have been known to become man-eaters; one particularly famous incident of a Balicani or a very similar creature killing and eating a human happened in a border fortress near Syliras, when a couple of Syliran Knights were attacked. One was killed and carried off, while the other was left maimed for life.

Extremely voracious, these creatures can eat up to 10% of their body weight in one sitting. A 10-foot Balicani can consume up to 150 pounds of meat a day, upon which they will feed again after two or three days.


Reproduction and Social Structure

Balicani mature very slowly, with sexual maturity settling in around 7 years after birth. Mating has been observed to be done once every two seasons, with females having a gestation period of only around 5 months. Once the female gives birth, it takes a few weeks or so before they are ready for mating once more.

These creatures are ovoviviparous, with the eggs being fertilized and hatched inside. In this regard, these are extremely rare to acquire, and are highly sought after in the black market due to their very high nutritional value. The offspring are either regurgitated or digested, depending on their ability to call out to the mother upon birth.

Social structures are virtually non-existent with these creatures due to their nature. Male Balicani would fight and kill one another over territory and potential mates without a qualm, which is why they retain a healthy amount of distance away from one another. These territories can reach 40 miles in circumference.

Males however, would tolerate having females around, especially during mating season. A male Balicani can have up to 2 females within its territory during this time.

The offspring are raised by the mothers for up to two years. By then, a Balicani would have acquired the necessary skills in order to survive, including hunting and flying.

Balicanis can live for up to 30 years in the wild, depending on their environment.

[Gossamer]

Ovoviviparous is an old fashioned term that I believe no one uses anymore. The new buzzword is aplacental viviparity. I went huh because its incredibly rare for a species out of water to use this reproductive method and those that do are clingons-leftovers from eras past. I think there's only one form of snake that kindasorta has aplacental viviparity, while the rest of the species that use it is confined to sharks and I believe either stingrays or skates... maybe some marsupials - I can't actually remember but its rather weird and specialized.

Regardless, Dave, you never added what sort of care happens after the babies are born and how long they stay with the mother or if they are left to fend for themselves immediately.

Anyhow -

First sentence still has 'fauna monster' and doesn't clearly and concisely describe the critter.

Appearance, the line you added doesn't note their membrane-bound wings.

Also... finally, it'd be nice to see some actual paragraph structure rather than single added sentences to the bottom of the writeup to finish adding more detail. Those sentences seem disjointed and could be placed elsewhere rather than just dangle like leftovers.

[Sorian]

OOC: Dear Jen, thank you for providing me with useful feedback. I truly appreciate your interest in my work. Your guidance has always been a welcome learning experience to me, and you're certainly one of the big reasons why I love Mizahar. I'd always be glad to write these up for you. *hugs!*

Okay, enough of my sugar coating and sucking up. YAY!

Edits in bold! AGAIN!

The Balicani (pl. Balicani) is a common predatory monster usually found in the Syliras region. Nocturnal and elusive, Balicani are vicious creatures that are part snake and part bat, with beautifully patterned wings and scaly bodies. Touted as the most dangerous 'normal' monsters in its immediate habitat, it is only the rarity of encounters with them that reduce their danger levels to humans and other races.

History and Overview

Like most creatures, the Balicani were smaller creatures before the Valterrian exploded upon the world. They inhabited the forests and mountains around what is now the Suvan sea, feeding almost exclusively on rodents and smaller birds. They were also much more common in numbers, and tended to congregate in large numbers unlike today.

The sundering of the world saw the Balicani population destroyed almost utterly, with only a handful of specimens surviving. During the harsh years which ensued, the surviving males began to compete for dominance over the much scarcer females, and thus only the largest and most powerful ones were able to produce progeny. These large males eventually bred even larger offspring, thus contributing to the evolution of these creatures from considerably moderate, to very large in size.

Balicani are among the most terrifying creatures to meet in the Syliran region, with these encounters resulting in death or maiming more often than not. Fortunately such meetings are rare, for Balicani are very rarely active during daytime, and people in the countrysides have learned how to avoid them.

They are extremely difficult to kill or even combat at night, and their ability to swoop in and away from danger makes them particularly dangerous for stationary and slow, heavily-armored combatants. They prefer to attack from the air, divebombing their prey with lethally quick lunges and slashes with their talons. They attack using their powerful jaws and sharp serrated teeth, but would also employ the tail and wings for attack purposes.

They are also extremely territorial and solitary, with each having the ability to secrete a very foul liquid from its salivary glands to use for marking. Once this boundary is crossed a Balicani would stop at nothing until the intruder is either driven out or killed.


Appearance

The Balicani are some of the strangest looking creatures that Mizahar has to offer. They have long sinuous bodies that are muscled and scaled with four legs, slightly reptilian in appearance, and have large strong jaws with wide set eyes characteristic of predators. Their wings are membrane-bound, aiding in faster flight.

They can grow up to 15 feet in length from head to the tip of the tail, with a 20 foot wingspan and around 350 pounds in weight. Their heads, elongated by their thick, muscular jaws, can grow to around 10 inches long. It takes several years for them to reach this full size, however, which drops normal Balicani parameters to around 6 feet in body length, a 13 foot wingspan and a billed weight of 175 pounds. The body is thick and strong, with hard scales adorning the outer skin. Furrier parts of the body include the belly, face and throat area.

Balicani horns are almost of no commercial value. Extremely hard and tough to fashion, they are strangely combustible due to the oily recess which it gives out, which is how they sweat. These mildly sharp ornaments can grow to around two feet long, and can also be used to spear prey.

Triple rows of jagged, serrated teeth line their jaws, with each tooth capable of reaching an inch and a half in length. Much like with a shark, a broken tooth is easily replaceable, for Balicani never stop growing teeth. Due to the nature of their prey, Balicani teeth are constantly renewed and produced. By the time a fully grown individual reaches death, it would have shed around 1000 teeth on average.


Diet

Strictly carnivorous, Balicani normally feed on small animals and birds, but would not hesitate to take down larger prey such as livestock and large dogs. There have been reports of massive individuals carrying away fully grown cows at night, but these have not been verified.

Humans and other sentient creatures are not typically part of a Balicani's diet, but none would think twice about killing and eating them when given the chance. Old and injured individuals have been known to become man-eaters; one particularly famous incident of a Balicani or a very similar creature killing and eating a human happened in a border fortress near Syliras, when a couple of Syliran Knights were attacked. One was killed and carried off, while the other was left maimed for life.

Extremely voracious, these creatures can eat up to 10% of their body weight in one sitting. A 10-foot Balicani, 150 pound specimen can consume up to 15 pounds of meat a day, upon which they will feed again after two or three days. After killing the prey, they would often bring them to safe, high grounds where they feed on the carcass immediately to avoid having confrontations with other would-be thieves.


Reproduction

Balicani mature very slowly, with sexual maturity settling in around 7 years after birth. Mating has been observed to be done once every two seasons, with females having a gestation period of only around 5 months. Once the female gives birth, it takes a few weeks or so before they are ready for mating once more.

These creatures have a strange way of giving birth for reptiles, being aplacental viviparous, with the eggs being fertilized and hatched inside. In this regard, these are extremely rare to acquire, and are highly sought after in the black market due to their very high nutritional value. The offspring are either regurgitated or digested, depending on their ability to call out to the mother upon birth.


Social Structure

Social structures are virtually non-existent with these creatures due to their nature. Male Balicani would fight and kill one another over territory and potential mates without a qualm, which is why they retain a healthy amount of distance away from one another. These territories can reach 40 miles in circumference, and would be centered around a steep craggy cliff or a rocky cave. Males however, would tolerate having females around, especially during mating season. A male Balicani can have up to 2 females within its territory during this time.

Birth is a very dangerous process for a hatchling. Being born inside the mother along with up to five other siblings, weaker individuals are left inside the womb to be digested by the mother's acidic belly fluids. Once they are out of the mother's belly, they can be fed upon by a variety of creatures at a moderately easy rate, for Balicani mothers are very lax ones in caring and protecting their babies. Sometimes when prey is scarce, a mother can even turn to her offspring for food.

The offspring stay with the mother for up to two years, depending on the situation. As mothers can also turn to them as a food source, a wise youngling would leave its mother as soon as its capable of living alone, best defined by the ability to hunt and fly.

Lifespan

As there have been very few instances of capture, there is very limited information regarding their longevity in captivity. However, specimens which have died of old age have been found and collected, and according to testing, Balicani can live for up to 30 years in the wild.

[Cayenne]

I really like this!

You've got a BB code blurp in reproduction, though.

The one thing I was particularly curious about is their territory. What do they sleep in? What are their nests/dens like?

Mathwise, if a 15' balicani weighs only about 350 pounds, wouldn't 10% of their body weight be 35?

If a 10' balicani weighs 150 pounds, are they eating their own body weight over the course of a day?

[Sorian]

@Mishy dear: Added the suggestions.

[Gossamer]

I'd say this one is ready for approval unless anyone else has any suggestions or insights?

[Cayenne]

Looks good to me!