Armored Mabari¶

The mabari are an essential part of Fereldan military strategy. Trained hounds can easily pull knights from horseback or break lines of pikemen, and the sight and sound of a wave of wardogs, howling and snarling, has been known to cause panic among even the most hardened infantry soldiers

August Ram¶

The slender and sleek hide gives the animal the grace of a hart halla. Its curved horns spiral back over delicate ears twitching at the slightest rustle of grass. When startled, speed is the august ram’s only defense against the hunter. It is difficult to sneak up on these shy and wary creatures

Bear¶

I would’ve liked to watch the little family playing in the stream all day, but the wind changed and the mama bear caught our scent, even with Eldwin working his magic. She leapt in our direction, stopped when she couldn’t see anything, then rose up on her hind legs and roared. What a sight that was! I estimate she was half again as tall as I. Quick as anything, she charged toward us, snapping branches as she went. I dove out of the way, but Eldwin, bless his heart, was too slow. A massive paw caught him right in the chest and he went down. Poor Eldwin. Nature is ruthless but magnificent.

Black Wolf¶

The scouts report activity uncharacteristic of lupine behavior. The Breach and resulting rifts have caused unprecedented disruptions in the Veil. Such alterations to the environment may account for the unnatural aggression. If this is indeed the case, I cannot yet say how widespread the impact. How many wolves does this environmental imbalance influence? What threat do they pose to resistant members of the pack? The local population? This warrants further investigation.

Bronto¶

The dwarven Shaperate originally bred this hulking beast as a beast of burden and food source, the rough equivalent of surface oxen and cows. Some versions of the bronto have even been developed as dwarven mounts, valued more for sure-footedness and stamina than speed. While present in Orzammar in large numbers, some brontos still exist in packs in the Deep Roads, having returned to a wild state after the fall of the dwarven kingdoms. They require remarkably little sustenance, absorbing nutrients from water, fungus, and even rocks (hence the “rock-licker” appellation many dwarves use to describe brontos), and exist primarily in a dormant state until provoked. An angry, charging bronto is considered a rather dangerous opponent.

Deepstalker¶

One of the few natural, non-darkspawn creatures to live in the Deep Roads, the deepstalker is a reptilian cave-dweller known for burrowing into the stone paths of the Deep Roads and ambushing prey, usually nugs. They hunt in packs, attacking with round mouths of serrated teeth or spitting poisons from venom glands. Although a single deepstalker poses little threat to any experienced explorer, packs can be lethal.

Dragonlings¶

Newly hatched dragons are roughly the size of a deer and voraciously hungry. They live for a short time in their mother’s lair before venturing out on their own. The slender, wingless creatures are born in vast numbers, as only a few survive to adulthood.

Druffalo¶

As I searched for my courage, I heard a crashing through the undergrowth. Bandits, I thought. Or a bear. But instead it was a giant beast, with pelt of blue-gray and gleaming black horns. And riding its muscled back was my Guy. The druffalo was enormous but gentle as a doe. The children called her Bluebell.