List of animals of the Edge Chronicles
This article lists the vast array of fictional animals found in the Edge Chronicles, a series of young adult books set in a fantasy world created by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell.
For more information about the fictional world of the Edge, please see the similar article, Plants of the Edge Chronicles.
A
- Anglers - are a species of "landfish" that hunt their prey in a similar way to Earth anglerfish - using a large protuberance at the end of a tentacle disguised as a delicious, refreshing fruit. As soon as a creature comes near and tries to eat it, the angler launches up and swallows its prey. Anglers are very large, with huge jaws, five eyes, and two spindly legs.
- Albino rotsucker - A sub-species of rotsucker living in the Mire which preys on passing travellers. It is closely related to the dwarf rotsucker and the Deepwoods rotsucker.
B
- Banderbear - Banderbears are similar to bears in our world. Though very large and intimidating, they are actually peaceful creatures. They have a very thick coat of fur which appears green, but this is actually because it is covered with moss. Banderbears have very large tusks growing out of the bottom jaw of their mouth. They lurk in the Deepwoods, and are solitary creatures, although they have regular clan meetings known as convocations, allowing only their kind. Although one banderbear seldom meets another, they keep in contact by yodelling to one another at night, sharing every detail of their lives. Notable banderbears include Hubble of the Galerider and Stormchaser, the unnamed banderbear who befriends Twig in Beyond the Deepwoods, Goom and the banderbears who Rook befriends. Also, in the 'Rook Barkwater' series, the more notable Banderbears that Rook himself befriended are 'Weeg', 'Moleen', 'Wuralo' and Rook's closest friend 'Wumeru'. 'Wumeru's' name translates into She with chipped tusk who walks in moonlight.[1] Rook can understand the language of the Banderbears after becoming best friends with Wumeru in The Last of the Sky Pirates.
- Barkelves - These are mentioned in Stormchaser, when the character Screed remembers his earlier conquests: As a rule, the travellers who passed his way journeyed in groups of their own kind. A gang of darkridge goblins, a gaggle of barkelves. ..[2] It is assumed that barkelves are relations of oakelves.
- Barkslug - Twig makes a reference to them in Beyond the Deepwoods, on page 74 when speaking to the gloamglozer, disguised as a slaughterer. "And for stuck-up slaughterers who treat you like a hero one minute and a barkslug the next!" They are mentioned many times as items of contempt.[3]
- Barkworm - They are mentioned in Midnight Over Sanctaphrax as minor pests that eat into old books and scrolls: "I've watched you sit there for hours, pouring over some scrap of bark, half eaten by woodmoths and barkworms. .." The word also seems to be used as the Edge's version of the Earth expression "bookworm", as all paper is made from bark.
- Black-dwarf - In Stormchaser, Twig comes across all sorts of creatures in the Bloodoak Tavern: There were flat-head and hammer-head goblins. ....black-dwarfs and red-dwarfs. .. Also in the Immortals
- Blatt-prawn - Edible prawns found in the Great Lakes in the Deepwoods.
- Bloaterfish - Edible fish found in the Great Lakes in the Deepwoods.
- Blood-beetle - A presumably deep red type of beetle found in the Deepwoods used for making dyes and paints.
- Blood-Oak Tree - A carnivorous tree which captures its victims using
its colour changing snake like vines, then drags them into its mouth at the top of the tree. Able to consome large animals such as Hammel horns.
- Blood-red (Rogue) glister - A large beast featured in The Curse of the Gloamglozer, it is formless and forever changing shape. Like normal glisters, it feeds off of strong emotions, but this larger variety doesn't stop until the victim is sucked dry. It is about 6 feet tall.
- Blunderhead - Supposedly a race of goblin mentioned by Garble the Hunter in Beyond the Deepwoods.
- Brieve - A type of creature, possibly a fish, found in the Great Lakes in the Deepwoods.
- Brogtroll - Brogtrolls are extremely large and strong creatures, with large drooping noses, scraggly hair, and warty skin. Most Brogtrolls are very dumb and quite forgetful. Their strength and apparent lack of morals mean they usually end up as the "dumb muscle" of any gang or the obedient heavy-lifter of a sky-ship crew.
- Bushnymph - A creature mentioned only once in Beyond the Deepwoods: And with that he drifted off to sleep, unaware that at that moment, the caterbird was otherwise engaged with a family of bushnymphs, many, many miles away.
C
- Caterbird - Possibly the most amazing creatures in the whole of the Edge. Caterbirds are the physical manifestation of the very seeds of life known as glisters. Caterbirds are born when a glister weaves a specially made cocoon in a grove of lullabee trees. Only one caterbird hatches every hundred years, so they are very rare. They resemble Earth hornbills in that they have a long crest-like horn sticking out of the back of their heads. The birds are uniformly black and white. They know everything that every other caterbird (past and present) knows, making them almost omniscient.
- Chookbat - Possibly similar to a type of bat, inhabits the Deepwoods.
- Cloddertrog - Cloddertrogs are large, bulky creatures, with big lumpy noses dominating their faces. Most individuals have large foreheads, small bloodshot eyes and prominent yellow teeth. Cloddertrogs are known for their violent disposition to "outsiders", but are quite loyal to friends and family. Cloddertrogs are happy with simple, heavy-lifting jobs such as loading and unloading at port docks, and are well built for such tasks. Most cloddertrogs are also quite superstitious, tending to believe in spirits and ghosts. They made up a large part of the gatekeepers of Sanctaphrax.
- Cloudeater - A giant beast, drawn in from Open Sky in "The Winter Knights". In this book, it appears as a huge, hauling, white beast with a head bigger than Sanctaphrax rock and a body that could wrap around Undertown three times.[4] If it freezes and becomes trapped to the Edge, which it has done twice, it will suck in warm air and clouds, and then expel them as freezing air and blizzards that can cause eternal winters on the Edge, through openings down its length, trying to force itself away from the rock, only to freeze itself more and more, frozen trapped in the air. Its tail ends up breaking off into several small tails at its tip, and it has six indigo eyes on each side of its huge mouth. By freezing itself in its attempt to escape, it develops a white, oozing, frozen covering, very similar in appearance to a cloud. When the cloudeater is freed by stormphrax entering its body, the shell that formed of ice and pus breaks away, revealing the true form of the cloudeater. It is a beautiful, diaphanous, translucent creature with many wispy tendrils that moves languidly through the sky. It is mentioned that one of its eyes is bigger than the great oval window in the Knights Academy.
- Cray-spinners - Small translucent creatures with diaphanous wings and eyes on the end of swaying stalks. They are frequent prey items of weezits.
- Crystal spider - Creatures living in the Gardens of Light beneath the Deepwoods.
D
- Darkridge goblin - In Stormchaser, the character Screed remembers his earlier conquests: As a rule, the travellers who passed his way journeyed in groups of their own kind. A gang of darkridge goblins, a gaggle of barkelves... It can be assumed that darkridge goblins are part of the larger goblin family (see also flat-head goblin, hammer-head goblin, etc.)
- Dwarf rotsucker - Are cousins to the larger Deepwoods rotsucker. They are known to live in the Sanctaphrax Forest.
E
- Edge wraith - Edge wraiths are ferocious, white, bat-like creatures that live in the void beneath the Edge. They feed on the things that are poured over the Edge. One of the largest flying creatures mentioned in the series, their wingspans can be larger than sky-ships, and their fanged mouths have been described as being large enough to swallow a bull hammelhorn.
- Emerald mossbirds - Tiny birds of fluorescent green, emerald mossbirds have an unfortunate habit of pecking out the eyes of any creature foolish enough to venture onto their nesting branch, hence the nickname "skullpecker", given to them by sky pirates. They live in the Deepwoods.
F
- Firemoth - Venomous moths that live in the Gardens of Light, but sometimes go outside into the forest.
- Flat-head goblin - Flat-head goblins are characterized by their flat, narrow heads. Flat-heads have notoriously bad tempers and are very aggressive and warlike. In many civilized places (i.e. Sanctaphrax or Undertown) they are used as guards. They are often used as deck-warriors by sky pirates. Despite this, not all Flat-heads are depicted as violent, particularly in The Immortals which is set in the more civilized Third age. Notable flat-heads include Sagbutt of the Galerider, Captain Sigbord of the Sanctaphrax Treasury Guard, Mugbutt of the Stormchaser, and Bogwit of Vilnix Pompolnious' elite bodyguard and, later, the Edgedancer.
- Flitterwaif - Flying waifs. Unlike many waifs, these creatures are actively carnivorous, and lead beings astray. They have, like all waifs, huge bat-like ears, but also have wings and three curved fangs.
- Fromp - In Sanctaphrax, they are used for fighting against each other, while the academics betted on them. They mistreat and starve them so they would no longer be friendly creatures and fight. They have a stripy prehensile tail, curving claws, a long proboscis like a butterfly, and rabbit-like ears. Known for their comical, spluttered warning cough.
- Fourthling - The equivalent of humans, and indeed almost identical to them except for their pointed ears. They are capable of interbreeding with other bipedal races. Seldom seen and often unknown in the Deepwoods, they mostly reside in Undertown and Sanctaphrax. They are so named because they are related to creatures from all four corners of the Edge. Most of the main characters in the series are fourthlings, notably the protagonists.
G
- Gabtroll - Bizarre, civilized creatures with faces resembling bat-eared slugs. It is not known whether they are in fact related to woodtrolls or other trolls, as they are quite different in appearance. They are known for their long stalked, green eyeballs that they constantly lick to keep them moisturised. Though commonly thought that they do not, in fact, have legs, they actually do, according to a picture in The Winter Knights. Gabtrolls are also known for their knowledge in the herb field.
- Gahtrog - A species of Trog mentioned in the introduction to Freeglader.
- Ghostwaif - Tiny, pale waifs with very long barbels. Amberfuce was a ghostwaif.
- Giant (tree) fromp - Enormous versions of the common fromp. Used as beasts of burden in the Ironwood Glades in the Deepwoods, and when handled by tree goblins, are used to harvest lullabee grubs and for battle. Do not cough, but are known for their deep, booming calls. They are bipedal, though presumably they can walk on all four legs. They are huge, dwarfing even cloddertrogs.
- Glister - They are the seeds of all life on the Edgeworld. They cannot be seen directly. Sometimes they hide inside old, dark, abandoned buildings. If a glister wanders into the open, or has a grain of chine (a mineral gathered from Riverrise) blown on it, it will crumble into dust. They react to different emotions in different ways; sometimes flashing, sometimes glowing or sparking. Any number of glisters may weave themselves a cocoon in a lullabee tree grove, however, only one caterbird hatches every 100 years.
- Glintergoblin - A secretive type of goblin which live an area known as the "Northern Mines". In Cloud Wolf, a leaguesman named Marl Mankroyd made a deal with glintergoblins to obtain black diamonds.
- Gladehawk - Birds of prey with disproportionately large talons. Quint and Maris glimpse one in the Deepwoods during Clash of the Sky Galleons.
- Gloamglozer - Trickster and a shapeshifter that was originally created by the Most High Academe of the time, Linius Pallitax, in one of his failed experiments that he carried out in the Ancient Laboratory; it can resemble any living creature, but believes itself to be the mythical gloamglozer after reading about it in a book. Its preferred form is a hideous, warty, sneering face, framed by two sinister curving horns, as well as a featureless robe that floats above the ground, long arms and calloused hands with sharp claws. The gloamglozer is said to feed on others' emotions; it most craves fear. It does not harm you directly, since it has no physical strength, but it uses a subterfuge of lies, trickery and traps to make you harm yourself. Its name is derived from the word "Gloam", meaning the time just after twilight and "Gloze" meaning flattery, or deceit.
- Gnokgoblin - Symbite goblins, slightly similar to gyle goblins. They possess huge, flat noses that take up most of their face. They are fairly common outside the Deepwoods. They usually dress similarly to Native Americans.
- Grey goblin - A race of goblins that originated in the Deepwoods. They have gray skin and large ears. The grey goblins of the Deepwoods are known to be fierce and aggressive, attacking in massive swarms. However, isolated individuals outside of the Deepwoods tend to be more peaceable.
- Greywaif - Smooth-skinned waifs with two short barbels. Cancaresse the Silent may have been one of these.
- Great Blueshell Clam - A presumably large clam found in the lake known as the "mirror of the sky", possibly the oldest living thing in the whole edge. Tended by webfoot goblins and rarely seen by fourthlings.
- Gyle goblin - Symbite goblins that live a colonial existence, similar to ants. They have huge, protruding noses, and skinny arms and legs. There is only one female in each colony, called a Grossmother. She is indescribably fat, and cooks pink honey to feed her colony.
H
- Halitoad - A large froglike reptile, noted for its poisonous breath which it uses to kill its prey. Name is a pun on halitosis, which means "bad breath".
- Hammelhorn - Hammelhorns are domestic herd animals, and appear to have the produce of sheep and cows. They resemble huge bulls, each having huge amounts of shaggy hair, enormous horns and a large, sad-looking face. Like the tilder, they possess three hooves on each foot. If their long black hair is brushed up the wrong way, it bristles up and becomes extremely sharp.
- Hammerhead goblin - Vicious members of the goblin family. Hammerheads are similar to flat-heads in their appearance, but their head is stretched and their eyes are spaced very far apart. They are vicious warring creatures. They often make up the elite of a goblin army and are prized as bodyguards. Notable hammerheads include General Tytugg of Undertown, Lytugg his granddaughter (leader of the hammerhead and flat-head Goblin Nations) and Slad and Dunkrigg of Tytugg's elite guard, who take part in the Battle of the Great Library.
- Hoverworm - A snakelike creature similar to a logworm, about a metre in length, having a poisonous bite, which causes the victim to fill with hot air and eventually explode unless given an antidote. On their bellies, there are several holes from which gas is expelled, making the creature "hover". Inside their mouths, there is a multitude of sucker-like organs that move freely of each other, and are used to grasp onto the hoverworms' victims. They are predominantly green with yellow pustules covering the body. Twig gets attacked by one shortly after leaving the woodtroll path, and discovers a slaughterer by the name of Gristle who has been bitten on the foot by the hoverworm.
L
- Lake-skimmer - A species of flying or water animal briefly mentioned in The Lost Barkscrolls. Lives around lakes and ponds in the far Deepwoods, especially the four Great Lakes.
- Lake-eels - A species of eel farmed by the crested webfoot goblins. They come from the Great Lakes and are bred in circular enclosures made of rope called corrals. Mentioned in The Lost Barkscrolls.
- Leafhopper - Possibly similar to a cricket, grasshopper or another type of jumping animal.
- Log worm - a large log shaped creature that is related to the hover worm. It lives in the ground and eats by bursting through the ground and opening its huge mouth and sucking everything within its range into it.
- Lop-ear-A species of goblin with large lopping ears.Mentioned in Beyond The Deepwoods,...looks like a Lop-ear or a Underbiter...
M
- Mewmel - In Midnight Over Sanctaphrax, the main characters encounter various animals whilst travelling through the Deepwoods: ...feline mewmels, with spiky tails and poisonous spit...
- Milchgrub - These are gigantic, insectoid beings without overmuch intellect, bred by the spindlebugs to provide food for the gyle goblins. The spindlebugs leave huge amounts of fruit to nourish mushrooms, which the milchgrubs eat; the food is then converted into a form of honey by the milchgrubs' bodies; the honey is extracted by the spindlebugs, later to be fed to the gyle goblins above.
- Mobgnome - In Stormchaser, the character Twig comes across all sorts of creatures in the Bloodoak Tavern: There were flat-head and hammerhead goblins; oakelves, mobgnomes... They are similar to gnokgoblins in that they have large noses that dominate their faces. They also have two toes per foot.
- Moonfin - A type of creature, possibly a fish, eaten by the webfoot goblins of the Great Lakes.
- Mottled goblin - A large race of goblin with small ears that works well in forgeries. They have mottled skin (as the name implies).
- Muglump - Odd froglike creatures that have six legs, a small mouth, large beady eyes and are commonly found in the Mire and the Undertown sewers. They feed on meat and have a nose like a periscope and so can walk under the mud to surprise their prey. Their mouths, eyes, and periscope-like nose are on the top of their bodies, and they sort of crab-walk over the mud with their six legs. They additionally have a long, spiked tail.
N
- Nameless Ones - Mentioned in the fourth Lost Barkscroll, these massive creatures originate from beyond Riverrise, and are said to be life "in its most primitive state". Can have varying appearances, and any number of horns, tusks, eyes and teeth. The only charicterisic they share is their massive size, as big as a copperwood tree. They are captured and used as beasts of burden in The Lost Barkscrolls, before being rescued and released.They are also in The Immortals and are controlled by black and red dwarfs to build and maintain the Thorn Gate.
- Nattertoad - Similar to toads or frogs, and found in lakes and ponds in the Deepwoods.
- Nightwaif - Short, nondescript waifs. Capable of hearing anything, anywhere. Known nightwaifs include: Forficule (Stormchaser), Partifule (The Last of the Sky Pirates), Fevercule (Freeglader), Patricule and Menisculis (Clash of the Sky Galleons).
- Night-lemuel - Tree-dwelling creatures with a mating call similar to that of a lemkin's. They are mentioned only once, in the first book.
- Nightspider - Small spiders that are found in the Deepwoods, and spin an extremely fine silk, sometimes used in clothing by the various sentients of the Edgeworld.
O
- Oakbat - In Midnight Over Sanctaphrax, the main characters come across many different animals in the Great Shryke Slave Market: past rows of sleeping oakbats, their ankles tethered to the branches with leather jesses.
- Oakelf - Oakelves are tree-dwelling beings who sleep in Caterbird cocoons, thereby opening themselves to the Caterbird's dreams and knowledge. They alone seem immune to the deadly Rotsucker, which seals such cocoons and waits for the creature within to dissolve, whereapon it cuts into the shell and drinks. Oakelves as a rule have huge eyes symbolic of their wisdom, which is considerable, and long ears similar to those of the Jedi Master Yoda featured in Star Wars. Oakelves' eyes can see about every thing around them. They are valuable lookouts on Sky Pirate Ships e.g. Spillins, Spiker and Spooler.
- Oakhen - In Midnight Over Sanctaphrax, the main characters encounter various animals whilst travelling through the Deepwoods: the oakhens who came in search of bulbul berries.
- Oakbuck - An edible deer-like animal found in the silver pastures.
- Oozefish - Oozefish are natives of the Mire; foul, sluggish, vile-tasting mudskipper-analogues. These fish latch on to the feet of animals wading through the mud, eventually working their way up the legs. Fourthlings sometimes eat them, though it seems they are not particularly delicious, and only taken when nothing else is available (The Stone Pilot Maugin expressed distaste for Oozefish in Stormchaser). Their bones are used for divination by charlatans in Sanctaphrax.
P
- Prowlgrin - Strange animals used as mounts, carriage and cart pullers, and guard-beasts. Mostly mouth, they resemble a sperm whale, with two small T-Rex arms and a skinny tail instead of flukes. They possess great, grinning toothy mouths, hence their name. They are hatched from translucent, jelly-like eggs in nests high in the trees. When they hatch, the mother abandons them to fend for themselves. Like horses, they are used to make glue in the Edgeworld. Known users of Prowlgrins: Gabba the Gabtroll, Freeglade Lancers, Shrykes, Sanctaphrax knights. Quint rears a prowlgrin named Tash during The Winter Knights and Rook rides one named Chinquix during the War of the Free Glades.
- Piebald rat - A sewer rat considered inedible by Undertowners and Academics.
- Pink-Eyed Goblin - A race of goblin common in Undertown with small, pinkish eyes.
- Passionbird - A small, colourful bird mentioned in the Clash of the Sky Galleons.
Q
- Quarm - Tree-dwellers ; large mouths, long, furry ears, a rat-like tail, four limbs with three digits per hand/foot, and a distinctive squeal. In The Winter Knights, Fabius Dydex has two tame Quarms named Squeak and Howler.
R
- Ratbird - Ratbirds are small rodent creatures that live in Sky Pirate ships. They are creatures to look to when abandoning ship, for only when a ship is truly doomed do they fly off. It is also mentioned in Winter Knights that even when a ratbird is taken away from its home ship they can find their way back again. They can be used as messengers in this sense.
- Razorflit - A small flying creature found in the Deepwoods.
- Red-dwarf - In Stormchaser, the character Twig comes across all sorts of creatures in the Bloodoak Tavern: There were flat-head and hammer-head goblins. ....black-dwarfs and red-dwarfs. .. In the lost barkscrolls, they are said to have come from the nightwoods beyond the thorn forest, also known as waif country
- Reed-eel - Featured in Midnight Over Sanctaphrax and mentioned briefly in some of the others. They resemble a patch of reeds, thin and green, but are actually biological organisms, with small yellow eyes and a cluster of suckers, laid out like the heads on a bouquet of flowers. They claimed the life of Spooler, Twig's oakelf crewmember, in Midnight Over Sanctaphrax
- Resin-grub - Possibly similar to maggots or beetle-larvae, they live in and on the resin of ironwood trees, and are one of the main foods for fromps.
- Rock demon - Terrifying mutant beasts, resembling a huge, spiny Rotsucker. They inhabit a ravine in the shadow of the new Sanctaphrax Rock. Orbix Xaxis is known to have sacrificed Librarians and prisoners to these monsters. It is possible that they mutated from rotsuckers. In Vox, they end the Battle of the Great Library between the goblins and shrykes by devouring both sides.
- Rock-oyster - Oysters found in the Great Lakes in the Deepwoods.
- Rotsucker - Rotsuckers are enormous, bat-like scavengers that prey on those foolish enough to sleep in a vacant Caterbird cocoon (though usually not Oakelves). The Rotsucker first fills the cocoon with corrosive acids, then seals the opening with a hardening agent present in glands of the skin. The prisoner initially may struggle, but ultimately gives up and decomposes into a thick, viscous liquid. The Rotsucker then breaks in and drinks the "stew". Interestingly, a Rotsucker appears to be intelligent on a more-than-instinctive level; it holds long soliloquies in its mind, usually regarding the struggle that its prey (which it refers to as "supper lugs") puts up as it takes the cocoon to its lair, though it is presumably incapable of verbal speech. Twig is ensnared by a Rotsucker as he sleeps in a Caterbird cocoon in Beyond The Deepwoods.
- Rogue glister - A creature created by the First Scholars who managed to capture and give "life" to a glister in the Ancient Laboratory. The rogue glister is a massive, blood-red creature that makes a snuffling sound as it moves. It follows the scent of its victims' fear, probes them through its eyeballs, and feeds on their emotions and feelings until they are left devoid of energy and feeling, at which point they lose the instinct to stay alive, stop breathing, and then die. Like all glisters, it is sensitive to Chine, the earth collected from the banks of Riverrise, and suffers burns if it comes into contact with it.
- Rubble ghoul - Creatures that lived in Screetown during the Second Age of Flight which retain food by sucking all moisture out of their victims. Hover Tincture, the antidote to the venom of a hoverworm, is extremely poisonous to rubble ghouls. Rook Barkwater is attacked by one in Vox.
S
- Scrabster - A "sky vermin". They sneak into skyships through cracks and eat the cargo, favoring candles. These are mentioned in Clash of the Sky Galleons on the Galerider. They kind of look like crawdads or lobsters, but with tentacles coming out of their mouth.
- Shryke - A species of birdlike Creatures. They are vicious and cold blooded, and the females have the more colourful plumage, using the males as drab pets and slaves. Shryke teeth are used by Sky Pirates to elect a new captain (a shryke-smile). The crew members are each given a shryke tooth and have one day to choose a person to give their tooth to. This occurs in Clash of the Sky Galleons. Hemtuft Battleaxe wears a shryke-feather cloak in Freeglader. Notable Shrykes include Mother Horsefeather of the Bloodoak Tavern, the black Shrykes of Imbix Hoth's bodyguard, Mother Muleclaw, Sister Slashtalon and the unusually benovolent Mother Bluegizzard of the New Bloodoak Tavern.
- Silver-backed quarm - A larger, more aggressive variety of quarm. They travel in large groups of "troops", similarly to gorillas.
- Skullpelt - Illusionistic predator, resembling a leather-bound skull wrapped in blue fur. Takes the form of something its prey will find appealing in the lullabee groves, to trick and kill. Thaw Daggerslash uses the skull of a skullpelt as mask when posing as Turbot Smeal in Clash of the Sky Galleons.
- Skulltrog - An extremely primitive race of trog that hunts in packs and shows no sign of verbal communication whatsoever. Huge, muscular creatures, they attack their soon-to-be-prey with force alone. They attacked Rook during his journey to the Free Glades in "The Last of the Sky Pirates" but then ran away when the Snickets came, but all were eaten by them anyway.
- Slaughterer - Deepwoods creatures, these bipedal humanoids are solitary, and they have bright red skin and spiky scarlet hair. Slaughterers originated in large, family oriented tribes in the Deepwoods, but are also seen in large communities like Undertown and the Freeglades. Their most identifying trait (the red coloring of their skin and hair) is not caused by, as suggested by other Deepwoods cultures, the blood of the animals whose meat and pelt they trade, but from the red smoke of the specific wood that they burn in their tanning and group fires. Over the centuries, as it is said in 'Beyond the Deepwoods,' it stained their skin and hair.
- Slime mole - A (possibly) blind burrowing creature that is usually found around milchgrub colonies, who excrete a slime called "mole glue" from slime sacs on the sides of their bellies. This is used as a varnish for librarian knights sumpwood skycrafts, giving it the ability to hover. Their skin, like spindlebugs and milchgrubs, is entirely transparent. They have two small legs on the front of their large, slug-like body, probably used for burrowing in their natural habitats. Their mouth consists of a tube-like protuberance on the front of the body, ringed by a multitude of eyes.
- Snicket - Named by Rook Barkwater. Possibly a relative of the ratbird. They have long pointed noses and stubby triangular wings, and are completely black. Like ratbirds, they fly in flocks; however, unlike the scavenger ratbirds, snickets appear to be hunters. In Last of the Sky Pirates they stripped a trog straight down to the bone in a few moments and later on completely devoured a logworm from the inside.
- Spiderbat - A creature mentioned in Freeglader
- Spindlebug - Spindlebugs resemble insects, but are enormous and wholly transparent, giving them the nickname "Old Glass-legs". They tend the Milchgrubs, raising food for gyle goblin colonies, which operate like ant colonies on a larger scale. Spindlebugs live for centuries and are very devoted to their work. One spindlebug is known to have worked for Linius Pallitax, the sometime ruler of Scantaphrax; Tweezel, a cunning strategist who runs errands, calls people early for their appointments (by making them believe they are late) and looks after the family. It is he who rescues Linius while Quint is distracted by the Gloamglozer. He eventually ends up in the Free Glades.
- Stormhornet - A large, wasp-like creature that lives on lakes, rarely seen apart from when a storm is due. A stormhornet gave inspiration to Rook Barkwater in Last of the Sky Pirates, and he fashioned his skycraft in the likes of it.
T
- Termagant trog - Females of a race of humanoids dwelling underground. They are rather attractive to fourthlings when young. Trogs of both sexes dwell in paper houses, called trogcombs, clad in garments of a lighter paper. Males are largely unseen and small, thought by the females to be pathetic and sickly; females are looked after by their indulgent and protective mothers. A young trog may keep a pet during this time. When the female trogs reach a certain age, they drink blood drawn from the roots of the carnivorous tree known as the Bloodoak, which causes their strength and size to increase. In addition, the drinker's hair follicles cease to function and her desires become extremely violent, hence the name "termagant", meaning "a harsh-tempered or overbearing woman". If the Bloodoak does not have blood for the trog on the appointed day, she is considered an outcast by her race. This is what happened to Maugin.
- Tilder - Like the Hammelhorn, the Tilder is a domesticated herd animal, with curling horns, a speckled hide, a bony upper lip, and size comparable to that of a deer, although they are used similarly to goats, sheep and pigs. They are herbivorous and can often be found by water. The horns of the tilder could be made into trumpet-like instruments called tilderhorns, and the hair of tilder are used for purposes similar to that of wool.
- Tufted goblin - A variation of goblin from the Goblin Nations. Captain Dengreeve Yellowtusk of the Sanctaphrax Knights Academy is a tufted goblin. Huge goblins that are fiercely warlike, usually with a large tuft of hair on the tips of their ears. The most common varieties are snag-toothed, saw-toothed, or underbiter.
- Tree goblin - Mentioned as being part of the great goblin army. Just another type of goblin that have long, drooping noses and long fingers. They are also known for their use of giant fromps. Arboretum Sicklebough, the Hall Master of Storm Cloud at the Knights Academy was a tree goblin.
- Tusked goblin - A goblin race with long, almost feline faces and heads. Two tusks protrude from their mouths, situated at the very bottom of their heads. They have small ears at the tops of their heads. Tusked goblins play a significant role in the Goblin Nations during the Second Age of Flight. Rootrott Underbiter of the Goblin Nations is a tusked goblin.
V
- Vulpoon - A scraggly bird with a sharp beak, similar to a toucan, but with a more vicious beak and huge talons. In Freeglader, the leader of the Sky Pirates takes his name from this creature.
W
- Waifs - A species with many sub-species, but most of these share the same characteristics. Recognisable for their bulbous heads and prominent ears. Most varieties of waif live in the Nightwoods, and have evolved exceptional hearing to combat the intense darkness of their habitats. Their most notable ability is their telepathy, which most characters believe to be associated with their hearing ( waifs hear anything, said or un-said.), but this doesn't explain the other telepathic abilities occasionally seen in the narrative. For example, the carnivorous waifs of the Nightwoods tried to lure away characters in Midnight Over Sanctaphrax by whispering to them in their heads. Also, many other waifs as far back as The Clash of the Sky Galleons seem to possess the ability to whisper into other people's heads, most notably Woodfish, a waterwaif Twig found in Stormchaser, who could project words and read minds as far away as the distance between the centre of the Deepwoods and Undertown. This example of telepathic communication cannot be explained by very good hearing. Nor can it explain the waif character Amberfuce's ability to erase a character's mind in Vox. On the other hand, the waif character Forficule seemingly loses his ability to read thoughts when his ears are chopped off in Stormchaser. Maybe some abilities can be attributed to very good hearing, whilst others can be attributed to another factor. some speicies of waifs are nightwaifs, greywaifs, flitterwaifs, and waterwaifs.
- Watershrimp - Similar to shrimps or prawns, and found in freshwater bodies in the Deepwoods.
- Waterwaif - Related to the other waifs, but lives nearer water. They have large ears like most waifs, long fingers with webbed skin and feet with the same. They also have several barbels on their face, and are greenish-colored. The most known waterwaif is Woodfish. Some waif species are waterwaifs, greywaifs, ghostwaifs, barkwaifs, nightwaifs, copperwaifs, flitterwaifs, bloodwaifs, and leechwaifs.
- Web-foot goblin - Reptilian goblins that are similar in appearance to gnokgoblins. Live near water, are good fishers and have webbed feet. In Freegladers there are being rounded up to join the great goblin army.
- Weezits - These long armed, sharp fanged creatures dart from tree to tree hunting wind- welks and cray-spinners
- Whitecollar woodwolf- A particularly savage species of wolf, trained by civilized people as hunting aides. Frequently used by Deepwoods slavers.
- White goblin - A species of goblin that inhabits some of the Trog ravines. They are almost blind due to the perpetual darkness of the ravines, so they used long tendils on their heads to sense objects or prey. In one of the edge chronicles Keris and her company of web-foot goblins are attacked by these vile creatures, and narrowly escape with their lives.
- White raven - A species of bird, white as the Mire in which it lives. White ravens are vicious, and yet are scavengers of carrion. They will descend upon prey as soon as its heart stops beating, as suggested in Stormchaser. They will eat food as a pack and will not easily be scared away. They are frequently found in the Stone Gardens.
- Wig-wig - A notoriously vicious creature in the deepwoods, usually found near densely populated places, such as the great Shryke market. They lack legs or any other appendages, resembling small wigs with eyes. They are orange and fluffy, very cute to an unexperienced eye. They soon show their dark side when they practically split in half to resemble a bear trap, and clamp their fearsome jaws upon their unlucky victim. Often mighty and noble banderbears fall victim to their feeding frenzies. Wig-wigs are very dangerous creatures, due to their tactic of overwhelming prey through sheer numbers. In Freeglader, one banderbear speaks of them as his only fear. The banderbear in Beyond the Deepwoods, protecting Twig, gave himself to the Wig-Wigs to save Twig.
- Wind-welk - small creatures which live in the Deepwoods and are preyed upon by weezits. *Woodant - A species of ant-like insects that become very agitated and disoriented when disturbed.
- Woodbear - In Midnight Over Sanctaphrax, the main characters come across many different animals in the Great Shryke Slave Market: ...dying hollowed trees with bars at the gaping holes, forming cages to woodbears. ..
- Woodbee - Like normal bees except that they send out one bee to find the flowers, and when it comes back, it does flying acrobatics to tell the others where the nectar is.
- Woodgoat - A goat-like mammal found in the Deepwoods. Its name is used as a derogatory term.
- Woodgoose - A goose-like bird found around the Great Lakes in the Deepwoods
- Woodhog - A boar-like animal found in the Deepwoods.
- Woodmidge - Small insects found in the Deepwoods, that are very annoying due to the fact that it swarms and bites passing peoples and animals.
- Woodmoth - A butterfly or mothlike creature, beautiful and harmless. This is the animal that Rook's companion chose to write a treatise on.
- Woodspider - A spider-like arachnid found in the Deepwoods that spins a very fine silk in very intricate patterns.
- Woodtroll - Woodtrolls are short and stocky creatures, made even shorter by their hunched postures. They have large feet with wide heels and stubby toes. Their faces are framed by bushy eyebrows (in fact, their whole bodies are very hairy) and feature rubbery button noses. Woodtrolls are well known for their affinity with wood; most individuals are either tree fellers or carpenters. They pass down knowledge of the properties of different timbers from generation to generation. Most Woodtrolls have an instinctive fear of the unknown and are a very ritualistic tribe, with many ceremonies for different occasions. Notable is Wodgiss Night, a time of feasting. In Clash of the Sky Galleons, Wind Jackal enlists some Woodtrolls in order to get hold of some Bloodoak timber. Quint is forced to leave his son Twig in a woodtroll village
- Woodowl - Like normal owls, except that when they are about to go hunting, they meet very noisily and decide how and where to hunt.
- Wood-python - A large snake found in the Deepwoods that swallows its prey of small animals whole and presumably kills its prey by squeezing it.
- Woodwaif - A race of waif with extremely large, diaphanous ears and small, protruding eyes. They also have extremely long fingers, and originated in the Deepwoods.
- Wood-wasp - Large, hornet-like insects that live in the Deepwoods and give huge, painful welts when they sting. If their eggs somehow enter an animal's body, the larvae will hatch and sting their way out, killing their host from the inside. They are used by Vilnix Pompolnius to murder Hax Vostillix in "The Winter Knights" by disguising their eggs as sugared delberry bonbons.
- Wood-wolf - Freaky looking wolf. Also known as the "White Wolf".
Evolution on the Edge
Evolution on the Edge happens at a much faster pace than on Earth. The half-formed mutants of Clash of the Sky Galleons have adapted very quickly to their sky-wreck environment. Of course, they are just overgrown sky-vermin. Sky-vermin are (from the looks of the Clash of the Sky Galleons) very adaptive creatures.
The high evolution rate could be explained by the existence of "Glisters", small seed-like objects that blow in from the open sky. When they encounter Riverrise, the source of the Edgewater, they somehow mutate into animals and plants of many forms.
Alternatively, these animals may already have existed, but were practically unknown and simply moved into a vacant niche.
See also
- Plants of the Edge Chronicles
References
External links
| ||||||||||||||||||||||