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Donyung Mapa

A large, predatory amphibian that stalked the Sangmyung Valley during the cool of night. The donyung mapa was a legendary apex predator that hunted down lone travelers with its high intellect and magical abilities.

Easily recognizable by its glistening green skin and purple fish-like fins on its back, the donyung mapa was powerful enough to put even the highly trained Nakai on edge.

Biology #

Anatomy #

The donyung mapa was often mistaken as a wolf, since it bore a striking resemblance to a canine in terms of facial features, body structure and even tail. Of course, once in close proximity it was easy to tell that it wasn't a mammal at all. The donyung mapa had two eyes, two pairs of limbs, a 2 to 3 foot long tail, and a fish-like fin on its back. It was endoskeletal, and its skin was soft and moist like that of a frog's.

They lack ears or ear holes, instead relying on a different skin-linked method of "hearing". A set of external gills extends from behind their head and down their neck, imitating the mane of a wolf.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities #

Their eyes were perfectly average, seeing in about the same spectrum as humans did. They had no special ability to see in dimmer environments, but could magically project lights from their eyes to help see. This also helped them stun prey like deer.

Because of its lack of spectuacular night vision, the monster relied on an incredible sense of hearing. A donyung mapa's skin acted like a 360 degree eardrum, detecting sounds coming from all directions at once. With this they could precisely pinpoint the location of anything around them regardless of light level. And its range was quite exceptional; a mature donyung mapa could hear sounds from over 4 kilometers away with great clarity.

Arcane Traits #

Donyung mapa had the unique ability to project an energy copy of themselves. This doppelganger manifested using magical power and allowed the predator to corner prey, attack from a distance, or ambush from behind. Donyung mapa didn't hunt in packs, instead relying on its magic to create its ephemeral "pack-mate". This ability was extremely versatile, and when combined with the incredible problem-solving skills of the donyung mapa, made the creature truly terrifying.

The fish-like fin on the monster's back acted as a sort of projector for this magical image. Damage to the fin could cripple the monster's magical abilities.

Genetics and Reproduction #

Like other amphibians, the donyung mapa was born from an egg submerged in water. The eggs were often fixed to the underside of logs or other waterlogged debris for protection. Donyung mapa laid eggs that were much larger than most amphibians, and the resulting tadpoles were large and strong enough to lift the logs off of themselves in order to swim free. The tadpoles hatched from the eggs about 3 days after being laid.

From an early age, donyung mapa required meat to eat. Tadpoles were born ready to hunt, preying on anything smaller than itself (insects, small fish, etc). It took 36 weeks for the tadpole to develop enough to finally hunt on land--strong enough legs and working lungs were all needed to begin a successful career of stalking the Sangmyung. It was also at this time that donyung mapa became sexually mature.

Growth Rate & Stages #

It took an average of 36 weeks for a donyung mapa tadpole to turn into a fully grown, fearsome predator.

Dietary Needs and Habits #

These fearsome predators only needed to eat about once every 3-4 nights, depending on the size of prey. Their magical powers allowed them to hunt things larger than them, like trolls without fear. They were infamous for snagging sluggdon livestock and late-night travelers.

Biological Cycle #

During the day, donyung mapa would slink into rivers or ponds to keep cool. If it rained they could stay active for longer during the daytime. The cooler temperatures and darkness at night allowed donyung mapa to hunt prey without drying out.

Ecology and Habitats #

Donyung mapa required relatively wet environment to avoid drying out. The Sangmyung Valley was an excellent spot for them because of the plentiful amounts of trees for shade and bodies of water. It rained often enough to help them keep cool and moist as well.

Geographic Origin and Distribution #

The donyung mapa was almost completely exclusive to the Sangmyung Valley, where conditions were the most ideal for them there. Donyung mapa could potentially thrive in the Tuku Jungle, but the queen hunter outcompeted the amphibious predator massively.

Intelligence #

One of the most terrible aspects of this beast was not its magic, but its mind. Donyung mapa were cunning, cruel creatures, emerging from the water every night to hunt, even if it wasn't hungry. It would hunt for sport, taking pleasure in the maiming and mutilation of whatever it could run down in the darkness.

The violent tendencies of the creature were far from mindless. They were more than capable of picking their battles, actively avoiding animals or groups of humanoids that it deemed too risky to take down without sustaining major injury.

They would relish in the fear that they could induce, often times just sitting and staring at prey-worthy creatures to scare them.

Lifespan 4 years Average Height 1 m Average Weight 80 kg Average Length 2 m Geographic Distribution Songkram Valley