Fleshflayer
A large, bulbous, grey beast with massive claws and a penchant for skinning prey. Fleshflayers were savage predators that remained within Fleshflayers' Swamp east of Mount Moses. Evidence of their existence was more common than actual sightings of such creatures. This was partly attributed to the creatures’ hunting habits... flaying.
Anatomy #
Claws #
Fleshflayers hunted by submerging themselves fully in mud and ambushing creatures hapless enough to pass by. They used their long, deadly claws to incapacitate their prey before dragging it back to its cavernous lair.
Eyes #
Fleshflayers had 3-pupiled polycoric eyes, granting them poor eyesight but a wide field of view.
Jaws #
Other features include a high number of small, sharp teeth in their jaws, as well as a forked tongue. They would also extend their heads forward for feeding, or to bite down on struggling prey to hold them in place while its claws went to work.
Flaying Behaviour #
The beasts were most notorious for the way they skinned their prey alive before eating them. Often times massive piles of animal (and sometimes human, dun or naga) skins were found in and around fleshflayers’ caves.
Fleshflayer Lairs #
A fleshflayer created its cave by sculpting mud, sticks, and other debris into a large structure usually situated against another piece of elevated ground. Fleshflayers used their lairs as territorial markers, filling them with piles of flayed skin. They were rarely used for habitation, with fleshflayers typically resting in the same spots that the would hunt in.