Megamoth

Full Description

The Megamoth is one of largest land-dwelling creatures living on the world of Neyathis, a relative of the elephant, but very much larger. Average adults reach nearly 30' at the shoulder. Tusks are similarly immense, reaching nearly 40' from the beast's huge skull.

The Megamoth appears very much like a wooly mammoth, differing primarily in its vast size. Like the mammoth, it bears a heavy coat of hair to help protect it from the cold, and beneath that a fatty layer of blubber more then a foot thick.

Additional Information

Those few who have researched the Megamoth have determined that these beasts are not wholly natural in nature. They do not seem to require as much food as something their size would consume, and upon death, their bones and other body parts are quite easy to animate, evidenced by the number of Megamothoids constructed by the native tribes.

There has been signs that the entire continent of Sagaris is permeated by an unusual magic field of unknown origin, and that various life forms have adapted to draw upon it.

Combat

The Megamoth is immensely strong, and will defend itself with trunk, tusk and foot, all of which are large and powerful enough to kill most creatures with a single strike.
Structures not constructed of massive stone are easily smashed asunder or crushed. Megamoth herds will aggressively defend themselves, even against small threats. The males will rush any threat while the females stay with the young. The one failing they have is poor vision and relatively slow reaction time.

Campaign Use

Primarily a cold region creature, its usage is somewhat limited. However, if adventurers do trek into distant, frigid lands, these creatures are at least interesting scenery. If the adventurers attempt to hunt these vast beasts, perhaps for their immense tusks, they will find them quite a handful.

Habitat

Like most other inhabitants of Sagaris, the Megamoth lives primarily in the vast ring of tundra that encircles the continent from sea edge to 200 miles inland. Further inland is a vast glacial ice sheet which reaches up to two miles in depth at the southern pole. The megamoth's are migratory, moving in an endless circle about the pole, always looking for fresh grazing.

Though no attempt has been made to capture and bring back a Megamoth to more northerly climes, it is expected that they would not be able to tolerate warmth for very long.

Diet

The Megamoth eats primarily the abundant lichen and moss which blanket the tundra, as well as any other plant matter they encounter, including wood. Some local native accounts have indicated that the beasts will occasionally devour creatures very much smaller then themselves, including humans, though this has not been confirmed.

Society

The Megamoths are quite social and are almost never found singly. The herds are generally large - 20-30 individuals and are matriarchal. The males generally stay on the outer edge of the herd, quick to interpose themselves between any threat and the females and calves.

Reproduction

The megamoths do not have any form of pair-bonding - mating is somewhat chaotic, with Megamoth bulls contending for breeding rights. These battles are perhaps the most spectacular of the natural world, for the titanic beasts create deafening bellows punctuated by the clash of multi-ton tusks. Battles are usually not fatal, but injuries are quite common.

The gestational period for the Megamoth ranges 5 to 7 years, varying depending upon availability of food. The calve, when born, is fully mobile and nearly the size of an adult elephant, though lacking in any tusks.

The calf will generally stay with its mother for 20 years before becoming sexually mature.

Lifespan

Megamoths normally survive 200-300 years, with accidents being the leading cause of death. With the arrival of non-native humans with access to powerful magical armaments, the average age of these beasts may begin to diminish.

Predation

Nothing currently has been found to regularly hunt and kill these vast creatures, though Frost Owls will often attack them and tear away pieces of flesh and blubber. Usually they are successful, but occasionally a careless frost owl is caught with a truck and then stamped into mash by the Megamoth.