A Scaled Menace

Mud Monsters
Creature Type: Beast, Lizard
Size: Four feet long
Weight: Estimated 120-160 pounds

  Author Note. My first specimen was badly damaged. Discarded majority of notes. Current are dictated from bodies brought by expedition, 14-8th, 5,331 DA.   The expedition consisted of myself and four others: Kylen Byran, Da’aver, Natethaniel, and Michell’rella, all hired from Tao. The discovery was made in the lower flats near the Caresh River. This was the largest den of mud monsters reported in the region. We used a poisoned horse as bait.   When the bait was attacked, so were we. I will dedicate more time to analyzing their attack patterns in the future, as it was our first time seeing so many gathered in one place. If these creatures hunt this effectively in packs, I suspect there must be a leader. Likely one of those that escaped.   I was bitten, with my right leg suffering immediate necrosis. The medic claims it may never fully heal. Kylen Byran was dragged underground and is presumed dead. The remainder of the expedition report was completed by Natethaniel.   Natethaniel’s Notes. The rescue team recovered bodies and eggs from the den. There were signs that the creatures had moved on. Wyvern poison was found to be effective.   Field Research
I have procured eleven samples for examination.   Adult mud monsters average four feet in length and 152 pounds. While reports speak of them reaching saddle-height, these samples do not support such claims.   The eggshells are durable, roughly the thickness of shale. Born with brown scales turning grey as they mature. By adulthood, coloration lightens, with a yellow underbelly and faded top skin. A slight greasy excretion coats their legs and tail.   We have considered mud monsters as the preeminent burrowers since their discovery. For good reason. At birth, they have broad, paddle-like feet designed to move large quantities of soil.   Author Note. I was surprised by the structure of their claws, which accumulate embedded stones over their lives. The young do not share this quality and shed at some unknown transition period.   Bodies have no particular scent, but the mouth smells of rot. It is difficult to examine properly, for even in death their diseased maw carries danger. The tongue measures two feet, and I suspect it is extremely prehensile. Upper and lower jaw both feature a row of vile fangs of varying sizes, making them one of the few known living creatures to regrow teeth as they age.   Mud monsters feed exclusively on fresh meat when given the opportunity. They can consume twice their body weight in a single feeding before lying dormant underground. Unless starving, they exhibit infinite patience for food, using clever traps, leaving behind carrion, and feeding on the feeders. I no longer believe they are territorial after observing them abandon their den. Their pack function and intelligence remind me of savannah cats.