The Yavmir Bestiary is an ongoing project, where Michael and Radiostorm brainstorm ideas for a slavic-themed fantasy setting. More information can be found at the WoR Wiki.
During the Sundering that ended the Radiant Age of man, the flowing waterways of Yavmir were tossed into disarray. Many rivers, ponds, and lakes became isolated from each other, creating stagnant basins of fetid water. These blighted waters mingled with corrupted magical energies to create a variety of unusual and often dangerous creatures, one of which is the gruesome Bukavac.
Bukavac are large amphibious creatures, resembling giant toads with six, long, spider-like legs. Small, beady eyes rest atop their head, just below a set of enormous gnarled horns. Their large mouths are lined with rows of short sharp teeth, used for grinding animal and plant matter into a fine paste.
Bukavac are infamous for two horrible attributes: their terrible bellow (said to be able to deafen, stun, or render a man unconscious in a matter of seconds), and their stealth. Patient predators, Bukavac will often conceal themselves underwater for hours at a time, waiting for prey to wander by. Once an appropriate meal approaches the Bukavac will strike: leaping out of the water, letting loose a mighty bellow, then goring and biting their victim to death.
Those who travel the wilds of Yavmir are quickly taught to avoid and fear the still, stagnant waters of the sundered lands, for one never knows if their is a Bukavac lurking within.
Illustration Credit: Justin Devine, Sticks, Stones, & Herringbones
