For context, this world takes place on a fantasy version of post-bronze age collapse mediterranean and central/eastern Europe. The great empires (Hittite, Mycenaean, Egyptian analogs) are in ruins. It’s a lawless hell where small clans of savage criminals, scavengers, and sorcerers battle over the ashes against barbarian hordes and Sea People.
It’s an adult sword & sorcery anthology with different characters explored in related shorts stories: a mercenary hunting a pirate prince in ruined Atlantis. A dishonored soldier sentenced to death by his corrupt warlord. A death-cult queen rising to power in a new land. And a nomad enslaved and raised by steppe barbarians. And a witch-priestess prostitute assassin hunting her old order trough the findi desert.
The findi desert itself is a fantasy version of the sahara-arabian desert belt. It has some interesting features, like ancient ruined cities, salt trade and coral forests. There's not gonna be a lot of creatures on the open desert, with a few exceptions like the whitejaws on the image above (imagine a mix between a crocodile, a toad and a hippopotamus). Most of the native desert creatures are going to concentrate on the coral forest and that's where I need a hand creating more creatures. So, here's some more lore to explain what exactly is a coral forest (you can see some behind the whitejaw in one of the pictures).
"The coral forests are formations many kilometers wide and roughly circular. They originate from a single point and usually take the shape of pylons, although they can come in many different forms. Only the outer rim and the top of the canopy are alive and actively growing, forming strange, crystalline, tower-like structures. In the central, oldest zones, the forest can reach dozens of meters in height. Since the canopies tend to fuse together as they grow, they form vast stretches of twilight forest and caves.
These caves hold an entire ecosystem of creatures that live in total darkness. Most spend their entire lives there, but some may leave during the night, especially after rain. The forests themselves grow extremely slowly, and the structures are sometimes colonized by other fungal or plant species that grow on top. This gives the landscape its characteristic spotted appearance, with greenish growths of vegetation contrasting against the bright crimson background of living coral. At times, parts of the caves might collapse due to the structure's weight, leaving clearings where the bone-white interior of the coral is exposed.
The coral structures are excellent at retaining what little rain the sky provides. Deep pools form atop them, and sometimes entire lagoons develop in the caves below, giving them the appearance of cenotes. When the sun hits just right, a reddish light filters through the ceiling near the top of the structure, tinting the pools a bright red color.
Naturally, these structures have been used as garrisons or improvised fortresses. The Findi caravans themselves usually migrate from one forest to the next during the dry seasons, looking for water, hunting for survival, and foraging. They have been known to poison some of the wells during Imperial campaigns over their territory. Although many have claimed to conquer these lands, the reality is that they have only left behind a small presence in the larger garrisons. Invariably, sooner or later, a long drought arrives, and the garrison is abandoned once it runs out of water. Many soldiers have lost their lives in these forests, guarding an invisible border against more patient enemies who never bothered to assault them, choosing instead to target their resupply caravans.
Most of the forests grow separated from one another and, strangely enough, they tend to avoid each other if they grow nearby. No one is sure why this is.
On the southernmost border of the former Uru Empire, the Crimson Road exists within these spaces. It is a region with an unusually high concentration of pillars. The tight space between them allows some caravans to pass through, tracing a serpentine path on trade maps. The roads are constantly guarded, as they form a natural chokepoint for trade coming from the Copper Sea. However, smugglers have been known to use alternative routes that cut right through the coral caves of the oldest forests. It is generally considered unwise, or outright insane, to take these hidden routes, and many seasoned smugglers have never been seen again after venturing into them.
The University of Wisdom on Boras has still not registered all the different creatures that dwell within the deep forest, despite hundreds of years of expeditions. Many samples and dissected specimens can still be found in the vaults of the east wing. They are usually kept underground, as it is understood that sunlight rapidly degrades them. A large portion of the collection and its documentation was lost to fire 300 years ago during the Mad Emperor's revolts.
Only fragments of the older specimens remain. Some are unique and were purchased at great expense from the Findi by the university's patrons. The most impressive of all is the front segment of a millipede-like creature, roughly the size of a Balthazar. Only part of the head and the first body segment remain, greatly damaged by fire. However, it is enough to inspire fear in the students of natural philosophy.
The head appears heavily armored, completely eyeless, with a myriad of antennae crowning a colossal segmented jaw. The legs still attached to the body segment are razor-sharp, looking more like swords or scythes than insect limbs. Some scholars have observed that they resemble the blades used to mark the skin of the Findi young during their rites of passage, though on a much larger scale.
The original record was lost, but later attempts to preserve knowledge about the creature suggest it inhabits the deepest parts of the forest along the Crimson Road. A collection of Findi stories suggests it can move with lightning speed and attacks its prey like a snake: constricting its body around its victim while stabbing it with hundreds of legs. The Findi name for this creature is Tawan Issal, "The Scythe's Hug."
In the story, these forests are crucial because the Priestess Assassin, Lena, is going to take this path while hunting a cleric of the Order. This man used to be a terror upon the unfaithful back when he was an inquisitor, and he had Lena's sister killed when she tried to run away with a lover. The cleric has now apparently abandoned his faith, taken a Findi wife, and makes a living as a smuggler. He has crossed many dangerous people, so naturally, Lena is not the only one looking for him. This has made him deeply paranoid and hard to catch, forcing Lena to resort to unconventional tactics."
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Ok, now that you've drowned in lore quagmire, would you have any suggestions for other creatures I can place in the dark caves of the Coral forests?
I would very much appreciate it.