Common Threats and Foes

It didn’t take me long to realize that the thing that was going to get me killed on adventure wasn’t going to be a blade, or the fangs of some great beastie – it was having no idea what it was that I was fighting.

• Manicus Blockbreaker Ae Beastiary Borne of Ten Years Lost In the Wildes (1961 A.T.)

Although the world of Fantasy Alive is rife with wonders and things to explore, it is also a perilous one. Settlements that border on the wild spaces of the world will often find themselves the subject of interest of monsters and bandits alike. While not a comprehensive list, here are just a few of the threats and foes common to the world of Fantasy Alive that the average character may have heard of even before starting a career in professional adventuring.

Other Mortals

While there are laws and guards meant to keep the average person safe when traveling, bandits and highwaymen are no strangers to the roads of the Lakes Region. These robbers may be of any species (most commonly representing the local population) or walk of life, and when they ask for ‘your money or your life’, they sometimes won’t object to taking both. In Harodom, armed robbery on the King’s Highway is a capital offense, and in the less regulated areas of the Broken Reach, nobody will think twice if you have to use physical force to protect yourself.

Some servants of the gods or unscrupulous wizards may want your life for other unsavory purposes. Necromancers and servants of aggressive gods may also have an opinion about what to make of you – and you might not care for the answers.

Of course, when nations clash, soldiers are often to be found at the forefront of that clash. Professional armsmen and scouts may test the borders of a nation, and mercenary forces will often sell their services to the highest bidder.

Wildlife and Animalkin

There are vast stretches of terrain between territories, and in those places, some of the wildlife might decide you’re valid prey. Animals of all descriptors dot the woodlands of the Lakes Region, some of whom may have been imbued with magic from their environment. Dire animals are like regular animals, but tend to be larger, more aggressive, and sometimes with unexpected additions to their natural weaponry. Legendary beasts are rare, but often will prove a terrible threat indeed.

Other beasts may include less familiar creatures. Gnolls are pack hunting hyena-like humanoids characterized by a high-pitched yipping noise and vocal mimicry, who will commonly assault travelers. Vrek are small bear-like creatures that scavenge and mostly eat plant life – but won’t hesitate to eat meat if the opportunity arises. Night Worms are blind white worms, resistant to most forms of injury, and content to feast upon the dead – or make them, as the case may be.

Giant insects may well deserve their own category; most famous are the giant spiders that populate the caves and ruins of the Lakes Region, but just as perilous are the monstrous scorpions, the hellipedes, and the carrion crawlers.

Giantkin

True giants are rare in the Lakes Region, but they have been spotted from time to time, often from a distance. Far more common to be found are giantkin – smaller than true giants, but distantly related through mechanisms too obscure to be certain.

Ogres are sapient giants, often with sallow skin and enormous frames. Although sapient and subject to reason, most ogres spurn the company of smaller beings, viewing them as lessers to push around at best, and snacks at worst. Ogre-magi are ogres that have studied arcane magic – although often better spoken than their more common kin, their imperious nature will often lead to them simply taking what they want from common ogres and lesser mortals alike.

Trolls are enormous green-skinned giantkin famous for their ability to recover from almost any injury. Functionally impervious to most forms of physical violence, scholars suggest that many trolls believe themselves to be immortal, beyond judgment or threat of reprisal. Many is the errant adventurer who has fallen prey to a troll, and ended up in the larder.

The Undead

Undead are the walking bodies or tormented souls of the living, re-animated by magic, some grave injustice, or a magically rich area. In the majority of cases, undead are compelled by an overwhelming hatred of the living. There are likely as many distinct subspecies of undead as there have been innovative necromancers, but a few are common enough that they are easily recognizable. Zombies are full shambling corpses, compelled by magic to walk even after death, with a hatred for the living, often wearing the tattered rags that were their clothes in life. Skeletons are often similar in gait, but their bare bones rattle as they walk, and they are more likely to be proficient in the use of weapons.

Ghouls are made when a tormented spirit is given a burning necrotic hunger, compelling them to use their filth-ridden claws to poison and afflict the living, killing them to better consume the too-recently dead flesh. Wraiths are spirits of the unquiet dead, often forming when a spirit refuses to move on, but cannot be resurrected or given peace. It is said that through some magic, they can be negotiated with, but this is a fraught prospect at best.

More powerful undead certainly exist, but are not commonly seen… by those who are in any position to later report their findings.

Infernals

Called forth from the Outside, often with magic, infernals are as varied in their motivations as any mortal, but will often seek to carve out their own area of domain, a small fiefdom where they (or their masters) are the dominant power. Sometimes called ‘demons’, infernals most often follow the god of fear and demons, Kazzok, but infernals in service to most other gods have been reported, as have infernals with no allegiance at all to any divine power. Although some are more brawn than brains, most infernals possess some innate magics.

Hellspawn is a generic catch-all term for shambling infernals called forth through the Curtain with magic, who clearly did not have the best of times with the journey. Rarely seen working any complex magics, hellspawn are very tough and will strike with great force. Imps are similarly low-powered infernals, sometimes called forth by magic users to advise on complex workings. Their innate charm makes their suggestions sound very sensible indeed – and one of their first suggestions is often the conjuration of more powerful infernals.

Manes are white, dog-like humanoids that are resistant to most normal weapons, and will serve as heavy hitters on a battlefield. The conjuration of a manes has turned some battles swiftly, with opposing forces unable to mount an effective defence or counter-attack. Perhaps more dangerous still are devils, powerful magic users in their own right, and well capable of calling forth additional forces to aid in their cause.

More powerful infernals have marked the history of the Lakes Region through their actions and presence, but reliable information about these beings is thin on the ground at best.

Other Creatures

Although those listed above are common enough in the Lakes Region, it is far from a comprehensive list, with some beings more common in some regions than others. These may include:

• Fairies, otherworldly beings of pure magic, who take a multitude of forms, seeking anything from domination to mischief, and who scorn the touch of steel.
• Elementals, spirits manifesting in forms created of the magical elements (most commonly fire, water, earth, air, and ice).
• Constructs, often taking the form of statues, animated with magic and given instructions to perform a task or guard an area.

As you undertake your own adventures, you will surely find no end of creatures, beings, and threats that would happily see your undoing. Be careful, be wise, and share what you learn with your fellows!

Authored by: Andrew Dunlop
Fantasy Alive Lore Team 2026
Copyright © Endless Adventures Ontario