Monster Encyclopedia: Hamis

The hamis often looks quite… nice. Soft, even. They are shapeshifters and disguise themselves as innocent, non-combative creatures. Hamis have been seen in the shape of birds, sheep, cats, and less harmless gargs. They then ingratiate themselves into a flock or group, and shift into the more powerful, deadly version of themselves to feast. In this form, they are incredibly difficult to kill. They have a solid exterior skin that functions as armor, a long snout, and vicious teeth.

Their favorite method is to sneak into an enclosed area where their prey can’t escape, or have difficulty doing so, and then kill and consume everything they can reach. They can go long periods of time without eating, and then they glut.

If you encounter one, your best bet is to kill it when in its disguise form. They’re still tougher to kill than your average sheep or bird, but its much easier to take care of than when they’ve shifted back into their teeth and armored form.

Recommendation: avoid. If you can’t avoid, aim for the throat.

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Monster Encyclopedia: Gota

This unfortunate creature’s main skill is hiding. It’s second primary skill is absorbing. A gota looks like a large, blobular lump of jello, with tentacles that it can use to grab. It frequently hangs out in tall grasses, intending to trap its meat. If a deer or cow or human accidentally steps into the gel, it sticks. It begins to numb and then slowly suck the prey in.

Its organs float inside, giving it an odd appearance. They are slow moving, but can be difficult to escape from once they’ve latched onto you. In addition, swords, arrows, etc. don’t work well, as they just absorb the weapons. Weapons only work if they hit a key organ, like the brain.

These gargs are disturbing to look at and a bit gross, really. If they are good for anything, no one has figured it out yet. Food, definitely not. Weapons—not as far as anyone can tell. Because the gel causes a numbing sensation, some have suggested that it might have be useful as an anesthetic, but no one has quite figure it out yet.

Recommendation: watch your step!

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Monster Encyclopedia: Nincs

Like a small, fast combination of a horse and a muskrat, this creature has its uses. Its hair is tough, wiry, and just flexible enough to make a perfect option for bowstrings. While definitely wild and opinionated, these creatures can be domesticated—sort of like how bees can be domesticated. They prefer to live in the woods, dig dens under trees and fallen logs, and eat bugs and worms.

They live in families of up to twenty. They can sometimes be found in cooperative relationships with other gargs. They don’t only eat bugs that live in dead logs and dirt, but also bugs that attach themselves to other creatures—like ticks and other parasites. If they feel threatened, they will attack with vicious intensity, and release a hormone that will alert all the other nincs within the vicinity to attack as well. If that happens, I suggest you run.

They have a long mane, two horns, a long tail, and two sharp teeth. Their coloring can vary, but they tend to be shades of brown and black. Sometimes they can have shades of bluish and greenish, too.

Recommendation: don’t bother them and they won’t bother you.

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A Special Update for Rutherford Fans

For all the Rutherford Fans out there, you probably haven’t noticed that I haven’t been doing as much with him lately. And that’s true. I’ve been much more focused on my science fiction projects, and truth be told, for the most part, that is where I am shifting my energies.

That said, I’ve embarked on a new Rutherford-specific project! While there probably won’t be many more Rutherford books, I have decided to turn them into videos to make them as accessible to as many people as possible. They will also be turning into e-books soon, and available on all e-book platforms.

In the meantime, please enjoy the first first video reading of Rutherford the Unicorn Sheep Goes To The Beach .

Monster Encyclopedia: Musker

Meet the musker! Small and pest-like, muskers are known to infest a variety of places, including farms, cities, and anywhere people live. They will eat anything and prefer to inhabit warm, damp places. They have very sharp teeth, and any number of tentacles, as well as a neck frill that can make them seem much larger than they are.

Muskers tend to live in families of anywhere from three to a lot. So if you encounter one, be on alert—there are probably more nearby. That said, they are unlikely to attack creatures larger than they, so as long as the musker you’re facing is smaller than you, it’ll probably run.

Recommendation: always check behind the boiler, and carry a knife.

This monster appears in Book 3: Lamplighters Society. Stay tuned for a release date!

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