Deep within the Jutland rainforests of Southern Tourian lay a number of volcanic vents, rifts and mountains. These craggy black edifices have produced a number of unique native animals and plants over millenia of evolution and development, not least of all because of the naturally magical quality of Teriss as a whole. From small, rock-crawling Ashcrabs to long-legged mountainside climbing Gyroptids, the dark peaks and steaming rents are all but hidden by the massive overgrowth of the Jutlands. One of the only signs of being near them (before stumbling into the scorched, denuded lands around one of the peaks) is the sound of clattering armor plates and bellowing often heard in the presence of one of the natural predators found in these unique environs: The Kut'ah.

A form of highly aggressive Wyvern, the Kut'ah is found exclusively near the volcanic lands of the Jutlands, particularly the extreme south and east. Larger than your average Wyvern at over thirty-five feet in length and a solid ten in height on average, the Kut'ah is best described as an engine of destruction. Armored scales that can turn away arrows, the ability to store and expel molten fluid in a hidden throat sack, and a venomous tail capable of cleaving through flesh and bone with remarkable ease all make the beasts incredibly dangerous.

Rarely seen in the open jungle, the Kut'ah sometimes wander beyond their volcanic valleys and mountain homes to look for food, or to follow lost young. Very rarely they are captured, either by the Ash Troll clans that live close to, and in, the region, or more rarely they are taken by big game hunters to sell as war-beasts and ferocious arena animals. They can fly for a limited distance, but are much more likely to pounce and crush prey under their taloned feet before putting their wicked beaks and sharp teeth to work.

When the beasts do wander beyond their ash-strewn homes they frequently end up repelled by the efforts of the Jutland Trolls who dwell in the forest, or outright killed to protect the population. Kut'ah are not entirely uncommon in their own territory, and are considered more akin to a common predator than anything spectacular. Their greatest natural predator is another beast that shares their hot, smoky lands, a crustacean known as the Rok'thal, that is capable of capturing and killing the Wyverns if they stumble into its lair unprepared.

Art by  Lustbubbles as part of my Teriss Bestiary.