lorekaijubestiary

Ash Walkers

You see Ash Walker — kind of like one of those creatures out in the wastelands that survive in spite of the Ruined wandering about. They are very good at camouflaging themselves. And aside from worrying about those massive Kaiju ass motherfuckers, these are also very problematic. You've seen them move at blazing speeds and devour people pretty easily.

Overview

Ash Walkers are one of the smaller categories of Ruined — predators native to the wastelands beyond the walls of Caligo. They are reptilian, roughly horse-sized but flatter, low to the ground. Their hide is the color of wet bark and dead grass, with scales arranged in a pattern that allows them to disappear against most outer-ring foliage at a distance of more than twenty feet.

They are signed for. The Regime posts warnings near the outermost wall:

Watch for predatory wastes-creatures that may enter through sewage grates and river outlets.

The signs are typically faded. Most citizens of the outer ring never see one. The party, in Session 01, saw two.

Behavior

  • Ambush. They lie still in cover until a target is close, then strike at speed. They do not chase prey across open ground if they can help it.
  • Hunting pairs. They appear to coordinate. The party was attacked by one from the north and one from the south, in a maneuver that — coincidentally or not — flanked their formation.
  • Tongue grapple. Long, prehensile, barbed. The barbs hook into flesh and the tongue retracts with surprising force. The party's first read on the tongue is that it is designed to pull prey into cover rather than to wound at range.
  • Bite-on-half-HP. When wounded badly enough, they reflexively attempt a bite. The party observed this on the northern Ash Walker after EMBR's hammer landed.

Anatomy

  • Eyes. Reptilian, side-set, reflective in any light source. Slit pupils.
  • Tongue. Long, barbed, retractable. Coiled inside the jaw when at rest.
  • Hide. Tough but breakable. EMBR's war hammer caved in a flank in two strikes.
  • Stomach contents. One of the two Ash Walkers killed in Session 01 contained a substantial quantity of human hair when Jorath cut it open. The implication — that Ash Walkers eat people in the wastelands — is consistent with what is officially known about wastelands creatures. The party did not discuss who, specifically, this Ash Walker had eaten before tonight.

How They Get Through the Walls

Per the Garrison's own warning signs, through:

  • Sewage grates
  • River outlets
  • Small points of egress where structural integrity has been compromised

This implies a population of them in the wastelands large enough that occasional individuals find these breaches. Whether the Garrison has a strategy for sealing these breaches beyond posting signs is unclear.

Encountered

  • Session 01 — Two Ash Walkers ambushed the party on the road between Wickward and Heron. Both were killed.

Status

Active in the wastelands. Active, occasionally, between cantons. Posted-about. Under-discussed.