Note: These are monsters that are not in vanilla RO, but are part of our setting. More to come!

Capirs

Species created by me; feel free to make your own!

Capirs are an unusually domesticated monster that seem to have no aggression towards humans or other monsters at all. These monsters have an affinity towards water and can usually be found near rivers, lakes, swamps, and sometimes even the ocean. They have an odd assortment of features that include a horn and at least one pair of small wings that are functionally useless. Most capirs also have at least one form of plant life growing on them, differing dependent upon where they live.

Due to their docile nature, capirs are extremely popular and beloved by all - seemingly even other monsters! Capirs can often be seen relaxing in the company of other passive monsters, such as porings, fabres, lunatics, and more. They don't seem to mind smaller monsters taking shelter underneath them - behavior that no other monsters have seen participating in. Capirs usually live out in the wild, but some populations have taken up in some villages and cities. They are seen as a sign of good luck and the safety of the area, since capirs are very sensitive to danger. In some cities, local capirs even receive special treatment - Amatsu in particular treats their capir population very well, going so far as to provide hot springs for the capirs to lounge in!

They are most common near swamps and other wooded areas with bodies of water.

Baobears

Closed species created by miya - find more information here on how to obtain one! https://www.deviantart.com/baobears

Baobears are very small hamster-sized monsters that look like dumplings! Baobears are most commonly found in the eastern islands, particularly Amatsu, though they can also be found in Gonryun, Louyang, and Ayothaya. Like capirs, baobears are an unusual, completely tame monster. They are commonly found in households, restaurants, and teashops in Amatsu, as they make for delightful little helpers! Usually. 

Baobears are pretty much universally loved and are a big part of the culture of the eastern islands, especially Amatsu. Many establishments have their own baobear mascots and they are coveted pets. However, baos can be a bit picky about who they want to live with - it has to be just the right person! For this reason, seeing baos outside of the islands is very rare, as most visitors do not spend enough time in the city to form a bond with a bao. Being chosen as a baobear's special person is seen as a high honor.

Some particularly special places in Amatsu even have little baobear populations to call their own! The baos are born there (nobody really knows how this happens yet) and live there until they can find someone special to go home with. A particularly famous teashop in Amatsu boasts the largest collection of baos, some belonging to the owners and many more waiting to be adopted. The baobears in the shop like to sit and eat with the customers or nap on their tables, making it quite the successful location. 

Unlike other monsters, baobears do not require one specific item in order to be tamed and form a bond with their special person. Rather they need to be fed their favorite food (this varies for each bao) and loved a whole lot. Only then will they go home with their new friend!

While other cultures across Rune Midgard have their own varieties of dumplings and it should stand to reason there would be more varieties of baobears, it is currently not believed that baobears can exist outside of the eastern islands unless they were brought to a different part of the world. They will still have the same traits and dumpling types as their predecessors on the islands.

The in-game concept of levels and experience does exist within the setting. Monsters are very resilient creatures, even the most basic and harmless of them all. A brand new hunter or a civilian would have trouble defeating a poring. They could certainly slice some chunks out of it, but killing it would be another matter entirely - not impossible, but difficult. 

As it is generally understood within the community, the more monsters you kill, the stronger you become against monsters. Nobody quite knows why this is just yet, but theories abound. (Of course it is Typhon's doing, but mortals have no concept of him quite just yet.)

Hunters have taken to calling their efficacy against monsters their 'level'. They may refer to a novice hunter as 'level 1', an intermediate hunter as 'level 50', and a veteran as 'level 99' ... or even higher, as more dangerous monsters keep getting discovered and hunters keep achieving feats previously thought impossible. There is no one official agreement as to what experience equates to what level, but most guilds and parties have their own set of guidelines to determine what hunters should hunt where. For example, most dungeons have signage posted nearby to inform hunters of what general level they should achieve before hunting inside.

Obviously physical or magical strength plays a part in one's ability to kill monsters, but leveling is what's really important. A well-trained knight from Prontera would still struggle to kill porings until they defeated enough of them. A professional assassin (the kind that kills people, not monsters) could still die to a deviruchi. 

Hunters who are particularly in-tune with their skills will definitely be able to notice when they 'level up' - hits seem to do just a bit more damage, kills come faster, etc. Usually this is cause for celebration and the entire party will go out for celebratory drinks afterward. Some hunters who don't like to run the circuit will take newbies out on leveling parties, keeping an eye on them while they take down porings and make runs through easier dungeons. All in all, leveling - although a somewhat abstract concept - is an important part of hunting culture.

January:

-

February:

Lover's Day

March:

Vernal Equinox

April:

-

May:

Poring Day

June:

Summer Solstice

July:

-

August:

-

September:

Autumnal Equinox

October:

All Hallows' Eve / Halloween

November:

Thanksgiving

December:

Winter Solstice

Xmas

(WIP, if you have suggestions pls share!)

Once monsters started to appear in the world, society changed at a rapid pace. Strong magical families quickly set up borders around existing settlements and places of importance to keep the monsters at bay, but it became clear early on that the monsters were there to stay. Gradually, people learned that while many monsters were dangerous, they were also useful - they dropped strange items that were either interesting, valuable, or powerful. It didn't take long for monster hunters to become commonplace. They started as travel guides to help civilians cross between cities safely, but the more that was discovered about monsters, the more monster hunters began to expand. Soon it was commonplace to form groups of hunters and head out into dangerous dungeons to collect loot and discover new monsters. 

In modern times, monster hunters are extremely common. There are hobbyists, amateurs, and professionals, each with their own specialties. There are even elite hunters who have become celebrities with adoring fans of their own. Noble families who once shunned the idea of their children ever having to do something as mundane as work now pride themselves on their children having successful monster hunting careers. 

Hunters have a code of etiquette that is usually unspoken and almost universally followed.

1. Don't kill steal. If another hunter is fighting a monster, never interfere unless help is needed - swooping in at the last second to kill the monster is very bad form.

2. Mark the time of death for MVPs. This lets other hunters know when to expect a respawn so that they don't waste their time.

3. Settle camping disputes peacefully. If another party has been waiting for the MVP longer than you, they get first dibs. If two parties show up at the same time, they may decide to take on the MVP together or they may rock-paper-scissors for who gets the first spawn.

4. Always tip your healer. Healers should get an extra portion of the loot from any hunt and usually a free meal to boot. 

5. Never beg for buffs. Healers are usually busy buffing their own party - if you want their services, you're gonna have to pay for them.

_{There once was a bitch named Glast} Long, long ago, there was a mortal named Calius Glast, born to one of the most prestigious and powerful mage families. Calius was born in an age where Aeons and mortals mingled and interacted freely. Although being visited by an Aeon and speaking to them was still rare, there was no doubt in any mortals' mind of their existence. 

TL;DR: Glast makes buddies with the Aeons while growing up. They teach him a lot about the world. Then Glast starts getting more powerful and starts getting Ideas about how he should be an Aeon too. Eventually he founds his own city, Glast Heim, with the intent to make an utopia where citizens never get hungry, sick, or even die. His citizens start worshiping him, the Aeons go "Uh Oh" and start trying to get him to like, calm down a little bit on the god thing. Glast says "you're not my real parents!!!" and winds up figuring out how to steal a shard of PRIME, recklessly transforming himself into something close to an Aeon. The power drives him a little bit crazy and he winds up going to war with the Aeons. He manages to kill some Aeons and weaken quite a few others before the Aeons finally manage to seal him into Glast Heim. They curse the city so no one can ever step foot inside again and survive, and Glast can never escape.

Glast Heim fades into obscurity. Thousands of years have passed, and most of the history behind the mysterious cursed city has been lost to time - only legends remain, at least for everyone but the most educated of scholars. Brave monster hunters have attempted to break into the city itself, with varying degrees of failure, especially in recent years. There are plenty of stories of those who have entered the walls and barely made it out alive - if they're true or not is the real question.

A mysterious incident winds up freeing Glast and releasing the curse from the city. Glast will never be as stable as he once was, but he's made a sort of tentative peace with most of the Aeons and might even open the gates of the city to citizens once again. (If he can stop sticking his nose into matters that don't concern him, at least.)

Dungeons are areas in the world generated by Typhon's power. These are places where monsters spawn endlessly in high volumes - no matter how many times they are killed, they will regenerate after a certain amount of time, usually with no breeding involved (unlike monsters in the wild, who will breed to replenish their numbers when needed). There are exceptionally strong monsters that spawn in these dungeons that are called MVPs by the hunting community. MVP monsters are typically one-of-a-kind and drop unique items and weapons that are impossible to find anywhere else.

It is typically believed that there are two main types of dungeons, referred to as Classic and Warped. Classic dungeons have the appearance of naturally occurring structures such as caves, caverns, and forests. Warped dungeons have the appearance of man-made structures or other improbable locations. Many ancient or abandoned structures became the site of a Warped dungeon. Some dungeons are a mixture of both - it may start as a forest but then continue into an abandoned building, for example.

Dungeons have rest areas inside of them, though they can sometimes be very difficult to find. The rest areas are small areas tucked away somewhere inside the dungeon where monsters don't spawn nearly as often. Hunters have added some amenities to these rest spots - fire pits, cooking pots, and basic first aid items. It is considered extremely bad etiquette to leave the rest areas worse off than you found them.

Hunters also consider it good etiquette to mark the time of an MVP's defeat, allowing other hunters and parties to know when the MVP will be respawning.

Abyss Lake Dungeon -

Amatsu Dungeon -

Ant Hell -

Ayothaya Ancient Shrine -

Beach Dungeon -

Bio Laboratory -

Brasilis Dungeon -

Byalan Island Dungeon -

Clock Tower -

Coal Mine / Mjolnir Dead Pit -

Dewata Dungeon -

Dragon's Nest -

Einbroch Mine Dungeon -

Geffen Dungeon -

Gonryrun Dungeon -

Hidden Temple / Labyrinth Forest -

Ice Cave -

Louyang Dungeon -

Magma Dungeon -

Malangdo Dungeon -

Moscovia Dungeon -

Orc Dungeon -

Payon Cave -

Prontera Culvert -

Pyramid -

Rachel Sanctuary -

Scaraba Hole Dungeon -

Sphinx -

Sunken Ship / Treasure Island -

Thor's Volcano Dungeon -

Toy Factory -

Turtle Island Dungeon -

Umbala Dungeon -

Nidhogg's Dungeon, Odin Temple, Bangungot Hospital, Bifrost Tower, Juperos Ruins, Rock Ridge Mine, Thanatos Tower

(more in-depth information about monsters)

Jarax

The Aeon of Storms and Justice. Jarax controls all the storms across the land, directing them and dictating their intensity. He decides where severe storms go and prevents catastrophes from happening when not otherwise planned. Without his power, storms would ravage the land and cause mass destruction. Jarax's affinity is more for lightning and wind than water, but he does have some control over it, hence his close sibling relationship with Melpomene.

Jarax is also the Aeon of Justice, and as such, he is a very popular and well-known Aeon. Mortals still pray to him daily to beg for justice. In ancient times Jarax would listen to mortals' prayers for justice, decide if the offender was guilty, and strike them down with lightning if the offense was great enough. He rarely passes this form of judgment any longer, but he does when the prayer is strong enough and the crime is heinous enough. It happens rarely enough that non-religious mortals simply believe it to be a coincidence, but Jarax's followers know better.

Melpomene

Fenrir

Freya

Almaz

The Aeon of Luck and Fortune. Mortals have always prayed for these things, but it wasn't until monsters started to roam the land that their fervor became strong enough to form an Aeon. Almaz may not be worshiped by name like the primordial and ancient Aeons, but he is a strong Aeon with plenty of prayers to give him form. He has different names and faces in different cultures, and in some instances has no name at all. Many elves in the eastern islands believe strongly in a deity of luck, so Almaz resembles them to some degree. 

Almaz is capricious, but he does treat his faithful believers well. Those who earnestly pray for good luck will receive it - at least, for a short while. Their hunts may be more fruitful if they pray beforehand, but it doesn't mean they'll win the lottery later. Almaz favors those who believe in the mutability of luck. If his gift is taken for granted, he will curse the mortal with bad luck for quite a long time.

Monsters are connected to Typhon and under the control of a sort of hivemind. However, some monsters can be tamed by enticing them with a certain item until a bond is formed between pet and master. This bond severs the monster's previous tie to Typhon and turns them docile and loyal to their new master. With some monsters, it even affords them a certain level of sentience they might have lacked before - most notably with humanoid monsters, as some of them become able to communicate. Most often they can only communicate nonverbally with gestures and signals, but if the new master is particularly strong, they may even be able to speak their master's language. 

While there are theories that any monster is feasibly tameable, there are currently a limited variety of monsters with a known taming method.

Poring-type monsters:

The most common type of pet, favored by civilians and seasoned hunters alike. Many merchants and shopkeepers have a poring-type monster as a pet, as they make adorable little change jars - plop some zeny in and they'll keep it safe for you all day! (Note: do not try this with wild porings. They will simply digest your zeny.)

Little poring - a baby poring, freshly hatched. How cute!

Poring - your basic red poring.

Poporing - the poring's green cousin.

Drops - the poring's orange cousin.

Marin - the poring's blue cousin.

Mastering - a bigger, plumper poring that is often followed around by other poring-type monsters. Difficult to tame on its own, but a regular poring can morph into a mastering if it is tended to with enough care.

Angeling - the angelic cousin of porings everywhere. Nigh impossible to tame on its own, but a mastering can morph into an angeling if it is tended to with enough care.

Arc Angeling - the holiest of the holy. Impossible to tame on its own, but an angeling can morph into an arc angeling if it is tended to with nothing but the best of care, given by the most pure-hearted of masters. A very rare pet.

Eggring - what is this thing? It looks like an egg...!!! Extremely difficult to tame on its own, as most people do not know where eggrings are from to begin with. However, a drops can morph into an eggring if it is tended to with enough care.

Peco Pecos:

Ideal for transportation and used by civilians and hunters alike. They are bred and admired like horses might be - there are even races in bigger cities. Pecos can live a very long time, so they are often seen as a treasured member of the family for those who own them. Pecos are able to traverse long distances at a decent clip, making travel between cities easier for those who cannot afford warp scrolls. They are also prized by traveling merchants, since they can carry decently heavy loads.

Hunting companions:

Monsters that are useful to monster hunters in some way - these pets are always in high demand. People do keep them as regular pets, but not terribly often. They are often more difficult to tame and can be difficult to bond with, which is why veteran hunters are the ones you will most likely see with one of these pets.

Hunter fly - They may be big and ugly and gross, but hunter flies are one of the most useful pets for a hunter. If a proper bond is formed between pet and owner, the hunter fly is capable of sucking life force out of other monsters and transferring it to their owner. 

Incubus - 

Succubus -

Zealotus -

Just plain cute:

These pets may not do anything particularly useful for hunters or civilians, but they sure are cute... many families have at least one or two of these pets, although normal pets (such as cats, dogs, fish, or birds) are not unheard of either. Sometimes these pets are passed down between generations, given that the lifespan of a bonded monster is significant. There are many shops and cafes that cater to these pets - recently, Lunatic Cafes have become quite popular, allowing people to spend time with the monsters without having to tame their own.

Lunatic

Leaf Lunatic

Picky

Savage babe

Baby desert wolf

Smokie

Leaf Cat

Yoyo

Choco

Roween

Bapho Jr

Teddy Bear

Abandoned Teddy bear

Humanoid monsters:

While some might find it a bit unsettling to be followed around by a monster that doesn't look that different from them, humanoid monsters can still make popular pets. Some of them are useful to hunters, and some people just like having a pet they can converse with - at least to some degree. Legislation around humanoid pets is a sticky area, and always hotly contested.

Orc Warrior

High Orc

Isis

Little Isis

Dokebi

Am Mut

Bongun

Hyegun

Munak

Cat o' Nine Tails

Moonlight

Mummy

Ancient Mummy

Wanderer

Contaminated Wanderer

Wicked Nymph

Bascojin

Sohee

Loli Ruri

Marionette

Medusa

Miyabi Doll

Shinobi

Misc:

Random monsters that can be tamed and turned into pets. Some people think these monsters are cute, some find them useful, some tame them on accident and just wind up keeping them. You can't really go wrong with any of these pets, though some are a bit stranger than others.

Chonchon

Steel chonchon

Rocker

Metaller

Willow

Spore -

Poison spore -

Stone shooter

Savage

Petite

Earth Deleter

Golem

Deviruchi

Diabolic

Whisper

Gremlin

Hodremlin

Dullahan

Nightmare Terror

Goblin

Mao Guai

Prontera:

Izlude:

Geffen:

Payon

Morroc:

Alberta:

Al de Baran: 

Juno:

Einbroch:

Einbech:

Lighthalzen:

Hugel:

Rachel:

Veins: 

Amatsu:

Gonryun:

Louyang:

Ayothaya:

Comodo:

A party city - this is where people go to vacation and have a good time. However, the locals are also fairly laid back and comfortable, given the amount of money tourism brings. The city is also popular with monster hunters as there is a dungeon made up of connecting caverns nearby.

Lutie:

A sleepy town in the far north - one of the only settlements in the area. Also very popular with monster hunters due to the Abandoned Toy Factory, a dungeon frequented by novices and veterans alike.

Niflheim: 

Niflheim is different from all other cities because it is more of a dungeon than a city. Monsters dwell within the city limits and make it quite dangerous. However, the city is extremely popular with monster hunters and is often used as a meeting spot and, several times a year, as festival grounds. Monster hunters gather in the city a few times a year to hold festivals, pop-up markets, and parties - most famously on Halloween. Other merchants who cater to hunters, such as glamour experts and merchandise makers, will visit during the festivals as well. It is said that a few hunters even call the city their home... whether or not the rumor is true, one thing is for certain: visiting Niflheim is not for the faint of heart.

Jawaii:

A remote island that has become a popular honeymoon destination. The island is peaceful and beautiful, practically untouched by monsters. In fact, the only monsters that call Jawaii home are passive and will not attack travelers unless provoked. The only danger present on Jawaii is its nearby volcanoes, but they have been dormant for so long that nobody really worries about an eruption. There isn't much to do on Jawaii except relax and take in the beautiful sights.

Umbala:

Malangdo:

Moscovia:

Brasilis:

Dewata:

Malaya:

Manuk:

Splendide:

El Dicastes:

Mora:

Eclage: