Hydra (animal)
The hydra is a strange creature, as well as an extremely rare one. Often thought to be dragonkin, there are endless myths and misconceptions about the beasts that circulate through Aeras. While many tales claim the beast grows two heads each time one is removed, this is not actually true. Instead, they are born with a various number of heads, normally three to twelve. The more heads a hydra has, the more dangerous it is, though hydra infighting thankfully means most devour themselves before growing old enough to threaten anyone. The heads also do actually grow back, but only after a few days of rest, and hydra can die from blood loss just like most other beasts.
The hydra is a strange creature, as well as an extremely rare one. Often thought to be dragonkin, there are endless myths and misconceptions about the beasts that circulate through Aeras. While many tales claim the beast grows two heads each time one is removed, this is not actually true. Instead, they are born with a various number of heads, normally three to twelve. The more heads a hydra has, the more dangerous it is, though hydra infighting thankfully means most devour themselves before growing old enough to threaten anyone. The heads also do actually grow back, but only after a few days of rest, and hydra can die from blood loss just like most other beasts.
We have slowly tracked this one to its lair after weeks of following its trail, made especially difficult because they are aquatic beasts that prefer to dwell in rivers and swampy areas. It is an ambush predator, and finding it in the first place has been half the hell. Now we know it waits in the marsh ahead of our small boat, we merely need to pick out the heads, stab a few, and bait the rest onto land. Of course, actually finding the heads is an issue, and if we don't pick out the right ones...
I force myself not to think of such things as we approach. We merely must kill the beast before it retreats, or else it will recover within days.