Opakhasian Bear (animal)
The strange vegetarian bears of Opakhasia are among the largest animals on Aeras, rivalled only by some legendary godtouched beasts and the tallest of mammoths. They tend to ignore humans, though are known to act aggressively towards anyone foolish enough to approach them too closely or who encroach upon their massive burrows. Though not carnivorous, their massive claws and immense bulk makes them deadly when roused to anger.
"The Opakhasian Bear is native to the province which gives the beast its name, dwelling both in the lush well-watered lowland forests and valleys and the hilly highlands. Fully grown it towers over even the dreaded cave bears of Gurdurbrok, and it believed by many to be one of the largest animals living on Aversarian soil. Despite its name, the Opakhasian Bear shares little in common with other types of bear, and it is an opinion held by some scholars to whom I have spoken that the name is more the product of its size and general appearance than any similarity in character or temperament. Most notably, the Opakhasian Bear does not share in its so called cousins' taste for meat. Indeed, it is hated and feared by the Opakhasian farmer because of its greed for the fleshy varieties of pitted fruits they grow, not its predation upon their livestock and children. Having observed one's skull, I have noted its teeth are flat and broad like those of a cow rather than of any predatory beast. Nonetheless, care should be taken, for it possesses claws as long as a man's forearm and prodigious strength." -Ragambald Manswell's Bestiarium
The Opakhasian Bear we hunt has left a trail even a child could follow, both by its massive spoor and the irate farmers whose orchards it has raided. The only difficulty has been the wide distance the beast has seemed willing to travel, taking us through a circuitous tour of rural Opakhasia. Now, after days of marching we finally have the beast cornered in its den, a yawning tunnel the massive animal has dug into the side of a ravine running alongside a squat hill. It's large enough for two men to stand side by side inside it with neither being forced to stoop - a testament to the animal's legendary size. The darkness yawns before me, beckoning me towards the final chapter of my hunt.