Swooping, slashing, stinging beast
Means to make a meaty feast,
When it's hungry, you are cursed,
Hopefully it stings you first.

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Manticore

Splinter - Draykh-Nahka

Class - Second Tank

Size - 293 Chickens

Lifespan - Manticore live short and savage lives, compared to most monsters in the Splinterlands. They were created in very recent years by the genetic scientists at the Gloridax research facilities as a new type of infantry. They were designed for sheer power in battle, but their bodies deteriorate quickly. Average lifespan for a Manticore is four Splintral years.

Habitat - Manticore have not yet been used by the Gloridax military in any campaigns. Still too unpredictable for good soldiers, the first generation of Manticore was simply released into the Sands of Draykh-Nahka. Their creators knew that they would better thrive in a tropical jungle climate, but they never bothered delivering the beasts to the Jungles of the Water Splinter. Now the Manticore fend for themselves in the land around the Centrum Oasis. Since their wings are only capable of short flights, Manticore have little hope of leaving the cruel desert.

Weapon - A Manticore is a ferocious beast with wings, the body of a lion, the face of a Human and a scorpion’s sting. Between the razor sharp claws, the three rows of teeth and the deadly venom coursing through its veins, a Manticore is well-endowed with natural weapons. Luckily for its prey, the Manticore’s poison actually dulls the pain of what would be a horrific end for any creature. Several of the first generation Manticore were also crafted with a projectile attack, but after a handful of valued Gloridax scientists were killed in an accident that today is known as the Spining, the ability was quickly removed. Still, there are a few Manticore on the loose that can shoot and quickly regrow their poisonous spines.

Diet - One of the great defects of the Manticore (in the eyes of the gloridax scientists) is its endless capacity for food. The main reason the Manticore Project has now been all but abandoned is that they could not keep the monsters supplied with food. The Manticore were released into the wild, but they still required copious amounts of food, which made them ruthless and bold. The vast majority of a Manticore’s time is spent looking for food, and they are never picky. Each Manticore has nearly a hundred long, sharp teeth. Arranged in three distinct rows in the Manticore’s cavernous mouth, these teeth efficiently tear, rip and slice anything that enters their vicinity. They seem to prefer eating birds, but nothing is safe from the bite of a Manticore.

Allies - One of the Manticore’s most frightening attributes is its intelligence. Each Manticore has the unique face of a Human, but their minds seem to go far beyond Human capacity. They hunt in strategic packs, using silent (perhaps telepathic) communication to close in on their prey. These brilliant beasts are willing to be summoned to Mount Mox, but only by a summoner who has earned the right in their eyes. Manticore also have an unbreakable alliance with the wild Lightning Dragons of Draykh-Nahka, for whom they have incredible respect and mysterious reverence.

Enemies - The Manticore are cursed with knowing the story of their own creation. They were forced into this world, thrown into these abhorrent bodies, and the Manticore swear by all their venom that the ones responsible will pay one day. They despise all proponents of technology, especially inventors and engineers.

Pastimes - Manticore have little time for anything besides the hunt. Their activities when not on the prowl are not widely known. There are some rumors in Centrum that the Manticore are working with a band of Lyverian mercenaries, and together they are planning a sack of the Gloridax science facilities. Such an attack would end the foolish creation of repulsive new monsters by the Gloridax, but the Dragonborne would never let the facility go without a fight.

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