Beetles

Beetles are not quite man-sized, but they strike a sufficiently intimidating form to frighten off most travelers. The alarmingly large insects never fail to impress and terrify visitors, and reinforce the image of the Dyrwood as a barely civilized backwater. The expansive wilderness in and around Dyrwood (and Eir Glanfath) gives beetles plenty of room to multiply. The most successful species of large beetle have evolved to not only camouflage themselves in the surrounding environment, but also to grow carapaces made out of common and hardy materials, such as wood, stone, and adra. Glanfathan tribes have been known to fashion crude shields and even weapons out of the limbs and shells of these creatures.

Despite all appearances to the contrary, there is an underlying complexity to the common beetle. When they choose a material with which to develop their shell, they do so with a level of intention that borders on artistry. Wood beetles often burrow intricate holes in their carapaces. By blowing air through these makeshift pipes, they play an eerie music to attract mates. Stone beetles fashion rudimentary tusks and horns that help them to defend themselves and to attack prey. The intricacies of adra beetles are as of yet not well understood, save that they are notoriously difficult to kill.