Cragpies
These willowy crow-a-likes often get mistaken for trees. Generally this works in the monsters' favour. More than one person has tried to picnic beneath a cragpie only to become lunch themselves.
Up close the differences between a cragpie and an actual tree become apparent. For a start, their leaves feel rough and un-leafy. They also ooze a treacle-like sap that's corrosive and reeks of rotten grass. Beyond these obvious differences, the major clue is that unlike a regular tree a cragpie will just eat you.
Much like crows, cragpies can be found pretty much anywhere. Varying species pop up all over the realms. They've also adapted to live in urban environments, being one of the monster types that are smart enough to limit themselves to eating drunks.
When a cragpie reaches the end of its natural lifespan it will take root and go into permanent hibernation. They'll generally find an awkward resting place to make one last nuisance of themselves. Uprooting one proves difficult, and if you don't get every last bit the remaining tendrils will spread out and befoul your begonias.
Cragpie Facts
Creation Notes
I came up with the name 'cragpie' years ago when planning out a different series. I still imagined them as large crows when I mentioned them in The Quest Factor, but I didn't come to describe them until I wrote The Fame Eaters. Around about the same time I noticed that a tree in a nearby park looked like a large bird spreading its wings:
As may be obvious, I saw this and thought:
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| Cragpie by Zuza Gruzlewska |
Up close the differences between a cragpie and an actual tree become apparent. For a start, their leaves feel rough and un-leafy. They also ooze a treacle-like sap that's corrosive and reeks of rotten grass. Beyond these obvious differences, the major clue is that unlike a regular tree a cragpie will just eat you.
Much like crows, cragpies can be found pretty much anywhere. Varying species pop up all over the realms. They've also adapted to live in urban environments, being one of the monster types that are smart enough to limit themselves to eating drunks.
When a cragpie reaches the end of its natural lifespan it will take root and go into permanent hibernation. They'll generally find an awkward resting place to make one last nuisance of themselves. Uprooting one proves difficult, and if you don't get every last bit the remaining tendrils will spread out and befoul your begonias.
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- Cragpies go: "CAAAAWTCH!" - a sound somewhere between a screech and a branch bending.
- The collective noun for cragpies depends on how many you see, ranging from 'copse', to 'thicket', to 'forest'.
- The 'wood' from these creatures has no use whatsoever. Like all monsters, a fully dead cragpie will begin to corrode after it dies.
- Cities try to limit the number of cragpies. If you get too many in one place, they spend all hours of the night making loud and ghastly love.
Creation Notes
I came up with the name 'cragpie' years ago when planning out a different series. I still imagined them as large crows when I mentioned them in The Quest Factor, but I didn't come to describe them until I wrote The Fame Eaters. Around about the same time I noticed that a tree in a nearby park looked like a large bird spreading its wings:
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| You can see my dog in the foreground barking at the tree for reasons best left to himself |
As may be obvious, I saw this and thought:
Why not make bird tree?
See Also
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