Jellyraptors

Jellyraptors are a raptor-like species found in all areas of Thistleland, though they are more common on the eastern half of the continent.

Assumed to have arrived from the The Changed Lands in the east, Jellyraptors are considered a common pest and are considered a low-medium threat by the Adventure Guild.

Standing anything upwards of 8-10 feet when fully grown, Jellyraptors resemble dinosaurs such as Deinonychus, Dromaeosaurus and Utahraptors. Bright, single coloured feathers cover Jellyraptors in various places such as the arms, tail, mane and flanks, and these feathers are usually uniform in colour to an extent, vaguely matching their form's colour. Under and between the feathers, Jellyraptors differ greatly from dinosaurs in one crucial way; they are composed entirely of a single mass of jelly.

Jellyraptors act and think much like raptors, though it is not known how. They are considered similar to some slime species due to their makeup, though they are under normal conditions as solid as a jelly can be. Due to their composition they are generally unable to harm creatures and people with their claws and teeth; they lack the strength to bite more then a relaxing massage of a chew, and their teeth and claws are so soft they more or less squish harmlessly on contact.

Due to their jelly nature, Jellyraptors are hard to injure with both blunt and sharpened weapons. Wounds will close up as soon as the two sides re-establish contact, and blunt hits will simply not register more then a squish. Jellyraptors who have limbs removed, or are even cut in half will simply become two, smaller Jellyraptors. However, if enough injury is presented in a small enough time span it is possible to outstrip the reforming nature of Jellyraptors and they will be reduced to a puddle of jelly and fluffy feathers, though this can be exhausting for an Adventurer.

The easiest method of killing a Jellyraptor is to throw salt or hot water at them. Due to their jelly composition, both salt and hot water will melt a Jellyraptor rapidly, killing them. Of these two, salt is the preferred method of Adventurers due to it's ease of use and portability.

Heat and fire are known to dry out Jellyraptors until they are unable to move, making them a solid jelly statue, and eventually can set them on fire high applied enough. While not as effective as salt or hot water, this can be used to defeat Jellyraptors if needs be. Curiously, if provided with water such as rainfall, it is possible for the Jellyraptor to regain it's movement and life if not burned away.

The two main dangers of Jellyraptors are as follows:

Predation: While Jellyraptors are unable to cause physical damage to people traditionally, they are able to consume people whole when fully grown, eating them in a manner you would expect of a large dinosaur. Such people are eaten whole, alive, and generally unharmed. Once eaten, without salt it is difficult if not impossible to escape: blades and punches have little effect on the jelly surrounding the shadowy silhouette of a victim within. Being consumed by a Jellyraptor will slowly convert victims into jelly using the magic effect that keeps Jellyraptors alive, merging the victims still-alive form with the Jellyraptor and directly adding to its mass. such a process usually begins with the vital systems before the air swallowed down is used up by the victim, enabling them to survive the process for around a day or two. Any material that is not converted into jelly is instead converted into feathers for their plumage.

Parasitism: To reproduce, Jellyraptors will pounce, pin and then place as many large eggs inside a host hosts as they are able, often people. Once the eggs are laid using an ovipositioner, the warmth of the host enables the eggs to slowly liquefy, and re-arrange themselves internally. Eventually the host expels the several semi-liquid egg masses and a small featherless Jellyraptor will form from each. If a person has this happen to them, it is advisable to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Due to their composition, Jellyraptors are as edible as any jelly can be expected to be. There are few, if any side effects from eating Jellyraptor jelly.

The Adventure Guild is known to use captured Jellyraptors as training practice due to their lack of perceived pain and general safety for new adventurers to fight with, when under supervision by an experienced Adventurer carrying salt that is.