Desert's Howl

Desert's Howl is a towering, gray abomination with a shape vaguely similar to that of a bearded man with glowing yellow eyes, long ibex horns, deadly black claws, and cloven hooves. These features have sometimes caused those who encounter it to mistake it for some kind of fiend, a fatal mistake likely to lead to their demise, as Desert's Howl is in truth a twisted aberration composed of a disgusting mix of nightmares, smoke, and ash. As such, holy water and other measures that might be effective against fiends have no effect on Desert's Howl.

According to the oral histories of the people who have survived in the Thuvian desert the longest, when Desert's Howl first appeared, it was in much the same shape but no larger than a human. Over time, its proportions lengthened and grew, as did its frightening abilities and appetite for suffering.

Given the incredible range on Desert's Howl's namesake desolate exclamation, creatures are much more likely to hear Desert's Howl than see it. Though such forewarning potentially gives distant creatures additional time to prepare to face or escape the creature, Desert's Howl enjoys the steady build-up of fear that this approach allows, potentially breaking its victims' resolve long before it even appears. Besides, a creature of its power has little to fear from travelers, or even most adventurers, regardless of how much time they have to prepare. In the end, a greater struggle just makes destroying them all the sweeter.