Bhaergala

A bhaergala usually attacks unsuspecting victims by pouncing on them from a great height. The superior agility of the bhaergala enables it to drop from as high as 60 feet without sustaining damage. When it pounces on a victim, the bhaergala can strike only with its claws initially. In normal combat, the creature lashes out with its two front claws and tears at its foes with its powerful jaws. The bhaergala is fearsome in combat and often rips great pieces of flesh from an enemy, which are then dropped for later consumption. The bhaergala has been known to keep ripping apart a body that has long since ceased fighting back. The great constitution of a bhaergala enables it to regenerate slowly. The bhaergala has a limited ability to protect itself from magical attacks as well. Up to four times per day, the creature can turn a spell that has been directed against it.

The bhaergala is a solitary creature that stalks its prey from the dense underbrush common to jungle. It normally moves in on its prey from downwind so that its distinctive scent does not give it away before it can strike. When a bhaergala is encountered in the wilds, there is a chance that it will not attack. The bhaergala are known for their great love of song and music and can often be lulled to sleep by a talented singer or musician. If the bhaergala feels threatened, has been recently injured, attacked, or is hungry and on the hunt, then any attempt at calming it is doomed to fail. If lulled to sleep, the bhaergala naps for only a minute, as they never sleep for longer periods of time. When it awakes, it will likely give chase to the singer if it finds that he has gone.

Bhaergala seek out others of their kind only to mate. When they do find a partner, they mate only in sandy areas. Six months later, the female bhaergala gives birth to a litter of 2-8 cubs. The parents remain together for just over a year to raise their progeny. As soon as the cubs make their first kill, they are turned out from their parents’ den and must go their own way. At this point, they have all the powers and abilities of adult bhaergalas. Further, their attacks cause only half the usual damage. When the last of the cubs is gone, the parents also part company, never to meet again. An adult bhaergala usually sleeps in the boughs of tall trees, returning to its lair only rarely. This well-hidden den is often in a caves, ruin, or similar place of desolation and serves as a storage area for whatever items the bhaergala has collected over the years. As a rule, there is little if any true treasure in the lair of a bhaergala. It often collects musical instruments and noise-makers, which are usually broken, from the bodies of its victims. From time to time, an unusual or even magical instrument has turned up in the lair of a bhaergala.