Adult Female
Name: unnamed
Species: Ardulen Grotesque
Birthday: Monday, December 25, 2023
Owner: Pebbleheart25
Element: Neutral 
As a grotesque ages, it grows patient in nature, perhaps in response to its regular petrification. Adolescents can often be found pretending to be gargoyles on the Keep???s roof, frightening passing students and creatures when they awaken at night. Adult grotesques are playful and quite active when awake, often exploring the lower levels of the Keep or nearby caves when they don???t care to turn to stone. They are favored companions of shadow magi, for they can be used as reliable steeds if a cloud of magic is cast around them to protect them from light. A large number of grotesques live in Foenara, some of them companions to local villagers, but most dwell deep in the Napier Forest in the center of the island. They prefer the deepest thickets of grass which can block out any beam of light, though occasionally explorers stumble upon a whole herd of grotesques frozen in a clearing. Ancient Foenarans carved stone likenesses of many creatures and left them in the grass forest, making grotesques especially difficult to find in the daylight. One favorite tale describes how the first magi to explore the Napier Forest passed a herd of frozen grotesques several times before realizing they weren???t old relics.
Grotesques are a rare sight in the lands around the Keep, now restricted only to a population in the Foenaran Napier Forest. Although gentle creatures by nature, grotesques turn into hardened stone statues if they burn in fire, and will petrify any creature that gazes into the statues' eyes. Because of this, the stone heads of grotesques were once prized by dark wizards as defenses for their castles, and there are even legends of warriors who bore grotesque heads on their shields. Grotesques naturally turn to stone whenever bright light hits their skin, making them vulnerable to light magic. If a grotesque is caught flying when the sun appears over the horizon, it may fall to the ground and shatter. These creatures are relatively brittle when in their stone state, and surprising light, making them easy to transport. Unless they are burned, however, a grotesque does not have a petrifying gaze. The magi believe that this is a curse on the person who slayed the grotesque, and great care must be taken when handling grotesque artifacts from the mage wars.
Sprite art: Tekla (adult) | Description: PKGriffin