Enkar'al

An Enkar'al was a very rare, leather-winged reptilian creature roughly equivalent in size to a horse. Atop their sinuous necks they had long reptilian heads bristling with fangs. Their membranous wings were ten paces across, and they possessed huge razor-sharp talons. Their chests were ridged and their bodies were covered in gnarled and shimmering scales of bright yellow or blood-red. They possessed multiple hearts.

They may have had poor vision as Karsa Orlong once referred to someone as being "as blind as an enkar'al". But they were able to detect motion on the ground from high above in the dark, and were able to find prey by smell.

During breeding season, bull males locked jaws in aerial battles for the right to mate while females circled above.

Enkar'al were feared and ferocious fighters, capable of tearing through a score of armoured marines in moments. Their scaly hides were difficult to penetrate with anything less than a sword or heavy scimitar. Their talons could easily push through and shred chain armour.

The term enkar'al came from the Seven Cities (Bisbrha and Debrahl) language where they were were said to inhabit Raraku. On that continent they were considered a delicacy and their meat could be worth a hundred jakatas a pound in Pan'potsun. In fact, they were all but extinct east of the Jhag Odhan.

Like D'isthal Wyvalla, Wyval, and Trol, they were the "lesser spawn" of Starvald Demelain.

In Deadhouse Gates

A yellow enkar'al was summoned by a pirate mage to attack the marines protecting the Ragstopper. The creature killed at least seven before Kalam Mekhar destroyed its wings, dropping it to the ship's deck to be set upon and destroyed by the survivors.

A blood-red Soletaken enkar'al battled Messremb in the maze surrounding Tremorlor. The giant bear Soletaken quickly dispatched it.

In House of Chains

A bull enkar'al drank from a waterhole tainted by the blood of the B'ridys demon. This allowed the demon to swap bodies with the animal, entrapping the bull's soul within the rotted corpse of a Thelomen Toblakai at the bottom of the B'ridys fortress' well. The demon inhabiting the enkar'al's body then went hunting for Kalam Mekhar. Kalam was able to kill the creature, but was gravely injured in the process.

The death of this bull marked the end of the last Enkar'al east of the Jaghut Odhan, with it having been rare enough for decades that it had not smelt the spoor of another. trapped now within the body of a pure blood Toblaki the Wolves of Winder called on him to become their Champion.

Notes and references

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