Creature
The largest predator of the Rou'ma grasslands
The largest predator of the Rou'ma grasslands, a Solgrafa is a fearsome sight: a wide, feral head, a spine sheathed in an impenetrable exoskeleton, and claws built for tearing through earth. Only two legs support its long body, two-thirds of which drags low along the ground, its thick tail allowing it to navigate the tunnels it carves. Solgrafas hunt almost entirely underground, sensing prey through heat rather than sight.
Above ground, a Solgrafa poses little danger, slow and cumbersome on its two legs. Below ground is another matter. Digging by sheer force and claw, it carves tunnels deep beneath the grassland, its thermal vision tracking the warmth of prey through the earth above until it lies directly beneath its target, then erupts from the ground in ambush. Pastrus are a particular favourite among their prey. A Solgrafa is a Solar Reaper, having consumed and transformed solar energy into its thermal sight rather than weaving it. That reaped charge depletes with use and must be replenished, so despite spending most of their waking hours underground, Solgrafas surface to sleep and bask directly in the sun once they've fed.
The exoskeleton running along a Solgrafa's spine is prized above almost any other material, its strength capable of deflecting nearly any weapon. Only Lacusar, the rarest and most prestigious of metals, can cut it, putting true exoskeleton work far beyond a blacksmith's reach.