Floating palely in a small topless tank (5’ across, 15’ deep), Vorkuta is quite mad. She has gills in her neck and pale blue eyes. She babbles parts of old conversations and snatches of fairy tales. She will attack anyone who doesn’t humor her, however, and will try to swallow any jewelry she sees. She can transform into a small, mobile pool of black blood, or an aquatic form resembling a hybrid of a lionfish and a manta ray. If reduced to zero hit points within the zoo, Vorkuta will revert to the former form and escape, regenerating 1hp per hour. If grievously wounded in the water, Vorkuta will turn into sixteen black stones and sink to the bottom. In either form, a drop of blood from another vampire is sufficient to revive her completely. Sunlight or a stake through the heart will slay her permanently. Holy water causes 2 – 7hp damage. She is immune to poison and all forms of mind control. Turns as a vampire. So decadent are these creatures that they fear equally the sun, the sea, dry land, and, indeed any surface not hewn by an intelligent hand. Most prefer never to leave their half-drowned empire of Nephilidia. Inside its tarnished palaces and rotting halls they sit--forever knee-deep in black and stagnant water, with strange algaes stretched like cobwebs from the surface to the once-ornate walls and crumbling statuary--endlessly elaborating cruel and languid intrigues, attended by salamander men and eyeless fish. This amphibious species can change into a small, mobile pool of black blood, or take the form of a strange, darting, long-tendrilled aquatic animal resembling a hybrid of a lionfish and a manta ray. If reduced to zero hit points on land, the creature will revert to the former form. Consequently, if sufficiently injured, the Nephilidian vampire often sinks into the soil and becomes hopelessly trapped and intermingled with the earth. If grievously wounded in the water, this bizarre creature will turn into sixteen black stones and sink to the bottom. In either form, a drop of blood from another vampire is sufficient to revive the creature. Due to these vulnerabilites, the Nephilidian vampire prefers to travel via subterranian aquaducts, sewers, or other shallow, watertight, artificial constructions. They despise, but can--with an effort of will--tolerate clean running water. In their humanoid form, they are distinguishable from ordinary vampires by the gills on their necks and their glassy blue eyes. Instinct: to feed

• Grapple them
• Swallow their jewelry
• Turn them and enthrall them
• Shapeshift

20’ (6m) long python’s body, woman’s head, smaller snakes instead of hair. Thrace is the sister of Eshrigel, gone mad long ago. Cage is 15’ cube. She may aid the PCs if they convince her they can help her escape but she will turn on them immediately after passing the front gate. She admires her sister, Eshrigel, and will make any deal to be reunited with her, but again, will turn on anyone aware of her existence immediately upon escaping. If she is paralyzed by her own gaze, that counts as death. If the myths are true, about 1/12 of the stone on the planet (and 1/12th of the planet itself) should revert to flesh upon her death. The GM may interpret this however s/he wishes. Instinct: to reunite with sister

• Constrict them
• Make a false promise
• Petrify them with your gaze

30 feet (9m) across, tiny mouths embedded in each sucker. The circular well in the cage is 15’ across and 40’ deep. If it is a moonless night, Raxia and Danica – two mad sisters from great houses who frolic with the octopus – will be visiting. The nightingale knows they are harmless and ordinarily lets them in and out at will. They possess no valuable information and the nightingale will not let them out while the PCs are in the Zoo. The octopus has a 12’ reach. It can survive outside of water for about an hour.It can walk on land and will do so to look for food Instinct: to eat

• Grapple/entangle them
• Disarm them
• Drown them
• Devour them

Gudge throws organic waste into this room where this brightly-colored fungi consumes it, as it long ago devoured whatever once lived in the ruined cage. The fungi covers the entire room, including the north wall, obscuring the secret door there. It is nonintelligent, but it can sense heat and will not attack until at least three creatures are standing in it. (Maybe less if there are fewer PCs in the party.) Lashing tendril – save vs. poison or become infected. The infection makes the victim feel intoxicated and will begin to fully incubate in two (rounds/minutes/hours/days – roll d4). Full incubation causes a random body part to distend, distort, and pulse with lurid colors beneath the skin. All nearby carnivorous creatures will attack the victim. Also: The victim’s allies will have to make a successful wisdom roll every hour to recognize the victim – otherwise they will be unable to recognize the victim for who s/he truly is and will believe s/he is a stranger. Instinct: to feed

• Poison them
• Disarm them
• Entangle Them

A small and unnatural-looking beast. This small toad is so disturbing to look at that its victims go blind. It cannot speak but can sing with the voice of a young girl. Instinct: to terrify

• Blind them for 2 days
• Unsettle them with creepy children songs

It resembles an ordinary peacock – until it spreads its fan. If it is not slain here, it will continue to roam the halls randomly. Upon seeing any creature, the peacock will spread its fan. Creatures seeing it must save or stand immobile and transfixed. (Theories differ as to what, exactly, a victim sees when it gazes into the tailfeathers – when a PC is frozen, ask the player what s/he sees). The peacock will then begin to eat the victim(s), causing d4 pecking damage. Victims may make defy dangers with their wisdom every time they take damage to stop the effect. The effect ends permanently if the beast is slain. Instinct: to eat

• Paralyze them using its dazzling tailfeathers
• Peck out their eyes

The four-headed, radially symmetrical xortoise’s turtle-like shell is crisscrossed by a great x-shaped, spiketoothed mouth. It is 15’ (4.6m) in diameter. Cage is 25’ x 25’.(7.6 x 7.6m) The markings on its shell comprise a text of great philosophical importance in an ancient language (GM’s choice). Any wizard, cleric, or monk who learns the language (or uses magic to read it) and studies the intact shell for one month will gain enough experience to advance one level. Anyone braving the central mouth of the xortoise (bites for double normal damage) will find a pearl the size and weight of a small boulder worth 10,000 gp. It is impossible to flank or backstab the xortoise. As it is part earth elemental, spells controlling the earth have unpredictable effects when cast upon the xortoise. It’s too large to fit through the tunnels surrounding its room by ordinary means. HOWEVER: if the Xortoise is uncaged and attempts to chase the PCs out of the room, its thrashings will cause the ceilings to weaken. If this happens there is a 50% chance per round that the ceiling in the hallway the xortoise is trying to get into will collapse, causing 3d10 damage to anyone anywhere in that hallway and completely blocking the archways on either end (i.e. anyone inside is trapped and the hallway’s no longer usable until cleared out, which will take 300 minutes minus 1 per strength point of each creature helping clear the rubble). This will not produce a passable exit to the surface through the ceiling. Instinct: to bite

• Cause a ceiling collapse
• Bite 'em all
• Turn earth magic around on them
• Reveal knowledge

This colobus monkey is intelligent and can speak but remains quiet because it’s afraid someone will force it to work. It is hungry for blood. If reduced to zero hit points within the zoo, Parnival will turn into a mobile pool of black blood and escape, regenerating 1hp per hour. A drop of blood from another vampire is sufficient to revive him fully. Sunlight or a stake through the heart will slay him permanently. Holy water causes 1d6+1 hp damage. He is immune to poison. Turns as a vampire. Instinct: to feed

• Grapple the enemy
• Drain a level
• Turn someone and make them a thrall

It is a foot tall (30 cm) and eerily beautiful, with a spiral shell of rich yellow and deep blue. It is harmless. If unmolested, it will continue to roam the halls. Worth 500 gp. It will eat only printed words beginning with the letter “S”. Instinct: to crawl

• Eat printed words starting with the letter
• Enchant with its beauty
• Crawl on walls
• Hide in its shell

Highwaymen. Ruffians. Vandals. We go by many names, but we know one thing's for sure; everyone's got to eat. Out in the thick of this dangerous world, far beyond beyond the reach of law, is where we reign supreme. Instinct: To relieve others of their possessions by extreme force.

• Plunder
• Pillage
• Rape