In Tarmae, the word 'Nightmare' refers to any creature the gods didn't mean to create, whether sentient or not. There's virtually no region in their world that nightmares don't exist. Their existence typically originates from periods of high emotion within the god, causing their abilities to go haywire, or, as the name implies, a gods' nightmare.

As one might imagine, there are several ways to classify a nightmare. Firstly, sentient vs. non-sentient. Secondly, venomous vs. non-venomous. Then, the smaller classifications such as harmless vs. aggressive, land vs. ocean vs. sky, and so on.

Below is a comprehensive list of most currently constructed nightmares. This list will be updated as the creatures are planned or revealed, depending on how heavily they impact the plot of the series.

Iku [ee-kuu]

Has the mouth of a giant serpent with thousands of sharp teeth. Their eyes alone are the size of a human head. Tentacles attach beneath its mouth. It's body is coated in a tar-like slime that is highly flammable, even in water. At days old, it's no bigger than a typical water snake, but at adulthood it can be anywhere from the size of a typical merchant ship, to the length of two. Poisonous, but more likely to cause death with it's bite alone, than with the venom on its sharp teeth.

Kottai [Co-tie]
A beast with the body of a stag, but the head and tail of a lion. Instead of typical teeth or fangs, they have a sharp, bony ridge. Typically lives in thick, tropical forests. They rarely travel solo, and are more often in packs of over five kottai. Have the ability and intelligence to mimic speech. Poisonous. Carnivorous.

Purici [poo-ri-chi]

Insects that are no bigger than a gnat, but can strip a creature of all its' flesh within seconds if the swarm is big enough. On its' own, considered nothing more than a pest, but in a group is considered lethal. Nonpoisonous. Not known to have any more skills than their uncanny ability to consume more than their body weight.

Taki [tah-kee]
Giant boars that are rumored to slowly drain away their victims soul when skewering someone on their tusks. Legend says that the only way to free the consumed souls is to slay the exact beast they were killed by. Nonpoisonous, and hunted for its tender meat. As dangerous as any other giant boar.

Water Serpent

A snake-like creature with rows of sharp teeth. Has ridged, yet non-sharp fins along its body and tail to help propel it through water at dangerous speeds. Considered to be one of the least dangerous of the sea's predatory nightmares, but still has a high body count when it comes to careless swimmers. The merfolk are immune to this particular nightmare's poisons.