SUPREME

The Beast of Solar Beach has been a constant menace to the Borini for as long as they can recall. Rakista—as the Borini named her—is quite the specimen; as large as a house and as aggressive as they come. Despite her immense size, thick, stumpy legs, and lumbering appearance, the creature is an adept hunter, able to steal up on potential prey with unimaginable stealth when required. How long Rakista will continue to hold dominance over the area is anyone’s guess, but while the beast endures, Solar Beach remains an extremely dangerous location to go wandering.

LAIR

Rakista has no natural predators and dominates the environment along the south-eastern shore of Karadas. Her lair can be found at the eastern tip of the Aradine Mountains, where the peaks descend to meet with the ocean waves. It is an area to be avoided entirely. A gargantuan, naturally occurring fissure vanishes into darkness. Not even the bravest Borini warrior would dare to venture too far inside. The air is said to be rank, and the yellowing bones of a thousand ill-fated creatures litter the cavern floor.

DOMAIN

As well as continually prowling the entire length of Solar Beach, the beast will often venture further east and out on to a vast, sweeping inlet known as the Bay of Blood. The bay is her preferred feeding ground, particularly at low tide when the sand and shingle are left coated in all manner of enticing morsels. Powerful claws and huge cloven hooves allow Rakista to dig down and uncover burrowing sea turtles and giant yonta blood grubs—a curious, boated invertebrate the bay is named after.

When in a particularly ravenous or wrathful mood, Rakista will wade out into the surf to capture something a little more filling. Witnesses report her plucking seals and sharks from the water, and even a great grey whale on one occasion, although onlookers believe the whale had already died and was merely a lucky find. Either way, Rakista greedily stripped the entire carcass. The giant white whale bones still rise prominently from the sand to this day. But it is not only meat that makes up Rakista’s diet. Palm tree bark appears to be a particular delicacy, with many trunks along the seashore found spilt or torn from the sand entirely.

PARTNERSHIP

The only creature willing to approach Rakista by choice are clamwings; a small, orange species of bird native to the Wilandro Jungle. Clamwings are master cleaners, and will spend hours probing for heart leaches, bone mites, and other nasty parasites hiding between Rakista’s rust-coloured scales. This essential chore helps to reduce the risk of disease. In turn, by remaining close to such a threatening beast, the birds are never threatened by predators.

BATTLE

Only on one occasion has Rakista faced mankind, with the encounter proving almost too overwhelming even for her. The event took place on the fringes of the Bay of Blood. It was here during the late 17th century that pirates arrived uninvited to the shores of Karadas. They quickly established a sturdy fortress in the shadow of the Aradine Mountains—the Reavers’ Garrison. This strategically sound location enabled them to set forth and plunder the realm. But in no way had the pirates accounted for Rakista. Having awoken from a year long hibernation, she soon discovered the garrison and immediately went on the offensive. Fierce fighting ensued, and for a time at least, the men forced the monster back with muskets and powerful, wheeled cannons. Rakista would not relent, however, and after a day long skirmish, her strength and sheer determination won out. Under the cover of darkness, the great beast set upon the fortress, cracking open the outer wall like a nut to get inside. The Beast of Solar Beach feasted on man flesh under the stars that night for the first and last time.