[“There
is a beast here whose form resembles a pig with spurs on its feet. It makes a
sound like a dog barking. It is called the Lili. If it is seen by people, it is
an omen that there will be much public earthwork construction in the district.” -Guideways through Mountains and Seas
The difficulty with drawing monsters from the Guideways is that there aren’t a lot of English sources. Which means I’ve discovered a number of beautiful pieces of art based on that book, but they’re all on Pinterest. If I’m lucky, I can track back from there to websites in Chinese, but whether these are the original sources, and what the names of the artists are, are frequently mysterious.
Lili This skulking creature somewhat
resembles a wild boar, with long tusks and a mane of bristly fur. Its legs end
in curved claws, and it carries itself low to the ground.
Sometimes
called a “cliff pig” or “rock boar”, the lili is a strange creature with an
affinity and a taste for earth and stone. They consume only metals and minerals—a
lili can subsist on simply rock, but such creatures are likely to be sickly and
weak. They thrive on a diet of semiprecious stones, iron and copper, and have
the ability to reshape the ground in order to more conveniently access these
prizes. Although they do not actively target humanoid creatures, lili are
likely to come into conflict with them by reshaping terrain, collapsing walls
or buildings, or raiding foundries and mines for food.
A lili is
of animal intelligence, and their behavior is similar to the pigs they
superficially resemble. In areas where resources are plentiful, female lili
will travel together in groups of multiple sows and their piglets. Lili boars
leave their sounders when fully grown, and the boars are territorial and
violent towards other boars. Fights for mating rights are common, with the
winner impregnating multiple females. Lili piglets reach maturity in one or two
years, and the creatures have a lifespan of about 10 years.
Lili are found on the islands of Munab, Ownwem, and Dwas’kin; all major mining centers rich in the minerals they need for survival. In Munab, they are often found in the company of stone giants, who value their ability to sense and retrieve minerals. In Dwas’kin’s mountains, they are hunted for food by firenewts. The dwarves of Ownwem considered them pests, due to their habit of trying to raid mineral stores.
Shores of Swords 