. These were collectible books that provided you with a skill point and played a cut scene telling you more about the creature when you read them.
These were removed somewhere before the beta started and until now we've only had the titles and descriptions of a few of them. After digging around I've managed to recover text 31 that were finalized.
Now, they roam the scorched Dragonbrand killing anything that hasn't been corrupted. A Branded creature can easily be spotted by their crystalline exterior illuminated by purple lighting.
When the Elder Dragon Kralkatorrik created the Dragonbrand, every creature touched by its breath was mutated into a twisted, crystalline servant of the dragon.
There is no cure once a creature has become Branded, and it will remain in Kralkatorrik's thrall until destroyed.
They're usually found in tribes, at least three of which (the Harathi, Modniir, and Tamini) have been engaged in a long-running battle with humanity, who displaced the centaurs as they spread out across Tyria. Centaurs are fierce combatants and have been known to wipe out or capture whole settlements.
These equine beasts with humanoid torsos can be found along the rolling plains and deserts of Tyria.
While centaurs are known for their warlike traits, a few have sought a more peaceful path, including Ventari, who founded a place of sanctuary for all races and helped his human friend Rohan plant the Pale Tree, which brought about the birth of the sylvari.
In the past two centuries, the dredge have risen to rival the charr in technological advancement, due in part to the famous Molachev manifesto which gave the newly freed dredge a sense of purpose and focus.
After years of oppression and slavery at the hands of the dwarves and asura, this underground race of mole-like humanoids has forged their own freedom in the deep passages and mines that once belonged to their former masters.
Today, the dredge possess a strong, almost militant sense of community that drives them ever forward as they spread throughout the world.
Ettins can be found wandering the Krytan countryside. They are 12 feet tall and roughly humanoid, with two feral, misshapen heads atop their thick necks.
The Flame Legion are unique among the charr for their mastery of magic, which is often rejected by the other legions in favor of the drum of machinery and the cold precision of technology. Despite their exile from charr society, the Flame Legion's power has been growing steadily in recent years.
Once the rulers of the charr legions, the Flame Legion have been outcast after a successful rebellion rejected the Flame Legion's religious zealotry.
Led by their self-proclaimed new god, Gaheron Baelfire, the Flame Legion is now strong enough to combat the other legions, be it through open combat or covert means.
Golems are used as everything from guards to servants and can be found wherever asura are. Golems can be programmed to speak using a robotic monotone, but they are only clever enough to converse if built for such a task.
Asura can build or modify their golems to serve in nearly any climate, allowing golems to work in the harshest of environments. These large constructs are mainstays of the asura, who create the golems through arcane means and power them with giant crystals embedded in their bodies.
Golems have no emotions, do not feel pain (though they may be programmed to act like they do), and will remain functional until severely damaged.
While the charr have developed technologically, the grawl have delved deeper into magic, calling forth allies in the natural and spirit worlds to fight alongside them. Grawl can typically be found in caves, using primitive tools or carrying out one of their many rituals to an ever-changing pantheon of deities.
This savage and primitive race has not only been a long-time enemy of the charr, but perhaps its mirror opposite.
Yet, despite all appearances, the grawl are competent hunters and moderately intelligent, capable of utilizing traps and tactics to ensnare their prey.
Guided by a matriarch, a mob of harpies will attack aggressively, not even leaving scraps of their kill for scavengers. Harpies are strongly xenophobic to the point of not even trading with other races. Harpies are a female-dominated race, with the males rarely seen outside of their nests.
Cruel, menacing, and bloodthirsty, these half-bird, half-human predators ruthlessly attack other races and take what they need by force. The hold hatred for everything that walks on the ground.
Mercy and weakness are despised by the harpies to such a degree that they'll kill their own kind if it means strengthening the flock.
Hylek tribes have different colors, which not only makes them visibly distinct from other tribes, but usually correlates to their acceptance of outsiders. Green hylek are generally friendly, while yellow hylek are neutral but still open to accepting to outsiders on a case-by-case basis.
Found in the swamps and bayous of Tyria, these amphibious, frog-like creatures are known for their stoic stature, their divine reverence of the sun, and the ferocity of their warriors on the battlefield.
Red hylek should be considered hostile under any circumstance.
The jotun were a powerful, advanced race, not only strong but also knowledgeable in the ways of magic and lore. Yet for all of their power and strength, the jotun were not content. Without an enemy to fight, they turned on each other in a mad desire for more power, more control over their domain. The infighting claimed countless lives as well as the jotun's knowledge and understanding of magic.
These massive giants are the last remnants of a great ancient society that once ruled the Shiverpeak Mountains.
While their monuments can still be found throughout the Shiverpeaks, the jotun are a broken, scattered race, reduced to savagery and petty power grabs among their remaining clans.
The kodan seek to be in balance with the world around them and have a deep belief in reincarnation as a form of spiritual advancement, meaning members of races will continue to return as themselves until they are ready to become a more advanced race.
Originally from the Far Shiverpeaks, these tall, intelligent, bipedal creature resemble white bears. For the past hundred and sixty years, they have been battling the Elder Ice Dragon, Jormag, and are now traveling south, seeking allies for their cause.
In this regard, the kodan believe themselves to be the most advanced race in the world, making it their duty to guide and judge other races, holding some races as having greater "potential" than others.
These intelligent serpentine creatures make up one of the most dangerous aquatic races in all of Tyria.
They kill without compunction, take slaves without a moment's pause, and sacrifice innocent villagers as part of their dark and fanatical faith, which declares the krait as the supreme species in Tyria. Most krait live in vast underwater constructions that stretch from the water's surface to the ocean depths. These cities act as home, hatchery, and training ground for the next generation of zealots.
As the water is the krait's natural environment, they have a strong advantage in underwater combat, even against other waterborne races like hylek and quaggans.
Largos are pragmatic, intelligent, and methodical, making them excellent spies, assassins, or bounty hunters. Little is known about their society beyond being made up of great houses, known as Tethyos Houses, and the knowledge that a largos never breaks their word.
These amphibious creatures are perhaps the best hunters in Tyria. Fast, silent, precise, and lethal, a largos can wipe out a squad of veteran soldiers in seconds, retreating into the shadows before their victims can stop screaming.
To a largos, breaking one's bond is tantamount to making oneself the next target.
Besides being one of the oldest races in the world, they also have the longest life spans, often reaching 300 years of age. Despite their longevity, ogres have little regard for history or religion, preferring to live in the moment.
This brutish race of creatures is perhaps one of the oldest in all of Tyria, predating even the arrival of humans.
Ogres generally keep to clan units and live in settlements known as kraals. They're natural herders and animal handlers, often taming fierce predators as pets. It's said that the more pets an ogre has, the higher his or her stature is in the ogre community.
Those corrupted by Zhaitan join the undead ranks and will be used by their new master to go forth and spread its pestilence and decay.
These shambling monsters are the minions of the Elder Dragon Zhaitan, who created his army out of the creatures who lived in or near Orr when it was destroyed.
Orrian undead are easily recognizable for their rotting exterior and their total commitment to the corruption and destruction of everything not already influenced by Zhaitan.
While some pirates are content with fortune hunting, most will resort to extortion, kidnapping, or murder to get what they want. The most successful pirates find a way to operate just outside of law enforcement and avoid other threats to their schemes.
These murderous scoundrels are the seafaring equivalent of the bandit. Pirates can be found anywhere with open water near villages or towns they can threaten, burn, or rob.
Also like bandits, pirates are ruthless, cannot be bargained with, and must be considered a constant danger.
This amphibious race can be found in or near Tyria's many waterways. Quaggans are recognizable by their portly appearance, their quirky speech patterns, and a kind demeanor.
While their laid-back attitude makes for pleasant company, it also leaves them at the mercy of more ruthless races, such as the krait. Under extreme duress, quaggans have been known to go berserk, gaining increased power and special abilities for a short time, though quaggans are always embarrassed by their lack of control afterward.
In larger quaggan settlements, it's common to see statues worshipping the quaggan deity, Mellaggan, who some believe to be an offshoot of the human god Melandru.
Alone, the skritt are scatterbrained, but in larger numbers, they become far more cunning and intelligent than expected. This has given this scavenger race a chance for survival on Tyria's surface.
These small gibbering rat-like creatures emerged out of depths of Tyria with the rise of the Elder Dragon Primordus.
Skritt are naturally attracted to shiny objects, and have become renown for stealing anything that interests them, mostly items that will give them an advantage while hunting, or things that the skritt cannot make themselves.
Such open hostility and lack of intellect makes it difficult to learn more about the race. In fact, the only knowledge about trolls comes from fighting them. What trolls lack in brains, they make up for in aggressiveness and a natural healing property that helps trolls recover from the most severe of wounds.
These large, savage cave dwellers are known for attacking anything that enters their territory as well as their low intelligence.
Trolls have also been known to generate lightning shocks from their skin to help protect themselves from attackers.
Named after a powerful Modniir chieftain, the Hands of Ulgoth were summoned by a centaur high sage after losing the battle for Shaemoor Village. In a last-ditch attempt at victory, he summoned massive earthen hands, formed at the center of a maelstrom.
The storm hurled debris and farm animals at a makeshift defense force consisting of Seraph and adventurers.
Led by Captain Logan Thackeray, the force overwhelmed the Hands of Ulgoth, thus sparing the battered Shaemoor from further devastation.
Brought south by Knut Whitebear for a Great Hunt, Issormir loosed its fury on all of the would-be slayers.
Gleaming blue like a great wall of ice, the enormous frost worm towered above the ground, its length and size a distinct advantage over even the norn.
Immobile once surfaced, Issormir could still topple nearby foes with powerful sweeping attacks as well vibrate the ground to call lesser wurms to its side. Though Issormir was defeated in battle, other great wurms are still dangerous in their own right and should be approached with caution.
Trapped in the relentless loop of an ever-repeating battle, the ghosts of Ascalon still struggle against the charr from the day of the Foefire, over two hundred years ago.
In one notable incident, Duke Barradin’s ghost led an attack to strike back at the charr, but was quickly overwhelmed.
Attempting to turn the tide of battle, he possessed a large statue that resembled him. The Dukes attacks were devastating, but he was ultimately defeated. Though the ghost wasn’t wholly destroyed, the damage was enough to keep him dematerialized for quite some time.
This all-male cult of norn have rejected their race's reverence for the Spirits of the Wild. Instead, they're obsessed with emulating what they see as the greatest predator in Tyria: the Elder Dragon Jormag, who drove the norn from the northern Shiverpeaks over a century ago.
The Sons of Svanir are named after the norn figure who was corrupted by a dark force and later slain by his sister, Jora. They're brutal, unyielding, and merciless in their crusade to earn Jormag's favor and power.
Prominent Sons of Svanir leaders who go to "serve" Jormag become twisted monstrosities who return to the cult, becoming more influential among the members.
Like a violent, raging blizzard, the greater ice elemental is a self-contained storm with immense magical power.
Extremely large and formidable, the elemental is a swirling cluster of icy shards, slicing through anything around it.
A rare sight in the wild, the elemental is found in snowier regions, where concentrated magical energy condenses and supercharges itself into a snowy mass. A skilled elementalist can summon a greater ice elemental, but, under these circumstances, the storm-like creatures cannot function independently and must be controlled by the summoner.
When the charr breached Ascalon City more than two hundred years ago, King Adelbern, in an act of desperation, broke his magic sword, Magdaer. It created the Foefire, a blast of tremendous energy which obliterated the invading charr army but cursed the humans caught in the blast by turning them into ghosts.
The ghosts can be seen today wandering the ruined lands of Ascalon, now home to the charr's Black Citadel. These trapped spirits believe themselves to be living their old, pre-Foefire lives. As a result, they mistake anything foreign near them as a charr invader from the past and will attack without mercy.
Slaying a ghost will disperse the spirit for a short time, but the ghost will always reform.
Like drakes, skale are found in or around bodies of water. Skale are often vibrant in color and have sharp, webbed dorsal ridges, with a long, powerful tail for swimming.
Skale will scavenge anything remotely edible, including corpses and putrefied scraps. Because of their filthy diet, skale frequently contract a variety of maladies, which are easily transmitted to attackers.
Though one skale may seem insignificant, groups of them can pose a considerable threat. Skale should be avoided, as they are hostile and harbor contagious diseases.
Bandits are part of a large, loose-knit community of criminals in Tyria, typically grouped together outside the reach of the various law enforcement groups found in Tyria's major cities.
Like pirates, bandits exist to get rich by stealing from or killing their marks.
The life of a bandit is typically violent and short, and most of their ranks are garnered from the poorer ranks of society who have few options to earn gold through legitimate means. They typically fight to the death and rarely operate alone.
These avian humanoids tell stories of how their ancestors once soared the skies over Cantha, but the tengu have long been flightless.
Having been expelled from Cantha, the tengu have made a home for themselves on the island once known as Sanctum Cay.Tengu are typically territorial and suspicious of strangers.
Although adept with weapons, tengu can also use their talons effectively, be it for practical concerns or when hunting and consuming still-warm prey.
Griffons are a peculiar group of creatures that come in several different shapes and sizes. Griffons typically share traits with both avians and mammals, making them fearsome to behold. Their biology seems to be just as complex as their appearance.
Having wings, griffons can be found in many places throughout Tyria. However, they are often territorial and will actively defend their hunting grounds from perceived threats.
When traveling through griffon country, one should always keep an eye on the sky as well as the ground.
Of all the shades, the Shadow Behemoth is most feared. Found trying to force its way out of the Underworld at the ruined Temple of Ages, this colossal creature is both physical and ethereal.
The Shadow Behemoth will also open portals to the Underworld and summon other dark forces to its aid.
This lethal combination means it is best left alone, at least for those wishing to survive.
These magically animated effigies are colossal wicker monstrosities crafted by Flame Legion shamans.
They have a charr-like appearance and are perpetually burning with a magical fire that grants them power and mobility, making them portable and destructive weapons.
Charr effigies are highly dangerous. Their mere presence alone invigorates Flame Legion troops. This secondary function is a boon to the Flame Legion and gives them a terrifying edge when effigies are present on the battlefield.
Book Of Knowledge: Branded Creatures 
