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Razorjaw
Razorjaw
skill 10 (Adult); 6 (Young)
stamina 12 (Adult); 5 (Young)
Attacks 1
Weapon Used Very Large Bite (Adult) or Small Bite (Young)
Habitat Mountains, Volcanic Areas
Number Encountered 1-2
Type Reptile
Reaction Hostile
Intelligence Low


Origins and Distribution

The Razorjaw makes its nest among the foul sulphur pools and boiling mud around volcanoes; such a volatile and nauseous habitat suits the vile creature admirably. Thankfully, Razorjaws are very rare, and will only ever be encountered in such inaccessible volcanic areas, where they can wallow and thrash in these stinking pools of mud, sulphur and steam.[1]

Despite their apparent rarity and confinement to such places, Razorjaws feature on the Encounter Table for "Mountains".[2] This would suggest a Titan-wide distribution, but presumably only in mountainous volcanic areas. This is why "Mountains" has been added as a second Habitat type.[3] As well as their only recorded canon appearance on Fire Island, another excellent Razorjaw territory would be the Isle of Volcanoes in the Inland Sea of Khul.[4]

Based on their size and appearance, Razorjaws would appear to be some sort of evolved Dinosaur. Unfortunately, of the two that have the most similar body shape, Brontosaurus is exclusively vegetarian, whilst Plesiosaurus is fully aquatic. Perhaps Razorjaws represent the descendants of a now-extinct type of semi-aquatic proto-Plesiosaurus.[5]

Razorjaw1

A Razorjaw nest on Fire Island

Description

Over four metres long, Razorjaws are slimy, reptilian monstrosities with ungainly, leathery bodies and stubby limbs. Their long, scaly necks support eyeless heads with great mouths lined with sharp teeth.[1] Razorjaws are deep green in colour.[6]

Special Abilities

Despite their lack of eyes, Razorjaws are not affected by their blindness at all, for they have such an inbuilt hatred of all life that they can attack unerringly. From the very moment it bursts out of its huge, strangely shaped egg, a young Razorjaw knows only that it is hungry, and that it hates![1]

Razorjaws have no other special abilities (but see below).

Further Notes

  • One authority describes a Razorjaw's nest as follows:
As you walk along, you become aware of a strong smell of sulphur in the air. You soon arrive at the edge of a giant pool of thick yellow mud with large gas bubbles breaking through its surface and making unpleasant plopping sounds. The pool must be quite hot judging by the heat radiating from it. Lying in a strange nest of stones and sticks, you see two large eggs that look like melons. Their shells are yellow and wrinkled, and you have no idea what creature might have laid them by the side of the sulphur pool to incubate ...[7]


  • The nameless adventurer who inspects the nest of the Razorjaw on Fire Island is spared damage from an attacking Razorjaw hatchling if they are wearing Sog's Helmet. Whether this is due to some innate property of the helmet, or just because it has a neck-guard, is not fully explained.[8]
  • Razorjaws appear as one of the 100 creatures in the "Out of the Pit" bestiary in issue 2 of Warlock. Bizarrely, there is an asterisk here next to their name, indicating they have a special ability, but there is no further reference in canon as to what that special ability might be.[9]
  • This is pure speculation but it would seem that the Razorjaw was influenced by the Xenomorph from Alien. This is because of its smooth eyeless head, strange eggs, and the fact that the Razorjaw is described as "a hideous creature that has evolved to kill all other species".[6] This interpretation is based purely on the text of Island of the Lizard King however, as the creature's picture and its subsequent description in Out of the Pit are at odds with this idea.

See Also

References

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