Nyfrit - Reference sheet

August 29th, 2008
Photoshop and drawingtablet

WARNING: HUGE FILE!!

My entry for The-Nexus' contest ( ). The assignment was to design a so-called half-dream creature: a fusion between several earth animals/plants. We had to draw a reference sheet and a fully finished picture of the creature in its natural habitat. Like a fool, I decided to combine these two pictures, which resulted in a whopping 300 Mb+ Photoshop file. Serves me right, I guess. I hope it was worth it, though. My entry is Nyfrit.

Nyfrit (Plural: Nyfritti) - The Secretive

When a negative essence spirit bonds with a king cheetah, a worm lizard and a patch of
razor grass, you will get a Nyfrit. The Nyfritti are sentient, but they prefer to live
their lives as solitary predators. They typically rule a vast territory and will avoid
human contact if possible.

King Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
Nyfritti are incredibly rare, mostly because one of the required ingredients, the king
cheetah, is also a very rare animal. The king cheetah is a rare mutation within the
species as a whole. It was first reported in 1926 and since then it has only been seen
in the wild five more times. The king cheetah distinguishes itself from regular cheetahs
by its remarkable pelt. Instead of small spots, the king cheetah is covered with large
black patterns. The gene required for this type of mutation is recessive, which means
that the gene must be carried and passed on by both the parents, if a cub is to become a
king cheetah. It is this same recessive gene, which is required to form the Nyfrit.
The cheetah is an atypical feline, in that it is built for speed, rather than for power.
In order to reach its top speed of 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph), the cheetah has a
very distinct anatomical structure. A big chest, a narrow waist, a flexible spine, long
legs and semi-retractable claws make this cat ideally suited for its speedy lifestyle.
Unfortunately, the cheetah is also not very powerful, which means that stronger predators
such as lions will often pinch a cheetah's kill, before the cheetah gets the chance to
feed.


Baja Worm Lizard (Bipes biporus)
The Baja Worm Lizard is native to Baja California in Mexico and lives underground. The
worm lizard is absolutely tiny and feeds on burrowing insects such as ants and termites.
Its two front legs are its only limbs. The worm lizard uses these legs to burrow
underground. Some local people who live in the same area as these animals, believe that
if you sit on the dirt, a worm lizard may dig its way up and enter your anus. It is
actually one of the many stories which circulate in South America, about small animals
which might dig, wriggle, squirm, claw or swim their way into people's private parts.
Obsessed much? XD

Razor Grass (Scleria scindens)
Some species of the Scleria genus are also known as razor grasses, so named because of
the serrated edges on the blades of the plant. They will often tear open the skin of any
creature which passes by.

Nyfrit
The Nyfritti are formed when these three creatures bond with a negative essence spirit.
The Nyfrit is roughly twice as large and three times as heavy as a regular cheetah.
Because the Nyfrit is the result of a fusion between a mammal and a reptile, the Nyfrit
is considered to be a hybrid. Nyfritti are warm-blooded, just like mammals. The Nyfrit
has the same physical adaptations as the cheetah, which enables it to reach high speeds.
Fuelled further by the power of the essence spirit, the Nyfrit can race about twice as
fast as a regular cheetah and can maintain that speed for about 500 metres. It can also
travel at a (slightly) more leisurely speed of 90 kilometres per hour. It can maintain
this speed for about three to four hours.
The Nyfrit further distinguishes itself by having a third set of limbs. It has two scaled
arms, with shovel-like hands and large claws, which are attached to its large chest. A
Nyfrit will typically tuck these arms underneath its chest, like a therapod dinosaur.
They'll rarely place the arms directly onto the ground. These arms are very flexible and
dexterous. They allow Nyfritti to reach just about any target within range, even if that
target happens to simply be a particularly itchy body part. Like the additional arms, the
Nyfrit's tail is also partly scaled. The tail is used to balance the creature as it runs
at high speed, but the tail is also used to whip enemies with. The Nyfrit's back is
covered with razor sharp grass, which main function appears to be to camouflage the
creature.
A Nyfrit's head and face are very distinct. It has a very broad head, with a large,
curved jaw. Its mouth is filled with impressive rows of razor sharp claws. It inherited
this mouth from its reptilian half, as the cheetah has a relatively weak bite. The
Nyfrit's broad head is packed with jaw muscles, designed to deliver a crushing bite. It
has small eyes, with horizontal pupils, which give it excellent vision. Its large ears
provide outstanding hearing and it also has a keen sense of smell. As a trade off, Nyfrit
does not have the cheetah's whiskers. To support the heavy head, Nyfritti have a hugely
powerful neck, which in turn connects to its broad chest.
Each Nyfrit has a unique fur and scale pattern. The fur color may vary per individual.
Possible color variations include brown, yellow, white, and various shades of red and
green. Some Nyfrit have been rumoured to be spotless, which is quite odd, considering
that these creatures are only fused with the blotchy king cheetah. The color of the grass
on its back will typically change, depending on the season.

Males and females
Males and females physically differ from each other. Males are not only larger than the
females; mature males often also have a distinct goatee. Males have chests and bellies
which are covered with thick scales, which prove protection for their internal organs.
Females however have furry chests and bellies, presumably so that they may nurse their
young. No Nyfrit cubs have actually ever been spotted, so it is not certain if this
adaptation is very functional.

Life style
Nyfritti typically live in forests or grasslands. They are sentient, but they prefer to
lead solitary lives, rather than forming social groups. Not that there really are a lot
of them to team up anyway. There are typically no more than ten to twenty individuals
alive at the same time, worldwide. Ever. This is because the king cheetah is so rare.
However, the Nyfritti's numbers have lately been rising, because humans have started
breeding king cheetahs in captivity.
Nyfritti have two major hunting techniques. The first resembles that of the cheetah. The
Nyfrit will hunt down its prey and then overpower it. The second technique utilises the
Nyfrit's grass-covered back. Using its multifunctional arms, the creature will dig out a
shallow hole in the ground and then hide in it. Any prey animal which wanders too close
to the Nyfrit (or even attempts to eat off its grass), will be grabbed and eaten.

Battle abilities
Because the Nyfrit is formed by a negative essence spirit, it will fight defensively,
unless it is hunting. This means that the Nyfrit will not attack unless it is provoked.
In battle, the Nyfrit will use its physical strength, speed and agility. It doesn't have
any additional special attacks, so it solely relies on its body's abilities. However,
attackers should not underestimate the Nyfrit. It has the physical strength of three
African elephants combined and has been known to even rip half-dream creatures charged
with positive essence spirits, in half.
Nyfrit is not unbeatable, because it is semi-immortal. If left alone, this creature will
not age, fall ill or die. However, it can be killed in battle.

Telepathy
The Nyfritti can communicate with humans (or any other sentient creature), using a form
of short range telepathy. Whenever a Nyfrit wishes to speak, it will open its mouth and a
white-bluish glow will emit from its throat and its eyes. An unearthly voice will boom
forth; the creature won't move its mouth or lips while it 'speaks'. The Nyfrit's own
name (each Nyfrit has a unique name, just like you and me) will also appear on its
forehead. All Nyfritti have ancient Sanscrit names. The exact reasons for this are
unknown. It has been speculated that the first human to encounter a Nyfrit, spoke
Sanscrit and the language (now long dead) somehow stuck. A Nyfrit can also sense the
thoughts of the creatures around it. If it decides to address a human, it will do so
using that person's own native tongue. However, the name on the Nyfrit's forehead will
always be displayed in Sanscrit. For possible Sanscrit names, check out this
website.
The telepathic abilities of the Nyfritti are not particularly powerful, which means that
it must stand at least 200 metres from the person it wants to speak to. If two people are
together and the Nyfrit only wishes to address one of them, the other human will not hear
its voice, or see anything of the lightshow described above. He or she will simply see
the Nyfrit standing there with its mouth open, as if it got stuck in that position during
an enormous yawn. Nyfritti can also speak to a group of people.
Nyfritti generally don't use their telepathic abilities to communicate with each other.

History
The Nyfritti prefer to keep to themselves, but are sometimes known to gather together
during emergencies. The Nyfritti usually do not mingle with humans, but in the ancient
past, some humans did actively approach Nyfritti. They usually did so to ask for their
advice concerning human political situations, and such. Nyfritti are about as intelligent
as a human, but during their long lives, they gather more experiences and gain more
wisdom than any human could ever hope to achieve. A Nyfrit will generally assist a
non-aggressive human if it means he or she will leave them alone afterwards.