Horny Toads are everywhere,
Revolting, stinking frogs.
Oozing slowly through the cracks,
Brimming from the bogs.

The plague of Horny Toads must soon
Be brought under control,
So if you can, please kill a few,
But use a real long pole.

-from the brochure For Travelers to Avoid Doom, Gobson Press

Horny Toad

Splinter - All Splinters

Set - Untamed

Class - Reach Attacker

Size - These toads are much larger than anyone would like them to be, sometimes growing to the size of two chickens or more. Much of the volume of the toad consists of the open space in its middle. When a Horny Toad puffs itself to maximum volume, all of its spikes protrude and it swells to nearly three times its normal size. When the Toad deflates itself back to normal size, the sudden release of gas creates a noxious cloud powerful enough to suffocate insects and small rodents.

Lifespan - No one has studied the Horny Toads to the point of knowing how long they live, since such a study would require being near one for an extended period. It is well known however that they reproduce quickly and plentifully. Their egg lay-and-hatch process is so fast and their population has grown so quickly that many cities pay citizens for locating and destroying caches of Horny Toad eggs. If more extreme measures are not taken soon to control the wild toad population, within a few short years the Horny Toads will overrun everything and everyone. It is quickly becoming popular to refer to the Horny Toads as a plague.

Weapon - The Horny Toad is equipped with what the Goblins call Putory. Putory is not as much a weapon as an endowed quality. Creatures with Putory often win battles through sheerly repulsing their enemy. They have a horrible stink that can be smelled from far away, and when they sleep, the toads emit an awful screeching snore that repels predators on its own. When attacked, the Horny Toads begin secreting bodily fluids in a revolting frenzied defense. Many of these fluids are toxic to non-toads and corrosive to surfaces. Horny Toads have a seemingly endless supply of different substances inside them, and none of them are pleasant in any way. It’s best if we do not go into any greater detail on the bodily fluids of the Horny Toad. Suffice it to say: It’s gross.

Habitat - Apparently they are excellent swimmers, because Horny Toads have been found in every Splinter, including the dead lands of Mortis. They most likely began in the Giant Grasslands of Primordia, but conditions were right for the toads to expand their empire. They make their homes in dank and wet places, especially since they lay their eggs in creeks and puddles. They do not like direct light from the sun, so during the day they can only be found in the shade of thick trees (as if anyone would want to find one). The spread of the Horny Toads has lately become a cause of concern for the rulers of the Splinterlands, almost on the level of an epidemic. The greatest concentration of Horny Toads has gathered in the Swamps of the Living Moss, in southern Anumun.

Diet - Horny Toads eat insects and rodents. Their tongues are so strong that they can ensnare a perfectly healthy squirrel and pull the thing in whole as it tries to escape. Then the acids in the stomach chamber quickly break apart the living creature; no chewing is necessary.

Allies - There is one man who seems to have a psychic connection with the Horny Toads, named Burion Happensten. Burion was once an eccentric gentleman of inner Lyveria, but last year he suddenly gave up his home and his station and disappeared. He journeyed to the Swamps of the Living Moss, where some unknown magical transformation took place. Burion is no longer recognizable as the man he once was. Now he is the Toad King. If you chance across him in the swamps, it’s best to leave him be.

Enemies - Horny Toads hate direct natural light, but they are entranced and drawn by artificial light. This means that each night, most cities of the Splinterlands are fallen upon by a small army of Horny Toads. Each morning, toads must be driven from the Lyverian walls by guards in special suits to protect them against the noxious odors. Other cities and towns are constructing toadwalls outside their perimeters. The bottom line is that Horny Toads have been nothing but trouble for highly populated areas. They have made enemies of all city-dwellers.

Pastimes - When gathered in the greatest numbers, Horny Toads spend a great deal of their time singing. To normal people, it is merely a hideous croaking cacophony, but the toads take their music very seriously. The arrangements are complex, and execution of their bufosymphonies requires great cooperation and teamwork. Scholars of the Splinterlands refuse to recognize the Horny Toads’ musicality as a sign of intelligence.

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@CarrieAllen and @ChrisRoberts

https://www.splinterlore.com/