“ When someone befriends an animal, s/he obtains the ability to unite their souls together and take on the form of that animal as well as its abilities. S/he also gain some properties of that animal even when they are no keener t transformed, such as resistence to cold or senses. If s/he really wants to s/he can half transforms taking on characteristics of the animal and their normal form”
“ '...The people of the Dalaben Fens have a custom heretical to our superior Zodashan faith, in which they place their dead upon the grass roofs of their stilt-houses. It is said that they do this because they used to bury their dead before the great Judgement, in which their home became the swamp which it is today.'-Sir Edrosh Metorva, 'The Barbarian Lands of the East, Volume X.'”
“ Dust Elemental
https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=1594
At the corner of air and earth elemental planes resides the dust Elemental, a growing threat to Parisia. With it's powerful choking attack, this creature is a threat to the city. More and more of them are appearing in town, spawned from the many dust devils, a frequent foe of the party, they come in size from 3 HD to 20 HD. Why are there so many? Why in the city?”