OOC Info Northern Reaches Bestiary

[Valkyrie]

Northern Reaches Bestiary Mammals Name: Talderan Snow Fox Common Locations: Northern Taldera Frequency: Low Characteristics: Talderan snow foxes are hardy animals whose white coats help them survive by blending into the snow. The snow fox has furry soles which help keep its feet warm while digging in the snow or walking on ice. Talderan snow foxes can grow up to two feet tall and have thick brushy tails. These foxes have shorter and thicker ears then their Southern counterparts as well as shorter legs. Snow foxes have extremely keen hearing which is helpful for them to find prey burrowed beneath the snow. Talderan snow foxes are omnivorous and will eat vegetables if they cannot find prey. They mostly hunt small mammals but will try to scavenge the leftovers of larger predators. Social Structure: Talderan snow foxes pair up in the Fall to mate and dig burrows in the snow where they live. Their litters are usually born in early Winter, when it is mildly warmer in the North, and both parents help to raise the pups. On average, there are 7 – 9 pups born in each litter though as many as 15 are possible. Only a quarter of this number usually makes it to adulthood in the frigid north. Miscellaneous: Snow foxes are valued for their beautiful fur though Frostfawn Hold regulates the hunting of such creatures to ensure their continued survival. Snow fox pelts fetch huge prices in trade as they are considered exotic by other regions of Mizahar. Those who are found trapping and killing Talderan snow foxes without the permission of Frostfawn Hold are punished by Icewatch for poaching. Name: Talderan Wolf Common Locations: Northern Taldera and Northern Reaches Frequency: Common Characteristics: Talderan wolves are a very diverse species. Both dire and non-dire wolves can be found, and almost every coat colour is represented. Normal wolves can measure from 105-160cm in length, while dire wolves can be anywhere from 200-400cm. All wolves are powerfully built, and can move through the snows at a rapid pace. Wolves have very keen eyesight, hearing and sense of smell, so it is very hard to shake one, or several if you are being tailed. They hunt mostly on snow foxes, snow hares and caribou. Social Structure: Wolves are pack animals. A wolf pack can range from 2 members, right up to 20 members, although the average size of a wolf pack seems to be around 5 individuals. It is also not uncommon to see a wolf on its own. A wolf pair mates for life, and generally only the lead, or alpha pair in a pack will mate. Pups are usually born in the winter, with an average litter size of 5-6. Miscellaneous: The hunting of wolves is not regulated due to their high numbers, though they are generally dangerous to approach. Their coats fetch a reasonable price, with certain colours of fur being worth more. If a hunter sees a wolf in or around the city, they are encouraged to shoot it since livestock is at risk from these predators. Credit to Nate Frostfawn Name: Caribou Common Locations: Northern Taldera and Northern Reaches Frequency: Common Characteristics: Caribou are large deer-like mammals with thick, spiked antlers. They average around 60 inches at the shoulder, with males tending to be bigger than females. Both males and females have antlers, and the number of tines equates to the age of the animal. Their fur can range from almost white to darker fawn, with mot caribou having more than one colour. They feed largely on lichens, mosses, leaves and roots, and it has been reported that some eat bird eggs when vegetation is scarce. Social Structure: When they move caribou travel in herds, though they tend to spread out once they reach their destination. Elsewhere in Mizahar herd sizes can reach huge numbers, but they tend to be smaller in Taldera with an average herd size being only in the 100’s. Young is born in the late fall after a gestation period of around 8 months. Miscellaneous: The caribou are the most commonly hunted mammal by members of the Frostfawn hold. Their meat is the most widely eaten, and their furs the most common to find in clothing. As such, they are not regulated by the hunters, though anyone bringing in a pregnant female or a male in its peak will be met with a frown. Credit to Nate Frostfawn Name :Hunter's Pride Deer Common Locations :Small Forests Throughout Avanthal, Northern Taldera Frequency : Uncommon Characteristics : Hunter's Pride Deer (often called Hunter's Deer, Pride Deer, or Whitetail) weigh around 125 - 300lbs. In length they are around 60"-90" and stand a maximum 3' 6" from the ground. Reaching sexual maturity at age 2, their breeding season stretches throughout the fall season. Hunter's Pride Deer average two fawns per birth but can have a minimum of one and a maximum of four. Hunter's Pride Deer average a lifespan of 10 years unless they fall into a predator's grasp. Male Hunter's Deer are the only gender with forward curving antlers, the number of points varying depending on the deer. Antlers are shed and grown back every year. Hunter's Pride Deer have a greyish brown coat year round. They whistle, snort, grunt, and even rarely bugle. Their diet consists of a variety of berries, brush, grasses, and bark. They have a large tail with a white underside that sticks up when alarmed or running hence their nickname, Whitetail. They are highly aggressive when one provokes them or enters their territory but are peaceful animals if left alone. Females will attack if their young are at stake with no questions asked. In breeding season, Bucks challenge one another for does and their breeding rights. Social Structure :Hunter's Pride Deer travel in large herds consisting of many does, several smaller bucks, and a head leader buck. Does will usually investigate an open place before the bucks come out of cover since they are the ones most wanted and are much bigger. If in trouble by a predator, the bucks would usually let the does run and the bucks fight it off. One of the unusual qualities about this deer species. Miscellaneous :This is one of the most evasive species of deer with capture/kill rates being at about 10% which is very low. For this reason, their pelts are worth around 30GM. Their antlers are strong enough to be mended together and used for whistles, game calls, decor, and even sword hilt decorations and pieces. Credit to Arcadius Name: Stoneback Badger Common Locations: Northern Taldera Frequency: Uncommon Characteristics: Heavyset and bulky, Stoneback Badgers (Also referred to as Stonebacks) vary from 3.5 to 5 feet in length and around 2.5 to 3 feet in height. Like their namesake suggests they are generally heavier then their furrier cousins and can weigh anywhere from 40-70 lbs depending on the size of the growths on their back. This variety of badgers was discovered shortly after the spring Djed storm of 512 A.V. and somehow they seemed to have fused together with the substance known as Icestone. It is speculated that several groupings of badgers had made their homes in abandoned Icestone quarries and the Djed bound the two entities together during the height of its onslaught. The Icestone seems to vary in its shade from badger to badger, with larger growths appearing on older members of the species. These growths start as a sort of spine between the shoulder blades and widens out as it forms over the back and legs, ending in a block of ice that completely encompasses the badger’s tail stubs. Other growths have been seen over the muzzle and on the eyebrows, but these smaller ones seem to vary from badger to badger. The mineral seems to be fused to the skin, and acts as a very effective layer of armor for the creatures. For now this new mutated breed seems to age and reproduce identically to its stoneless brethren, the only trait other noticeable trait alteration being a sizable increase in aggression levels. Social Structure: Stonebacks have already begun to assert their authority in Northern Taldera as the dominant badger species. They are more aggressive and better defended then their cousins, as well as being larger, another apparent effect of the Djed storm on their physiology. Their behavior is more befitting a predator then a burrowing foraging mammal, for they will react violently at the slightest provocation. While it is not uncommon for a badger to digest meat and fish in their diets, Stonebacks seem to consume a much larger quantity of it. Another change to their behavior has been the formation of pods. Generally badgers are solitary creatures, but it seems that Stonebacks prefer each other’s company even if most of their social time is ramming each other or clawing each other’s backs. Miscellaneous: Frostfawn Hold has a bounty of 30 GM to hunters who can capture young Stonebacks, and bring them back alive and well. There are several concerns as to what the species means for the future of Taldera’s ecosystem because of their aggressive and expansive nature. Frostfawn is also very keen to discover the nature of the wild Djed that twined mineral to creature, for some suspect that the Icestone being fused to the badger’s body is causing them intense pain, a reason for their apparent violent and angry nature. Credit to Sliver