Minor Species of the Tri-System
Byrg | Chitter | Clatt | Elei | Helk | Preda Ben | Quomai | Veloce
Name - Byrg(s) [pronounced 'burg(z)']
Size - 5-7 inches long, with wingspans of 13-20 inches.
Physical Description - Byrgs are furred, bat-like mammals with tiny fangs; they're carnivorous, eating insects and occasionally dead fish that they find washed up on banks. They have surprisingly strong back legs, which helps them hold on in fierce winds when they cannot fly. They have bat-like faces and large, bulbous eyes; their finely-furred wings are unusually strong, able to function as forelimbs at times, as their 'wing-hands' have rather nimble fingers. They have smooth-furred, rat-like tails that act as rudders in flight.
Coloration - Shades of blue with black or very dark blue eyes, which are solidly-colored and shiny.
Temperament - Not very intelligent, byrgs are extremely social and live in swarms/flocks of 200+ individuals without a defined leader. They're harmless for the most part, being too small to hurt anything non-insectoid, but when swarming, they can be quite annoying.
Name - Chitter(s)
Size - A foot high at the shoulder, give or take a few inches.
Physical Description - Chitters are mostly feline; they have very long, fluffy fur that they keep scrupulously clean, spending hours a day grooming. Their paws and body are feline - they do have claws with which to fish and hunt small birds and rodents - and their tails are long, carried curled over their haunches. Their faces are blunt-featured with large, round eyes and floppy ears. They tend to live in herds of at least fifty individuals, but some Chitter herds can consist of 200 or more individuals. True to their name, they also make a variety of chittering, chirping, barking, and mewling sounds.
Coloration - Earth tones (greys, gold, white, black, browns) in a variety of markings. Eyes tend to be neon and faintly luminous in the dark.
Temperament - Exceedingly friendly little beasts, Chitters are the most 'sacred' of the sacrosanct three. They have a strange, unexplained tendency to curl up and sleep around a lone Lavanian, lending warmth and comfort to the larger beast. Their lack of fear is probably due to the fact that they know, from experience, that Lavanians won't harm or kill them.
Name - Clatt(s)
Size - 3-7 inches long, with a wingspan of up to 15 inches.
Physical Description - Clatts have a head that resembles a curving claw (the tip of the claw being their jaws/beak), and their bodies are long, narrow, and cylindrical. They have bat-like wings, two small but strong taloned hind legs, and a small, wiry tail. These blood-sucking beasts live in huge swarms, usually nesting in trees. They're very fast in flight and eat by latching onto their prey with talons, then stabbing their claw-like mouth into flesh. The 'claw' is hollow, so they can pump blood through it, which their second heart aids in doing quickly. These little things have an armored hide and are very tough to kill. They don't hunt just non-sentients, either. A swarm of clatts can kill a Korat (that doesn't run away fast enough) within two minutes, and the carcass can be dry within seven minutes. They can fly over 70 mph in a chase, and while not self-aware, they're smart enough to coordinate their movements to bring down their prey. They're fearsome creatures, all in all, and widely avoided by sentients and nonsentients alike.
Coloration - Usually greys, sometimes black, and rarely grey-brown.
Temperament - They hunt, and they swarm, and they kill. However, they're intelligent enough to not kill anyone who 'owns' the territory that they nest in - unless provoked.
Name - Elei(s) [pronounced 'EE-lee(z)']
Size - 12-16 inches long.
Physical Description - Very small, pliable reptiles. They have four short, slim legs ending in clawed talons. Their torso is almost snake-like, as is their tail. Their head is odd - almost birdlike, with a small beak, large eyes, and two 'horns' - merely rounded knobs of bone above their eyes. They eat berries, but usually feast on parasites, bugs, and dead skin and dried blood - which is surprisingly helpful. They'll attach themselves to a Lavanian, and keep that creature's hide clean and healthy. It's only annoying when they wedge themselves in an uncomfortable place, like in the crook of one's elbow or knee. But they're tolerated, since a Lavanian with an Elei or two rarely gets sick, and his wounds heal very quickly. Also, Eleis are asexual. They reproduce by splitting in half length-wise, starting at their two head-knobs and continuing on to their tailtip. The two Eleis left as a result of the division are not identical; the "original" is markedly different from its offspring, since the genetics do mutate and change with each division. Within a few days after dividing (provided they have enough salt and nutrients to consume), the two new Eleis will regrow to their former length.
Coloration - Eleis are incredibly bright - think neon colors. Their eyes tend to be jewel-tones (ruby, sapphire, emerald, etc), but their bodies, which are always a solid color, are often neon yellow, orange, or green - blues, purples, and reds are also known.
Temperament - Very unintelligent, Eleis gravitate towards niches in trees, rock faces, or living bodies that will provide them with a foodsource of insects or dead flesh. Once they find a comfortable place to live, they don't often move.
Name - Helk(s)
Size - 6-7 feet high at the shoulder.
Physical Description - Helks are large, muscular, long-legged ungulates. With long muzzles, flat teeth, and an impressive spread of sharp-tipped antlers, they are quite fast in a gallop and also capable of delivering a powerful kick with their heavy cloven hooves. Their fur is thick, dense, and coarse, offering further protection against the claws and fangs of predators. Their tails are short and fluffy, the underside often white; they will 'flag' (lift) their tails to show wariness or warning if something seems amiss.
Coloration - Helks are almost universally dark brown, though the mares can be lighter. Many Helks have black legs, faces, and tails; all Helks have black hooves and grey-brown antlers.
Temperament - Helks are wary, aggressive herd animals. They keep alert watch over the most vulnerable members of the herd, such as the young, the old, and the pregnant, and they will often spring to defend a fellow Helk under attack by predators, trying to reclaim their herdmate from the jaws of death. They are quick to fight and quick to flee, making them challenging prey.
Name - Preda Ben(s) / 'Ben(s) [pronounced 'PRAY-dah BEHN(z)]
Size - 5-8 feet high at the shoulder, with their heads 1.5-2.5 feet higher than that; 7-11 feet long.
Physical Description - 'Bens are thick-bodied, long-limbed bipedal mammals. With thin, sleek fur, they have rounded, muscular torsos that extend into tails that are heavy, blunt, and capable of packing quite a punch for a pursuing hunter. Their thick haunches slim down to long shins and clawed, three-toed talons; their forearms are slender, held close to the chest, and somewhat weak; the forearm splits into two long, sharp-clawed digits at the wrist. Their necks are long and lean, holding their small, wedge-shaped heads high; their jaws are narrow and weak with small, sharp teeth designed for shredding tough foliage. Their eyes are large and far-seeing, and they have no visible ears.
Coloration - Preda Bens are born one solid color - dark burgundy - and become silvery-grey as they age. A young adult will be largely burgundy, with silvery-grey on its undersides, stomach, and throat; old 'Bens are almost completely grey, with burgundy lingering only along their spines. Eyes are usually green; claws are grey or black.
Temperament - 'Bens are surprisingly tactical for being nonsentient beasts. They travel in large herds (30-100+ individuals) with a system of dominance; there are a few big bulls who run the herd, and then a dozen or so large hens, and then a few groups of 'Bens that are old enough to have some experience in fending off hunters. When attacked, 'Bens circle up - the groups of 'guard' Preda Bens form rings around the young and weak of the herd, which in turn have circled around the largest hens and bulls. Though 'Bens will flee if attacked on an individual basis, they are quite staunch in their defense as a herd unit, and hunters must battle past their teeth and claws to get to the best meat. Other than this defensive maneuver, 'Bens are extremely skittish and prone to fleeing; they can often be driven into an ambush by experienced predators.
Name - Quomai [pronounced 'KWOH-may']
Size - 40-50 high at the top ridge of their shell; 60-70 feet long.
Physical Description - Quomai are thickly-built, furless, quadrupedal mammals. With thick, leathery skin, they have a wide torso covered by a thick, ridged keratinous shell that armors their back and the upper parts of their flanks, shoulders, and haunches. Their limbs are stocky, proportionally short, and very muscular, ending in five-toed 'feet' whose digits are tipped in hoof-like 'claws'. Their heads are streamlined and reptilian; their jaws, while strong enough to break small trees in half, are filled with semi-blunt teeth designed to handle foliage. They have thick, blunt tails about half the length of their torso. Quomai, overall, are very clumsy and non-agile beasts, but they are still exceedingly dangerous to smaller creatures.
Coloration - Quomai are dully-colored. Mottled, most are grey, grey-brown, tawny-and-medium-brown, and some have hints of moss-green, especially along their shells.
Temperament - Quomai are extremely violent herbivores that stay in herds of 5-20 individuals. Unlike Helks and 'Bens, they will not wait until a predator attacks before defending themselves; at first scent or sight of a hunter, they will stampede forward and attempt to crush it to the ground. If the hunter is close to their size - Trahe or larger - they will immediately flee. Their senses are keen and they are hard to take unawares, and so most smaller predators steer clear of these highly-aggressive grazers.
Name - Veloce(s) [pronounced 'VAY-lowss(ez)']
Size - 5-6 feet high at the shoulder; 10-15 feet long.
Physical Description - Veloces are sleek, streamlined, bipedal hunters. Thinly-furred with a crest of feathers surrounding their skulls, these predators have long, narrow snouts filled with sharp teeth, keen slit-pupiled eyes, and no visible ears. Their necks are long and held arched, carrying their heads well above their torso, spine held horizontal. Veloces keep their leanly muscular forearms held close to their chests, leaving the three digits on each forehand loose to keep the wicked, hook-like claws away from their own flesh. Their hind legs are muscular, long, and powerful, ending in four-toed, clawed talons. Their slim tails are long and flexible, acting as rudders when running at high speeds. They are, overall, light and lean creatures, capable of great feats of speed and agility.
Coloration - Veloces tend to be light grey, dark grey, golden-white, dark brown, or blackened red-brown. They do have streak-like markings, typically on their faces, but sometimes on their flanks, wrists and ankles, or haunches; these markings (as well as their feathered crests) tend to be brightly-colored, such as red, blue, or green. Eyes are yellow-gold, and claws are black.
Temperament - Veloces are highly intelligent and cunning, despite not being sentient. They travel in small packs of 2-6 individuals and work together very well to bring down prey - which does not exclude sentients, or even other predators. Savage and relentless, a Veloce pack will stalk its prey until seizing an opportune moment when the prey's guard is down; they leap into the fray and rip the target creature apart, piece by piece, limb by limb. Most sentient Lavanians hate them, and many fear them.