#Beast

Fvōld-Jackals¶

"Huragur Gahl was the matriarch of this tribe, a warrior priestess adorned with a headdress made of Fvōld-jackal bone; her forehead consecrated by a blossom made of fingers harvested on her destructive path eastward…"

-excerpt from "The Ghosts of Epeithia"

• Habitat: The violet lowlands and scrub of The Fvōld, occasional incursion into the highland margins
• Known For: Bone and teeth taken for decorative working, and occasional use in charm-craft

The scavenger-hunters of The Fvōld, named for the violet-hued region they have made their own, Fvōld-jackals are opportunists in the truest sense; creatures that make the most use of what the territory produces: everything that other things have already killed and left. They are fast, territorial, and possessed of a social structure loose enough to dissolve under pressure and re-coalesce around the next opportunity without apparent loss of cohesion.

Their bones are culturally important to the peoples of the region, particularly among those who admire the animal's persistence and its indifference to the threat of larger predators. A headdress of Fvōld-jackal bone for instance is not merely decoration; it is a declaration that the wearer has studied what it means to endure in difficult terrain and found it instructive.

Appearance¶

Lean and long-legged, built like a wild dog crossed with a great lizard. A jackal's fur is distinctive: dark amber at the spine shading to a pale, almost translucent cream at the underside, with black markings at the muzzle and ears. The tail is long, tufted, and carried high when the animal is alert; a behavioral flag visible at considerable distance. Eyes are amber-yellow and sit slightly forward, giving the face a narrower, more focused appearance than it might otherwise have.

Fvōld-jackals travel in loose family groups of three to eight, though solitary individuals are common when food is scarce enough that cooperation becomes a liability. They are vocal by preference: a yipping, staccato call that escalates to a chattering bark when contesting territory with a rival group. The Ārdans of the Fvōld use the phrase "arguing like jacks" for any dispute they consider to be about nothing worth fighting over.

Statblock¶

• Danger Level: Low
• Life Points: 8

• Traits:

  • Awareness 8
  • Charm 5
  • Endurance 6
  • Might 5
  • Power 0
  • Sage 5
  • Subterfuge 7
  • Survival 8
  • Swiftness 8

• Talent: Scavenger's Nose - +2 to Awareness rolls involving scent