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Fingered/Pawed and Plated Mammals


Raergn

Right: A human rides a raergn; rare and dangerous, but possible.

Raergn are native to the desert-like areas of South Tasif and Tekrikri. Occasionally, Raiders use raergn scales as armour, as their skin is tough and resilient, and the whole layer of scales on its back can be kept as a flexible single piece after the creature has died.

Characteristics: They are short-limbed mammals that look like reptiles with a bony armour shell. They cna reach up to several metres in length. They use their excellent sense of smell to track down insects. The armour shell is made of many plates of keratin about as big as the rim of a mug and they all overlap like scales. Because of this, the shell does not restrict the raergn's movement, and it is very hard to penetrate between the scales. Because they live in areas of extreme temperature, the raergn can adjust its scales like panels to either reflect sunlight or hold in heat. The mature male raergn has two "horns" coming out sideways from either shoulderblade and curving forwards.

Behaviour: They use their claws to dig burrows and also to search for food like grubs and ants. When surprised, the raergn whips about in circles as it is fast on its feet, and its strong tail can cut the flesh on a human leg. They live on their own, hunting by night and sleeping in their burrows during the day, though this routine changes according to the weather and available food. They usually flee at the first sign of danger, but will attack if they feel cornered.

Strength:Their claws are sharp and long and are used for digging and also sometimes fighting. Agitated males run past enemies and cut them using their blades when threatened, and because of their short stature, they are very capable of rendering a person lame. These are fixed to the shoulder blade, so they move when the creature moves its arms.

 

Cmarla

The cmarla are desert animals native to Tekrikri, the hottest desert in Riiga.

Characteristics: Their bodies are short, solid, and very round, and their legs are also short. They have thick, long necks, and their head is often kept near to the ground. They have two curved horns above each eye that often cross past one another if the cmarla lives for long enough. In the oldest cmarla, the horns make an O shape and continue to grow outwards. Their two upper canines are large and protrude from their lips.

Their hide is very callous skin, and they have large stone-like patches on their back and down their neck. These patches are very durable, and can only be penetrated by concentrated and repeated blows from sharp and strong weapons such as axes. Beneath these patches, the cmarla stores fat, much like a camel, but the patches reflect sunlight and heat due to their density, helping to keep the creature cool. Also like camels, they have a number of water-reserving features, such as their ability to increase their body temperature tolerance level to avoid sweating, and their almost moistureless urine and feces. It is also believed that the stony patches on the back of a cmarla contain special blood vessels. If the cmarla starts to get hot, it redirects its blood flow to send heated blood into these patches. They get rougher and dryer and thus reflect more sunlight, but are terribly hot to touch. For this reason, they cannot be used to carry anything on their back. A person can suffer terrible burns from touching the hot patches of a cmarla.

Behaviour: They use their two tusks to hack through the tough dirt to reach roots. They can survive on very little food and water and store fat on their bodies. They live in family herds. The herd changes when a male is mature enough to find a mate, and on finding one suitable, the two of them begin their own new herd. Some herds happen to have up to a dozen members.

Strength: The larger the herd, the less likely they are to attack if threatened. Smaller herds feel more pressure and so there's more of a chance that they will charge an invader to protect themselves. They will attack in any way they can: heat-butting, trambling, kicking, ramming, gouging, biting, and even throwing their weight against large enemies such as cocky yrmbaro.

 

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