Among the stacks of the Great Library in Vereskil, a green-spined book resides. Figures of twining vines decorate the spine and flow onto the wooden cover and back; carved into the wood are images of plants and animals rendered in incredible detail. The pages themselves are gold-edged and colorfully illuminated. Fauna:Balsheer. Small, long-eared, dun-colored hunting cat. Territory encompasses the Garnet Mountain foothills, the rolling hills of the eastern Heartlands, and the northern fringes of the Plainslands. Diet is rodents and other small game, and balsheer are often prey to the larger species of hunting cat.
Deizen goat. Tough scrubland goats with four stubby horns and mask-like markings of brown, black and cream. Mostly dairy goats but can be shorn for coarse wool. Not very adapted for climbing. Well-adapted to arid climates and found in the lands west of the Rift, south of the Thundercloaks and outside the Desert of Aervach itself.
Thunder goat. Large, shaggy Kerrindrixi mountain goats bred for their thick wool, hides and meat. Two broad, curved ram-horns, wool naturally greyish. Extremely adept climbers, fearless and recalcitrant.
Roan wolf. Massive northeastern 'wolves', distinguished by their thicker, larger bodies and distinctive coloring: red-black to auburn to rusty-grey. Shy and leery of interacting with humans (or other bipedal creatures), and found mostly in the Haarakan Protectorate, they stand 3 1/2-4 feet at the shoulder.
Fiolin wolf. Smooth-coated 'wolves' mostly found in the Forest of Night and the plainsland. Usually dark of fur with cream or white markings. 3 feet or so at the shoulder.
Border wolf. Brindled, with mottled brown, grey or black fur; Border wolves look scruffy and patchwork for the most part. Found from the Border Forest up into the Thundercloak mountains north of Jernizan. 3 feet or so at the shoulder.
Husk wolf. Grey-brown, long-jawed and longish-eared strain of the Halci 'wolf' group, smaller than the others at only 2 feet at the shoulder when standing fully. Usually, however, they move crouched with their bellies nearly on the ground. Slim and long-bodied, they almost act more feline than canine, and have a high level of intelligence for normal animals. Territory used to be the forests in the mid-continental area, but as those got turned to farmland the husk wolves have taken to stalking livestock and humans.
Quill wolf. Heavyset northern 'wolf' notable for thick fur studded with keratin quills that can be bristled to provide defense against aggressors such as snow drakes. Found in the tundra, taiga and boreal forests of Krovichanka and Gejara, with some found in Darronwy, Daecia and Kerrindryr. Around 3 to 3 1/2 feet at the shoulder.
Weaving widow. Non-venomous brown-black spider, up to two feet long in body, relatively intelligent. Produces spidersilk, which is tough and more durable then cotton or wool. Native to Ciri'theen.
Taza's Guard horse. Broad, stocky horselike creature with coat-colors ranging from grey to dusty to white and a long, coarse mane. The tail is leonine. Solid crescent-shaped hooves, dangerously sharp teeth including canines, powerful flanks and back, wide nostrils, a tendency to stomp and a proficiency in straight-line charging. Omnivorous, known to occasionally scavenge the corpses of Ten-Sky horses.
Ten-Sky horse. Tall, long-legged brown or tan 'horse' with deep brown/black stripelike markings, no mane and cloven hooves. Its legs are made for bounding more than galloping, and its body shape is narrower and slimmer than Taza's Guard. Males bear two spiral horns at the brow which they shed in the autumn. Swifter of foot than Taza's Guard horses, and exclusively grazing animals.
Frostmark horse. Short, stocky horselike creature with thick, mottled white, grey or tan hides, wide hooves and manes and thick fur-tufts around the feet. They are very muscular, more than capable of physically plowing through snowdrifts, and their broad hooves act like tiny snowplows. Small ears, no horns, and generally herbivorous though like Taza horses they do have canine teeth and will eat carrion, just not as readily. Found in Krovichanka.
Rhisyan deer. Small (4' at the shoulder) mottled brown-grey deerlike creatures with short, pointed tails, two sets of horns--one pair of stubs right above the brow and one pair of larger, branching horns set higher on the forehead--and long, tapered, mobile rabbitish ears. Female Rhisya have two sets of stub horns rather than stubs and branchers. Compact bodies with long delicate legs. Herbivores, with dainty cloven hooves and very springy gaits. Found throughout the Border Forest, in the subarctic scrub of Gejara and lower Krovichanka, and in the northern Forest of Night.
T'aear. Huge, shaggy beasts of burden, found in the Desert of Aervach. Ten to twelve feet tall at the shoulder and twenty to twenty-five feet long, with a leonine tail. Slow-moving and strong, with long yellowish fur and backwardly-curved horns arching from their temples. Their heads are set low and their jaws are huge, spade-lipped and toothless. To eat, a T'aear will dredge its lower jaw through the sand and swallow whatever it comes up with. The sand passes straight through the T'aear system and any organic matter within the mouthful gets digested. They are used as mounts and pack animals by the Nythalla and rarely killed. About as intelligent as domestic dogs and as loyal, they have been known to break out of their slow plodding for brief amounts of time in order to trample seressvi or even small drakes that threaten their brood or their masters.
Draft-hog. Bulky creatures with porcine snouts, lower-jaw tusks and long, triangular ears. Their bodies are heavily muscled and barrel-shaped, covered with bristly brown or rust-colored hides that are plated like a hairy armadillo's. The hooves are heavy and cloven, and heavy bone ridges protrude above the ears and around the eyes to protect them. The eyes themselves are small and sunken into the skull. Draft-hogs have longish, thick tails with tufted ends, also covered with armadillo plating. The only parts that are not plated are the snout and ears, and these spots are usually the target of reins and rings and other guidance-tools. They are used for hauling carts, plowing, riding...anything that an ox or a horse would do. Over 5' at the shoulder, slow and methodical.
Halion plated ox. Similar to the draft-hog in hide plating, but smaller in size and very different in temperament. About 6' at the shoulder and usually deep brown or black in color, with long heads bearing a double set of curved forehead horns (larger ones on the outside) and a pair of lower, smaller snout horns. On the female, both sets of horns are smaller. They are fairly intelligent and very aggressive. The plated hides crack along wrinkle-lines to create a distinctive pattern for each bull; calves are simply thick-skinned for their first year until the hide toughens and cracks into plate form. Fur tufts at the backs of the legs, ends of the tails and tips of the ears. They range throughout the Plainslands, Jernizan, the Illane, the western Meridian coast, Xiroacer and Mayorca.
Snow drake. Large (26 feet from nose to tail) semi-arctic lizard ranging from Krovichanka through the Thundercloak Mountains, Kerrindryr, Gejara and northern Jernizan. Characterized by plate-sized white scales edged in feathery tufts, with similar down beneath the scales themselves. Snow drakes shed in late spring and are sleekly scaly until early autumn, when they begin to get downy again. They are wide-set and built low to the ground, and have slim crests on their heads that flare up when they feel threatened, and on their backs in the morning like solar panels.
Snowbeast. Burly white-furred creatures that seem to be a cross between boars and huge cotton balls. They stand three feet at the shoulder, and their jaws are equipped with powerful slashing tusks. Their bodies are covered in thick, glossy white fur, completely invisible in the snow; their hides are thick and dead-white, and their eyes are a violent red-pink. They are extraordinarily vicious, temperamental and able to withstand much physical punishment.
Seressvi. Lizardlike desert- and forest-creatures. They are almost flat, with eyes at the corners of the mouth and a nostril on the top and bottom of the head. They are identical on both sides. Six-limbed and double-jointed, with sharp claws and a stinging tail. Their bite and tail stinger hold paralyzing poison. They have chameleon-like camouflage abilities, and often hide under fallen leaves or sand, waiting for prey. Their flesh is poisonous. Carnivorous, possibly a type of Ravener.
Grek lizard. Greenish-grey lizards that inhabit swamps, streams, ponds and lakes in the temperate areas of the eastern lands. They dig lairs in silt or firm sand and lay dozens of eggs at a time. Adult females grow to be about three feet long, with bodies shaped like small crocodiles; newts are slimmer and lither, more like geckos. Newts will stay with their mother for a while after birth, living in her den and serving as 'bait' for fish, turtles, birds and mammals. The newts are agile and quick, and learn to tease hunting animals into drawing close before darting into shelter. The mother grek will then snatch the predator that has been drawn too close, and drown it or thrash it to death. Newts feed off of the remains of the mother's kill. Adult male grek are slimmer, mostly keeping the gecko-shape of the newts; they are smaller than the females (about a foot and a half) and mostly scavenge.
Varakin scorpion. Red-carapaced, wide-bodied, human-sized (6' long not counting tail) four-legged scorpion with two semi-vestigial pairs of carrying/gripping legs and the usual two claws. Hard segmented exoskeleton, split mouth with chelicerae. Able to bend enough to spring and leap; front and back legs are quite powerful. Can be bipedal for short durations. Intelligent and known to gather rocks, crystals, metal objects and other attractive material for their dens.
Flora:Herbs, Mushrooms and Medicinals
Brine Rice. A variety of wild rice that grows in saltwater and brackish marshes and rivers, along silty coastlines, and among shallow reefs. It can be found anywhere in the known world where these conditions are met, from the Naza-Zcar swamp to the White Isle.
Crimson Vetiver. A vertically-rooted wild grass with long, thin, rigid leaves and reddish-brown flowers, used for erosion control and for its sweet, earthy fragrance. Most often found in Hjaltar and Ciritheen, it is widespread throughout the Atharenix coast and the Talislorian (southern continent) tropics.
White Achani. A type of lobed cactus that grows in arid climes in the southern Halion hemisphere, characterized by its pale, almost sand-colored skin, short thick spines, and heavy white flowers. Once the petals fall, the flower's bulb matures and turns a slightly ruddy darker tan. The cactus pads can be baked or grilled (after the spines are removed) as a vegetable, and the fruit and sap is used to distill a variety of the potent chana liquor.
Green Achani. Almost identical to its' white relative, except that there is more of a green tint to the skin and the flesh is somewhat bitter. It produces smaller fruit as well. Likewise, green chana has a bitter flavor not present in the white variety.
Sweetbrush bush. A silvery-green-leafed bramble bush with sweet, waxy yellow berries and tiny white flowers. Leaves of the sweetbrush bush are used for tea and pipeweed, and the berries are edible and harmless. Grows on the southern fringe of the Borderlands and the hills of the eastern seacoast.
Heartroot. Plant characterized by its thick, short taproot, which is deep red on the outer layer and purple-maroon within the core. Slightly sweet and watery. Its leaves are small and oval.
Charok. Long, finger-thin, sharp-tasting white taproot. Occasionally dried and ground into powder for a tea that eases stomach trouble.
Icicle pepper. Grown in the far north, these peppers are an odd, pale mint-green color and grow on thin green vines with cupped green leaves. They can be fermented and turned into the extremely potent Krovik hotwine.
Colinto pepper. A sweet red-orange pepper, hand-length and very spicy. Grown in Mayorca and favored immensely by the Solarians.
Dinkeha. A greenish-brown seaweed, edible, but bitter when uncooked. Dried, ground and used in food-preparation, as an herb or spice. Slightly salty, it is also edible when steamed.
Barsal. A small, thin-leafed plant with a large taproot. The root is thick, with a watery translucence similar to a peeled radish. The taste is exceptionally vile. It is used for medicinal purposes, mainly for regaining physical equilibrium (if dizzy or as a side-effect of illness or non-magical problems) and clearing of vision. The root can be powdered or pressed into pills as medicine. Barsal root is most common in Talislanta, but was brought to Ciri'theen and Hjaltar by immigrants.
Toddic razorfern. A marsh fern found in fresh- and brackwater habitats and known for its unusually stiff and sharp mature leaves. Young razorfern tips are soft before they separate from the bud, but rapidly turn rigid afterward and can be dangerous to careless handlers.
Veilgrass. A long grass with a fine yet tough fibrous core that can be stripped to produce pliable threads. Used as such, and for weaving textiles, though the threads do not take dye well. Related to shroudgrass, a wider and coarser variant also used as thread and textiles but for worklike purposes--packing, rope, etc. Both are found throughout the northern grasslands, particularly Illane and Jernizan.
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