fact file 2

SLUGINE

Male Slugine

Female Slugine

Appearance:

The appearance of these stout, dwarfish creatures varies greatly between the sexes. The male stands upright on two legs, possesses a distinct, almost humanoid upper and lower half, and has a think slimy tail protruding from its lower back. The female is much more slug-like in structure, possessing a more slender equine head. Her body is tubular with three sets of arms protruding from her front side. This seemingly more primitive body structure does not hinder her mobility; keeping her six arms firmly tucked to her side, she can make her way much as a serpent does, and at an impressive pace.


Temperament and Social Behaviour:

Slugines live in secluded mating couplets in dense swamp-like terrain. They are slow moving and rather docile creatures, but that is not to say they are dim-witted or overly vulnerable to attack from predators. When threatened, the slugine secretes a white mucus from four openings on its body: one behind each of its ears, one above its genitalia, and one roughly half-way down the underside of its tail. This mucus forms a toxic barrier around its entire body which repels most enemies.


Diet:

Slugines spend much of their day gorging on whatever they can find or catch, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, medium-sized mammals, carrion, non-poisonous fungi, moss, shrubbery, small trees, scorpions, crickets, non-poisonous insects, crustaceans, berries, various herbs, tree bark, low-flying birds, and bananas.


Mating habits:

Slugines pair up at an early age and mate for life. They will produce between 1 to 3 offspring. Both parents play an equal part in caring for and raising the young. The children will usually live with the parents as a family unit for up to 15 years, at which point they leave to find mates of their own. Notably, the youngest child will always remain with their parents to tend to them in their old age.


Life Cycle:

After a gestation period of just 6 to 8 days, the female slugine births a small moist larva. This creature, in no way displaying any horse-like qualities, suckles from the mucus glands of both its mother and father. It will molt several times during this stage in its development, growing quite large and fat. The sex of the larva at this state is indeterminable. After about 6 months it will nestle itself into a crevice or burrow, spin a cocoon and enter the pupa stage of its life. The chemistry of the fibers of this cocoon contains the same toxins the poisonous mucus that the adults secrete . Thus the pupa is quite safe from predators and parasites during this time. The pupa period lasts for exactly 28 months . Knowing that their child is perfectly safe, the parents will sometimes leave the nest for weeks on end and visit other nearby slugine families. When the offspring emerges from its cocoon, it does so as a fully-formed slugine, but roughly a quarter the size of an adult .

Political Affiliations:

No slugines have been known to make any public political alliances, although an orphaned brother and sister were once adopted by the acclaimed war veteran of the Queen's Navy, the HMS Minotaur.

fact file 1

JAWCULAR-FACED FOWL

Appearance:

Quite large as far as birds are concerned, the Jawcular-Faced Fowl stands much taller than all other predatory fowl. Incapable of flight, it relies on its powerful stubbed legs for transportation. These stilt-like limbs lack stability, so its long muscular arms are used as anchors during times of conflict. The feathers are generally light blue on the belly and range from dark blue to grey on the backside and tail. A distinguishing feature of this creature is its lack of eyes, which forces it to rely on its other senses to survive.


Temperament and Social Behaviour:

The Jawcular-Faced Fowl is a solitary creature and has a reputation for being a fearsome predator and murderer . If two males find themselves in close proximity, a fierce battle will surely ensue, determining who will reign over the territory. Females are not territorial and are usually less temperamental; however, in defense of her young she will demonstrate herself to be the most fearsome of foes.


Diet:

The Jawcular-Faced Fowl is the strictest of carnivores, battling and devouring any creature that may come its way, regardless of the victim's size and temperament. A male will even devour his own children if they are found unguarded by their mothers. Generally, the Jawcular -Faced Fowl will hunt at dawn and dusk, preferring to rest its large body during the warmer hours of the day.


Mating Habits:

A male Jawcular-Faced Fowl will wait for a female to enter his territory, and then attempt to impress her through a display of incredible feats of strength. If she shows interest, the intercourse that follows can be more destructive than the battling of males, and has been known to wipe out entire hamlets. As violent and brutal as they are, these encounters rarely end in one of the partner's deaths. This period of extreme excitement is followed by a longer period of extreme calm. The partners will cradle each other for several hours, after which, the female will leave the area to build a nest, lay her eggs, and raise the young on her own.


Life Cycle:

The Jawcular-Faced Fowl hatches from a large mushroom-coloured egg that has an incubation period of 21 days. A mother lays one egg every 5 to 7 years. The youth is raised by it's mother for approximately 3 years, after which it will set off on its own. It is difficult to determine the length of the natural life of these creatures. They begin to show signs of old age after 30 years of life, but will usually be killed by younger and stronger birds at the first sign of weakness.

Political Affiliations:

A few of these creatures have been known to enlist within the ranks of the Great Flock where they usually take on the role of front line juggernauts. One legendary individual even became the star pilot ofthe Great Bear Guardian. Most, however, prefer to live solitary lives in the wilderness.