For my first entry, we have the Boar.Â
Boars, also known as Hogs, are a large Beastkin native to the Black Shroud and to a lesser extent Yanxia, though there they are referred to as Warthogs. They are also considered an invasive species in Coerthas, with an established population in the deep ravines of Xelphatol. This is potentially related to the Ixalâs interactions with the Twelveswood, though this has not yet been confirmed.
Sturdy creatures, boars feature a front-heavy, massive build atop relatively short, stocky legs. In the Shroud, adult females, or sows, tend to grow to between five and seven fulms high on average, with males usually growing a fulm or two higher, though their size can vary significantly depending on their environment. Adding to their height is a hump situated on the neck and shoulder area, with a mane of sorts growing atop it that runs from above their eyes to their hindquarters. While in adolescence this is a mane of hair, as they mature these coarse hairs fuse together, creating large, bone-like plates of armor all over their body(fig.4). Falling in line with their battering ram-like build, the neck is thick and compact. Its range of movement is very small, but this density gives it protection and supports their massive heads. Taking up roughly a third of the length of their body, the head holds their signature large snouts and long tusks(fig.5).
Like many animals, the appearance of boar changes as they mature. As children, also referred to as shoats, theyâre a warm brown color with soft fur, with cream-colored stripes running along their backs.(fig.7) This helps them blend in to their environment, camouflaging them in the underbrush their mothers keep them in during this stage of development, though even at this tender age they can be rather ferocious. At around three to four moons in age, they lose their stripes. Aside from the fur of their underbellies, the rest begins to grow in rough and bristly. Their coats darken and begin to transition to their adult colorations, ranging from dark browns(fig.1) and blues(fig.2) to the less seen dingy white(fig.3). While as shoats their ears are small and perky, as they grow so too do their ears, eventually drooping down in the process. At around seven moons of age, they are mature enough to fend for themselves, with males going to live largely solitary lives outside of mating season, and sows forming small groups together with their offspring. By this age their manes have nearly solidified, the patches of protective plates on their sides and legs have somewhat formed and are expanding outwards, and their tusks are beginning to show and be of use(fig.6). These tusks, along with their large snouts, are used for digging for roots, tubers, and mushrooms.
As omnivores, boars will eat anything from said plants and fungi to nuts or even carrion, seemingly without preference. They may even eat fresh meat on occasion, though they are not known to actively hunt for it outside of small mice and lizards. When anything larger than that is killed and eaten, it is usually due to an unwanted broach of their territory. Boars are fiercely territorial creatures, mothers especially so. There are even recorded incidents of sows who have lost their children to poachers lashing out and attacking any spoken they crossed paths with. Both genders have those large tusks and will use them to gore potential threats. They may give a warning call and display, stamping and waving their tusks at the threat, but unless what or whoever they are cross with immediately vacates the area, the boar will attack. Using both its tusks and itâs rock-hard mane, an aggravated boar will charge and run down its target until either they kill the threat or are killed themselves. This leaves them with very few natural predators.
This can be a problem in the Shroud, as in especially verdant seasons itâs not uncommon for the local boar populations to rapidly increase. Due to their ability and desire to eat what-so-ever they please, if left unchecked they may cause damage to the forestâs delicate ecosystem. Occasionally this problem gets so bad that the Conjurerâs guild enlists the aid of adventurers to aid in culling the boar to a more balanced population level, though only especially experienced individuals are recommended for the task. It cannot be stressed enough that a boar will not stop attacking until it physically cannot continue. Lances with some form of crossbar and ranged attacks are best for combat against them, as an aggravated boar can and will charge up a weapon it has been impaled with to get at its attacker.
Despite this combative nature, it is not unheard of for people to attempt, and sometimes succeed, in taming boar. The Sylphs of the Twelveswood have a notable fondness for doing so, taming and raising boar for use in battle. Though skilled at this task, itâs not unheard of or especially uncommon for these boar to tire of a subservient life, rebelling against their owners. Less common but still notable are those outside the Sylphs who would capture and breed boar for anything from guard animals to pets to livestock. A boarâs meat and hide are highly sought after, the latter being used in all manner of leather goods- from clothing to saddles, even airship components. This in and of itself has lead to many more attempts at the domestication of boar for livestock, as the risk to life in trying to kill a wild boar tends to outweigh the potential profit. The success of these ventures varies widely, determined mostly by how distantly the boar is related to its wild roots, and of course the skill of the handler. Boars in particular tend to have a natural disdain for being managed in any way, until much farther down a line of breeding than many other creatures.
As if living testament to this sense of power that boars exude, there exists an exemplary specimen deep in the Twelveswood referred to as the Lord of the Bramble Patch. Lancers in training with the guild are even sent to meet with him as a test of courage, for he cuts a very imposing figure. Towering above all men and beasts of the Wood, the Lord is the largest and potentially oldest boar known to man. Potentially due to this age or his security in his abilities the Lord is fairly passive to his guests, as long as he is treated with the respect he deserves.
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