"It would seem that, having blessed the South with birds of every hue, and the Midland with all manner of beast needed to keep a farmer in clothe, milk, and meat, the Architect saw fit to confine his most awesome and terrible creatures to the North, caged from civilization by mountain, ice, and endless night.
Should you by way of business need to enter that loathsome gaol, knowledge of these in-mates might save your hide."
- Beasts of the Architect, 1790. Excerpt from "Introduction to the Northern Kingdom".
Compared to the other Kingdoms, the North's fauna tends to be large, less varied, and often pose a daily mortal threat for all subjects of the Kingdom. Moose, forever the favourite prey of the savage hare, take no chances with their safety and will attack with little provocation. Most Northerners know someone, indirectly or no, who shuffled on to their next life beneath the hooves of a moose. Nobles are not excepted. Lord Lamonte Urdagan inherited the lordship at a young age after his father perished to one of these beasts.
And that is to say nothing of hares. The only truly safe way to travel the tundra is to have a hare of your own, or be in the presence of someone who does. Nomads rely on hares to lead them to meur fonts, and the domesticated snowshoe to follow behind and carry them, their children, and their tents. Settled people rely on hare taxis for transport across the vast tracts of wilderness.
Farming is a difficult and meur-intensive endeavour below the treeline, never mind above. By necessity, the diet of a Northerner can border on carnivorous in the winter months. Rabbit (if you are so lucky), moose, caribou, ptarmigan, sweet eider, seal, and spruce squirrel are common game meats. Every bit of food in the North is precious, so a hunter finds himself in competition with wolves and hares for it. He also learns how the alarm call of a Northern Jay alerts of their presence, or that following the nasal squawk of the Mulian Tern will lead to a colony of Lord Elkhatu's seals, where they feed off their fish scraps.
Not every Northerner is fond of the creatures they find themselves jostling for life with, but most hold at least a grudging respect, and strong opinions as to which tastes the best.
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