Pets

As Novilar is a petsite, the **pets** are arguably the focal feature; that is, the main reason most players join or interact with the site at all. Pets come in a variety of species, which can be interbred with the aid of an interspecies potion. Hybrids do not exist; offspring may be either of the parent species. Pets live within a player's territory, of which there is limited space.

## Lore

The ten primary species are natives of Novilar, each species blessed by its own Guardian. These species are sentient and capable of wearing any universal apparel. Because each primary species is blessed with inherent magic, they are particularly suceptible to corruption.

Three additional species have since found their way to Novilar. Humans, brought forth in ever-greater quantities by the Guardians themselves to quell to the corruption; and cats and rabbits, both of which seem to have crossed through the portals unintentionally and remained feral, unblessed by the Guardian's magics. Because of this, they are also immune to corruption.

## Acquisition

Encounters
While exploring, players may encounter either a corrupt pet or a wild pet. Although the lore and items involved differ, the overall mechanics of the encounter are the same; the player has five turns to increase the pet's chance of joining their territory. After those five turns are over, the pet will either flee, never to be seen again, or it will appear in the player's territory as their own pet.

Each species may only be encountered in its specific region (see Species, below)

Encountered pets are always first generation - that is, their parents are listed as "unknown" and they are not related to any other pet on the site (until they produce offspring).

Totems
*Main article: Totem*

A totem, acquired either from a Guardian quest or the crystal shop, may be used to create a new pet to one's specifications. The markings available depend on the type of totem used.

Created pets are always first generation - that is, their parents are listed as "unknown" and they are not related to any other pet on the site (until they produce offspring).

Breeding
*Main article: Breeding*

Breeding two pets together will produce at least one offspring whose markings and colours are randomly selected from a range between both parents.

Bred pets may also be purchased from (or sold to) other players, which is typically much cheaper than creating a pet via totem.

Breeding and purchasing pets is the most common means of acquisition, although it is much harder to acquire an exact copy of a pet created in the pet demo this way.

## Release

If a pet is unwanted, it can be released at any time by its owner. Any pet can be released in any state, provided it is not expecting: young or adult, hungry or not, "empty" of apparel or not. Pets can be released if they are wearing apparel and/or a skin, or have a minipet equiped. This means that **the only check against accidental release is a single confirmation window**. As such, players should always take care when viewing their own pets, especially on a mobile device, as it is theoretically possible to accidentally release the wrong pet via a simple slip of the finger.

Once a pet has been released, it is functionally deleted from the site, along with any items attached to it at the time. It leaves behind a small sum of  - usually between one and three thousand(verification needed)
, the same sum from opening a bag of coins.

Following release, a short vignette appears, providing closure for the player and indicating that the pet is not so much *abandoned* or *killed*, but *free* to make its own decisions:

    "*You watch your pet as it begins to make its way into the wild, but then it stops, glancing around in indecision, then back to you. You wave for it to go, to choose its own path. It turns away from you, seeming to consider its options. Just as you start to wonder what path it will choose, and where it's life will take it without you, the silhouetted form of a raven flies overhead. It calls loudly as it flaps towards and around your pet, which looks up to stare at it curiously. You squint, trying to determine what colors the Raven’s feathers are, but you can’t quite make them out in the fading light. As your pet too seems to be fading from view, you see it following in pursuit of the raven, which is now circling further away. Instead of regret, a sense of peace washes over you, and you smile to yourself. Your pet will be just fine.*"

Note that the raven described may be the Life or Death Raven - the ambiguity of the colour ultimately leaving the pet's fate up to the player's interperetation.

## Species

There are currently 12 pet species in total, with 10 Guardian species (also called "primary species"). These are the flagship species that released with the site, each one represented by a guardian of the same species. In addition to access to universal apparel, their respective mythic totems stock for one month per year in the festival shop; mythic totems for the secondary pet species are harder to come by(*incomplete*)
. Furthermore, only guardian species are featured in monthly festivals, most notably in the monthly skin contest.

### Guardian

***Guardian Species***
 Region
 Image

 Region
 Image

### Secondary

***Secondary Species***
 Region
 Image

## Notes

Currently, it is not possible to upload a skin for rabbits, nor is the rabbit PSD listed on the skins page for download. They are also not officially acknowledged in the "Guide to Pet Species" knowledgebase article.

## References

1. ↑ It is possible "sapient" was the intended wording here, which implies a greater degree of meta-thinking than simple "sentience". See: https://www.novilar.com/knowledgebase/article/41
2. ↑ "Feral" here meaning "lacking sapience"
3. ↑ https://www.novilar.com/demo