Grabasor

In the first era as decreed by the so-called gods, the earth was flat and unsightly. So, Stratalus who is alleged to have made the land needed tools to ensure his creation was finely tuned. One of these tools is supposedly the Grabasor who are said to have created the great caverns and ravines through which the rivers run. Unmistakably primal, little has changed since this believed point of creation. Grabasor are renown for their tunneling capabilities although they’re not inclined to share. Indeed, though these animals are oftentimes sacred, they can be an extreme hazard to those unprepared to deal with their subterranean antics.

#### Physiology and Anatomy

The Grabasor is a large native species of mole. Like their smaller cousins they are fossorial, spending almost their entire lives below ground. Their senses bar their smell have been considerably dulled with most being almost totally deaf and totally blind. However, their acute sense of smell allows them to identify objects through layers of solid earth and discern what may be above them. They use this acute sense to find and unearth rare buried plants and fungus like truffles and tubers. As herbivores, Grabasor use their pick-like teeth to shear off the outer shells so that they may feed on the supplies plants house away from above-ground herbivores.

In the tunneling trade you’ll find no animal more effective than a Grabasor. Their powerful forelimbs allow them to displace enormous amounts of sediment in moments. They can flatten their bodies to fit into otherwise compromising holes for other large animals. But most curiously, their front claws are covered in a sheath of metal- iron to be specific. As the Grabasor tunnels it often eats minerals involuntarily. The majority of this is expelled in the same way toxins are but specific metals like iron are kept. The Grabasor can then allocate these metals to its keratin claws to cover them in a sheath. With these iron claws a Grabasor can easily tunnel through solid rock and grievously wound anything that tries to face them from the front.

Grabasor are fairly hardy creatures. They can survive in low-oxygen environments deep below the earth. Their fur is thick enough to impede sharp stones from cutting into them as the tunnel. And they can build up a fat reserve in their hairless tail to stave off scarcity. Indeed, an adult Grabasor is a fairly reliable survivor. The infant Grabasor are a different story. Each dry season a female may only have a few pups but they’re still entirely dependent on her. They’re born hairless, blind, deaf, and without their iron claw coating. They will need her constant attention for the duration of their three-year growth cycle into adulthood.

#### Psychology

By monster standards, Grabasor are not very reasonable toward sapient races. They show an aversion to the light and sound they produce as well as the infrastructure they build below the surface. They do not like other organisms within their domain. Grabasor hardly tolerate each other outside of pairing and will actively avoid confrontation whenever possible. Should two Grabasor meet it’s likely that they will hurriedly move away unless food is involved. They will clash over tubers and truffles if they feel they can challenge another.

They make their dens below the earth and will return there to store food. Mother Grabasor will keep their brood within her den as they mature. Grabasor are very protective of their dens but mothers in particular will fight tooth and claw to protect them and their brood. Her brood will learn to exhibit aggression from her as they grow and may even eventually see her from her own burrow if she is not careful. More experienced mothers will oust their brood before they mature to avoid this possibility.