Flora and Fauna

Much of the wildlife in Aefenglom, Dorchacht, and in the Wilde is similar to those of standard forests and woodlands typical to Earth regions in the Northern hemisphere, such as cats, owls, wolves, bears, squirrels, deer, common types of fish, herbs and flowers, and more. However, the continent of Geardagas is also home to a distinct number of unfamiliar species. Some may have evolved naturally within the world while others may have been the result of an unfortunate experiment or two. Many of these creatures are in the Outskirts of the Wilde or within the Wilde itself, while Dorchacht and the areas surrounding Dorchacht tend to have creatures that are more of an oddity.

Unique environments like the Underground may have their own ecology, detailed separately.

### Fauna

* **Adar Ilwch Gwin:** A giant chimeric creature with the face of a lynx and claws connected to a falcon-like body, the gwin is elusive and rare, though its feathers are not and can be found littering the ground around their nests. Beware you don’t get into a riddle-off with one.
* **Black-Pearl Clam:** Found in a broad lake located some miles to the east, this species of clam at the bottom of said lake is numerous, big as dinner plates, and bears massive iridescent black pearls, prized for their beauty and properties in illusion spells when ground into dust. While Merrow Shades are a danger that lurk in the waters, the clams are uninfected and generally safe to handle, protected by their hard shells. The lake itself is glittering, though very dark -- the bottom is impossible to see even on the brightest day.
* **Electric Seahorse:** Technically a seahorse-lobster hybrid, this giant creature shocks people like an eel when threatened and is rarely seen, appearing only in places where enough fish have disappeared from its feeding area. It largely exists as a rumor among fishermen and certain foolhardy types have been carted back to the Coven with electrical burns, if not worse, in their attempts to catch The Big One.
* **Fruit-Antlered Deer:** Emerging only during the coldest months, these reclusive albino animals boast antlers that bear a special kind of fruit resembling orange pears, well documented for its aphrodisiac effect when ingested. The fruit can be easily plucked off the antlers and won’t hurt the creatures, but either inhaling or coming into contact with the deer’s blood can blind the victim up to a week -- so harming the deer in the process should be avoided.The fruits can be sold for a hefty sum to those looking to benefit from its potent effects.
* **Miniature Albino Fox:** These small white foxes can be found in their foxholes or near Forget-Me-Nots, which they like to enjoy as a treat. They’re fairly cute and can be tamed as pets with some work, but they do bite hard.
* **Neeklur:** The Neeklur is a breed of small, nocturnal marsupial. They have developed a unique relationship with a type of bush that grows into tall hedges, which spread across sparse, open areas where there are few trees and plenty of sunlight for these aggressively spreading plants. Neeklurs make their nests in the heart of such natural hedge mazes, where they can sleep safely during the day, when the hedges quite literally move around on their own, rearranging the paths between them in, it seems, no discernible pattern, making it quite difficult to find your way around if you aren't careful to mark your path. Without direct sunlight, the hedges are dormant, but be warned that the timid, sleepy Neeklurs transform into long-clawed, screeching little beasts at night. They are extremely territorial, and defend their home as a horde.
* **Nightmare Moths:** The powdery residue from the wings of the Nightmare Moths casts highly realistic illusions of the victim’s worst nightmares. These visions insidiously work against the logical brain to convince victims that these illusions are real. Illusions don’t last longer than an hour, but a swarm of moths can cause an overlapping effect which each flap of their wings adds a new element to the nightmare. These moths proved especially troublesome when they infested apple trees in Aefenglom -- though thankfully, they’ve been eradicated in the orchards and are now only found in the Wilde. Attempting to bring any back into the city *will* get you in trouble with the City Guards, given what happened in the orchards.
* **Nuckelavee:** Known for its distinctive shriek that can make even most hardened Wilders tremble in fear, the Nuckelavee resembles a horse, its skin gone and body raw. It has only one eye that burns like fire in the darkness. Sometimes the horse has a rider, or rather a likeness of one growing out of its flesh. Long hands can reach the ground and grab its victim with terrifying strength. They are hungry vicious creatures and capable of holding a grudge. The only way to kill it is by beheading either the horse or the rider, and they cannot cross running water. Recently, they came from the Wilde near Dorchacht to terrorize Aefenglom, and were driven back by the Mirrorbound. Currently, they are no longer a threat whether in or out of the Wilde.
* **Petalwolves:** Wolves with brilliantly-colored floral coverings, found largely in the Outskirts of the Wilde. Most of them camouflage themselves in the thickets of wildflowers and in spring are followed by bushy, green-leafed cubs. They're widely known to be aggressive when threatened.
* **Shamblevines:** Large badger-like creatures the size of bears, these animals are covered in thick thorny vines, forming a strange symbiotic relationship. They’re blind, but are sensitive to light, sound, and vibrations and can be found foraging for mushrooms during the spring and summer, especially after they’ve just emerged from hibernation. While non-aggressive, they will charge and slam threats with their thorny bodies before attempting to flee if cornered. Their vines are covered with delicate orange blossoms. The oils and scent from the flowers can induce a compulsively loosened tongue, making it an effective source for truth potions. This effect lasts between hours to weeks, depending on the person and the severity of contact.
* **Snowbirds:** Snowbirds are peacock-sized fowl which nest in burrows dug out of snowdrifts on the edges of farmlands and safe woods near the Wilde. These birds boast beautiful crystalline feathers, which fetch a high price for use in jewelry due to their rarity and difficulty in obtaining them: harming or stressing the birds in any way will cause the bird’s sparkling plumage to change into a dull brown in an instant -- an effect that can’t be reversed. As a result, patience is required to harvest these feathers as one must simply wait for the feathers to naturally fall off the bird. Be careful -- the feathers are as delicate as the birds and will snap or break easily.
* **Swampmen:** Within the summertime, the Swampmen can be found in the Wilde. Standing tall enough to brush a doorway, these creatures typically live underground and come out when the weather is warm to begin their feeding. They give off a strong odour as a defensive measure and resemble bipedal wet carpets with honed claws and sharpened teeth riddled with bacteria. Ironically, they don’t have a taste for flesh and instead can be sated with offerings of sweets such as candy, honey, or maple syrup -- though it’s best not to anger one either way. They are not, attached least, one of the infected.
* **Turtleducks:** Pretty much what it says on the tin: these are your average ducks, with the added quirk of carrying a turtle shell on their backs. Commonly found in ponds and lakes in the Outskirts.

* **Tree Elk:** Found in the lush woods, Tree Elk sport flourishing green-leaved antlers during the Wilde summer. It’s possible to retrieve a branch off of the elk’s antlers, though be certain to earn their trust first. If frightened (and they are easily spooked), the beautiful leaves will shrivel up and turn brown, or fall off altogether. Once they identify you as a friend, though, these intelligent creatures are happy to bestow its branches as a gift and will allow you to break off a small branch of antler.

### Flora

* **Briar Rose:** Located west of Aefenglom towards the Wilde, these roses resemble the common *rosa rubigiosa* or sweet briar, but are poisonous: being pricked or scraped by its thorns will cause skin irritation, fatigue, and fever -- and falling asleep will cause one to remain in that state until the poison runs its course. Characters familiar with their fairy tales may recognize the rose as an alternate name for Sleeping Beauty.
* **Death Trees:** Located in the Silent Forest, these trees give off a noxious sap and bear a highly toxic fruit that can make the terrain impossible to pass through when the weather is warm. During the winter, the trees go dormant and the sap freezes over, making the area accessible during these months only.
* **Firelight flowers:** Found in the Wilde during the hottest months (and some private gardens in Aefenglom), these flowers bloom in clumps near caves and rocky areas -- which is fortunate, given that their fiery-glowing flowers have been known to spark forest fires here and there. Their leaves have enchanted properties for ink, though take care when coming into contact with the blooms.
* **Forget-Me-Nots:** Special flowers that are especially important to those in Dorchacht. Residents have planted them in a memorial towards those lost in the Uprising during the one-year anniversary of the city’s liberation. Their delicate seeds can be harvested in the Wilde, and the flowers grow beneath large prickly-bushes whose thorns are laced with a powerful but thankfully temporary paralytic. Inhaling the flower’s scent naturally invokes fond memories in anyone who smells them, and wreaths created using the flowers are imbued with the creator’s memories of the person(s) they’ve dedicated the wreath to.
* **Iunerberry Bush:** Not unlike the Juneberry bush, these berries are lightly sweet and make for a great snack while traveling through the woods.
* **Moonbells:** Named for their shape, these light blue flowers are scattered throughout the Wilde. They’re quite beautiful, but don’t have any particularly special properties beyond uses to enhance some potions or medicines. Popular in weaving for flower crowns.
* **Orapple tree:** Orapple trees appear not unlike crabapples and can be found scattered throughout the edges of the Wilde. The fruit gives off a scent that’s closer to citrus than that of apples. They’re not especially rare: those traveling, if hungry, can eat the fruit for nourishment, so long as they don’t mind the sour taste.
* **Prurient blooms:** Blossoming in the Wilde for only a few short weeks every mid-fall and only every couple years, the Prurient flower is known for causing an instinctive urge to mate amongst those who breathe in its scent. It’s considered highly dangerous as a result -- but its properties *also* means it can fetch a high price when sold to the right person. Just don’t let the Coven or the City Guards catch wind of what you’re doing. That said, given its delicate and brief life cycle, it’s unlikely characters will have an opportunity to personally get their hands on this flower any time soon -- but talk to the right person, and they’ll at least hear about it.
* **Symphonic Fungi:** At the base of an old, sprawling oak, deep in the Wilde, is a symphony of mushrooms. These fungi come in all shapes, sizes, colors...and keys. In other words, they sing -- and they sing an eerie discordant song. Many different types of singing mushrooms cluster together, making for an odd cacophony. Unlike most of the infected, the Cwyld doesn't affect their outward appearance, but it does change their tune -- so identifying uninfected mushrooms requires a highly musical ear. Other mushrooms on the old oak include ones with teeth, poison spores, and hallucinogens.
* **Sorrowful Saplings:** Sorrowful Sapling trees are crying trees, which are in fact trapped Dryads, and the water they weep have great healing properties. The flowers that bloom beneath these trees are often white and due to the tears that flow onto them, can be boiled into a powerful medicine. These trees are rare and are located deep in the Wilde; combined with the misconception that it’s the flower alone that boasts healing properties, many consider these flowers simply a fable. Due to the weeping Dryads, one might find the area immediately around the Sorrowful Saplings relatively free of signs of the Cwyld even if the surroundings may be deeply infected.

### Other

* **Crystal sand:** Special sand found only in the ponds in the Wilde, and which casts an iridescent glitter in the light. It contains magical properties and is occasionally requested by Witches for enchantments -- or simply to sell for decoration.