Poryota

Bane of Myconids, the Poryota has a notorious reputation amongst the residents of Kahursa. In the mushroom people’s folklore it is they who steal away at night to do all manner of mischief- often the cause and subject of blame for disappearances and damage. Attempts to quell these attacks proved fruitless until a brief incursion by an Amnisican league- though their intrusion may have sparked more than any could have initially predicted. Their actions made the Poryota more irritable, bold, and daring to face their allies.  Indeed, the Poryota has continued to be a wedge of both terror and irritation in the Kahursan People’s sides.

#### Physiology and Anatomy

Endemic exclusively to the Kahursa Island, the Poryota is a species of carnivorous Rhynchocephalian. Though their closest ancestors more closely resemble lizards they’re far more doglike in general form and nature. Their forelimbs are raised up and land below the body to allow their strides great leeway and grace, letting them match the speed of contemporary dogs in a chase. In their temperature environment, these alpine reptiles have developed heat-retaining scales so they can remain active for longer when other beasts are not. Poryota use their speed and endurance to wear down their chosen victims through long gauntlets of attrition. Their methods of killing lie in their maw. A set of serrated teeth lets them cut through flesh and muscle with ease, though armor like chitin and maile may require a few more bites to get through. They cut deep wounds into their victims which would already be dangerous if not for the Poryota’s second armament. Laced in the Poryotas’ saliva -particularly along the tongue- is a noxious venom which enters the body via open wounds and orifices. This venom acts as an anticoagulant and may cause symptoms of delirium in that which it takes host in. ***The venom's effects will last up to a minute (or four turns)*** unless reapplied again.

Poryota, while entirely carnivorous, are known to eat the Arcane Mushrooms found on the Kahursa Islands. This is not out of mistaken identity- though Myconids often suffer the wrath because of it. Poryota eat these mushrooms to develop their toxin, the blue chromatophores of the fungus merging with the red blood to develop their titular purple pigment. How the Poryota is able to create its toxin from these enzymes is currently unknown, though is likely due to unique salivary glands. The health of a Poryota can be determined by the color of its belly and head; the lack of pigmentation clearly indicates that the Poryota hasn't been properly fed.

Egg laying animals, they nest within the summer months of each year. Females weave nests of flax and fern to ensure their eggs remain warm on colder nights. The males act as sentries whose quills function as communication arrays to their nearby packmates. Male Poryota can alter the rotation and elevation of their quills to indicate certain things, a form of silent communication. Once eggs hatch, the Poryotlings are relatively defenseless without their toxin. The mother often coats her brood with her own poison to ensure they’re not eaten- at least by most of the residents of the island. Poryota are considered mature when they no longer need their mother to chew arcane mushrooms for them to ingest.

#### Psychology

Social pack predators, Poryota form clans of up to eight adult individuals. They’re helmed by a mated pair who are usually the largest and or most aggressive. They eke out a territory amongst the trees and mark its borders with the remains of past kills or rivals. Poryota Clans are often fiercely competitive and may fight tooth and nail for ideal basking and nesting spots. This aggression extends to other predators and sapient races- though all Poryota fear the Rangurat. Taming a Poryota is something of a myth amongst Kahursan locals, many have tried and many have been rendered to pieces for doing so.