Discovering Sor, Part VI: The Creatures of Sor
From Snapperhounds to Starbirds: Sor’s Unique Creatures
He was about to get up when he heard something. A soft shhh-shhh sound that he couldn’t identify. Then he made out a moving shape in the dimly lit hall. He squinted. A woman in a wheelchair, a small birdlike creature—was that really a dragonet?—perched atop her shoulder.
From Night’s Reign
No world is complete without its inhabitants. Sor is home to a wealth of unique animals, from the mythical and supposedly extinct dragonet to the cute, though not always well-behaved, Barkmouse.
Below you’ll find an incomplete list of the unique creatures living on Sor. Ones you won’t find anywhere on Earth.
Admittedly, I might have gone a bit overboard with the menagerie—and the list is still growing—but what can I say? It’s just too much fun.
Domestic animals
To start with the domestic animals… apart from the usual ones: dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens, goats, sheep, cows, and horses, you’ll find the aforementioned Barkmouse, a hybrid between dog, bat, and mouse. This peculiar pet is especially popular amongst elderly ladies, most of whom spoil them silly, which results in their infamous unruly behaviour.
But not all Sor’s dog breeds are as harmless as the cute Barkmouse.
For one, there’s the Snapperhound, a large dog breed, comparable to the Pitbull Terrier, but with some important distinctions. While the latter can be obedient and affectionate pets if handled well, Snapperhounds are no pets—and never will be.
Initially similar to Earth’s greyhounds in both build and temperament, these dogs have been bred for aggression. Now they are war dogs, fiercer and more unpredictable than a badly handled Pitbull Terrier. Even to this day, Snapperhounds are used in executions so bloody, just witnessing one from afar might make you puke your guts outs.
Another fearsome dog is the Ingravian Okho Hound, a ferocious hunter, comparable to the German Jagdterrier. While not large, they are fast, fierce and persistent. Once they’ve sunk their teeth into a prey, they won’t let go. Even boars and large mountain hares, become helpless victims when taken down by a pack of Okho.
The Tarkon, a hybrid between the now-extinct Giant Mountain Goat, ordinary pack mule, and the compact Ingravian Wildhorse, is a rare Ingravian bearded horse. Coveted for their resilience to the harsh climate and treacherous environment of the Ingravian Peaks, they are the envy of many a Minor Lord.
Wildlife
Sor’s wildlife is so rich and varied, listing all its unique creatures here might turn this article into a full book, so I’ll just highlight some of the more exotic species.
The Ingravian Peaks are special—almost a world unto themselves—and might be home to the largest number of unique animals on Sor. Here we find not only the already mentioned Tarkon and Okho Hound, but also the Mountain Hare, Manewolf, Mountain Ape, Shnozu Ape, and the Northern Bear.
Unlike any hare we know on Earth, the Ingravian Mountain Hare can easily be as large as a Labrador retriever, has strong hind legs and sharp incisors, and will kick and bite when cornered. Not that it gets cornered easily: its incredible speed, agility and ability to jump far and high even from standstill see to that.
The legendary Manewolf, a massive creature with a wolf's body, tail, and hind legs, has shaggy fur, a lion’s manes, poisonous fangs and razorsharp claws. Definitely not an animal anyone in their right mind would like to encounter on a stroll in the woods.
Wolves were no threat to people. They hunted for elk, deer, and other animal prey, but never humans. Ordinary wolves. But what if this was a manewolf? What if it smelled the blood on my clothes?
From Dies Iræ: Revenge of a Reject
Ingravia’s Shnozu Ape is the Sor equivalent of Bigfoot, except that it’s no mere legend. These beasts, with their thick, shaggy fur, padded hands and feet, and a length of up to 3 metres, are very real. They live in small groups, eat an omnivorous diet and are extremely well adapted to the bitter Ingravian cold.
The Ikorn, a cat-sized, tree-dwelling omnivorous rodent, has striking reddish fur, two bushy tails, tufted ears, and clever, watchful eyes. Fast and agile, it’s one of Sor’s most elegant creatures—almost as if it stepped right out of a fairytale. Shy by nature, the ikorn is rarely seen, and many question whether it truly exists.
Every bit as beautiful as it is dangerous, the Mountain Misk is a majestic feline, with sleek, spotted fur, and amber eyes. Despite their relatively small size—they’re about the size of the Eurasian Lynx—they are known to attack and kill creatures twice their size and larger. Sometimes even humans.
Legendary beasts
Throughout history, stories have been told about dragons and their kin, star-born birds falling from the sky on moonless nights, and other beasts of legend. The sophisticated elite in the ever-expanding metropolitan areas of Sor know better than to believe in old-wives’ tales, but rural folks shake their heads at the folly of the educated.
The legends are still very much alive, and so are their often fearsome creatures: from the tiny—and supposedly extinct—dragonet to the impressive Ingravian Broadwing Dragon to the dazzling, mythical Starbird. They exist and will rule the world once more, when humanity has destroyed itself in its ceaseless pursuit of riches and power.
Next up…
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into some of Sor’s many unique creatures. Next time, we’ll explore yet another aspect of this fascinating world. Myths and legends, perhaps. Or something else entirely. What would you like to know? Tell me in the comments.
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Want to meet some of Sor’s creatures? You’ll encounter several of them in Night’s Reign.
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