banner

A Rathilien Bestiary

Mundane animals mentioned in the books are : As well as these familiar animals the fauna of Rathillien includes numerous strange and very strange creatures, most of them very dangerous. There are also many odd varieties of plant life which I will not go into here.
Cats
Several species of cat live on Rathillien. Apart from the domestic tabby, Rathillien cats are found in less mundane species.

Jame is bonded to an ounce, a hunting cat rather like a small leopard. These felines are specially bred in catteries. In Rathilien, they come in different colours from the common brown to the highly prized Royal Gold. According to the encyclopedia an ounce (Panthera uncia) or asian snow leopard has light cream or grey fur with large black spots and is no larger than a leopard.
Leopards are used as hunting cats by the Thanes of the Skyrr clans.

The largest felines on Rathillien are the Arrin-ken. These 600lb felines are the nearly immortal third race of the Kencyrath so, despite their appearance, should count as people rather than cats.

Dogs
Molocar - a breed of large war dog used for hunting. Four foot high at the shoulder and able to bring down a charging war horse, or crush a man's head.
Lymer - black-coated tracking dogs.

Foxkin
Inquisitive black furred bat-like creatures with a fox's face, large ears, long flat brush and furry wings. Live in flocks like bats.

Frog
The most famous frog in Rathillien is Gorgo the Lugubrious, rain god of the old pantheon of Tai-Tastigon. This Kermit look-alike can cause rains of water or frogs, but fell on hard times when his priests tried to make him into a human.

Merikit
The native tribesmen of the Riverland. Some sections of the Kencyr treat regard them as animals and hunt them for sport and their skins.

Horse
Horses found on Rathillien include the Whinno-hir, a breed of very intelligent horse which has been with the Kencyrath almost from the beginning. The Whinno-hir are smaller and faster than normal horses and choose their Highborn riders with care. They are much too small to serve as Warhorses.

Jewel-jaws
Blue-winged carrion-eating butterflies who feed in swarms.

Snakes
The sand viper (very poisonous) lives in the southern wastes.
Penari's pet snake, named Monster, is an example of a Moon Python a very large white constricting snake, forty feet long with a long lifespan.

Rathorn (pronounced RA-thorn)
Rather like ivory-clad horses, they have long curved necks, small heads and sharp hooves. They are described with black coats and a white mane and tail (but albinos are known). The males have a tusk on their nose and a curved horn between their eyes, while the females have only the nose horn. The ivory armour continues to grow throughout the creature's life until it eventually kills it. Unless constantly honed down the horn will curve round and eventually split the male's skull. They are known as "beasts of madness" and man-eaters, their scent and appearance terrifies horses. They have a characteristic scream and travel in family groups called "rages".

Rhi-sar (or Rhisar)
An animal living in the southern wastes of Rathillien, its hide is used to make leather armour.

Trock (or trog ?)
Trocks are rock-like animals, the size of a clenched fist, which were imported into Rathillien by the mysterious Builders. They are described as having a larval stage so may be insects. Their digestive juices can dissolve stone and almost everything else they come across. An infestation of trocks is capable of cleaning out a large dungeon.

Vhor
Vhors are large vicious rodents with a tendency towards demonic possession who live in swarms.

Wolf
As well as the wolves of the normal sort, werewolves (called Wolvers) are found in Rathillien. They live in the forest known as the Weald and are hunted as animals by some Kencyr (and others).

Wyrm
Grey, segmented, slug-like worm with antennae and a body about 4-5 inches thick. They move on a trail of slime and have a venomous narcotic bite and blood. It is not clear whether they are indigenous to Rathillien or creatures of Perimal Darkling but since their venom is effective against Highborn, who are almost impossible to poison, I think they are darkling creatures.

Wyrsa (plural - wyrsan)
Dog-like creatures, smaller than wolves, with a distinctive howl who live in high mountains above the snow line. They are prone to killing frenzies and can tunnel under the ice as fast as they can run over it. A pack of wyrsan is called a ravening and will eat any flesh or carrion. Their young, called kitlings, are reared in a ravery.

Return to Main Page