Fauna of Bogavania and Beerstein
It is not often that I pay significant attention to the flora and Fauna of my created worlds so I decided that should change. Whilst Bogavania and Beerstein are vaguely historical the fun of making them fictional is that I can use troop types from a range of eras, so far medieval, including Eastern and Western types , Dark Ages and Renaissance. This may extend into ancient and early modern, such as English Civil War types. The zoology is another element to have fun with. Many of the animals will be familiar to the 'real world' - there are plenty of rabbits, deer, wolves and so on. Some animals, though, are very different. here are a few under construction:
Left to right - The snookum bird, the trivavore, the long eared forest cat, a swamp lizard and the snapping swamp tortoise.
Undercoated
The bird model is some sort of prehistoric creature which was hollow with a large rectangular hole in its chest, which I filled with tissues and putty. The cat's origins I have no idea but he is bigger, in 1/32 than a domestic cat. The imposing horned creature was created by marrying the head from a Pokemon or Pokemon type large headed toy to a made in China bear. As an after thought it was given a putty mane. The other two creatures are Kinder Egg and based on real creatures but they are, next to 1/32 scale men much bigger than the real thing would be.
BIOLOGY
The forest cat has a mottled yellow brown or grey appearance with some white versions found. It mostly hunts rabbits and similar creatures and is no direct threat to man unless cornered or defending its litter. when it can do some nasty damage with claws and teeth. Some Bogavanians have tamed them and used them as pets and even for hunting. The Beersteiners have turned on the poor creatures, designating them as the spawn of the Evil One (otherwise known as Bobzook or Cinderface or Yoonka) but I digress. They have been all but wiped out from much of their land. The creatures are also hunted for their gorgeous pelts.
The gizza lizard sometimes attains the size of a man and has been known to eat unwary small children and dogs who wander too close to the swamps. Its usual diet is fish, as it spends much of its time in water, and it is an opportunist which regularly eats carrion. Its bite is venomous. The snapping tortoise is also know to attain large size and feeds mostly on fish, worms and freshwater crayfish. It is generally not a danger to humans although it is not advised for men to swim in certain bodies of water for fear of losing their manhood as the turtle is quick to grab a dangling morsel it mistakes for a large worm. These lizards and tortoises are most common in Bogavania.
The trivavore is, thankfully, not common as its great danger to man and livestock has led to many a hunt by local knights, defending their peasants. Many a knight came off the worse for the encounter and a long hilted weapon is advisable. The full grown beasts are at least twice the size of a large man. It is wise not to tarry near any mountainous caves as this is where the creature makes its home, venturing out to hunt deer and other large mammals, including, if it gets a chance, man. It has the strength of a large bear but is even more aggressive. It is also able to gore its victim with its three horns before ripping it into small chunks, with its many protruding razor sharp teeth. The creature's upper head is covered in external bone which is highly resistant to the strongest sword cut. Its belly is a light color and its fur and mane are generally very dark, usually black. Its eyes are an unwholesome red. Its paws and feet have retractable claws that can extend the length of a human hand. The creatures are known to stay in pairs for the protection of offspring, generally two or three at a time.
Humans regard the creature as an evil beast originating from the Underworld but it is merely a beast, if a very dangerous one. There has been some debate among learned men as to whether it is mammalian, reptilian or a mixture of the two; few have tried to spend enough time in close proximity to prove its true nature.
The snookum bird has also been reduced to small numbers due to its threat to live stock and small children. It will even attack adults and its massive beak is powerful enough to crush a human head. Its colorful plumage also make it a prize as it is generally purple with patches of yellow and other colors. Consequently, this royal purple has made it a symbol for the royal house of Bogavania. The creature is the size of a man but rumors persist of much larger relatives living in the land of the northern Hill Men.
Below: The painted models
Knight versus trivavore
Snookum bird versus Bogavanian peasant
Smiley, the Trivavore
Left to right - The snookum bird, the trivavore, the long eared forest cat, a swamp lizard and the snapping swamp tortoise.
BIOLOGY
The forest cat has a mottled yellow brown or grey appearance with some white versions found. It mostly hunts rabbits and similar creatures and is no direct threat to man unless cornered or defending its litter. when it can do some nasty damage with claws and teeth. Some Bogavanians have tamed them and used them as pets and even for hunting. The Beersteiners have turned on the poor creatures, designating them as the spawn of the Evil One (otherwise known as Bobzook or Cinderface or Yoonka) but I digress. They have been all but wiped out from much of their land. The creatures are also hunted for their gorgeous pelts.
The gizza lizard sometimes attains the size of a man and has been known to eat unwary small children and dogs who wander too close to the swamps. Its usual diet is fish, as it spends much of its time in water, and it is an opportunist which regularly eats carrion. Its bite is venomous. The snapping tortoise is also know to attain large size and feeds mostly on fish, worms and freshwater crayfish. It is generally not a danger to humans although it is not advised for men to swim in certain bodies of water for fear of losing their manhood as the turtle is quick to grab a dangling morsel it mistakes for a large worm. These lizards and tortoises are most common in Bogavania.
The trivavore is, thankfully, not common as its great danger to man and livestock has led to many a hunt by local knights, defending their peasants. Many a knight came off the worse for the encounter and a long hilted weapon is advisable. The full grown beasts are at least twice the size of a large man. It is wise not to tarry near any mountainous caves as this is where the creature makes its home, venturing out to hunt deer and other large mammals, including, if it gets a chance, man. It has the strength of a large bear but is even more aggressive. It is also able to gore its victim with its three horns before ripping it into small chunks, with its many protruding razor sharp teeth. The creature's upper head is covered in external bone which is highly resistant to the strongest sword cut. Its belly is a light color and its fur and mane are generally very dark, usually black. Its eyes are an unwholesome red. Its paws and feet have retractable claws that can extend the length of a human hand. The creatures are known to stay in pairs for the protection of offspring, generally two or three at a time.
Humans regard the creature as an evil beast originating from the Underworld but it is merely a beast, if a very dangerous one. There has been some debate among learned men as to whether it is mammalian, reptilian or a mixture of the two; few have tried to spend enough time in close proximity to prove its true nature.
The snookum bird has also been reduced to small numbers due to its threat to live stock and small children. It will even attack adults and its massive beak is powerful enough to crush a human head. Its colorful plumage also make it a prize as it is generally purple with patches of yellow and other colors. Consequently, this royal purple has made it a symbol for the royal house of Bogavania. The creature is the size of a man but rumors persist of much larger relatives living in the land of the northern Hill Men.
Below: The painted models
Splendid natural history and fauna too.
ReplyDeleteAlan